Preparing for Peru.....

  A few weeks ago, we had 2 missionary couples from Peru come to do a training weekend in Costa Rica for our team. Both families have lived in Peru for at least 6 years. We will be working closely with one of the couples in Cusco, so it was good to get to spend time with them. For those of you who know me well, you know that I love logistics and details. This training weekend was perfect for me because we spent a lot of time talking about the logistics of living in Cusco. I was able to ask questions about grocery shopping (what you can and cannot get), obtaining a drivers license, renting a house, what to bring/what not to bring from the States, etc. It was really helpful for me. At times, it is easy to get bogged down in language school and momentarily forget that there is a larger goal at the end of our time in Costa Rica. This was a great weekend to help refocus and remind us of the Lord's big picture for us.

   One of the more sobering sessions included a session about safety in Peru. The missionaries let us know that they had all been robbed on multiple occasions, and that we need to be prepared for the likelihood that this will be true for us as well. We knew that this was a possibility, but as we get closer, things become more real. This produced two emotions in me: anger and fear. Anger because of the injustice of being victimized, and fear of being hurt or worse. But I also learned something in the midst of this discussion. I realized that this experience would allow us to participate in the outworking of the call to follow Christ.

     Jesus willingly and knowingly submitted Himself to be victimized in order that He might bring life to the lost. He also taught His disciples and others to do the same. In Luke 6 Jesus says, "To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back......Love your enemies." We pray that we have the mind of Christ in these situations because we know that it will be difficult for our sinful and fearful hearts.

   On a lighter note, Nathan and I did get out of San José over the weekend. Yesterday was a national holiday in the country, so we had the day off. Nathan and I spent a couple of days in the mountains just north of the city. It was just what we needed to refocus on our marriage and a really a sweet gift to me.

   This coming weekend we have our first friend coming to visit us! It is one of Nathan's very good friends from medical school. We are excited to see him in Costa Rica.

Our weekend together