I prayed aloud in Spanish tonight, over dinner, alongside my host sister Damaris, where I could finally give a formal offering of thanks to the person who has been my lifeline for the past several days. She shared tea with me at 1:00am when I first arrived in Lima, accompanies me in the taxi or bus in the mornings, prepares a wonderful meal to start and finish my day and at all times welcomes me with calm assurance.
My first day in Lima was positively the most disorienting and exhausting day I’ve experienced. Fortunately, I enjoy finding myself in new places with different languages and sights to adjust to. However, this was particularly intense because it was important to be engaged at all moments, much different than my other travels where I could take naps in libraries or zone out at a café to re-energize.
The other Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) and I spent the day meeting the friendly staff at the office of Uniendo Manos (Uniting Hands), a fair trade and social justice organization where one of the YAVs will be working. The office has been our home base during our orientation in Peru. We begin each day with a devotional in the morning including a short Bible study and some singing, which then leads to presentations on human rights, environmental issues and the faith community in Lima. This week we will continue to study more of the history and culture of Peru at the Universidad Biblia de Latin Americana.
After that first day, our YAV supervisor Debbie accompanied me back to my host family, where we both sat down to a wonderful meal of fried pork, rice, and lime-marinated tomatoes and cucumbers.
As I sat down, head throbbing and eyes heavy, prayer caught me like a safety net. What initially felt like the need to just hide in my room with my head under the pillow, instead turned into a need to just let…it…all…out. Thankfully Debbie’s hands were there to hold and I allowed myself to feel completely overwhelmed. Rather than resist the flood of emotion and entertain thoughts of “Why did I come here?”, I instead prayed for G-d to stay with me, admitting that I can’t possibly do this alone.
My first day in Lima was positively the most disorienting and exhausting day I’ve experienced. Fortunately, I enjoy finding myself in new places with different languages and sights to adjust to. However, this was particularly intense because it was important to be engaged at all moments, much different than my other travels where I could take naps in libraries or zone out at a café to re-energize.
The other Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) and I spent the day meeting the friendly staff at the office of Uniendo Manos (Uniting Hands), a fair trade and social justice organization where one of the YAVs will be working. The office has been our home base during our orientation in Peru. We begin each day with a devotional in the morning including a short Bible study and some singing, which then leads to presentations on human rights, environmental issues and the faith community in Lima. This week we will continue to study more of the history and culture of Peru at the Universidad Biblia de Latin Americana.
After that first day, our YAV supervisor Debbie accompanied me back to my host family, where we both sat down to a wonderful meal of fried pork, rice, and lime-marinated tomatoes and cucumbers.
As I sat down, head throbbing and eyes heavy, prayer caught me like a safety net. What initially felt like the need to just hide in my room with my head under the pillow, instead turned into a need to just let…it…all…out. Thankfully Debbie’s hands were there to hold and I allowed myself to feel completely overwhelmed. Rather than resist the flood of emotion and entertain thoughts of “Why did I come here?”, I instead prayed for G-d to stay with me, admitting that I can’t possibly do this alone.
In this gigantic city, where roosters crow at 2:00am, public transportation leaves no breathing room inside the vehicle and on the road, and there is an emphasis on being among others, I’m learning that solitude may not be easy to come by. While my life back at home seemed to allow for a great deal of alone time, I’m finding that I not only prefer to be among others, but my personal health requires the energy of the people that now surround me.
The past few nights have been so comforting, as my host family seems to expand before my very eyes. During this weekend, I was joined by two friendly nieces, dressed in identical hot pink fleece sweat suits. I was so honored to be asked to play with the girls after dinner, rather than hide away in my rooftop bedroom trying to decompress from another busy day. What better way to feel at home than to sit on the living room floor with Marisu (Maria Jesus) and Mafr (Maria Fernanda), sorting through their collection of dolls and stuffed animals, while their uncle watched the Peru vs. Venezuela soccer game and their grandmother knitted a new pillow covering.
I soon found myself in the family’s library where Damaris’ brother showed me how to play the traditional Andean flute and shared with me his father’s collection of Bibles and history books. I am beginning to understand how truly remarkable Damaris’ father was. He founded the church that the family now attends, worshiping in the family’s living room for several years before finding space to rent. During his lifetime he was a very important community leader, and his legacy continues through the church that we all attended this morning. He published a book titled Origins and Development of the Evangelical Church of Peru, of which several copies remain in the family’s library. Before going to bed that night, Damaris’ brother dusted off a copy and singed the inside cover, “To a friend from the U.S. with much love and appreciation from your family here in Peru.”
I soon found myself in the family’s library where Damaris’ brother showed me how to play the traditional Andean flute and shared with me his father’s collection of Bibles and history books. I am beginning to understand how truly remarkable Damaris’ father was. He founded the church that the family now attends, worshiping in the family’s living room for several years before finding space to rent. During his lifetime he was a very important community leader, and his legacy continues through the church that we all attended this morning. He published a book titled Origins and Development of the Evangelical Church of Peru, of which several copies remain in the family’s library. Before going to bed that night, Damaris’ brother dusted off a copy and singed the inside cover, “To a friend from the U.S. with much love and appreciation from your family here in Peru.”
