Here are a few words I shared in church after the trip:While I have seen poverty of many levels before, in Iquitos I changed from passive observation to active involvement. We shook hands, hugged, and prayed with people. We walked the same streets and rolled in the same dirt. And from this vantage point, I saw the poorest people of Belen in this poor city of Iquitos in the developing country of Peru as just people like you and me. I saw the beauty and freedom of poverty, that these people simply took care of their basic needs and the needs of their families, sharing what they had and borrowing what they didn’t, celebrating life and its daily challenges and victories. It made the desires built in me by American culture and media, desires for nice cars and clothes, the best food and the highest status, seem completely disgusting. Because the cost of these things was my time, my effort, my attention, all at the expense of what God could do with all of these. My daily strivings to have slightly better things seemed like a complete waste. These people that we shared our faith with were open and available for the Gospel and its power, and the Spirit was moving.
While God showed me the beauty and simplicity of a life of poverty, my eyes were also opened to the tremendous need. The jungle provided produce and shelter and there were fish in the river, but people had no money for things like fuel, vitamins, and medicine. Children live on the streets and stay alive by any means they can. Sanitation was poor, and life-threatening but preventable and treatable diseases like malaria are real concerns. I was raised in the US by a family of faith with the means to provide for more than I needed. This was not by my power or choice or merit. Our neighbors in Belen are brought into this world with major disadvantages in this respect. I don’t have the answers on how to respond, but I know that there is injustice in this world that God calls us to address. I share this with you because I believe that this injustice is not what God wants and is unacceptable to ignore. I am still struggling with how best to give or serve, but I simply invite you to explore how you can make a difference. I found that as we made ourselves available to God, He used us to reach those that desperately needed Him.
