Peace and Tranquility

In 2014, I spent almost my entire summer break from school in Iquitos, Peru with the Arimborgo family. They welcomed me into their home, lives, and ministry in a way that I never expected. While I spent most of my time that summer helping out with English classes at their elementary and high school, San Marcos, some of the most profound moments of my life since then have taken place at their pastor's school.

The Pastor's school/missions school is a place out of the city where people come from all over the jungle to be trained as pastors to return to their villages and preach. It is easily my favorite place to be on the planet. It has changed a lot since my first time there, but it is a place of prayer where the only distractions are the ones you bring with you. There is no electricity or cell phone service.

That year, I believe I went out to the missions school 3 times, but it was the last time that I was able to process many of the things that I had been trying to figure out. One of the last weekends I was there that year they were having a women's retreat, and Jenn asked if I would like to go out there with them. I did. Since I knew the absolute bare minimum of Spanish, I didn't sit in on most of the teachings. It was a wonderful time to sit on the porch of our hut with my Bible and my journal and process what I really thought about the possibility of moving to Peru. Even though our hut wasn't too far from the 'church', I wasn't able to hear what was going on there while I was sitting on the porch. It truly was a stunning backdrop, and quiet place to think and pray.

The last day that we were there, they gave the ladies that accepted Jesus an opportunity to be baptized in the river that flows through the valley at the school. I stood there and watched as they committed themselves to the Lord. After that, they all stayed and played in the water a bit while I went back up to the top of the hill near where our hut was. I sat on the top of the hill looking over the little valley and watching them play in the river. I remember very clearly thinking, "I want so badly to be a part of this! Lord, I will do whatever needs to be done. I will commit to coming here and serving You in the Jungle of Peru."