Hi friends!!
I love so much that you had so many questions to ask. I have collected them all & have shared my answers with you below:
What has been the funniest moment of the race so far? -Michelle N.
I think some of the funniest moments on the race have been when I or my teammates have messed up what we are trying to say in Spanish. Like our first bus station in Medellin, Colombia – I was wondering if they had a turkey sandwich {which in South America, the answer is always no}, so Katie translated for me, but instead of saying pavo, she said palvo – which is dust! haha {we got some pretty weird looks}
Another time, we were in a cab on our way to go salsa dancing & I was practicing my Spanish with our driver. I told him in perfect Spanish that my name is Maddie & my favorite animal is a cat… then I asked him if he liked sauce. Literally sauce. What I couldn’t explain was that I meant salsa, like the dancing {hah!}…I am learning there are many things that get lost in translation & that kids are much easier to talk to in Spanish because that is about the extent of my vocabulary!
What has been the biggest surprise of the race so far? -Michelle N.
The biggest surprise of the race so far… well one of the surprising things is how freaking COLD it has been! We weren’t necessarily prepared to be at elevations around 10,000 feet for the first five or so months, but it is turning out to look like that!
Another thing that has been surprising is that much of life on the race has felt like normal life. We get up, drink coffee, have quiet time, usually go to ministry, come back, have team time, eat dinner & go to bed. I am surprised by how normal it all feels.
Has your mission been what you expected it to be? -Auntie Laurie
Oh my gosh, so far from what I expected, but not in a bad way. I think I imagined the race would be continual spiritual highs & experiencing God in all sorts of ways, dramatically, all the time. To my surprise, this has not been my experience! Much of the race has felt like normal life, except a bit harder. We’ve said goodbye to many comforts like hot water for showers & clean water to drink coming from the sink. I’ve said hello to something super new – 24/7 community living… which is challenging & refining.
I am learning that as the Lord is stripping me of what I hold to with white-knuckles, there is all of a sudden more room for me to see Him & experience Him in ways I never would have, had I kept hold of my comforts. He is teaching me that all I really do need is Him. Much of our ministry has included cooking, cleaning, cooking & cleaning, which was not what I expected. He is humbling me. We have done a bit of evangelism this month, which is challenging but also encouraging. Before Christmas, Calvary Chapel Cusco hosted a Chocolotada (hot chocolate evangelism) where we handed out hot chocolate, Panetone (Peruvian fruit cake), invites, prayed for people, & just invited the community into what we were doing here at the church, it was such as sweet time!
How far did you get on the house you were working on last month? -Auntie Laurie
Great question! We finished digging all the holes! The fence was completed & we also helped clean up the property where the family’s old house used to stand (the one that burned down). When we left the family was in a more comfortable living situation. Most of the walls were smoothed out, they had some electricity, one faucet of running water & a stove top to cook. There is definitely more work to be done, but they could live there more comfortably than before. It was incredible to play such a small role in serving this family. My team was so grateful to be part of it 🙂
How was the Russian-Peruvian Salad? -Bre V.
– well…uhh… it was a mix of boiled potatoes & beets & carrots.. mixed with mayonnaise. not my favorite thing I’ve had on the race so far. I learned, however, that Peruvians LOVE mayonnaise, so if anything is lacking flavor, they just add mayo!
Are those llamas?! -Brooke B.
Yes Brooke!!! They are llamas!! They live in MachuPicchu!! They are so used to people, so we were able to get close to them & pet them. My teammate Katie & I even made a little vlog about it 🙂
When we were at Rainbow Mountain, we actually saw Alpaca & learned all about the differences between the two. We also learned there are 4 different types of llama/alpaca species..the other two are rare & the names are in Spanish so I am gonna let you google that to find out the other two {see the next question}. P.S. Can you see the differences between the llamas & alpacas?!
How is your Spanish coming along? -Kayla P.
If you ask me? I think GREAT! If you ask my teammates… well lets just say some things get lost in translation! haha! But on a real note, kids are a lot easier to talk to & understand. I can carry very simple, conversational Spanish. I can also understand much more than I can speak. BUT I can order food all by myself & ask for certain things to be on or not on my food, which is great! haha. It has been so fun to learn & really fun to laugh at myself as I mess up {which happens frequently}
What has been the most fulfilling part thus far? -Jonathon E. & What is the most rewarding part of the trip? -Lindsay W.
I think the most fulfilling part is the same for me as the most rewarding part of the race so far. Honestly, it has been hard – way harder than I expected. I think these past three months have really been a time of adjustment. Being away from my people who know me & know my story, who just get it, they understand & I don’t always have to explain myself. On the flip side, however it has been incredible getting to know people I never would have met otherwise. The Lord has stripped me of everything I held dear – my fiance’, my friends, family, food, coffee, car, home – literally everything. This might not sound rewarding or fulfilling & believe me, for the past three months it really hasn’t felt that way. But what the Lord has so graciously shown me through this is that all I really do need is Him. He brings me joy, comfort, I feel loved & cared for by Him & the things that I have held onto so tightly are just the vessels I have experienced His love through. It has been so hard, but so good. He provides for me little reminders from home just when I need them, no less, no more.
What is something that has changed about your relationship with the Lord since you have been on the race? -Hannah V.
One of the things that has changed the most about my relationship with the Lord is my intimacy with Him. When I was at training camp, it felt so weird to even say the word intimacy in reference with my Heavenly Father. But now, I couldn’t imagine doing life without the intimacy I do have with Him. When I say intimacy, I mean actually understanding that the Lord knows my heart & my mind better than I do, He desires for me to bring Him all that weighs me down. He longs for me to be united with Him in Heaven one day. He pursues me & brings me all the joy & comfort I could ever need. I feel so at home with Him in a way I never have before & I think it is because everything I have held so tightly onto has been stripped & so all that is left is Him.
What are you using as a camera? -Anonymous
I am just using my iPhone 10! I do edit most of my pictures. I love making the pictures look as close to what my eyes see. Taking pictures is one of my favorite things. When I look back on them I am brought back to those moments – in awe of my creator & his creation.
Out of everything God has been teaching you the past few months, which lesson has had the most impact? -Eric L.
Oh my goodness. There have been so many lessons. The most consistent thing I have run into is the theme of things being GOOD & also things being HARD. These two have been paired together the entire race. There is so much good & yet it is all so challenging. Finding joy in letting go, surrendering when all you want to do is hold on, being away from those I love & those who know me while also being pursued & loved by others whom God has placed in my life. The GOOD & the HARD. They coexist. & on the race we don’t have all the fluff that we do at home – the things that keep us distracted or comfortable, so it is like we experience more of the raw challenges & more of the Lords raw goodness. I think the Lord is teaching me that in life, it is always a mixed bag & that the bad makes the good taste sweeter, while the good makes the uncomfortable more tolerable. Like even though it was hard to be away from family for Christmas, I got to see almost all of them in one place, together!
What is the cutest cat you’ve found? (Please include pictures!) -Eric L.
hmmm… cutest cat? the cutest cat I met had to be gatito, in Ecuador! I just loved how he would sit with you & love you.. I think he was my favorite until he bit the crap out of my finger when I brought him & perito meat to eat from our house {they were so hungry!!}. I just see little cat & dogs all around where we live & serve & they don’t have homes, it breaks my heart 🙁 But gatito will hold a special place in my heart forever! <3
What can we as parents of racers do to help you in making a difference during your 11 month ministry? -Cathy K.
Wow, super deep question! We talked about this question as a team & the two things we all agreed on were encouragement & prayer. I think it is really important for us to know we are supported, throughout our race. There are so many things that happen spiritually, emotionally, & physically each day that we aren’t able to necessarily communicate all of it with our people back home. Your words are little reminders of home, letting us know how much we are thought of – because just like at home, there are really hard days on the race, so encouragement means so much.
The other thing that we can think of is your prayers. We are each discovering the power of prayer & realizing how important it is to first take things to God & choose to spend time with Him each day. We have seen the Holy Spirit work in miraculous ways on the race & we believe at home you can also see God show up. Thus, partnering with us in prayer is one of the best ways you can support us 🙂
We went on a prayer walk {in front of the university near by} on 12/28/18 & it is awesome to choose to believe that our prayers are sweet aromas to God, He hears all of them & listens to each petition we bring forward.
Who decides where & how you will be serving each day? -Jennifer H.
This is a great question. Day to day things are broken down depending on our ministry site, location in country, the needs of our ministry, & our host. Each month, it seems we are told what to expect via email, from our ministry, & each month we have found out that whatever we had expected was entirely different 🙂 Typically our host determines the needs around & we do our best to meet them – whether it’s peeling lots of potatoes, simply praying, cleaning, worshiping, sharpening pencils, or sweeping streets.
What is the biggest way God has surprised you or shown you a sweet glimpse of His favor? -Danae
Wow. The Lord has shown us SO much favor! It has been evident He has gone before us in all we do, especially when we travel. From the moment we stuffed 5 girls, 5 large packs & 5 day packs into a taxi the size of a Honda Fit, to the 34+ hour bus rides between major cities, it has all been relatively seamless. The boarder crossings have been easy, we haven’t had to wait too long, & for the most part our buses have been luxurious – all things considered 🙂
What is the most delicious new food you’ve eaten? -Phillip L.
I would say I have loved the food the most in Colombia {even though they cook with a lot of onions & cilantro!}. We got to eat arepas {which are like mashed corn pancakes, they are a tad sweet & crispy because you fry them like an egg}, one day I spread avocado on top & it was delicious! Also the bread, empanadas, & churros they made at Formavida {to raise money for construction projects} were UNBELIEVABLE! Wow, I am drooling.
I’d also be curious to know about Henri, who seems to be Peruvian Superman! -Danae
So Henri is from Lima, Peru & he was asked to come to Cusco to care for the church while the pastors are on furlough in the states. He is a youth minister in Lima & has been here in Cusco since August. He is a superman because he unclogs our toilets, rids the church of rats & evangelizes like it’s his first language. He will join us for some meals & for movies in the sanctuary sometimes. We have learned some Spanish from him & it has been fun to share some English. He loves on a few kids whose father passed away recently – there are 3 of them that come to the church regularly {you’ll hear about them in another blog 🙂 }. But overall, we are thankful for the example Henri has led for us in evangelism & that we were able to work with him this month.
Henri is the taller one in the back, Josh {pronounced “hosh,” because they don’t have the “j” sound in Spanish!} is on the bottom right, & Annemieke is from Michigan, but is serving in Cusco for three years as a long term missionary & has been our translator & friend this month 🙂
I know this blog was pretty long, but I thankful for all your questions & am open to answering any more you might have. Miss you all!
-Maddie <3
