Final Debriefing

I had some people heckling me to put up a final blog (well more specifically one person and she know who she is) but I am sure a lot of people were wanting me to. Anyway so this blog will be of my last thoughts and I know this is being done over a month since I have left but this has been the only time that things have slowed down enough for me to get to recap on my summer. And it's hasn't slowed down enough, I have a test Thursday and some homework due tomorrow but this week has been slower than any other and I thought I might as well take advantage of it.

This summer has been an incredible journey of highs and lows. Our team had some struggles at times but for the most part we all got along and that is what made the summer the most. We all had very different Spirituall gifts/strengths: Allen was our translator and leader; Ben was our teacher, he knows everything about everything in the Bible; Albee was our girl who loved on the kids, I have never seen anyone love on kids so hard; and I was the music person, I played the guitar and sang songs and provided some sort of entertainment.

The ministry we had in Coracora was left up to us. We didn't have any certain thing we had to do, we were just told to go live among the people, become one with the people and see where ministry needs to be. We started Bible studies and started going to a house church. We also spent a lot of time in the orphanage with the children and that was a grand time and I miss those children so much. I think that is the ministry I enjoyed the most.

Peru was an eye-opening mission trip for me. God took my summer and completely changed it around. I had a lot of expectations to see a ton of people saved and that I was going to become more holy because I spent my summer in Peru but God took that and showed me that it isn't always about the numbers and being more holy than other people. As a team, we personally only saw two people come to know Christ. When the Creative Ministry Team came, we did see a lot of hands raised but never got the chance to personally talk with them. We can only pray that they were sincere in their decision. I definitely did not become a more holy person because of my summer.

However, of course the summer taught me more about myself and gave me more of a passion for international missions. I learned a lot about being more dependent on Christ and giving Him my all. At final debriefing, I learned a lot about how my mission trip isn't over. That God still wants to use me beyond Peru. And how much easier it will be to be a witness to someone because I can actually speak the language and there is nothing standing in my way...The mission trip isn't over and God has been continuing to teach me more and more. Who knows where He will lead me next but at the moment, I am learning how to seek Him even during my hard times!