Looking back on my month in Peru, I am still floored by the fact that God leads me to do the things that He does. I remember that first night there: I was driving "home" from the airport with my new host family and I saw the city of Lima flashing by my window. It was almost one o'clock in the morning and the traffic was bumper to bumper. Welcome to Peru's night life! As I finally laid my head on my new pillow in my new bed in my new country, I felt the butterflies in my stomach settle down with me too. They were ready for this adventure, and so was I.
There were times during my trip when I didn't understand why God led me there. It felt so selfish to be in a country like Peru doing a study abroad. Why was I there? Why was I not on a mission trip? How was I supposed to just drive by the slums and the poor and settle into the wealthy area of Lima? It went against everything I feel called to do for the rest of my life. Still, a quiet voice always reminded me just to trust Him. He had a reason. He always does. I decided before I left for my trip that no matter what I would make the most of my time there. I would dedicate myself to practicing Spanish and making a real relationship with the family I was living with. I would be a positive presence in my group and let the glory of God shine through my life with my actions. I would not only enjoy the new landscapes, but I would let the beauty of God's creation bring me back to a place of awe of my creator.
In hindsight, I think that is what He wanted me to do all along. "Be in awe of me, Taylor. Look at what I have done. Isn't this enough, or do you have to be off playing with orphans to really see Me?" <—Ouch. I got to a point where I asked Him to remind me of Himself, and He did.
God was in the family that I lived with for that month. Eduardo, Isabel and Cynthia. I was not originally supposed to live with them, and four days before I left I was told I had my living assignment changed. I was unhappy and uneasy about that. I had been exchanging e-mails with the girl I was originally assigned to and felt comfortable with her. Now I was going in blind. I knew that there was a reason for it, and if I am going to survive on the World Race I'm going to have to learn to roll with the punches anyway. I fell in love with the Flores family, and I am 100% confident in the fact that God brought us together. Some of my best memories are found at the dinner table, laughing our heads off at Taylor's Spanish mistake of the day or at Mamá and Cynthia making fun of each other. My experience in Peru would not have been what it was without that family.
God was in my teacher, Delila. The first week there we found out she is a Christian and this unexplainable joy bubbled up inside of me. I embarrassingly had tears in my eyes when she gave each of us a Spanish Bible verses she keeps in her purse. Other than our families, we spent the most time with Delila. Her sweetness and hilarity kept those long four hour classes moving. She even pointed us to the church that four of us attended one Sunday. On our last day with her we brought her flowers and thanked her for all that she had done for us, and when she shed a few tears I knew that we had brought some light to her life as well.
God was in the landscapes. The mountains that stretched around me as I walked to school everyday. The slums, brick and cement houses that were basically little boxes stacked precariously on top of each other as far as my eyes could see, that reminded me God's given me much so that I can help. The eerie quiet of the desert as wind gently rolled around the baby soft sand in Huacachina. The sea lions, PENGUINS, and thousands upon thousands of birds that made their home on the Islas Ballestas in Paracas. The majestic Andes Mountains. The surreal day of exploring Machu Picchu. The serenity of Cusco's breathtaking country sides. Every new site brought the reality of God's creativity and power home for me. He truly makes all things beautiful in their own time.
God was in my classmates. This was the hardest fact for me to accept. There were definitely moments when internally I felt like I did not belong, but I accepted that because I knew when I became a Christian that I would no longer look like the world. However, Jesus said in Mark 2:17 that "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." God helped me realize that it didn't matter what my classmates did or how they acted. My only job was to love them unconditionally, and continue to reflect the Gospel with my life- sharing as opportunity arose.
The living conditions of Peru were the exact opposite of the ones I will be facing on the Race. I lived in a wealthy area of Lima, and while we were in Cusco I stayed at incredibly beautiful and expensive hotels. The school I attended in Peru will more than likely be the exact opposite of schools I could potentially teach English in on the Race. I learned in a state-of-the-art university, built with incredible architecture and filled with graduate students eager to begin a career. In Peru I never once worried about safe drinking water, or whether any would be available to me. In Peru I had WiFi at no cost every single day. In Peru I had my own bed, my own bedroom, and my own bathroom complete with hot water. In Peru I had a laundry room, which included not only a washer but a dryer too.
I began my time in Peru thinking how on earth is this going to help prepare me for the World Race, God?
In the end, God showed me that even though the physical conditions can be the opposite of what is to come on the Race, people are still in the same dire condition of needing Jesus all over the world. He taught me to look past what someone looks like or where they sleep or how they grew up, and truly look at the person themselves. It was the first time in a long time that I was surrounded by a majority of non-Christians and it quite frankly woke me up.
Pretty Christian bubbles do not help anyone. Pretty Christian bubbles, if anything, rob those who are in need of the Gospel. God told me this about my pretty Christian bubble: "I did not bring you into the light so that you could sit around with other lights having pretty little conversations about me. I brought you into the light so that you would GO and SHINE the light I gave you into the darkness of this world. Darkness and sin do not discriminate based on the number in someone's bank account or if they have drinking water everyday. Do not go to a building named church every Sunday and read a book called the Bible everyday and completely miss ME, MY BODY, and MY LIVING WORD."
Peru changed my life and I didn't even realize it. God is incredible. Believe it. Experience it. You'll never be the same.
