(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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