A Week to Go

Next Saturday we will be packing up the family truckster and heading down to Miami to catch the red-eye to Lima. It's hard to believe that the trip is right on top of us. There is quite a bit of frantic activity going on, which is also why I haven't been blogging much. We are slammed at work, and still have quite a few small preparation tasks to complete around the house before we leave. But this morning, while walking around the neighborhood (I start taking morning walks when things get a little stressful), God reminded me that there are people in Peru who are desperately seeking him and desiring to know more of his kingdom. I have said all along that on our end, this trip is very much an experiment. That, of course, helps to alleviate any pressure of trying to justify the trip with 'results'. We are doing this with open hands, as participants in something God has already been doing and alongside people who are committing their lives to this work. But the beauty of God's kingdom is that although we enter as nothing more than observers, we invariably find ourselves smack in the middle of the action.

I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but I believe this is one of those 'mysteries of the kingdom'. In some ways, or at least from the outside, it might appear that passivity is directly proportional to seeing and participating in God's kingdom. But there is nothing passive about joining in on the kingdom. It is a little like deciding to build your house on top of a glacier. It may appear that you are simply building on the side of a peaceful, scenic mountain. But in fact, this mountain is going somewhere...and it is totally out of your control.

So stay tuned as we begin our adventure. I will probably not post again until we are in Arequipa about eight days from now. Please pray that we would have safe (and as relaxing as possible) travel with our three little ones.