Reflections on Peru

I'm sitting at one of my favorite places to journal, which happens to be the picnic table on the deck at my parents house. It feels kinda weird to call it that because I grew up here. But I guess I better get used to it not being my home anymore. I'm excited about what is ahead though.

As far as my time in Peru, it seems like only yesterday that i was packing up to head down there. But at the same time it seems like so much has happened since then, and much has happened. When I look back over our experience in Peru and wonder about a common theme throughout our time there, one sticks out vividly in my mind. The way I see it, the theme of the summer was God's provision.

It started with my passport problems at the beginning of the trip when I didn't know if I would even be able to go. But God provided two free flights the next day. It continued with the spiritual warfare that we faced upon arrival when many things seemed to be going wrong. But God's provision was again evident.

We saw God at work again when we faced relationship issues and personality conflicts within our team, but God provided patience and unity. Trouble again arose when Casey and I were robed and lost almost everything important that we carried. As we watched our valuables walking away we felt helpless and very weak. We didn't know why something like this would happen to us and we questioned ourselves on what we could have done differently. Could I have grabbed the gun?

But even as we were left with nothing and possibly no way to return home, God provided for us yet again. We both had new passports the next day and God provided a friend named Gabriel to help us through the process. Other friends helped us cancel our cards and calm our fears. Finally, a few of left Peru with severe swelling from many bug bites, but God provided again with his healing touch.

So now I sit here at home with a new passport, a new license (which I got today), a new check card, a phone on the way, and the reassurance that a friend from above has been and will continue to watch over me.

What a joy it was to serve Him and the people of Peru. Little did they know, but they were serving us as well. And now as I look ahead to what is coming I know that God will provide. I will hold loosely to the plans that I have made, because I know that God's plans are far greater. And I'm confident that He will find us a place to live and provide us with the strength to plan a wedding.

It's great to have someone who knows all our needs and just how and when to meet them. This summer has truly been an adventure, and may all the glory go to Him.

Until next time,

Kyle

Almost through

Almost through our last work week here at Hannah's. As many of you know, Kyle and I were robbed while shopping on Sunday afternoon. It was a really scary experience, but I am glad that we are ok. Makes me really homesick, so I'm so looking forward to our trip home.

Kyle and I both lost our cell phones, so if you are trying to get in touch with us once we return I'm not really sure how we'll be able to do that.

After Sunday, I have been feeling pretty nervous and a little bit scared being here. God is working on my heart, and trying to get me to trust him more. Here are some verses I read today:

I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121

One More Team!

It's Saturday night and for some reason I'm feeling kinda frustrated, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm just beginning to anticipate our return home in a little over a week or maybe I just had too much coffee to drink this afternoon. Probably the later. :-)

But it's been a great week with a fantastic team who got a great amount accomplished. I got the privilege of spending a whole day out in the community helping with their medical campaign which was a new and exiting experience for me. Although it was sad to see all of the basic medical and hygiene needs that the people of Chilca have, it was good to be a part of helping to meet them.

The new and final team this next week is from Pennsylvania so we're anticipating some great people. I really wan't to hit the orphanage hard this week. In a good way that is. :-) It would be really nice to get a good chunk of work done before we have to say goodbye.

The seven of us seem to be holding up pretty well, but with the imminent return home I think some of us are getting a little restless. It's tough because I really want to stay longer and see God continue to work here, but at the same time it's going to be so nice to be home again.

Thankfully God's got everything in his hands.

Until next time,

Kyle

Health Clinic

The other day, I went to a medical campaign in Chilca that Child Reach had organized. I've never been to something like that before. Medical attention and education is a great need in this place.

We were set up in a house connected to a school in town, where we had four nurses, two hired Peruvian doctors, and a Peruvian medical student. It seemed as if we were fairly well equipped, we even had different kinds of medicine to give away if it was prescribed by the doctor. We bought S/.500 worth of medicine at the pharmacy (about $200).


The house was full and everyone was so busy. Patients waited in line and watched as their friends and family were examined.

I was mostly sitting, taking everything in, and translating when I was needed. I was watching one nurse in particular. She was seeing a mother (the mother was fairly young, she couldn't have been older than 30) who brought her 3 year old son. She had already seen many doctors for his condition. The boy had a cataract completely covering his left eye. It was very pale and gray, and he couldn't see anything out of it. The mother said that every doctor she and seen in Peru said he would never see. All she wanted to know was if she took her son to the States, would he be able to see again (with the cataract surgery). I knew that any American eye surgeon could easily remove it and he would see. But I also knew it is nearly impossible to get in to the country for foreigners. I also knew the mother probably did not have money to pay for the medical bills or the trip.

The nurse told her she couldn't do anything for the boy. And his exam was over. The mother's next child was now being checked.

The boy, Sami, was standing on the ground, heckling his mom. So I picked him up and sat him on my lap. I put my hands in front of him and told him to pat my hands. He pressed both of his little, teeny hands on mine on mine and interlocked his fingers with mine. He was feeling the tops of my palms and pressing pretty hard for such a little one. It reminded me of how a blind person might feel someone's face.

I was holding him so tightly, and I snuggled his little head. I couldn't help buy think about how easily his condition could've been treated back home. Clearly, that would've been caught and treated. But not here. The resources weren't available to this momma.

Holding back my tears, I continued to play with Sami until it was time for him to go. I said a little prayer for him in my head, and said "ciao".

Then the line continued, people with coughs, rashes, pain, lots of snot...

Dos semanas mas

In two weeks we'll be coming back from Cusco and getting ready to hop on a plane to the States.

Things at the orphanage are going well and we're making a lot of progress. This week I've traded my plumber hat in and picked up an electrician one. Yesterday I spent all day installing outlets in all of the rooms. Hopefully I didn't cross any wires. :-)

Today we did mostly framing for the ceilings in the lower rooms.

Last weekend we spent Saturday in the nearby fishing town Pucusana where we got treated to a boat ride by one of the locals. On our one hour trip saw so much cool stuff. There were dozens of sea lions laying on rocks along the shore below high cliffs. We also say some absolutely gorgeous homes along the coast.

Can't wait to see whats left.

Until next time.

Kyle

Before I forget...

So before I forget to write about this...On Wednesday, the SVPs went with Tony Kay to Lima to visit a part of town called Gamarra. Not to be confused with Gomorrah...:)

Gamarra is the area of Lima where there are many textile factories. Because of this, people there have hundreds of little shops and there are tons of buildings full of little shops up to four stories tall. I think it was the biggest crowd I've been in since I've been here. Basically picture a little less crowded than outside of Beaver Stadium on a football Saturday. We ate lunch in a little food court (did you know that they have Pizza Hut, KFC, and China Wok here?) That is where Tony Kay had a very interesting idea...we were each given 10 soles (about $3.50), and whoever could buy the best thing with their money would win! Well, you can only imagine what is available for that much money...I ended up with a little rhinestone ring, while Kyle and Blake acquired very racy men's underwear...Oy. Haha. I didn't take any pictures because I was told that Gamarra is a very dangerous place to be pick-pocketed. And I could see why, with how crowded it was. It is very hard to describe what it was like.

Today, we helped Silvia make a big Peruvian lunch for the Peruvian guys that work on the orphanage. We made three big dishes. One was chaufa, a pretty common thing down here. Another was called "papas rellenas" and they were mashed potatoes filled with ground beef, raisins, chopped hard boiled eggs and onions and shaped into little packets and then fried. Soo GOOD! I will definitely be trying this recipe at home....get ready family! :) We also made sweet and sour pork with hard boiled quail eggs in it! HA! It was so delicious, and I think the workers really enjoyed it. They are such great guys, and we love working with them every day.

Tomorrow we are going for a boat ride in a nearby town (Pucusana). Hopefully we get to fish a little, too! I'll take more pictures of that.

Pictures from our hike

New Schedules

Hanging out at Hannah's today, the team has gone down to Canete for the day and won't be back until tonight. The weather has been quite chilly here, and the past few mornings have been very misty and damp. It's hard to get all our laundry dry in these conditions!

The other day as we were waiting in the van outside of our apartment, a older man stopped and started a conversation with us...in English! We were so surprised, but also excited to know more about the man and his life! It was our neighbor, Carlos, an OB/GYN who had been working in Missouri for about 20 years. He and his wife, Flor are building their retirement home in Las Salinas so they can live next door to our landlady, Manuela, who is also Flor's aunt. Carlos invited us to have dinner with them, and on Tuesday we drove out to Pucusana to have a delicious Peruvian meal together. We learned that in his lifetime, Carlos had delivered 11,382 babies! Crazy! They are such nice people, and it is comforting to know someone else nearby who is helpful and speaks English.

Next week is going to be an off week for us, as the team that was scheduled to come has cancelled. Not quite sure what we are going to be doing, but Dave said that we could have a couple days off to just relax and rest. We definitely need a rest. With teams always being here it is sometimes difficult to leave the worksite on time, and by the time we get dinner, it is about 7, and then we don't get to bed until 10. Then it is up at 6 am the next day. Maybe I'm just a baby, but that seems like a lot of working and not a lot of time to refresh! So it will be a welcome break.

It is so hard to believe that our time is running short here! We only have three and a half weeks left in Peru! I need to start buying some souvenirs!!!! :) I hope that these next few weeks are really full of learning and God moments. I don't want to waste any time while we are here!

And some good news, I think we are going to get to travel to Machu Picchu for a few days at the end of our trip! We are all so excited and hoping that it works out. I love seeing different parts of the world and especially adding to my knowledge of cultures and also my photo collection! :)

Kyle isn't feeling that great today, looks like he has a small fever and stomach ache. Don't worry, LuAnn, I'll make him drink lots of fluids and keep an eye on him :) I hope he gets better before dinner time, because our Peruvian friend, Silvia, is making us a delicious meal of lomo saltado for dinner at our apartment!! Can't wait!

climbing mountains and clearing rubble

Today we have exactly six weeks which means we have four weeks left in our Peruvian adventure. Though I miss home from time to time, I'm in not rush to return to the states. We've experienced so much so far and I'm sure there is much more in store.

I spent the day leading a team of 5 people to a nearby plot of land where we cleared some ruble to make way for a new community center. It was great to get beyond the four walls that enclose our property and make a direct impact in the community. I even got the chance to use what little Spanish I know to strike up a conversation with a local lady who was working with us.

By the end of the day we had cleaned up many wheelbarrows full of rubble, but I believe our impact there was much deeper. Our work was a testament to the fact that we are here not just to build an orphanage, but to help in the process of changing an entire community.

On a different note, on Saturday our team enjoyed a three hour hike to the top of a nearby mountain. We had a spectacular views of our entire little town on on side of the mountain and the expansive pacific ocean on the other side. We were told that we would find some ancient Incan ruins at the top, but we found nothing but a rock wall that didn't look very ancient. But it was still a great time and we had a blast.

I feel like our team of summer volunteers is really starting to bond well together. We seem to be working better together and supporting each other more every day. Even still, we pray for unity every day and that God would use us together to continue to make an impact here.

Until next time,

Kyle

Missions

I've been wrestling with something for the last few weeks. The SVPs have been reading a book together called "Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers." The last chapter that we read talked about having a vision for what we are doing, and it said that we need to be careful not to become so wrapped up in accomplishing our vision that we lose sight of what God has planned, what His vision is. I've been wondering if Americans are so caught up in helping the poor, in giving to them, that they lose sight of what is actually beneficial for the poor.

I don't think I would have ever thought like this before spending this much time in a third world country hosting mission teams each week from the States. I believe that building an orphanage and providing a place where Peruvians can help one another in community by supporting young, abandoned mothers and abandoned children are amazing works that we are called by God to do. But what impact do one week mission teams have on the community? What is the effect when American teams bring down suitcases full of clothes to give away, crafts and candy, and when they pick up all the trash in the streets?

More and more I am beginning to think that after these things happen over and over, the communities will begin to rely on teams to come down, pick up the mess, and bring them lots of stuff to keep. I don't know if it actually helps kids to go in to schools and interrupt classes or educational activities to play games or do a vacation Bible school program. Doesn't that just create inconsistency for them?

My view is that short term mission trips have a much greater effect on the teams that come than on the community around us. I am torn about whether or not it is the right thing to do...but I can't deny the fact that many people become full time missionaries after going on a short term trip. So, I am wrestling with this...

And now I have to go shower because I've taken so long to write this! Ha, but I am learning so much here.

Mas Ollas!

A little story from today...I had to go with our cook to pick up some Peruvian women who work at the local soup kitchen. They were coming because they are teaching our cook how to make "chaufa" a Chinese/Peruvian dish. So, we hop on one of the motos to go pick them up, and when we get there, they have this HUGE pot to bring with them. This was seriously the big momma of all pots! So FIVE of us squished in to this tiny moto taxi and zipped all the way back to Hannah's Home on the bumpy dirt roads. What an adventure! I could hardly keep from laughing at our silly situation, but as I listened to the Spanish music coming from the speakers in the moto, I thought that this would only happen in Peru!

And now the ladies are in the kitchen teaching the cook how to cook chaufa, and I am upstairs writing this blog and probably should be helping :)

I have not fallen off the face of the earth...

It's lunchtime here in Peru. And I have 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches waiting for me! Yay! Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I've been busy, and last week was especially difficult in many ways. But it was a good week.

Last week we went out to soup kitchens for the first time. Not like they needed our help! All of the women there were so fast and efficient at what they did! They cook outside where there are dirt floors, and their gas stove sits on top of it. Usually, they would make some kind of chicken soup, rice, beans, or pasta. People can come there are pay about 80 centimos for a big meal, much cheaper than if they would make it themselves. It is possible to do that because the government subsidizes soup kitchens in every community and they can offer food at a low price. People bring all pots and containers of all shapes and sizes to have them filled with hot food for the day. That is why there are so many colorful bags.

This week is unique. We have a football team here from Blue Springs, Missouri, and a church from Fredericksburg, Virginia (the Peterson's home church). This team is full of people from all different spiritual places. Some are not Christians, some are. I am not entirely sure what brought the football team here, I think their coach much be a Christian and has come to Peru before. I am interested to see how this week will play out, and we have been praying for salvation again. I am hoping that they will be changed and impacted this week by what they see and hear.

On another note, it has been fun hanging out with the Ni River church, and I am enjoying getting to know all new people again. We went to a "pronoi" today, which is basically a preschool. We did a mini VBS, did face painting and tatoos, had a little snack, and then we were off! They were soooooo cute!! The children were about 3-5 years old.

Yesterday, (sorry this is out of order) Ansley and Karina were so sick. We think they may have gotten sick from some lettuce they ate on Sunday night, but it is hard to be sure. Anyway, they were throwing up pretty much all day. :( Not a fun time for them, I'm sure. The three of us went back to our apartment early (I went because somebody had to be able to stay away from the toilet!), and Manuela was home as well. She is so sweet. She immediately began to prepare some special tea for the sick girls (who at this moment were on our patio barfing into some buckets simultaneously). When they were laying in their beds, Manuela came in and served tea to each one of us. Then, she took out some herbal oil and told us that it would help. So she put some on Karina's neck, face, and stomach...made Ansley do the same...and then made me do it, just in case! I could hardly keep myself from laughing and she spread the oil under my nose. Here I was, in the middle of Peru, with two sick friends, and a Peruvian grandmother spreading oil on my face. Haha! It smelled really good though, and made me really sleepy!

Thankfully, the girls are doing much better today and have started to drink some liquids and eat a little. Hopefully this passes quickly.

Not much else to report here...every time I go to blog I get blog shy or something! So I am probably forgetting something...sorry! Off to eat my sandwiches!

Journal Entry

Halfway through another week.

A journal entry from a few days ago:

As usual it's been a very long time since my last journal entry. But much has happened since then including graduation from college and a move to a new country. So today I'm sitting here at our little round table on the patio of our little apartment in Las Salinas, Peru. I'm sipping a cup of coffee that will probably do more for my intestinal regularity than my taste buds, but it's hot and good all the same.

Tuesday will mark four weeks that we've been down here which kind of baffles my mind when I think about it. They say time moves slower in South America but that doesn't seem to be the case for us. So I guess the question that begs to be answered is; What have I learned so far from being here?

The answer to that question is something that I'm wrestling with this morning. Is it bad that half a dozen things didn't pop into my mind right away? I guess if I really gave it some though I could come up with a few things that God has taught me about my life and the way I walk through it.

I should start with the lesson that hit me even before we stepped foot on the plane. For someone who likes to have things in order and ready to go and often takes pride in his ability to do so, forgetting my passport was quite a lesson in humility. It was also a reminder from God that he holds all things in his hands even when we screw up or fail. He got us down here a day later without any trouble at all. It was almost like he was saying, “Remember, you can’t do this thing on your own or by your own strength.”

So what else? What else have I learned here? Well I guess I’ve learned quite a few lessons in flexibility over the last few weeks. In everything from living with eight different people in close quarters to dealing with mistakes and confusion on the construction site, flexibility has certainly been the name of the game here. It’s funny how even though I know that in order to be a servant I need to be able to lay down my own wants, desires and preferences for the sake of those of others, I still find myself holding onto them with an iron fist. For some reason I can’t just tell myself, “Don’t care about yourself so much!”

Which takes me to my third lesson, which is finding an unselfish, servant-like love for others starts by finding the same thing with God. I’m convinced that the only way I can truly love others by pulling down the walls of selfishness and pride is by letting God’s love dwell in me. I need to give him control of everything and not try to manage parts of my life on the side. I need to wake up every morning by finding my joy and hope in his love and salvation.

So I guess God is teaching me a few things here and in fact there are many others that I haven’t listed. As usual He’s been faithful and he has heard my prayers and cries for help. It makes me wonder what other lessons he’ll send my way in the weeks to come.

Salvation

It's Saturday evening and for the first time I'm missing home a lot. I think it's mostly because we're missing our annual family weekend at Spruce Lake which has always been a highlight of the year.

I'm sure they are probably making dinner around the camp fire as I write this. My dry eyes are tearing up just thinking about it. :-( I wish I could be there.

But I wouldn't trade our experience down here for anything else and this week especially.

Last night with 40 people sitting around a bonfire we heard testimonies from the group about what God was doing in their lives. It was great to see everyone share from their heart, but two of the testimonies hit close to my heart.

The first came from a lady named Carolyn. I found out earlier in the week that she has been married for 18 years with no children and just recently had a hysterectomy because of medical problems. I could sense that she wanted so much to have a child of her own but didn't really know what to tell her. So I simply encouraged her by telling her that she is kind of like a parent with no children in a place where there are many children without parents. Around the bonfire I found out that those words meant more to her than I realized.

The second came from my friend Neill. I had worked with him almost all week doing plumbing so I got to know him better than some of the others. He shared that before the trip he had been feeling very weighed down by life, but on Wednesday night he gave his life to Christ.

I had prayed on Wednesday morning for salvation for those among the group and I guess God heard me. :-)

A day of rest tomorrow is much needed.

Until next time.

Kyle

Playing with Scissors

God has given us so many blessings this week, especially today. First of all, there is a hair-stylist on the team. Which is AWESOME because Kyle's hair really needed to be cut, and I needed a professional lesson! So, after spending the morning at Hogar de Ninos playing with the kids and watching the team practice their marching for a parade tomorrow, I watched her cut a few of the kids hair from across the street. Then, she offered to teach me how to cut Kyle's hair! So she cut one side, and I cut the other with her guidance. It looks SO much better! Now I think I will be able to cut Kyle's hair and it won't look like he got hit by a lawn mower :) So excited!

On another note, one of the team members is a pediatrician...so, I asked her to take a quick look at my clogged up ear. She cleaned it out a little with some cutips and then put some medicine drops in it. Hopefully, once the medicine is evaporated, my ear will be clear again! Maybe I will actually be able to hear again?!?

So, the Lord has answered my prayers for a nurse or doctor to be on this trip...now I might be able to hear people the first time, and not feel like I'm under water. I'll be able to enjoy it here so much more! Wahoo!!! :)

AND get THIS....while making dinner the other night (Monday), I had marinated chicken breasts in Italian dressing ALL day. And I wanted to bake it in a glass baking dish that we had been using. After it had been in the oven for a while, Ansley and I heard this loud crack! The flames on the burners went crazy, so I rushed to turn everything off. Next, I opened up the oven, and inside, I found our glass dish, separated and cracked into many pieces with all of the chicken inside :( It was so weird. Shouldn't a glass baking dish be able to be in the oven at high temperatures?! Anyway, we ate the chicken anyway and we are still alive. Well, I didn't eat it because I was scared...But I heard that it was still good! Ha. Hopefully that never happens again.

Eating pizza for dinner tonight with the rest of the Child Reach leadership people...I'm guessing it could be a late night. We also were invited to eat dinner with the team tomorrow and Friday night! So we won't have to cook for a few days :) Yay!

Grubs and We got some peanut butter!!

Tried to post this yesterday, but it didn't work...so here it is...

Hellooo...so today was our first day working with the team. It was really great, probably one of the best days so far. It is really comforting to be around people of all ages, old and young. It's a huge team, about 40 people. So there are plenty of peeps to go around.

Karina and I had the task this morning to walk over to Hogar de Ninos, the orphanage across the street, to be teaching assistants. When we got there, we found out that we were actually going to be the teachers because their normal teacher didn't show up! Yikes! I was really nervous to teach a first grade class in Spanish, and it was definitely a challenge. The kids were extremely hyper and would not really listen to anything that we asked them to do. A couple of them were kind of beating each other up, and we had to pull them apart. Eeek. But we made it through, teaching them a few English words. I had to leave Karina with the young kids by herself while I went upstairs to help with the older, 5th graders (I think they were fifth grade?!). But the older kids were so good.

Later, I went back in the afternoon to help the kids with their homework. I think that this has been my favorite thing I've done so far. The kids we helped are the orphans who live at Hogar de Ninos full time. I helped Jose, a sixth grader, to translate a short English story into Spanish and then answer questions about it. I really, really hope I can help him more and more this summer, I would love to help him improve. The children who live there are always so happy to see people, and just love to be with you right away. I can't wait to go back and get to know them! I really hope I can.

On another note, I saw the HUGEST caterpillar I've ever seen in my life. It reminded me of something out of the Lion King! Hakuna Matata! :) See above picture.

Also, we finally got our new supply of peanut butter!! It is ridiculously expensive here, about $6-7. More than I want to pay for two cups of of PB. So I am so happy to have a fresh supply! Yay!

That's all for now, I'll see if I can get my caterpillar picture uploaded!

Spidey

Last night I saw the scariest spider I've ever seen in my life. I will post a picture of it soon. We spent about an hour trying to figure out what kind of spider it was, but with no luck :( I want it to die, but I am afraid it will get me. We found it underneath the deck at Hannah's. Yikes!

Today was spent in Lima going to church then eating "chifa" (Chinese food) for lunch. What a feast! It was quite delicious. Spent the rest of the day hanging out at Jim and Tony Kay Shutz's apartment. They are the directors of ChildReach here in Peru, Dave's bosses. They have been living here for two months. We had a long time of debrief and sharing of testimonies. I was really touched by hearing the Shutz's testimony of why they came down here and how they got here.

Otherwise, I am feeling extremely tired after a looooong week. Hopefully this
week involves a little more rest, but we'll certainly be busy with the team here.

Keep us in your prayers.

Donut Dreams Can Come True

Well it's Saturday night and we've got a break in the action so I'll write a quick blog.

After a sunny scorcher yesterday, today we've had a gray and dreary day. This morning Blake and I finished up the plumbing for the three new bedrooms that are now finished. They look great and I'm sure some kids will have a lot of fun living in them someday. Heck, I would live in them. :-)

All of us have been feeling pretty tired and worn down, but our day was brightened by a surprise from Dave. After lunch he pulled out 2 big boxes of donuts from Dunkin Donuts. I think Karina almost cried with joy. :-) But I think everybody was happy to have a little taste from the States. The funniest part is that yesterday Casey had told us that she had been dreaming about donuts.

Tonight we'll be making some final preparations for the first team that is arriving tonight around midnight. 35 people! We're really excited to see how the first week goes.

~peace~

Crunch time

Teams arrive tomorrow. Yikes. We are scurrying around here to completely finish up two upstairs rooms in the orphanage so that the Petersons (the missionary family that lives here) have a place to sleep during team season! Things are coming along, but we had a pretty late night yesterday. Tonight we can relax, so I am looking forward to that. Dave is headed to a wedding tonight for one of the Peruvian workers who is normally here, so my guess is that he will be up all night working. Double yikes! He is definitely a hard worker.

We've been having a conglomeration of food to eat down here...tonight we are having salad, rice, and eggs. Yesterday was a little more normal; we had chicken stir-fry. One of my favorites, but I put my sweat and blood into it!! I had to cut up a whole chicken, which I have only done once before. So that took me a verrrrry long time! I think it turned out ok, but next time I am definitely buying pre-packaged chicken breast! In the open markets, they only sell chickens whole...and I mean WHOLE...well, minus feathers, that is! :) But it turned out well! Good to have a little comfort food. Actually, my real comfort food is macaroni and cheese with applesauce...but I digress :)

Looks like Karina and I will also have the opportunity to work with the school/orphanage across the street. Teams will probably be going over to help them with homework, play, or be classroom assistants. I am really looking forward to it, and hopefully it is something fun to do!

Sorry for not posting more pictures! I will work on taking more...like of the apartment, the property at Hannah's, etc...So more to come!

Settlers

This week is has been very busy. We are putting together bunk beds, painting, cleaning rooms, and trying our best to get ready for the team that is coming this Saturday. However...we have managed to find time to play many rounds of Settlers of Catan in the evenings! I have yet to win a game!!! Oy.

It looks like we are going to have to spend a few late nights here at Hannah's so we can get everything done. Might be a rough week, but we'll try to get through it. It seems like it's been a little uneventful here lately. With teams coming, I'm sure it will pick up the pace!! I am looking forward to meeting the teams and getting to know them, but I'm a little nervous that I'm not ready to lead anybody! I guess that just gets better with time.

This week we are also starting to read a couple of books as a group. One is called "Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers" and the other one is called "Unexpected News". I'm not sure what the first one is about, but Unexpected News is about looking at the Bible through third world eyes. I think that they will both be very interesting to read as we live in a third world country.

It is kind of crazy to me how people live here. I don't think that I could live that way forever. For example, there are no grocery stores nearby, except in Lima. Everything is only sold at the local open market, and it closes late afternoon. No peanut butter to be found here either. Not too many people have cars, so a lot of them take the bus or ride in a "moto" (I think I explained those in an earlier blog??). I don't know how to explain it...but it makes me miss home and realize how fortunate we all are in the States. We have the convenience to run down to Wal-Mart (even though I hate Wal-Mart...) to grab whatever food that we need or whatever else. We all have access to a car to get around and visit friends who are far away or go wherever. We can take a hot shower every day and have homes with finished floors instead of dirt. We have photo identification...some people who have come from the mountains here can't own property or get a job without ID, and they can't get ID because their papers are back in their hometown, and they can't afford to go back or it is much to difficult to get there. So it is a recurring cycle of disparity in many cases. I haven't traveled the world a whole lot, but after being in several different places (Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Portugal, and now Peru) I realize how extremely privileged we are to even live in the United States. In my opinion, the States are the nicest place to live in the world. Of course, I'm probably biased because I'm from there...but I still think it's so nice. Even in the some of the worst places in any city you can think of you can see that in America we are blessed.

Ok, I think I have rambled enough. Not sure what is for dinner tonight...hodge podge of things maybe?? I'm thinking sweet potato fries :)

Weird ear

So, I suppose this day could be described as the day of the weird ear. Got water in my ear yesterday and have felt like I've been underwater ever since! Oy. So hopefully it gets better soon! More painting today and trying to help the dog (Max) get off the second floor where he got stuck. Lemon butter pasta for dinner tonight after we head to the market to pick up a few things.

Just want to say to keep sending me messages or comment on our blog! We are always looking for some connection to home :) If you're feeling really adventurous, you can text me short, one line messages so I can read them without opening them. That way they don't count against my text messages (I only have about 50 per month down here, so I have to conserve!). That's all! Time to go! <3

Oh! and more pictures to come soon...

The tomato that wasn't a tomato...

It's been a long time since I've last blogged, but don't worry, we've been busy.

Today our team has been busy working on the orphanage project. Some are painting while while others are roofing. I've been doing a little of everything and Mom I've even spent a few days learning how do be a plumber. :-) Our goal is to have three rooms completed by the end of the week so we can use them for the teams that will be coming down throughout the summer.

Last week we saw the ACF team off on Tuesday night with a trip to Lima. For dinner we were treated to the Peruvian favorite of pollo a la brasa (chicken and French fries).

Later in the week our group of 8 moved into our new apartment which is nice and cozy with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We all like though and we've been playing settlers around the dinner table almost every night.

This weekend we had a relax day when we checked out the beach. The water was pretty cold, but if we get a warm day we might take a quick dip. Speaking of the weather, we've had a couple really nice days of sunshine which have been great.

Yesterday we spent another day in Lima where we went to church, got some lunch and hit up a Peruvian market. At lunch we got to try ceviche which is raw fish soaked in lemon juice until the acid cooks it. It is served cold with red onion, a sweet potato and corn. As you can imagine, the texture took a little while to get used to but it tasted fine. I also had quite an adventure with an extremely hot pepper that I thought was a tomato... I'm sure you can imagine. :-) Our Peruvian friend Mariano just laughed when he found out that I had eaten it. My mouthed cooled down after about 20 minutes. Overall though I've really enjoyed getting to experience the Peruvian food so far.

Until next time...

Apartment

Yesterday we moved into our apartment in Las Salinas! Yay! Ansley, Karina, and I did a lot of grocery shopping, too. Of course, I was in my glory grocery shopping! I LOVE IT! We buy a lot of our food from the local markets, which are all open air. You have to tell each vendor what you want and then they get it for you. So cool. We also got to check out a big supermarket called Tottus. It is very much like a Wal-Mart or Wegman's. Although, in Peru, they don't have as much of a selection of products. For example, most every cereal they have is sugary stuff with marshmallows. We bought Raisin Bran and Corn Flakes...:) Yay for fiber!!

Our landlady is pretty much the cutest thing ever. Her name is Manuela, and she is an older lady who would probably do anything for you. She is really nice. She introduced us to the milk lady, the fish man, and the lady who will be picking up our milk for us yesterday. We are going to have fresh milk delivered to us every day! Dave knows how to pasteurize it because he grew up on a dairy farm. I can't wait to try it! We'll also have fresh cream, too! Woop! I don't know about the fish man...maybe we'll get some fresh fish delivered, but it comes whole. Not sure any of us actually know how to clean and gut a whole fish! Ewww..... Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting to know Manuela.

Last night we were all pooped out and went to bed at 9:30. I have to say that I've been extremely tired after this week, 6 a.m. is an early morning for me! Hopefully we will have some time to relax a little now that there isn't a team here. I'll try to put up more pictures, but the internet is a little bit slow so it takes a long time. Hasta luego!

Saying Goodbye to ACF

When I woke up this morning, I realized that today is probably the real beginning of our summer here in Peru. The ACF team cleaned up the rooms and kitchen, and everyone packed up their suitcases to leave. It is going to be weird without so many of my friends around anymore, but I think it was a good adjustment to be with them for the first week.

Today was spent hanging out in Pucusana, a fishing town about 30 minutes away from Chilca. We ate lunch there, a typical Peruvian dish that I can't remember the name of. It was a cute little town, and there was a sweet little cove where the waves crashed in. It reminded me of Splash Mountain!!

Then, we headed up to Lima to check out a small cathedral where we saw the grave of Francisco Pizarro. It was interesting how positively they described him, because everything I can remember about him was that he was a very evil person. Weird. We also went to the Indian Market where they sell all kinds of touristy fun Peruvian stuff that I definitely plan on buying!! I want an alpaca blanket :) Kyle and I decided to take a walk around the area to find Starbucks and got a little lost in Lima. Oops! But we eventually found it! I guess I need to work on my Spanish a little more so I can understand directions!

Now we have some free days to move to the apartment and get settled a little. Also, we need to do some serious laundry! :) Thankfully, I brought too many clothes, so I have plenty left! Haha.

Feel free to send us some e-mails and FB messages! I always look forward to those! Keep us in your prayers as well.

Love!

Lima

Hola amigos! Today was a great day of rest as our team ventured into Lima for the first time to attend church and do a little touring. We will be going to a church called Camina de Vida pretty much every week. It is a HUUGE church, way bigger than ACF or any other church I've been to. But it was really awesome. The picture above is of their "stage," where the worship team was. The worship was great, and the church is very modern. I am looking forward to going there each week and becoming a part of it while we are here.

After that we toured a little bit in Lima where we went to a mall in Mira Flores, one of the nicer parts of town. The mall was carved right out of the cliffs and it overlooked the Pacific Ocean. By the way, we got to head down to the beach as well and I saw the Pacific up close for the first time! Woo! But it is definitely NOT beach weather! Today was chilly and misty.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at Lauren McNally's house in Magdalena (another part of Lima). She is an ACF alum and is now living and teaching in Lima at an American/International school.

On another note, I attempted to use my hair dryer and flat iron today and both failed. Boo. I guess I'll just have to get used to the curly look again, like when I was in Spain. Oh well! It takes less time to do that anyway.

Off to bed I go! Getting up at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Night night!

Parakeets

After 4 days in Papa Leon (that's the neighborhood we are living in here) I definitely feel like we are already seeing how God is moving is amazing ways. Just so many things have come together and are happening that can only be from Him.

Yesterday I went to the local school with a few of the ACF team members. We got to speak in front of the 10th and 11th graders, and a couple of people shared their testimonies. At first, the 11th graders only asked questions (to Jordan Bryan, one of the ACFers) asking if he had a girlfriend and how old he was. But it was the tenth grade class that was especially interesting. The students were asking us really deep questions like: Why did you decide to follow Jesus? Why didn't you follow Jesus before? How do you get in to God? What does God mean to you and what would you do for him? The questions were hard, but somehow the Lord was guiding our every word. Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to get to know the older kids as the summer progresses.

Hogar de Hannah (that's the place we are staying and where the orphanage is) has been partnering a little bit with our neighbors, Mario and Gisela, who are both from South America and call themselves missionaries. They both are trying very hard to make relationships and connections in the area and share the gospel with everyone, and that is why we were at the school.

Today, Kyle, Karina, and I visited the apartment we are going to move in to next week. Our land-lady is an older woman named Manuela, and I have a feeling that we will be getting to know her fairly well. She was such a nice woman, and she kind of reminds me of a grandma who always wants to feed you, haha :) She also keeps a couple little gardens on her property that really spruce it up and make it nice. If you don't already know, most every home in Peru is surrounded by a big wall that separates it from the neighbors and hides the home from being seen from the streets. Behind the main part of her home is where our living space will be. It is all open-air, and pretty small, but it is so cute. I think that we will be quite comfortable there, and I can't wait to get to know her better and to move in!

The weather here is pretty weird. Usually, it is pretty overcast and about 65-70 degrees. However, when the sun does come out, it is pretty hot unless you're in the shade, maybe about 80-85 degrees. Yesterday it was hot like that. Today, it was about 65 and misty/cloudy. So weird. I guess that Peru only gets about 1/4 in of rain per year!! Wild! But I really like how the weather is, because I prefer to take off a layer than just be unbearably hot. So the weather is great!

I am just loving it here so far, and I probably shouldn't do this, but I keep comparing it to the Spanish culture. But they aren't really alike. People here are just so much poorer than those in Spain, and it is pretty evident when we go to the market or walk through the streets. There are dogs everywhere (dogs here are pretty much as abundant as squirrels at PSU!), and most of the streets are dirt roads. In Chilca, the town we are closest to, there are no supermarkets. The only places to buy food are open air markets where the fresh fruit, meat, eggs, and anything else imaginable is all out to be sold. Flies congregate among everything and sometimes I feel a little bit disgusted by it, but I know that it is how they live every day and that it will be ok. So we buy the food and eat it anyway! Ha. One of the funniest things I saw was a bakery with an oven that didn't work, so they used it for storing plastic bags and to put their pet parakeets on top of. A little bit disgusting, but oh well! We ate the bread anyway, and it was fine.

My Spanish speaking abilities are definitely being challenged, but I think that they will improve as time goes on. I can understand most of what people say, but I have trouble when I try to talk myself.

Kyle and I are having a great time being here and having many new and exciting experiences. Please keep us in your prayers!

Much love.

First Saturday

This is our first a Saturday (sabado) and it's hard to believe that we've been here for the good part of a week already. It's so good to be back down here and the many of the memories from my first trip have come back to me over the last few days.

Much has changed, however, since my last trip and it's exciting to see all the things that God is doing down here in many, many ways. The orphanage project is coming along very well and we're hoping to have some finished rooms withing the next week or so. Theses rooms will then be used to house some of the staff throughout the summer.

Yesterday part of the team spent some time sharing testimonies with a group of high school students from the community. Today we've invited them over to play some volleyball and soccer in the backyard, which should be a lot of fun.

Though the landscape is mostly dirt and mud, I can't get over how beautiful the country is. From the roof of the orphanage there is a clear view of the gorgeous mountains to the east. The people here are beautiful as well and their strength and joy is very evident.

Yesterday I had a quick lesson in plumbing and today I'll be helping to finish up the showers and sinks for the rooms we need to finish in the orphanage. So far everyday has brought something new and exciting, and this morning we got much needed time to sleep in.

Breakfast is calling my name. :-)

Peru...

Hello all!

Just want to let you know that we are safe in Peru, and that God is really doing amazing things already! And it's only been 3 days! I can't wait to see what else is in store. For now, I am exhausted from some very long days and look forward to having a more relaxing day tomorrow as we are playing volleyball and soccer with some locals and hanging out with Lauren McNally and some of her friends who are teachers.

Goodnight!

Dios les bendiga! :)

Off to a rough start...

Well, it's Tuesday and Kyle and I are still in Newark, NJ. In an unexpected turn of events, Kyle's passport was left at our hotel in State College after the flurry of graduations that we attended this weekend. And we didn't even realize it until we were in line to check in at the Newark airport! With Kyle's ID 4 hours away, it was impossible for him to fly out yesterday, so we both stayed behind to fly out today. Praise the Lord that we didn't have to pay any fees to change our flights!! The Continental staff was very accommodating and helpful. We were rebooked to fly out today at 2:35 p.m. and will arrive in Lima at 9:30 p.m. (Peru is in our same time zone).

So, yesterday involved some very stressful moments, but in the end, all was well. We hung out in Newark for the rest of the day....not something I would ever choose to do again (Newark is really scary!!). But it was really cool to see the NYC skyline from the highway. I guess we'll have to just come back to tour NYC in August!! ;) Anyway, Kyle's passport arrived this morning at 7:30 and now we can head out and begin the adventure with the rest of our team!

Please keep us in your prayers as well as the rest of our team who is already safely in Peru.

Counting down...

So we are less than a week away from our trip to Peru! And it seems like there is so much yet to be done. We're working on packing up all of our stuff that we just moved home from State College. Talk about disorganization! Ha! Hopefully I don't go nuts trying to remember everything I need. I've made a bunch of lists, but those are only helpful if I remember to put everything on them!

Anyway, off to shop for veils today with my sisters :)

Keep us in your prayers especially this week as we travel and as the ACF team prepares to come down as well!

Preparation!

First of all, many, many thanks to those of you who contributed to our trip financially! You have made it possible for us to make a difference in the lives of so many people in the name of Jesus Christ. PTL!

And so the countdown begins...we leave for Peru in less than two weeks! It's hard to believe that we'll be in South American for 2 1/2 months. And not only that, but we've been planning our wedding as well! But the Lord has a plan for all of this, and he will work all these things together for our good. Here are some details on our trip that we know...
Our SVP (Summer Volunteer Program) team consists of 7 awesome people, who are listed at the end of this post.

We are leaving from Newark, NJ, on Monday, May 17th. Arriving in Lima, Peru, that night, we will begin the journey down to Chilca with the short term ACF team (that's our college church).

From there, we will be staying at Hannah's Home for the first ten days while we get accustomed to our surroundings and our duties. While Kyle will be focusing more on the completion and construction of the orphanage, I will be working more with Vacation Bible School.

That's all for now, since we're busy moving out of our housing in State College and preparing for what is to come. Please keep each of us in your prayers throughout this summer.

Some specific prayer requests...

• Safety in our travels and in Peru
• Jesus Christ would be glorified through us
• Peace among our teammates
• Anxiousness to be gone
• No lost luggage!
• And an AWESOME trip for everyone!!!

More to come! :)