The Gift of a Day

Yesterday afternoon, I sat down to catch up on my journal writing.  When I opened my journal, I was shocked to realize that I had not written anything since the previous Sunday....a whole week!  It honestly did not feel like that much time had passed since I had last written.  How do the days pass so quickly, with one activity running into another, so that seven full days pass without even realizing it?  No matter which continent I am living on, the daily momentum of life always seems to overrun time to reflect on what is happening.  While I struggle with this in the U.S. as well, living in a new culture and city makes it feel even more important to take time to reflect on what is happening in daily life.  As a beloved professor of mine wrote to me, "Make sure you write everything down."

So yesterday, after getting over the shock of a whole week gone by, I decided to write down what I could remember of this past week.  As I wrote, I realized that each day brought something new and special into my life.  Each day had its own story; each day added a different element into my time here in Peru.  It was amazing to see how each day was like a clean slate, ready to be filled up by people and conversations; yet each of the days were also connected in a way that they made each other richer, like a growing garden being filled up by more and more flowers...different in color and scent, but each complimenting each other and making the garden fuller and more beautiful.

Each day is truly a gift.  To give you a fuller picture of my life in Lima, here are some of the gifts I received last week.

• Monday: I translated for a US team that presented a workshop on Child Sexual Abuse.  The audience of Peruvians included medical personnel, lawyers, and people working directly in communities here in Lima.  It was the first time these different groups came together to talk about this topic in a common forum.  It was a gift to see this process begin because one of the unfortunate deficits here in Peru is a forum where communities can begin to tackle issues like this.
• Tuesday: This was a holiday in Peru.  I finished some much needed household chores, worked out, and then wrote my last update.  That night, I popped some popcorn and watched Avatar for the first time.  It was a really relaxing day!
• Wednesday: I am helping out at some workshops on Women's Rights, particularly on the topic of Domestic Violence.  Today, I taught a short bible lesson on stories in the Bible where God changes peoples' names.  Think Abram-Abraham, Sarai-Sarah, Jacob-Israel.  The name change always comes after a personal encounter with God as God gives a person a new identity and a new mission.  In the workshop, we talked about the words or names that others have called us, or that we have called ourselves; names that are demeaning and untrue.  When we encounter God, how does He change this word or this name for us?  What is our true identity as children of God?
• Thursday: I was privileged to have a three hour "class" with a friend, Arturo, from the National Office of Paz y Esperanza (where I work).  He took me through the history of Peru from the invasion of Spain in the1500s...all the way to the present time as the country recovers from the terrorism of 1980-2000.  It was an incredible time of learning and sharing, especially listening to a man my own age talk about his life that is so drastically different than my own.  That story deserves a whole separate post.
• Friday: I went out with the team from Paz to a community that they are beginning to register. The community was formed by people who were displaced from their homes because of the internal armed conflict.  They moved to San Juan to be closer to Lima in hopes of protection and safety.  Now, a law has been passed saying that the government will pay reparations for what happened from 1980-2000.  Paz is one of only a few groups that is out on the ground making sure that people know about the law and are registering officially to hold the government to its promise. 
• Saturday: I went to a lovely community called Mariategui to help out at a children/adolescent ministry.  It is one of my favorite places to be here in San Juan, sharing with the teenagers and playing volleyball with them.  Afterwards, I had my first experience with Peruvian nightlife as I met up with some friends to experience a traditional Peruvian pisco sour followed by dancing.  One of my favorite things about Latin America is the dancing, so this night was so much fun for me!  What a great end to the week.

Each of these is a memory that I will have forever.  My prayer and my desire is to walk through this journey, both in Lima and in life, keeping in mind the gifts that each day brings.  I wonder what my gift will be today?