My team is serving in Mapiri, Bolivia this month. It’s a tiny town in the jungle in the foothills of the Andes, and it is beautiful here. Looking at the green mountains, tropical plants, and scenic river frequently makes me feel like I’ve stepped into a postcard.
The most beautiful thing about this place, though, is the people. They are beautiful because they look like Jesus. Living here has been like a classroom for what Christ-like love looks like, and it has been awesome. Who doesn’t like to feel loved, after all?
So, what does the love of Jesus look like?
1. Love looks like service
Matthew 20:28 says that Christ came not to be served but to serve, and Deuteronomy 10:12 commands us to serve the Lord with all our heart and soul. This is something people in Mapiri have really exemplified for me in the way that they serve the church here.
One of the things my team is helping with this month is construction for a new church building, which is not easy work. It involves a lot of heavy lifting, hot sun, and tools like pickaxes and shovels in place of the jackhammers and heavy machinery we would see in the States. The church members here pour their time and their strength into this work. Everyone from the pastor down to the youth – men and women, old and young – works hard together. No one complains, and people enjoy each other’s company. Psalm 100:2 says to serve the Lord with gladness, and that really happens here. Many of the church members are even taking time off work, hence taking money out of their families’ budgets, to help with construction.
2. Love looks like hospitality
One of my favorite things about being here is that I feel so welcome and accepted. Despite the fact that half my team can’t speak Spanish, we all feel like we’re part of the family here. The church members love spending time with us, even with the communication difficulties, and we often receive gifts of bananas, potatoes, and other native fruits. They address us as “hermanas,” which means “sisters,” the same as they call the other women of the church (the men are “hermanos”); and they really take it to heart that whatever differences there are in nationality, skin color, and language, we’re all sons and daughters of God.
The pastor’s family has set the gold standard for hospitality. We’re living in a storage room attached to their small house this month. The pastor and his wife (Pastor and Pastora, as we call them), who have three young children of their own, have basically adopted us as their (much older) kids this month. Pastora cooks for us every day (when she could just as easily let us fend for ourselves), brings us tea when we’re not feeling well, and takes us on outings to the river (making sure to pack some snacks, like any good mom).
They care for us like we’re their own, and they never seem to give it a second thought. If the family’s going somewhere, we’re going along too. This often means two car trips, since 12 people don’t easily fit in a station wagon (we did have 9 of us in there the other day), but we’re never made to feel like a burden. We always feel loved and accepted, like they wouldn’t have it any other way.
3. Love looks like joy
One of my favorite things about Pastor is the way his face lights up when he smiles and laughs, which he does often. I love watching him with his congregation, because it’s so evident how much he enjoys them. He enjoys my team and me as well. He may be talking to us about the next day’s ministry schedule, giving a specific word from the Lord for one of us, or just sitting and chatting, but he’s always ready with a joke and his delightful laugh.
Joy is one of the main things that I see in Pastor’s family as a whole. All of us have known kids who, if asked to describe them, “joyful” would not be one of the first words that came to mind. For that matter, I remember the kind of strife my own sister and I could create when we were little. The kids in this family, though, interact with such love and joy, and it is a delight to see.
Christ’s love is bigger than one blogpost can contain, but I wanted to give a snapshot of the beautiful, loving community my teammates and I are enjoying this month. I also want to encourage you to be on the lookout for opportunities to serve, welcome, and enjoy people today!
