11 Things I Learned in the Amazon Jungle
1. The Lord’s strength truly is the only thing that brought me through this experience.
When I am weak, He is strong became such a real truth to me on this trip. It has always been the cliché thing to say, but not fully believe in my heart in all circumstances. This experience truly changed that into reality. I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it, I hadn’t trained for this, I didn’t even know we’d be going to Mojos until only a couple days before leaving. There were multiple times climbing up hills, crossing steep landslides with only a narrow path separating me from the river below, and in the heat of the day that I surprised myself with the ability to push through. No anxiety or exertion too strong that made me feel as if I couldn’t accomplish this. And it surprised me because it was not on my own strength at all. Our very wise host would say, “just one step in front of the other. It’s kind of like our faith: perseverance is the act of just taking one more step each time, until you reach the top of the mountain (or in our faith, until we reach eternity).” We can all go just one more step, and before you know it, you are at the place you thought you would never reach. The circumstances surrounding us cannot dictate what we believe about ourselves. The Lord truly put into perspective that I really can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. There is no circumstance too deep, no mountain too high, and no amount of criticism or pushback from the world that can keep me from doing what the Lord has called me into. The key phrase thought is I can do anything THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. Not because I muster up enough courage, do enough self-exploration, or have all the right qualifications, but because of CHRIST IN ME that accomplishes the impossible. I have learned that by relying on my own strength, I give the devil a foothold to completely destroy me when I’m weak and vulnerable. But when I truly rely on the Lord, despite what the circumstances say, or how much I can know for sure (that’s what faith is right?), he will be our strength and we will never fail. He is enough. My Jesus did not die on that cross for no reason; he broke the power of sin and death, and through that, we can have life abundantly, now and forevermore.
2. Bathing in rivers is a great way to feel like a real Amazonian woman.
This was so liberating! It was the best part of the day, the best way to cool off after a long day of hiking, and the views were absolutely incredible. Plus trying to tilt your head back to rinse the soap out of your hair creates a whole new level of teamwork. You will float away if a good friend isn’t there to hold on to your arms while you do so.
3. Chiggers and sandflies are from the devil. I hope I never have to experience them ever again.
I thought I was going to have to live off of falling asleep to Benadryl or Advil pm just because the itching was too much to bear. WEAR PANTS, CAPRIS WILL NOT CUT IT. THEY WILL INFEST YOUR LEGS.
4. Yuka is a type of mountain potato and they eat them for every meal in Mojos and surrounding villages.
They are very dense and if you eat them too fast, they will get clogged in your throat and it’s painful to swallow. They have a thick skin that is peeled before preparing (I cut yukas many times during this trip, trying not to slice my finger off). My preference is fried rather than boiled.
5. Love is more than enough even when there are cultural and language barriers.
There were many times on the race where I have seen this as true but I experienced a next level of this in Mojos. There are only 17 families in Mojos, many of which only go to the city (Apolo) on average a couple times a year. Even Apolo itself is an extremely small city with no wifi in the area or much development. For these people to only come to this city a few times a year makes them a lot farther removed from the outside world compared to the rest of Bolivia. With no electricity or phone service up in Mojos, they have little communication with the rest of Bolivia. The children here run around the soccer field, play with their friends outside, or see how many small fires they can start once it hits dark around the village. They don’t have toys or things to preoccupy themselves except each other. Coming in, the children were very timid and shy towards us. Continuous smiles and playing soccer or coloring was what finally warmed them up to our presence. There was one little girl that would simply come and hang out by Paige and I, not saying anything, or responding to anything we would ask. So we just smiled and giggled at each other, and that was somehow enough.
One day we hiked a couple miles out to a family who lives just outside of Mojos in order to visit them and their daughter who has Cerebral Palsy. When we arrived, we were greeted with the juiciest oranges I’ve ever tasted, and shy smiles from the 4 young children. Sandra, who is now around 9 or 10, sits in a chair outside the small kitchen in the shade. We go to greet her and the simple physical contact between us and her makes her giggle. She loves kisses on the cheek, for when she receives them, she laughs harder than I’ve ever heard. Her smile lights up her family’s small property and brings joy to the rest of the family’s hard spirits. This has caused a strain on the family, the spouses marriage, and the way they interact with the rest of the community. As Sandra grows older, they are finding it more difficult to leave their property to attend the small church in Mojos, about an hour away, and it’s hard for the Father to leave to do work with 4 young children behind. The simplicity of visiting this family outside of the rest of the small community, spending time with them and their young family, and loving them through affection, listening to understand and not to be understood, and speaking truth was more than enough. We came with no fancy gifts or prepared messages, but simply walked in the fullness of Christ’s love for his people.
6. Spam and Mashed potatoes is the best meal you could make over a fire after a long day of hiking.
This was probably my first time ever having spam and I wasn’t disgusted by it. I never thought that this would be the most nourishing thing after a long day of walking up and down hills completely exhausted. Mashed potatoes are always a good life choice as well 🙂
7. Our bodies are more capable of what we give ourselves credit for.
There are so many times during this time in Bolivia in general where my body has tolerated a lot of strain and wounds, but the Lord has created us with bodies that heal and endure. From bruising my hip in the back of the truck down to the river because of the bumpy ride thrashing my body back and forth against a metal pole, to slicing my finger open down by the river on a rock. To hiking up and down hills where I wasn’t sure my legs were going to make it, to having hundreds of sand fly and chigger bites all over my legs. To having shortness of breath in La Paz because it is the highest capital city in the world at around 13,000 feet, and even walking up a few stairs makes it feel as if I’ve run a marathon. To getting a weird rash on my arm in the jungle, and simply hiking 64 miles with a 35 lb pack on our backs. All those things took a beating on my body, but they healed and were restored back to normal quickly. The Lord has given us the ability to heal, and to persevere in things that seem physically impossible for us to do. Just one step in front of the other, and eventually you will reach the mountain top.
8. The Lord is seriously the most creative artist. His beauty is found in absolutely everything.
This month I saw more diversity of plants and insects than I have ever seen before. I was interested to read that the Amazon contains so much of the earth’s species of plants and animals, and 20% of the oxygen in the world is produced by the Amazon. I saw more unique butterflies than I have ever seen, many full of colors that cannot be recreated, and designs that are only made by a creator. Plants that are used to heal, plants that can be made into tea (one of which tastes like fruit loops!), and herbs that are used in the food we eat. Not to mention the beautiful diversity of mountains and rivers that flow through this beautiful part of the world. Wild pineapples grow on a ridge which we coined “pineapple ridge”. Plants that hold these tiny black marbles that people use to make jewelry, river water that is so fresh and clean that you can drink straight from the river (with a couple drops of chlorine). Bugs that I’ve never laid eyes on before but hold extreme beauty. An abundance of the juiciest oranges you will ever eat. There is so much diversity and beauty in this beautiful jungle.
“The Amazon is also extraordinarily rich in biodiversity. A very large number of Amazonian plant and animal species are “endemic”, meaning that they are found there and nowhere else. Recent estimates from Conservation International indicate that in the Amazon one can find:
18,000 varieties of plants (c.13, 680 endemic)
434 species of mammals (138 endemic)
239 reptile species (59 endemic)
225 species of amphibians (203 endemic)
And more freshwater fish and primates than anywhere else on the planet!” (http://www.rainforestfoundation.org/commonly-asked-questions-and-facts)
9. The trail is a great time to think about your life, and also plan your entire future wedding with your teammates.
There is SO much time that you are simply staring at the ground, making sure every step is a sure step and you don’t trip. A majority of that time is spent in silence as each person takes in the jungle around them, and process through things that simply require silence and no distractions to process through. I have a tattoo on my back from Hosea 2:14 that states “I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” In this sense, we were brought into the literal wilderness, literally and figuratively (the wilderness in the bible referring to a time of trials, pain, and a last resort for searching for meaning). He truly brought us in and spoke tenderly to each of our hearts, drew things out that were hidden deep down, and walked through a lot of healing, simply by being in his complete-distraction free presence. Other times, I had great community and conversation with my team while walking along the trail. I think we spent like 2 hours planning every detail of our future weddings just for fun, and playing lots of trail games.
10. The Lord’s presence is everywhere. There is no where we can run to escape that. Sometimes, it just requires us to open our eyes and look around to see that.
This may seem silly but I truly believe the Lord made his presence known in this white cow we met our first night. When arriving at our campsite, There was a white bull standing within the brush, only 10 feet or so from the open space where we were setting up our tents down by the river. He sat and watched us, and at first we were scared, we tried to scare it away, but it just kept coming back. All by its lonesome, there was no other cow in site for miles. It just happened to be waiting there when we arrived, and didn’t leave until we all went to bed. Paige and I took a nap before dinner in our tent and when we exited our tent, we turned around and not even 3 feet from our tent, was that same cow. Standing peacefully in the moonlight with no intention of doing anything but simply watching us. It’s like the Lord, he’s always present, always watching over us. It’s when crossing over the landslides that if you fall, there is a 90% chance of fatality. It’s when my teammate Brittany fell off the side of the mountain on a slippery rock, and a single tree trunk root, was the only thing that caught her and we were able to pull her back up
11. I am an absolutely beautiful creation. Created uniquely by the Lord, and I am captivating to Him.
To see me in the state that I was during this hike, I was not “beautiful” by the worlds standards. Not showering for days, having hundreds of scars on my legs, not wearing makeup or having my hair done. Wearing the same clothes for 5 days straight, not having a mirror, or rinsing the dirt off my body. But these 10 days I felt more beautiful and more captivating than I ever have. The Lord has created me with a body that can endure a lot of pain, with a heavy pack on my back for 64 miles. To have legs and ankles that take every step with confidence. To have arms that can hug little children and do manual labor. To have eyes that are dark and beautiful, without the tainted look of makeup to make them stand out. To have a smile that is more beautiful than anything I could do to try and artificially create that. To have a heart that cares deeply for the people of this world, to have a mind that is healthy and wise. To have words that speak truth in love. To have a personality that the Lord created uniquely as mine. I am captivating to the Lord because he created me. Every single thing about me he loves and cherishes. I am His and He is mine. Nothing in this world: time, trials, people, circumstances, will ever be able to take away that joy that I hold because I have Jesus living in me. Nothing can take away the beauty of the Lord.
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