Jungle Tales

WE ARE OUT OF THE JUNGLE ONLY TO GO BACK IN FOR TWO MORE MONTHS. THINGS HAVE BEEN REALLY BUSY AROUND HERE SO I HAVE NOT HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO BLOG. I KNOW THERE ARE MANY WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO HEAR STORIES ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE IN THE COMMUNITES BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS ONLY ENOUGH TIME TO GIVE A QUICK SUMMARY. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY AND SHORT SUMMARY.

FIRST, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR YOUR PRAYERS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE POWER OF PRAYER SO AT WORK IN MY LIFE. THERE HAVE BEEEN MANY SITUATIONS THAT MY PARTNER AND TEAM HAVE FACED AND NEEDED GUIDANCE, WISDOM, OR STRENGTH TO GET THROUGH THE SITUATION AND EACH TIME GOD ANSWERED YOUR PRAYERS.

WELL I WILL JUST START WHERE I LEFT OFF. WHEN WE LEFT GUATEMALA FOR THE JUNGLE I WAS SO EXCITED AND A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT ENTERING TRAINING AND FACING THE HORRIBLE THINGS I HAD HEARD ABOUT THE JUNGLE. WHEN WE FIRST LANDED IN PUERTO MALDONADO THE AIRPORT WAS SO SMALL AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE. WE GOT OFF AND DECIDED TO WALK TO ANOTHER MISSSONARY´S HOUSE TO MEET THE REST OF OUR TEAM. AS WE WERE WALKING WITH OUR LARGE PACKS IN THE RAIN AND STRUGGING TO BREATHE THROUGH THE THICK HUMIDITY, WE RAN INTO AMANDA, OUR LEADER, AND THE OTHER GIRLS. THEY WERE HUDDLED AROUND, AND WE DIDN´T KNOW WHY UNTIL WE GOT CLOSE AND SAW MAMA LEE, ONE OF OUR MISSIONARIES, PLAYING WITH A HUGE TARANTULA. I COULDN´T BELIEVE IT. I THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE A PET OF HERS, BUT SHE SAID SHE HAD FOUND IT ON A POST AND JUST PICKED IT UP. THIS WAS THE START OF MY NEW LIFE IN THE JUNGLE.

WE HAD TWO WEEKS OF TRAINING IN THE JUNGLE. THIS CONSISTED OF CHOPPING FIREWOOD, GETTING AND PURIFYING WATER, COOKING IN SHIFTS FOR THE TEAM, PHYSICAL TRAINING, CLEANING WOUNDS, MEMORIZING BIBLE STORIES IN SPANISH, MEDICAL TRAINING, AND FIGHTING FOR SANITY WHILE TRYING TO SCRATCH BITES AND GET SOME DECENT SLEEP. OVERALL IT WAS SUCH A GROWING EXPERIENCE, AND THE LORD TAUGHT ME AN AMAZING AMOUNT.

AFTER TRAINING, WE ENTERED THE COMMUNITIES ON OUR OWN WITH A PARTNER. MY FIRST COMMUNITY WAS SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE. WE MET AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THREE WOMEN AND WERE ABLE TO SHARE OUR TESTIMONIES AND MANY BIBLE STORIES. AT FIRST IT WAS VERY HARD TO GET USED TO SHARING STORIES AND MEETING FOR HOUSE CHURCH BECAUSE THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SITTING AND QUIETLY LISTENING WHEN SOMEONE IS SPEAKING. THE LIST COULD GO ON OF THINGS YOU CAN DO DURING CHURCH THAT WOULD NEVER BE SEEN OR DONE IN A CHURCH IN THE STATES. IT WAS QUITE COMICAL.

AFTER STAYING IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR 10 DAYS, WE SWITCHED PARTNERS AND ENTERED A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY. THIS NEXT COMMUNITY FOR ME WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. WE WERE NOT RECEIVED LIKE WE WERE IN THE FIRST COMMUNITY. IT WAS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE TO GET PEOPLE TO MEET AND LISTEN TO OUR STORIES. THIS WAS A COMMUNITY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE VERY STRONG SPIRITUALLY. WE WERE SURPRISED WHEN WE GOT THERE AND SAW THAT NO ONE MET OR CARED TO MEET. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF STRONG BELIEVERS LEFT FROM THE CHURCH WHO EQUALLY WANTED TO MEET AND GROW CLOSER TO GOD. THEY WERE SO ENCOURAGING AND WE LOVED SPENDING TIME TALKING WITH THEM EACH DAY.

A BRIEF SUMARY OF WHAT A TYPICAL DAY LOOKED LIKE IN THE COMMUNITIES: WAKING UP AT 5, SPENDING 3-4 HOURS CUTTING GRASS IN THE FIELDS WITH MACHETES TO CREATE WALKING PATHS, COOKING WITH THE WOMEN FOR THE COMMUNITY, WASHING CLOTHES, HELPING WHEREVER NEEDED, AND HAVING PLENTY OF FREE TIME IN WHICH WE READ AND PRAYED. THROUGHOUT THE DAY, WE WOULD STAY IN PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNTIES, OUR FAMILES AND FRIENDS. IT WAS SO AWESOME TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND GROWTH OF BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD THROUGHOUT THE DAY. I CHERISHED THOSE TIMES IN THE JUNGLE AND CAME TO THE REALIZATION OF THE EMPTINESS OF THE THINGS THAT I ONCE TREASURED AT HOME. NOTHING COMPARES TO THE FULFILLMENT OF BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AT ALL TIMES.