5 Month Retrospect
In an attempt to maintain transparency, time has slipped by and I’ve been living in Peru for five months without much of an update on my transition here. So, here goes. Writing is harder than I thought it would be, and it’s not that there’s nothing to write about. I have found that unless I’ve made it a life or death priority, it does not seem to get done. In this I’m thankful for grace and the gumption to just start, even if it’s technically taken me five months to begin.
To cover all of my bases, I’ll touch on some highlights:
I am officially a resident of Peru! A normal visa that I’d receive at customs only allots 90 days in country. The process of applying for residency is confusing and requires a few trips to different places to get signatures, finger prints, and official documentation. I even had to send a letter to the FBI stating why I was here! (I kind of loved that). I am so thankful to be working at Camino de Vida because they are so helpful in processing things like this. My friend Sarah and I were walked through the same process with the lawyer on staff and he was a tremendous help every step of the way. After three months of patiently waiting for all the paperwork to clear, I officially have my carnet (residency card) and can stay permanently (as long as I update it when needed).
Groups season has come to a close! I have the privilege of working with teams that come from the states for mission trips partnered with CDV. I remember being on mission trips in the past and working with the leaders that were the boots-on-the-ground contacts and how amazing they were. It’s been kind of surreal being on the other side of that scenario. When groups come there has been an entire communication process in place before they even arrive in Lima. Correspondence answering questions, determining allergies, flight itineraries, budgets, etc., has been a huge cornerstone in setting the tone for the success of trips here. June-August is our high season and we’ve hosted 17 teams this year (some during the same weeks)! Needless to say, those few months were very stretching to discover not only my pace, but my pace within my team, and with each new team that comes! It’s interesting having to start over with every team to build relationships with them for just a week, but I’ve loved the challenge! I’ve also enjoyed taking what I learned at my previous job at Comcast and the importance of clear communication and planning, and working with my team here to strive for excellence with every team. The people I work with are wonderful and what I love is that we can all equally acknowledge that our processes are a work in progress. Brainstorming to find the best option is so key to transform how we do things into best practices.
Sisi turned one! I had ZERO plans on having a dog while I was here and yet when I met Sisi as a little 12 week old pup, I couldn’t get her out of my head and had to take her home with me. I think about two weeks into having her I had kind of a melt down/identity crisis asking “what the heck have I done, how am I going to keep this thing alive?!?!” in between tears of course. Flash forward to today and Sisi is doing wonderfully and I’ve learned a lot about myself through having a little animal to care for. I’ve definitely been one to selfishly guard my time and justify not thinking about others, but throwing an animal in the mix that requires love, attention, and time, I’ve learned how truly selfish I’ve been and how I can adjust with my friends, family, priorities, and of course time spent with my pup. Who would have thought that a 2kg. puppy could teach so much?! Luv u Sisi.
I moved!! For the first three months here, I lived with a wonderful family that I knew from my time here in 2016. Clever, Lisa, and their son Kaleb were my roommates and they were the best place to be in my first days here transitioning. Moving here was a different experience, and Lisa and Clever were very aware and respectful of that and helped me process through it with grace. Their hearts are made of pure gold and I’m so grateful to have lived with them. On September 20th I moved across town into an apartment with my gal pal Katie! She and I were roommates when we were interns three years ago and figured we could pick up where we left off (of course with the addition of Sisi). Katie has been a blessing to me in more ways than she knows and I’ve leaned on her for guidance, help maneuvering Lima, and wisdom. We also do accents, so if you’re ever around us, don’t be surprised if we all of a sudden start speaking as if we are old mobsters from the Bronx!
I took the bus for the first time! Not having a car, my primary way of getting around started out as on foot, and Ubers/TaxiBeats. After some encouraging conversation and trial runs with Katie and my friend Sarah, I finally took a bus all by myself after a workout one day. I felt on top of the world!! I hated admitting it, but I was fearful of getting on a bus just in case I happened to end up on the wrong side of town. That all went out the window as I hopped on a micro (tiny bus/van), paid the cobrador (guy that takes your bus payment) one Sol, and sat on the rickety seats that had been used a few too many times. By comparison, taking a bus takes more time, but only costs about 33 cents and a taxi may take less time and comes straight to your location costing $2-$7. Depending on where I’m trying to get to, I still often take taxis, but I am working my way up to learning more bus routes and wrestling with the struggle of figuring it all out. I gotta get more grit with that, and I’m workin on it!
We had some amazing conferences at CDV!! In September we had our Conferencia Ellas and this month we had Conferencia Grow!
Ellas is a conference not just for women, but it’s a CDV conference made to celebrate women. The purpose is to reiterate the amazing presence a woman brings and the value she carries everywhere she goes. The theme this year was incontable (countless, inumerable) and centered around the countless thoughts the Lord has for each of us and the incomprehensible amount of love he expresses. I was able to attend the first conference and serve the second (they have two Ellas conferences per the high demand) as a photographer. It was incredible being able to fully experience the creativity and attention to detail that every CDV team brings to the table. The bar is set high for excellence and it shows. Serving the second conference was a stretch for me! Because I was on the photography team, and being a novice photographer, my leaders (most about my age if not younger) had an expectation for quality results and I couldn’t slide by on the excuse that “I’m new to this.” It was a good stresser to work my photography muscle, ask for help when I needed it, and grind through the learning curve like there was no tomorrow. Two days straight of finding the right angle, lighting, marked moment, candid laughter, all the while trying not to distract as the tall gringa that I am was humbling. All you photographers and videographers out there, I salute you, that was not easy. I cannot wait for next year!!! (see promo here).
Grow Conference was smaller in scale but not in value! The purpose of grow was to gather leaders and pastors from South America and other Spanish speaking countries to learn how to grow a healthy congregation and essentially do church well. It was inspiring to see people travel from far and wide in search of truth and practical steps to help those around them. Even discovering cultural differences between South American countries was fascinating speaking with those from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Mexico to name a few! It was another opportunity for stretching me in that I was a “host” technically, so that implied that I’d connect with people and make conversation… in Spanish.. with leaders.. that are waaaay better at Spanish than me… and I’m representing CDV…whew! It was another stresser that I could either run away from or barrel through it head first and I decided why not practice the art of connection in a language not my own. It was a God reminder that he’s got me no matter what and that I am more equipped than I realize.
I serve at Lince in Social Media! Every Sunday CDV has 3-5 services (depending on location) and all of them have their own social media team! of the six locations, I go to Lince and have loved it since the beginning! I remember when I first moved here that people would ask me, “hey, where do you think you’ll go to church on Sundays?” and I’d always respond with “Well, I haven’t seen Lince yet, so once I go there then I think I can decide.” That was basically me saying I am going to go to Lince, I just hadn’t figured that out yet. To this day I’ve learned tremendously all the work that goes on behind the scenes and the hours it takes to edit, post, discover stories, etc. because of this team. Lince has my heart <3.
I know for a fact that this was as brief as I could be about what happens in my day to day here, so I’d love to redirect you to my Instagram page that has more frequent updates! Thank you for your continued support on all that’s going on here!
ONE LAST THING!!!!
I believe that we are all called by God to go into all the world and preach the gospel, ALL of us! The trouble sometimes is that not everyone has the opportunity or seeming luxury to actually pick up and do the go-ing. I want to invite you to be a part of the go-ing and run with me in my go-ing! Anyone can take part in go-ing through prayer and various resources! Such resources like an investment is not just in a program, but in a person. A missionary. Missionaries are the boots-on-the-ground movers, driving forward that great commission with grit, guts, and a couple bucks. They are not only carrying out that commission, but are driven forward by those backing that mission. You. We need people like you that believe in what we do and are willing to go the distance along side of us in prayer and support. Herein lies the question: if you haven’t personally jumped on the commission to “go”, would you consider supporting a missionary today? Pray about it! If not me, then someone you feel a God connection to! I am sent and supported by my home church Living Word and am also part of an amazing community of missionaries through Modern Day. This organization represents upwards of 480 missionary families across the globe. I’d love your support, but if not me, check out the amazing people carrying out the call to “go” in other nations, here!
Much love from probs the tallest girl in Peru,
Elana
