Transitions

by Emily Ruskamp, IWM serving in Chimbote, Peru

Two years seems like a lot when I’m sitting on the dawn of my fifteenth day in Peru (ten in Chimbote), but already those two weeks have flown by. In that time, I’ve seen and met some of the places and people that will become very familiar to me during the next two years – my house, the parish community, the dusty streets of Chimbote. In that time I’ve also begun to feel the loss of things that were familiar to me in the U.S. – daily contact with friends and family, easy access to news and e-mail on the internet, the peace and quiet of living in rural Nebraska. While these changes can be difficult, they are manageable and they will soon move to the background as I become accustomed to the pace of my Peruvian life. The greatest change in my life, though, is that now living Jesus’ mission is my full-time job. I say this knowing that my first priority always should have been to live this mission but that now there are no homework deadlines, no romantic pursuits, and no pressure to earn money. I am free to — rather, expected to — devote my time and energy toward being present in my daily life. This includes being present to my house community, the parish community, our neighborhood, and those I will encounter through my organized service. In the last ten days, I have only begun to unpack the magnitude of this opportunity. It is at the same time both exciting and overwhelming, as my slate of priorities and activities is wiped completely clean. The prospect of choosing how and where to devote and limit my time seems impossible. I find myself sitting in the uncomfortable seat of judgment asking which ministries will teach me the most, which ministries need more help, which ministries will challenge me, which ministries best fit what I have to offer? This discomfort is unnerving me, igniting me, and pushing me to embrace this gift: the only expectation is to live, learn, and love. Simple, right?

by Kelli Nelson, IWM serving in Chimbote, Peru

What a whirlwind this journey has been thus far, and it has only been a blink! As I sip my coffee in the morning, lie awake to the sound of neighborhood dogs, walk from home to our parish through dust and between taxis, or stare confusedly at the voice proposing a question before me in a language I have yet to grasp, I often find myself thinking, “Okay, this is my life right now.” I am a sponge soaking in all that I can at any given moment. Whether it’s a new word, more about the history of this beautiful country, another organization to explore and discern, or whatever, I’m taking it in and wrestling with the bundle of emotions that stirs in the mix. We’ve been visiting many sites over the past week to feel out where our gifts might best flourish in the community. All have produced some inkling of interest within me, and I sense a difficult decision approaching my heart in the midst of an already rapidly changing lifestyle. In the theme of transitions, I must say that sometimes I feel so lost and alone in a way I never known until now. Finding my personality, or the one I know exists somewhere within, in a language I know little of has been difficult, but my community is encouraging, and the warm hospitality of my new Peruvian acquaintances is comforting. Such a challenge was expected and something I wanted greatly in order to stretch myself in new ways so as to continue seeking the way of love, the way of Jesus, but thinking about the difficulties was so much easier than living through them (go figure). This adventure is exciting-this is life. I am learning every day, embracing the life-giving nature of relationships, and I am praying for grace as I continue the journey of getting ready to rise.

by Marcelle Keating, IWM serving in Chimbote, Peru

I guess you could say I began my transitioning for the new missionary year in July when I began to orient in my current mission site for the chronically ill house bound patient – Programa Madeline. I had been working as a nurse in Hospice and made the change to take over for two missionaries that were finishing their time in Peru. It was in July that I also began to feel the stress of the previous community dissolving. I went from being in a house of five missionaries to living solo. A week before I picked Kelli and Emily up in Lima, I also had to orient a new volunteer into the Madeline home health program that I had only been working in for one month. Change has been a constant in my life for the past three months.

Going into my final year as an IWM, I know that I enjoy what I am doing, realize how far I have come and how fast this coming year will fly. I have many unknowns before me that I would normally stress about but I have learned that what I expect or worry about does not happen here. I have learned that no matter what the transition, to trust that things will work out, pray, relax and let things unfold. To let people be and just be present to them. To steal a phrase from Kelli’s blog – I have been “learning to waste time with others”. An outlook on life that one does not easily find in a goal oriented culture but a valuable lesson to take with me on life’s journey.