Home and Homesick July 23, 2009

Last year after my Peru trip, I wrote a nice little summary blog. It was the thing that God taught me in that short trip. And it was a big thing he taught me too. But how do you sum up 45 days, 6.5 weeks, a month and a half, into a neat little paragraph? More than just time—how do you sum up the places—mountains, city, and jungle—or the people—Peruvian, American, and even an Australian or two—that I met there? I could never do these things justice. Least of all these, I could never sum up God’s work into a few short lines. That’s why I’ve put off writing this.

It’s been one week since I stepped off a plane and into the United States. And already my heart aches for the Peruvian life, the Peruvian pace, and especially the Peruvian people. I could get on a plane tomorrow and leave with no regrets. Before I’d even left, I’d resolved that I would go back someday. And someday soon. While there were some just plain fun days that stand out in my memory as favorite days in Peru, other moments are just as vivid in the forefront of my brain. I remember crossing the Rio Santo with rolled up jeans and bare feet, not sure if the soles of my feet would make it to the other side of the rocky riverbed. I remember crying in the passenger seat of a taxi as I left Recuay, my second home, for the final time. And most of all, I remember helping to baptize eight young believers in the Amazon river. It’s these things, the painful, the tragic, and the beautiful that stand out as defining moments in the throes of the journey.

Pray for those new believers. Pray that they’ll continue to grow into bold young men and women that are beacons of light, shining examples of godliness in their small jungle village. Pray that the rest of Urco Maraño, that the people will take notice and follow the example of the new believers there. The people in the jungle are hungry. Pray that they’ll seek the only lasting satisfaction.

And though it seems selfish, pray for me. It feels wonderful to be back in the company of friends and family, in my first home. But I am also very homesick for a place that I can’t return to, at least not for a while. I’m having trouble dealing with that distance right now.

The new believers:

Jane of the Jungle? July 10, 2009

´So I´m sitting in an internet cafe in Iquitos, Peru right now. Iquitos was our jumping off point for the jungle. We flew in very early monday morning, spent part of a day here, and then took a boat down the Amazon for about 5 hours to Urco Maraño, our jungle village. Here are a couple interesting facts about Iquitos:

Iquitos was founded in the quest for El Dorado.

It is the world´s largest city without road access. To get out of Iquitos, you have to take a boat or a plane.

Nobody drives cars around here. They all have motorcycles. It´s not uncommon to see a teen girl on a motorcycle. How do you tote around a group of summer missionaries when there are only motorcycles? Motortaxis, a motorcycle with a back seat that can seat three!

 

That said, my jungle trip was amazing. Some of it you won´t believe until you see pictures. I went canoeing in the Amazon river and slept in a tent during a rainstorm in the rainforest. (The tent wasn´t waterproof.) I did the hokeypokey with barefooted jungle children. I recited the story of creation from the book of Genesis in Spanish while a congregation memorized it. I visited La Isla de los Monos (Monkey Island) and made best friends with a monkey who perched on my shoulder and growled at anyone who came near me. I was also accosted by a monkey who had a death grip on my hair. But most importantly, I helped baptize eight young believers, all teens, in the Amazon river. In their town of about 250, these young believers made a bold statement. It was an amazing week and I´m so lucky to have been a part of it.

Pictures to come soon, when I´m home. This trip is coming to a close. On wednesday night I´ll be arriving in the charleston airport. I´m eager to see all my loved ones, but terribly heartbroken to be leaving my second home, my Peru. This country has burrowed its way into my heart.

To Recuay and Back July 4, 2009

I don´t have much time to type, as usual, but I wanted to let you all know that I am safely in Lima, and thoroughly depressed about it. I left Recuay yesterday, for good. I miss it so so much. I miss the people, and the familiarity of the place. I miss Humberta. I will write more about it, about individual experiences, when I get home and have proper time to write, but for now, just keep Recuay in your prayers.

Peru: land of a thousand kisses June 22, 2009

So let me tell you about something awkward. The customary greeting here in Peru is the cheek kiss. That´s not too awkward. Sloppy old man kisses are kind of awkward. What´s really awkward is when you go in for the wrong cheek and end up inadvertantly kissing a little lady on the lips. Super awkward. It´s always a relief when someone knows a little about American culture and comforts me with a simple handshake.

Yesterday was great. It was Father´s Day, but that doesn´t have to do with anything. We went to the local Hostal, whose yard has various soccer and basketball fields and a playground. We invited everyone around, a few young girls and two young guys, all teens, to play a game of volleyball. The gringas were terrible (all except Jill, the volleyball pro) and we had fun laughing at ourselves. It was a fun game, but the best part came when we, americans and peruvians alike, were all ready for a break. We sat down, introduced ourselves, and then told them about how awesome Jesus is. Everyone sat quietly and listened, truly interested, I think. Nobody was inspired to pray right then, but everyone agreed to meet again for another game next this week, and then maybe come to a bible study.

Pray for the youths that were there, that maybe some of what we said will sink in. We´re beginning to form relationships, and it´s really encouraging.

Life and Death Situations June 14, 2009

Yesterday was a very interesting day. We climbed a mountain, quite literally, to go visit a church. Upon arriving, we followed the congregation back DOWN the mountain for a beautiful baptism in the river. Immediately following, we climbed back UP the mountain for a celebration service. After the service, we went back DOWN that mountain and UP another mountain toward a cemetery. It was the strangest funeral I´ve ever been to– the person had been dead for a year. It was a type of anniversary service for what seemed like the whole town of Ticapampa. We gringas were hanging back, observing. We were pretty oblivious to the funeral customs of Peru. (On a side note, the cemetery was very strange. There were dogs roaming around everywhere, children sitting on fresh graves, and concession stands, where you could buy empanadas, yogurt, and of course, beer.) After about two hours of people singing and speaking, someone approached us and asked us to speak. At some strangers funeral. So I cleared my throat, introduced our group, and thanked everyone for their hospitality. It was all I could think to say in this very bizairre situation. Afterwards we were invited to the house of the family whose funeral it was, where a full feast was prepared and we were the guests of honor (and also probably the entertainment.) We were seated first, fed first, and everyone stared at us with open mouths to see if we liked the food. It was lamb, by the way.

We tried our best to smile, respect their customs, and pretend like we had a clue as to what was going on. I´m still lost.

Dreams June 10, 2009

Well I´m safely in Recuay, my home in the mountains of Peru. I´m feeling a little weak, a little tired. I´m recovering from sickness and the altitude isn´t helping. But other than that, I´m doing wonderfully. Jill, Julia, Jordan, and I have an apartment connected to the house of a sweet Peruvian family. We have electricity and even a kitchen and a working toilet!!

I´m not one to have many dreams at night. I sleep soundly most of the time. But since my time here in Peru, I´ve had some very vivid dreams. Some have been scary, some funny, and some comforting. At one point I may have had a dream about David Cook and Mark Wahlberg. . . ? But mainly they´ve been about you all, my friends and family. So if you´re reading this, and I know you, I´ve probably dreamt about you. USC friends, high school friends, church friends, and of course, family. (In my dreams I hug you all.) I miss you all dearly.  Keep praying for me. It´s beautiful here.

hola, peru June 4, 2009

The altitude does strange things to the body, specifically a burping spell and sleeping for 15 hours in one day. I´m in a beautiful place right now. It´s a small town called Canta, in the mountains, three hours east of Lima. We´re here until Sunday.

Today I learned to cook the Peruvian way . . . from scratch. Our little group made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, carmelized carrots, and rice from scratch, even cutting up a whole chicken, using one small portable burner. Paula Deen would be proud.

Then I walked around town with a couple of my group mates. We followed the sounds of beating drums to a school, where a drumline of 8 year olds were practicing. We´re going back tomorrow!

Well, my time on this machine is up! God is good. Hasta Luego.

The end of our prologue. May 28, 2009

The countdown is on. Mere days until I get on a plane for Lima. I’m nervous and ecstatic and anxious and excited all at the same time. All the nerves and excitement form a rubber band ball that’s constantly bouncing around in my stomach. But things are coming together–things like vaccinations and plane tickets and money. Life is great and God is greater still.  

Today I read Ezekiel 33. (I should say I read Ezequiel 33 because I read it in Spanish. Practice, practice, practice.) Ezekiel was appointed as a watchman to the people of Israel and it was his responsibility to warn the people of their sin and beg them to turn toward righteousness. This responsibility was massive because if these people died unaware of their sin, God would hold Ezekiel responsible for their lives. I’m not going to Peru as a tourist. I’m going to as a messenger of God’s love and I needed to be reminded of the profundity of this trip. I’m determined to shake off the lackadaisical approach to evangelism that I so often have in my every day life.

Pray for me. Pray for my team:  Ryann, Jillian, Kerri, Julia, and Blake. And most of all, pray for Peru. My prayer is that God would do big things in Peru, and if that requires me to be a little scared, a little uncomfortable, a little inconvenienced, then that’s fine. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

As I wrote in my last blog, for a large part of the trip, I’ll be in a town outside of the mountain city of Huaraz. It’s likely that I’ll be able to find an internet cafe once a week to be able to update this weblog of mine, but don’t count on a well-written masterpiece. I’ll save my favorite parts for my journal, which I promise to share when I get back. If you can’t wait that long, check out the note I wrote after last year’s trip: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=23091751801  Anyway, I’d love to hear from you while I’m there. Leave me a message on here or on my facebook. It’ll probably help with the homesickness.

A lot of things will happen while I’m gone: I won’t be around to hug my dad on father’s day. I’ll miss many of my friends’ high school graduations. I’ll turn twenty (along with a bajillion other family birthdays and anniversaries). Peruvians don’t really care about the fourth of July. Josh Groban releases two DVDs. And most importantly, the next Harry Potter film comes out. (Okay, now I feel like a nerd.) Anyway, I’ll have a lot to catch up on when I get back, and I’m beginning to miss you all already and I haven’t even left yet. While I’m gone I hope your lives are wonderful, that God works in you as He’s sure to be working in me. And if you think of me, think of the God who sends me. Think of His sacrifice and think of His love, for those are the reasons I’m leaving and the reasons I’m living. Love to you all.

A picture I took last year in Pullo, Peru. This is the hill that overlooks Pullo.

I took this in Chumpi. Tengo vida = I'm alive.

  

¿Dónde está el baño? May 13, 2009

So with my trip two and a half weeks away, I’m in Spanish boot camp. I’ve had Spanish classes both semesters this year, but my vocabulary will extend beyond business and literature this summer. You don’t exactly learn words like salvation, mercy, and sanctification  in university Spanish classes.

On Monday I got some exciting news about my trip. Here’s my itinerary:

June 1: Arrive in Lima (pm)

June 2: Orientation in Lima

June 3 - 7: Training in Canta, Peru

June 8: Depart for Huaraz, Peru

July 4 - 5: Return to Lima

July 6 - 13: Shevoja, Peru (jungle)

July 14:  Day in Lima, Return to USA

So… Huaraz, or rather, a small town outside of Huaraz, shall be my home for a month!  So my first thought upon receiving this info was this:  Where in the world is Huaraz? Let me show you:

This is something different for me. Last year I flew into Lima, drove south to Nasca, and then east into the mountain range (the brown zone). I’ll still be in the mountains. Actually, Huaraz is right next to Peru’s largest mountain, Huascarán:

I am SO excited about Huaraz, about Canta, about Shevoja. Start praying with me about the people I’ll encounter, that they’ll be receptive of us and our message. And start praying for me, not that my Spanish will be perfect or that I won’t mess up. Just pray that I’ll acurately be able to convey God’s love, even without words.

That’s all for now.

“If you had three, you’d give me two. There ain’t no other friend like you.” May 6, 2009

It occurred to me that my blog is entirely too serious. So in an effort to not seem such a Debbie Downer, here is a blog about what makes me happy.

Meet Martha.

Martha is a 3 year old Great Dane/Gold Retreiver mix. Martha serves many roles in the Lewis household. She’s great hammock  buddy:

She is often a great laptop desk:

Basically, Martha is an all-around great companion, one of my very favorites in fact. Today is my first day home from college and she and I had some wonderful quality time doing nothing but lying in the grass in the back yard, pulling on sticks, soaking up some sun, and swatting away the mosquitoes. After a stressful semester of worrying about grades and career goals and deadlines, I couldn’t have chosen a better first day of summer than a day of being a dog. Here is a list of reasons why Martha is great company:

1. Martha shares. She is always willing to share her multitude of stuffed ducks, elephants, and puppy dogs with me, even when I don’t want them.

2. Martha can’t talk. There’s no pressure to keep up a conversation. It’s easy.

3. Martha is simple. While she may be the most loving, the most adorable, and the most affectionate, “smartest” is not one of her superlatives. And that’s okay. Her needs are basic–food, water, a toy that squeaks, and a little attention every now and then.

4. Martha doesn’t judge. It’s okay to be completely weird around her, completely impulsive, completely myself. At the end of the day, she’ll still love me.

It occurs to me that we could all stand to be a little more like Martha. After the melancholy of a million goodbyes yesterday, the hello I got from Martha, uninhibited kisses, a toy dropped at my feet, and a tail beating against my legs was exactly what I needed.