Today marks my 2 year anniversary coming to Peru! I can't believe it! 2 years ago, I came here not really knowing a single person. To any of you who have experienced moving to a new place you know how hard it is to readjust. To learn the area, the stores, and most importantly build friendships. I had been through that before when I made the move to Chicago from Ohio in 2003. But what I didn't expect was how much harder it was with the language barrier. A year ago, I was moving in the right direction of building friendships, but again because of language, most of them were still surface. Very causal conversation, nothing deep...
I'll be honest, I haven't had much time to reflect on this. On how the friendships have grown, until this past week. I'm moving to a new apartment this Saturday. I am not sure about the rest of you, but moving is stressful. So many details that need to be addressed in a short amount of time. In the states, I was able to do everything except the actual move all by myself. So, when I started preparing for this week, I thought the same thing. I would just do it all myself. Well, just as everything else is different here, so is the whole moving process. It is a lot of work. But before I could even ask for help, these friends of mine surrounded me and pitched in. They changed their plans to help me. They anticipated what I needed even before I asked for it. Offering to go with me to buy stuff, helping with organizing the moving truck, helping me paint, being at the apartment when people need to enter and I can not be there.....The list goes on, and I am humbled. I'm humbled and grateful that not only do I get to serve God with these people, but that I get to call them my friends.
When I used to read that verse in Ecclesiastes, that 2 are better than one, I would read it and think it just meant more for for couples, spouses. But now I see that it means friends and family too. I am so so thankful that God made us relational people. I am so glad that for now, I can see the fruit of the hard work of the invested time in building friendships and I look forward to continuing to grow these relationships here in Peru as I move into my third year here.