Eating a Pig in Peru

12/19/2008

Driving home from training, some friends and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina.  We were all pretty excited about a diversion from the boring interstate and the scenery we’d get to take in along the way.  I wasn’t prepared for the extremes we saw during our trip.  The sky was so clear in the morning and we saw rolling hills increase in size, but as we drove higher, we entered fog so thick it was just about impossible to see through. Truly it became almost oppressive after hours (literally) of slowly creeping up and down the mountain.  But then it finally came, a view of something besides grey clouds.  At that moment it didn’t need to be a view from the top of one of the mountains.  I first saw a dense forest of beautiful trees alongside a creek bed, and I praised God as I was able to finally take a deep breath.

And then it hit me: Here lately I feel like I’ve lived life in and out of the fog.  There have been some events and experiences over the past months that have been difficult and yet from them God produced blessing.  Just when I was reaching my end, God opened my eyes to see and the hope that I was starting to lose returned.  And then the process would begin again.  That day I saw how God was working in me to make me more complete, how He used my circumstances to separate me from everything that I would depend on and put first—I realized wasn’t Him.  Then, as I reached a serious breaking point, He would pause and give me a bit of a reprieve before I entered the next patch of fog.

During the actual trip through the mountains, we were lucky enough to see the incredible views…the tips of mountains broke through the clouds in a way that made them look like islands in the middle of an ocean.  There really were moments when our mouths dropped open!  Despite those views, I had a strong realization that I didn’t need those moments to see that God is with me or as a confirmation that I am okay spiritually.  I have been overwhelmed by God’s patience, mercy, incredible gentleness and amazing grace even more during those moments in and out of the fog.  He has filled my cup and it is spilling over!  I’m hoping others get a taste of it too as God leads me out to share with others of His faithfulness and love—His salvation!  And now Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in You.  (Ps 39)

Thanks so much for your prayers!!!

This week culture and contextualization were addressed.  Yeah, I know, abstract idea followed by a big, stuffy word.  But random thoughts started gathering in my mind combining cultures, colors, and discrimination. 

Part of the session discussed the differences of various cultures and the difficulties of adjusting from one to another.  You know, the people aren’t like us and don’t do the same things as we do…  Just think of the U.S. and the wide array of nationalities mixed together.  Have you ever noticed the discrimination that has come from that?

So what is the root of discrimination?  Is it lack of understanding?  Do we refuse to accept people for who they are without appreciating the differences?  Oddly, we don’t even have to personally know someone to discriminate against them, and yet we categorize them according to their outward appearance.  New concept to me, but we seem to discriminate by colors and what those colors represent to us.  Easy to do when God gloriously created us red and yellow, black and white…

We’ve sectioned our world according to different racial and ethnic groups, all easily distinguished by their appearance, and have attached stigmas. Maybe some of you are thinking that there’s truth to those generalizations, but my question is, ‘Why do the differences bother us?’  Is it because they’re not like you and you just don’t understand them? Wars are fought because people refuse to understand one another.  No, I’m not saying we accept all practices and behaviors; some are morally wrong in our own cultures.  The dividing line is the Bible and the truths found there cross all cultures and break through all biased thought. So why am I considering this idea while I’m preparing to become ‘Super-Christian Missionary’?  Because I am entering a culture that’s not mine with the expectation that I’ll actually be able to understand the people there and fit right in after a couple months of mildly stressful adjustment.  What level of discrimination will I face?  Will I learn to discriminate within my new country?  I got a clue when a former missionary said that there were days he hated the people he was working with. What?! That would be another new concept.  I don’t want those types of thoughts to enter my heart, but there is much to understand in reaching across cultures—even in our own country.  Jesus was pretty blunt when he affirmed an ‘expert in the law’ to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).  And then Paul did a decent job following this up in a letter he wrote the Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians 13, particularly 4-7 on how the concept is lived out)

Oh, the places we go in our hearts and minds.  May God give us eyes to truly see…

Two weeks have passed since beginning Field Personnel Orientation. At least I think that’s what they call it here; everything’s an acronym (for both ‘ease’ and security) and I think it’s our first introduction to mastering a new language.  FPO has been both overwhelming and renewing, and I’m realizing I’m still trying to get my bearings.  The leadership here is wonderfully intentional about preparing us for what we will face on the field. This week we began practical discipleship training that includes yet another acronym: SPECKA (Sin to confess, Promise to claim, Example to follow, Command to follow, Knowledge to learn, Application of what you’ve read).  It’s a great tool to use as you read your Bible—just try it on a chapter and see what new truths come out!

This past week’s emphasis was on spiritual warfare (don’t forget “He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world”) and we were confronted with our own mortality, a completely foreign thought to Americans.  What are your thoughts about martyrdom? Why is it difficult to consider? That threat is so real right now.  There are many travelling to high security areas and we are strongly encouraged to NOT take pictures, if that gives you any indication of the situation.  (No worries-Peru is not a high security area.)

If you’re into details, there are close to 250 candidates here (many with children who are also here!) from all backgrounds, all ages, from across the US–and going all over the world!  Just hearing people’s stories of how they’ve come to be here is an encouragement and faith builder. Each day we are in different sessions beginning at 8 and ending before dinner at 5, cover lots of information and then have additional assignments to complete during the week.  Busy, busy!

For those wondering how I’ve gotten here, well, it’s been a few years in the making.  Growing up, I had listened to stories from missionaries and was completely captivated, thinking how incredibly blessed those folks were to be called to that position. Of course God used bolts of lightening and wrote their names in the clouds so they would know to go to Timbuktu, right?  Surprisingly, God was a bit more subtle as He lead me to this place.  I figured that only the most perfect and spiritual Christians become missionaries, so there was no way God would ever want to use me to tell foreign people about Him! But eventually, I dared to ask God about the tickle in my soul.  What did it really mean?  God answered by showing me how He created me (check out Psalm 139-really, just go read it).  Odd way to answer my question; tough realizations. Then, there’s this other verse that shouts His grace and mercy: Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires (Psalm 37). When we hide ourselves in Him, His desires become our desires, so of course He gives us what we want–because we want what He wants!  All of my passions and experiences built up in me were put there by the Creator, the One who has called me from the depths of my being. (And by the way, I’m no where near perfect!)