A day of rest

Grace and peace, everyone.

Today has been a very nice day indeed. It began with church, which lasted from 10 until 12 - so let it be said that Peruvian Presbyterians have much more patience than their gringo counterparts. Listening to the Spanish proved interesting as well. I must say, if I may take a personal moment, that I understood a lot. The sermon was very moralistic and all of the activities of the churches here are rather charismatic. Quite different from the frozen chosen of the PC(USA), but very interesting to experience. After church, lunch was prepared at the Vargas home (spaghetti!); after lunch, it was the weekly soccer game at the Annie Soper School. Andrés, Dawn, Luke, and Ken all played as many of the rest of us watched and cheered. Some of us left the game to visit the site of the University we are working to put here. It is a beautiful piece of land, and it will be wonderful to see what unfolds there.

Dinner and devotions were also at the Vargas home, and we had a nice time talking about our experience here. And that statement proves a nice segue into the next topic - folks are leaving! Tonight, for many of the team, is the last night in Moyobamba. Tomorrow they will leave for Lima by way of Tarapoto. They will spend some time in Lima before heading back to the States. I told them already, but I want to tell you cyberspace folks as well: this has been a wonderful group. We have gotten along well, worked together well, and enjoyed one another. I also want to say how proud I am of First Presbyterian Church. I think it has been a great church for quite some time, but the last few years have seen such growth, both spiritually and as a community. The kind of intergenerational fun we have had on this trip serves as a testament to what is happening in our faith family, and that is the kind of news that's fun to share.

After a week, I have to say that this experience has had its hardships. Shallowly, I might mention that Peru's hottest water is warm. More importantly, I might mention that even as I learn the language more and more, even as I feel more and more comfortable using it, there are moments at which I haven't the slightest clue. The most pertinent problems, though, exist in differences - and as open-minded as we want to be, sometimes difference is just difficult. Culturally, socioeconomically, linguistically, theologically, this place is different. And that is hard to grasp. Nevertheless, despite hardships, there is such beauty. And though hardships never really disappear, they are mostly outweighed by the differences that strike chords with us - the slowness and simplicity of life here, the hospitality we have been shown, the landscape.

And today has been a great day. I mentioned in devotions tonight that, when many of you ask about the trip, many of us will be tempted to say "It was wonderful; I had such a good time." This will be true, but it will only scratch the surface. Coming to Moyobamba is not an issue of good or bad, of fun or not, like vacation is. It is a matter of learning and loving a culture, but feeling slightly heartbroken at the hardships certain people face. It is a matter of realizing the ignorance you have carried until you saw this kind of poverty with your own eyes. It is a matter of great complexity. But today has been so nice and restful - a great sabbath despite the plentiful activity. To share a worship experience with the Moyobambans, to watch our own play soccer with locals and other missionaries alike, to share with one another the joy and profundity of the last week, has been a great way to kill the past twenty four hours.

Thanks to everyone for wading through a week of my musings. I think the next two weeks will bring lots more reason to write home, and I look forward to writing to you. I hope also that I can look forward to your readership. It's a good thing.

Happy trails -

sch