Peru

I have decided to pursue God's calling for my life by committing to living and working among the poorest of the poor in Lima, Peru. There are so many things that go through my mind when I think about the reality of life in a foreign country as well as all the things I am leaving behind. I am working at Forest Home again this summer with high school students and I get to share my story/journey with about 300 people a week. I get to share a little bit about my time in Kolkata, Spain and Uganda and I realized how good God has been in my life. He has provided ways for me to invest in those around me and opened my eyes to the reality of life beyond my little bubble. I have seen God's joy on the faces of Ugandan children as I chased after them with all the energy I had each day. I have seen the reality of hope for women coming out of the trade in Kolkata. I have learned the importance of community through my time at Forest Home and the friendships that have been encouraging me as I prepare to leave. I am preparing to leave in January 2014 which seems like it is a long way off and so soon all at the same time. As I begin to process through what it means to leave, I am comforted in the fact that I have never been more certain or more scared about anything in my life. I am fully confident that God is calling to serve in Peru and will provide love, joy, peace and hope in very real ways just as He has done in the past. As I was preparing to speak this week, I ran across a prayer that I wrote during a silent retreat in Kolkata which reminded me of the brokenness I experienced as I lived among the poor. I asked God to break me so that He could create a beautiful mosaic out of my broken pieces. That is my prayer for this summer at camp as I share my story and learn how to live well in community. That is my prayer as I look to the future and join a new community thousands of miles away from home. That is my prayer as I begin to dream of my new life serving among the poor. God, continue to break me so that You can be glorified.