Q&A WITH KIRST
I try to update you all on the things the Lord is teaching me throughout this journey across the oceans. However this week, I wanted to switch it up and write about things that each of YOU were actually curious about! So, a few weeks ago, I reached out to my Facebook followers to give people a forum to ask questions that now, I will be answering here!
SO HERE IT GOES!!
1. How do you think the US is perceived in the places you’ve been based on conversations you’ve had or how you’ve been received? (Greg Easley) Great question! I love it! Also struggling with it because I don’t want to make a blanket statement that generalizes each place I’ve been because there’s definitely been some individual countries (or cities within) that are different. HOWEVER, more often than not, we are welcomed very warmly. Not necessarily because they know at that point that I’m specifically from the United States, but because in general I look very differently from them. Children are the most curious and/or confused! It’s so fun to break the ice with them. They’re either so eager to say hello and use some broken “hello’s” and “how are you’s?” or they freak the heck out if you even glance their direction. But as for their perception of the US, more often than not, when people approach us they ask for money. We are seen as a symbol of wealth and fortune. Oftentimes I feel like there’s a money sign stamped to my head. But I would also say because of that perception, I feel like many of them think that we as Americans are immune to hardship and corruption and misfortune, whether that be as individuals. And my thought process behind this statement is because I feel like many of them are surprised when we share testimonies about divorce, death, broken families, or stories of families who are living pay check to pay check. Again, this is a hard question for me because I don’t want to generalize a large handful of countries and people. But this can be generalized: you can GUARANTEE some sort of comment about President Trump.
2. What’s a moment that made you see your early life in Pampa in a new light or with different perspective? (Greg Easley) Goodness, I can’t tell you how frequently, on this mission trip alone, the Lord has highlighted how much growing up in Pampa was a blessing. One hilarious example is just last week I had to explain what the “Miami Cow Calling Contest” was, which then spun into a discussion of what a “cow call” was and what the purpose behind it is! There may or may not have been a request for an example. But in all seriousness, physically there are so many moments where I’m so thankful to have grown up in a town where I could easily leave my car running at the gas station as I ran inside to grab a drink and not worry about my car being completely missing when I come out. Or thankful for being able to sit in The Coffee Shop or a park for hours working on homework or things and run to the bathroom and not have to worry about my things! Or moments where I’m standing in lines wrapped around the bank waiting to get money out and I just so happened to go on the day that EVERYONE gets paid. Those make me thankful for small town living and the feasibility of resources. And the last example I’m going to share is over my time traveling, I’ve gained a thankfulness for not having full access to anything and everything growing up. Ex) a shopping mall- You had to travel all the way to Amarillo for things. I didn’t spend my spare time “hanging out at the mall” where I just stared at items all day always wanting something new. But instead, passing time with friends meant getting creative. It meant actually spending time in people’s homes and investing in their families. Or finding something silly and unique to do in town. And I’ve realized that that mindset alone makes it easier for me to be content in towns/countries where there’s not as much to do. It’s never been easily accessible in the past so I never saw it as a necessity, but as a gift. Which it is. I also think that growing up in Pampa and being involved in so many different types of activities was a huge blessing. Not having to choose one extracurricular has given me so exposure to lots of activities and has served as many types of ministry along the way. For example, during these mission trips I’ve done dramas, sang at churches, and played volleyball, basketball, soccer. It’s given me several different platforms to relate to people and to serve the Church worldwide.
3. Have you ever regretted going? (Jarilyn Wichert) NO. That’s my instant response. These experiences have literally shaped who I am as an individual. They’ve challenged my views of the world, education, humanity, God, wants vs. needs, etc. However, are there moments when all I want so desperately is to be at home hanging with my nephew or sleeping in my own bed? Absolutely. And there’s moments when the lure of “normal life” seems compelling. Like I would love to have a little stability right now where I don’t pack up my bag every couple of weeks and keep trekking. But then I think of all of the ways this experience has opened my eyes to the hurt and the need of the world. And when you’ve seen some of these things, they can’t be unseen. When you’ve experienced true poverty and seen unquenchable hunger and the need around the world there’s just something inside of me that can’t just ignore it or forget it. But it’s a beautiful gift to have the opportunity to be a part of the Lord’s provision of His people. It truly is. And these opportunities and these experiences have reshaped my views of privilege, of joy, of contentment, and what “normal” life should look like. So NO, I definitely don’t regret going! (:
4. What are you going to miss the most when you return to Pampa? (Jarilyn Wichert) I’m going to miss how interruptible people around the world are. There are so many cultures that are just so laid back and relax and people centered. And I’m not saying that Pampa isn’t like that, or that America isn’t like that, but our culture can tend to be agenda and check list driven, where time is a commodity. But around the world, you can show up to people’s work or home or see them on the street and it could turn into a 30 minute (or 5 hour long) encounter. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being on time to things. I love a schedule. I THRIVE on schedules. But I just love how people centered the world is! Also I’m really really REALLY going to miss $0.30 churros. I mean WOW! And i’m going to miss constantly having to push myself out of my comfort zone to communicate with people who don’t speak my language (except at grocery stores– that just makes your trip 1000 times longer and harder…).
5.What are some weird foods you’ve eaten? (Betty Maxwell) Scrambled eggs with condensed milk. A dish called Borscht which is like a soup with beetroot, veggies, sour cream and rabbit meat or other types of meat. I haven’t eaten this specifically (yet), but this month a popular dish in Peru is Cuy, which is grilled guinea pig!! And I had teammates try fried tarantula and fried snake. Lots of intestines and/or organs. I’m not huge on trying crazy foods so I usually pass this off to my risky teammates! (:
6.What are some things that are remarkably less expense compared to home? (Charla Shults) A WHOLE BIG BAG of animal crackers are a dollar here in Peru! A plate of fried chicken and french fries is $1.33 or so. In Cambodia you can get massages for about $6. Big bags of Thai Tea off the street are like $0.50. MEDICATION! Rarely, if ever, do our consultation fees go over $20 and that’s with no insurance or anything, and usually at one of the better clinics or hospitals. And then you can get prescribed several different medications at a time and it still be less than $20 total. For example, I saw a doctor the other day and received 3 different medications, and the consultation plus meds were $11.
7. If you are bus breaks down in the desert for 15 hours and you ran out of food do you risk salmonella and eat the sandwiches that the bus driver has had out of a fridge for 12 hours or do you die of starvation? (Sara Macintosh) Well, if you ask about 10 of the people from my squad, they would tell you die of starvation. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20… hahahaha. Also, for those of you who haven’t heard the story– this is real. Except for we don’t know how exactly these people got salmonella. Could have been food on the street, the bus, or the hostel we stayed at. It’s really unknown. But yes, our bus broke down in the desert for 15 hours (and then two other times as well) and it ended up taking us 75 hours to get to our destination… YIKES.
8. What has been the most humbling personal experience you’ve had within your group? (Jenna Bont) The first one that comes to mind is on one of our last days of our month in Romania, we had this big birthday celebration/goodbye party for our hosts and we made a cheesecake and showered them in prayer and encouragement and thanked them for the tremendous impact they had on our first month. However, as SOON as we were finished our host turned around and washed the feet of one of our Gap Year participants as a sign of humility. It was one of the most tender moments and servitude and counting others worth more than yourself. I would say another moment that comes to mind is getting to meet a woman in Ukraine who had never had a piece of chocolate OR a banana in her lifetime and one of the employees at the ministry brought her one and she was ECSTATIC and thought it was the best thing she’d every tried in her entire life. It’s moments like these that remind me of the things that are truly valuable in this world.
9. Have you discovered a new passion? (Kay Harvey) WATER COLORING! It’s super therapeutic and relaxing for me!
10. what is your favorite meme? (Emma Colon)
11. On a scale of 1-Justin Bieber, how much are you enjoying Peru? (Bernadette stinkin’ Beacham)
HAHAHA.
12. what will your first american meal be when you return? (Payton Noel) Oh EASY. CHIPS AND QUESO.
13. How has your life changed? (Gladys Vanderpool) Gosh, I think the biggest way is just seeing life through a completely different lens. And just having an overwhelming sense of thankfulness for my upbringing, for being American, for having the experiences that I have had, and yet still desiring and loving a simpler lifestyle. And also, I can hand wash all my clothes in a bucket and also take bucket showers so I would say that’s pretty life changing! haha! And I truly think those $0.30 churros have changed my life… (;
