Nights among the lightning and laughter.

Hi, team LaPerla! Things have been going just swimmingly here. Sure, there’s been some hiccups along the way as expected, but overall it has been an amazing few days.
I find that as I move further into these trips I feel less and less like blogging and the entries end up shorter. I must admit a bit of selfishness in this regard, as it is definitely a choice to savor the few minutes alone between our late return from the community and the sleep we have to get before the next morning. The longer I’m in LaPerla, the less I feel the draw of the cold blue computer screen. The jungle and the rain and the lightning and the noise and the PEOPLE….it all just starts to seem far more attractive than pounding away at tablet feebly trying to communicate these truly miraculous experiences. As Christi said so well today, when you’re someplace like this for any amount of time you just can’t even imagine going back or even wanting to go back. This community of LaPerla and the people that we have grown so close to over the past 4 years is truly beyond description.
That being said (at great length and in a totally narcissistic way), it is still my job to try. But it’s past midnight and I want a little time to talk to my wife before we pass out, so I’m going to continue this yearly pattern of laziness by being brief.
Sunday afternoon we visited a Shipivo village. Our translator for the past four years, David, is Shipivo (the native people of this area, very much like Native Americans int the States) and wanted to share some of the culture of his people with us. We visited a few homes and then finally went to the village church where some of the local women greeted us with traditional dances and songs. A MASSIVE rainstorm moved in. It was so impressive in it’s suddenness and power. We just sat in the church (picture a brick building but open holes for windows) and watched and listened in awe.
oops. Ok, the power in the whole hotel just went out again. It might be a very warm, dark rest of the night, and all we have for a flashlight is this iPad with very little power left. I must go. Here’s the rest of the highlights real quick.
We’ve done two nights of teachings with the children and teens in the community. Alfred and Christi are each leading a group, Jenn’s crafts and preparations have been a huge hit, and everyone else ( including our new team photographer, Shelli) has contributed in huge ways and been an amazing help.
We did child visits at our sponsor kids houses today. Man, I wish I could type about this forever. Suffice it to say that God blesses those who do his work beyond measure. If everyone could just experience what we all did today….well, there would be a long waiting list to be not his team I’ll tell ya that much.
Prayer requests!!! Please, those of you who are praying for us please know that it has been a massive help. Prayer isn’t just a routine or a ritual….it is an amazing gift and a powerful tool. One of the amazing trips about a trip like this is that you’re constantly faced with situations where only God and nothing else is your option. There are a few of us on the team that are really feeling borderline sick. This team inevitably has casualties every year, and the environment and interaction with the sick and just all of the kids (along with just the work) seems to be trying to take it’s toll. Please pray for the health of our team and that we can finish strong. Also, please pray for a special little guy named Miguel who is having a small but important surgery Wednesday afternoon. Please ask your closest friend on the team about Miguel’s story…it is a miracle!
Done. So sleepy. Love to you all. Gonna attach a few random photos and crash.
-S
P.s. Power back on for a second so can upload entry! Goodnight!

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~ by welovelaperla on October 11, 2011.