Why Peru?

I think it’s time to admit something to you. I’m religious. Even people who are fairly close to me don’t know much about this aspect of my life. I’ve kept it to myself, partly because some stupid Christians gave a bad name to religion, and partly because I never liked it when some stranger told me all about how much I needed the bible. 

Sometimes you think you have good intentions when in reality, you're an idiot.

My faith is fairly new. I can’t tell you I have an expansive knowledge of the bible or that I can answer all of your questions. What I do know is that I believe there is a God. I believe that there is a greater reason we were put on Earth than to just exist. And for various reasons, I believe in the Catholic Church.

This blog post began with the goal of explaining to you why I’m in Peru. Like my religion, I've kept quiet about exactly why I am here. I believe that most people think I just want to have a grand adventure before I settle down and get a ‘real job’. Although there is a partial truth to this, it is not the whole story. I am in Peru volunteering with the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a religious brotherhood. You can read more about them on Wikipedia. I was introduced to a Sodalite in Colorado. He gave me the opportunity to come to Peru after I realized I wasn’t going to be happy with any of the jobs I had applied for. In my entire life I don’t remember having a career I’ve always wanted or a field I wanted to work in. In college I remember truly enjoying exactly two classes. One of which would provide me a career path I don’t want, and the other would damn me to 40 hours a week in front of a computer, both of which I cannot currently accept. I am no longer willing to waste my life in some mediocre pursuit of a high-paying position with ‘job security’. In fact, screw job security. In my opinion, if you love what you do, you won’t do bad enough to need job security. And despite present day logic, I am also not willing to spend 5+ years job hopping until I settle for the best of what I found.

Indeed

At the risk of sounding like one of those crazy religious people, I will return to why I’m in Peru. I’m in Peru because in my experience, the Sodalitium does a great job of providing the questions, help, and support needed to find a path in life. Again, I believe there is a greater reason we were put on Earth. If this is true, God has a plan for me, assuming I'm willing to accept it. The reason I'm in Peru is because I see the Sodalitium as the key to finding Gods plan for me. I have surrounded myself with good, religious people. Though the world has proven that good and religious don’t necessarily go hand in hand, it does in the Sodelitium. I am in Peru asking great people to help me find myself. I’m attempting to avoid that mid-life crisis, where so many people wake up and realize that they’ve done nothing worthwhile in their life. I am looking for direction before diving headfirst into my currently unknown vocation.

In the end, I don’t want my life to be a grand adventure. I want my life to have meaning. Many of the people I love in this world are not religious. I am not writing this blog post to try to desperately change your beliefs. But I think it is important that you understand my choice.

 Miss you all.