What is your favorite thing you have eaten so far?
We have had some really good food here in South America! We were fed breakfast lunch and dinner everyday in Colombia so I think my favorite food has been in Colombia. A man named Fabian would come to the church every week and make homemade Churros which were incredible. We also helped a man named Hector make empanadas which is a half circle dough filled and fried with chicken, rice, cheese salsa and whatever else you have on hand. Those were also my favorite! And really any kind of cooked plantain, I could eat all of those.
How did/ are you fundraising?
Before I left the states I wrote letters to a lot of people explaining what I was doing and asked for support and prayers. I also did a fun event at my workplace which is a mission minded clothing company. A percentage of every purchase that day went towards my fundraising. Word of mouth was also huge and so cool to see the Lord working just by telling people what I was doing. I’m still fundraising, but so so so close to my goal! I have about $1,500 left and the deadline is Jan 31st! If you feel called I would love your support!
What is the hardest lesson you have personally had to learn so far?
I think a couple of hard lessons I’ve personally had to learn so far is #1 God will take you through really hard things to reveal more of Himself to you. Working through crap, lies and coping patterns is not fun at all, but when you’re led into it holding Jesus’s hand, freedom and life is found. The second hardest lesson is learning what community living means and looks like. Fighting for one another and listening to what one another needs takes time, patients and understanding. It’s been a process, but I’m so thankful for what I’ve learned through it all!
What’s been your favorite city so far on your trip?
On our way to Cusco Peru, we stopped in Lima for a day and it was my favorite! The buildings were beautiful and historic and finely detailed. It was a bustling city with people everywhere which I loved and the beach was a dream. We watched the sunset that night and it most definitely was one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen. The Pacific Ocean there in Lima looked massive and we were up on top of a cliff as the sun was setting and a paraglider was about to jump off into the sunset. All the heart eyes.
Did you find any new Christmas traditions this year?
This Christmas we made French toast together as a team and watched Elf which was sweet and incorporated some of our traditions from back home. We also read The Christmas Story which I’ve never done back home, but it is a tradition for Courtney’s family. I loved that new tradition! We also went over to the other team’s host family and ate a delicious Greek meal, played Code Names and Dirty Santa. It was a fun Christmas in Cusco!
What foods have you learned to love and rely on?
I’m not much of a picky eater, I will try almost anything! A few foods that I’m starting to rely on because I love them so much have been mango and papaya. I never had papaya back in the States, but man I love it so much. And mango.. it’s so good here. We buy mango every week. We’ve also eaten a lot of popcorn and buy chocolate any time we see it! Small reminders of home.
What’s been your biggest aha moment so far?
I’ve had a lot of these moments! From month 1 my biggest aha moment was realizing that my life for the next year was going to change a lot. Location, ministry, climate, people, emotions, culture and on and on. I realized that through all the change, the one thing and one place I could go that would never change would be with Jesus. He’s my constant and my rock and will always be the same. Month 2 aha was really seeing how the Lord is my defense. He’s my defender and fights battles before I even know they’ve begun. Month 3 aha, on the contrary from Month 2 is that the Lord is not only my defense, but also the one who rocks me to sleep in this insanely cozy, pure and melting like rocking chair place.
Comment below if you have any more questions!! I will update and add them! Thank you for reading. I hope you all are having a fresh and new start to this year! Hey 2019!
