Stuck In The Dessert, 4 Day Bus Rides, Debrief, Somenila , Coffee, Lice, Machu Picchu, VBS

This month we are working at a cafe and church in Cuzco Peru. As we were traveling to Peru for 4 days, we were right by the ocean and on the other side of the bus, we could see mountains!! It was like the magic school bus but in real life. This was one of the most beautiful travel days but also the most difficult because it was 4 days of traveling on buses. Our first bus broke down in the middle of the desert and so we climbed a mountain to watch a sunset. And then once we got to our hostel, a lot of our teammates got somenila and altitude sickness and it was an interesting time!! Sometimes things don’t go as planned but we made the best of it!!

At debrief where all our squad of 44 come together and our mentors to worship the Lord to get filled back up, to adventure with friends, and talk about how our 2 months went. We said yes to each other again and it was so encouraging because at the beginning of or Race, we knew nothing about each other but now it took 2 hours to say all our yeses and what we love about each other. We also learned how to apply scripture in our daily lives and about how sharing our stories let us heal and know we are not alone. We got to have 1 on 1s with our mentors to ask about different things and to get encouraged. Our team had a white elephant and got to celebrate together and rest.

It’s all girls month so recently we have been doing VBS for the kid and picking out lice out of our hair. Of course on all girls month, we all get lice. But I wouldn’t want to have lice with anyone else but these girls. The thing is you have to ask someone to help you get it out and you can’t do it yourself which is so hard. I don’t want to inconvenience other people but the truth is, they have the time and they do care about me. And so this actually makes me ask for help and to get over the fear of inconveniencing people.

We also did an open mic night for the students and I don’t usually read my poems but this time I did and it was so fun to be able to express to others my feeling and just how the Lord has blessed me with the ability to put my emotions into words!! I also shared my testimony for the church and at first, I didn’t want to do it but when I did, I was reminded of why I was here and the milk and honey of what the Lord has already done in my life. It gave me encouragement to look at the bigger picture and to keep doing ministry!! We are also halfway through the Race!!

On our adventure days, we went to Rainbow Mountain and the Lord showed me again to bring all my colors to him and just how I have grown so much in vulnerability with him and my team. That was a great way to end that month because in Chile, I learned about freedom and emotions and letting go and so he gave me this representation of all that I worked through in a colorful mountain! Then we went to Machu Picchu and the Lord encouraged me all the way up. There were so many steps and the altitude was hard but he whispered into my ear that I am strong and I am capable of doing hard things. And then I got the daily verse that said, ” Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthian 6:19-20. Yes, the Lord speaks to me in so many different ways!! And so God has been challenging me to work on moderation with food but also with WiFi and many things in my life. To look at what I value in my life and take steps to make it happen.

The beach and mountains on our way to Peru