She carried her limp little hand like other girls her age would carry a baby doll: close to her chest, shielded in a cup of protection, and carefully guarded from the judgmental eye. Susanna was a normal ten-year-old girl, and at first glance you wouldn’t notice anything besides the light emanating from her smile and the innocence radiating from her eyes.
But if you watched her for a few minutes, you would notice how she carried her left hand as if it was a burden. And if you played with her, you would notice how she never catches a ball, takes a gift, or eats with her left hand. Although her extremity developed normally, she did not have full function of her hand, and because of the lack of ability she had grown accustomed to hiding her hand in shame.
I may not know what it’s like to have a withered hand, but I know what it is to carry your arm as a burden. And try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to encourage little Susanna that her hand was worth something.
Then we created a pamper day for the women. The ladies in Mojos had no idea how to receive massages, feet washing, pedicures, manicures, and hair styles, because they had never experienced any of these. But as they warmed up to our attention, the moms and sisters began lining up so I could paint their nails a startling turquoise.
Last of all came Susanna, carrying her hand in the little cavity between her stomach and other arm, unsure of what I would do with her fingers. I don’t know what was going through her mind, but I’m betting she questioned if I would even touch her left hand. Maybe I would just paint the “good” hand; certainly the other didn’t deserve my attention.
But I didn’t give her an option. I took her left hand in mine and I began painting her nails with a smile curving at my lips. God gave me the answer to the question I hadn’t yet formulated in my mind: how can I help her see value in her hand? I hope that day changed the way Susanna views her body. I hope she sees all parts of her have value, both physically and mentally.
But there’s more to this story, because I believe one little hand demonstrated the value the Maker’s hand is yearning to extend to all of the lives in Mojos. Living 31 miles away from the nearest town, the people of Mojos tend to think they have been forgotten.
And in many ways, they’re right. The government hadn’t sent a teacher to Mojos for two years. Fortunately for us, we witnessed a teacher arriving before we left. The children hadn’t played soccer in two years before we came. The men hadn’t used their trapichi to grind sugar cane for over a year. Even though they just had a revival to evangelical Christianity only five years ago, missionaries and foreigners only come to encourage them in the faith about once a year.
When no one sees value in someone, it’s hard for them to see value in themselves. I hope we added some value to the people of Mojos this month, but I also hope that we all take advantage of the opportunities we have every day to make someone feel valuable. A minute of your time or a smile from your face can change someone’s eternity. If you think I’m exaggerating, please read “Just A Minute” by Wess Stafford.
You are God’s hand to people. You are His love to people. For some people, you may be the only glimpse of Jesus they ever see. Seek to add value. Seek to let the words of your mouth be seasoned with grace and salt. Seek to live the impossible life and impart it to others. Seek to delight in Jesus above all else. This world needs it.
LESSONS OF MOJOS
- Vampire flies exist and attack at will
- Make sure you announce your bathroom breaks to avoid intrusion on your business
- When hiking, keep your eyes on your feet and up ahead. Incan trails were made for Incans, not tall gringos with packs. You never know the obstacles ahead.
- Bug lotion works better than bug spray, but neither withstand the bugs of Mojos.
- Shine your headlamp on the ground at night; you never know how close that tarantula is.
- Quechua is really long, but if you sound it out, you can have a rapt audience of fifteen children within minutes.
- You really can live with one pair of clothes. That’s all most of the children in the village had. I didn’t bring much, but I left half the clothes I brought in Mojos for the families.
- God is never remote, even in the most remote of places
VIDEOS
I have never felt more uncomfortable on the Race than this past month in Mojos. It was as if I was in another world, and in many ways I feel like I just woke up from a slightly traumatic dream. Not only do the bug bites remind me otherwise, but I made some videos to forever remember our adventure of all adventures. Attached below are my most recent videos. The Machu Picchu one was just for fun, but I would really appreciate you watching the video about me meeting my sponsored child and the two videos from this trip (I only had time to edit one so far; the video of our ministry in Mojos is coming soon). Videos show more than my words ever can, and I hope they give you a better idea of what truly went down in the jungle this month.
UPDATES AND PRAYER REQUESTS
-As some of you may have seen on social media, my grandfather passed away while we were in the jungle. With no communication except the satellite phone, I didn’t find out until a week after he died. This was my second grandparent I’ve lost while on the Race, and grieving can be difficult when you are living in 24/7 community. My Papa was a wonderful man, I was close to him, and I am not able to return for the funeral. It has been very difficult for both me and my family, and we would greatly appreciate your prayers. My mom lost her dad and one of her dear friends in the same week, and I know she could use all the prayer warriors she can get. Please pray for my family and me as we continue to grieve and process.
–My team is headed to see the Salt Flats of Uyuni on the 19 of February. From there we are headed to Santiago, Chile, where we will be working with disaster relief efforts from the recent forest fires ravaging the area. This work will probably include building houses for the victims and other aid. We will do disaster relief work until the Parent Vision Trip starts. Please pray for continued safe travel and that we can serve these disaster relief victims in the way they need it most.
-My team and I are getting along well, and we fall more in love with each other every day. I cannot describe how blessed I feel to be doing life with these women. Hannah and Neal (raised up squad leaders) have been with us the past month, and they will be moving on to help with other teams. Losing them and the family we have been living with for the past month will greatly change our team dynamic. Please pray we continue to draw close to God and to each other and that we can sharpen each other in a way that is glorifying to God.
-While on the trail, I slipped and strained my knee pretty badly. With no other option than to keep going, I hiked another 50 miles on it. This aggravated it quite a lot, and gave me a very inflamed and swollen right ankle because of the constant limping and pressure I had to put on my right leg. We are able to rest more now, and I won’t have to hike 31 miles to get to my next ministry, but the injuries are not a joke. Please pray my knee and ankle continue to heal so that I can keep serving the way I need to on the Race. Please pray I have grace for myself and patience to heal and rest the way I should.
-Please pray for our squadmates who have salmonella and typhoid.
-If this blog and these videos aren’t enough, I have many amazingly talented women on my team who will be writing and making videos over the next few days. Check their blogs (if you’re on a computer, the links to their blogs are on the lefthand side of your screen) if you can’t get enough of this Mojos action. I think Corrie put some of our thoughts together perfectly in this blog: http://corrielundberg.theworldrace.org/post/falling-in-love-on-the-world-race
May God bless you and keep you,
Tera
