Man it has been awhile! So sorry… but not sorry haha. Things were crazy from Haiti to Bolivia and so a blog did not happen :/ We arrived in the airport in Miami, Florida, after having filled every spare ounce of room I had with snacks, and we arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, in an elevation of 12,000 feet to a temperature change of nearly 50 degrees. Comfortable change? I think not. We spent just about 5 days in an awesome Hostel with our entire squad and our squad mentors and leaders who flew into meet us. After having been through quite a few hostels during my trip around Europe, I will admit that the American Brew Hostel was fantastic. We had an awesome few days of worship, fellowship, and processing. Getting to know more of my squad as well as just having time alone where I was able to spend loads of time with the Lord. (What I am going through I will elaborate more in my second blog)
We left La Paz, and went to a little camp south of Coroico, Bolivia called “El Puente” run by an awesomely humble and loving man named Hermano Lucho (Brother Lucho). The elevation is considerably lower at 4,000 ft and is right on a little river that flows through the ravine of the beginning of the Andes Mountains. It is absolutely beautiful! Having the river flowing with rapids, mountains, and jungle like landscape is an experience where you are reminded of creativity of our Lord, every single time!
Our entire squad of 38 people is all together and working not at building relationships with visitors of the camp, but rather working to fix up the landscape of the camp. We have been moving rocks from the river into the camp that we have been using to lay down cobblestone pathways to replace the dirt paths. Which has been so awesome! I have been absolutely loving doing this work, just losing myself in the work trying to do my very best to bless Brother Lucho. We have had a considerable amount of down time but because we are somewhat in the middle of nowhere, the down time has been mostly reading, praying, processing, and having conversations with squad mates. It has been really, really good. It has had its rough times, but that is life for you.
We have not had any WiFi at all. We are currently in the city of Corico, Bolivia with a small amount of WiFi. But… it really is not good WiFi or has have the time to get multiple blogs online. I really want to talk about the issues that I have been processing through in my pursuit of Christ, namely Pride, but the circumstances are just not favoring. The issue is mostly the realizations of the pride that is so evident in my life, coupled with a blessed life without hardship, and the ways that it has held me back from ever really being broken by Christ to having to rely upon him. As much as I desire more of God in my life and for his perfect agape love, it has not became truly real to me because of the my reliance upon myself. Which by the worlds standards is what we should strive for; individualism and independence. But by the Lord’s standards is the same sinful manifestations that lead to the fall of man. He desires us to have a full reliance upon him. Dependence. I do not know what that exactly feels like, but I know the Lord is working in my life to break me. I do not know what it will take for that brokenness to take place and it scares me. But that fear is backed by a much stronger desire and excitement for more of God, whatever the costs.
So I would so appreciate prayer in this journey. In trying to internalize a humble attitude, I know that I need encouragement and prayer. It is something that is absolutely opposite of my nature; that I cannot do it myself but only by God. I have found encouragement in many verses such as James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Galatians 6:3 & 14 “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We will see what the Lord has in store for my life. Thank you so much for all your support. I will work to keep you informed of this journey as the opportunity arises.
P.S. I am healthy and have not had any problems. (knock on wood)
