That Jungle Life

"There are a lot of reasons we are going to the jungle.  There are also a few reasons why we are not going.  We are not going to be tourists. And we are not going to swoop in and share all our new, better ideas.  God has been in the jungle a lot longer than any of us have been around, and He's already working there.  Our goal is to merge in well, and then merge out well."

This is part of what Bryan, one of our leaders, shared with us on Wednesday night before we left for the Jungle.  In the midst of all the other things going on, a lot of us had overlooked the fact that our trip (God's trip on which we got to go along...) was actually a mini-missions trip.  He and Phil challenged us to be intentional about thinking and praying about what God had in store for the weekend; I spent a while that evening journaling and praying, preparing my heart to love God's people and see His heart for them.  This posture characterized the weekend, as we spent every night in worship together, sharing ways we experienced God throughout the day as well as things He was using to teach or challenge us, and often praying together.  We were also able to read and journal surrounded by God's beautiful creation...or sometimes in our beds with a fan blowing on us...  The jungle is HOT and HUMID.



 

 

The view from our bus.  It's about a 5 hour bus ride to Misahualli, the town we stayed in.  We drove down the mountains and the views were incredible.  I felt like a little kid perched in my window seat staring out -- and pointing out all the interesting things I saw. Also, I've been to a lot of National Parks with a lot of intense roads, and these jungle highways have some of the most intense curves I've ever been on -- Praise the Lord for Dramamine :)

Los Monos: The little town square/park is home to at least 10 monkeys.  They are so used to humans that they just climb around, grab peoples' stuff, go into open car windows (I saw that happen), and climb on peoples' arms and legs.  They were real cute from afar, but let me tell you I was not about to let any part of those animals touch me -- there will be no rabies shots for this girl.

The river...it was so pretty when the sun started to go down.  We swam in it after a long, hot day on Friday evening.

The school we went to (Jungle Kids for Christ) was started 4 years ago by an Ecuadorian couple who decided to move their family to the jungle and do ministry through a school.  All the teachers are considered "missionaries"''; most are from the States, but some are Ecuadorian.  It was really encouraging to spend time with them, get to hear their stories, and encourage them in the work they are doing. 
These are some of the precious 3rd graders I got to spend the morning with.  Kindergarteners are stinking cute, but I was really glad I got to hang out with the older students...I think that's where my heart thrives.

We had a big group singing (Sunday school songs in Spanish = my fav), then split into our classes to play games, have a Bible story, and do crafts. 
Our kids were so great -- I can't wait to see them again in a few weeks!

On Saturday morning we went back to the school and worked on the property.  I was on the playground crew...and lest you think "Oh, playground, that will be fun and easy" (which is what we thought...) let me tell you it's possible I've never sweat more in my life.  But it was so rewarding to install some new equipment for the kids, and to work alongside such a great, positive group of people.
Lauren, Liam, Bethany, Hannah, and Me

For your viewing pleasure.

The river on the way to a waterfall we hiked to.  Shout out to my mom for training me to bring up the rear of the group because I keep stopping to take pictures...

The waterfall...incredible.
Waterfalls are one of my very favorite things to see.

We got to swim in the pool that the waterfall was pouring into.  So much fun.  We also went behind the falls, under the falls, and climbed up the cliff a little and jumped off into the pool.

DIY: making chocolate straight from the caco beans themselves.  If you want to know more about the process, I can give you a brief tutorial.

I went into the jungle praying that God would use me, and that He would remind me that ministry isn't about me, but it's about Him. We prayed that we could encourage the missionaries, that we could merge in well and merge out well.  We prayed that when people saw us, they would actually be seeing Christ.  I don't know if we planted seeds, watered them, weeded them, or nurtured them, but I'm trusting God to do the growing.  And until we return to the jungle, I'm asking him to make my heart for the least, the last and the lost more like HIs heart for the least, the last, and the lost.