"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

Monday, January 10, 2011

Te amo, Peru

One semester left until I leave for Peru. I will be living in the wonderful town of Lima. I have only spent two half-remembered days there in the summer of 2009.
We flew into Lima's huge airport and all I remember after a stressful day of flights and customs is getting our luggage, shuffling as in a dream with my hat pulled down tight and avoiding all eye contact through the terminal and into the parking lot. Our team was crammed onto a bus and carted through the streets of lima to our flat and I remember being amazed at the crumbling yet beautiful buildings everywhere outside my window, it was eerie and sad but in a strange way absolutely beautiful. Disaster and brokenness were everywhere, but because of that the redemption that was needed was even more apparent and captivating when glimpsed through my dirty bus window. We stayed the night on the floor of a flat, ate breakfast in the morning and left to our destination for the remainder of the trip, Urubamba in Cusco. What little I saw of Lima enthralled me and while I will miss the beauty of the mountains in Cusco, I absolutely can't wait to be in Lima and discover the exactly what the city is.
Encouragement is found for me in
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
What an awesome example Christ gave for me this summer! Fearless, active, and healing with the power of the Gospel. I am so excited for this summer and all it holds. Thanks for following my journey!

Oh, and on a side note tonight Auburn plays Oregon in the national championship. History will be made during my time as a student here at Auburn University! War Eagle!