This month, all six teams are spread out around Peru. When my team and I showed up in Pucallpa, Peru on November 1st, after our 19 hour bus ride from Lima, no doubt God showed up too.
We got off the bus without any idea of where our contact Pastor Lister’s house or church were and with a lack in our Spanish skills. We had emailed and left voicemails for our contact so we were hoping that, even though he never responded to us, he had received the information and would be waiting for us at the bus station. We grabbed our huge packs from the bus as mototaxi drivers came at us from every angle, offering us rides and asking us if we needed a hotel. (Yes, transportation here is mainly by mototaxi, a three-wheeled motorcycle with a bench on the back) After fending off a few drivers, I told one driver in Spanish that we were waiting for a pastor so we did not need a ride yet. He asked what pastor we were waiting for and then told us he is actually friends with Pastor Lister! We were about to call Pastor again, but this mototaxi driver offered to call him for us and, in better Spanish than we could struggle through and with more knowledge of the city, he told Pastor where we were and he found out where to take us. The driver knew where Pastor lived and by a miracle from God we made it to Pastor’s house! Out of the thousands of mototaxi drivers that tear around this city, we seriously can’t believe we happened to talk to a driver who knew Pastor Lister!
Once we got to Pastor’s house, the next challenge was to communicate. Literally the only English that Pastor Lister knows is ‘Thank you very much” and “Good morning” (though we’ve taught him more by now!)….Meanwhile, the best Spanish speakers on our team are working with high school Spanish class from years ago. Here starts the deer in the headlights moment. That first day we were all super overwhelmed by the lack of comprehension. But, by another miracle, Spanish is coming back to a few of us, (as well as our creative acting skills). When they slow down and throw in the occasional, ok actually constant, hand gestures, we are actually able to communicate pretty well!
This month we are living in Pastor Lister’s house with his wife, his 18 year old son, 22 year old daughter, and another 18 year old girl who is living here as she attends college. They are so much fun and so hospitable!
Meal conversations, directions on what to do, explanation of card game rules, and all other communication with our host family is primarily in Spanish. They make fun of us because, out of the three of us that know some spanish, I can understand it better than I can speak it, but Hannah can speak it better than she can understand it. And Tom speaks Spanish the most, but needs to be corrected the most. We are all learning, though, and working together to translate for each other. It definitely is an added challenge, but I actually really enjoy speaking Spanish! And I love how we’ve gotten to the point where we can even joke around with our host family in Spanish.
We eat all our meals as a family here, which they prepare for us as we attempt to help. In Peru, lunch is the biggest meal of the day, while dinner is often leftovers from lunch or a light snack with coffee, usually around 9pm or so. The whole family comes home from work or class to eat lunch. Meals often include Spanish and English lessons, as we point to things around us and quiz each other. Siestas are a real thing here, even lasting multiple hours, and there is no question why because they stay up so late!
While here, my team is working with Pastor Lister’s church in various ways. We have gardened, pulled weeds, and cleaned at the church, and we have been working on painting the Sunday school rooms and front steps of the sanctuary. We’ve also each shared our testimonies of how we came to know he Lord and how we’ve seen God work in our lives with the congregation through a translator. We have a prayer and worship service Wednesday night, normal church services Sunday morning and Sunday night, and a youth service Saturday night, each of which we often play some role in. Pastor talking about us and making fun of us from the pulpit is not a rare occurrence and we’re still not totally sure what he has said. We’ve planned and performed various skits for the church and the youth, including Lifehouse’s Everything skit, which we’re hoping to use it as a method of evangelism in the central plaza this week. We’ll see!
Life in Peru has been a lesson on flexibility and patience. No plans are ever set in stone and no day looks like another. You may be asked to do a skit shortly before the service starts, sometimes you get locked out of the church, and waiting on someone to wake up from their siesta before anything can happen is a common occurrence… We’ve had to ask ourselves: are we driven because we sincerely want to get the job done or because we want to make ourselves look better? As much as we love naps, why is it hard for us to rest in the afternoon when there is work that could be done? Is it a selfish desire to have an extremely productive month or a genuine desire to serve?
Praise God that we connected with Pastor Lister when we arrived, that we are getting better at Spanish, and that we are living and working with such a loving and hospitable family and church. Please pray that we don’t get frustrated when we’re unable to have effective conversations with Peruvians, but that we see our purpose for being in Pucallpa and make the most of our remaining time here.
Besitos!
