Bob's reflection on the guys' weekend stay at Naranjal.

David and I spent the July 4th weekend with Manuela in Naranjal. For us it was a foray into a different style of living and a blessing of simplicity. We arrived on Saturday evening after Manuela got off work. After a short walk and a cup of tea, we went to sleep early. You see, in Naranjal there is no electricity, running water, or much else of the like. As night comes here at 6:30PM, we did not want to use more than one candle. Manuela lives in a small two-room temporary house. One room is her bedroom and the other serves as a kitchen and storage room. When the community receives their official papers, she plans to build a more permanent house, but for now cinderblocks, tree branches and a tin-roof work just fine. Manuela, who serves selflessly slept in her sister’s house (next door) and yielded her own room to David and myself. It gets pretty cold up there, but we had plenty of blankets.

On Sunday, we got up around 7:00 to a small breakfast with tea beforedigging latrines. Manuela prepared a modest lunch for us, which we enjoyed greatly. Following, David and I rested for a short while and then rejoined Manuela who was entertaining a few of her neighbors. For the next several hours, we conversed about Arequipa, Peru, the United States, and nearly everything else expected of polite conversation. Popular topics here include politics, soccer and religion. The gentleman who spoke the most is a nominal Catholic who sees the importance of treating people well, but seemed very content with minimal nominalism as faith. Such is a common belief here that being born into Catholicism suffices as a form of afterlife insurance. Syncretism is also acceptable, where naturalistic gods may be turned to when the one true God seems quiet. We ended the evening with a walk up the crest of the hill where we could view the whole of the nighttime cityscape and an expanse of endless stars.

On a whole, the weekend was one of the most relaxing I have had in awhile. The lack of electricity and the early chill of night require that evenings be spent in quiet fellowship, in candle-lit reading and in early rest. In actuality, Manuela has an additional house in town. Her son and his family live there, but she keeps a room for herself. She has grown up the eldest of nine children and has always been responsible for her siblings, her children, and even her sibling’s children. Manuela’s enjoyment of Naranjal (the same as ours) is in the simple serenity of a quiet life with little distraction. St. John of the Cross speaks of purging ourselves of external dependencies, so as to garner a greater reliance and appreciation for God’s provision. Manuela seems to be finding that in the Naranjal community. While rising every morning at 5:20, working very hard on all but Sabbath days, and still serving her community in sincere generosity, Manuela is communing with God in her daily toil. I wonder if she sees this quite as clearly as I do, or if it is as apparent to me because a large part of me is allured by such a God-dependant living. She has prayed that the many wild dogs will not harm her when she walks home on the darkened dirt road. She exclaimed to David and I over tea, “now when I walk, there are no dogs to be found!” I find a slight irony and a thorough appreciation that Manuela, who is very close to committing her life to following Jesus, so encouraged David and I, who are already living in the reality of such a commitment. Manuela is already living in fellowship with our God, who indeed works in the lives of those not yet committed to Him long before such commitments are ever made.

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