.courage.

i've been back from peru a week, sifting through my jet lag, emotions, pictures and memories and there is a word that i can't shake... courage.

here's how i saw courage in my dear friends:

- learning Spanish despite mental blocks, crazy schedules and excuses not to
- being an American kid and showing up to school everyday knowing you aren't going to fit in, aren't going to speak the language, aren't going to understand much
- putting yourself out there to make friends, either with other American missionaries or with Peruvians
- braving the streets of Lima - believe me when i say this takes courage
- trusting God with not only your own lives but the lives and transitions of your kids, knowing you've been called as a family

- being bold enough to get a haircut and new glasses when it involves traffic, parking issues and a language barrier
- pushing through the tears and the mental breakdowns in order to move forward
- not looking back, not copping out, simply looking forward and recognizing that our God is good and he has not forsaken them
- doing scary, humbling things in another culture and language because they know it's the only way to become part of the world they are ministering to
- being able to laugh at themselves when the language isn't working or when something doesn't translate culturally
- trusting that God is bigger than their circumstances and that his will is perfect despite the struggle

- being able to be honest about the hard things - embracing tears, hard days and frustrations
- knowing that they are in God's will and reminding themselves daily that He is enough and He will provide

there is nothing that feels safe or comfortable about living in a culture other than your own... at least not for the first year and i'd imagine even after that it's tough. the only time you really feel like you can let down is in your own home and even that takes a little getting used to.

there was so much of me that was taken back to the months i lived in spain - the feelings i felt, the emotions i experienced, the daily struggles with the language and the culture. and then i had to grab perspective. i was in spain for 4 months. FOUR. i knew i was coming home. i knew there was an end. i knew i'd make it through if i could just push a few more weeks (not that it was torture or anything:) but 3-5 years is a totally different ball game. the amount of "pull-you-up-by-your-chin-straps" courage and reliance on Christ is astounding. i have entirely new perspective on what long term missionaries have to endure and i have a drastically increased amount of respect and prayer for my best friends who are living this out in peru.

blake and sarah - you guys are rad. you are loved. you are prayed over. you are not alone. keep on keepin' on.

.simply complicated.

today i blogged here about peru... about my thoughts on simplicity... about how i'd like to live my life more like they do in developing countries.

.peru.

so the alba east crew? they moved to peru. about a week ago. it is their story, their dream, their reality, but i just get to tell about it... and visit of course :)

blake and sarah goodfellow are some of the most authentic, genuine and loving friends i've ever had. they have four kids, yes four, all of whom i adore and would gladly take as my own :)

we've been through years of ministry on young life staff together, went off staff together and experienced what it was like to lose yourself... and then become yourself without young life. we've been brutally honest with each other about life, dreams, relationships, family and anything else you can think of. we've already been through one very minor move 2 hours up the coast and last week we endured a much larger one... to peru.

i can honestly tell you i think God was being so gracious by allowing me to move to santa barbara one year before their overseas move because i'm not sure i could have handled going from a few days a week to a few days a year. these are my people. they know my life, they know my stuff, they truly know me... and they were called to peru.

so i showed up & we piled all 7 of us into my car for 3 days and we packed till the wee hours of the morning
and we ran errands and we did last american things like the movies & california pizza kitchen. we cleaned house & we cried tears & we tried to shove 7 and a half years of life and california memories into 24 bags and 3 days of packing. it was awesome and brutal all at the same time. these people heard a call, they responded to that call and they didn't hesitate, they didn't look back, the just obeyed. they are going to live out the gospel to a community of women who are known as society's rejects and offer hope to broken people. it is absolutely beautiful. it's bold. it's courageous. to take your 4 small children and realize the "american dream" is empty and go live a better story is ridiculously life-giving, for everyone involved.

there aren't many people i admire more than these. despite the flood of tears and "you can do this" pep talks at LAX, a beautiful story is beginning to unfold in lima, peru. and let me tell you, my march visit can't come soon enough.

goodfellows, i could not be more proud to call you "my bests". let's do this thing.