Jan 24
I am adjusting to the slower pace of life here. It’s very different than America. As American’s we are so accustomed to being busy all the time and DOING things. I tend to feel like I am wasting time if I am not actively DOING. Around here, people just sit in their shops all day, just sitting, waiting to sell things. Women work hard in their homes, but it is simply a slower pace. They do the house things, and perhaps walk to the market or tortilla stand for the daily bread. Most people walk, though there are many taxis for longer distances. We walk everywhere we go. It really is an adjustment, because we spend about 3 hours a day just walking to and from where we need to be. Our ministry time may be from 5 to 7:30pm, but we have to leave and 4:30 and won’t be home till 8pm or so, but we are always having to account for the walking time. We walk a couple blocks to our meal location and back again three times a day, and if we happen to be in town in the morning, then we have to account for that 15 to 25 minutes of walking back from town. When I look back over my day to see what I have ‘accomplished’ it may not seem like much, but I stayed busy all day. Spending several hours a day in prayer and time with the Lord can also feel like not DOING, but it is, and it’s actually quite refreshing, because now I don’t feel so rushed. Everything takes more work here too – showering is more work when it’s a bucket shower or we don’t have running water. Flushing the toilet is more work when we have to dip out buckets of water rather than simply pull a lever. Each service has to be set up and torn down. I like this slower pace as well as the exercise of walking so much!
