Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised:
The biggest thing I learned during my time in the mountain community in Bolivia was just how faithful God really is. During the difficulties of that time, I learned so much about myself and just how much I cling to comforts and luxuries of the United States (even though I thought I had given all of those things up and would be fine without them!). But, even more so, I learned that God is continually faithful, and His grace lavished upon me is ever sufficient to sustain me and to mold me into the image of His Son.
Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers:
1. Tomorrow, we are returning to the jungle to spend another couple of months to complete some further training. This means time away from communication with friends and family again, and that has been the hardest part for me and the rest of the women on the team. Please be in prayer for us and for our loved ones during this time of no communication. Also, pray that I would be able to be an example to these young women of contentment and joy in difficult circumstances. I have learned much from Paul's letter to the Philippians during these times:
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:11-13).
2. Continue to pray for Misty, who still is not well enough to fully participate in the majority of our team activities and is frustrated by that. Pray for her physical health, but also pray that she would learn the lessons God is trying to teach her through this trial.
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):
I originally wrote four blogs about our time in Sijcha Alta but, with the rapidity of being incommunicado again, I'm not able to share all of them. So I've decided to basically summarize everything to the best of my abilities.
As background, the way our team functions is by what is called an "incarnational witness." The term comes from the idea of how Jesus, the best missionary who ever lived, worked on the earth. He came as a man, just like we are, lived and worked among us, and taught us as one of us. His willingness to leave His kingly glory and come down to live as Emmanuel ("God with us") earned His disciples' willingness to listen to Him as He spoke Truth to them.
Our goal is to do the same. We, too, want to live as the people live, work as they work, eat as they eat, and, in such a way, earn the right to teach them the stories from God's Word that have so changed our own lives and have the power to change theirs as well.
That being said, that was our goal in Sijcha as well. We were living with believers, but we still wanted to be able to share stories we had memorized from the Bible. And we wanted to work alongside them to be able to learn the culture and the work and difficulties of the life they lead.
Leah and I were given a room in one of the houses in the community, and we shared this space for our time there. The family also gave us a gas stove to be able to heat water in order to bathe and wash our clothes. They were very good to us and treated us wonderfully!
We awoke just before sunrise daily and went to the kitchen to help make breakfast. Our normal job was to peel potatoes, and we both developed some pretty nice callouses doing that all the time. :)
As far as the food goes, it was actually very good. The only problem I had was the quantity; it was too much! We had been warned about that before, but it really was a lot of food. First, we would be given a big bowl of four or five boiled potatoes or three ears of corn on the cob. Then, we would get a big bowl of some very filling soup: A soup containing potatoes and rice and corn. And it's very important to eat it all because, otherwise, it might communicate that we do not like the food, which is highly offensive.
We arrived during harvest time, so there was plenty of work to be done. The staple of the Quechua diet is potatoes, so our family spent several days completing the harvest of their "chakra" (field). They also spent a great deal of time making bricks to sell in the nearby city. This is their way of life; the chakras provide food, and the bricks provide a little bit of money to buy necessities that the chakras don't provide.
The family works from sun-up to well past sundown. There is always much work to be done, and the people labor all the time. If they're not harvesting food, they're taking care of the animals: Cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, and pigs (
Leah and three of the women are pictured here taking the animals out to graze).
One particular experience with the animals really stood out to me. Evarista, the mother in the house where we were staying, returned one day caring one of the lambs. She explained to us that he couldn't stand, though she didn't know why. When she put him on the ground, we could see that his rear legs were fine, but his front legs were too weak to hold him up. Because of that he couldn't walk or even eat.
For the next two days, Evarista cared for this little lamb, holding him in her lap and feeding him grass or milk from her own hand (pictured below). Thankfully, the lamb eventually improved and could go back out to the field with his mother, but he would have starved to death without her care.
I found it interesting because I had watched Evarista care for the animals several times before, and she was rarely gentle. I mostly heard her yelling at the pigs to go in a different direction or throwing rocks near the goats to keep them from going too far. But, when I started thinking about that, it reminded me of some spiritual truth.
The story I shared with the people in Sijcha Alta was the story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd from John 10. Jesus says this:
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." (vv. 11-13)
But I started realizing that being the Good Shepherd can look different at different times. Sometimes it means being the One Who holds us in His lap and feeds directly from His hand when we don't have the strength to stand. And sometimes it means being the One Who yells and throws rocks at us to keep us from straying from the best path to get us to a safe grazing area that will nourish us.
Sometimes we need Him to feed us gently, and sometimes we need His chastisement. I think we usually prefer the One Who treats us gently and feeds us, but the fact remains that He's the Good Shepherd regardless.
"You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees." (Ps. 119:68)
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised:
Misty today received her medical clearance to return to the jungle with the team for the next couple of months. We'll be leaving for Iquitos, Peru, tomorrow afternoon, and the five of us (Leah, Misty, Lori, Amy, and I) will be going together. What a blessing it is to be together again!
Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers:
Please continue to pray for Misty as she continues to experience loss of appetite and bouts of fatigue. Also, pray for us as we return to the jungle. Pray for unity for us as the women's team and that we would learn every lesson God has for us during this time.
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):
I finally arrived in Bolivia on March 25 and, after spending a couple of weeks in the cities of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, Leah and I moved into the Quechua community of Sijcha Alta on April 7. (The "j" in "Sijcha" sounds like a hard "h," so the word sounds almost like "Seek-cha.")
The community (pictured above) has about ten families living there, and w
e stayed in the home of Nicolas and Everista. They are a couple in their mid-50s, and they have seven children ranging in age from 16 to 35. The oldest two have families of their own, but all still live within the same community. They are the only believers there. (Evarista with her two youngest daughters is pictured to the right.)
To say the least, the first week was an interesting experience. Here are some "firsts" for us:
1. Eating goat. One of the men slaughtered the goat the second day we were there (watching that was also a first for me!), and we ate nearly every part: Stomach, liver, kidneys, intestines and, of course, legs, ribs, etc. Interestingly, it did NOT taste like chicken. :)
2. Making cornmeal (pictured left). They use two large, smooth stones and mill their own flour and cornmeal. Leah and I both tried it, and it was definitely hard work!
3. Digging up potatoes. I have now learned what a potato plant looks like and how to use a pickax. For a city girl who has never been closer to a potato plant than picking up the bag of Russet potatoes at the grocery store, that was quite a feat! :)
4. Milking a goat. While I was donig this, all I could think about was the scene from "Meet the Parents" where they talked about milking cats. I think this was pretty similar. :) At least goat milk tastes pretty good!
5. And, last but not least, hearing and reading Quechua. I've learned that, other than a few scattered words, it's not in the least similar to Spanish. And the words are crazy long! It's not unusual for some words to have 15 letters or more. The good thing is that I learned a few words and phrsaes while I was there, so I'm hopeful that will help when I start Quechua school in July.
Stay tuned for the next update, when I describe week 2 of our Sijcha Alta stay.
"I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples." (Ps. 57:9)
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised:
A major spiritual victory was won in the life of one of our journeygirls. She was able to overcome some depression and serious consideration of transferring to another missionary assignment here, but the Lord revealed, through His Body (i.e., us), that she should remain with the Xtreme Team. She decided to continue with us and is ready to persevere.
Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers:
We have had fierce spiritual warfare going on with our team for the last week. As mentioned above, one team member has debated transferring, while another is having intense nightmares every time she goes to sleep. Our enemy, that roaring lion who seeks to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8), is not pleased that we are entering his territory to try to reclaim for the One Who is truly its Lord. Please pray that we would continue to be bold in the face of such opposition and that our girls would remember that the victory is ours. It is only a matter of time!
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):
One of the most poignant lessons I've learned from my time of training is how to be grateful. And it's been hard to realize just how spoiled and ungrateful I've always been. I am definitely a "take-things-for-granted" kind of person, and I've had to repent of that several times. How is it that you never realize how much you appreciate something until you are deprived of it? I am definitely a "take-things-for-granted" kind of person, and I've had to repent of that several times. So I wanted to take this time to publicly acknowledge the people and things for which I'm grateful:
1. God's Word. The LORD has sustained me these past three months with His Word in ways I have never known before, and it has been the sweetest time with Him.
"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous" (Ps. 19:7-9).
2. My par
ents (pictured here). I have known for years what a blessing they are, and I know that any of you who know them personally will wholeheartedly agree. Their example of obedience to the LORD and their continuous wisdom have been life-changing for me. Being deprived of communication with them for the last three months (except for one 15-minute phone call in the middle) was the single most difficult of this experience. So, Mom and Dad, I just wanted to tell you publicly how much I missed you and how much I appreciate you both.
3. My home church, and especially the single adults there (pictured below). I don't want to list people for fear of unintentionally missing someone, but you know who you are. I miss all of you so much and am so excited to be able to communicate with you again. Paul captured my sentiments perfectly:
"I thank my God every time I remember you... It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart... God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:3, 7, 8). 
4. Clean water. After having to filter or boil water to ensure I won't get sick if I drink it, I so appreciate the US with its pure water from the tap. So, the next time you complain about the taste of Chesapeake water, just thank the Lord for the cleanliness of that water.
5. Showers. Particularly those with hot water. Let me assure you, there IS nothing better. :)
6. Running water. Is there a theme here? :) Seriously, it's so much easier to wash your hands under running water. And I have SO come to appreciate clean hands. I've missed those. :)
7. Washing machines. I think maybe cleanliness is the theme here. :) It's just so much easier to wash my clothes in a machine than over a rock in the river. And they smell so much better afterwards. :)
8. Music in my heart language. I have over 1000 songs on my computer , but I haven't had access to them for the last three months. I never realized how important it is to me to sing praises to the LORD in English. I can still do that with a variety of hymns I remember from my childhood, but I really have missed my music. OK, I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
The Bible tells us OFTEN to be thankful, and I just wanted to remind everyone of a few of the blessings we have that we so often take for granted. I recently heard a quote that really caught my attention: What if all I had tomorrow was what I thank God for today? How about the air you breathe, the food you eat, the family you love, the job you complain about? I think, more commonly, we just assume those things will be there and never really appreciate the God from Whom all good gifts come (Jas. 1:17). Don't do that! Thank Him, for He has blessed you greatly!
"Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things" (Ps. 107:8-9).
9. And, finally, this is my absolute favorite spot in all of Lima, and I love seeing it every time I return. I'm also thankful for American fast food! :)
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised:
Misty is slowly recuperating and has no problems with her heart. Thank you so much for all your prayers, and please thank Him for His answer!
Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers:
Please pray that our team would be unified and would learn to love one another as they should. Each of the girls has been under major spiritual attack, to the point where some were considering leaving the team. Pray that our girls would be clothed in their spiritual armor (Eph. 6:14-18) and that they would remember that "the one who is in [them] is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:4).
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):
During our training, the main thing we focused on learning was what the church should be like. Biblically speaking, the church has absolutely nothing to do with a building and everything to do with loving and caring for one another. In the book of Acts, the church met daily in the temple courts, and they broke bread together and ate together in their homes (2:46). But the Bible never says they "went to church." They WERE the church, regardless of where they met.
The Bible refers to the church as the body, with Jesus as its head. Each part of the body is equally necessary and important, and God has given each part its gift to be used for the benefit of the entire body (1 Cor. 12:12-27). Without one another, we cannot be prepared for service and cannot be built up to unity and maturity in the faith (Eph. 4:11-13).
I got to see in a whole new way just how this whole "body life" thing works during my training. One of the trainees, a young American named Elaine (pictured to the right), had come to Peru to go through the training, then was planning to return home to the States afterward. She is the sister of one of the Xtreme Team missionaries and had been thinking God might be calling her to the mission field, so her sister suggested that she go through this three months of training with us.
Well, Elaine struggled during her time in the jungle. She was covered in bug bites, she knew barely three words of Spanish and, unlike the rest of us, she hadn't made a two-year or longer commitment through the IMB. So, after two weeks in the jungle followed by two weeks in one of the indigenous communities, she was ready to call it quits.
At that time, we had come out of the jungle to participate in a week-long team meeting. Elaine had already decided to return to the States after the meeting, but she agreed to let the body (the rest of us who had gone through training with her) seek the will of God on her behalf and to submit to what they heard from the LORD.
As the new women's team leaders, Leah and I were asked to lead this process, even though it was completely new for us, too. Seriously, in our individualistic American society, how often are you seeking the will of God for your brother? Even more, how often are you willing to listen and obey when your brother hears a word from the LORD for you? I know I wasn't. I remember telling people, "God doesn't reveal His will for your life to me." But that mentality is completely anti-Scriptural. God called Paul and Barnabas as missionaries not through them as individuals, but through the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). And we are told that, through "speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (Eph. 4:15).
So we began to seek the LORD on Elaine's behalf and, at our first meeting, a couple of people shared what they sensed God saying. One had a word from 1 Corinthians and another had a passage from Deuteronomy, and a consensus was forming that Elaine should stay to complete the training.
However, she was not happy with that word. As each person shared, tears flowed down her face and, though we reassured that we loved her and wanted only the best for her, it seemed pretty obvious to all of us that she would leave, regardless of what we said.
Those of us who still had not received a definite word from the LORD fasted and prayed for the rest of the evening. I had been begging that He would show me something clearly in His Word because that is how He always speaks most definitively to me.
The next morning, I awoke early to read my Bible and pray. My normal daily reading was in Ruth, and I had already resigned myself to the fact that I would have to read elsewhere. What could God possibly say on this situation through the book of Ruth? Heh, the LORD delights to confound our human "wisdom," I think. :)
There, in Ruth 2:11-12, I found my word from the word about Elaine:
"You left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."
When we met again - this time without Elaine, to avoid tainting the LORD's word with our emotional reactions - the entire group was in agreement: She should stay, and all of us had Scripture to prove it. But, from her reaction the night before, we knew she would not like our answer. So we began to pray for her and, out of the blue, I suggested we pray specifically. And Amy did just that, asking the Father that He speak to Elaine through us and that He give her the peace she needed, even during the Lord's Supper, which we were to have that night. I listened to her prayer but had no faith that the LORD would answer it. I just expected Elaine to go home.
We called her in and told her how the LORD had spoken to each of us and, as expected, her response was tears. We gathered around to pray for her, then went out to have the Lord's Supper.
During that time, our hearts were sad, but we knew we had been obedient. As we passed the cup, each person had the chance to speak if they so desired. All was done in Spanish, but each person shared different stories of struggles - sicknesses, physical beatings at the hands of non-believers, wrongful incarceration - and how God had sustained them during those times.
As the time drew to a close, Elaine asked to share a word. She spoke about how she struggled in the jungle with bug bites and loneliness and how she just wanted to go home to be with her family. She told of how we had sought the LORD on her behalf and had determined that she should stay but how she planned to go home anyway. But then, during the Lord's Supper, she had listened to one brother speak of how the LORD had sustained him during his misery with mosquito bites in the jungle. In that very moment, the LORD had given her the peace she needed. She was going to stay!
Oh, how we rejoiced! Obedience is a beautiful thing that brings the LORD much honor and glory. And He grew our faith as we saw how He answered our prayers, even when they had no faith behind them (well, mine didn't, anyway).
Oh, and one more thing: Elaine understands no Spanish. Her sister came over to translate the testimony of the young man with the mosquito bites. It was the only thing she translated all night.
"Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." (Ps. 145:3)
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised:
The only illness I had during my time of training was a 24-hour fever that cleared up with some Tylenol and ibuprofen. God was so faithful that, even in the midst of mosquitoes and unclean water, He kept us healthy. Praise Him!
Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers:
While Leah and I both remained healthy, that was not necessarily the case for one of our young team members. Misty got a bad case of strep throat that has potentially developed into rheumatic fever, a disease which can cause permanent heart damage. Please pray that the Great Physician would lay His mighty right hand upon her and heal her completely.
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):
We arrived in Lima, Peru, the night of February 17 and spent the next few days there learning some basic things before going into the jungle on February 21.
Our time was spent in the jungle just outside Puerto Maldonado
, a town on the western border of Peru near Brazil. In total, there were ten of us: The five mentioned in the last post, two other women who were there just to participate in training and not continue with overseas mission field service at the time, p
lus three trainers.
We stayed in a house (pictured above and left) that would more resemble a barn to most people in the States. We suspended mosquito nets over our sleeping bags and mats on the wooden floor, and the space was shared with a variety of living creatures (including, but not limited to, spiders, bats, and even a kitten).
We also had a kitchen but, once again, it was dramatically different from the US version. The stove (pictured below with Lori cooking) was a mound of mud with bars lying across it so that we could build a fire for cooking.
Speaking of fire, it was my greatest nemesis in the jungle. We had several days of rain during our time there, so the wood was often wet. And, if you've ever tried to start a fire with wet wood, you'll understand my frustration. Just trying to get it started takes everything you have - lighters, paper, plastic, anything that will burn, a load of patience and, most importantly, LOTS of prayer.
I'll be honest and tell you that I struggled during my time in the jungle. For the first couple of days, all I could think was, "Why am I here? I could be at home in Virginia. I had a great job with co-workers and patients I loved. I miss teaching Sunday School and being with my brothers and sisters at church. I could be kicked back in my recliner playing on my laptop and watching TV. Instead, I'm here in this miserable place, dirty, hot, covered with bug bites, and surrounded by people I barely know. LORD, why did You bring me here?"
Though I never voiced any of that out loud to anyone else, the LORD spoke to me very clearly about my attitude. During that time, I was reading about the Israelites' complaints about not having any food in Exodus 16 and, as I usually do when I read that particular section of Scripture, I thought, "These idiots. God just brought them through the Red Sea, and they're already whining and complaining about not having any food." And, very clearly, the LORD asked me, "What do you have to complain about? You're just an Israelite yourself."
Wow, talk about humbling. Though I hadn't actually voiced my complaints aloud, they came through clearly in my attitude. That had been a time of great discouragement for me and others there with me. We all had a time of confession of our grumbling and complaining, and it made a world of difference in the remainder of our time in the jungle.
Scriptures says, with good reason, that we are to be like this:
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (Phil. 2:14-16).
If my team and I are to be effective in holding out this word of life, we must first learn to do everything without complaining or arguing. A painful but most necessary lesson. Oh, and there were some good parts... like the hammock! :) Check it out:
The LORD is great and greatly to be praised:
He has sustained me for the last three months during one of the hardest periods of my life, and I have learned as never before just how sufficient His grace can be!
Prayer Necessities for the Skimmers:
"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matt. 9:38). Please ask specifically that He would send female Latin and indigenous workers to our team.
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know (Bonus for the Readers):
First of all, let me say that it is GREAT to be back! I've missed communicating with you all so much, but I did manage to spend some time writing blogs over the last few months in anticipation of having communication access once again. I've learned so much from the Lord and have much to share, so you'll have to bear with frequent blog updates for the next few weeks.
Second, I'll go ahead and say that I'll be away from communication access again starting in late May and probably won't be around a computer again for a couple of months. This will be a recurring thing, I think, but certainly worth it to spread the Good News of Christ to the ends of the earth!
OK, on to it. Before telling you what I've been doing the last three months, I want you to meet the missionaries I'll be leading and working alongside for the next two years. I've posted some pictures so you'll have a visual on who I'm talking about. So here goes:
1. Leah (far right in the picture above): A career missionary from Louisiana, Leah is the team nurse and my partner. Her job will be split between attending all of the team's training sessions (twice yearly) and helping me lead our girls' team.
2. Misty (center in pictures above and below): A 24-year-old journeygirl* from Mississippi. A pastor's daughter, she has a powerful testimony of how the LORD rescued her from a wild lifestyle in college. She is blessed with artistic ability but feels terribly inadequate for the Xtreme Team. Because she recognizes that, I believe God will use her in mighty ways here.
3. Amy (2nd from right above, far right below): A 23-year-old journeygirl* from North Carolina. Another pastor's daughter, Amy is the funniest member of our team. Dramatic to the core, she is a naturally gifted storyteller and has us in stitches with every yarn she spins. This will be a great blessing as we share God's Word orally in the form of stories.
4. Lori (left in picture below): A 26-year-old journeygirl* from Thailand. Lori is a missionary kid who grew up in Thailand and went to college in South Carolina. Her major was ourdoor leadership, which is basically learning how to survive in the wilderness. Can you she how God has equipped her to be a part of this team? She has already been a great blessing when we needed help starting fires and cooking in the jungle.
God has uniquely called and equipped each of these women for this task, but "gringas" (white women) are not the ideal people to really ignite the fire so that the work will spread. The Bolivian nationals and, ideally, the indigenous are the people we need to catch the vision for planting churches among the Quechua of Bolivia. Upon entering the Quechua communities, they will not be viewed as outsiders nor struggle with basic survival, culture shock, and cultural and language barriers. "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matt. 9:38). Please ask specifically that He would send female Latin and indigenous workers to our team.
* Journeyman/girl: A two-year program with the IMB that has young people aged 22-29 going overseas as missionaries. We have journeypeople all over the world. Cool, huh? :)
Leah and three of the women are pictured here taking the animals out to graze).
