Swinging Through Life: Lost...like always

Hola Hola Hola from a sunny cold day in Linares!

This last week has been an adventure like all weeks here in the mission. This week a little more so..

Last monday as you know I was emailing from Conce. After that we drove around with the mission nurse Hermana Balden (I have gotten to know her pretty well..she is awesome...one day I will make an email only about her). We looked for a place to get x rays at and scheduled it for the next morning. Then she said...¨where do you want to stay tonight?¨ Since the presidents house was not an option...I basically fainted and said ¨can we stay in Chillancito?¨And we did. It was a miracle. And wonderful. And better than Christmas and my birthday and all the wonderful days combined! I got to spend one more night in my home of Chillancito. In our cozy cute little apartment that overlooks the city...well more of the freeway haha. In everything that was going on I didn't sleep one min...but it was so great! It was just a nice little tender mercy that we were all able to have one more night together.

The next morning we went and got x-rays done...then took our 4 hour bus ride back to Linares. Linares kind of feels like home now too...but Chillancito will always have the largest place in my heart.

This week we found lots of cute paper that was hidden...and made tons of ¨baptism signs¨. Bascially its just the persons baptisms date and a scripture and some pictures and stuff. Its to remind people of their baptism that is coming up (people easily forget all the time). Its worked wonders so far!

We have been trying to not walk as much and have been taking lots of buses. This has resulted in hours of time being lost on the buses. I will just talk about the most recent time.

We got on a bus trying to get to our next appointment...the bus ride should have lasted 10 mins. Somehow is lasted over 2 hours. I´m still not sure what happened....but we were on the bus waiting for something to look familier. It never looked familier. After a bit we tried asking the bus driver where we were...either he was speaking german or I still havent learned spanish...either way..I didn't understand him. At about 9:00 at night we noticed we were the ONLY ones on the bus. And the bus was on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere. We pulled up to a field where there were just a bunch of empty busses and a few men smoking. We then saw a sign saying we were in Waupee. Waupee is not in our sector. It is also forbidden to missionaries (because it is so dangerous) and ESPECIALLY at night. I immediately started panicking. We were basically dead. I didn't want to call any of the elders...I knew they would kill us if they knew where we were.

To be honest I´m not really sure what happened after that. We sat in the empty bus after the bus driver had parked and got out...just freaking out and not knowing what to do (in my defense I was on heavy pain killers and my head just has not been working the same). Eventualy the bus driver got back in...asked us where we needed to go...and drove us home. Thank goodness for nice chilean bus drivers! They really are the sweetest people I have ever met.

As far as my leg problem goes. I am going to a traumoltologist (I dont know what that is either) this week to discuss or something. I have been on lots and lots of pain killers this week...I havent felt any pain and have been able to walk freely...but yesterday decided I need my mind back from its foggy sleepy state. Today I am drug free! I feel so much happier and bright! There is slight pain in my leg but I can still walk...so for now its all good!

I was reading in Matthew this morning. I came across the story of Peter when he tried walking across the water to Jesus. He had a lot of faith to jump out of the boat-to walk on water during a storm when the waves were billowing over his head! And for a while he walked on water. He looked at Jesus and He walked towards Him. But then he got distracted. He saw the big waves surrounding him and began to fear. And in his fear he began to sink. Because fear and faith cannot occupy the same space. Fear is disabling and only ever stops our progress and causes us to sink...when wecould continue to walk on water. But Peter is smart and he calls out for help. He doesnt wait until he is under water to call out for help but right in the moment when he starts to give way to fear. And we learn in Matt 14:31 that Jesus immediately stretched out His hand to Peter. The moment he cried for help -Christ was there. Just waiting to help him up. He wasnt far...He is never far. He is always right there waiting for us to ask for help so He can reach out His hand and help us up.

And then His question to Peter..it must have been so piercing in that moment...¨oh thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?¨ Why do we ever doubt? We have seen so many miracles in our lives. Our lives are patterns of us falling...and Christ helping us up again. We know He is always there to help us. That the plan for our lives is perfect..made by a perfectly wise, infinite and all loving Heavenly Father who only wants us to return home again. Why do we wver doubt when life gets hard-when waves come? Why do we ever let fear take over and start to sink us? We know its part of our story..part of our pattern. We know we only have these waves to help us..to shape and mold us into the people God knows we can be.

We never need to walk in darkness. We can always walk in light. There is a plan for our life. And it is infinitely perfect. And every wave and trial is perfectly designed to our weakness- to strengthen and help us. We just need to have faith. To keep our eyes on Christ- on our eternal goals. Not let fear sink us...and call for help to the one who is ever willing and ever ready and ever able to grab our hand, pull us up and point us in the way towards home.

Hermana Orchard