MONTH 1.
Cusco, Peru.
Well, my squad and I made it to Cusco, Peru for month 1! Everything about Cusco is incredible, and it’s such a city built on love. We have been here for about a week, and training camp has been in full swing! There is so much grace and love within the leadership team, squad mentors, serve team, everyone is so full of life! I am very thankful for each of them and this experience with them!
Training camp has been preparing us to live a life of ministry. This past week of training camp has already wrecked me, and the thought of spending not only the next 11 months, but the rest of my life living a life of ministry is just something I can’t put into words. All I can say is there is so much JOY.
Trying to explain the unscripted route to others was very difficult for me. Some don’t understand, others try to understand, and some want to understand – but the reality is simple, it’s the Gospel. We reach PEOPLE, not PROJECTS. One thing that was spoken over our squad was, “It might take a person seven times of hearing the Gospel, before accepting Jesus into their heart. Are you willing to be number four?” And the answer is YES, we are willing and YES, that’s why we are here! We are here to plant Kingdom seeds, and lay the rest in the Father’s hands. Living this kind of ministry allows God to use us as vessels for His Kingdom, to reach His children because He loves that BIG.
Yesterday we were challenged by our leadership team, to go out and CONSIDER something. After walking around the city, I ended up on the church steps of the Iglesia De Santo Domingo. As I was sitting there, I noticed a Father and a Son (Oscar and Louise) taking pictures of one another. As they finished taking pictures, I asked them if they wanted me to take a picture of the both of them, they kindly declined, but that simply opened up conversation. I told them where I was from and they in return told me where they were from, their occupation, and why they were traveling in Cusco. They were just the sweetest people, and truly gentle and kind. That conversation opened up the sense of love for one another, and sometimes that’s the only thing that is needed. After that encounter, the Lord told me to consider the traveler. And let me remind you, we are all travelers – going somewhere vast.
We are all known and we are all made so beautifully in His image. We are all going throughout life, trying to make a way and looking for more. We all have feelings, emotions, desires, dreams, realities, loved ones, a story to tell, and we must love and respect that.
-So let’s consider the traveler, their passions and dreams, all so unique.
-Let’s consider the traveler, their hardships and daily struggles.
-Let’s consider the traveler, how we are perfect in His eyes and fully loved.
– Let’s consider the traveler, why they move and where they are going.
So my prayer is this:
Lord, give me eyes to see people the way that you see them. Give me ears to hear and listen to people the way that you do. Lord, give me a heart like yours, one that loves infinitely and is so gentle and kind.
