Easter in Peru

Holidays are hard in another country.  I don't care who you are or how tough you think you are or how long you've lived in a different place than your family - holidays are when it hits you that this is not home.  Yesterday I got a glimpse of what it's like to spend Easter in another country.  I can't say I've ever done that before.  I've spent many Easters away from my family, but never spent one this far away from everything I know... except for these people who I truly consider family.

We woke up and had cereal for breakfast, per usual... except the 3 older kids had a little surprise on top of their cereal - a peep, I know, disgusting but I couldn't resist :)  We then headed to Peruvian church for Easter service.  There was something about worshipping in Spanish that took me back to how and where I grew up and it made my heart glad.

As much as I missed ROCKHARBOR's Easter service, baptisms & craziness at the amphitheater, it was amazing to see how easy it was to have a full heart despite missing what I think makes me happy on Easter.  I was sitting in church with the people I've spent the past 5 Easters with, worshipping the same risen God on what might be my favorite day of the year.  He is still risen.  He is still alive and active.  He is still in control.

We came home, had PBJ's for lunch - you know, your standard Easter feast and we hid some eggs in the yard for the kiddos, making our best attempt at keeping Easter as normal as possible for the 4 little people in the house.  All 3 of us adults called our parents & wished them Happy Easter, I know at least one of us felt a teensy bit triste that I wasn't celebrating on the lake with my family.

But we sucked it up - we played games, jumped on the trampoline, died laughing watching Blake & Sarah's wedding video, I got bit by something & my thumb swelled up and went numb, we treated ourselves to the only Mexican joint in Lima and we had a great conversation about missions - about Jesus being worth the sacrifices, about how stinkin' hard it can be at times, about transition and trust.    These people have been family to me for the last 7 years and on any day of the year, that is enough.  And we went to bed glad to be together.

Easter was still Easter and He is still risen.  Yesterday's grew my appreciation for my friends all over the world who have sacrificed much and spent a ridiculous amount of holidays away from family because Jesus is worth it.  I have a feeling this may just be the beginning of the holidays-on-another-continent journey for me.  And my first year, I think I'll be TOTALLY open to amigos joining me - come one come all... wherever it is that He's gonna have me.

Happy Easter from Peru to you.