still getting set . . . .

So hours after I posted the last blog Christian went out to get the final seat for the Combi that was still at the tapisero's shop. Literally it is at the end of the street, two blocks away. So had was parking the van when a very drunk driver back hi car right into the side of the combi . . .how sweet. I honestly thought Christian was kidding when he called to tell me. We skipped the police this time and Christina got a quote and received payment right away. Back to the house in less than an hour. Now as we are finishing up here we have to send the combi back to the shop to get fixed. The van is supposed to be shipped on Monday to Lima. Vamos a ver.
Then we found out that the crate we have for our dog is to small according to the airline and one the correct size would cost us about $260. What to do? What to do??? Well, the air line won't allow a wooden box but the cargo flights will . . . .so C left to go buy wood and attempt to build a crate with limited tools. Nothing got packed today as we spent the day in the van trying to get things done. . . . .oh, did I mention we spent over an hour stranded in a not-so-great part of town because the not came off of the clutch cable. Apparently when they replace the cable they didn't put a new nut on an put the old threadless one back on. They clutch totally failed in the middle of traffic. God is good because it happen relatively close to the mechanic's shop that did the work and he came and fixed it in the street.
Always and adventure.

Get Set . . . .

School is officially over for both Christian and I now. We had our despedida (good-bye party) at the institute yesterday. I was so strange to be the giving the speech and saying good-bye. We have watched so many others do it over the last 9 months. It is hard to believe that we are headed on to the next part of this adventure. Pucallpa awaits. We have 10 to get the Kombi back together, get the house clean, and pack. it sounds like a simple list but as we have learned, nothing in life is as easy as it sounds.

I had to run the dog to the vet the other day and found out that she has amoebas . . . fun. She got them from drinking the water on the ground at the park. Holding my dog down so the vet could start an IV drip and waiting for the drip to finish was really NOT what I had planned for that day but . . . that was what happened. The kids were at home and the office wasn't busy so the vet and I sat down and chatted for close to an hour. It was amazing. We talked about all sorts of stuff but mainly God, salvation, religion, church, and what the Bible ACTUALLY says about those things. It was great. I was so encouraged. God used that day to remind me that he can work in any circumstances and that it is the Holy Spirit at work in me that gives wisdom and words. I love God.

The next day we were out and about and Emma's earring fell out of her newly pierced ear. It fell off on the escalator in Saga and was lost down the side. Upon reaching the bottom floor, I quickly pulled out on of my earrings and put it in Emma's now empty lobe. Not fun or very sanitary but necessary. It actually was the best thing that could have happened because it caused us to go out and get other studs. We replaced her earrings with new gold studs w/special backings so they won't fall out. She has much happier ears now.

Our van is still in pieces, Christian is out side right now putting it all back together. None of the people we paid to do stuff did it on time or did it right but we are learning to lower our standards since "on-time" and "done correctly" seem to be foreign concepts at times in this culture. The kids have some make up work to finish this weekend but them will have a two week break before beginning SAM Academy in Pucallpa on November 9th.

Busy weeks lie ahead.

On your mark . . . .

We are finally at the end of our time here in Arequipa. We have less than 3 weeks left living in the shadow of Misti before we head to the Amazon. It took me two days to procure plane tickets but we finally have them (very long and frustrating story . . . .I will spare you) only to find out this morning, 14 hours after having bought our tickets, that a special on ticket to Pucallpa started this morning . . . . . just a little something to add to the frustration. Oh, well. We are learning not to get to worked up about things. Así es la vida acá.

We have one more week of school (the kids and me at home, Christian at the institute) and then one week to pack. We have the Kombi to get in good working order and finish all the work on it before we leave here and parts aren't available. We have a house to clean and a garden to fix before we give the keys back (Libby dug a few holes to China and ate most of the plants in the back yard). We have to figure out the shipping of our Kombi and our stuff to Pucallpa, and oh yeah, we have to pack.

We will be leaving on November 3rd and spending a few days in Lima before heading to Pucallpa on November 7th. It is very exciting to finally share that news! Emma's birthday is on the 6th and she already has our move working to her advantage. She is planning a party with friends here, dinner at Chili's in Lima, and a party with friends in Pucallpa. I can't believe she is going to be eleven!!!!!!

We will keep you posted on the events of the coming weeks.