Welcome to Peru!

Being molded and shaped.
“But now, LORD, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. All of us are the work of your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8
Welcome to the jungle! Welcome to my new home, Peru!
Tomorrow I will have been here in Pucacaca, Peru for a week! How has it been? Honestly it’s been a paradox. This part of Peru is BEAUTIFUL and the people that I have met are lovely and welcoming but at the same time transitioning here has been HARD and BEAUTIFUL. I’ve been trying to think of how to describe what it’s like, what this last week has been and what I thought of as I reflected on this week is that during this time I’m clay and the Lord is molding me and shaping me— and that is good, beautiful and difficult. It’s hard to go against what I’m used to, it’s hard to change, it’s not easy to face the parts of me that the Lord is bringing to the light for me to give to Him to grow and heal in.
And it reminded me that it’s so easy to stay where you are comfortable and not change. But in order to grow in holiness we need challenge and adventure to be molded into the saints the Lord is calling us to be— if we simply stay where we are comfortable we will never change. We will stay in the same old same old. Being here has definitely been rubbing me and molding me in ways that I haven’t been before. And that is GOOD. Each day this week has had a challenge in and of itself and I’ve struggled— but it’s within that struggle that I know the Lord is at work. If I arrived in Peru and it was instantly easy then that wouldn’t be good for me. Despite the blood, sweat and tears that I’ve shed during this week and all the doubts, fears and struggles that have come up I still know without a doubt that this is where the Lord wants me to be at this exact time. He wants me in this beautiful part of Peru.
I listened to a talk last week and it was about how the reason we do anything difficult is because we believe that it is making a difference and an impact. And I know that I believe that my being here is making an impact— even when I don’t see the impact, that the Lord is at work. Everything we do, every step we take makes an impact even if we don’t realize it. I hope and pray that the Lord will help me to focus on Him daily, that He will continue to give me the strength to love my teammates and all those He has placed in my path with His heart. I pray that He gives me His heart. I pray that I will be able to be present where He has placed me and to be patient with myself and my teammates as we all continue to transition.
Attached are some photos of our week here in Peru! This past week my teammates and I took time to explore a little and get used to being in Peru. Some of the things we did: Swimming in the river near our house, meeting some of our neighbors, trying new food, beginning retreat to get to know each other better and to see where we are and where we want to be in the future, and yesterday we visited other FMC missionaries and together we visited a beautiful spot in the jungle, and last night we prayed a rosary in the chapel near our house with people from our pueblo.
Please continue to keep myself, my team and the wonderful people of Peru in your prayers. Missions is hard. Missions is beautiful. Missions is worth every hard and beautiful moment. I pray that you all may encounter the Lord in a deeper way and say yes to the way He wants to work in your life this day and everyday.

Me with some of our neighbors! From right to left: Myself, Alana and Erika 


Fun riding in the back of a truck on Sunday!  Front: Rachel and myself.  Back: Emma Grace, Willy and Rachel. 
Beautiful place we visited on Sunday


Hiking to the view with other missionary friends!

Beautiful Peru!

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