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.
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