Final Thoughts about serving in Peru

I will be processing my thoughts about serving in Peru for quite a while. The trip was at times both exhilirating and exhausting and both hilarious and humbling. I felt revived at times, but I came home tired. I laughed harder than I have in quite a while, but I was humbled by the tremendous needs that exist in our world. I can't imagine that these really are my FINAL thoughts about our trip to Peru, but here are the ones that floating through my mind and they will have to do for now.

1. TEAMWORK IS SWEEEEET! It was thrilling to be part of a team that worked so well together. Everyone was willing to do whatever was needed to get the job done, to have a good attitude doing it, and to give 110% even when they were tired. We also constantly encouraged each other.

2. CHURCHES SHOULD NOT MISS OUT ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER. It was great having two churches cooperate on this team. One of my favorite comments from the week was when one of the intern leaders said they couldn't tell which people went to which church. That's beautiful! When we work together we show a watching world what the love of Jesus is all about. When we work together, we are blessed and we bless the world.

3. FLEXIBILITY WILL ALWAYS BE THE NUMBER ONE RULE IN MISSION TRIPS. I already knew this from my previous trips and I preached it to this team, but this trip proved it again. Not only did we have to deal with a national transportation strike that kept us from going to our daily work site for a day, but we also had to adjust our kids ministry after the puppets we brought for the trip mysteriously disappeared. In addition, flexibility is constantly necessary as you face food, lodging and other things that are continually different from your preferences.

4. SERVING IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF LEADERSHIP AND LOVE. Jeff Enns, the Inca Link site director for Trujillo, and his interns displayed servant attitudes all week. They told us how much they appreciated our team, but their servant attitudes created an atmosphere that helped our team. Serving makes us and those we lead stronger. Serving opens hearts and encourages people to follow without using words. Intern Lisa Palmer demonstrated her servant heart when she jumped in to help Consuela the Churro/Manjar lady make the churros. Intern Dan Kasnick demonstrated it when he helped the sandwich lady make our sanwiches. Those were yummy churros and sandwiches, but their serving made them sweeter. Serving is the exercise our trust muscles need.

5. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO IN THE WORLD, THE ONLY THING KIDS REALLY NEED TO BE HAPPY IS TO KNOW THEY ARE LOVED. There is no doubt that major work needs to be done to change the circumstances of the dump people of Peru and Inca Link is off to a great start in making changes. But what kids need most of all, no matter where they live, is simple love, to know that someone believes they are valuable. Inca Link is doing a great job with this along the way and we can all do this wherever we are.

6. I WANT TO SERVE WITH INCA LINK AGAIN. This needs no explanation. Inca Link is doing a great work and I want to be part of it in Peru or at one of their other sites.