I remember watching Tarzan when I was younger and thinking about how sick it would be to live in a jungle. Obviously, as I grew up I realized that it wasn’t realistic to live in a jungle, and that’s it’s not as glamorous as Tarzan makes it out to be.
With that being said, I got to live out that childhood dream of mine this last week. I went to the actual real-life jungle with around twenty of my squad-mates for a week of ministry. We traveled about seven hours south of where we live to the region Talamanca (for perspective, Talamanca is on the border of Panama and Costa Rica)
My team wasn’t originally on this trip, but after another weekend ministry trip fell through, we were given the chance to go with two of the other teams. Going into it we didn’t know a ton about what we would be doing, we generally knew we would be ministering to the indigenous people through hosting community events, and home visits. Details were not shared nor were they necessary because we didn’t really need to know much in order to prepare. We knew we needed some boots and clothes we could get muddy, along with bug spray.
We left our base before the sun even touched the city, and we headed on our way. It was a long bus ride, full of movies, napping, and singing. Eventually, we arrived and got to scarf down some PB&J’s. We starting talking about what the week would look like, and we prepared for our first house visit. We were told ahead of time that the hike on this first day would be the longest hike, they didn’t share that it was a 6+ mile hike through deep mud, dripping sweat with big old ugly rain boots on. Strange enough none of that actually mattered at all.
We were hiking for the one, we were traveling through the forest to love the one. We were walking with Jesus on our backs and swords to fight against the enemy, and it didn’t matter how much my feet hurt or how soaked in sweat my shirt was. It didn’t even matter that the man wasn’t at his house when we arrived. It mattered that we carried the presence of the Lord there. It mattered that we got to have worship in his front yard and that we got to pray over his home.
This was the mindset of the whole week. There was never a moment that was within my comfort zone, there was never a second that I didn’t feel at least slightly gross. Never a second where I felt normal, never a second where my body didn’t ache at least a little bit. And even beyond all the physical challenges, the air in the rainforest felt heavy, the enemy was working hard to break into holy ground, witchcraft is very real and can carry a lot of power if we allow it to. My spirit was under attack and I had to actively fight against negative attitudes and pray over my every step.
My week in the jungle was challenging, to say the least, it pushed my every button, but in the most fruitful way.
Through the fog of my own mindset, God was still pressing in, He was giving me the courage to speak to strangers and to pray over anyone and everyone. He was giving me His love and showing me His heart in others. The people of Talamanca don’t have a lot, and they were some of the most faith-centered and happiest people I ever met. They didn’t have a lot, but they still welcomed us into their homes with no warning. They cleaned off their front porches and got seats out for us. They sang with us, they prayed with us and they listened to the words we had to share. A church that received $10 in tides, still prepared food for 20+ strangers who came to visit for the week.
These people showed me what Christ-like love looks like. They showed me that everything I have was freely given to me, and I should freely give it away. They showed me the reality of my entitlement issues. They showed me that I am not entitled to a seat, or running water, or a bed truly. But that Jesus has blessed me with those things. They showed me that I don’t have to feel guilty for living this life I have been given, but to do something that matters with it. That I have been gifted in so many ways, and that I can share these gifts freely.
The physical challenges were hard, the spiritual warfare was hard, and now the reflecting on everything that happened is hard. But the freedom that came with this week beats any other war. Sitting in the bed of a pickup truck with 10 of your best friends, going over huge rocks and staring at God’s incredible creation beats any of those wars. Feeling christ like love from strangers beats those struggles. Being able to take these lessons and apply them to my life from now on is truly a privilege that I am so thankful to have.
