Things I learned from living in the Amazon jungle these past 17 days.
Lagoon showers are better than bucket showers.
Pigs get to live longer if they get pregnant.
Don’t ask what type of meat it is, just eat it.
It’s better to let the cockroach the size of a banana stay in the rafters of your ceiling than try to get it out at 9pm.
Be kind and hospitable to the mouse you hear at night, after all she was there first.
Don’t startle the chicken while its asleep under your bed or it will poop on the spot.
Try your hardest not to scratch your bug bites in the morning, otherwise the urge will overtake you for the rest of the day.
Bolivian sun-flies are bigger enemies than mosquitos.
Pick a lemon from the nearby tree and squeeze it over your bug bites—its cleans them and helps with itchiness.
Ducks sleep in a small huddle and its adorable.
Hold the machete so that it faces away from you when clearing the hill of unwanted plants.
Bring a hat and enough water when harvesting rice, the sun beats down hard out there.
Check your shoes before you put your feet in them in the morning (major yikes).
Never take water accessibility for granted, some people have to really work to get it.
In Spanish you say the adjective after the noun. (Interesting right?)
Village life is hard, but beautiful.
A warm smile communicates the same love that the words could.
God does not make mistakes. He does not waste any time and circumstances are not accidental. Embrace what you have been given and seek him in all you do the entire time he has placed you there.
Loving someone does not always mean you are happy with them.
Seeking wise counsel is a good tool to use when listening to God, but not a need. I can trust the Father’s voice in my heart when I humble myself before him.
Ministry is an ongoing cycle of personally pursuing the Lord and pouring out on his people. It is not an activity set up for a couple of hours.
Intimacy precedes fruitfulness. You cannot enjoy a good apple without first planting a good tree.
God values the proximity of our hearts to him over the quantity of work done for him.
There is unique beauty in moments when we just abide in God’s presence. (Ex: Sitting watching the wind blow the grass, spending the whole morning just sitting with your team, sharing your “Jesus time” space with a student doing homework, becoming a human jungle gym in the lagoon.)
Laugh. Always.
There is always a reason to be thankful and always a choice to stay grateful.
God does not look at the contents of my heart and condemn me, neither should I.
It is okay to acknowledge that things are hard and you are struggling.
Being broken is a gift. It leads us back to full dependence.
Faith was created for the darkness. (Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what hope for and assurance about what we do not see.)
Love does not abandon.
When your heart is struck with a heavy fog, don’t fight it alone.
When God corrects, it is always motivated by his love for us not his frustration with us.
God wants the rawest and most honest version of me. Raw thoughts, raw desires, raw fears.
The hardest things teach us how to rely on the Father in an immediate and tangible way.
I may need to relearn some of these things even tomorrow. But God is patient, loving, slow to anger and abounding in love.
We got the amazing opportunity to live in a small community made up of 100 families and 85 homes deep in the Amazon jungle these past two weeks. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. It was challenging, but I am so thankful for it. It was a lighter month of ministry. As a team we got to experience ministry as a constant process of abiding in God and loving on his people in whatever way they needed. Sometimes that was harvesting rice, moving logs, filling up buckets with water from the nearby spring, weeding a hill, loving on the children or spending quality time as a team. This month was a huge reminder that even when we don’t understand, God does not make mistakes and there is always a reason to praise Him.
