Our witness Lydia has a nice post to share with us. She speaks a lot about humility, something I have been thinking a lot about recently as well. Working in a foreign language will humble you, yet if you want to serve the purposes of Christ, you have to be willing to be made to look like less in the eyes of the world so that God will be made bigger as it becomes obvious that it is he who is actually doing the work and sustaining you. We were so glad to have Lydia with us this past summer. She was a great friend to all of us, and she served our family as well as many of the others very well. She was a great example of humble service.  Here is a good word from Lydia!

What I learned in Peru: a witness’s perspective

Lydia with me in the clinic. She is going to be a very good doctor some day soon!

As mentioned in earlier post by Allison, the nickname “ the witnesses” was quickly dubbed upon Austin and me. While it always made me laugh, I have now realized that the nickname embodied what my summer in Peru was like. Although I took on many roles (baker, teacher, gardener, pharmacy stocker, dishwasher, babysitter, and many others), the main reason I was in Curahuasi was to learn how to live as a long-term missionary. Even though I cannot say that I know exactly what that is like, God truly blessed me with the opportunity to witness his work in Curahausi.

One of the most important lessons I observed was humility. As I was given the opportunity to be a part of various missionaries’ lives, I realized how much of mission work is built upon small daily tasks; tasks most people do not give a second thought about. It is these small tasks– such as spending hours translating your daughter’s communication homework or making sure your kids’ school uniforms are cleaned–that allow missionaries to survive long-term in a foreign culture. While I loved observing and learning about amazing outcomes for sick patients, I also realized that you cannot rely on those “big” moments to keep you going each day. As a Christian, we must rely on Christ to give us our worth and take all life as a gift, even the small daily tasks.

The second lesson I learned is the importance of fellowship. While I did a lot of service-oriented tasks, most of my time was spent in fellowship with those around me. At first, fellowship seemed like it got in the way. I mean I had come to Peru to do “real mission work,” not just talk to people. Luckily it did not take me very long to realize how flawed my original perspective was. I soon realized that fellowship was crucial to my role as witness, and it started to become my favorite part of the day. I loved it when I could take a break helping Crystal on Tuesday afternoons and just hear about her life, her past and her faith. I loved baking bread, not for the roll-making machine (which was pretty cool though), but rather to hear about Konika childhood adventures. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade my time of fellowship for anything.

While there were many lessons I learned, I feel like humility and fellowship were put on my heart for a reason. Not only are they necessary for long term mission work, they are crucial to every Christian’s life– whether that be in Abilene, Texas or Curahuasi, Peru. It is this humble attitude that I want to take back with me from Peru. While I do not have as much time in Abilene to serve others as I did in Peru, I still need a humble attitude to take on whatever tasks the Lord chooses to entrust in me.

This summer was truly a life changing experience! I am so grateful for the amazing families that welcomed me into their homes and for the numerous others who helped me feel like I was home. I will never be able to repay you all for all the lessons and experiences you have given me.