March 5, 2014—Palma, Bolivia
I did my best to understand what was being said while Bethany communicated in broken Spanish. As we bumped along the dirt road in the FEDY group’s jeep, I laughed, to myself, at the situation. I was on a “road” to a small village in Bolivia, with a Dutch/Canadian missionary, my squad leader, and three locals – that was the last place that I ever would have imagined myself at 23 years old.
We pulled up to the village and were warmly greeted by a small Bolivian woman. She was clothed in a traditional dress and her hair was braided. She welcomed us with a handshake and a kiss, shuffled her way to the door of her home, and invited us in.
Except for a bed, a bench, a small table, and a pile of sheepskins in the corner, the room was bare and only slightly larger than my room at home. We waited for a few minutes and David (the Canadian missionary) explained that this woman spoke Quechua and very little Spanish, but would cook us her very best food and talk with the locals whom we had traveled with.
The woman left and the returned a few minutes later with a plate of fried plantains and sugarcane coffee. – Her very best for the guests. When we had finished eating, she returned with her family, lit a single candle, and we began our Bible study.
As I sat there listening, picking up words here and there, I thought about my own life; how blessed am I that my room is the size of this woman’s home? Why was I born with so much? I have so many things, so many clothes, and so many luxuries. My home has running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, an air conditioner, and a heater. I’ve never been hungry. I’ve never been thirsty. I’ve never been in need. I’ve always had plenty.
It was dark by the time we had said goodbye and begun to make our way back to Apolo. The headlights bounced up and down with the road as we made our way over thigh-deep rivers and knee-deep mud. Fireflies danced beside us and lightning flashed in the distance. I gazed up at the night sky, looking to catch a glimpse of the Southern Cross and laughed inside simply because God is good.
I look back on that experience and marvel at how far God has brought me in just a few years – From a timid, small-town girl, who was afraid of her own voice, to a woman deeply in love with Jesus, riding across the Bolivian countryside.
I look back and realize that even though I may not have all the answers and even though I may not know why I’ve been given so much, I know that with much, there is much required. And I know that God has entrusted me with all that He’s given me so that I have the opportunity to give it back to Him.
I’ve been blessed so that I might bless others.
