Sunday, December 11, 2011
Please pray for Seth & our family
Seth, who is almost five, was diagnosed just this week with juvenile
diabetes. Please pray for him and us. Read more in the PDF letter below.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Sightings
Although we can find some of the same foods here that we're used to in the USA, there are many that are very different. You can certainly find Coke, but Peruvians also enjoy their own unique brand of soda, IncaKola, which all of the kids LOVE, but I think tastes like bubble gum toothpaste ;-). Peruvians also enjoy a kind of sauce that is made from a rocoto pepper, which is super spicy! It is used on just about everything, psrticularly starchy foods, which they eat a lot of - especially rice and potatoes. Scott uses it a lot, and the older boys have been working on their tolerance level and are getting to like it too. It's always a competition!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sightings
Here is a Peruvian water sprinkler that our boys made for fun one afternoon while we were out of school. Arequipa is extremely dry, but warm enough for flowers to bloom all year if they're watered, so we see these all over the city in the public parks. At first I thought it was simply a great idea since they are much cheaper than a real sprinkler, but now I'm beginning to think that they have the added bonus of not being a big draw for thieves. Because they chain down trash cans around here!
Here is another common sight in town. These men go all over the city with megaphones hooked up to enormous speakers in their carts, and call for people to bring out and sell them anything that they don't want - electronics, clothes, school supplies, etc. They will pay a small price for these unwanted items, and will try to fix them if they're broken, and then resell them in the market.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sightings
Here's another picture from the children's recent school celebration of Fiestas Patrias - Peruvian Independence Day!
The girls were both dressed in an outfit that would be typical of the dress in the Andes Mountains. It was fun to be a part of this important holiday here and see what the people do to celebrate!
Peru also has a new president now. Please be in prayer that Ollanta Humala would be a blessing to this country and to the Kingdom of God going forward here!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sightings
Late last week, Scott and Bonnie and I had to run to the center of town to pick up something for the children's patriotic celebration at school (July 28th is Peru's independence day). Here is the center of Arequipa, the Plaza de Armas, and the cathedral at it's center.
The three kindergarten classes dressed up and did dances to represent the three geographical regions of Peru: jungle, coast, and mountains. We have a child in each kindergarten class so we had one of each! Joseph's 3 year old class did a jungle dance, Seth's 4 year old class did a coastal dance, and Bonnie's 5 year old class did a mountain dance. I'll post more pictures of our time later in the week!
The three kindergarten classes dressed up and did dances to represent the three geographical regions of Peru: jungle, coast, and mountains. We have a child in each kindergarten class so we had one of each! Joseph's 3 year old class did a jungle dance, Seth's 4 year old class did a coastal dance, and Bonnie's 5 year old class did a mountain dance. I'll post more pictures of our time later in the week!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Catching Up
It's been too long since I last posted! Since then, the Lord has been kind to us in many ways - continuing to allow us to settle into a good routine here. We're all getting used to our new routine, and continuing to grow in our love for Peru and the people here. Our Spanish is coming along, poco y poco, and we continue to see improvement, although not always as quickly as we might like!
During the last week of June, we enjoyed a trip to Trujillo! Our home church, Matthews Orthodox Presbyerian Church, sent a team to work along with Peru Mission for a week, and we were able to join them. What a blessing it was to see so many dear friends and introduce them to this country and the work that we will be a part of! Our team divided into two groups. One did medical work in several poor communities around Trujillo, and the larger group worked on a construction project for a church plant that Peru Mission is working alongside. Both groups accomplished a lot and were blessed as well as being a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Trujillo. It was great for us to see our team and get excited all over again about what the Lord is doing in Trujillo. Our kids loved meeting the Peru Mission team, and seeing where we will be settling down once our time in language school is over.
I (Julie) flew to the USA after our week in Trujillo and was able to make a short visit home to Charlotte, and also attend the weddings of both my younger sister and brother in Maryland. It was delightful to see almost all of my family in one place, and many old friends as well.
Until we get to Trujillo and start to be involved in the ministry there, my plan is to post photos a few times a week that will give a flavor of our life here...whether it be our family, school, or just interesting things about life in Peru. We're so thankful to be here, and thankful for your prayers for us.
During the last week of June, we enjoyed a trip to Trujillo! Our home church, Matthews Orthodox Presbyerian Church, sent a team to work along with Peru Mission for a week, and we were able to join them. What a blessing it was to see so many dear friends and introduce them to this country and the work that we will be a part of! Our team divided into two groups. One did medical work in several poor communities around Trujillo, and the larger group worked on a construction project for a church plant that Peru Mission is working alongside. Both groups accomplished a lot and were blessed as well as being a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Trujillo. It was great for us to see our team and get excited all over again about what the Lord is doing in Trujillo. Our kids loved meeting the Peru Mission team, and seeing where we will be settling down once our time in language school is over.
I (Julie) flew to the USA after our week in Trujillo and was able to make a short visit home to Charlotte, and also attend the weddings of both my younger sister and brother in Maryland. It was delightful to see almost all of my family in one place, and many old friends as well.
Until we get to Trujillo and start to be involved in the ministry there, my plan is to post photos a few times a week that will give a flavor of our life here...whether it be our family, school, or just interesting things about life in Peru. We're so thankful to be here, and thankful for your prayers for us.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
First post from the Southern Hemisphere!
Greetings, dear family and friends in Christ!
We are finally connected to the World Wide Web, and look forward to bringing you up to date on our journey to Peru' and our first weeks here. The Lord's tender mercies have been evident, not the least of which is the support in prayer, help, and financially, from many of you - we are grateful!
The weeks before we left were busy with packing, finalizing details of our move, getting our container. We couldn't have done it without the help of so many folks in Charlotte and at our home church, Matthews OPC! The many folks who packed, watched our kids, cooked meals, brought packing supplies, helped load boxes, haul trash and recycling, ran errands, cleaned our house, and encouraged us with farewell visits were truly the hands and feet of Christ to us and a precious gift from our Father! So many people's lives are invested in our going, and we know they go with us in prayer and through the Spirit!
We flew out of Charlotte on May 10, spent the night in Lima (we arrived at about 1:00 AM), and continued on to Arequipa the next day. When we arrived, we were welcomed and helped by the people who run the language school. Since we don't speak much Spanish and don't know where anything is or where to look for it, they took us by the hand and helped us in multiple way to get what we needed.They took us to a hotel where we spent the next five days. During that time we looked for a house (!), visited the language school and met more of our fellow students, and attended the church which many of our fellow students and teachers attend. We also visited the school which the children are attending during our stay - Rey de Reyes (King of Kings) Christian School.
We found a house on Saturday, May 14th and moved in on Monday, May 16th. The house is about 1500 sq. feet and is partially furnished which is an enormous blessing! We still needed to get beds for all of our kids, a washing machine, and a few other small items. Our friends at the language school found beds for us to borrow for all of the children, provided sheets for us to use until we could get our own, and allowed us to wash some clothes, which was fantastic....we were reaching a crisis situation with the laundry 8-). It took a little while to get all of the details wrapped up, washing machine delivered, clotheslines hung, internet on, etc, etc, etc. Things move more slowly down here and we are continuing to learn to be flexible! Last week was our first full week of school for all of us, and we are beginning to feel like a routine might be in sight ;-).
We leave the house at 7:45 AM and ride a small city bus called "la combi" from our house to the language school and the kids school, which is about half and hour away. Riding on the combi is quite an exciting start to our day! It is like a very cheap roller coaster ride, with a minimum of personal space 8-), but the kids love it, and Joseph asks every morning "Ride the big bus?!?" with excited eyes.
We drop off the four youngest at their classes at Rey de Reyes, and then we and the older boys walk to the institute. We spend the morning there in language classes - conversation class, which is one-on-one, and grammar class, which has 4-5 people. After that we head back to school to pick up the kids and ride the combi home for a late lunch and an afternoon of naps for the littles, homework for the rest of us, and housework.
All in all our adjustment has gone smoothly, but there have been difficulties and homesickness. The two youngest boys, in particular, are finding it hard to adjust to a much more bustling schedule with so much more time away from home. All of us would covet your prayers that our eyes would be fixed on Christ and His Kingdom first, even in the midst of so many changes and things that need to be attended to as we begin our lives for this short time in language school. Pray that the Lord would bless us all with quick acquisition of the Spanish language and perseverance in our schooling.
We look forward to telling you more, in words and photos, about our life down here!
We are finally connected to the World Wide Web, and look forward to bringing you up to date on our journey to Peru' and our first weeks here. The Lord's tender mercies have been evident, not the least of which is the support in prayer, help, and financially, from many of you - we are grateful!
The weeks before we left were busy with packing, finalizing details of our move, getting our container. We couldn't have done it without the help of so many folks in Charlotte and at our home church, Matthews OPC! The many folks who packed, watched our kids, cooked meals, brought packing supplies, helped load boxes, haul trash and recycling, ran errands, cleaned our house, and encouraged us with farewell visits were truly the hands and feet of Christ to us and a precious gift from our Father! So many people's lives are invested in our going, and we know they go with us in prayer and through the Spirit!
We flew out of Charlotte on May 10, spent the night in Lima (we arrived at about 1:00 AM), and continued on to Arequipa the next day. When we arrived, we were welcomed and helped by the people who run the language school. Since we don't speak much Spanish and don't know where anything is or where to look for it, they took us by the hand and helped us in multiple way to get what we needed.They took us to a hotel where we spent the next five days. During that time we looked for a house (!), visited the language school and met more of our fellow students, and attended the church which many of our fellow students and teachers attend. We also visited the school which the children are attending during our stay - Rey de Reyes (King of Kings) Christian School.
We found a house on Saturday, May 14th and moved in on Monday, May 16th. The house is about 1500 sq. feet and is partially furnished which is an enormous blessing! We still needed to get beds for all of our kids, a washing machine, and a few other small items. Our friends at the language school found beds for us to borrow for all of the children, provided sheets for us to use until we could get our own, and allowed us to wash some clothes, which was fantastic....we were reaching a crisis situation with the laundry 8-). It took a little while to get all of the details wrapped up, washing machine delivered, clotheslines hung, internet on, etc, etc, etc. Things move more slowly down here and we are continuing to learn to be flexible! Last week was our first full week of school for all of us, and we are beginning to feel like a routine might be in sight ;-).
We leave the house at 7:45 AM and ride a small city bus called "la combi" from our house to the language school and the kids school, which is about half and hour away. Riding on the combi is quite an exciting start to our day! It is like a very cheap roller coaster ride, with a minimum of personal space 8-), but the kids love it, and Joseph asks every morning "Ride the big bus?!?" with excited eyes.
We drop off the four youngest at their classes at Rey de Reyes, and then we and the older boys walk to the institute. We spend the morning there in language classes - conversation class, which is one-on-one, and grammar class, which has 4-5 people. After that we head back to school to pick up the kids and ride the combi home for a late lunch and an afternoon of naps for the littles, homework for the rest of us, and housework.
All in all our adjustment has gone smoothly, but there have been difficulties and homesickness. The two youngest boys, in particular, are finding it hard to adjust to a much more bustling schedule with so much more time away from home. All of us would covet your prayers that our eyes would be fixed on Christ and His Kingdom first, even in the midst of so many changes and things that need to be attended to as we begin our lives for this short time in language school. Pray that the Lord would bless us all with quick acquisition of the Spanish language and perseverance in our schooling.
We look forward to telling you more, in words and photos, about our life down here!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
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