After 30 hours traveling Aaron and I made it exhausted to Peru. We caught CS leaders Nathan and Cole Anderson in Santiago and dropped off a new board for Nathan's surf missionary father, Mitch.
At our host Aldo's we slept just 3 hours then were wide awake at 3am!? Swell was 8-10' and the ocean, sky and landscape all blended into one monochromatic grey. I'm convinced the colors green and blue do not naturally occur here in this coastal desert. The amazon rainforest is just over the snowcapped Andes.
Amazed to discover, in typical Latin style, the 40 we anticipated has grown to 80! There's 15 from Argentina, 20 from Ecuador, 25 from Brazil, as well as reps from USA, Chile, Panama, Domincan Republic, El Salvador, Venezuela, Costa Rica - check your atlas! Managing 80 surfers is a challenge at the best of times. Managing 80 Latino surfers is crazy. But we all get along and all gets done Latin style with much laughter, hugs, excitement and passion!
Surfed some chunky, messy reefs, ate ceviche (raw fish cooked in lemon juice), caught up with old and new friends, got lost in translation.
So many stories. Marquito pioneering chaplaincy in Brazil. Toñito stepping up as new Peru director. Muelas getting married. Jorge seeing Ecuador group grow to 40. Kelly new Panama secretary. Rene teary testimony from Venezuela. Salvador's church plant challenge in El Salvador...and so it goes on.
I share about finishing well, always feels clunky with translator. Am ambushed on stage to do spontaneous salsa dancing demonstration - and told I'm pretty good! Praying for God to move, so many challenges with limited resources, few staff, Latino conflicts, excitable short lived converts, traditional churches, surfer wives. Actually sounds just like most places?!?
I collapse into bed each night my head buzzing with many people and stories trying to get to sleep. Tired but happy. Manyana. Dios de bendiga.
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