Have you ever had to carry a 20 pound baby on one hip and a bucket of food on the other while traipsing through ankle deep mud? If not, I wouldn’t recommend it. Unless you are wanting to test your patience level. However, if you are one of these braves souls you should also bring a 3 and 4 year old with you to run under your feet so when they slip and fall and splatter mud all over themselves it can nasty you as well.
Of course after this happened to me (and poor Sophia who sadly was the one who fell and drenched herself in mud) I finished the walk to Betty’s to bring her the dinner. While visiting with her the light was quickly fading and my kiddos had wandered off to play with friends. I said good night and went to find Sophia and Samuel. I should mention here that I am still holding Isabell - who is squirming with all her might because she wants to walk.
Unfortunately I find my children who have apparently been on the wrong end of a massive water fight and they are completely soaked. Great. There is nothing more that I love than trying to peel water logged clothes off a toddler, unless its trying to scrub mud off of them during a bucket bath in the dark.
Ahhh the memories we have/and are making (some I sincerely hope the kids NEVER remember). I will have to be brutally honest at this point and confess that our entire trip went this well. It was basically a nightmare. Fortunately this was our last night because I don’t think I would have made it much longer. My head literally felt like it was going to explode from all the emotions I was shoving down deep inside me. They were going to bubble out at any moment.
There were good things though. I can see them now that I am home and showered and have had a decent nights sleep. The kids are interacting amazingly with the Shuar children and have started repeating words and phrases that they hear while playing. They even said a couple of words in perfect Spanish this last trip. They are the first they have ever uttered, besides randomly saying ‘hola’. Super exciting.Our nightly church services are growing and they are eager to learn. Adam has had some amazing chats with several of the men and they are really trying to understand and figure out what a relationship with God really means. The women have decided they like me and actually think I am funny sometimes - I feel like I am slowly becoming their friend, which means alot.
We decided at the first of the year to start taking short trips every couple of weeks instead of one long trip every month. This plan has worked great, as we have already taken two trips this year. By staying shorter amounts of time, we can still bring the same amount of food and share with the kids while they hang out and make dinner for everyone who comes to church. When we stayed out for 10-14 days, we only had enough food for ourselves, and so that makes me happy. The reality, as you all know, is that life is just hard sometimes.
Sometimes the road is closed, or the river is to high for the barge to cross and you waste hours in the car trying to get to your location. Sometimes you foolishly decide to machette the jungle and rip off all the skin on your thumb, because sadly you are not Crocodile Dundee. Sometimes you just fall into bed dirty because you don’t have the strength to be up any longer (of course after that, your 15 month old might decide to scream bloody murder for the next 3 hours….) good thing you aren’t all sleeping in the same room.
But thank the Lord, sometimes their is good mixed in with the annoying. Sometimes your 3 year old son hugs you and gives you a kiss just because he wants too. Sometimes you get to feed children who aren’t getting enough nourishment at home. Sometimes you are able to comfort a man who while cutting down a tree almost killed his son, because he didn’t know he was standing right where the tree was falling....the horror that was still etched on his face. Yet the tree missed him.
It is in these times, you can thank the Lord for his mercies that are never ending. You can find joy in watching a child fill his belly with food. You can sit back reassured that the Lord is the Great I AM. That when life literally gives you lemons the Lord will give you the grace to make that lemonade and smile while serving it.
Isabell loving her freedom from the car seat while we wait in traffic for the road to open.
Well, two are happy - thats good, right?
Road construction - playing with the kiddos - lastly, David a 6 year old boy is in that tree picking a fruit or something....
Adam & Guillermo (one of the men that accepted Christ last year) - Sophia helping Jennifer with her English homework - Bible study time and my girls.
Church & Food.
Visiting Lucho, Betty, their son and new baby girl. She is two weeks old in this picture.
A coroncho. This is the fish they typically catch in the Nangaritza River - Me perilously climbing the stairs to Betty's house, with that 20 pound baby :)
Shakay. Definitely beautiful.
Sophia crashed this traditional family photo, but I'll have to admit she nailed it.
Bobbing for naranjilla - we didn't have any apples.
Playing in the dirt.
Isabell LOVES rubber boots & she made a friend. This little girl was the only one allowed to hold her hand, or for that matter - to touch her.
Friends, even while burning trash :)
The boat rides - Coming & Going.
Eating during church.
The barge we got to take - this helped us bypass the construction.
Until next time. Love ya'll. Thanks for the continued prayers - I (I mean we) obviously need them.
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