After much consideration, I decided to come home. The money in my support account lasted me through August, so I prayed about whether to ask for more support once reaching India, or to come home.
In the past 2 months, one racer lost a father, one almost lost a brother, and in Johannesburg, we were threatened for our lives and robbed at gunpoint. Among many things, those events served to remind me that everyday is a blessing. David says in Psalm 39:4, " Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life". In the last 2 months, the Lord has definitely let me know how fleeting my life is!!!
I came to terms with the fact that being 22 doesn't make me invincible, and realized that I had some things at home to take care of. Since I was old enough to drive a car, I didn't spend much time at home, made a lot of poor decisions, and was ungrateful for the family that the Lord had blessed me with. It took awhile to work through my 'rebellious' years, and in the meantime, moved out to Texas for college. I've only gotten to see my family twice a year since then, and when I am home, I'm usually visiting friends or spending entire days at the beach, rather than staying home and making up for lost time.
My family has always been important to me, but the last 7 months on the race made me see that they are invaluable. The Lord said, "It's time to go home", so I did!
It was a tough decision to make at first because I've always struggled with being a people-pleaser (see previous blog), and was so worried that I would disappoint my family, friends and supporters if I didn't "finish out" the race. The Lord quickly reminded me that I committed my life to Him, not just 11 months of it, and that He will use me whenever and wherever He so chooses. The lessons I learned on the race were priceless, and I wouldn't take back a single day. I am crazy in love with every single person on our squad, and will cherish those friendships for the rest of my life.
Ok, so... I'm currently in California with my family; just flew in a few days ago, in time for Mom's birthday (which is today!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!). I've slept like a baby, cut off all my hair, and accidentally driven on the wrong side of the road (just once, but don't tell Dad!).
My laptop was stolen in Johannesburg with all of my pictures on it, but I have them all saved here and there, so when I get them all together again I'll put up a slideshow and show you all the pictures from the past few months! Stay posted!
This won't be my last blog, but I want to thank all of you that supported me financially, through prayer, and through simply keeping up with my blogs! This was a life-changing experience that isn't over, and will affect me for the rest of my life. I couldn't have done it without you guys- maybe that sounds cliché, but it couldn't be more true.
Looking forward to seeing you/talking to you/hearing from you; keep praying for the team...
...and pray that I continue to keep the car on the correct side of the road. : )
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish
the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of
testifying to the gospel of God's grace." - Acts 20:24
Next Month: Swaziland! Team Isaac leaves in 11 hours to spend a month in our tents in Swazi. We'll be doing ministry/house visits in the morning, and manual labor in the afternoons. As far as we know, we'll be building houses and cook shelters. I'll be back in Johanessburg by July 22nd, and then the whole crew packs up and heads to India on July 25th.
Before I start off, I need to admit some things to you. All of my life, I have struggled with being a people-pleaser. I worry about what people think of me, I don't like to step on toes, and I've been hesitant to share my faith because I don't want to come off as a bossy, dogmatic, know-it-all. I'd like to say that I've matured and risen above that, but it wouldn't be true.
Many times in the past 6 months I've written blogs about things that I think YOU want to hear, rather than really share my heart. Not that anything I've written hasn't been from the heart, it's just that I've gone into a people-pleasing mode when I sit down to write. I figured that my supporters, family, and friends want to see results. They want to hear how many roofs we've built, they want to know how many people I've led in a "prayer of salvation", and they want to see pictures of me holding orphans and feeding the hungry.
I've assumed that you'd much rather hear about how I'm saving the world than hear about how the world is saving me.
Well, I'm going to try not to do that anymore, and I'm going to risk being a disappointment. I need to learn that the only opinion that matters is that of my Creator, and that I exist to give glory to Him and not myself. So I'm sorry if I ever step on your toes or make fun of a bumper sticker that you actually have on your car, but I need to get over myself and my desire to make everyone happy.
That being said, the past month was phenomenal. My mind was stretched and my heart was broken in ways that I didn't know it could. I learned what it means to BE ministry, rather than to DO ministry. I learned to just sit and listen to my Father. I learned how small I am, and how incapable I am to even breathe without God willing my lungs to do so. I realized how often I've put God in a box, and was scared to death to realize how much I know about Him, but how little I really knowHim.
This year is almost like an 'out of body experience' for me (in a totally non-creepy way). Being thrown into different cultures and lifestyles gives me a chance to have an outside view into what my own life was like for the past 21 years. Since the age of 6, if asked my religion, I would respond, "I don't have a religion. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ", but I'm starting to see how religious and impersonal it really was.
All my life, people have taught me how to memorize scripture, phrase my prayers, have a 'quiet time', read the Bible, dress modestly, tithe, and on and on. But rarely did anyone teach me to get to know HIM! I didn't know how to be silent and listen to God, I just knew how to blab to Him for 15 minutes, say 'amen', and then go to sleep. I was taught to be independent, taught to handle money and establish financial security, but didn't know how to depend fully on Him and trust in nothing but Him for my every need. I could give you a perfect definition of "faith", but had no clue how to live by it. I've grown up daydreaming about a Christian life that was comfortable, easy, and painless, all the while ignoring the verses that say that this is "battle", that I'll be "afflicted, persecuted, perplexed, struck down" for being a follower of Christ. The Christianity that I knew was civilized and domesticated, and my focus was on myself, and not my Father.
I spent so much time trying to be like Christˇ I thought I was doing the right thing, constantly trying to improve myself and imitate Him. But wait.. He is PERFECT. And He already lives IN meˇ so rather than try to be perfect (which I will never be), why not just let the Perfect live THROUGH me? I mean, seriously, the Almighty God of the universe lives IN meˇ what better than to surrender myself, become a willing vessel, and let Him live through me? I, in and of myself, can do nothing. When I give up control, quit trying to become something, quit trying to follow rules and guidelines, and just let Him reign, that's when I truly get to know Him.
I'm not saying that it's bad to have a quiet time, memorize scripture, etcˇ it's just when I'm doing them out of obligation because that's what "good Christians do", I've let myself become a slave to rules, to guidelines, to RELIGION. When I put every ounce of my faith in Him and allow Him to be my everything, to live through me; it doesn't get any more personal than that! And my desire to read His word, pray, spend time with Him, etc, starts to come naturally, NOT out of obligation, but from an overflowing, overwhelming love that comes from deeply knowing my God.
Now I'll make fun of a bumper sticker. : ) So, you've seen the sticker/key chain/t-shirt that says "Go Against the Flow!" with a little Christian fish swimming up a creek. Cute. But I'm afraid that we've created this entire upstream current of believers that live good, comfortable lives, and do good Christian deeds, yet don't KNOW their God. Believers that say they trust God, yet wear themselves out at a job they hate because they're trying to build financial security themselves. Believers that, though going 'against the stream' of the ungodly, are simply following morals and valuesˇ but not laying down their lives, dying daily, and living for a God that has captured their heart; a God that they would follow to the ends of the earth, that they would die for.
"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" ¨CJohn 7:37-38
Rather than swim up-current, rather than go against the flow, I will let His river of living water flow THROUGH me. Just go with the flow... HIS flow.
Leaving Mama Rita's was tear-filled and painful, but after a
few days of reflection, I wouldn't have traded it in for anything.
I'm back in Nelspruit, South Africa staying at a beautiful house for 2
days before heading to our mid-year debrief in Manzini, Swaziland.
I've been sleeping in a bed with sheets and a down comforter, showering in hot
water twice a day, and using an actual toilet (that flushes and has a SEAT), but I've found myself
missing the little rat-infested home with a concrete potty hole. That family
took a hold of my heart and I have a feeling that they won't be letting go
anytime soon.
Thank you to all of you who donated, over $2,000 was raised
for Mama Rita and the kids! The family had never asked us for anything and had
no clue what was coming, so they were quite surprised when we showed up with a
truckload of mattresses, blankets, and a deep freezer! We also purchased school
supplies to last all 32 children through next school year, 5 bags of rice, and
cooking oil. I've never seen anyone so grateful! The kids had a hayday on the
mattresses; they've never known anything but straw mats on concrete floors.
They bounced all over them, did headstands, and for the first time ever, could
not WAIT to go to bed. A few hours after bringing all the goods, I opened the
freezer and found a dozen frozen juice bags (what the family will be selling
for income) already in it. They didn't waste an hour before putting it to use. Due to AIM policy, we were unable to put money donated
through AIM towards the purchase of the land. However, we did get $500 through
personal donation, so the land is halfway to being purchased! If you are still
interested in donating for the purchase of land and the building of a new home,
I will put up details soon on how that can be arranged.
Thank you again to everyone for their prayers and donations…
this family's life will never be the same. The best hour of our entire visit in
Mozambique
was one of our last ones. Right before leaving, the five of us sat down to hear
Mama Rita's testimony. Peter translated for us, and Mama Rita explained through
him how she became a believer, how she and Ezekiel started taking in children,
and the details of his murder. Robby, who's good at asking the tough questions,
asked Rita what she went through when Ezekiel passed away, and how she is
currently handling it. She told us of how she was in complete despair, how
Ezekiel had been running the home and providing, and how she had no clue how
she would go on. She was never angry with the Lord, but was continually asking
Him "why". She then told us, through tears, that in the last week, the Lord had
been answering those questions. He was answering every single one of her
prayers and was providing not only for her, but for each of the children as well.
It was such an encouragement to learn that I, that my team and I, were an
answer to someone's prayer! Just by being
there!
It was incredibly humbling. We tried to explain to her that
SHE had taught us so much more! I have never experienced such love, such
hospitality, such faith! That family's story is beauty from ashes if I've ever
seen it. After Ezekiel's death, they pressed deeper and deeper into the Lord
and truly have a faith that is tested by fire. And oh, how beautiful it is!
On our 21 hours of bus travel back into South Africa, I
did a lot of thinking about what it really means to be loved by the Almighty. I
mean, he is ALMIGHTY. He needs nothing from me. Not even my love. But He wants it and he desires it. He longs for me to chase Him the way that He has chased
me!
The phrase "God loves you" has become so trite. You see it
on at least 4 bumper stickers a day, carved into the plastic partition of a
bathroom stall, and on a bookmark you got 9 Christmas's ago from your Great
Aunt Glenda. I could write a mini novel on it right now because I'm rather
fired up… but I'll hold off. Just do me a favor.. take 5 minutes and just
ponder it . Ponder the fact that the Almighty God, the King of Kings, the Alpha
and Omega, the Creator of the UNIVERSE, loves you.
Not in an "I love hamburgers" or "I love my neighbor" kind of
way; but in an intense, passionate, blush-causing, I-WOULD-DIE-FOR-YOU kind of
way.
Hey y'all! Well... as usual, plans have changed. Our trip to Muturara has been slightly postponed; we will be headed there on Friday along with a truckload of building supplies, but will only be staying a few days. We will return to Mmanga, the village we are staying in now. We are staying with an amazing family; their story is below. Mmanga is about 30 minutes away from Beira, a large town with internet access, so I should be able to check emails sometime next week! Love ya! -Teag
Buen Dia from Team Isaac!
We've been in Mozambique for nearly a week and we are loving every minute of it! Once arriving in Beira we met up with Peter, our guide for the next month, who brought us to the home of Mama Rita in the village of Mmanga. Five years ago, Rita and her husband, Ezekiel, were called by the Lord to begin taking in orphaned children who had lost their parents to HIV/AIDS and malaria.
By last fall, Ezekiel and Rita had 25 orphans living with them, along with 7 children of their own. In October, soon after leading a Muslim to the Lord, Pastor Ezekiel was murdered by Muslim extremists. Since Pastor Ezekiel's death, there has been no source of income for Rita and the children. Peter (our guide) and his wife are both blind and are teachers at a local school for the blind. They have been supporting Rita and her children out of their teaching salary for the past 4 months.
Mama Rita and the kids
Rita is currently caring for 20 children in her very small house, and the 12 older children are staying with Peter and his wife. All of the children sleep on concrete floors and have 1-2 pairs of clothing.
Our hearts went out to Mama Rita and her children and we asked Peter how we could bless them. He told us that the children could really use mattresses, clothing, and school supplies. A refrigerator for the house would serve to not only preserve their food and protect it from the rats (the house is overrun with them), but it would also serve as a source of income. Sodas and vegetables could be kept cold and cold be sold in the neighborhood.
Rita's current homeThe kids' beds (in the hallway)
He then told us that Rita's greatest need was a larger house that could hold all of the children and give them a place to sleep. He took us to see three different pieces of land that would be desirable locations to build a new home. One of the properties is a perfect fit. It is directly between the primary and secondary schools, and it is a large piece of land (about 2-3 acres) with plenty of room to build a house, plant shade trees, and plant crops which would serve to feed the children and to sell as income.
We have a huge desire to bless this wonderful family, and after praying about it, we decided as a team to invite all of you to join us in raising funds to help Mama Rita and the kids.
Costs and needs are as follows: -Mattresses = $36 each (x32 kids) -Refrigerator = $400 -Land (+ title and licensing fees) = $1,000 -Total cost to buy land, build house, plant trees, setup h2o/electric = $20,000
We don't have much time left here, but if possible, we would like to at least purchase the land before we go, so that the teams that follow us can continue the fund raising efforts and break ground on a new house! Because of our time shortage, we can only take online donations.
The bible calls us as the Body of Christ to care for widows and orphans, and that command has never been more alive to us as it is now. We ask that you pray about this, and if you feel led, to give as you are able. Thank you so much for your prayers, and for keeping up with us!
Love from all of Team Isaac, Robby, Eli, Magen, Gretchen, and Teagan
So… I'm quickly realizing that this is much more of a
disciple-making trip (as in "making me into more of a disciple") than about
specific ministries. The Lord is really working on my heart and pulling it and
twisting it to be passionate in ways that I have never been before. The month
in Bolivia
was definitely trying. A.I.M. warned us before we left that our 4th
month would probably be the toughest as far as missing home and adjusting to
community living. They were right! Adding to the sadness now is the fact that
our larger team will now break up into our smaller teams, and not be together
for a long time. Our time in
Bolivia went well… we did three weeks worth of physical labor crammed into one.
We varnished the inside and out of a 2-story brick house, dug sewage ditches,
painted, built a staircase, and countless other construction tasks. We started
our travel time last Tuesday with a 10 hour flight from La
Paz to Santa Cruz to Miami. In Miami airport,
we looked like kids in a candy store. In the three hours we were there, most of
the team made multiple trips to Starbucks, and repeatedly flushed the toilets
and watched…. fascinated as the toilet paper went DOWN (in most places we have
been, toilet paper always goes in a trash can - the toilets are either bucket-flushed
or don't have sewer systems that are capable of taking in toilet paper). The flight to New
York was quick, but the closer we got, the more I was bummed out. Nearly half
the team had family and friends meeting them in New York for the all-night layover and they
were all getting excited about seeing them. I didn't have anyone coming, so I
was dreading the 12 hours of sleep on the airport floor. I was one of the last
ones off the airplane, and when I walked out the corridor, everyone on the team
was still standing right outside our gate. I couldn't figure out why they
weren't all running to baggage claim to meet their family, so I asked which way
it was. Robby giggled and said, "over there," and as I turned in the direction
he was pointing… there was my Nels! Needless to say, I was rather excited. I
cried, and so did the rest of the girls. It was the fastest 12 hours of my
life, but we had a blast. We took a taxi into town and walked around Times
Square, Rockefeller Plaza, and out to the edge of Central
Park. We spent the rest of the time in the airport just hanging
out with the rest of the gang. The goodbye was tearful, but was a lot easier
than the first, considering we've got less than 7 months to go! Thank you
again, Nels! : ) We safely arrived
this past weekend in South Africa, after 3 LONG flights and a layover in Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. We have been
debriefing in our tents in a town called Nelspruit, South Africa, and found out
last night that our team of 5 (Team Isaac) will be leaving this afternoon for
Muturara, Mozambique. It will take 4 to 5 days of multiple bus rides, tenting
on roadsides, and walking across 3k bridges to get there. Everything we're
taking has to be on our backs. Since we won't have electricity, we're leaving
all of our electronics and most of our clothes with a contact here in
Nelspruit. We'll be living right along the Zambezi River, so once again, I'll
be combating mosquitoes. We still can't figure out why they like me so much
more than everyone else! Getting to
Muturara will be tricky; we will be on our own for the first 4 days of travel
with practically no clue where we're going. In this part of Mozambique, the
people speak Portuguese combined with about 4 other African languages. Once we
figure out how to get to a town called Dondo, we will meet up with a Pastor
named Peter who will be taking us across a bridge (that is often closed) and to
our final destination in Muturara. Pastor Peter is blind. In Muturara,
we'll be hanging out at an orphanage and putting up a roof, septic tank, and
bathing area. The Pastor of the church in Muturara, Pastor Ezekiel, was
martyred last October by a Muslim extremist. His wife has remained in the town,
and will be our contact and hostess while we stay in Muturara. If the photo of
the Zambezi River Basin successfully uploaded, try to find Muturara just above
the Zambezi Delta in Mozambique. You'll note this is fairly close to Zimbabwe,
which has been in the news a lot lately. Please be in prayer for the political
unrest in that neighboring country.
An important word about my support….
I'm
extremely grateful to those of you supporting this trip through my A.I.M. World
Race account. I couldn't be doing this without you. One thing we couldn't
foresee before the trip was the actual breakdown of expenses. While the A.I.M
account is used for our major travel expenses between continents, it turns out
that a higher percentage of personal money is needed to cover daily meals and
the localized expenses of travel, medical, and humanitarian opportunities. IF
BY ANY CHANCE you can do without a tax deduction for your contribution, it
would greatly assist me if you would contribute directly to me. I anticipate
that I am short by nearly $3,000 for the remainder of the year. You could make
out any checks to "Teagan Highfill," but please mail it to Steve Highfill, P.O.
Box 2303, Valley Center, CA 92082-2303. THANK YOU for prayerfully considering
this! One time gifts, monthlies, whatever…. All would help and be greatly
appreciated!
An equally
important way that you could help out me and my team is through prayer. It is
going to be a rough month, and the most dangerous one so far. Please pray for
safety, and that will be able to just love on all the kids at the orphanage and
get a roof over their heads! Also pray that we would be able to be Jesus with
flesh on; that these people would just see Him through our eyes and hands and
hugs. I will update
when I'm able; just remember that no news is good news! Thank you for keeping
up with my adventures thus far, they're about to get really exciting : )
Love and Miss you all! I won't see your response comments
for a while, but they are welcome sight for when I get back online…
Teagan
P.S. The photos should include a couple teaser shots of
teammate Gretchen and me and our 80 meter, 19-story, 60 second freefall… to
date the most exhilarating minute of my life. It the pics didn't upload
correctly, my dad said he would take the blame, since I needed his help to
bypass some African Internet filters. You'll eventually see some video of this
adventure. Check the pics below..
In the trenches... the orphanage...
Running water bath....
Surprise but brief reunion with Nels @JFK..
The Big Apple (NYC) at night....
Home is where the tent is... now Africa ... and getting ready with Gretchen for some freefall ... then an eternal minute..
And a brief geography lesson... try to find Muturara just above the Zambezi Delta in Mozambique... and you've found my new home!
So... I know I told y´all (in October) that I would let you know my route as soon as I found out.. and I found out this morning, so here you go!
small note: TENTATIVE and SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Tomorrow: Bolivia. Debrief for 4 days in La Paz, then 2 weeks in Cochabamba working in an orphanage and helping build a new one, and 2 weeks in the rainforest doing some other sort of physical labor. Fly to New York on April 16th for a 12 hour layover, then straight to Johannesburg, South Africa. (18 hour flight. oh my oh my)
April 18th: Land in Jo-burg... hop on a bus and go straight to Swaziland for a debrief. At the end of debrief, split off from the squad (into our team of 5) and spend the next 3 months hopping around in South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique, and Malawi.
End of July: Fly to India. 6 weeks in India, then 2 or so weeks in Nepal! Yipee for Mt. Everest.
Mid September: Fly to Asia and spend the next 2 months in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand
Race ends somewhere around November 15th!
Ok, there ya go! Tomorrow (Sunday) we board the plane at 9:40pm, fly to Lima, catch another flight to La Paz, Bolivia, and land at 3:50am Monday morning. Please be praying for our safety and ease of travel!
If you´ve ever been to church camp, to a Promise Keeper´s conference (or the like), or on a short term missions trip, then you know what a ¨spiritual high¨is. Whether it´s a couple days or 2 weeks, whatever it is gets your emotions going and sets you aflame for God.
There are numerous times that I have left a camp or conference saying, ¨this time, the high will never end! From here on out, I will be hungry for the word, I will be in constant communion with God¨. Only to find myself a week or so later wallowing in my same old sins and declaring that I´m in a spiritual desert.
Often, I become frustrated with the spiritual rollercoaster. Euphoric high spots are followed by doldrums, or at worst, situations like the one I went through in January where I felt like the Lord wasn´t even there at all. He will seem so far away, then a cetain worship song, scripture, or best-selling Christian book will tug at my heart and I´ll feel close to Him again.
I used to base my relationship with the Lord on that rollercoaster. On the high points, all was well. On the low ones, I was struggling. I used my feelings as a thermometer.
The problem is, that thermometer is flawed. Human feelings and emotions are fickle; they change with the wind.
¨For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,¨ declares the Lord. ¨As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts¨ -Isaiah 55:8-9
God is unchanging, His love is unconditional. He tells us that our thoughts and feelings are futile (Psalm 94:11) and He calls us to leave behind the ways of man and to pursue the ways of His kingdom.
¨For God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.¨ -Psalm 48:15
¨Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.¨ -Hebrews 13:5
¨The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge.¨ -Psalm 18:1-2
We will go throughmany seasons in our lives, but regardless of what we are feeling, our God is a CONSTANT God, and our relationship with Him should mirror that. He doesn´t come in and out of our lives, He is always there. That is a tough concept for our finite human minds to comprehend, but we must keep that in mind when our feelings plummet; when we feel the ¨desert¨. Take heart, you do not have to spend the remainder of your life on an un-ending spiritual rollercoaster. Don´t base His proximity on a thermometer of feelings. Rather, be steadfast...
I do not like mosquitoes, man, I do not like them, Sam I am!
Despite the
joyous farewell to the mosquitos, it was so hard to leave Nauta. On the first
day, I met a boy a little boy with a slightly misshapen face. He didn't come
around the group of kids much, and when he did, they would tease him. He told
me his name was Carlos, and that he was 10. I don't think I'm supposed to pick
favorites, but… if I had one, he was it. We were buddies from there on out.
Every time he would get teased, he would come and cling to my side and I'd tell
him that he was my friend, and that I thought he was handsome. I watched his
confidence grow and the teasing lessen throughout the next 2 weeks. By the end
of Fiesta con Dios (our version of Vacation
Bible School),
he was all smiles and one of the gang! On Friday, I had to tell him goodbye
before we left for Iquitos.
He hugged me and would not let go, and buried his face in my stomach so that I
couldn't see that he was crying. It was so hard to pull him off and walk away.
But, that's just something I'm going to have to get used to. I know that there
will be many more tearful goodbyes in the next 9 months, and I'm definitely
going to need your prayers to stay emotionally stable through all of that.
Then there
was Wilbor. Wilbor came to every single church service (which, in Peru, is
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and twice on Sunday), stood outside the building, and
watched the service through the window. I hung around outside during many of
the services to try and bring some order to their version of "Sunday School"
(50 kids screaming in the street throwing mud at eachother and moto-taxis), and
got to spend a lot of time talking to Wilbor. On the first night I met him, he
asked me for a bible. Each night he would try and strike up a conversation and
was not phased by the fact that I could only understand 11% of what he was
saying. He'd say something, I'd tell him "no comprende", and he would grin and
keep on chatting. He kept asking me to show him verses, and asked me to write
out the lyrics to numerous worship songs on whatever writing materials we could
find; most often, a dried out palm leaf and a pen. He started attending the
youth program we put on each week night and had made a couple friends by the
time we left.
It was
definitely a blessing to get to attend that church and watch its youth program
take shape. There were about 30 youth (ages 12-18) that attended, and each
night, a world racer would share their testimony or a lesson, and then the
groups would split off into guys and girls for discipleship. On the last night
of the youth program, I gave a lesson in front of the group about
relationships. I talked about how they needed to find their identity in Christ,
and that the hole in their heart could only be filled by Him. I urged the guys
to be Godly men that respected and protected the hearts of their sisters in
Christ, and to become someone worth marrying before they looked for someone to
marry (which is around 18 here).
Towards the end of the trip, I decided that there were no gators
waiting for me below the boat, so I jumped in the river. The current was much
stronger than I had expected; you have to swim at full strength to get back to
the bank of the river. One day, the we took the boat 2 hours downriver just for
a little sight seeing, and docked the boat in an area with very little current.
Everyone took turns jumping off the roof of the boat, climbing back on, putting
shampoo in their hair, jumping back off the roof… and on and on until the
entire showering process was complete. As we were all getting out of the water
to head back upriver, a fish locked onto Patrice's shirt and bit her in the
armpit. Needless to say, we didn't get back in.
We are now
back in Iquitos
staying at Pastor Jorge's house. Gretchen and I are sharing my tent in a
downstairs-porch type area, and I'm getting very used to having a bed-buddy. It
is VERY hot at night, so we bought a little table fan yesterday and put it
inside the tent.
Ministry started Monday at a little church on the
outskirts of Iquitos.
A bus takes us there at 10 each morning, and brings us back at 6pm on Monday,
Tuesday, and Thursdays, and at 9:30pm on Wednesdays and Fridays (after the
weeknight church services). We spend the days doing a combination of Fiesta con
Dios, youth group, discipling, and family visitations. Tomorrow will be the
first long day; we will have lunch at 1pm, and won't have dinner until we
return to Jorge's house around 9:30 or 10pm. Please be praying for energy; it's
going to be a very draining 2 weeks!
Oh! and I can't forget; I haven't updated much about the
status of my stolen items (if you don't have any clue what I'm talking about,
read "An Interesting First Day"). I have a brand new passport, a 90-day visa,
and a new bank card/drivers license. My dad sent me his iPod, and my friend
Betsy sent me a brand new camera, complete with rechargeable batteries and a
camera bag with my name already sharpie-markered inside of it! PRAISE THE
LORD!!! Every single item that was in my
bag when it was stolen has now been replaced. I can't tell you how encouraging
that is to me. On January 6th,
I wondered if I'd even be able to get a passport (or if I'd be spending
the rest of my life in Peru
without any form of identification or proof of citizenship). The Lord started
teaching me a valuable lesson on day one… and I have a feeling it isn't over
yet!
Here are some pictures from the past 2 weeks (much easier
this way than spending 30 minutes to upload each individual picture):
I don't think I've quite come to grips with
that yet! We've arrived in the village of Nauta, and we are living on a barge.
The girls are on the upper deck, which isn't big enough to hold our all of our
tents, so we're doubled up. Some of us set up tents, some mosquito nets (I set
up both). Kim and I are sharing my tent, with a mosquito net draped over it for
extra protection. "Living in community" took on a whole new meaning this month;
this isn't a large boat. We are packed in like sardines, and we're going to
learn to like it! Rachael Hunt made a great video of our living conditions, but
the only internet caf' in town has an extremely slow internet connection, so
it's unlikely that we'll get the video up within the next 2 weeks... I'll post a
link to it whenever we're finally able to upload it.
I have yet to spot a monkey, pink dolphin,
or anaconda, but I'm hoping to! Each night, we have to take turns
guarding the boat for 2 hour time slots. I will spend mine sitting on the front
deck of the barge with a pile of rocks, ready to throw them at any alligator
that comes within a mile of me. If I sound fearless, it's only because you
can't see my face.
The bugs are amazing. I think they are attracted to bug repellent. Despite the
heat, as soon as the sun starts setting, I put on pants, tuck them into socks,
pull on my sweatshirt, and pull the drawstrings to make the hood cover as much
of my face as possible. THEN I spray bug spray all over my clothes and avoid
sitting still to lessen the chances of getting bit through my pants. When I go
to bed at night, I take off my eskimo armor and survey the damage. Lastly, I
take out a marker and see if I can connect lines between my bug bites to create
constellations. The Big Dipper has shown up on my right leg, and the Milky Way
has made a glorious appearance on my left forearm! So much fun.
Today we walked around in teams and just asked
the Lord what ministry should look like for the next 2 weeks. I really feel
called to disciple young women, but I don't really know how to go about th...
we've got 3 translators for all 27 of us. My spanish has definitely improved,
but I'm nowhere near being able to disciple someone else. We met with the
pastor of the small church we'll be working with and he shared with us that
this town has been dealing with a lot of darkness. The suicides start at age
10, and have been increasingly common as kids are experimenting with Ouija
Boards. They begin by making a "covenant" with Satan, without fully understanding
what they are doing. Many have killed themselves, while others have admitted to
hearing voices in their heads telling them to kill their mother, take out her heart,
and give it to Satan. We've definitely stepped into a spiritual battle ground,
and the enemy knows we're here, but we're ready. Please be praying that the
Lord empowers us to be a light in this dark place, and that he would continue
to prepare the hearts of these people.
... then an eternal minute.. 
