Life in the Jungle

~written March 20th, 2021~

I wake up to the howler monkeys yelling just outside our door, they sound like dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park movies, they sing a chorus of loud then quiet, along with the cows who live in the fields that surround us. The birds gradually wake up and sing and the bugs continue their chirping. We are surrounded by nature and animals and sounds, but I feel protected under the canopy of our building.

I wake up around 5:00am and climb down from my top bunk bed to have a quiet time. I love waking up and already being outside. I leave my room to go to the open shed in the back of the property to climb right into my hammock to spend time with the Lord. 

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”

Lamentations 3:22-23

I see God so clearly here in the nature unlike anything I have seen in America.

We gather for breakfast around 7:00am around a large group of tables. Our group takes turns reading the Word out loud and sharing our thoughts. Then we pray first , then go through an assembly line for our food. We usually have beans and rice and some yucca and plantains. We take turns washing dishes while we talk and enjoy each other before the work for the day.

We work around the farm to prepare it, “beatify” it as our host says, for the missionary school that will start here in May. We work in a fun atmosphere, though its hard work. The weather is usually very humid and most days it rains, even though its dry season. There are many different jobs we can do, so no one is ever bored. We paint, build chicken coops, clean out the accumulated stuff, we run errands in town, we pick coconuts and clean the building.

It is beautiful to live in community like this. We take turns doing chores and dishes. Here in the jungle we are secluded, we have no choice but to depend on one another. But we are now in a comfortable place where it’s a joy to share together and do-life together.

Laughter and music are necessary for this work environment. We stop to have lunch around Noon, by now we are all hungry and ready for a break.

We read the word and talk about it, then pray for the food. Pass around the community bottles of hot sauce. We are entertained by our newest member of the family, a small adopted cat named Kyle. Sometimes he eats while we do, and there is an array of disgust and celebration as he kills the lizards and mice.

We take turns again doing dishes and go back to work until we have our coffee break at 4pm. We relax from work together. Some take showers immediately, some play soccer in the yard, some continue their quiet times with the Lord, some go on walks together. We have a projector to watch movies on some nights, we swing in our hammocks and rest from the busy day.

At night I get to lay down and enjoy the fresh air and wind. I pray that no bugs would touch me, then fall asleep feeling hopeful in what the Lord will teach me the next day.