Sunday, December 15, 2013

Time is moving fast.

(Disclaimer: This was supposed to be posted a week ago, but time slipped away from me. I just had a week full of adventures in the province of Huancavelica that I will post about with lots of pictures soon!)

GLIMPSES OF THE LAST MONTH

I went to La Oroya for the second half of the workshop. Instead of a rainy and snowy day a bright and hot sun greeted me. The kids were full of energy, which was both great and tiring. I was so encouraged by Esther once again as she spoke to me about how important learning about hope and the biblical worldview is in the lives of these kids. Most of them don’t have a Bible of their own, and if they do have a family Bible, many of never cracked it open. Pray that some seeds were planted these two weeks.

I went to the post office to pick up a package and was confronted by a hectic and confusing scene. It took me over an hour to finally get my package. Here’s the basic process: walk in the door and go to the processing desk, show passport, get a small stack of papers, walk to the parcels area and show papers to the guard standing there, walk to a window and show papers to the man on the other side, write down address, show passport, receive more papers, sit in waiting area, hear name called, go behind a glass wall, watch while your package is opened, show passport, give them your papers, return to waiting area, wait for name to be called, go to window to get more papers, go to another window, give papers, show passport, sign document, pay processing fee, pay a tax if items are valued over $100, and finally receive package.

With Bridge of Hope Fair Trade, I was given an order to more or less run by myself because there was a big Christmas rush. It was an order from a Peruvian woman who is now living in France, and she ordered a few things from 13 different groups. I was in contact with her by email and with all of the artisans by phone. I understand so much better now the complexity, and sometimes frustration, of running an order. The client would ask for colors that the artisans didn’t have or try to order new things halfway through the production process. The artisans would be grumpy about having to get a certificate of origin for their products or wouldn’t turn them in on time. But it was wonderful to be an integral part of the whole process and to have phone calls coming in and artisans dropping by for me. I stayed late in the office one night with my coworker tagging and packing up a ton of items while watching Megamind in Spanish and laughing and getting to know each other.


Last week we had our first retreat with the YAVs in Lunahuana, a beautiful desert landscape along a river. It was a beautiful week of vulnerability and challenging conversations but also of creativity and laughter and good food. We got to do a little white-water rafting on some Class 3 rapids, and although the river wasn’t super high yet, it meant we got to get out of the raft and float through a little section! We also felt an earthquake (5.8 ??) whose epicenter was right in the area where we were. Coming back from Lunahuana, we celebrated Thanksgiving at the house of another missionary couple, Rusty and Sara, with all the YAVs and some people from the office of the Joining Hands Network. It was fun to celebrate with a couple people who had never before celebrated Día de Acción de Gracias! We also ended the retreat by lighting a candle for the start of Advent. Although I have been reminded of the physical distance separating me from my family and friends during this season, and many times have found myself wishing I was able to be home to celebrate with them, I am ever grateful and comforted by the fact that there are these traditions that hold us together, no matter the distance. As you prepare your hearts during this time of Advent, know that you will always be in mine.

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