Training Like Luke

 

Some have asked us what Intake is like for our family. While listening to a talk about faith in one of our meetings, the speaker joked that we were training in the swamp, much like Luke Skywalker. As we were all laughing at the reality of it, I thought to myself, THAT'S IT! 

We are allowed to have a few hours a week on technology during our first year in missions. I don't think you need an explanation as to why, but I thought this was worth some of that time to share with you what our experience has been like. :)

"It's really a strange place to find a Jedi master! " - Luke

Yup! The location is certainly different. Like Luke, are literally surrounded by the swamp here - where snakes, alligators, crawfish, and mosquitos must have originated. Life here is extremely abundant and beautiful, but can be a little intimidating for those who are not native. It can also be HEAVEN for boys, like ours, who like to catch anything that moves! Before we arrived, someone told us the mantra of this area is "eat it before it eats you". I can totally see why. The other day CJ  caught a salamander that was about a foot long and bites like a snake. Ummm...NO thank you! 

I must admit that there is a beautiful pasture for horses and a place to play soccer behind our house - and behind that is swamp. :) Farming families who have had their land for generations fill their fields with cattle, sugar, rice, and crawfish beds down the road from us. There is even an alligator farm nearby. If you haven't been to an area like this, it truly is something worth seeing! 

The salamander that CJ caught. 

  

He thought it was an eel at first.

 

Our friendly neighbor down the street. 

"How am I to know the good side from the bad?" - Luke

"You will know... when you are calm, at peace... passive." - Yoda

If it is something we feel here, it is peace and calm. There is little technology (as stated above), not much traffic on the roads, no stores nearby (except for Dollar General, but that shouldn't surprise anyone, am I right?), and the families who live in this community are inviting, loving, and encouraging. There is a chapel available to us 24 hours a day - with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Monday through Saturday morning from 5:30 - 8:00. There are also small prayerful areas around in the community, where you can enjoy nature. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets are quite amazing as well!

Our schedule isn't too demanding. For families, there are meetings Monday through Friday, and besides some community events, evenings and weekends are free to spend time as a family. In fact, Family Missions Company requires us to schedule two days of our week to specifically spend as a family, whatever that looks like for us - even when we are in the field. Lunches are provided and even a couple of dinners throughout the week as well. In the evenings, we have been making different things out of resin or playing games together . The resin has become very popular in our community, and we often have people over to create some great items with us. 

Our beautiful little chapel! 

  

Making some cool things with resin!
 

“You must unlearn what you have learned….Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”- Yoda

 Many of our morning meetings focus on the spiritual, mental, and physical realities of mission life, along with some tools to support them. We have participated in a Healing Retreat and a Life in the Spirit Retreat. We have been on a domestic mission trip and even SERVED on a Life in the Spirit Retreat for our children. All of these events were very intense and highlighted areas of "what we take with us" (very similar to Luke when he goes into that creepy hole). On Wednesday mornings we take part in a ministry outreach. Sometimes that looks like going to the Christian Service Center, home visits in the area, and sometimes to public places to share our testimony and/or to pray for whomever we meet. On Thursdays, we also read church documents written by various popes throughout history, and delve into the book of Acts in Holy Scripture. I feel like this is one large retreat, and we can see the growth of our whole family from all of this. 

In the afternoons, we read Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World by Bob McNabb and participate in the provided study guide. This is helpful for learning how to disciple others as Christ did. I can say, it is very helpful and will be something that I will have to refer back to in the future of our mission. We also have been reading Grief Tower by Lauren Wells and being trained in her Third Country Kids program. This has been a great tool for us as we are more prepared to help our kids transition and communicate their needs as we make so many changes. To be honest, I wish we went through this a long time ago! 

Of course we also pray, pray, pray, and then pray some more. In everything we pray, but like St. Paul says, "pray without ceasing"(I Thes. 5:16). This is the biggest and most important part of any Christian's day and it is expected that everyone in the family has a personal prayer time to fuel their relationship with our Lord, along with the many other opportunities throughout the day.

On Friday nights there is praise and worship, along with a dinner where we only have to speak in Spanish (or you can just listen, depending on your comfort), and then GAME NIGHT at the Pena house! Usually singles make it, because parents are probably still sleeping next to their toddler/infants by this time. ;)

The Church Documents we have been studying. 

 

The books we are currently reading and studying.  

The Pena Family
They'll be in Peru with us, too!
Fun Fact: Their daughter and Job were Baptized on the same day! 

 

“I don’t believe it,” - Luke 

“That is why you fail,” -Yoda 

I write this because I think out of all our training, besides learning how our Lord truly sees us, our faith has grown immensely. We are more confident in the power of God and His love for us. There have been unmeasurable encounters with Him, and we have witnessed a multitude of others who have had these encounters as well. We have seen miracles happen before our very eyes, and recognize that the same Holy Spirit given to the first Christians is the same Holy Spirit given to us. I don't really know what God has planned for us yet, but I can imagine it's intense with all this training. Even if we are not able to get out into the field, we have grown so much! We are so grateful for the opportunity and will always remember this beautiful experience!