Pre-trip/Cleveland- After three days, fish stink

What do you get when you dump eight young strangers in a hotel for three days of meetings? Better yet, what do you get when you dump eight young strangers in Lima, Peru for eleven months of ministry? I honestly don’t know the answer to either of those questions: the latter because we haven’t yet been dumped into Peru and the former because everything is happening so fast. I feel like it was yesterday that I was packing up my dorm room to road trip across the country with one of my best friends. Minutes ago I was packing my bags again to come to Cleveland. Now I’m packed yet again for the flight to Peru. I feel like I’ve known these people for years. But then I close my eyes and I’m at the airport looking for an “Alyssa.” I blink and my mind flashes to the first time I met Kyle, JR and Lydia and the BMM home office. We stand awkwardly in the lobby waiting for Chris, Daniel, and Dani to finally make an appearance. My team: Alyssa, Kyle, JR, Lydia, Chris, Daniel, Dani, and me.

Alyssa- I see her as the group mom. Although only a year older than the rest of us, she’s already graduated from FBBC with her El Ed degree. She’s not the quietest of the bunch, but is definitely on the more soft-spoken side.  I’ve been rooming with her for the past two days in Cleveland. Her sweet spirit and likeable attitude make it hard to find anything wrong with her.

Kyle- They tease him about being homeschooled although he went to a public school his entire life. They tease him about being an only child although he has a younger sister. They tease him about a lot, but it’s rarely true. He doesn’t seem to mind being teased and he never retaliates…except to Dani. He’s probably the quietest guy on the team. Maybe that will change as we spend more time with each other and become more comfortable in our new lives.

JR- He reminds me of my friend Stephen from highschool. From his posture, to the way he talks to the way he walks. It screams “steagle” at me. Haven’t gotten to know him all that well, but from what I gather, he his little brother and photography. I made the mistake of telling him, “Oh, I like photography too!” He started talking cameras and resolution with me. I didn’t know anything he was talking about. I pretend to like photography. I just like the simple point and click version. Maybe he can teach me a few things over the next eleven months. Maybe he’ll let me use his camera!

Lydia- Possibly the smartest person on the trip. She is the cousin of my kindergarten best friend. Must run in the family…I can definitely feel a good friendship blooming!  She probably has the most sensitive heart I’ve ever met. Won’t even walk outside the crosswalk lines because it’s against the rules. I’ve never yet been to Peru. However, I think I’m gunna have to teach her how to cross the street there. But I’m sure she’ll be teaching me a whole lot more than that!

Chris- He laughs more than any other person I know. His laugh is so contagious! I hear it and I can’t help but join in. Although he hasn’t taken any lessons, he is a guitarist at heart. If his heart were  big enough, he’d be a pianist too. Quirky would probably be the best way to describe him. He is so entertaining, but he’s not the type that tries to be the center of attention.

Daniel- He’s probably the one who’d take the greatest plunge and experience the most adventure. His no fear attitude would help him conquer anything. He seems to think everything is awesome: even when we talk about malaria and getting sick from food. We've already decided that we're gunna drink water straight from the Amazon and even maybe try to swim across it. He speaks his mind and isn't afraid to share his feelings. 

Dani- She’ll be my roommate for the next eleven months. We both like to prank. We both like adventure. We both like music. I’m probably a little quieter than her. She’s a little more outgoing than I am. But that’s probably good. We’ll balance each other out and hopefully keep each other on task.

Back LtR: Dani, Lydia, me, Alyssa, JR
Front LtR: Kyle, Chris, Daniel

Alyssa, Kyle, JR, Lydia, Chris, Daniel, Dani, and me. Eight college students who seem to get along without a hitch! At this point we can’t imagine not getting along! There’s only one problem…after 3 days, fish smell. The honeymoon ends. But we’ll get through it and become the best of friends.  

Pre-trip/Cleveland- My anchor

“THEY WILL BECOME FAMILY. What? That’s not what I signed up for. I have a family. I like my family. I have friends and I like them too. I didn’t come on this trip to replace them.”  These are the thoughts setting up residence in my mind. My heart jolts at the words, “They will become family.” What if I don’t want them to take that role? I don’t want anything to change in my life back in America. I want this to be a pleasant year that I’ll look back on when I’m older and think “Wow, that was a great experience.” That’s all…nothing else.  I don’t want to change who I am. I don’t want to change my way of thinking. That, however, is not an option.  This year WILL change me. It’s inevitable. It will change my priorities. It’ll change my view of God. It’ll change my dreams for the future. Change is about the only think I’m sure of.

Culture shock-  Our topic of choice. It floated around the halls of the Baptist Mid-Missions office and even followed us back to the hotel. How does it present itself in different people? What should our response be? So many questions with no real answers. I see it as the avenue in which this change in my life will occur. Before culture shock sets in, I am Melly:  a young college student, lover of adventure, certain of nothing. After culture shock sets in, I will be Melly: still a young college student, still a lover of adventure, and most likely still certain of next to nothing. However, I am certain that God will use this year to mold me. He’ll show Himself to me in unimaginable ways. He’ll demonstrate His faithfulness to me more times than I can count: more times than I'll even be aware of. I’ll come away from this year still Melly, yet hopefully grown in my relationship with God, grown in the true reality of His awe-inspiring nature, and grown in my understanding of what it means to be a true sojourner in this world.

Hebrews 6: 13-19 (ESV)

Pre-trip/Cleveland-eleven months:complex excursion

Today…today is the start of my new adventure. It’s the first day of approximately 334 days of my latest traveling experience, though it’s a little more complex than my past excursions. Eleven months spent living on the coast of Lima, studying in the Andes Mountains, and ministering in the Amazon jungle. Let’s not get dramatic though. It’s not like I’ll be gone for a whole year. Merely eleven months spent in Peru. I’m anxious. I’m nervous. I’m excited and eager. I’ve been on trips out of the country before, but never for more than two weeks at the most, and certainly not by myself. I’m currently on a flight from Denver to Cleveland. I’ll spend three days in Ohio getting to know my new teammates and sitting through orientation for the ARRIBA program. On Thursday the 24^th of May, I’ll head off with seven strangers to Lima, Peru. The blonde little girl with the crown of curls, the one too shy to ask for ketchup at McDonalds, is traveling 3,564 miles away from home, diving into a new culture, and living with a Peruvian family, one with whom she cannot yet communicate. What is she thinking?...