Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
The Bible - More Relavant than We Think
After being here in Peru for just over a year, It’s amazing how much the Bible has come to life for me (Christian). In America the stories of poverty, donkeys, farming, neighbors and markets all seemed theoretical. It is hard for the average middleclass person to relate to a lot of the situations in which Jesus ministered. Here, and in most of the world, people live lives a lot like what we read about in the Bible.
Today we went and visited a leper at his home. It was something that I never expected to do. A few weeks ago Julio got to translate to this man in the hospital that his leprosy had advanced to the point that there is no hope of a cure. As you can imagine he was devastated. Julio shared that even though there is no hope physically; Jesus came and died so that we could have hope for salvation and a life with him forever. This man prayed a prayer of tears for Jesus to forgive him and save him. It is a awful and beautiful story isn’t it?
On the way to his house in a friend’s mototaxi we stopped at the market and bought him some basic cheap groceries. We got to his house, a 15’ x 15’ room with a corrugated roof. He was much less gruesome than you would think. While there, it hit me that lepers are real people with real lives and personalities, not just caricatures in the Bible or a movie. I found myself feeling a mixture of respectful pity and envy. I in no way envy his position now but I truly am envious that he will be able to meet our creator sooner than me.
We plan on continuing to keep in touch with him. But it was an amazing privilege to be used by God in a small way which allowed me to experience the Bible being lived out. I hope that God will continue to show me and you that the American experience is a blessing that can keep us from really being able to relate to His word.
Today we went and visited a leper at his home. It was something that I never expected to do. A few weeks ago Julio got to translate to this man in the hospital that his leprosy had advanced to the point that there is no hope of a cure. As you can imagine he was devastated. Julio shared that even though there is no hope physically; Jesus came and died so that we could have hope for salvation and a life with him forever. This man prayed a prayer of tears for Jesus to forgive him and save him. It is a awful and beautiful story isn’t it?
On the way to his house in a friend’s mototaxi we stopped at the market and bought him some basic cheap groceries. We got to his house, a 15’ x 15’ room with a corrugated roof. He was much less gruesome than you would think. While there, it hit me that lepers are real people with real lives and personalities, not just caricatures in the Bible or a movie. I found myself feeling a mixture of respectful pity and envy. I in no way envy his position now but I truly am envious that he will be able to meet our creator sooner than me.
We plan on continuing to keep in touch with him. But it was an amazing privilege to be used by God in a small way which allowed me to experience the Bible being lived out. I hope that God will continue to show me and you that the American experience is a blessing that can keep us from really being able to relate to His word.
Sickness and Salad
Some of you know that lettuce is to be avoided in this country . . .I got VERY sick from it in Arequipa, but when you have had 3 salads in the past year you might do something foolish like buy lettuce and try again. I made the best, let me rephrase that, the closest thing to taco salad I could yesterday. It was so good and definitely satisfied a craving many of us had. Unfortunately today Beth is throwing up, others have stomach aches and several have diarrhea. I am not positive it was the lettuce (I washed it twice and I am feeling fine) but you can be sure we won’t do that again anytime soon. Maybe again next year right before our annual dose of amoeba medicine. (Post Script: Just found out several friends have had a virus lately involving fever, headaches and nausea . . . . it was probably that . . . . maybe I will try lettuce again sooner than later. That salad was good.)
Sanity Check
We spent last weekend in Lima with our friends the Dillons. It was a lot of fun. They came down from Huaraz and we spent 4 days together in the pseudo-normalcy of Lima. Christian and I planned this mini-vacation during our first 3 weeks in Pucallpa. That was a very rough time. As Christian explained to someone the other day – “The tickets to Lima are what kept us from buying tickets to Miami and beyond.” We were desperate for a break and cheap tickets to Lima seemed like a good solution. The greatest part about our long week-end (besides the Dillions, por supuesto) was the fact that now, 2 months after purchasing the tickets, leaving Pucallpa was hard. We had things to here and it got in the way of our “normal life”. For now we belong in Pucallpa. God is faithful to remind us that He brought us here – never would we have chosen this place. So glad God knows best.
We are still here
Sorry it has been so long since I’ve let you in on life down here. I need to be sure to update more often because the longer I wait the harder it is to describe all that has been going on.
Some days are so terrible and I want to leave – I don’t want to write on those days because I know I would be very negative.
Some days are amazing and I love it here – I don’t write on those days either because I would be overly optimistic.
Today is a good day to write because it had good, bad, frustration and peace . . . all in the same day.
We are keeping very busy with meetings, getting to know the core group of leaders at the church, understanding Peruvian culture as it is in Pucallpa (very different from the mountains), and keeping our house clean and food on the table.
Christian still feels hindered in ministry due to his Spanish but really it is coming along. Today a 17 year-old college girl came over to practice her English. Her name is Naysha. Her dad owns a small dirt track and restaurant just outside of town (at km 13) and also a garage pretty close to our house. She is very sweet and she spent close to 4 hours at the house with our family. She is very open about who she is, her family, and religion – hoping next time we can talk more pointedly about Christ. Half of her time with us was speaking English and the other half was Spanish with Christian. I am excited to see how this friendship will grow.
In the last month Christian and the kids purchased the first of what I am sure will be many motorcycles. Christian, unfortunately, had to take his bike apart to fix some things and he found a hole in the engine case . . . . not good, but not the end of the world. The kid’s bike is just right for Gabe and Emma. Emma just learned how to use the clutch and loves to ride (especially now that her good friend/neighbor, Mimi, just got the same kind of bike this week and they can ride together.) Gabe hopped right on and picked up where he left off. He can’t wait to race. He and his friend Oli have already built a track right near the house, out behind the school. He loves to ride. It is so good to be in a place where they can get their bike out and go. The younger three are still looking for a bike – I am sure one will come along soon.
We still have days we want to pack up and leave but we now are at a place where we would miss many things about Pucallpa . . . .that is good we have a connection. Still I wonder at times, “Why does God want us here?’ - but He is faithful to reveal just a little at a time the answer to that question. We are no one special or extraordinary – just Christ followers that make mistakes and love God. Our prayer is that HE would be glorified through our family and that others would see HIM through us . . . (not just our red VW or cute gringo kids).
Some days are so terrible and I want to leave – I don’t want to write on those days because I know I would be very negative.
Some days are amazing and I love it here – I don’t write on those days either because I would be overly optimistic.
Today is a good day to write because it had good, bad, frustration and peace . . . all in the same day.
We are keeping very busy with meetings, getting to know the core group of leaders at the church, understanding Peruvian culture as it is in Pucallpa (very different from the mountains), and keeping our house clean and food on the table.
Christian still feels hindered in ministry due to his Spanish but really it is coming along. Today a 17 year-old college girl came over to practice her English. Her name is Naysha. Her dad owns a small dirt track and restaurant just outside of town (at km 13) and also a garage pretty close to our house. She is very sweet and she spent close to 4 hours at the house with our family. She is very open about who she is, her family, and religion – hoping next time we can talk more pointedly about Christ. Half of her time with us was speaking English and the other half was Spanish with Christian. I am excited to see how this friendship will grow.
In the last month Christian and the kids purchased the first of what I am sure will be many motorcycles. Christian, unfortunately, had to take his bike apart to fix some things and he found a hole in the engine case . . . . not good, but not the end of the world. The kid’s bike is just right for Gabe and Emma. Emma just learned how to use the clutch and loves to ride (especially now that her good friend/neighbor, Mimi, just got the same kind of bike this week and they can ride together.) Gabe hopped right on and picked up where he left off. He can’t wait to race. He and his friend Oli have already built a track right near the house, out behind the school. He loves to ride. It is so good to be in a place where they can get their bike out and go. The younger three are still looking for a bike – I am sure one will come along soon.
We still have days we want to pack up and leave but we now are at a place where we would miss many things about Pucallpa . . . .that is good we have a connection. Still I wonder at times, “Why does God want us here?’ - but He is faithful to reveal just a little at a time the answer to that question. We are no one special or extraordinary – just Christ followers that make mistakes and love God. Our prayer is that HE would be glorified through our family and that others would see HIM through us . . . (not just our red VW or cute gringo kids).
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Christmas Pagent
The kids got to perform in their first Christmas play ever - here at Mil Palmeras. They did a great job. Here is a video of the beginning. Max and Emma are in the back row, Beth is in the middle and Gavin is bottom left . . . .my videography is shakey at first but it gets better.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Our First Jungle Christmas
Our first jungle Christmas has now come and gone. It was very memorable for many reasons. I am not feeling very creative tonight so a list of bullet points and pictures are going to have to suffice. Hope you all had a great Christmas and we wish you a very happy New Year!!!
Memorable first:
*First fake Christmas tree
Memorable first:
*First fake Christmas tree
*first year for colored lights (they could sing and were all broken by Christmas morning)
*first Christmas morning with no working lights on tree
*first time in years all the kids didn't sleep around the tree (Gabe needed his own bed and insisted on sleeping. We had to stop him from showering before presents, that would have broken too far from the few traditions our family does have.)
*first time decorating the tree in shorts and sweating
*first Christmas without Walmart and Target
*first Christmas Eve spent in a lake tubing
*first time we planned presents a month ahead of time (Christian bought many of the kid's gift while he was in Lima over Thanksgiving.)
*first time we bought Emma real jewlery. (silver daisy earings we bought in Arequipa before we left.)
*first time ants invaded the candy stash
*first time we froze boxes of Nerds (brought from Lima) to kill ants and picked them out
*first time our kids were happy to receive candy mixed with dead frozen ants (we only missed a few . . and what didn't have ants did 12 hours later when they forgot to close the Ziploc baggies their candy was in.)
*first time our dog ate a nativity scene and ornaments off the tree (Libby is cute but she eats everything - we are starting to think she is partially goat . . .which is good and bad. I've always wanted a goat)
*first time my oven didn't cook well and after 4 hours we had to cut off the turkey breasts and cook them in my neighbors oven
*first time the turkey feet and head were included with the turkey (Libby ate everything we didn't . she loves turkey feet.)
*first time our kids have been in a Christmas program at church . . . their debut was in Spanish.
All-in-all, it has been a great holiday . . .difficult at times missing family and friends, but amazing when we realize the friends God has given us here. So glad he came to earth so we could know him.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!!!
We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2010. We had a great evening with friends and the kids got to go out on the lake at the airbase, tubing, for Christmas eve. That is a first and a great memory for years to come. We are planning a meal tomorrow for friends and we will be cooking a turkey, flown here from Lima. Can't wait.
Santa has presents to wrap before they get opened in eight hours . . . .so buenas noches a todos.
p.s. Gabe found the camera cord so I will post pictures soon.
Santa has presents to wrap before they get opened in eight hours . . . .so buenas noches a todos.
p.s. Gabe found the camera cord so I will post pictures soon.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Bus Trip Observations
Christian just recently returned from an unplanned, short notice trip to Lima to help import our crate of belonging that recently arrived from the States . . . For those of you wondering why he had to go back to Lima so shortly after arriving, know the timing of everything has not been in our control for months. The trip was a very frustrating one but it is over now and Christian is home and our crate finnally arrived at our house yesterday. As difficult of an experience as it was it was wonderful to open boxes and rediscover our belongings. One million Matchbox cars again litter our floor and Grandma's quilts once more adorn all the children's beds.
One really great thing is that Christian took notes while on the bus for the first several hours. They were hillarious and we thought we would share the laugh with you.
" With-in the first 10 minutes they served cow's stomach for food and some warm chicha stuff. I only ate the rice and one bite of stomach.
It looks a lot like Pucallpa so far.
The junge is beautiful!
The bus smells like urine and cow's stomach.
A boy was begging [ouside] as we drove buy a 5 miles at 5 mph.
They handed out barf-bags. Not a good sign.
Tried to text Dan (Lawrence in CT) about construction methods.
Wow. White brahma bulls on a green hill.
We just drove through the river because the bidge half feel down.
We just passed a dog and a pig hanging out on the side of the road together.
A man just got off the bus to guide it over the river and he took a rifle with him.
We just got a speach about the about the dangers of the road because of robbers.
I paid the man with the gun s./20 ($7).
Thus end Christian's notes. He had a good chicken dinner on the bus and when he started to here the noise of people vomiting he took his sleeping pill and prayed to sleep through the worst. He woke up on the other side of the mountains.
One really great thing is that Christian took notes while on the bus for the first several hours. They were hillarious and we thought we would share the laugh with you.
" With-in the first 10 minutes they served cow's stomach for food and some warm chicha stuff. I only ate the rice and one bite of stomach.
It looks a lot like Pucallpa so far.
The junge is beautiful!
The bus smells like urine and cow's stomach.
A boy was begging [ouside] as we drove buy a 5 miles at 5 mph.
They handed out barf-bags. Not a good sign.
Tried to text Dan (Lawrence in CT) about construction methods.
Wow. White brahma bulls on a green hill.
We just drove through the river because the bidge half feel down.
We just passed a dog and a pig hanging out on the side of the road together.
A man just got off the bus to guide it over the river and he took a rifle with him.
We just got a speach about the about the dangers of the road because of robbers.
I paid the man with the gun s./20 ($7).
Thus end Christian's notes. He had a good chicken dinner on the bus and when he started to here the noise of people vomiting he took his sleeping pill and prayed to sleep through the worst. He woke up on the other side of the mountains.
Life in the bayou
READER ADVISORY: Please don’t interpret any of this entry as complaining. . . I simply want to give you all an idea of what life is like here.
The best way I can describe our move from Arequipa to Pucallpa is to put it into perspective of where you live. You could say that we just moved from Manchester, CT to Woodstock, CT; or from Ada, MI to Lyons, MI; or from Fort Mill, SC to Union Mills, NC . . . . only not only are there very few places to shop in your new town you can only park your car on the street in front of a few of them (lest it be gone when you return) and you can’t really go there after the sun goes down, and down town is only 2.5 miles away but it is an action-packed 10 minute drive.
Our house is very nice. It is on the SAM property where we have a huge concrete wall, a watch man and a remote control gate for our cars to get in and out (the remote is new since we arrived). The surroundings give us a good sense of security that the kids can run around and play like they could in our yard back in the States, but we still have to bring in laundry at night, lest it get stolen. We don’t usually lock our doors during the day while we are around, even if we are not in the house but they are well locked on Sunday morning during church hours . . . everyone knows you are there and that is when a lot of theft occurs. Our house is the back half of what used to be the girl’s dorm way back, when SAM Academy functioned as a boarding school. To most of you it would look like a glorified summer cottage but as a missionary friend put it, “we have a real house” compared to their small rental in another neighborhood.
The house has screens and bars for windows, no glass. Ceiling fans in every room, but no a/c anywhere. Cockroaches were regular visitors for a while but the two huge ones we killed the other night were the only ones we’ve seen in a while . . . however you know you’ve seen a lot when the kids can calmly come out of the bathroom and tell that a roach is in the shower or in their toothbrush container (our very first night). You can’t put down your empty lemonade glass and forget it for an hour or two because it will be crawling with these little tiny clear-ish ants that are super fast. I am going to start charging them rent because there are so many in the house. I set a “trap” for them the other day and have been watching the steady stream of ants to and from the plate of boric acid and powdered sugar. Either I have just nourished the entire colony or they will soon all be dead. I am hoping for the latter.
As I sit here and type the drop in temperature (to 93 degrees F in the house) and the high setting on the fan are making me chilly . . . normal daily temp here is about 90 . . . in our house today it was 103. All and all Pucallpa is really a neat place to live. The jungle and lakes are beautiful. The city is very dirty and everything looks half built. The people are very friendly for the most part, but we have also found people here to be the most critical of our Spanish (which is interesting since everyone in Arequipa warned us about the improper jungle-Spanish spoken out here). After living in Arequipa I kind of feel like we went to a fancy prep-school and have now just returned home to the reality of our back woods home in the Louisiana bayou. We have a lot to get used to.
The best way I can describe our move from Arequipa to Pucallpa is to put it into perspective of where you live. You could say that we just moved from Manchester, CT to Woodstock, CT; or from Ada, MI to Lyons, MI; or from Fort Mill, SC to Union Mills, NC . . . . only not only are there very few places to shop in your new town you can only park your car on the street in front of a few of them (lest it be gone when you return) and you can’t really go there after the sun goes down, and down town is only 2.5 miles away but it is an action-packed 10 minute drive.
Our house is very nice. It is on the SAM property where we have a huge concrete wall, a watch man and a remote control gate for our cars to get in and out (the remote is new since we arrived). The surroundings give us a good sense of security that the kids can run around and play like they could in our yard back in the States, but we still have to bring in laundry at night, lest it get stolen. We don’t usually lock our doors during the day while we are around, even if we are not in the house but they are well locked on Sunday morning during church hours . . . everyone knows you are there and that is when a lot of theft occurs. Our house is the back half of what used to be the girl’s dorm way back, when SAM Academy functioned as a boarding school. To most of you it would look like a glorified summer cottage but as a missionary friend put it, “we have a real house” compared to their small rental in another neighborhood.
The house has screens and bars for windows, no glass. Ceiling fans in every room, but no a/c anywhere. Cockroaches were regular visitors for a while but the two huge ones we killed the other night were the only ones we’ve seen in a while . . . however you know you’ve seen a lot when the kids can calmly come out of the bathroom and tell that a roach is in the shower or in their toothbrush container (our very first night). You can’t put down your empty lemonade glass and forget it for an hour or two because it will be crawling with these little tiny clear-ish ants that are super fast. I am going to start charging them rent because there are so many in the house. I set a “trap” for them the other day and have been watching the steady stream of ants to and from the plate of boric acid and powdered sugar. Either I have just nourished the entire colony or they will soon all be dead. I am hoping for the latter.
As I sit here and type the drop in temperature (to 93 degrees F in the house) and the high setting on the fan are making me chilly . . . normal daily temp here is about 90 . . . in our house today it was 103. All and all Pucallpa is really a neat place to live. The jungle and lakes are beautiful. The city is very dirty and everything looks half built. The people are very friendly for the most part, but we have also found people here to be the most critical of our Spanish (which is interesting since everyone in Arequipa warned us about the improper jungle-Spanish spoken out here). After living in Arequipa I kind of feel like we went to a fancy prep-school and have now just returned home to the reality of our back woods home in the Louisiana bayou. We have a lot to get used to.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Bird's Eye View
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=-8.391661,+-74.567986&num=1&t=h&vps=3&jsv=189d&sll=-8.390982,-74.567186&sspn=0.00268,0.004812&hl=en&ie=UTF8&geocode=FRP0f_8dzi6O-w&split=0
If that link works (and that is a big IF because I am not a computer savvy as I look) you should be taken to a bird's eye view of our house in Pucallpa via google maps.
Yes, I am still looking for the camera cable.
If that link works (and that is a big IF because I am not a computer savvy as I look) you should be taken to a bird's eye view of our house in Pucallpa via google maps.
Yes, I am still looking for the camera cable.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Home, Sweet (I mean sweaty) Home
Sorry it has taken so long to fill you in on the details of the move. We spent three great days in Lima with the Dillons. I t was a very busy time as both families rushed around trying to get everything done in three short days, but amidst lost wallets (Meghan), throwing up babies (Meghan's), declined bank cards (me), not to mention the frustrations the guys had - a good time was had by all and much was accomplished.
We almost didn't get the dog on the plane out of Lima. Apparently our handy dandy wooden crate that was happily accepted by Lan was 1 cm too large for Star Peru . . .ONE CENTIMETER! The flight was supposed to take off at 9:30 we arrived at the air port in Lima at 7:30ish and finally got through the line and the red tape and paid for the extra baggage (the dog) at 9:06. We still had pay the airport tax and get through security AND take a bus out to the plane . . . God is amazing because we made it and we were not the last people on the bus. Our seats were scattered across the plane but we all got on, all of our bags got on and the dog made it through the door and arrived in Pucallpa along with us.
Almost all the SAM family was at the airport to greet us and truck our family and all of our stuff back to our new home. We are living in a house on SAM property right now while another missionary family is away on furlough. We will be able to stay here until they return in June. Our front door is about 25 meters from the kid’s school and 50 meters from the church. Great location and 3 other SAM families are our neighbors here at SAM Center. We spent the first week cleaning, unpacking and cleaning some more. We are realizing that jungle-clean and Arequipa-clean are two very different things. It is very hot here and very humid. Mold is an issue but Christian’s allergies have not been a problem at all (for those of you who have known C for a long time know what a miracle that is), my allergies on the other hand have been bad but I have had worse. I am praying for relief as the seasons change (not that they change much here).
We are neighbors to Olga and Julio. Julio is the “motorcycle pastor” we are working with. Our girls and their two youngest girls were instant best friends and all the kids are having a great time climbing the mango and mame trees and running around the property and playing. It is a secure place (inside the wall) so we are free to let them run. What a change from Arequipa!
School is going well for the kids. We found out the Monday after we arrived that there would be no 1st or 2nd grade offered at the academy since both classes consist solely of Gavin and Max. So last Wednesday I dove right back into teaching and basically home schooling the younger two but we have our own small room over at the academy and they attend Spanish, art, and other similar classes with the other elementary students. It is working out fine . . . have to be in the classroom for 3 hours every morning (except Friday) is NOT how I envisioned my work to go down here but, asi es la vida.
Christian is already hard at work trying to fix technical problems and create creative ways to solve communication issues amongst the pastors and elders at the church and trying to get our crate into the country.
I will post some pictures of our new home and town after I locate the cable for the camera. I know it has to be around here somewhere. Please continue to pray. We are so thankful for all of you.
We almost didn't get the dog on the plane out of Lima. Apparently our handy dandy wooden crate that was happily accepted by Lan was 1 cm too large for Star Peru . . .ONE CENTIMETER! The flight was supposed to take off at 9:30 we arrived at the air port in Lima at 7:30ish and finally got through the line and the red tape and paid for the extra baggage (the dog) at 9:06. We still had pay the airport tax and get through security AND take a bus out to the plane . . . God is amazing because we made it and we were not the last people on the bus. Our seats were scattered across the plane but we all got on, all of our bags got on and the dog made it through the door and arrived in Pucallpa along with us.
Almost all the SAM family was at the airport to greet us and truck our family and all of our stuff back to our new home. We are living in a house on SAM property right now while another missionary family is away on furlough. We will be able to stay here until they return in June. Our front door is about 25 meters from the kid’s school and 50 meters from the church. Great location and 3 other SAM families are our neighbors here at SAM Center. We spent the first week cleaning, unpacking and cleaning some more. We are realizing that jungle-clean and Arequipa-clean are two very different things. It is very hot here and very humid. Mold is an issue but Christian’s allergies have not been a problem at all (for those of you who have known C for a long time know what a miracle that is), my allergies on the other hand have been bad but I have had worse. I am praying for relief as the seasons change (not that they change much here).
We are neighbors to Olga and Julio. Julio is the “motorcycle pastor” we are working with. Our girls and their two youngest girls were instant best friends and all the kids are having a great time climbing the mango and mame trees and running around the property and playing. It is a secure place (inside the wall) so we are free to let them run. What a change from Arequipa!
School is going well for the kids. We found out the Monday after we arrived that there would be no 1st or 2nd grade offered at the academy since both classes consist solely of Gavin and Max. So last Wednesday I dove right back into teaching and basically home schooling the younger two but we have our own small room over at the academy and they attend Spanish, art, and other similar classes with the other elementary students. It is working out fine . . . have to be in the classroom for 3 hours every morning (except Friday) is NOT how I envisioned my work to go down here but, asi es la vida.
Christian is already hard at work trying to fix technical problems and create creative ways to solve communication issues amongst the pastors and elders at the church and trying to get our crate into the country.
I will post some pictures of our new home and town after I locate the cable for the camera. I know it has to be around here somewhere. Please continue to pray. We are so thankful for all of you.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
GO!!!!!!!!
I can not believe the day has finally come to leave Arequipa. We are packed, except for the normal loose ends, and the Combi is on a truck on the way to Lima. We put some boxes in the van to help with our move. We are praying that they will still be there when we get the van in Lima tomorrow morning. The task of washing all the sheets and one last wet mopping of the ever dusty floor then we will give the keys back tot Mirella and hopefully get our deposit back. (Nothing is for sure around here).
Saying good bye has been hard but they bright side is that everyone at the institute is used to saying good bye, as are we.
God did something amazing - LAN will allow the dog to travel with us in the handy wooden crate Christian made. Not sure why they changed there mind, but they did. We just hope they don't change it again this after noon. We are looking forward to some time in Lima. Our friends, the Dillons, are going to make a trip to Lima for necessary items and will arrive at the mission house tomorrow morning. We can't wait to see them.
When we arrive in Pucallpa we will it the ground running. Many people to get acquainted with, school life to get into for the kids, church life to assimilate to . . . not to mention unpacking and setting up house. God is amazing and we have learned so much here in Arequipa - we have enjoyed this time . . . for the most part.
We received sad new the other night that friends in Pucallpa were robbed of their backpack (full of very expensive and important things) WHILE riding in a mototaxi. It was heart breaking to hear their story but I was strangely happy that it had happened to me and that I knew how to pray for them and what they were feeling . . . I love how God can change our hearts to be full of thanksgiving, even for the really bad stuff.
So, we are off . . . . next time you hear from us we will be in Pucallpa!
Saying good bye has been hard but they bright side is that everyone at the institute is used to saying good bye, as are we.
God did something amazing - LAN will allow the dog to travel with us in the handy wooden crate Christian made. Not sure why they changed there mind, but they did. We just hope they don't change it again this after noon. We are looking forward to some time in Lima. Our friends, the Dillons, are going to make a trip to Lima for necessary items and will arrive at the mission house tomorrow morning. We can't wait to see them.
When we arrive in Pucallpa we will it the ground running. Many people to get acquainted with, school life to get into for the kids, church life to assimilate to . . . not to mention unpacking and setting up house. God is amazing and we have learned so much here in Arequipa - we have enjoyed this time . . . for the most part.
We received sad new the other night that friends in Pucallpa were robbed of their backpack (full of very expensive and important things) WHILE riding in a mototaxi. It was heart breaking to hear their story but I was strangely happy that it had happened to me and that I knew how to pray for them and what they were feeling . . . I love how God can change our hearts to be full of thanksgiving, even for the really bad stuff.
So, we are off . . . . next time you hear from us we will be in Pucallpa!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, September 28, 2009
another helping of good-bye with a side of hope
I don't care how often we do it, I don't think I'll ever get used to saying good-bye. Over the past 5 years saying hello and good-bye have become a regular and normal part of our life. You would think that with years of practice it would get easier but it doesn't.
We left family and good friends in CT to move to MI in 2004. We knew no one when we arrived yet when we left in 2006 we left behind a community of friends that felt like family. It was hard to leave. Then we moved again from CT to SC. This time we knew a few people from the SAM office before we arrived but by the time we left for Peru God had, again, provided a network of friends and church family making our good-bye that much more difficult.
Here we are in Peru and in 3 days we have to say good-bye. Only this time we are staying put (at least for 6 more weeks) and Scott and Meghan are leaving for Huaraz. We met Scott and Meghan the week we arrived in Arequipa, they had just arrived, too. They live 3.5 blocks from us and have been with us through this crazy adventure of language learning/cultural acclimation every step of the way. We have never been here without them and the thought of that is strangely sad. We are so blessed and grateful that God crossed the paths of our lives here in Arequipa. We know God has a purpose for them in Huaraz but we also can testify that he used them right here to minister to us. We are all going to miss them so much.
The gray cloud looming over us is saying good-bye . . .again, but every time special people exit stage left the silver lining of hope around that gray cloud gets bigger. God has shown us repeatedly that he loves us enough to provide for all of our needs, including friends and community. So even though we will make sure to travel to Huaraz to visit the Dillons we look ahead expectantly to who God will bring into our life next and how he will use us to minister to them and vice versa.
We left family and good friends in CT to move to MI in 2004. We knew no one when we arrived yet when we left in 2006 we left behind a community of friends that felt like family. It was hard to leave. Then we moved again from CT to SC. This time we knew a few people from the SAM office before we arrived but by the time we left for Peru God had, again, provided a network of friends and church family making our good-bye that much more difficult.
Here we are in Peru and in 3 days we have to say good-bye. Only this time we are staying put (at least for 6 more weeks) and Scott and Meghan are leaving for Huaraz. We met Scott and Meghan the week we arrived in Arequipa, they had just arrived, too. They live 3.5 blocks from us and have been with us through this crazy adventure of language learning/cultural acclimation every step of the way. We have never been here without them and the thought of that is strangely sad. We are so blessed and grateful that God crossed the paths of our lives here in Arequipa. We know God has a purpose for them in Huaraz but we also can testify that he used them right here to minister to us. We are all going to miss them so much.
The gray cloud looming over us is saying good-bye . . .again, but every time special people exit stage left the silver lining of hope around that gray cloud gets bigger. God has shown us repeatedly that he loves us enough to provide for all of our needs, including friends and community. So even though we will make sure to travel to Huaraz to visit the Dillons we look ahead expectantly to who God will bring into our life next and how he will use us to minister to them and vice versa.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Moody Misti
It is really wild sometimes to remember that we live at the base of an active volcano. Misti is ever present high above the city. From certain locations you can see how the city is slowly climbing up his (volcanoes are masculine) sandy slopes. They weather here is beautiful and sunny almost everyday. This the view we usually have of El Misti.
(This picture was taken from our VW kombi, while it was actually working, when we were crossing the Puente de Fierro - designed by Gustave Eiffel, it was the longest bridge in the world in 1882.)
Sometimes it actually gets cloudy in Arequipa. It is so rare though, that most people love it and are in a good mood when it is cloudy.
In July, while my mom was visiting, we had a freak snow storm and we could watch from our roof as the clouds lifted off Misti to reveal the blanket they left behind.
I used to call it the "really cool cloud" or something like that until I was instructed by pilot-man/my husband that it is called a 'lenticular cloud' and it is extremely dangerous for airplanes. With my feet firmly planted on the ground, I think it is an amazing sight.
(This picture was taken from our VW kombi, while it was actually working, when we were crossing the Puente de Fierro - designed by Gustave Eiffel, it was the longest bridge in the world in 1882.)
Sometimes it actually gets cloudy in Arequipa. It is so rare though, that most people love it and are in a good mood when it is cloudy.
In July, while my mom was visiting, we had a freak snow storm and we could watch from our roof as the clouds lifted off Misti to reveal the blanket they left behind.
I used to call it the "really cool cloud" or something like that until I was instructed by pilot-man/my husband that it is called a 'lenticular cloud' and it is extremely dangerous for airplanes. With my feet firmly planted on the ground, I think it is an amazing sight.
Change
Life has changed for us once again. We are enter a new and final season of our time here in Arequipa. Christian is continuing full-time at the language institute and the kids and I are at home. The kids said their good-byes to their friends and teachers at Colegio Rey de Reyes about a week ago. I also said good-bye to friends and teachers at the institute . . . not officially yet - but it is strange to not see them everyday.
Christian's Spanish gets better and better all the time and it is exciting to see the change in comprehension and communication levels for everyone in the family. I have been told that I speak Spanish with an Italian accent. I have been told the same about my French. Hopefully that would mean the little Italian I do know would be spot on. The kids know and understand a lot more than they let on and the younger ones are having trouble remembering English vowel sounds.
I am home schooling the kids until we get to Pucallpa. I have to say I feel like I have been given a gift to have them all at home again. The last 5 months at school have been very good for all of them but there are some aspects of Peruvian education we are trying to unlearn (ie. WHAT you write on the paper in far more important than the COLOR pen with which you write.) But, everyone is falling back into a good routine. Pray for them as they only finished half of last years grade and need to get up to speed for this year. They are all anxiously awaiting our departure for Pucallpa and attending SAM Academy. We plan to leave Arequipa in early November and be well settled by Thanksgiving.
A month ago, Christian attended a church planting conference with a few men from Mil Palmeras church. Apparently there is quite a group waiting for our arrival in the jungle now. It is nice to know that God is creating a place for us over there.
Christian's Spanish gets better and better all the time and it is exciting to see the change in comprehension and communication levels for everyone in the family. I have been told that I speak Spanish with an Italian accent. I have been told the same about my French. Hopefully that would mean the little Italian I do know would be spot on. The kids know and understand a lot more than they let on and the younger ones are having trouble remembering English vowel sounds.
I am home schooling the kids until we get to Pucallpa. I have to say I feel like I have been given a gift to have them all at home again. The last 5 months at school have been very good for all of them but there are some aspects of Peruvian education we are trying to unlearn (ie. WHAT you write on the paper in far more important than the COLOR pen with which you write.) But, everyone is falling back into a good routine. Pray for them as they only finished half of last years grade and need to get up to speed for this year. They are all anxiously awaiting our departure for Pucallpa and attending SAM Academy. We plan to leave Arequipa in early November and be well settled by Thanksgiving.
A month ago, Christian attended a church planting conference with a few men from Mil Palmeras church. Apparently there is quite a group waiting for our arrival in the jungle now. It is nice to know that God is creating a place for us over there.
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