A week ago Jessica went to celebrate Mother’s Day with some mothers of the program. They visited El Parque de las Leyendas. This park has one of the best zoos of the city, plus large areas to walk around and enjoy. Joshua went with her as I stayed back to help the OSA children with their homework. He loved to watch the monkeys as they swung from the trees. She had a good time and got to know two of the mothers better.

Anna Maria, with Jhoshmar, Jon, Rodrigo and Anne

Cecilia with Anna and Elizabeth

Last month we found a local church to attend and have been blessed by friendships and support from within the body. This past weekend we attended a birthday party of one of the youth leaders. Unfortunately, they were suffering from a water shortage like us. After we got there, our friends had to go to a relative’s house in order to shower. They brought back buckets of water to wash dishes with so we could eat lunch. Then, the gas tank emptied out while baking the cake, so they had to go buy another while it was in the middle of its cycle. We could only laugh as all these trials arose. Their attitudes were a good example for us as both Jessy and I were tested later that afternoon. There was a two year old there with his single mother. Joshua was crawling around on the floor and got close to the boy’s mother. He got up from his chair and went to kick Joshua. Luckily, the mother’s foot blocked most of the blow, but Joshua was scared by the slight contact. We waited in expectation for some sort of disciplinary action, but none came. Later on, the mother was giving the boy candy to get him to behave. All I could do was walk outside with Joshua to pray for patience and ask that I wouldn’t do anything stupid to ruin the day. The Lord heard my cries, and Joshua’s too no doubt. I could only think about how hard it must be for this single mother to raise the boy alone with an approach like that. I thought about how hard it would be for her if he didn’t learn consequences. I prayed for them as well as the grandparents who were the ones doing most of the parenting. Our friends later apologized for the incident and agreed it was a prayerful situation for the family.

Our pastor has come to visit us twice at OSA house ‘up on the hill.’  He is a Quechua speaker from the sierra, the mountain region of the country.  Honorato, his wife and his son live on the third floor of the church building.  It has been a blessing to be a part of this church family.  We’re still getting used to the 2 1/2 hour worships on Sunday evenings.  Joshua doesn’t always last the whole time.  Honorato said that many people work on Sundays, so worship is late so they can attend.  You can imagine we stand out a little when we’re there.  It’s been great for us as we run into church friends at the grocery store, on the street, and around town.

As it gets colder we bundle up for the day and add blankets at night.  Joshua has taken well to his new gloves.  It keeps his hands warm as he crawls on the tile.  That Peruvian alpaca and wool clothing really comes in handy now.  We’re just thankful we can close our windows and doors and have solid walls.  A neighbor up the hill lives in a flimsy, press board home with drafts and a dirt floor.  It’s humbling to realize that people all over the world live like this, babies grow up in the cold everywhere, and many never know anything different than a dirt floor.

Saturday’s Bible study was eye-opening.  We studied Satan.  Well, how he attacks us and what we can do to remind ourselves of the Lordship of Christ.  Everyone attending had a story about contact with a witchdoctor of some type.  A few of them even thought that these people were okay to see because they prayed and used God’s name.  We studied Scripture to show how God feels about these practices and where they originate.  At the end, each in the group expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn from God’s word about the topic.  Pray that they will turn from these demonic influences and share with others what God’s word teaches us.

Patience

We are all constantly learning, whether we realize it or not. When I find myself feeling unchallenged in a situation I think that I am not learning, but often it’s God’s way of teaching me patience. There are other times, such as now, when we are confronted with many challenges through which we learn patience as well. Having no kitchen sink is trying. It’s one of those things that I never realized how much I used until it was gone. The original sink was installed incorrectly so for a week we’ve been playing phone tag with workers, and have been waiting (sometimes impatiently I admit) for work to be done. A new counter was installed, but the carpenter did a poor job so now it needs to be removed. The sink itself can’t be connected until the counter situation is resolved. (This is by no means a complaint about the apartment for those reading.) Things just move at a different pace here. We’re learning patience. In reading Col 1:10-12 I’m reminded of our constant witness to others. This ordeal has been a good challenge for us.

Sewing seeds is a way of life for a follower of Christ. We may never again return to the field where we planted, but He who harvests watches it grow. (This is another lesson in patience I must learn.) Last Thursday we sewed seeds with the children. With the help of Amanda and Laura, two surprise visitors from the U.S., we did a big lesson inside OSA and out, planting spiritual and physical seeds.

Some fell on rocky places…

With the the help of our new friends, Jessy taught Mark 4:3-20 inside while I reinforced with tactile teaching practices outside.

Other seed fell among thorns…(in our case the trees)

The kids were able to read, hear and do what the farmer did in the parable.

It was clear that many of them captured the significance of the seed and the sewer. Amanda and Laura helped out in the classroom and by taking pictures outside.

Still other seed fell on good soil.

They also gave us a big hand with organizing the donated clothes. Ruth might not appreciate us using up all of the empty foot lockers, but the clothing is now organized in the lockers to make it easier and quicker to meet the needs of families.

Last Friday we had a big celebration for the mothers of the program. Magda organized a program with singing and dancing. All of us were involved with making gift bags of clothing for each family. There were games and prizes of household and food items. We took pictures of the children during the week so each mother received a special gift of a picture and a personally decorated card from their child. Everyone left feeling blessed, not because of us, but because their children really showed their love for them in their projects. It was a great night.

This week we will be picking up some teaching supplies that we ordered and hopefully finalizing our work visas. Thank you for your prayers. It means so much to us that you are praying for our rest and safety. More importantly, that we are all praying for the people of Collique and the Lord’s work here.

If you haven’t already visited Flickr, we’ve been adding new pictures there recently.

Celebrating with Joy

What a week it was with the medical team here.  Before we knew it, Dr. Campos was leading the devotional on Friday morning reflecting that the week was already over.  It was such a blessing for many people here in Collique in the district of Comas to have been seen by the doctors.  We know that many never go to a dentist or a doctor because they can’t afford to.  The hearts of the members of this team have been moved by God to share their skills and blessings with others in a remarkable way.  Jessica had a unique opportunity to work with the dentists as a translator.  She shared a story of a women that would not smile.  She had a tooth in the front that made her very self conscious.  After West and Jim had pulled it out, made a new tooth and put the new one in, the smile on the woman was priceless.  Jessica said that it was from ear to ear.  I saw many OSA children leaving the building with cheeks packed with gauze, but I know that they were thankful for the work done.  The blessings by the medical team continued to reach us even after they had left.  We have felt more secure in our apartment since they’ve been here.  Having so much movement at OSA house during the week made us feel like we weren’t so isolated from you all anymore.  There were friends downstairs that we knew.  Gradually through the week we slept better and better, not waking up to wonder what caused certain sounds.  Last week we slept great, and we needed it as we hit the ground running.  We’re so grateful for answered prayers and this sense of peace that God has given us.  Thank you medical team for your encouragement and your presence.

While the medical team worked hard at the OSA house, I worked with the construction team repairing two homes in the area.  There are 200 homes that could have benefited from some repairs so it was difficult to limit ourselves to these.  Bill and Greg from South Main along with Guillermo and Vidal from Comas were part of our hardworking team.  Bill and Greg joked with me about how their building inspector friend would not approve of some of our methods.  I had never seen a person balancing on a rickety ladder, on uneven ground, use an electric saw to cut a vertical post with one hand while holding on with the other, all the while knowing that he can’t turn off the saw but that the person holding the two electric cords together needed to pull them apart in order to cut the power.  We shared some good laughs, and even some goat.  The Senora of one home insisted the team eat lunch with her, so we did.  A few more people from Houston happened to be with us so they got to experience it as well.  After all, how many times does one get to eat a special lunch in the home of a Colliqueno?  You can see pictures and read more stories about the week at South Main’s blog: http://www.smbc.org/NEWSITE/missionsblogperu.html

Jessy and I would like to thank the Sunday school classes, our friends and our families that sent special treats for us with the team.  We have new teaching supplies, clothes for Joshua, baby food, books and a few items to spoil us such as Oil of Olay soap and chunky peanut butter!  Thank you all for your blessings and the time you put into these gifts.  It was wonderful to receive them and we’re looking forward to using the teaching supplies. 

 I had the unique opportunity last week to find out what it meant to change the status of my visa.  For two full days I traveled around the city to 4 different locations, to some several times, and made numerous bank deposits to pay for fees that kept surfacing.  Having waited in long lines before in Chile, I packed my backpack with snacks, water, a book, warm clothing and all of the documents I might ever need.  It all came in handy as I spent several hours in the basement of one building (with cold air conditioning) waiting for some paperwork.  I found it funny that no one could tell me exactly what I needed to do.  Each place I went to they informed me of another task or of another fee to pay.  The people alongside me in the lines were all very helpful though.  Many Peruvians had been through similar processes various time so they all helped fill in the information gaps for me.  I was thankful for that.

We’ve hit the ground running this week with classes starting up again and visa paperwork to complete.  Thursday was the equivalent of Labor Day so the children did not come which gave us a chance to catch up.  Friday we celebrated Jessica’s birthday with our OSA team and 3 mothers of the area.  They prepared her favorite Peruvian dish, aji de gallina.  They even bought ice cream, a special treat in Collique where usually it melts before it makes it up the hill from the store.  A touching gesture came from several other mothers who wanted to invite us to a home that evening.  We ate humble ham sandwiches while sitting in a cramped living room.  The food isn’t the purpose of the celebration, is it?  It is the meaning behind the actions.  We shared great conversation and encouraged one another in the small concrete home high on the hill.  It will be a birthday to remember.

 

Hello again…

Sorry it has been so long since we have blogged last. We are still here and doing well and we have  many good friends visiting. The medical team arrived on Saturday night. We have been busy here preparing for them. Organizing rooms for the dentists, the doctors and the pharmacist. It has been great getting to know the team. This is our first medical mission trip and it has been great. I have become the on call dental assitant ( minor squirting of the water into the mouth of patient while the dentist is drilling)  and the translator when needed. Usually this would turn my stomach and I honestly have had some small moments with the sight of teeth coming out and blood, but it has been pretty interesting and not too bad once you get used to it. I will say that the hygienists and dentists are pretty good at their Spanish. They won’t need a translator after a while.

Really everything has been going very well with us here. We are having some rough nights in regards to sleeping. Both of us do not feel completely comfortable at night. We always seem to have a not so welcome feeling to either of us that we are trying to confront. We both get up to check the apartment for the bumps we hear in the night. In all cases it has been nothing but we are still concerned. There have been some sketchy things happening in the neighborhood so we know this is the root of our worries. It has been nothing towards us but it still makes your imagination go crazy. The enemy loves to use this to get to us. This one of the phases of adjusting to a new environment and we will get through it with the peace God will give us. We just need to learn to put ALL of our trust in Him. He is our only protector and He will grant us the peace we need.  Please pray for peace and comfort during the night.

We are starting to look for other ways to minister to the people of Collique. We both love teaching the children but we also want to work more on Spiritual matters as well. After having to delay the class, M (our social worker) and I are getting prepared to start the mother’s Bible/social program for the mothers of our OSA students. I am really looking forward to this. We will be using many resources but also the MotherWise Bible study as a guide. Please pray that the Lord would have favor on this project.

Joshua is getting big! He is becoming more and more active. He does not like to be held to much any more these days. He falls a lot but he just shakes it off and gets back up continuing on. He seems to be a little man on a mission. He is loving all the attention he is getting. He has a nice size goose egg on his head from a fall he took but he is pretty durable (luckily). He has now said a couple of words “abba and mama”. I don’t think they mean anything to him yet but hopefully mama will soon. We are also working on papa or dada. We’ll see how long it takes him. He has also started clapping his hands. It is very cute.  We are working on waving but he doesn’t seem to think it is as important as clapping. He is very funny and has a very bright and big smile. As you can see he is also making quite a big mess for me to clean up. He loves opening drawers and in this case taking all the plastic containers and spices and putting them on the floor. He is pretty mischievous these days, although, he is not too happy when he accidentally crunches his fingers in the drawers. Ouch!

Well we hope that this blog finds everyone well and happy. Good night and God bless….

Practice makes perfect, right?

Here’s our Joshua working on walking, he prefers to walk these days! It will be soon, but when? It is such a fun journey to watch him. It has been a bumpy road, but he is still going strong. Enjoy!

Joshua getting around…

Earthquakes and peace???

We are sorry it has been a while since we last blogged. We have been pretty busy with our English classes that are now underway. Then our internet went down but now it is back, yeah! Well we had a pretty eventful weekend this past weekend. We had two earthquakes! At first, I did not mind them but now I have apparently changed my outlook. On Saturday, the 29th was our first at 1:40 a.m. Joshua had just woke me to eat not 15 mins. before so we were awake when it began. It was pretty weak, but we still ran to the safest room in the house. After it had stopped, we put Joshua back to bed quickly and went to bed ourselves. The next morning we were actually looking the first quake up on the internet to see where it originated and the whole building began shaking. We quickly grabbed Joshua and ran under the table. It was so loud and powerful. The windows and items on the tables were shaking. I held Joshua tight and Chris lead us in prayer until it stopped. The second earthquake originated off the coast of Lima. It was give or take 20 miles from us as the crow flies. It registered at 5.5 at 7:50 a.m.

We were literally and physically shook up. Chris is doing better but honestly I am not. I am very nervous. Anything I hear that is loud startles me, for example because we are on a hill when the big trucks come around they shake the ground and my stomach immediately get butterflies. I am constantly running escape plans through my head and noises that were once normal everyday life have become triggers (for lack of a better word) for my nervousness. I feel that if we would have had just one I would probably be just fine, but it seems to be difficult for me with this. You think you have a strong faith and then something happens that is just out of your control and you lose it. My prayer is that I would trust God through anything, even earthquakes. Thank you to those of you who have given us certain verses and psalms to read for encouragement. We really need this encouragement, especially when faced with new and exciting situations in our lives; whether good or bad. I have been praying that God would restore my sense of adventure and that he would deliver me through this trying time. Our neighbors are very sweet, one said to me just yesterday. Oh, we hardly ever have earthquakes. They just show up once in a while, there is nothing to worry about. Even though, he did not know it, his words really comforted me. Needless to say, I have become a very light sleeper since entering into mommyhood and now with earthquakes even more. Please pray for me that the Lord would bring me closer to him during this time of difficulty and that he would give me peace. We are blessed that the Lord left us behind his Word to comfort us and to guide us. This has been a saving grace for me. I cannot even imagine life with out it.

Difficult times

A week ago I was having a pretty rough time.  Our apartment was a mess with the books and materials we’ve collected to teach with, the personal and work computers were taking up table space and their cords were all over the floor, Joshua was demanding a lot of time, we had too many English students to know what to do with, and our patience was running out.  There was always something to clean or laundry to wash or invading insects to attend to.  I just didn’t feel like I was accomplishing anything.  Then we had our Tuesday morning devotional.

 

As I shared my frustrations and opened up about how we were struggling, one of our coworkers spoke up.  She said that before we came she felt alone.  There wasn’t anyone to share with about how God was working in her life.  She longed for another coworker with whom she could pray and talk openly about God.  She expressed heartfelt gratitude that we were here.  Even though we didn’t feel like we were completing physical tasks everyday, she made it clear that our presence and fellowship with her meant a great deal.  Then another coworker shared how her eyes were opened to a new way of reading the Bible.  She hadn’t paused before to look at the layers of God’s word and to discuss with others how to apply it to life.  She was grateful that we were here and willing to be a part of a devotional where she could learn in this way.  Jess and I made it clear that it wasn’t us that had brought about any change, but God’s work in all of our lives. 

 

Walking out of that room I felt reassured that we were answering God’s call in relation to being a part of the spiritual growth of our team.  Though Jessica and I have encountered our first speed bumps, we heard encouraging words at just the right moment last week. 

 

For the first time someone from the community came to us and shared their problems.  A lady who is the mother of an OSA student asked to talk with us one evening.  Due to the fact that Joshua wanted to give his opinion as well, we left Jessica to listen and lend a shoulder.  They experienced some heartfelt moments together.  It was a blessing to be able to be there for one of our neighbors.

 

We had our first English classes this week.  Seventy-four adults came to the planning meetings last week.  As with any course, some showed up on the first day of class, and some didn’t.  Plus we had a quite a few that heard about it through word of mouth (the best way to communicate in Collique) so they showed up as well.  Right now we’re teaching 3 different classes in order to accommodate everyone.  Hopefully we’ll be able to combine two of them so we don’t have such a late class on Tuesday and Thursday.  This is a student body we are not used to.  Some have never finished school; others are continuing their education after high school.  Each will have their own challenges, but we pray that we’ll have opportunities to develop relationships and share God’s word with them.  Already it has been a great way to learn the names of many.  We plan to use an easy translation of the Bible as a teaching text once we are at a level where we can read simple sentences. 

 

Please pray for Jessica and me as we continue to search for a church home.  It has taken its toll on our relationship with one another and with God not having a community of believers to worship and grow with.  Pray that we will continue to seek Him, no matter what struggles we encounter.  We need prayer for several friends that are going through difficult times with debt, children and work.  Pray for Senora A., for Senor W., and Senora C. 

Exciting week…

Well we have had an eventful week in regards to the earth this week. Late Monday night (10:30) Chris was reading in bed and Jess was in the living room, when it got really loud all of a sudden and the apartment started moving slightly. Yes, we felt our first tremor. Actually it was not as big as I am probably making it sound, but it was still pretty exciting. The sensation made my stomach jump. I LOVED IT! Earthquakes probably should not fascinate me that much, but they do. Of course, I have never had to deal with a strong one, that might change my mind later.

Later on this week it rained twice, or should I say sprinkled. Because we are in a desert, we will not get a lot of rain, maybe 4″ a year. The day after, Chris and I went to get bread early and ran into one of the neighbors. He said, “did you see how hard it rained last night?” We just laughed silently remembering the down pours in Houston that our friend has never even seen. I definitely don’t miss the downpours but I do miss the beautiful thunder and lightening storms.

Well it is official, Joshua is on the move. He is getting into a lot of trouble. As I was sweeping one morning, I had him in his walker (a safe zone you would think).  Well he decided it would be fun to see how the electrical outlets work. I caught him just before he was going to stick his finger into the socket! What a little boy we have. I frantically searched the house for the socket plugs we had bought. It is amazing how fast they can get into things in a blink of the eye, no? Our next project is hooks for the cupboards. He definitely does not like to stay in one place. You put him down and he is off and running, usually toward a surface that is higher so that he can use it to support himself as he attempts to stand all by himself. It is joy to watch him but he is definitely a handful!

We are having devotionals with our team twice a week and they are getting better and better. One of our coworkers that does not consider herself a Christian has really opened up. You can tell that the Lord is really using our times together to strengthen her faith. She shared that she has started turning more to the Word during times that are very troubling. She told us that she has walked away from the devotionals refreshed and reminded that God loves her and is with her. She is working on building her faith and I pray that during this journey she will truly find Jesus. I really look forward to nurturing a relationship in Christ with her. Since I have arrived we have become good friends and my prayer is that the Lord will use me to bring her closer to Him. I do not know what role I will play, but I praise Him for bringing me to her to share with her. I praise Him for this team. I can see how he is working through us all in different ways to bring her closer to Him. I just leave refreshed knowing that God works in such fascinating and joyful ways. Please pray for her.

Congreso Video

On February 28^th the students of OSA went on their first field trip. We all hopped into a ‘combi’ (a van used for public transport) and started for the Congreso Nacional del Perú. The ride was long, but we passed the time by singing children’s VBS songs. ‘Padre Abraham’ was one we recognized as well as ‘Yo Tengo Gozo.’ One young boy stood out as a song leader. He started each new song and sang loudly with joy so others could follow. It was great to see his love for the Lord and his desire to praise him with song.

At the Congreso Nacional the children had a chance to visit both houses of what was once a bicameral congress. There was a group of young soldiers also touring the congress and many news cameras throughout. We think some of the children were most interested though in the pigeon that had flown into the building. Here is a short video of a song you might recognize…

(You can click here to link to YouTube, or hold the mouse over to watch it)