The Whole Cultural Experience

Up to the jumping off point of our trip to Peru, I prayed fervently that God would allow me a complete cultural experience. I wanted to meet the people, taste the food, and experience some of the hardships that plague these people on a daily basis.




Well, my prayers were answered. Yesterday morning, I was blessed with illness. not just any illness, but a gut-wrenching, can't get warm, feverish, out of both ends extravaganza. I don't think I have ever felt so badly. But beyond that, it was very, very lonely. I came to Peru to work, and for the last two days I have stared at the pale yellow walls of my dorm. Usually, when I am sick, I have all of the comforts of home to keep me company, and my wife to wait dutifully on me and dote on me. Not here. This was a very new experience, and one I am already learning from. That may sound wierd (and it may well be delusional), but let me just offer a few of the things that I am learning about myself:







1. I am way too hooked up in things. It is obvious that I take way too much comfort in my stuff. This was revealed to me when I was sick and had no stuff save a couple of books. I didn't have my favorite comfort food, or my favorite comfort movie, or my favorite comfort coffee (yes, such a thing exists). My comfort should be wholly in Christ alone, and it is obvious that it is not.







2. America is so privaleged when it comes to medicines. Jeff told me prior to coming here that they sell medicines by the capsule. Even in my rural home, I have almost instant access to gobs of medicine. I even have a cabinet full of it. The major remedy here: herbal tea. Herbal Tea. And you know what? The herbal tea worked. It settled my stomach and comforted me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm taking my cipro, and I'm glad to have it. But I am learning to be very grateful for the abudance of medicine we have in the United States.







3. Community is everything. After I took ill, Kailyn went across the street and in her best Spanish, explained to the Bodega owner that I was sick, and asked which crackers would be best for me (her sweetness never fails to melt me). she came back across the street with a pack of Saltines that she gave to me when I woke up that evening. Brandy had a powerade waiting for me, and all evening, I had people come into the room to check on me and make sure that I was okay. Even the directors of operations here in Peru came in to check on me. Those people made me feel better than any medicine or hot tea did. it is obvious the power of community and that of having those that care about you around you.







I am a firm believer in learning from all of your experiences, and I am learning mightily from being sick. You'd think I wouldn't need a Peruvian stomach bug to teach me these lessons, but in this place, where you are forced to slow down and look at life rather than watching it fly by you, learning I am.