Strength in Weakness at Hotel Huanuco.

We left for the city of Huanuco on Tuesday night at 10:30. It was about a 10 hour bus ride. Now, this double decker bus we took was designed for sleeping. The trouble, I found, was the curvy mountain roads. The rocking was not soothing. The movie "One night with the King" was not soothing either. Both had an adverse affect on my stomach. But discomfort was the only deterrent from sleep. I think I woke up at about 6 in the morning. It was just getting light. I was staring out the bus window which is one my favorite things to do. We would pass through small mountain villages every so often. The thoughts that passed through my groggy, semi-conscious mind, were something like, "How long have these people lived here." "How much do they know of the outside world?" "How content are these people?" "How many buses go on the street every day?" "What are the biggest problems these people face?". My questions went unanswered. 

We got to Huanuco Wednesday morning. We all had the feeling that it was maybe mid-afternoon by 7:30 that morning. It's a strange experience that I've had more than once. With in  5 minutes of being in the fresh morning air of Huanuco I had my first three bug bites, a telling sign of the days to come. Our hostel was only a few blocks away so we formed a seemingly inconspicuous line of 40 people with bags and marched to the place. Upon arrival the hostel was beautiful. It had many hallways and all tile floors, and in turn was very slippery(perfect for high speed foot races). The classic decor of the place reminded me of my grandmothers house. The walls were adorned with posters of special tourist attractions and holiday celebrations. I found this odd because Huanuco was not at all pleasant for me. Not only did the hostel look classic, but its accommodations we quite classic as well. Hot water was not always available, but that was not a major issue. The shower heads seemed to spray in every direction except yours. I am fairly confident that the majority of americans would have trouble fitting into the bathrooms to begin with, considering the doors were perhaps half the width. The hostel provided all our meals, which were meager at best (except for lunch of course). To give you a better idea, we ate all of our breakfasts and dinners on tea saucers. There was however an abundant supply of small rolls. 

The streets of Huanuco were untrustworthy. The roads were dirty. The building were poor. Casinos plagued the town. I don't know why I felt so strongly about the town, but I did. It bothered me to be there. I don't think it was just the city either. I think I felt that our group together was obnoxious. Mostly in the hostel, we were just loud and it didn't seem to phase anyone. I guess I thought it would be different. 

(now for the positive)

We went to Huanuco with out many set plans. The local pastor just told us to be prepared with some skits, songs, and a 3 day vbs type program. So that's what we did. We had opportunities to go to local parks at night and witness to people. We performed some of our dramas, sang some songs, and just talked to the people and answered any questions they had. We did this three different nights and we got to talk to so many people about God and Christianity. We put on a 3 vbs in another local park. Through this we got to share the gospel with many people. All this time we were inviting people to the local church there. A group went into some elementary schools in the mornings and performed children's dramas. There was also a movie showed at the church on Saturday night that shared the gospel. The beauty of this trip was that we were not expecting miracles or huge revivals, we were simply obedient. We preached the gospel. We'll never know exactly what happened in Huanuco. 

I think what I liked most is that it wasn't fun. It wasn't glamourous. There were so many bugs and every time we went out we would get more and more bites. I didn't bring enough clothes so I ended up wearing dirty clothes most of the time. The food was less than satisfactory. The city was dirty (in the midst of all this, I realized that this is how the majority of the world lives, the american standard of living is rare, it was then when I realized how blessed I truly was) 

The people needed to know the truth. We told them. Some got it, others didn't. 

I was happy to return to Lima. I think we often say we understand what poverty is and how awful it is, but I doubt most knows what it actually feels like. I think I got a mild taste. It's uncomfortable. Something very foreign to us. 

I know God is good. 

Relative Realities of a Current Position.

I don't know if you have experienced this, but I have. You have a book to read for a class or something, so you get to reading. Readily you decide that laying down will be much more comfortable, so you follow you heart. Then five minutes into reading prostrate, you decide that sleeping will the most beneficial decision because you are really tired and you end up reading a total of 2 pages maybe. Then after a healthy 45 minute nap, a snack is in order followed by some recreation. Then, an hour and 15 minutes after the initial distraction, you return to reading. 

I've realized that if while reading, one will sit up, or read at a desk, this process will not occur. This is the problem of positions. My feelings are very convincing. I can read for five minutes laying down and be exhausted, or an hour sitting up and be drowsy. Feelings are dangerous. I wouldn't go so far to say that they lie to us, for feelings serve purposes. I submit that feelings exaggerate situations to a ridiculous degree on occasion. Example: arguments make feelings explode out of control. Friends and family will argue and say things that are terrible and inside the people involved can feel like they hate the other, or that the other hates them, but it is not the truth. Granted, the two are upset, but inside they inflate the situation to the extreme. Unfortunately this happens to me. Not usually in arguments, but I'll entertain an idea in my head, both good and bad, and make it more than it is, glorify it, essentially lie to myself about it. I can make up a whole story about it in my head. Last night I spent 20 minutes thinking about what my life would be like if I lost my left hand. 

This brings up the questions, what position am I in now? Are my feelings lying to me right now about something? If I change positions will I gain a greater insight to the truth or lose clarity? Obviously there is one overall reality that is this world. But every one has their relative reality. Life for me is incredibly different that life for a starving orphan who lives not one hour away. Likewise, life for a junior high girl is completely different than nun in a convent. Teachers and students are in the same room, but often hold completely different ideas about education. This is what I mean when I say, relative realities. Then we can introduce God on to the scene (or rather a realization of God for He never left, He has always been there, we are the ones who deny or recognize His presence), and He changes everything. Our perception of reality is SO relative. In the Bible, the self-righteous rich man giving to the temple from his excess, and the widow who gave from her sustenance, had completely different realities.

 I can't speak against this fact but merely point it out. All of this in order to give an insight on something that is so common yet so unrecognized. All of this to help us make decisions based not solely on our feelings or our own reality. All of this to say, I'm almost halfway done with the semester. 

-matthew (trying to fly his kite)