After much preparation and traveling, we finally made it to Iquitos, Peru yesterday morning! It felt like we’ve been stuck in an airport for weeks, even though it hasn’t even been a day and a half. I think I slept for total of 5 hours between three different airports, and I didn’t get much sleep on the planes. After our final flight landed at the smallest airport I’ve ever seen, we grabbed our baggage and prepared for the unexpected. We met our host and were quickly squeezed into taxis with all of our luggage, heading to an unknown destination. Cars and motorcycles weaved in, out, and around the almost nonexistent lanes on the crowded streets of Iquitos. The taxis dropped us off outside the ministry base, where we will be staying for a few days.
We brought our belongings up to our room and were surprised to find real showers (believe it or not, we prayed for these while we were at training camp, and God came through). After we all took a shower, we ate a delicious breakfast together. Then we had about an hour to kill before we planned to meet as a team before lunch. So, we did the only logical thing; we took a nap. I didn’t even bother to set an alarm, since I figured our leader would wake us up when it was time. The next thing I remember is waking up and checking the time on my phone— it was almost 3pm. We’d slept for four and a half hours!
Thankfully, our schedule was flexible, and it wasn’t a big deal that we overslept. A day of rest was exactly what I needed. Back home, I’m not the best at purposefully setting aside time to rest and recover. I tend to go straight from one thing to the next. And if I do have free time, I usually gravitate towards Netflix, which more often than not, leaves me more tired than before. The rest of the day was that much more beautiful because we had a truly restful mindset. We ate our very late lunch, and then spent time together as a team. We prayed over our trip and read verses the Lord put on our heart. There was just such a spirit of peace surrounding us.
We were able to borrow a guitar and some shaker eggs, and we just started worshipping, singing whatever songs were put on our heart. There we were, ten people who didn’t even know each other a few days ago, coming together for a single purpose: to spread God’s love to the people we encounter, loving each other well in the process. I was able to rest in the fact that we were living in the moment. There was no fear of the future or the unknown. The perfect love of God was casting out all fears and anxieties. I’d found the rest I’d been longing for.
