The "Wow" Factor

Could it be a universal truth that the human race has a desire to be remembered? We have been in search for ways to leave an impression. Whether shallow and temporary or deep and lasting, we feed on the satisfaction of being thought of after we are no longer in sight.  Though it can be draining after a while, I suspect that a mom gets a small beam of satisfaction when she hears her toddler cry when she leaves him in the nursery or at school.  My junior high girls thrive on drama--though they complain that gossip goes on, they talk about being talked about and as it continues its almost as if they like the attention it gives them.  As a teacher, I am ecstatic if I see one of my kids getting interested in a book they are reading, or talking about the haiku they just wrote outside of class.  I tell myself that I'm doing something right--that they are learning and applying their knowledge.  Its the greatest feeling in the world when the work that I put in is actually paying off, even if it's just a little bit.

While I was wondering around and marvelling at the breathtaking ruins of Machupicchu, I couldn't help but wonder how it would feel like to be the Incan architect of the ancient ruin--and to hypothetically observe all of the people still drooling over my creation.  I mean what if that architect knew that his work was still being visited daily by thousands of people all over the world, after thousands of years.  I wonder if he would have done something differently--or if he'd have shown off even more with his skills and plans--or be thinking--what's the big deal?  Its just a little town.  I wonder if he failed in his architectural design schooling.  I'm sure he was an average Jose, right?  A normal Incan guy that had an idea one day--and had the guts to see it through.  I wonder if he even wanted to be known by thousands for thousands of years.

I have been reading In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.  The story is based off of the unpopular Biblical narrative of Benaiah, one of David's soldiers.  This guy decided to chase a lion into a pit and kill it--which earned him a prestigious position in David's army. One that left an impression on others.  Could you imagine the soldiers that he was in charge of talking about him as he was getting ready to train them to fight Babylon?  Or even the ways that the story might have been skewed and adjusted?  --"I heard he fought a lion with his bare hands and left nothing but the bones." --"Well, I hear that he ate the whole lion and has the skin hanging up above his bed." --"Really?  I heard he just told the story to get a job and he really ran away."  I'm sure there were more.  Regardless of the truth, Benaiah left a legacy--he managed to be someone that caused people to say "wow!"  He affected conversations just by doing what he was doing---and pursuing what God called him to pursue.

How inspiring is that?  I want to have that "wow" factor.  I want to be one of those people that makes and impression.  The ones that even after they are gone are ranted and raved about.  I want to be someone that people want to be.  Its not that I want to be famous; I'd find that kind of exposure a little too stressful.  In my miniscule span of influence--I want to be known as one who radiates the "wow" factor that only God can truly have.

But at the end of the day, I'm sure that both Benaiah and that Incan architect were just living their lives. It could have been just a normal day where they followed through on a vision that they were given, and that made all the difference.  When I piggy-backed on the tours that were given of Machupicchu I heard a whole lot of speculation: this house might have been placed here for worship of the gods, or during the winter solstice this rock lines up with the sun, so they probably did this on purpose, etc. etc.  But I suspect that if we could speak to the architect today, he would say that he dropped that rock their and it was too heavy to pick up, so... Or I'm sure that if we spoke to Benaiah and asked him why it was that he chased that lion, expecting him to go into a long theological discussion, he would say.. I just felt like chasing a lion.

So at the end of the day: I'm sure that even me: a simple Junior High teacher in Bolivia can develop that romantic "wow" factor just by living the day to day.  I cannot truly know the impact I make on my immediate span of influence in the moment.  So rather than trying really hard to influence those I see o a daily basis, I'm choosing to live for the One I want to impress: God.  If nothing else, I can influence others to do the same.

NOW for pictures of Machupicchu:

Thanks for reading!

--
Rachel

{prayer requests}

• CAMP is this week! 
• Please pray for both Ryan Parsons and Mike Banks as they lead the junior highers and high schoolers in an unforgettable week at camp.
• Pray for the HS leaders at Jr High Camp: Tayo, Emily, Abby, Ramona, Caleb, Cesar, 
• Pray for the Worship Team: Ally Lee and Myself (adult leaders) and the HS and JH leaders: Ramona, Emily, Grace, Cesar, and Tayo
• Pray for those left behind to sub for the teachers going to camp, as well as the general population of SCCLC to continue to grow in our absence
• Seussical the Musical: 
• I have been asked to be in charge of the soloist and ensemble in the musical at the SCCLC this Spring.  I'm fighting a whole bunch of feelings of inadequacy, and I could use prayer for God to show up in me and through me as I lead the kids in the musical.
• Pray for Emily Barlow as she is directing the whole show and is going to need a lot of guidance from God through the entire quarter.
• MSCrew
• Pray for the kids in MSCrew: Grace, Shekinah, Benji, Luke, Lucas, and Heyli.  I'm really impressed and excited that they are committing to be leaders at the SCCLC.
• Pray for myself as I lead them through this semester and learn how to disciple others. Pray that I will be discipling them well.
• Discipleship
• PRAISE God that I have started to be mentored by co-missionary and dear friend, Johanna Bennets.  This is a HUGE answer to prayer, and I am anxious to see how God uses myself in her life, and how we build eachother up in the Lord.
• Pray for her as she listens, and guides me in my struggles, but also for me that I am honoring God through our conversations--and that I am able to be transparent: something that is a struggle and challenge for me.

The Journey, Not the Destination

"It's really the journey that matters, not the destination." This quote sums up the adventure that was the trip we took to Machupicchu.  Adventures tend to stretch you in ways you never knew you could be.  There is always a point in said adventure that each party involved manages a freak-out or two, and our true colors really do come out. Both Jen and I had our own little freak outs during our trip to Machupicchu.

It was definitely a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles kind of trip.  Which, by the way, is a movie I would recommend to anyone who asks.  First, Jen came down to Santa Cruz and I spent a few days showing her my stomping ground.  Then we flew together to La Paz--our flight was delayed three hours so we almost missed our bus to Cusco that we thought was scheduled for 8:30pm.  When we finally got to La Paz, we made it in time for our bus, but come to find out, the bus tickets we bought were for 8:30am.  OOPS (enter Jen's freakout).  SO we ended up staying the night in La Paz after purchasing tickets for the next day, and the night bus we had hoped to be on became a day bus.

NOW for my freakout.  We got on the bus to Cusco the next morning and we managed to drift in and out of consciousness.  One time we were asked to get out of the bus and walk through a town with our passports.  As a first-time traveler I assumed this was the border.  I was wrong.  A couple hours later, I was woken up by unclear Spanish and everyone was getting off the bus.  I didn't see anyone else take their passports, so I assumed it was just a rest stop or something because the Bolivian man next to me said we were walking through an Abasto.  Before I continue, heed to my advice: ALWAYS take your passport with you while travelling.  I foolishly left mine on the bus, and as we walked through the marvelously muddy market I saw that we were approaching the border of Peru.  That is when I broke out in the closest to a mud-run I would ever find myself in.  When I reached the bus, the driver screamed at me with a whole bunch of Spanish superlatives while I tracked my muddy footprints onto the bus and grabbed my passport.  Meanwhile, the driver continued to scream at me, so I screamed back "Lo siento! OK!!?"  I know, not my finest moment.

And continuing the freakout: When we finally got through Bolivian customs, we had to cross an overly crowded bridge and I was simply confused, lost, and unsure of which way was right, wrong, up or down.  We walked back and forth across that bridge three or four times when we finally just guessed that we had to go into Peru and stand in line at customs there.  My freakout ended when we finally saw some other people from our bus in line.

We finally got to Cusco, and all of our problems ended aside from the train tickets to Machupicchu we had already purchased for that afternoon and consequentially we missed.  My new friends, the Strongs, WGM missionaries, let us stay with them.  The Strongs also drove us to the train station and below are some photos of stops we made along the way.  By the end, we made it to Machupicchu, and I'm so thankful and blessed to have had the experience of a lifetime.  

Though both of us freaked out, I was even more blessed to have gone with such a chill and low maintenance friend that I have in Jen.  She made things so much more fun, and out unforgettable experiences we littered with deep heart-to-heart conversations (as well as hilarious ones) that were truly a blessing to me.

Machupicchu pictures will make an appearance later, when I am able to sort through over 700 photos that Jen and I took.

In the taxi in La Paz right before we found out that we got the wrong tickets.

FINALLY on the bus to Cusco!

On the way to Ollantaytambo, the train station...this church took my breath away

At a wildlife refuge, we saw a bunch of beautiful animals

Peru is known for their condors, and we got to see them upclose and personal!

We stopped at a llama and alpaca reserve too, and I got to feed a llama!! :)

They are the most fascinatingly ugly and beautiful birds ever.

We learned how the Peruvian women dye and weave Peruvian alpaca textiles.

All of these colors were made from rocks, trees, plants, and berries.  It was fascinating. 

on the road to Pisac, a town between Cusco and Ollantaytambo.

A Carnaval custom.  The leader of the festival artificially plant this tree in  the sqaure and place gifts in it.  The town dances around it and take turns chopping at it with machetes.  The couple that chops the tree down is in charge of the festival the following year.

The Peruvian textiles were so colorful and beautiful!

We stopped in Urubambo to visit this place.  Seminario pottery, a world-famous potter that  just  took my breath away and convinced me to spend far too much money on coasters, a mug and salt and pepper shakers.

FINALLY in Ollantaytambo (I challenge you to pronounce that correctly on the first try) and getting on the train! 

STAY TUNED for pictures from Machupicchu!!

Until next time..

Rachel