It’s now been a little over two weeks of being here in Chincha, Peru. I’ve been soaking it up…And I’ve been sucking it up. So far, my time here has been one of extremes and contrasts. Situations that could leave me & my teammates frustrated or hopeless, but instead have been bathed in laughter, purpose, and prayer.
Our officially scheduled ministry rarely takes more than 2 hours of the day. Our team has decided to make prayer, worship & intercession a priority. We typically spend 3 hours in the mornings doing this.
We are living in a concrete church, and rarely have water more than an hour a day. We spend time sitting on the little hallway swing when we want to relax & we pray a lot for water.
Our contacts speak only Spanish…and most of our team does not. One team member communicates through the children with art; another through playing sports; drew & I try to translate, and we all play constant games of charades.
It’s always hot here. We go out for ice cream or lemonade once a week.
Some days, I’m in awe at how glorious my life is, especially as I sit around the table an hour after dinner still laughing and talking with my teammates.
Other days, I really fight throwing myself pity party as I go to the bathroom and am welcomed by 4 peoples’ turds & a running cockroach.
I think the world race, life like, is equal parts soaking it up & sucking it up.
Soaking up the language. The culture. The team. The loose schedule. The time to pray & worship. The family we’re staying with. The constant laughter. The hope. The cooking healthy meals for my team. The unity in perspective. The encouragement. The time living abroad.
Sucking up the dusty floor. The moving our stuff for church every week. The diarrhea. The nonexistence of alone time. The visit to the hospital. The once-a-week showers with 2 pints of water. The loose schedule. The sleeping on a sweaty sleeping pad every night. The lack of independence.
Praise God for the times we have to suck it up, and praise God for the times we have to soak it up. Both are important; I think they are lived better in tandem, any ways.
To s**king it up!
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