Since my time in Camp Adventure, I’ve been heavily involved in the idea, teaching, and practice of servant leadership. It then carried into my first time on the World Race and was emphasized how important it would be this time around as a squad leader. Makes perfect sense. Jesus was a huge advocate for servant leadership in every sense of the word. I’ve always felt like I did a decent job. Until I met Juan this month. He’s given me quite the education in actually living this out.
Juan is a local Bolivian who is both a pastor and taxi cab driver. More importantly he is a father and a husband as well. He gave up all of that for the month to help translate for the team in Uyuni, Bolivia.
27 plus years on earth and I’ve never seen someone serve like Juan. He was the first up each morning (minus those mornings when my bowels ruled my day) to fill up barrels with water while we had it running. Grocery shopping trips. Pharmacy trips. Phone activation adventures. Cooking an early breakfast. He’s in the middle of it all.
All good things, but nothing too outlandish or out of the ordinary. Sometimes though it takes having ourselves getting knocked down a couple of pegs to really see the extraordinary lengths others will go to serve. Like being sick and unable to do everything on your own you usually do.
I’ve been sick nearly two weeks in Bolivia. My insight into the depths at which Juan would go to serve began at a retreat day further into the desert with the local church. I spoke that morning on church unity and then proceeded to develop a fever and stomach bug as we went into the afternoon. Several others decided to join me on that voyage. Food poisoning anyone?
At this location, there were no bathrooms. You had to go find a rock to squat behind. As the day is ending I’m not certain my bowels will survive the hour trip home and Juan decides to go be a lookout for me. Long story short, I find a rock, but nothing actually happens beyond shoving my finger in some large spider hole and dying a little inside. I find Juan and tell him everything is fine as he is walking me back. For whatever reason he stops me and asks to look at my shoes. On the bottom is either dirt, poop, or a mixture of both. Of course Juan believes I pooped on myself. I definitely didn’t, but I don’t think he actually believes me trying to explain why it wasn’t me, so I just give in and listen to him comfort me about it being a common issue.
So he takes me to the river so we can wash off my shoe. He was going to take it, but I refused to actually give him my shoe. I wasn’t about to let him clean it off, so he pulls a bunch of weeds for me to scrub it with. So while quite feverish and with unhappy bowels, he is with me at the river getting things for me to help scrub my shoe that I didn’t actually poop on. This special moment we share really is just the beginning.
I make it home okay that night, but go downhill from there. As the evening progresses and in the days that follow, he proceeds to be the first one by my side as I faint into a slightly controlled fall and holds my head while ignoring my protests of wanting to lay flat on the cold concrete. Makes me and others an abundance of tea. Finds blankets from who knows where to tuck me in over my sleeping bag anytime I’m asleep or nearly asleep, (as much as one can be tucked in on the floor) and pulls his matt over towards mine to read to me from the Bible when I didn’t have the energy for anything else during the day.
I could continue on with stories about him digging dirt out from under toenails of another squadmate due to concern of that person’s health. That person didn’t ask him. He just did it. Or late nights up with people preparing for the next day’s talks when you know he is already exhausted. Making soup when 12 of 14 people are sick and other food too.
I cannot overstate the extent to which Juan serves others selflessly. He’s like the Mr. Miagi of serving and I’m just Daniel-son learning to wax on and off. It’s incredible.
And when he prays…, without a doubt hell flees. He’s got an incredibly quiet and low key demeanor at all times, until it is time to pray. Then he goes from Bruce Banner to The Incredible Hulk of prayer in a few seconds.
I’m honored to consider him a great friend, a brother, and an up and coming sodoku expert. We might have bonded over that just a bit as well during my days in bed.
Please be in prayer for my health. The bowels are good now, but a lovely head cold has entered into its place. And this whole being sick for days on end thing is for the birds.
Love you all!
