Measuring Life

There's a popular song that questions how we define a year-- in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee...  Since I've been here in Trujillo, Peru God has been teaching me to measure life in a different way.  I have been to a day care center, a community outside of the garbage and then also entering into the garbage dump, a children's ministry in a dangerous section of town, and also cell groups (Bible studies) in the churches.  Time is not measured by a watch, a clock on the wall, or the digital numbers on a cell phone screen.  Here, in Trujillo, I have been able to be part of a different cadence.

Time is measured by the rhythm of a plastic bag, floating gently through the air as it's thrown from the dirty hands of a boy playing in the streets.   Time is measured by the rise and fall of a garbage worker's hoe as he digs through plastic bags full of trash, searching for recyclable treasures of metal, plastic, or wood.  Time is measured by the screams of the combi drivers as their voices pattern the streets of the city but are muffled by the cluttered noises of other combi buses raging past, the murmur of pedestrians, and the steady beat of horns.  Time is measured by the slapping and tapping of barefeet, echoing the bumping and thudding of the soccer ball on the cement court.

My prayer is that this summer I understand the simplicity of time.  That numbers and tick-tocks on a machine are not the definers of time but rather the people that live it out.  I am spending a long time here in Peru, yet God has been speaking to me about how I spend my time, how I measure it, and where I invest and add to the time.  All of the ministries have been great to see and become a part of, and I hope to get some pictures up soon of the people, their culture, and their joy.

One of my favorite measures of time is one that is often overlooked as I review my day.  It's not overlooked because it wasn't important but simply because it wasn't cultural and extraordinary.  I have been able to spend a good amount of time each morning with God-- talking, praying, reading His love letter to me, and submitting my day to His will.  This-- my time with God-- has been a measure of time that helps in the measurement of all other time during the day.  In other words, as I am able to devote and discipline myself in spending time with God each morning, all the other time in the day tends to be sweeter, more vivid, and expanded.  My time with God has become the ruler for measuring life, and He has continued to encourage me that He will do exceedingly and abundantly more than I ask and imagine.

GO!!

I'm sorry for the delay in writing a post since I've been here.  We've traveled hours each day in a bus or van, making our way from Lima, Peru to Huaticocha, Ecuador and then returning back to Trujillo where I will work and serve for the summer.  The training was called "The Amazing Race" and beside not stopping to rest during those 10 days, we ate some gross things, pushed our bodies to physical limits, and were able to bond incredibly as a team.  (If you really want to know, we ate palm worms, cow stomach, chicken feet, boar, and chicha--a drink that is composed of chewed up yuka mixed with spit from everyone in the village.)

We unpacked and settled in Trujillo this morning, and it has been really nice to get to know the missionary family, especially the kids, and the workers who will be here this summer.  I have loved getting to know my fellow interns; they already feel like family so I can't imagine how close we'll be in August.

Here are a few prayer requests:
-There is only internet on a missionary's computer here at the albergue, the place we'll stay and work at in Trujillo.  So when I want to skype, check my email, update my blog, etc.  I have to go to Starbucks at the mall, which is a 40 minute bus ride away.  It's a curveball I thought I missed, but please pray that I continue to have a good attitude.  This, right now, is helping me be here 100%, especially mentally and emotionally, but it's been hard.
-We, as interns, have to do a creative project-- something with the natives here that will bless or help them.  I'm pretty sure God has put a huge but exciting project on my heart.  Please, please pray that I am following His voice and also that I will be able to get working right away!  More details to come... :)
-The first two teams come tomorrow night and while I'm not one of the interns to take the 10-hour bus ride to pick them up in Lima, we will be extremely busy for the next 10 days.  Pray that the interns will be able to watch as the missionaries lead the first set and then that we are able to lead with God's strength for the rest of the summer.

Thank you for your prayers!  I am safe, a little sunburnt, and soaking up God's presence!!!  I have had some of this morning and this afternoon to rest, and it has been a much appreciated change of pace, BUT I am so excited for the teams to come and for us to get into the community and get to know the people here in Trujillo.