The Great Adventure

Travel/Luggage Update

2012-01-15T15:05:00.002-06:00

I left Kansas City at 1:00pm on Monday, and I was scheduled to arrive in Arequipa at 12:30 pm on Tuesday. During my flight from Miami to Lima, we were informed that there were weather problems in Lima, and we were being redirected to Guayaquil, Ecuador. We waited in Guayaquil for 5 hours, and we were boarded back on the plane again for lima at 12pm. After circling for an hour or two, we were informed that Lima was closed again, and we headed back to Ecuador.

We disembarked the plane, but this time we went through immigration, collected our bags, went through customs, and then were loaded onto a bus to a hotel. Not knowing when we would head out again. I received a call around 7:30 am to be in the lobby in 20 minutes. We were then loaded back on to a bus, back to the airport, where we checked in our bags and were rebooked on flights. The plane left for Lima around noon on Wednesday, and we finally arrived in Lima around 2:15. My flight to Arequipa was scheduled to leave at 3:25. So, I hurried to baggage claim to get my bags to go through customs and head to my next flight, but my bags never came out.

I asked the man at the LAN counter, and he said that since my final destination was Arequipa, that my bags were sent there. So, I ran through the airport to catch my next flight, without bags. My Arequipa flight was an hour late, so I managed to make the plane, and when I got to Arequipa at around 6 pm on Wednesday (30 hours late, and 54 hours after leaving KC), my bags weren't there.

I then headed to the LAN counter again, and was told my bags were likely in Lima and should be in the next day. I headed back to my apartment, tired, exhausted, and frustrated.

I got back to my apartment, and checked my cellphone. It didn't work. Extreme had switched cellphone companies while I was gone, so mine didn't work anymore. Problem was my cell was the only way for the airline to contact me. So, I had to bother several Extreme staff members, and Jill (the director's wife) came by my apartment with a replacement cell and dinner. I then headed to bed early.

Thursday passed with no information about my bags. Friday, I had a meeting out near the airport and so went by to check. Still no information, but they promised to call me at 7 pm that night with an update. 7pm came and went. Saturday came and went. Sunday, after church, I went back by the airport and waited over 2 hours as they checked their systems and still couldn't find anything. They gave me $20 to buy essential items, and said they would continue looking.

So, as of now, I still don't have my bags. They don't know where they are. Please pray for the safe return of my bags...soon. I know they are just things, but it makes it very difficult to live with very few clothes, etc. Please also pray for my attitude as this has been a long frustrating week, and it is easy to get discouraged when everything appears to be against you.

2011 Goal Progress

2011-12-31T21:47:00.000-06:00

It is now only hours away from 2012. At the beginning of 2011, I posted that 2011 would be a year of transformation, and I set 5 goals for myself, below you will find the results:

Bible Reading - I had always wanted to read the Bible all the way through. I had tried many other years, but failed. This year, I finished! It was a great lesson to me in discipline, and I learned a great deal from it. If you have never done this, I would highly recommend it.

Read more - After getting a Kindle for Christmas 2010, I decided that I wanted to spend less time watching TV, and more time reading. In 2011, I read 92 books (including the Bible, which contains 66 books, so it was kind of like I read 157 books). I read a wide variety of books, and through borrowing books and finding free books, I was able to save money as well. It was great fun, and look forward to reading many more books in 2012.

Exercise - I started off the beginning of the year doing well on this. Then, I stopped making it a priority. But, after fracturing my ankle, I have realized anew, what I had taken for granted. The ability to walk and get around. So, in 2012, I want to make this a higher priority.

Soda - I go through spurts with this. Sometimes I do well, other times I drink way too much. While in Peru, I did well in 2011 not drinking my favorite soda, Mountain Dew. I only had 2, and that was on my birthday. But, I often drank too much Inca Kola, primarily as a replacement caffeine source when tired. Since being in the US for Christmas, I have reverted and have drank more soda. So, in 2012, hope to continue to cut back on this.

Sweets - Sugar and chocolate continue to be a challenge. Enough said :)

2011 was definitely a year of transformation. It was a year where I learned a lot in many areas of my life. It was a year of good times and bad. A year that has changed me forever. It was a year where my faith was challenged, yet persevered.

In just over a week, I head back to Peru. I have NO idea what God has for me in 2012 and beyond. But, it is freeing NOT to know. I will follow Him one day at a time, continuing to live by faith. Improving myself personally in any way possible, in order to be ready for whatever God has in store.

Allergies

2011-11-30T15:32:00.000-06:00

Since the beginning of October, I have been struggling with allergies. Off and on, something had been causing facial swelling, hives, and a skin rash. I had several suspicions of causes; soap, foods, latex, bed bugs, etc, but it kept coming back. It was exhausting to have such annoying reactions for two months (in addition of course to my fractured ankle).

After my walking boot was removed, the allergies came back, and on my travel back to the US, they came back stronger. On my international flight back to the US, my reaction started and by the time I landed in Cincinnati, I had almost completely lost my voice and my cheek was swollen. For the first 3 days in the US, I had hives and rashes constantly. The Friday after thanksgiving, I finally put 2 and 2 together, and realized that it was aspirin/ibuprofen. When I got my walking cast taken off, the doctor put me on a once a day aspirin to prevent blood clots, and the day I left for the US, I had a headache all day long, and so was taking ibuprofen every 6 hours. This all built up, and caused the strong reactions.

Monday of this week, I had a strong pain in my back, and so, thinking I was being safe, I took Aleve (since it was not aspirin or ibuprofen), but I also had a reaction to that.

So, I began to do further research, and it appears that those allergic to aspirin also have reactions to ibuprofen and Aleve. Tylenol is supposed to be safe. Not sure how I developed this allergy, but at least I have FINALLY figured out what it is and can now avoid it.

Thank all of you for your prayers.

Ankle

2011-11-30T15:20:00.000-06:00

On November 18, I went back to the doctor to review the progress on my ankle. It had been 6 weeks since the fracture happened, and he had originally told me that I would be returning to the US in a cast. So, here I was at my last visit to the doctor before returning to the US, and when I walked in he said to me, "Weren't you supposed to return to the US in a cast?" (This was an interesting comment to me since he had often forgotten just about everything about me from visit to visit.) I responded that yes this was what he had originally told me. He reviewed the new x-rays and looked over my ankle. He then said that I was just fine and I didn't need the walking cast any more. He said that I had good young bones, and that helped me to heal quickly. I corrected him and said that I had a good God, and that is why I was better so quickly. It was definitely the miracle that I had been asking God for.

Thank you everyone for your prayers.

Improving

2011-11-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

After getting the walking boot put on Monday, life is becoming easier and returning to normal. I still can't put full weight on it, until Monday, but I only use one crutch most of the time, which leaves me a hand free to carry things, etc. I can go up and down the stairs by myself (at a much slower pace), and have now returned to my 3rd story apartment and my 2nd story office.

There has been an adjustment period this week, learning how to do certain things on my own in my apartment, but only a few mishaps (like falling in the shower...don't worry I am ok...). It was nice to have the American 40/40s from Iquitos staying with me a couple days this week, on their way home after finishing their 2 years. This provided a safety net for me, so that if something happened there was someone there to help. God definitely has put people in my life at just the right times for just the right purposes. I am blessed by the support. It is nice though to slowly get back some of my independence.

My ankle seems to be healing well. It is still bruised in certain spots, and doesn't seem to have the full range of motion yet, but it is getting better every day. What's next? Next week, I can put full weight on it, so I should be able to lose the other crutch...yeah! I go back to the doctor on Nov 18, and if all goes well, I will get the walking boot off...just in time to head to the US on Nov 21.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been praying for me, writing notes of encouragement, and especially those here in Arequipa, who have bent over backwards to help me with WHATEVER I have needed. October was a rough month, between my allergies and my broken ankle, and I have had some times where I have been very discouraged. But, God put each of you in my life for a purpose, and I seriously wouldn't have made it through this without each of your support. Thank you for everything.

Walking Boot

2011-10-31T22:09:00.000-05:00

It has been an incredibly long day, but I wanted to write before heading to bed to give everyone an update.

I went to the doctor this afternoon, and the doctor took off the cast. He examined how things were progressing, and decided to put on a walking cast. Someone from the states sent down a walking boot a few months ago, and so we brought it to show the doctor to see if it could be used. He looked it over, and determined it would be a good thing to use. So, I am currently cast free, and using a walking boot. The good thing about this is that I can take it off when in the shower and wash my leg. The down side is that it is heavier and warmer than a cast. But, I think it is good progress.

For the next week, I can't put full weight on the foot, so I am still using crutches. Next week, I can move to putting full weight on it. I go back to the doctor on Friday, Nov 18 at 4pm. If the leg is completely healed, I can go leave for the US on Monday, Nov 21 cast/boot/crutches free. So, please be in prayer for this.

Tonight, I was able to return home. It was difficult, but it feels great. I will play it by ear to see if I can handle it, and know that I can always go back to the Tibbs house if it isn't working. But, tonight, I am watching the end of the KC Chiefs game, in my apartment, and praising God for the progress. I have a long way to go in the next 3 weeks, but I feel it is essential to realize how far He has brought me in order to have the confidence that He will allow me to go back to the states free and clear on Nov 21. So, I praise Him tonight.

Please continue praying with me. I greatly appreciate it!

5 Days Until Walking Cast

2011-10-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

I went to the doctor on Friday to have him check out some pain I was having in my calf. He examined it, and said that he thought it was just muscle strain from moving my foot differently with the cast. He gave me some pain medicine, and told me that if the pain got worse over the weekend or was still there on Monday, he wanted to see me again to check for Deep Vein Thrombosis (fancy name for blood clots). He said it would be highly unusual for someone my age to have this....but this did little for my nerves considering another volunteer who is younger than me, had Deep Vein Thrombosis a year and a half ago....

But, praise God, the pain did go away.

I go back to the doctor on October 31 at 4 pm. During this appointment, if all is healing correctly, I should get a walking cast. If this happens, I should be able to finally return to my apartment. So, please be in prayer for this appointment.

Also, it has now been a week, and my allergies have not returned! After the reaction last week, I switched my soap and shampoo. So, I highly suspect one of those, but am not going to test it to see which one was the cause! But, praise God that it has not happened since.

The end of September, I finished my 3rd year here, and I decided to renew for another year. All of my allergy problems and broken leg have all happened in the first month of my new contract. Last October, after I decided to renew, I became very sick as well. I can't help but suspect that neither of these are coincidences. Spiritual warfare is very strong here. These are ways that I am being tested to see if I will give up. I admit that this process has been very difficult for me, but I know that this is where I am supposed to be. So, please be in prayer for me that God will give me the strength to persevere during this time.

I look forward to seeing all of you when I arrive in the US in 27 days for a much needed break. Thank you for your support

Two Week Update

2011-10-21T09:28:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to write a quick update. It has now been two weeks since I fractured a bone in my ankle. The time has been difficult. The pain hasn't been as bad as the inability to do basic things. It has been difficult for me, a normally very independent person, to be dependent on everyone for everything. But, I have had a great group of people around me to help with anything I need. I am still staying in the home of Brian and Jill Tibbs, since they live on the first floor of their building. They have been very gracious to let me stay as long as I need to, which has been a great help.

This week, they have been in Lima. So, it has been a little bit of an adventure doing more things on my own, but it has been good for me to push myself and see what I can do. I had to be creative at times, such as using the babies highchair (with wheels) to push things across the kitchen when heating up food. Necessity is the mother of invention. 2 other extreme families live in the same building, so it was good to have others close just in case.

I go back to the doctor in a week. Please be praying for a good report, and that I am able to get a walking cast put on at this time.

Please also be in prayer for my allergies. Over the last month, I have been having flair ups of skin rashes and facial swelling. I have yet to figure out what it is. The most recent episode was Wednesday night/Thursday, and was stronger than the rest. Please be in prayer for wisdom, as I try to narrow down what is causing the problem.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support during this time. I arrive in the US in 32 days, and am greatly looking forward to this time.

Day 3

2011-10-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it is now day 3, post fracture, and I thought I would write a quick update. Since, I live alone in a third floor apartment, for now I am staying with the Tibbs family. Jill has been great, and this has been a big help. I no longer have much pain in my ankle, but it is awkward and uncomfortable.

I have been relearning how to do seemingly small things such as walk, shower, go up/down stairs, etc. It has been quite difficult, especially the stairs. This has been hard, since I am used to being an independent person, but am thankful for all of those who are helping me. Yesterday, I visited some friends who live on the third floor, and with some help and a lot of hard work, I made it up, and back down. This made me extra thankful that I am not staying in my third floor apartment alone right now. This morning, all the muscles in my body hurt.

I have also learned that it is really hard to balance on one leg (even with crutches), and have had a few incidents of losing my balance but luckily nothing major.

God has been teaching me a great deal, especially that I am not alone. This has not been an easy process, and it is just the beginning. I know that God will continue to be with me, and provide me with exactly what I need. Please continue to pray for me. Thank you to everyone, I couldn't do this without you.

Fracture

2011-10-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

Life certainly is full of surprises. This morning, Eliseo (our Peruvian graphic designer) and I headed to Zamacola church to test their internet. As we got out of the taxi, I headed to the door to ring the bell. The sidewalk there has a slope down. My shoes had very little traction, and as my foot hit the slope, it came out from under me. I ended up on the ground. Eliseo got the pastor from inside the church, and they helped me inside. They got me seated and put ice on it. I called Tricia (a nurse with Extreme who lives just a couple blocks away), she came over to take a look.

Tricia took a look at it, and said it looked worse than I had made it sound. She called Jill Tibbs (another nurse with Extreme), and they arranged for Eliseo to take me to meet Jill at the emergency room. Once we got to the emergency room, I had x-rays done, and met with the doctor. The doctor was someone Extreme has used before, so it was nice to be able to trust them (especially after past experiences with Peruvian doctors). The doctor looked over the x-rays, and said that it looked like I had a fracture, but he needed another set of x-rays. So, I got another set of x-rays, and the doctor confirmed I have a fracture in my fibula near my ankle. The joints were all still in place, so the doctor said I didn't need surgery (praise the lord!).

They put a cast on it (my first one in my life), and Jill and Eliseo helped me get in a taxi. We went back to Jill's house, and Eliseo and Lindy helped me up the few stairs into the house. Jill was nice enough to offer to let me stay at her house for a few days, while I am supposed to stay off of it. Patricia (the woman I lived with my first 3 months in Peru) brought crutches over for me to use too. So, here I am. The day isn't exactly as I planned, but I have had help from many amazing people today.

I will go back to the doctor in 3 weeks, and if things are going well, I will get a walking cast on at that time. Over all, I should be in a cast 6-8 weeks. I am leaving for the US in about 6 1/2 weeks, so please be in prayer that the healing is quick.

Take Up Your Cross...Daily

2011-09-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I was sitting here missing my family and friends back in the US. Missing my life back in the US. I love being in Peru...at least most days. But, it is not easy, and I have given up a lot to be here.

There are some days I wonder why I am here. There are some days that I want to jump on the next plane home. After being here nearly three years, I keep thinking, "When does this get easier!" But tonight a verse came to mind Luke 9:23-24

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it."

The part that stood out to me is "Take up their cross DAILY". Every day the devil tries to get me to leave. Every day I am reminded of my life in the US. My life before. But, every day, I must make the decision to take up my cross and follow Him.

Would my life be easier if I left. Yes. Would my life be better if I left. No. There are definitely sacrifices to following God and being in the center of His will. And you definitely need to consider the costs of following Him, so that you are not taken by surprise and turn back at the first problem. But, it is the most rewarding place to be in the world.

I don't know how long God will have me stay in Peru. But, I do know that every day I will pick up my cross and follow him. It is not an easy life, but it is the best life.

Help

2011-08-24T16:42:00.000-05:00

When I first came to Peru, my original role was "Extreme Programmer". In November of 2009, the person who handled the Networking and Technical Support took another role with Extreme, and left Arequipa. He has continued to do some work with IT, but I have had to take on more responsibility in this realm. Also, in November 2009, our Communications Coordinator left Arequipa and returned to the US. I also ended up taking on some of this role. In February 2011, our accountant finished her contract and returned to the US. We had a new accountant arrive in March, but since she was in language school, I had to step in and handle this half days as well.

It is hard working as a volunteer in another country, because it is not easy to find people to fill the "professional skills" type positions, and once you find someone it is quite a while before they arrive and are useful (fundraising, moving, and language school). So, the IT and Communications positions have basically been vacant over almost two years! As you can see, over time, my job became very multifaceted. I love the variety, but it is often overwhelming, and I often feel like I can't focus on any one thing, just trying to keep the juggling balls in the air.

I finally see an end in sight. At the end of July, our new accountant finished language school, so she is now full time, and I have been able to step away from the accounting office. This week, a couple potential volunteers came to visit. They just happen to be interested in the IT and Communications positions! The past few days have gone very well, and it looks like I will finally be receiving assistance in 2012!

I have definitely learned a lot over the past two years juggling all of these various tasks, and it has been great. God has taught me invaluable lessons. The two positions that were left vacant in the same month will now be filled in the same month as well. God is good. I am excited about what the future holds and what God is going to do.

Please be in prayer for me and for these new volunteers as they prepare to come.

It is that time of year again....

2011-08-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Peru on October 2, 2008 with a two-year contract. In June, July, and August of 2010, I thought long and hard about whether I would sign another 1 year contract. It occupied much of my thoughts, prayers, and conversations. I knew I needed to decide soon, because if I was staying, I needed to begin planning for a vacation home at Christmas to see family. I finally after spending way to much time and energy thinking about it, decided to stay another year.

Well, it is that time of year again. It is the time where I start getting questions, "How long are you going to stay?" "Are you going to stay another year?" My answer for the last several months has been only God knows and when He tells me, I will tell you. I decided my time is better spent thinking about what I am here to do, rather than whether I am staying longer. I will be here until God tells me otherwise.

All that being said, God has made it clear to me that my time here is not yet complete. I don't know how long I will be here, but I know that I am not leaving right now. God has blessed me with a great group of supporters that has allowed me to be here this long, and I know that as long as it is His plan for me, He will continue to provide the means necessary. To all those who have prayed for me, supported me financially, and been a willing ear to listen to me, I want to say thank you. I could not be here without you, and I would like to ask that you consider continuing to support me, because I know that I will continue to need it. If you can't give financially, I understand, and don't worry, God will provide for me, but I do ask that you keep me in your prayers. I may be the person who is actually able to be here, but we are all doing this together.

So, since God has made it clear, I have not yet finished my time here, I have begun planning for a time to return to the US for a visit to rest, revive, and share in person what God has been doing. I will be arriving in the US on November 22. I will spend Thanksgiving week in Ohio with family, and then head back to Kansas City. I will head back to Peru on January 9, 2012. I would love to get together with as many people as possible, to share what God is doing, whether that be one on one or with a group. I am currently scheduled to speak at Kansas City First Church on Wednesday night, December 7, as well as Sunday morning during the Sunday School hour on December 11. I will also be speaking at Southwood Church of the Nazarene on Sunday, January 8 to both the adults and the children. If you are free to come to one of these times, great! If not, I understand. Regardless, I would love to see everyone while I am in the US, and catch up. For as I said before, I couldn't be here without you.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers, and please write me through email, snail mail, or facebook. I would love to hear from you and see you when I am in the US!

Birthday

2011-08-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I celebrated my third birthday in Peru. Past birthdays, I have been very excited about my birthday, but this year, I just wasn't. To top it off, I came down with a cold just days before, and still was feeling less than 100%.

I am not one to plan things for my birthday. I feel awkward telling people to come celebrate me. So, since I was also feeling sick, I took the approach of just letting things happen.

Saturday night, I was able to go out with the ladies from the office. It so happens that there are two other birthdays the same week as mine, so we got together to celebrate together. It was great time of food and friendship.

This year, my birthday was on Sunday, so I got up and headed off to church.   God gave me my first present when the very first taxi pulled up and immediately offered me one of the cheapest fares I have ever had, without negotiating. I got to church, and my church family announced it was my birthday. They called me up to the front, where they sang to me, prayed for me, and everyone came up and gave me a hug. It was a wonderful time (although I prayed the whole time that with every hug I wasn't making them sick...).

After church, the pastor's wife came up to me and asked if I was going to be home tonight. I said that as far as I know, I am. She said, well a little birdie told me I was invited to your house tonight at 6 pm. I asked her to repeat it and she did. I was slightly confused but what she meant, but knowing that Peruvians love surprises, I was hesitant to press any further. My next reaction was...oh...my house is a mess...guess I have to clean today....

I then headed off to the 40/40 house. The pair of 40/40 missionaries who attend Zamacola and I take turns on Sunday dinner. One week I will go over there, and the next week they will come to my house. This Sunday was their turn, so we headed over. They were very sweet and made an excellent lunch, complete with chocolate birthday cake.   It was great.

After lunch, I headed home....to clean. By 6pm, the house was...presentable...and I waited to see what would happen. By 6:30, I began to second guess what the pastor's wife had said and feel very sad.   Sitting there, alone, on my birthday, having spent the afternoon...of my birthday...cleaning...I really began to miss my family and friends back home. I finally decided that I wasn't going to sit there and sulk. I got on my coat to go out and get dinner, and the door bell rang. I looked at the clock it was 7 pm. I answered the door and a group of friends from church were at the door with a cake and said "Surprise". They didn't forget. They were just on Peruvian time. We had a great night of chatting, laughing...and more cake. For the third year in a row, they threw me a surprise party, and made the day special.

To top it off I had tons of messages on facebook from people all over the world wishing me happy birthday. It wasn't the best birthday in the world...sickness, cleaning, crying....but it was a great day and a memorable one. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it one I will not soon forget.

Chachani Update

2011-08-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give you a quick update on how Chachani is going. Earlier this month, we had a team from Northwest Nazarene University come to Arequipa to hold medical clinics. The first medical clinic took place in Chachani. I was able to go out and help out with translation, playing with the kids, and praying with people. It was a great time. 117 patients were seen that day.

My favorite part of the day was seeing the excitement in people's eyes when we mentioned we were going to plant a church there. They couldn't believe that we were going to plant a church there, in their community. Their eyes lit up when they heard and you could see pure joy on their faces. This was God's way of telling me that He will follow through on His promise to me to plant a church there.

This is a community of great need. During the clinic, I was called over to pray with a women who had been thinking about committing suicide. I was very hesitant at first, and my first reaction was why me? But, I said a quick silent prayer, and then went to meet with the woman. I prayed with her, emphasizing that she was not alone, and praying for God to be very real to her. I also told her that we were working on planting a church. The sigh of relief on her phase was clear.

A few days later, the volunteers headed back out to Chachani to show Felix Vargas's testimony. It was a cold night, but 30-40 people came out. Between 15-20 people accepted Christ that night. Praise the Lord!

The 40/40s, who will be headed to Paraguay in January, have now started the task of following up on all of these people. They have also restarted classes for children, and had 15-20 kids on their first Sunday and one mother. Please keep this team and this community in your prayers.

Chachani

2011-07-26T10:10:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have been following this blog over the last few years, you have probably heard me talk a lot about the community of Chachani. I first visited this community during my first month here. A few months later, I started going regularly to teach the children. Things would go well for a while, and then I would leave to go on vacation, come back and...nothing. I would have to start over again each time. I have a passion for this community, and truly believe that a church would grow and thrive there.

Last fall, as I prayed about Chachani, I felt God telling me that he had big plans for this community, but that I wasn't necessarily apart of this plan. I continued going, and things were going well. When I went home for vacation last year, I wasn't sure what would happen, but prayed that it wouldn't die off again. I came back, and yet again, those who were going to take over while I was gone, hadn't gone, and it died.

I was discouraged, and didn't want to start....again. I still believed that God had plans for this community, but was reminded that I may not be part of the plan. So, I prayed.

Zamacola church (my church here in Arequipa) has been involved in 3 different communities over the years. Each community had a couple youth from the church going out to lead Sunday School for the kids each week. One of them was Chachani. None of the communities has really taken off, and we have had much turnover amongst those going to work in these communities. So, after much prayer, God led me to the idea that rather than a little work in three communities, there should be a focused effort on one. In April, several of us did a tour of these three communities, and it was unanimously decided that Chachani was the best one to begin work in. Now, we just had to come up with a plan. I was excited.

But, over the course of the last few months, I have had one thing after another stand in my way of planning for the future of Chachani, and I have not been able to go out there. I began to think that my dreams for this community were just that.

This week I was approached by Pastor Solano, the District Superintendent of the south of Peru, and pastor of Zamacola church. He mentioned to me that he hadn't forgotten about Chachani, and that he had a plan. There are a group of 40/40s here in Arequipa doing training. They will be in Arequipa through December, and then head to Paraguay. Pastor Solano has asked this group to take charge of Chachani, and treat it like a real church plant location! He mentioned that they went out and visited the location, and were excited about getting to work.

This is a major answer to prayer for me. God has called people to this community to work. God still does have a plan for this community.

God has also showed me that if I would have forged ahead and done the work myself, yes I might have had results, but I would have done it on my own strength. This way any thing that happens there, God will get the glory.

Please be in prayer for the people of this community, and the people that will be working there. This a future home of a Church of the Nazarene with many future followers of the one and only God almighty. Praise the Lord.

Visit to Puno and Cusco

2011-07-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

In June, Mike (another volunteer) mentioned to me that he was planning a trip to Puno and Cusco. He had a friend coming for a visit, but was looking for a third person so that there wasn't a single guy and girl traveling alone together. So, I was invited. He was planning to visit the floating islands in Puno and Machu Picchu in Cusco, both of which I wanted to see. I love to travel, but don't like to travel alone, so it was a great opportunity to go.

So, on July 1, we headed out on an overnight bus to Puno. We arrived at 5:30 am, and then, headed to the 40/40 house to rest for a couple hours. At 9:00 am, we headed out to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, and their are hand made islands made of reeds out on the lake. It is a very popular tourist attraction in Puno. We took a boat tour of the lake, and were able to visit 2 of the 40 islands. It was great to see this, and interesting to think about the completely different culture that exists just out on the lake. Here are a few pics:

In the afternoon, we spent time with the Duerre family (Cluster Support in Puno), and then later we were able to visit with the 40/40s as well. It was great to see them, and hear how things are going. Please remember to pray for these 40/40s. In addition to their work, which is very difficult, it is winter right now, and it is cold. Heat in their house is expensive, so it has been running in the 40s...inside the house. Please pray for strength and perseverance.

Around 9:30 pm, we were off on another overnight bus. This time to Cusco. We arrived at 4:30 am, and headed to the Meeting Place. This is a cafe run by the Englund family, former missionaries with Extreme. They were nice enough to leave a key for us, and it was a great place to hang out for a couple hours while we were waiting for the day to begin. At 6:30 am, Mike arranged a tour of Machu Picchu with a local contact in Puno. So, we headed out in taxi, to meet a bus, which took us to train, where we eventually caught another bus. Several hours later, we found ourselves on a tour of Machu Picchu! Some may remember that after I was here just about 3 months, I tried to go to Machu, but was prevented from going by a strike blocking the tracks. Since the first time, I felt disappointment, and was never sure if I would ever be able to go. It was great to finally be able to go. It was an overcast day, but it was still gorgeous, and full of so much history. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.

By around 4 pm, we were headed back down the mountain by bus to the train. On the train, we were sitting next to a family from China. We played an international game of monopoly, while speaking a mix of English, Spanish, and Chinese. It was a perfect way to end a perfect day. We finally made it back to the Meeting Place, where we picked up our stuff, and headed out to the 40/40 house. After two nights on bus, it was great to sleep in a bed.

On Monday, the 4th of July, we spent the day with the 40/40s and cluster support in Cusco. Although there are only two pairs left, they are strong pairs, and I look forward to seeing the impact they will have on the city. Please be in prayer for this group as the devil is attacking hard core here. We ended the day with a barbeque, fireworks, and seeing the Star Spangled Banner from the balcony for the whole city to hear. We then got on a bus and headed back to Arequipa.

Our bus took off around 8:30 pm. By 11 pm, the bus skidded to a stop. I looked out the window and saw Peruvians running around outside the bus. I thought for sure we were being robbed, and was thinking through what I had on me. The lady in charge of the bus was yelling (in spanish) "Open the door!" "Open the door!" I'll admit I was freaking out, and definitely praying. Several minutes later, I asked one of the other guys on the bus what was going on. It turns out that the bus was in an accident with a drunk guy. We sat there for a while longer, and then the bus door closed. The bus turned around and headed back the way we came. I thought we were headed back to Cusco. Several minutes later, we stopped in front of the police station, and they turned off the bus. So, for two hours, we sat in the dark bus, wondering when we would leave. Around 1:15 in the morning, the bus turns back on, and we head to Arequipa. We got in to Arequipa at 8:30 am, about 2 1/2 hours late, but safe.

I headed home and slept for a while. It was an exhausting weekend, but great. I was able to see two of the biggest tourist attraction in Peru in one weekend, and spend time with friends. Priceless.

Review of the Last Couple Months

2011-07-10T19:29:00.000-05:00

In May, I spent time as a 40/40 missionary. We had a team of short term volunteers come down, and we were one 40/40 short. So, I partnered with Sammy, and hung out with the group from Federal Way, Washington. It was great to be able to be directly involved with the impact work, and it reminded me the purpose of why I am here. It also reminded me how hard of a job the 40/40s have. So since then, I have tried hard to be as much of a support to them as I can. Please be in prayer for the 40/40s on a daily basis. They really need it.

In June, I spent a good portion of the month working on the booth for NYC. Eliseo, our Peruvian graphic designer, and I were given the big task to prepare all of the photos/videos/audios/banners, etc for the Nazarene Youth Conference that took place in Kentucky this past week. It was a hectic time, but it was great to prepare different media to tell the story of what we are doing here. Our job was to share the story in such a way as to show all those who attended how they too can get involved. I wasn't able to attend the event, but I heard it went well. I hope we are able to see the results from the event in the years to come.

We also had another short term team here in Arequipa. This group was originally scheduled to go to Puno, but due to strikes there, it was decided it was safer to do it here. This group had two purposes. First, they held medical clinics, and saw 399 patients. Second, they built the first foam chapel. The foam chapel was built in Huacshapata, a church plant location that was started before the Peru project began. It was a great place for the Peruvians to learn how to build a foam chapel, as well as give a lift to a community.

In the time I have been here, I have seen many missionaries leave. But, in the last few months, I have seen several of them return for visits. It was so good to see them again, and made me reflect on my time here. I have met so many great people that have impacted my life in so many different ways. I am truly blessed.

I don't know what the future holds, but I know that my time in Peru has been truly special. I may be here a few more years or a few more months, only God knows. I love that this opportunity has allowed me to see all of the different ways that God can use me, and not just in the ways that I would expect. I have even been blessed enough to receive an award for my service. God is good.

Thank you to everyone who has made it possible (and continues to make it possible) for me to be here. I couldn't do it alone.

Moments

2011-06-19T23:28:00.000-05:00

Being a missionary is a tough job. Sometimes you wake up, and the last thing you want to do is live far from your friends and family. Sometimes you wake up, and you don't want to bust your butt for no pay. Sometimes you wake up, and just don't feel like being stared at. Sometimes you wake up, and just want to speak your own language, eat your own food, and just be...home.

It is the bright random moments that keep you going. Last year, June 19 2010, was one of those bright moments. I witnessed over 6,000 people accept Christ in one service. I witnessed the power the gospel has to change lives. I witnessed the work that God can do in this city.

This year, I have seen many things that made me wake up and question if this was the place I wanted to be. I sometimes felt like the bright moments weren't coming fast enough. Tonight, on the 1 year anniversary of Love Extreme, I had another bright moment. I witnessed a church be built in 8 days. I witnessed Nazarenes from all over the city come out to one of the poorest parts of the city...to support their fellow Christians. I witnessed this new styrofoam chapel completely filled with a crowd of people listening from outside. I saw the church being the church, being a light to a dark community, and I witnessed the people respond in droves. I witnessed each part of the body of Christ doing their part. The preacher preached. The cooks cooked. The technical people ran sound, ran electricity to a building without it, and made things work smoothly. The teachers taught, and the body of Christ was built up.

Tonight, God reminded me that He is still in charge, and He is still working in this city, this country, and this world. I thank God for reminding me of this when I needed it most.

Click here to see the video that I put together as an overview of the foam chapel build.

Vacation...Part 5

2011-05-24T18:31:00.000-05:00

I decided to go talk the manager of the hotel, and ask him the best way to get back to Piura. Before I had even finished, he said that he would call a taxi to take us back to Piura, not to worry. I just had to tell him the time we wanted to leave and he would take care of the rest. Yet again, no need to worry when God is in charge.

At noon, we checked out and headed back to Piura. We got back in no time, since our taxi driver drove REALLY fast. We checked back into the same hotel, and enjoyed another relaxing afternoon/evening. Wednesday morning, we got up early, and headed back to the airport to go to Lima. Before we knew it, we were back in Lima. God had provided a safe, inexpensive, unexpected, incredibly relaxing vacation.

By the end of the day, I would be back home in Arequipa, and Denise would be headed back to the US....just one thing stood in the way...a residency card...the same thing that stopped her from leaving the country less than a week earlier. This time though, things went by with no problems. The residency card was completed in immigration, and we just had to stop by and pick it up.

We spent a final afternoon together, and then we headed our separate ways. I am sure the vacation in Argentina would have been great, but the vacation that God provided was incredibly memorable and special. I was able to relax and bask in the special time with a friend that He provided, and it is a time I will never forget.

Vacation...Part 4

2011-05-24T18:15:00.000-05:00

Monday morning, we met Edwin out in front of our hotel. He had offered to help us get transportation to the beach, so we took him up on it. We got in a taxi and headed to the bus station. We were told that there is no bus directly to Colan, where we were headed, but we would need to take a series of buses. This would take quite a while, and it also made us a little nervous since we didn't know the way, and had all of our big suitcases with us...but yet again, God took care of us. When we were almost to the bus station, Edwin asked our taxi driver what it would cost to drive us all the way to the beach. He told us that he would drive us to the door of our hotel for less than $30, and we could be there in just over an hour. God is good.

The next issue was a hotel. I looked online and found several options, but the one that seemed the best was just $60 a night. They had no way to register online, so we had just decided to head there anyway. In the taxi on the way there, Edwin asked us where we were planning on staying. I told him the name of the hotel and that we weren't yet registered. He assured us that this was the exact hotel that he normally refers people to and we would have no problem getting a room. God's planning is perfect, and He assures us just when we need Him. God is good.

So, once we have all the details squared away, Edwin leaves us in the hands of the taxi driver. Just over an hour later, we arrive in a little poor dusty town...Colan. As we drive through the town, I am a little worried. Where am I going? There is NOTHING here! The driver isn't quite sure where the hotel is, so he drives around a while. All the while, I am getting more and more nervous. But, God reassured me again, that He is in control. We get down to the end of this long road, and a gate appears in front of us that has the hotel name on it. The gate is opened. Before me appears this adorable little hotel and one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen. We gather our bags, and walk into the lobby. The man behind the desk gives us keys to a bungalow, and we paid the taxi. Despite appearances to the contrary, God had led us to a place more beautiful than I imagined. I just needed to trust him.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the sun, the sand, and the surf. We relaxed, read books, swam, and watched one of the most beautiful sunsets. As the sun went down, we ate a delicious dinner and played a few games. What a great day, and an even greater God.

Tuesday morning, we enjoyed the remainder of our time at the beach, doing more of the same from the day before...and wondering...now how do we get back to Piura? We are in the middle of no where!

To Be Continued...

Vacation...Part 3

2011-05-24T17:50:00.000-05:00

As we arrived at the airport, tickets in hand, we prayed that this time things would go differently, and we would be able to fly out of Lima. We checked our bags, went through security, found our gate, boarded our plan, and were on our way.

We had decided when we purchased tickets to Piura, that God obviously had a different plan than us, so we would just put it in His hands and see where it took us. We had another Nazarene contact picking us up at the airport and a reservation at a hotel (that we found on the internet) for that night. Beyond that, all plans were unknown. For two people who like to plan life, it was a little unnerving at first, but by the end, it was great not feeling like I had to worry about anything.

We arrived in Piura, and Edwin, who works at the district office in Lima and just happened to be on vacation in Lima, picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel. The hotel was right in the main plaza in downtown Piura. When we checked in, I noticed the normal room rates on the wall. They were close to $200 a night, but God led us to this hotel...and we paid $50. It was one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in...pure luxury. We spent the evening walking around downtown Piura, and discovering all the culture it had to offer. God is good.

We decided since the next day was Easter that we would stay in downtown Piura for Sunday, and we would go to church with Edwin. So, we reserved another night at our hotel, and headed out with Edwin on Sunday morning. There was a Nazarene church just 3 blocks from our hotel. The pastor of the church introduced us to the congregation, and used the opportunity to speak for 10 minutes about what Extreme was doing in Peru and challenging the congregation to pray and support the work. The service then continued with great worship and a great message. If we had gone to Argentina, we would likely not have been in church on Easter Sunday. What a blessing it was to be in His house on this special day with this special group of people. God is good.

Sunday afternoon, we ate lunch at the hotel, and then relaxed by the pool. It was a gorgeous day, a gorgeous setting, and a wonderful time to just bask in His creation. Later that night, we headed down to the local shopping center, and had dinner and a saw a movie. A great laid back way to spend a day. God is good.

We decided that the next day we would head to the beach, which was about an hour away. So, Monday morning, we checked out of our hotel, and were on our way again. Not sure what God had in store, but trusting in His perfect plan...

To Be Continued....

Vacation...Part 2

2011-05-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

I was in shock. Why did this happen? What do I do now? Denise and I just sat for a while trying to figure out what was next. We discovered we could travel within Peru...but she couldn't leave the country. So, we decided to look online and find what kind of last minute deals there were. We soon found $100 round trip tickets to Piura, Peru (far northern Peru, close to the Ecuador border) leaving on Saturday afternoon (1 1/2 days later), as well as a return ticket for me to Arequipa,...now the only problem was buying them. In the US, it is pretty simple you just go online and buy with a credit card. For domestic flights in Peru, you have to reserve online, and then you have six hours to go down to a local bank and pay for them. High tech huh? Anyway, normally this wouldn't be a huge problem, but as I mentioned earlier it was the Thursday of Easter week, and all government (including banks) appeared to be closed for the 4 day weekend.   We called our Nazarene contact, and they said all the banks they had seen were in fact closed. This meant we likely wouldn't be able to fly out of Lima until Monday either (only giving 2 days to do anything).

We were feeling disappointed, and decided to go up to the local grocery store to pick up a few things. We walked in to the store, and noticed that the small bank inside the grocery store was open! We gave them our reservation code, and we were able to purchase the tickets!   After the repeated disappointments during the day, it was great to have this surprise. It was a real miracle we were able to purchase them and get them for a great price.

Since the flight wasn't leaving for a day and a half, this gave us some time to explore Lima. Lima is a city of around 10 million people. It is among the top 20 largest cities in the world. I have been through the city to do residency paper work and fly out, but have never spent significant time. So, this change allowed us time to explore the city. The next day we headed out to make the most of our day. We took a taxi ride along the ocean, went to a local mall over looking the water, took a city tour by bus, went to a park that had an evening fountain/water show, and ate some great food.   It was a fun day.

Saturday morning, we slept in, and then spent some time with Jose David and his family, our Nazarene contact there in Lima. He has such a beautiful family, and we had a good time playing with his kids. Around 11 am, we headed back up to the airport, unsure of what the next few days would hold, and praying that this trip to the airport would be better than the last...

To Be Continued...

Vacation....Part 1

2011-05-20T17:22:00.000-05:00

Ever have your plans all figured out and then God up and changed them on you? Not a fun experience. Ever had it happen to you on vacation? Well, I now have, and well...it turned out to be a fun experience...at least after the inital shock wore off.

In January, Dennis and Denise Linnell announced they would be returning home when their contract ended in February. Denise mentioned to me that she would be returning to Peru in April to train her replacement, and since she wouldn't have a job to go back to yet, she was in no rush to get back home. So, this began the discussion of a trip. I love to see new places, but don't like to go alone, so this seemed the perfect opportunity.

We began to discuss where we would go, and she mentioned she would like to see another country in South America. So, we began looking, and decided on Argentina. After much researching, we found good prices on airfare that would allow us to spend a day in Buenos Aires and then head up to Iguazu Falls. We booked our hotels, researched things to see and do, and were ready to go...or so we thought.

On Thursday morning, we headed to the Arequipa airport, and flew to Lima. We relaxed for a little while enjoyed some American food, had a pedicure, and then headed to immigration, with plenty of time to spare. I got in the immigration line, and went through without a problem. Unfortunately, Denise was not so lucky.

As she showed the immigration agent her passport, the man asked her for her Peruvian residency card. She explained to him that it was currently in the immigration office being renewed, but she had a copy. He then told her that this wasn't sufficient and she couldn't leave the country. She turned to me, and I was in shock. I then asked if there was anything she could do. He said that there was nothing until Monday, due to all government offices being closed for the 4 day Easter holiday weekend. My heart sank, and I prayed for guidance. I proceeded to talk with the man, trying everything I could, for close to two hours (all in spanish mind you). We even called our contact with the Nazarene district office in Lima, and he tried. But, to make a long story short, we headed out of the immigration office, the same way we came in.

Reeling from the news, we decided to see if we could do something with our flights. Jose David, our Nazarene contact, came with us to to the airline office to see if there was something we could do to change our flights. After going to the office in the airport, as well as the other airline office across town, we were told that there was nothing they could do, our flights, including mine back to Arequipa, had now been cancelled. So, we headed to the apartment at the Nazarene district office, to relax and decide what the next step was....

To Be Continued

Book of Mark

2011-03-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

Every Saturday night, the young adults get together at Zamacola Church of the Nazarene in Arequipa, Peru. Recently, we have been doing Bible studies through different books. We started out doing Ruth and Jonah, since they are both short books. Those of us in charge have been taking turns leading. March was my month. I had the pleasure of leading the group through the last couple chapters of Jonah, and then it was time to start a new book. I decided it was time to take a step up, and go through the book of Mark.

The book of Mark has always held special memories for me. After I graduated from college, I joined the "Twentysomethings" class at KC First Church. This class was a class that was often taught by a seminary student, and often was made up of many seminarians. I was at a point in my life where I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and had considered going to seminary, but wasn't sure, so this class was perfect. Soon after joining, the prior teacher graduated from seminary and left for another city. The new teacher was my friend and next door neighbor, Jeff Wittung. Jeff was one of the smartest, kindest, and humblest people I ever met. He led us on a journey through the book of Mark.
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Over the course of the coming months, the class changed from purely seminarians to a real mix of seminary students and new Christians, which is a tough mix of people to teach in one class. Jeff had an amazing way of navigating these waters, and everybody always walked away changed. This time in my life was one of the most crucial times of spiritual growth for me, and I ended up going to seminary because of this class, this study, this man.

In January of 2010, while home in KC, I learned that Jeff Wittung had been in a car accident and passed away, leaving behind his wife, Marne (who is a Spanish teacher), and his two daughters. The world lost a great man that day. He influenced my life more than he ever new, and I will be forever grateful.

Tonight, I began a bible study with a group of young people. This group is a mixture of Americans and Peruvians; seminarians and new Christians; teenagers and twentysomethings. It only made sense to go through the book of Mark. As I led the study, I kept being reminded of Jeff, and all that I learned from him. I only hope that this group will learn half us much as I did, and that I will be half the teacher that Jeff was.

I have been blessed over the years to have many great teachers, leaders, and mentors. Thank you to each one who has influenced my life.

2011 Goal Progress - After 2 Months

2011-03-01T07:49:00.000-06:00

So, it has now the start of March, which means it is time for an update on my goals.

Bible Reading - I have successfully been reading daily, and really enjoy it. It is a joy to end the day with words from God. I am now in Leviticus 24, Mark 10, Psalm 44, and Proverbs 10. 1/6th of the way through! In March, in addition to this, I plan on starting the devotional book "Ashes to Fire". This is a 14 week devotional series from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost. I am excited to get started on this.

Soda - This is becoming much easier. I now see Mountain Dew on a semi-regular basis and have yet to give in. I drink a lot of water and some fruit juice. Morning when I haven't slept well are still a challenge, since I don't drink coffee, but overall I am proceeding well on this one.

Sweets - This one continues to be a struggle, so many temptations. When I am stressed, this is the first thing I reach for. But, I am proud to say I still have a couple of my moms sweets left. Not enough to last through March, but 2 months for cookies and brownies to be sitting around....pretty good. Please continue to pray for me in this area.

Excercise - At the beginning of this month, I was very motivated to excercise, and exercised a lot. Then, my DVDs broke, and I still tried to do something. Now, I can't get my computer to read the DVDs. So, I am looking for other solutions such as a DVD player to connect to my TV, walking to work, or joining the gym near the office. I walked to work this morning, and really enjoyed it. I am going to Iguazu Falls in April, so I now have a goal to get in better shape by then to enjoy hiking, etc. In spite of all the problems, I still exercised 16 times in February, which is an average of 4 times a week for the month!

Reading - I still really enjoy reading! I did slow down a little from January, can't continue at the 15 books a month pace. This month, I read 7 books. Still loving my Kindle, thank you so much Jason and Amy!

Blogging - This is one I forgot to add last month. For those of you who have been following this blog for a while, you know that I have not always been the best at keeping it up to date. This year, I am trying to do better. In addition to posting these Goal Progress blog posts, I am trying to blog at least one additional time each month. So far so good! If you have anything you would like to have me write about, please let me know.

Two months down. I am thankful that God continues to be with me each day, and I am growing and changing each day with God's help. Please continue to be in prayer for me in these areas. There are constantly new challenges and obstacles to overcome, but I know that I just need to keep my eyes on Him, for He is always faithful.

Provider

2011-02-19T15:50:00.000-06:00

This week was a difficult week. I had several deadlines looming that I didn't think I could meet. Some of my best friends were leaving to return to the states. In general, I just felt inadequate and alone. But God is good, and provides for me exactly when I need him.

He helped me to finish a project that has been haunting me for quite some time, even providing much needed encouragement through a friend. He allowed several good days of quality time with close friends before they left, and even began plans to take a couple trips with friends in the coming months. I received two cards in the mail at exactly the moments when I needed them, after not receiving mail for months.

This week reminded me that God provides, not always how we expect, but in exactly the way that is needed. Before this week, it was a week that I dreaded. Looking back, it was definitely a week where God showed me that He cares for his children.

872 Days

2011-02-19T15:40:00.000-06:00

872 days ago I left KC and moved to Peru. During that time, I have seen 50 long term volunteers join Extreme and then leave. Some were for a short time, and some were for a longer time. Some made a minor impact and some made a major impact. This week I had to say goodbye yet again. This one was definitely the most difficult. They had been here for 730 of my 872 days, and become some of my closest friends here. It won't be the same without them.

When coming to Peru, I had originally signed up for two years, but am now in the middle of my 3rd. There were many who came, planning for two years, and left early. It is amazing to me that we always try to plan our lives and expect God to stick to our plans. He has His own plans. God is slowly teaching me to not plan ahead of Him.

Coming to Peru, God has given me the opportunity to meet many people I never would have met. Each one has made an impact. I consider it a great blessing to be here. If you ask how long I will be here, I will probably say something like "Only the Lord knows". Some may think that is "Christianese" or "some cop out answer", but it is honest. God is showing me that He is in charge everyday, and my view of the future isn't necessarily His. This could mean where you are, who is there with you, your job, or anything else. It isn't always easy, but I am sure glad God is driving and not me, because I would be completely lost by now.

2011 Goal Progress

2011-02-01T06:37:00.000-06:00

As previously posted, 2011 is the year of transformation, and this is done step by step. So, I decided to start small and set a few goals for myself. As it is now the end of the first month, I thought I would post my progress.

Bible Reading - I have always wanted to read through the Bible in a year. I have started several times, but always failed. As of now, I am 1/12th of the way through, and really enjoying it. It is one of my favorite parts of the day.

Soda - While back in the US, I drank a lot of soda. Coming back to Peru, I decided that I didn't want to be dependent on the caffeine and it was empty calories. So, I decided whenever possible to drink water instead. After a few weeks of caffeine withdrawls, I am doing better. There are some mornings that I regret it, but overall doing well on this one. I even passed up Mountain Dew both times I saw it in the store!

Sweets - Sugar and sweets are definitely my weakness. But, I am trying really hard to cut back on this. I brought back some homemade goodies from my mom. I decided to put these in the freezer, that way out of sight and it would take more work to eat them. I am happy to say after being back in Peru almost a month, even after sharing with friends, I still have the majority left!

Excercise - I have always been terrible and unmotivated to excercise. My goal wasn't to excercise every day, but to be consistent. I have been back about 26 days, and have excercise 10 times. This is an everage of almost 3 times a week. I am happy with this.

Reading - In the past, I have spent a lot of time watching TV or on the computer in the evenings. For Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law gave me a Kindle. This has been WONDERFUL. So, I made it a goal to read more. Since Christmas, I have finished 15 books, and am really enjoying it.

As February begins, please be in prayer for me that I continue to progress and step by step continue this year of transformation.

Difficulty of Being a Missionary

2011-01-18T13:10:00.000-06:00

Part of the missionary life is giving up the comforts of home and following the Lord where he leads. As a single missionary this is all the more difficult, because it means leaving behind all friends and family, your support system.

When I left the states, I thought the goodbyes would lessen, but since being here in Peru, I have found myself saying goodbye a lot more. As one of the first to arrive and being located in the headquarters, where all Extreme missionaries come through, I have had to say a lot of goodbyes, more than I care to count. It becomes taxing to grow close to someone, and have to say goodbye.

One of the things I have struggled with the most since being here is loneliness. I am not an outgoing person, and it often takes time for me to make friends, especially good friends. With people constantly coming and going, I find myself putting myself out there less and less, and spending more and more time alone.

The upside of this is I have found myself reading the Bible and praying a lot more than I used to. The downside, I am becoming more withdrawn, and the devil is attacking hard core, trying to make me feel sorry for myself.

All that being said, I could really use continued support. Email. Call. Write. Pray...

Blogging Accountability

2011-01-08T12:36:00.000-06:00

I know I have been very bad about keeping this blog updated. After my many months of bad blogging, I don't know if anyone still reads this. But, if anyone does, I want to ask. That you keep me accountable.

I know that this journey to Peru is not something that everyone gets to experience first hand, but I know that there are a whole group of people out there who are participating in this experience with me. For that reason, I want to use this blog to share what is going on with my life. But I can't do that if I don't actually write on it. So, my goal is to post at LEAST once a month. If you see that it has been over a month since I have posted, email me. If you think I should be writing more often, tell me. Help me share my experiences with you.

2011 - The Year of Transformation

2011-01-08T12:29:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, I said a tearful goodbye to family and friends, and once again returned to Peru. I would be lying if I said I was 100% excited about it Last year was a difficult year all around. Coming back to Kansas City was a time of rest, a time to rejuvenate, a time I desperately needed. When facing the idea of coming back to Peru, many things came to mind; "God, can't you use me here where it is comfortable and I have a better support system?", "Am I really doing this again?,"Can I take more of this?", "God, how much longer are you going to ask me to do this?", and "What's coming next?" were just a few thoughts going through my head. I felt like a bad missionary for not being 100% excited and thrilled to go off and follow God where ever he asked.

In the last few days, I have been thinking and praying a lot. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know how long God has me serving here. I don't know a lot of things. But, I continually remind myself that God is with me every step of the way, and God asks us for once step. After the one step, he asks for another step. But each time, just one step. My mind wants to plan, wants to know, and wants to be in control. But, God asks for one step.

When I look back at this year, I want to look back in awe of God; at what he brought me through, at how far I have come, at how my life has changed, at how He has changed the lives of those around me. I want to look back and see where all those small steps have led, how far I have come. I want this year to be a year of transformation.

I am a flawed individual. I look at myself and see the things I don't like about myself, and the things that I would like to change. Of course, I would love this transformation to be to change all of these flaws about me. But, God is the one in control, and He is the one that is doing the transforming.

Please be in prayer for me this year that I will follow him, one step at a time, and not get bogged down with everything else. Pray that like me, those around me would be willing to begin this journey with God. This journey of transformation. This journey of following God wherever He leads, and allowing Him to mold each of us into who He wants us to be. When I look back at this year, this life, I want to see that I have followed God every step of the way, and I want to look back in awe of how He transformed me.

God is leading each one of us, and at different points in our lives our paths cross with others. Some for a short time, and some for a long time. So many people through the years have been instrumental in my life, and I ask that God would give me the eyes to see those that need support along the way.

2011. The Year of Transformation. How will you allow God to transform you this year? How will God use you to transform the life of someone else? As the saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step".

You Give and Take Away

2010-11-11T08:29:00.000-06:00

I was listening to music yesterday while working, and I heard "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. I have heard this song a million times, but this time it really hit me. Here are the words:

Blessed be Your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's "all as it should be"
Blessed be You name
And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I will bless Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

The part that struck me most is the last part. "You give and take away. You give and take away. My heart will CHOOSE to say, Lord blessed be your name". This year hasn't been an easy one. It has been filled with lots of moments of frustration, confusion, and disappointment. In those moments, it is a choice. We could choose to be angry at God, choose to walk away, or we could choose to say, "Lord, I don't understand, but you are in control. Lord, blessed be your name..."

Speaking Schedule

2010-09-16T17:58:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Peru! As I prepare for my time back in the US, I am working on setting up a speaking schedule. Below is what is currently scheduled:

Sunday, November 21 6 PM - West Chester Church of the Nazarene (Ohio)
Wednesday, Dec. 1 11:30 AM - Nazarene Publishing House (KC, MO)
Sunday, Dec. 12 10:45 AM - Southwood Church of the Nazarene (Raytown, MO)

I still have openings available. Please email me if you know of an opportunity. I will be back in the US from November 17-January 4. Look forward to seeing everyone!

US Visit

2010-09-03T10:22:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been very good this year about sending updates about what has been going on, and for this I am sorry. But, I would like to let you know that I would like to give you an update in person! I will be in the US from November 17, 2010 until January 4, 2011! I know this is a busy holiday time for many people, but I would love the opportunity to share with each of you the life changing things that God is doing here in Peru. This could come in the form of getting together one on one, or it could come in the form of presenting to a small or large group. Both are equally important. If you would like for me to share with you while I am back, please let me know, and I will make sure it happens!

Renewal

2010-09-03T10:15:00.000-05:00

In just one month, I will have been living in Peru for 2 years. Hard to believe. In some ways it feels like I just got here, and in others it feels like I have been here forever. My initial contract with Extreme was a 2 year contract, so I only have one more month on this contract. After much prayer, I have decided my work here is not done. I will be signing a new 1-year contract soon, and this has the option to renew each year. Don't know how long I will be here, but for now I know that this is where I am supposed to be. This will require some additional funding. For those of you who are currently supporting me, please consider continuing this support for another year. If you specified with Crowne that you would support for 2 years, you will need to contact them to extend it.

I wanted to take a minute to let everyone know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. I wouldn't be here without you. Thank you for everything.

Birthday

2010-08-23T17:10:00.000-05:00

Saturday, August 21 was my second birthday here in Peru. It was a great day! I slept in until 9 am. Then, went and got an empanada, and called my family. It was great to talk with them. I relaxed until it was time for lunch, and then met another volunteer, Rachael.

We headed to a new restaurant and I had Filet Mignon and frozen lemonade. It was a nice treat. Next, we decided to go the zoo. Neither of us had ever been, so it was a little bit of an adventure, but we found it without any major problems. This zoo is on the outskirts of the city and is unlike any zoo in the US, but it was fun nonetheless. We saw lions, tigers, and bears...oh my..., as well as lots of birds and monkeys. It was quite the deal too, including travel to and from it was less than $3. After the zoo, we decided to stop and get chocolate fondue. It was amazing!

Every Saturday night, my local church has a service for young people. This day was no exception. Afterwards, they had a party for me. Youth from the other nazarene churches came as well. It was a great night to hang out with friends and celebrate.

Although it is often difficult to be far from home, it was great to have friends and family from all over the globe wish me happy birthday. I am very lucky. Below are a few pics from the day.

Love Extreme Mega Event on June 19, 2010

2010-08-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

The day that everyone had been anticipating for such a long time had finally arrived. The preparations had been made. The fliers and posters were all over the city. The project was being bathed in prayer from around the world. Now we just had to wait and see what the Lord would do.

Love Extreme started early on Saturday morning. We showed up at the church at 7 am. We took buses out to Cerro Juli, which is where we held Love Extreme. We spent an hour in prayer, and anointed each speaker, singer, presenter, and translator. The doors were opened around 9 am, and there was a crowd of between 2,000 and 3,000 waiting to get in. People were excited to be there.

The grounds at Cerro Juli allowed us to hold all kinds of events. The men’s & women’s Conferences and Prayer Salon were held in a Conference Center. Concerts took place on the main stage. An entire building was reserved for the children’s Festival. Rooms were used for a medical clinic, and there was even a gated area holding a giant ostrich and llamas! This place had it all. We also had areas reserved for buying food, which included empanadas, sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs (not like you’ve ever seen—they were pink!) and cuy. Cuy is guinea pig—a delicacy for Peruvians. It was a diverse menu!

Women’s Conference
The Women’s Conference was standing room only. Tammy Trent and Lonna Vopat were a dynamic duo in the Women’s conference. Tammy sang and shared her testimony during the Women’s Conference. Her husband died in a scuba diving accident while they were on a mission trip to Jamaica. She talked about how her whole world fell apart, as this happened the day before September 11, 2001. God brought her through the experience and her faith lies solely in God. Lonna shared her story of abandonment, abuse, divorce, alcoholism, drugs, depression, and suicide attempts. Her story had something to speak to every woman. By the end, over 150 woman came forward to accept Christ. Amazing!

After the conference was over, several of our Extreme staff members and short term volunteers had the opportunity to speak one on one with woman who were hurting and in bad relationships. It was great to see how God put people in just the right places to be there for these women.

Men’s Conference

As the men’s conference began, it quickly became obvious that they would need more space, so the prayer salon was moved to a different room in order to expand the men’s conference. Even after this, the room was still filled beyond capacity. Felix Vargas shared his story of being a member of the Colombian drug cartel, and how Christ came to save him. By the end, between 150 and 200 men came forward to accept Christ. God used his story to meet the men where they were, and his story resonated with them.

Children’s Festival
Over 2,000 children attended the event, which meant the kid’s festival was always full. They had something for everyone, drama, face painting, inflatables, balloon animals, and much more. But, beyond the fun, everything was Christ centered. The children were able to hear the message of God’s love on their level, and many responded to this good news.

Afternoon Activities

It seemed like there were people everywhere by lunch. I think every arena was busy. There were concerts on the main stage in the afternoon, and people received Christ then as well. There were some young people surrounding the stage as a North American pastor spoke, and they seemed to be hanging on his every word. Nazareno, a group from Cali, Colombia, also performed, and were able to get the crowd read for Nick to come speak.

Nick Vujicic

People had been anxiously awaiting Nick all day. Nick has no arms or legs, but has an amazing testimony in Jesus. One statement he made that really hit me was “I could spend 90 years with arms or legs, or I could spend my life as I am and bring thousands of people to Heaven with me.” For him, it was no contest. Nick gave a powerful message and invited Peruvians to receive Christ. He estimated that there were 6,000 people there, and 80% raised their hands to receive Jesus as their Savior. Nick turned to Christian Saramiento, his translator, and said, "There are too many people raising their hands. They don't understand. Say it again." Christian then said, "This is not a blessing, this is a commitment." Most of the people raised their hands again. The crowd was asked three times to be sure, and they continued to keep their hands raised.

When Brian Tibbs was taking Nick back to the airport, they had a chance to talk about the events of the day. Nick said that he was amazed at the response. The typical response at his shows is 10%. He commented how obvious it was that God was at work in this city, and how the event must have been bathed in prayer. Thank you to everyone who was praying for this event. Your prayers were obvious.

Prayer Needed

2010-06-09T21:58:00.002-05:00

Please be in prayer. Friday starts the beginning of our Love Extreme projects. Around 125 short term volunteers arrive in their service cities (around 80 here in Arequipa) on Friday. They will do evangelism and compassionate ministry work in their cities. All of these short term volunteers along with close to 200 more short term volunteers arrive in Arequipa on the 17th, and the biggest outreach event in the history of Arequipa will be on the 19th. The 20th will be a day of celebrating the new believers, and announcing the next Extreme projects (including the launch of the new extremenazarene.org website which I have spent the last few months building). The 21st will begin discipleship of all of the new believers, as well as more compassionate ministries work in several cities throughout the country.

The next 3-4 weeks will be intense, but I look forward to seeing the amazing things God is going to do. The harvest is plentiful, and God has been preparing the workers to work in the field. Please begin praying now that God opens the doors of the hearts of the local people, and they will see that their is only one true God.

I will be leading the communication team, making sure that we have pictures, video, and reflections on what is going on. All of this will be posted at http://www.extremenazarene.org/news If you are not already, you may sign up to receive articles from the Extreme site automatically. Also please check http://www.extremenazarene.org beginning the evening of June 20 to see what is next for Extreme.

Update from June 6

2010-05-23T18:37:00.004-05:00

It has only been a month since my last post this time, compared with many months, so I think I am doing better. I am also doing better here in Peru. The Tuesday after I wrote my last post, was my low point. I was exhausted, my back began to spasm, and I felt like all of the world was pressing in against me. On top of it, I felt alone. I think I cried most of the day. It was at that point that I reached out to those around me, and expressed how I was feeling. Those I work closest with were awesome, and really made me realize that I am not alone in this process. They then made an effort over the next few days to really support me. It is amazing the difference it makes to be going through the tough times WITH others. All of a sudden the load didn't seem as heavy, even though I still have the same amount of work to do, I know that others are there working with me.

The next week, Shelly Gartman came to do some team builiding excercises with us, which greatly tied in to what God was already showing me. It was a great time to get to know people better, and to lift each other up. The devil has been trying his best to tear the team apart, but God has been working even harder to bring the team together. It is amazing to see each person here working together for His glory. I truly appreciate the people that I work with.

These past couple weeks have brought new members to our group. The third cohort of 40/40s have now received their partners, and they have begun classes. There have definitely been some "growing pains", but that is to be expected. It is great to see the different cultures coming together.

One of the new Peruvian 40/40s is actually a friend of mine. I have known her for close to a year. She came down from Piura (in Northern Peru, close to Equador) to be apart of what is going on down here. I have been telling her for many months that she should be a 40/40. She was hesitant at first, but I knew she would be perfect. She recently had a dream from God confirming that she should indeed be a 40/40, and she is part of this cohort. She will be staying right here in Arequipa to further his kingdom!

One of my other Peruvian friends has felt called as well. She is from here in Arequipa, and her family lives close to the church. When she talked to her father about it, he said 'No!' Her father is a strict man, who comes to church occasionally. The next day, he came to church, and asked to talk to me. I have never really ever talked to this man, so wasn't really sure what was happening. He mentioned that he was scared of losing his daughter, and that he wasn't sure he wanted this to happen. I told him that if she is being called, she needs to follow. I explained the process to him, and by the end he was close to tears. He promised he would pray about it. Please pray with me that his heart will be open, and that God's will shall be allowed to take place in this situation.

Chichani has been going very well. One week, I ended up going up there alone. I thought one of the ladies from church was coming, but I ended up alone. At first I wasn't sure what to do, I asked them if they wanted to play a game or if they wanted a lesson. After a few minutes, they decided on the game. We played for about a half hour. They then stopped the game, and said to me that they wanted to have a lesson now. What kids will stop playing to learn! Amazing! I ended up teaching a lesson on the basics of the bible (number of books, number of authors, etc). They then began memorizing the books of the Bible. This week they finished the old testament, and can now tell me all 39 books in order! Good kids.

One of the kids name is Ricardo. Ricardo is about 12 years old. He always knows the answers to the questions, and has learned a lot about the Bible. He recently came up to me, and asked me for a passage of scripture to memorize. So, I gave him my favorite scripture, Psalms 121. He asked if I would give him an extra lollipop if he memorized it. I said I would. The next week, he came running up to me, and quoted the entire passage word for word. He then asked for a new one. He is now on his 3rd passage. He once asked me what I would give him if he memorized the entire Bible. This kid has a passion to learn. Please pray that this kid continues to keep his eyes on Jesus, and that his passion continues to be on things above not on earthly things.

All of these things have combined together to remind me why I am here, and to give me new passion and energy to serve him. I am grateful for a God that will use me, as I am, and when I am down, he knows how to lift me up.

Thank you Lord.

Update...Finally!

2010-05-08T20:56:00.003-05:00

I first want to apologize for not updating this in quite a while. When I first arrived in Peru over 19 months ago, it was easy to keep this blog updated, because everything was new. The longer I have been here the more it just becomes everyday life, and thus it is harder to think about writing about every day life. Who would want to read it?

Well, I realize now that it is important for me to document what I am thinking and feeling along the way, so that those reading it can understand the journey. So, I will try to update more frequently.

It has now been over three months since I have returned from the US. Time is going by so quickly. I throughly enjoyed my time in the US, catching up with friends and family. It was great to be back. And to be honest, the thought of returning to Peru, at first was difficult. I knew how much work and stress was waiting for me, and I wasn't looking forward to it. But, I knew that God had called me to Peru, and I was excited about what he was going to do here in this country. Although I had my fears about the work that was to come, returning to Peru was much easier than leaving the first time.

Since returning, I am not going to lie it has been difficult. Due to the lack of volunteers, I am doing multiple job assignments, and in the 4 months between February and first part of June, I have at least 8-9 months worth of work. Since I am the only programmer, I have really felt the pressure. I have also been sick quite a bit with stomach issues, headaches, and exhaustion. The devil has been working hard to prevent me from doing what God has called me to do, and some days it seems like it would be way easier to just give up.

The team has felt the devil working as well. A few 40/40s have ended up leaving, and our head of logistics and his wife who is key in our finance department have left due to medical reasons. Every day it feels like the devil comes up with a new way to try to prevent the work from continuing down here.

But then, God reminds me that He is in charge, and that he is more powerful that the devil. He never promised the journey would be easy, but He wants us to be faithful.

The first cohort of 40/40s has already been working on their church plants for 6 months, and God is working in Puerto Maldonado. The second cohort of 40/40s have finished their Bible and Church planting training, and despite many difficulties, are starting their church plants as well in Iquitos and Pucallpa. The third cohort of 40/40s finished their language training on Friday. This week will meet their Peruvian partners, and will be soon beginning their Bible and Church planting training. The fourth cohort arrives in about 2 weeks to start language training. The potential among these people is amazing, and God will use them to transform this country.

The other thing that is going on is Love Extreme. This is two short term projects that will take place in 7 cities throughout the country, as well as a one day mega event (in the middle of the two short term projects) that will change Arequipa. Arequipa for decades has been completely closed to the Gospel, not officially by the government or anything, but the hearts of the people. Although now, it is evident that the doors are opening. God's timing is perfect. This mega event has the potential to blow the doors wide open, but it is evident that the devil doesn't want this.

Please be in prayer for the Extreme volunteers and the church leaders as we unite together to prepare for this event, as well as prepare a plan to disciple all of the new Christians that will come out of it. Please also be in prayer for the people of this city, that the doors of their hearts will continue to open and be prepared to hear God's message.

Lastly, please be in prayer for me. As I explained earlier, the past few months have been difficult and at times discouraging. Please pray that I will remain healthy, I will get everything done that needs to be done, and I will keep my eyes focused on Him.

If you have time, please send me an email or post a comment here if you are reading this and will pray for me. I could use a little encouragement during this very stressful time.

Extreme Presentation

2010-02-08T08:35:00.004-06:00

Southwood Church of the Nazarene did an audio recording of my presentation, if you were not able to go or know of others who would like to hear, please click here.

Below is the video that I showed:

Also, this is the map that is referenced:

Speaking Schedule

2009-10-26T15:21:00.001-05:00

Currently planned speaking engagements while I am back in the US (Dec 17-Feb 2):

January 10 at 6:00 pm - Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene (Kansas City, MO)
January 17 at 9:30 am - College Church of the Nazarene (SS Class of Larry Haffey - Olathe, KS)
January 24 at 6:00 pm - West Chester Church of the Nazarene (West Chester, OH)
January 31 at 10:45 am - Southwood Church of the Nazarene (Raytown, MO)

I still have some open space if anyone knows of any other opportunities. I look forward to being able to get together with each one of you while I am back in the US.

God Fulfills His Promises...No Matter How Crazy They Sound!

2009-10-04T21:16:00.004-05:00

This weekend was packed with Church activities.

Friday
I had the pleasure of attending a birthday party of the children in San Miguel. San Miguel is one of the 3 local preaching points started by Zamacola, the church I attend. Zamacola has set a goal for each of these church plants, by August of next year, to have at least 15 members ages 12 and older.

The poorer children in Peru don't often get birthday parties, because their families can't afford it. So, the purpose of this celebration was to make the children feel special, and at the same time invite the parents in to show them what has been going on. While the children were outside, Pastor Solano had the opportunity to share a simple gospel message with the 5 mothers in attendance. All five accepted Christ, and have agreed to begin meeting every week to learn more about Christ. It is neat to see the gospel message so readily accepted. These women will form the base for the Church in this location.

Saturday
Saturday morning, I remembered that it was my week to teach Sunday school at Chachani on Sunday. So, I spent the morning beginning to prepare for this. I didn't have much time to work on this however, because I was to be back at church by 2 pm, for the final youth quiz meet.

Quizzing was a very important part of learning about the Bible when I was growing up, so it was so neat to see the youth from the 4 Nazarene churches in Arequipa participating in this. And it was great to also see Zamacola win!

After the quiz meet, they had a time of recreation in the park with all of the churches. It was nice to be able to get to know the youth from the other churches, and especially in such a fun way. I played volleyball with a mixed group from all of the churches. Although I am not great at it, it was still fun.

I thought after sports, the church day was over, but it was just beginning! Next, came the festival of music. It was a time for all of the youth to be able to worship together. Each church took turns leading worship. It was definitely a fun but spiritual time.

After church, a group of friends from Church and I, went out to eat, and were able to just laugh and eat together. Perfect ending to the day.

Sunday
I woke up early in order to finish getting the lesson ready. Going on little sleep, I did manage to get to church on time, and with a lesson prepared. Unfortunately, I lost my cell phone in the process :( But, it was a great day of worshipping the Lord! Sunday school and the church service were both very good.

In the afternoon, I headed up to Chachani, another one of Zamacola's preaching points. When I get there, I see there is another celebration going on in the main square of the community where we normally hold Sunday school. Only this celebration is not being held by the church. I don't know completely what was going on, but I could see a little figurine surrounded by flowers and they were singing and dancing all around it. It appeared to be a celebration to an idol of some sort. I began to teach the children anyway, sometimes having to repeat myself due to the loud celebration going on near by. The children stayed focused (well, at least as much as normal), and God was able to work in the lesson despite what was going on around us. It was a really reminder about the difficulties faced in life. Idols and other religions aren't just something talked about in the Bible, but something that is faced in life by many people. A battle is being faced here in Peru, and across the world. I am glad I am on God's side.

God's Plan
Around 3 years ago, I was going through a tough time with the church. It all seemed very fake, and full of programs and useless junk. It was during this time that God spoke to me, and He said, "Kindra, one day you are going to help start a church." I really just laughed it off, thinking it was just a crazy idea in my head, but it continued on for several weeks. I never did anything about it, nor said anything about it to anyone, thinking that it was nuts. Quite honestly, I completely forgot about it until God reminded me this weekend about that promise of several years ago. And He said, "See, you thought I was crazy, but look at what you are doing! You personally are involved with several church plants, and you are working with Extreme whose goal is to plant 120 more!"

I am so glad that I am not in charge of this life, because He knows so much more than I do. Lord, help me to grow my faith in you, and to use this as a reminder that You will fulfill all of your promises.

Friends and Family in the US

2009-09-28T16:44:00.002-05:00

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about my friends and family back in the states. I have received news of friends moving, getting engaged, getting married, getting pregnant, and having children. I have also heard of major life threatening illnesses among close family members. I have had to really entrust my friends and family to God during this time, because I can rejoice with them or pray with them, but I am helpless to do anything else from this far away. Some days, I ask God why he moved me here, and other days, I know exactly why God has me here. I know that they are all in God's hands, and that is the best place they can be.

I am greatly looking forward to coming back to the US for a visit, and to be able to share with my friends and family back there, what God is doing here in Peru. I will be back in the US from December 17-February 2. I am working on setting up speaking engagements with different churches or organizations. If you are interested in having me share what God is doing with your church, please let me know. My schedule is currently pretty open. One that I am really looking forward to is at KC First Church on Sunday evening, January 10. This is the church I began attending when I was 9 years old, and so it will be great to share with this church family.

I would also like to get together with as many friends and family members as possible while I am back to catch up on your lives and just reconnect. I have missed all of you, and all of you are so important to me, that it will be great to be able to be together again. Please email me, and we can set up a time to get together.

I love each and every one of you, and am grateful for the impact you have made on my life. I would not be where I am today with out you.

Other Ministry Opportunities

2009-09-28T16:12:00.003-05:00

I am blessed to be able to use many of my talents and abilities to further God's kingdom in Peru. Below is an overview of some of the things that I have been able to be involved with.

The Office
When most people think about spending hours a day staring at code on a computer, they think about boredom, and would rather jump off the roof. I love it! I am truly honored to be able to use my skills to help others to be able to use theirs. It isn't always easy with computer problems, disagreements with co-workers, illness, deadlines that aren't met, and too much work to do in too little time, but most days, I love what I do. Please pray that God would allow our team to work together more smoothly, in order to be able to do His work effectively.

Bible Quizzing
They recently began doing youth and children's bible quizzing. It was neat to see my kids from Chachani, who are brand new Christians, study and do very well with children's bible quizzing. This was their first year, and although they didn't win the competition, they learn a lot more about Christ. I was also asked to be a part of the youth quiz team. Here a youth is between 12-40 or so. I decided with everything else I had going on and with it being done in Spanish, that it would be better if one of the other youth from the church took my spot. But, I have loved watching it and teaching them tricks I learned from quizzing when I was younger. It has been great to see them doing something that helped me learn so much about God. Please pray that they will be able to learn as much from quizzing as I did, and that it will help to solidify their relationship with God.

Chachani
In Peru, a church is not a full church, until it has planted at least one other church. Every church in Arequipa is in the process of planting at least one other church. Zamacola is in the process of planting several. Pastor Solano has recently decided to become more intentional about the work in Chachani and the other outreach ministries of the church. Chachani, Bedoya, and San Miguel are all now officially on level 1 of the church planting scale. These are called preaching points. We have a goal of having at least 15 members (12 and older) in the next year, in order to move to level 2. It has been neat for me to look at it through these lenses, and to be more intentional about the work there. God is doing great things in this community, and am excited to see what the next year will bring. Please pray for the teachers and students at Chachani, and that God will help a church to form in this community.

English class
Since the projects have ended, I have restarted teaching English. About 2 days a week, I have anywhere from 1-5 friends from the church come over to learn English. They are at various skill levels, which proves challenging at times, but it has been neat for me to do. I have struggled learning their language, so I have a lot of compassion when I am teaching them. It also has helped me to improve my Spanish skills. Please pray that I have the words to say to teach them effectively, and that our relationships will strengthen through this time together.

1 Year in Peru and Another Year Older

2009-09-28T15:58:00.003-05:00

Things definitely can change in a year. One year ago, I had just had a big surprise birthday party with my friends and family, and was preparing to head to Peru. Fast forward one year. I just finished having a "surprise" birthday party with my Peruvian friends and church family, and this Friday I will be celebrating one year in Peru.

I was a little worried about celebrating my birthday in Peru. Last year, I had such a grand celebration, that I thought that whatever happened it would fail in comparison. But, as it turned out, although very different, I enjoyed this year just as much. I was fortunate to have the day off on my birthday, and was able to eat lunch with my Peruvian friends/family from church. We then spent the afternoon together watching cheesy horror movies, and just spending time together. Then that night, they threw a party for me, and about 15 friends showed up. It was a "surprise" party. They were so excited about it, that they were really bad at making it a surprise, but that just made it mean more. This group of people is so special to me. Peru would not be the same with out them.

As I reflect on the last year, things have certainly changed. I remember arriving in Peru, scared out of my mind. I sold everything I owned, quit my job, left my family and friends, and came to Peru. It was just God and I. Through this year, God has helped me to learn the language and they culture, make friends, minister to people, use my gifts and abilities to further his kingdom, and grow in my relationship with him. I call it a successful year.

I don't know what God has in store for the next year, but I will follow God wherever He leads.

40/40s...Young Adults Changing the World

2009-09-28T15:23:00.009-05:00

For those who don't know what 40/40 is, let me explain. 40/40 is an idea that originated with Jesus. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs to follow his example. That is the essence of this program. There are 40 single non-peruvians paired with 40 single peruvians, and they go through bible and church planting training together. Then, each pair is sent out to plant 3 churches, and to be Christ to the people. These 40 pairs are then spread out among 7 cities with 4-6 pairs per city, and each city has a family that serves as support for the 40/40 pairs within that city.

The first group of 4 40/40 pairs is currently in Iquitos finishing up their training, and will arrive in Puerto Maldonado in November to share God's light with this dark place. Within the next 2 years, there will be 12 new churches in this region! These pairs have grown so much in the close to 9 months of training they have had so far. I am excited to see how God uses them in this dark city.

The second group of non-Peruvian 40/40s, along with a cluster support family, arrived in Arequipa for language training the end of August. They will be in Arequipa through November, and then they will meet up with their Peruvian partner and head up to Iquitos for Bible and church planting training. 6 of these 40/40s, along with the new cluster support family, will stay in Iquitos after training and plant 18 churches in the Iquitos area. Please pray for them: The Simpson Family, Katie Brandt, Melissa Sutherland, Brittany Hart, Drew Kaminski, Brad Wall, and Kevin Snodgrass. The other 6 of these 40/40s, along with the Fosters, will go to Pucallpa, another jungle city, after training to plant 18 more churches. Ryan and Sarah Foster were the first volunteers I met when I arrived in Peru, and helped me to survive the first few months I was here. I also have worked with Ryan in IT for the last 9 months. They have recently accepted the cluster support position, and will be heading to the jungle with Katie Anderson, Kristina Andrews, Laura Benson, Tabetha Pinks, Gary Crites, and Timothy Mong. Please also pray for this group.

The third and final group of 40/40s and cluster support families (24 40/40s and 4 cluster support families) will arrive in February. There are still may open positions. If you or someone you know, feel led by God to come to Peru to plant churches, please visit http://www.extremenazarene.org/4040 for more info. This is a difficult job, but one that God can and will use to further his kingdom here in Peru.

Short Term Projects Are In Full Swing!

2009-09-28T14:19:00.007-05:00

In the last two months since I have written (sorry about that), there have been two short term projects completed, and one that is taking place right now! As a part of the administrative team, I am not as involved in these projects as others, but the first two were in Arequipa, where I live, so I tried to participate as much as my schedule would allow. Below, I will summarize the projects briefly, if you wish to see more information on these projects, please click the name of the project below.

Extreme Peru: Arequipa 0 (July 16-29, 2009)
35 volunteers from across the United States, came down to Peru for two weeks to be the Lord's hands and feet in Peru. They did a fabulous job! This project had a two fold purpose. The first purpose was to make progress on the buildings that will be the Larry and Addie Garman missionary training center for southern Peru, the district center for southern Peru, as well as house Zamacola Church of the Nazarene. The second purpose was to make an impact on the city of Arequipa, and jump start our church planting movement. The devil was working hard to make sure this project wasn't successful. Before the project even started, the schools were closed, and public gatherings were strongly discouraged, due to swine flu. Once the project got going, close to half of the short term volunteers got sick with a virus that spread through the team. But, God is stronger, opening up new opportunities, and in one case even the local police were helping us to accomplish our purpose! When this project ended, there were 175 new Christians, including one of the bus drivers that drove the volunteers around all week. It was amazing to see God at work!

Extreme Peru: Arequipa 1 (August 6-19, 2009)
This project had 79 short term volunteers, and God used every single one! God's impact on Arequipa continued during Arequipa 1. Another 316 people accepted Christ during this project, including ANOTHER one of our bus drivers! I was also able to lead two of the events during this project. The first event took place in the plazas of one of the preaching points of Zamacola church, on the first full day of the project. I was able to see around 30 kids accept Christ. The second event took place in the plaza of Chachani, where I go every week. This event was for the mothers. When they found out this was for them and not there children, a smile came across their face, and for the first time in a while, you could see they felt special. It was a cold night, but that didn`t stop them from coming out. There were around 30 women, 20 kids, and even a few men that showed up. The movie Magdalena was shown, which is basically the Jesus film made specifically for women. The movie got to the part where Jesus stopped the Jewish leaders from stoning a women that had committed adultery, saying "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", and the movie was stopped. Lonna Vopat gave her testimony of how God had healed her broken past, and how in God`s eyes each one of them was special. This gave a current example of what had just been portrayed in the movie, and it met them exactly where they were. Lonna then asked all who would like to accept Jesus to stand. Around 20 of those 30 women stood and prayed to accept Jesus into their heart. The movie was restarted and they saw the rest of the life of Jesus, and were able to see just the difference that God makes. Despite the cold, after woman and child stayed through the entire movie. You could see in their eyes that for the first time, they realized how truly special they are. This volunteers of this project visited worked with children, prayed with strangers in the main plaza, visited hospitals and children's homes, pampered women in prison, showed the Jesus and Magdalena films, and even participated in an evangelistic dance contest! God was definitely at work in amazing ways. Work also continued on the new buildings, and on Sunday, August 16th, the Larry and Addie Garman missionary training center and the district center (built in honor of Daniel Walker) were dedicated! There were over 500 people in attendance! This included all of the Nazarene churches in Arequipa, church leaders from across Peru, new Christians who found God during this project, and short term volunteers. To put it in perspective, there are only around 350 members of the Church of the Nazarene in all of southern Peru, yet there were 500 people in attendance at this celebration! God is on the move!

Puerto Construction 1 (September 24 - October 7, 2009)
This is the first project outside of Arequipa. This is a much smaller project with only 14 volunteers, but from early reports they are doing great work! This project is mainly a construction project with the goal of making significant progress on the home that will house the 40/40s and cluster support family for Puerto, who will be moving to Puerto on November 3 to begin their work. Puerto Maldonado is a city of around 50,000 people, and there are more prostitutes than Christians in this dark jungle city. The Church of the Nazarene began work in this city in January 2008, and through the partnership with Extreme, they hope to bring light to this dark place. Please pray for the continued work in this place.

Weeks in Review (6/29-7/12)

2009-07-12T20:21:00.003-05:00

These past couple weeks have had highs but also quite a few lows. The devil has really been working trying to discourage me. Please keep me in your prayers. Below is an overview:

Chachani - Definitely a high. Last Sunday, for the first time I actually taught the lesson by myself. I also did it all in Spanish. I think it went over very well. I taught about Zaccheus. I read the story as the kids acted it out. They then learned a memory verse "Porque el Hijo del hombre vino a buscar y a salvar lo que se había perdido. (Lucas 19:10)" which means "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)" It was great! Pilar (the other teacher) and I are going to trade off weeks, so I will be doing this more often, and I am looking forward to it!

Church - Another high! It is great to see relationships continue to build with those at church. It is also great to realize my Spanish is improving once again, which makes it easier to communicate, especially with those at church. This past Monday was teacher day, yet another holiday here in Peru. That evening, all of the Sunday School teachers got together at the Sunday School Superintendent's home. It was a great time to hear stories about what is going on in the other groups. It also helped me to realize just how important Sunday School is. I often take for granted all that I learned in Sunday School growing up, and this meeting along with teaching for this first time really helped to remind me. I am excited about helping young ones form a basis for their relationships with Christ.

Project - Excitement is in full gear in the office! The first group of 35 short term volunteers arries in Arequipa this Friday! This is the first of 11 groups of people who will be coming down over the next year. We also are excited about the growing number of 40/40 and cluster support applications. Financial contributions for the project are also growing. I think General Assembly really helped to make the Nazarenes in the US aware of what is going on, and they are really responding. Please pray that all will come together.

Sick - Now the lows begin. I have had two different bouts of illness in these two weeks. I had been pretty healthy, but last week I had a little bit of stomach problems, and this week a sinus infection. I have had to miss several days of work, and have been locked up in my house the past 3 or 4 days. I have medicine which is helping, but still not completely well. I hope to make it back to the office tomorrow, but we will see. Please pray for my health.

English Lessons - Due to me being sick and some schedule conflict, Jonathon and I haven't had English class in over 2 weeks. As with learning any skill, consistency is key. So I hope he has been practicing, and this won't set us back too much. Hopefully we can have class tomorrow, but this depends on how I feel tomorrow. We will see...

My Grandma - I received an email from my dad stating that my grandma has had a stroke. She is currently in the hospital. They are running tests to see the extent of the damage, what they find will determine her treatment, probably a stint, an operation, medication, etc. She currently is numb in her left arm. Until she gets use of her arm back, she won’t be able to live alone. It is very difficult to hear news like this, especially when you are very far away. She is my only living grandparent. Please pray for her and my family during this difficult time.

Computer Work - The websites have been a major source of frustrations over the past week especially. Due to problems beyond my control, the web site has been down for almost 3 days in a 4 day period. I have been continually feeling like everything I touched had major unforseen hurdles and roadblocks. This was made much worse because I was sick, but had to be working to get these problems resolved. It caused me to have a bad attitude, but God has had to continually reminding me that he is in control. Please pray that I will continue to remember this is His work, and to allow him to use me.

Loneliness - Last but not least. As I have mentioned many times on this blog, this is one of the major ways the devil has been working on me since being here. When I was back in the states, I never really had an issue with the fact that I was single. I have always felt that God wanted me to work on my relationship with him first, and then he would provide for me in this area. Here, I have been dealing with that issue a lot, especially with the fact that dating anyone here is really not an option. I feel like the devil is really using this to try to prevent me from doing what God wants. I know that I could easily take my desires in my own hands and make it happen, but then I wouldn't be open to what God wants. I have been going through this women's bible study, and it feels like every week I am reminded of this. I know God loves me, and I know that God has incredible things planned for me. Please help me to leave my future, all of my future in his hands.

As you can see, it has been a couple weeks of many struggles. I know that all of these struggles are things that I would face no matter where I was, and I know that these things are things that other people face. So, I am writing this for two reasons:

1) As a reminder of specific ways that you can pray for me
2) To be completely honest with what is happening in my life so that when God helps me work through these situations, God will be glorified and others will see how God can work in their lives as well.

Encouragement from My Father

2009-07-03T16:09:00.009-05:00

Everyone who knows me well knows how important music is to me. It is one of the easiest ways for me to worship. You could say it is genetic :) Before I left, my dad was thinking about the journey I would be taking, and he wrote a song. I refer back to this song often, and it is a great encouragement. It is encouragement from my Father, both earthly and heavenly...

God's challenge is great, your ability small.
You want to obey, but you can't do it all.
Just trust him and rest as a branch in the vine,
And do what he tells you one day at a time.

Remember the one who has brought you this far.
Remember the call that went straight to your heart.
Stand firm on the rock of His unchanging Word.
Be strong as you walk hand in hand with your Lord.

Thanks Dad for your words of encouragement! You and mom have helped to form me into who I am today. Thank you for constant prayers and support! It is because of you that I have a great image of my heavenly Father.

Week in Review (6/22-6/28)

2009-06-28T19:03:00.003-05:00

The Hunts - They were in Lima all week, and after many, many exams, it has been determined that he is healthy. They believe that his episodes were caused by either complicated migraines or Transient Ischemic Attack (the "mini" stroke. They have now given him medicine for both, and the Hunts are returning to Arequipa today. They plan to send the test results to a doctor in the states for another opinion, but please pray that the medicine does it job and there are no occurences.

Computer Work - This week was a productive week, since there were very few people in the office. I got three enhancements done. First, there is now a long term volunteer page which shows all long term volunteer positions. If they are full, it shows the name of that volunteer. If it is open, it shows a description and a link to apply. If you are considering a long term volunteer assignment...check it out. Second, a news section has been added. This lists any news going on within Extreme as well as articles written by other organizations about us. Great way to keep up to date. Also, I added an RSS feed for this, so that those of you who use RSS readers, you can add our feed and automatically get any news. Third, for all volunteers who have a blog, their blog is now being read onto their page. So you can read what they have been doing recently directly from their page. Check mine out: www.extremenazarene.org/bible Both things with the RSS feeds were really fun for me to work on. I learned a lot!

Hair - Many people may not care about this one, but I was excited. Last week, I was getting really bored with my hair, and hating it. I didn't want to cut it, but wasn't sure what to do. Discovered this week that if I take a shower at night and double french braid my hair when it is wet, in the morning my hair is curly (and I think looks pretty good). So, this has been a fun new thing to experiment with...okay on to other things.

English Lessons - This week I was only able to have one lesson. We went over the alphabet and the different sounds the letters make. English is so not straight forward! I think Jonathon was more confused when he left, but he was able to use English several times this week, so progress is being made.

JNI Outing - As I think I have mentioned before the JNI (same as NYI in the states), is for people between like 12-40. On Saturday we got together and took a day trip to Quizcos which is a "hot spring". There were 14 of us that went. We loaded up into the combi, and most of the way there I was being asked to translate Michael Jackson songs...interesting. When my parents were here we visited a hot spring, and it was like a swimming pool with really hot water. So, that is what I was preparing for. What I got was...different. It was a small pond in the middle of...no where. I didn't wear my swim suit because I figured I would change there, but there was nothing but dirt, bushes, and water....Well, I ended up changing...sitting on the floor of the bus...with two people holding up a towel to block. Let's just say...awkward! Once we got in the water, that wasn't what I expected either. It was not hot, but luke warm, and at the deepest part went up to about my knees. But, this day was another example of even though things aren't what you expected, roll with the punches, and you can still have fun. We spent all day playing games together in and out of the water, eating together, and just having a good time. I got burnt on my back, but the rest of me is burn free. Yippee! Here are a few pictures, there are more at http://picasaweb.google.com/kindrabible or in the right column of my blog.

General Assembly - As many of you know General Assembly for the church of the Nazarene is this week in Orlando. This is a big event that happens every four years that Nazarenes from all over the world go to. However, I am in Peru, and was not able to go. Extreme is there, with Rico and the Extrememobile. From what I have heard, things are going well. If you haven't visited yet, please do so before it ends. I was okay with not going, until I got reports that many of my friends from all over the countery were there together! It made me kind of miss being in the states to see them, but God reminded me why I am here. They will just have to visit me in KC when I am there in January 2010 or come to Peru! (Hint Hint...)

Singing/Mission Sunday - Last Sunday, Pastora asked if I would sing a special next Sunday. She said it was "Mission Sunday". She said it could be me only or with others, either in English or Spanish. I have sung a couple times before in English, so I decided to take the next step and sing in Spanish. I also invited Janelle (another volunteer) to sing with me and Daniel (another volunteer) to play piano. Since it was mission Sunday, I really wanted to involve as many of the other missionaries as possible. I picked two of my favorite songs in English (Amazing Grace and I Love You Lord), and decided to do both in Spanish. We got together on Wednesday night to practice at Daniel's house. It was great opportunity to get to know people at the same time! Daniel also has recording software so he recorded us practicing, and it turned out not to bad!

Today, Pastor Solano preached a sermon to a congregation that has many young Christians, explaining how all are called to go and to share. It was a great sermon, especially for "Mission Sunday". They also brought down the kids from one of the other church plants "Bedoya", and they sang and shared about what they were learning. This is a group that we just did outreach to for the first time in March, and it steadily has 20-30 kids showing up every week. It was neat to see the results of some of the "going". Then, Janelle and I sang our songs. I was very pleased with it, and if nothing else, it helped me to connect with God! The service finished with a skit by some of the young people urging everyone to get involved in something. Each person may have excuses as to why they can't go to another country, but everyone can go and do. Very cool.

The Durans, Janelle, and I were then invited up to the Pastor's house for lunch. It was a great relaxed time to get to know everyone, and the food was delicious! Great time.

Chachani - The afternoon was capped off with time up at Chachani. We arrived a bit late, but it was still great. Pilar is beginning a sort of "Quizzing" program with the kids so they were studying questions and such. It was neat to see the kids want to learn, and memorizing things. Quizzing was important in my life so it is neat to see them doing something similar. We then had some time to play some games with them. I always enjoy them. Next week, I will be sharing the lesson. Please pray for me in this. It will be a new experience to do in Spanish, but glad God gives me the opportunity to grow and do new things.

Update on the Hunts

2009-06-20T16:16:00.001-05:00

Below is a link to an update on Brad Hunt, written by his wife Michelle. Please continue to pray.

http://inovermyhead-michelle.blogspot.com/2009/06/home-is-where-suitcase-is.html

Update

2009-06-19T10:22:00.000-05:00

Brad was able to get into a doctor in Lima last night (Thursday night). The doctor in Lima said that the equipment in Arequipa did not produce clear/accurate images/results. The doctor in Lima believes it was a small stroke. The doctor now wants to do a series of tests to see why this happened so that is will not happen again. These tests will take 3-4 days. The Hunts will stay in Lima until the tests are completed and they have sufficient answers.

Please continue to pray.

Urgent Prayer Request

2009-06-18T12:08:00.002-05:00

Please pray for the Hunt family. They are volunteers with me down in Peru. Monday morning Brad woke up with a bad headache, and was unable to speak. He could think, but was unable to get his mouth to vocalize the words effectively. It went away after 5 or 6 hours. He was in the hospital for a couple days. The doctors ran a bunch of tests and found a nodule on his brain, and some abnormal brain activity. But, they released him saying he was fine. Today, it happened again. He is now back at the hospital.

Brad is only around 30 years old. It is very scary to go through something like this, especially in a foreign country. Please pray for him, and for his wife as they try to figure out what is happening.

Time in the US

2009-06-14T22:10:00.002-05:00

I am beginning to schedule a trip back to the states. This will be a time to catch up with family and friends, as well as raise money so that I can continue to work in Peru. Right now, I am planning to be back in the states from December 17-February 2. I would love the opportunity to catch up with each of you, and to share what God is doing whether it be in a formal speaking setting in a church, one on one, or anywhere in between. If you are interested, please let me know, especially if it is in a church or other formal setting, so that I can make sure I catch everyone.

God is doing amazing things, and would love to be able to share it with everyone!

NYI

2009-06-14T22:01:00.002-05:00

Down here the NYI is anyone from about 12-39. Saturday night is when they meet. I have been attending regularly for several months, and up until recently the group has been rather small. But recently, the leaders of the group have really been trying to reach out, and it is working! Last night, we had a bonfire in what will in a few months be the new sanctuary of the church! There were 20 people there! This may seem small to some, but the group had been running 5-10. It was a great night of getting to know one another, playing games, worshipping God, and growing closer to one another. The goal is to get the group up to 50. Some of those coming don't attend church anywhere, including at Zamacola on Sundays. This is their church, and church it is.

Extreme's phrase for the Peru project is "Carry the Light". It is neat to see the Peruvians taking that light and passing it on in their world. Official 40/40 outreach hasn't yet begun in Arequipa, but the church is already growing and the light is being carried. Please pray this light continues to spread and that more people will stand up and be willing to carry the light.

Teaching English to Learn Spanish

2009-06-14T21:55:00.002-05:00

I have recently been realizing that my Spanish has gotten much worse. I am understanding less, and having more problems speaking. I had really just stopped putting the effort in, and it was showing. I mentioned it to one of the guys in the church, and he offered to help me practice my Spanish. He also asked if I would help teach him English. So, twice a week for about an hour and a half each time, I teach him English, which I have to speak mostly in Spanish since he doesn't know much English yet. Who knew that an English class could help teach two languages! My Spanish has improved having to use it again, and his English is getting better.

Praise the Lord!

I Love Those Kids!

2009-06-14T21:26:00.003-05:00

Recently, it seems like things have prevented me from going up to Chachani to spend time with the kids.

Three weeks ago, we got up there and discovered one of the two Peruvian teachers wasn't coming. I was there, but not much was able to be accomplished without the lead teacher.

Two weeks ago, the lead teacher wasn't able to make it again, and we considered not going. We decided to go, but then we waited and watched as two buses passed that were headed up there, but they were too full to get on. After looking at our watches and seeing that it was time for us to be headed home, and we still hadn't made it...we decided to head home.

Last week, another volunteer decided to go with us...he had a car. We weren't sure all the turns it took to get up there, having never driven, so we decided to try the bus again. After waiting 45 minutes for a bus and it never came, we decided to drive. So, I went to take out my cell phone to call and ask for directions, and it was no where to be found. After looking and looking, we decided to head to the church to ask in person, but no one was there. Two out of the three of us had been there before, so we decided to try to find our way. Now this sounds easy, but it is literally a maze of twists and turns to get there. But, GOD was with us. He helped us to find our way up there. We were very late, but we got there. We played a game of soccer with the kids. Daniel (one of the other volunteers) was the captain of one team and I was the captain of the other. I haven't played soccer in many, many years, but it was fun. My team won 5-2 and I even scored a goal! Upon leaving, we stopped back by the church, and turns out my cell phone was there! So after a day of many issues, God worked them all out. He is a God of miracles.

So, this week, we wondered if we would be able to make it up or not, since there have been so many issues getting up there. We decided that although it was nice to drive up, it was more cost effective to take a bus, if we could find one. This week we found one right away, and actually made it up there early. We actually had extra time to spend. Those kids have so much energy, but they also have so much LIFE! They have nothing, but they are happy. The more time I spend with these kids, the more I love them. We had a lesson, and I spent a good portion of the time trying to keep a hold on all of their energy! After the lesson, we played soccer again. Yet again, I was one captain and Daniel was the other. It was neat to see how all of the kids that I spent time with trying to keep them under control, when it came time to pick teams, they ALL wanted to be on my team. I felt loved. This week, I have no idea who won, and I didn't score a goal. In fact, I spent most of my time not playing the game. I settled arguments, helped comfort those that got hurt, encouraged those who made a mistake, and cheered for those that made a good play. It was great.

Prayer Request: Zamacola church is trying to find a property to purchase in this community to have a building for this mission so that the kids can have a place to have class when it is cold or raining, a place to call their own "church". Please pray we can find a place, and find the money to pay for it. Jesus said the kingdom belongs to such as these, and I am seeing that sometimes a church begins with them too.

Crash

2009-06-14T21:18:00.002-05:00

On Monday of this week, I was working from my apartment when I heard a loud noise. I looked out the window, and I saw that a taxi had crashed into a light pole. There was glass all over the ground. The taxi pulled forward, and I saw that toys had flown out of the car and were laying in the ground. This meant kids were involved.

As crazy as driving is down here, this is the first accident I have seen. Within minutes, there were crowds of people, a fire truck, and lots of police. There was no ambulance, so I believe all of the people in the car were okay, including the kids.

One of our staff members (a Peruvian) went out to check it out. He discovered that the taxi driver had turned to talk to his passenger. The pole was a little further out in the street than most, and he missed it and ran into it.

I took a few pictures from my window. Just a little Monday afternoon excitement!

My Testimony

2009-06-14T21:11:00.002-05:00

I recently was asked to a devotion for our weekly staff lunch. So, I decided to give my testimony. I have given my testimony many times, but I was way more nervous because I had to do it in English and Spanish. It was definitely good practice, but hopefully if I do it again I will be less nervous the next time. My previous post shows the Spanish version, but wanted to include the English version in here as well.

Testimony

When I went to college, I looked like a “good christian girl”, but inside I felt like I couldn’t be further from God. Just a couple years before I watched as my brother got involved in drugs and alcohol, and watched as this destroyed my parents. I couldn’t hurt them like that so, I continued to act like the “good christian girl” I was brought up to be, but inside I hated God.

This lasted my first two years of college. The summer before my senior year, I heard God speak to me. He said, “Kindra, next summer you are going to go on a trip, a trip that will change your life. But, you have to trust me.” I was shocked, since it had felt like so long since I had heard from him. I responded, “Ok, I trust you.” Not really believing, but really saying it more to appease him than anything. During the first month of school, Youth In Mission came to visit the university. They told how they were inviting young people to give their summer to God, and join one of many groups travelling around the world to serve. I knew immediately this was what God had meant. So, I applied, and was put on a waiting list. I was angry. If this was what God had meant, why wasn’t I accepted. I heard God say again, “Kindra, do you trust me?” At this point I felt like Peter when God asked him repeatedly “Do you love me?” I began to cry, and at this point I gave my life completely to him.

Within the next week, I received a letter from YIM saying that I had been accepted and would be going to Brooklyn New York. God was right, it did change my life. But, this was only the beginning of my journey. Over the next few years, God continued to work in me. Providing me a job with the church working with computers, leading me to go to seminary to learn more about him, working with inner city kids, and much more.

In 2006, when I graduated from seminary, I still felt completely inadequate for his work. I heard God’s voice again, “Kindra, I have a plan for your life, and I have been preparing you and will continue to prepare you. But you have to trust me.” I found comfort in this promise. Within the next month, God led me to reduce my hours at my job, and work for less money at a center for inner city youth. It was here that God began to demonstrate to me, just how much more prepared I was than that first summer. He showed me the gifts and skills that he had given me, and a glimpse of how he could use them.

A few months later, I felt God leading me to go on a Work and Witness trip to the Ukraine. I knew that this would be more than just a two week trip. I felt like God was using this to speak to me once again. While there, God began to build in me a passion for his people around the world. He showed me how those gifts and talents that he has given me can be used for more than just the people in my own backyard, but also for those around the world. When I returned, I immediately applied with Mission Corps to do overseas missions. This led me to Extreme.

After hearing the story of Extreme, I heard God speak again. He said, “Kindra, this is where I want you, but this is too big for you to do alone. You have to trust me.” Over the course of the next year as God was preparing me to come to Peru, I learned what it meant to truly trust God. I was completely at peace, even as trials came and went. Now, being in Peru, it is amazing to feel completely in the center of God’s will. I see how he has prepared me to be here, and am excited to see the big things that God has in store for me, for this team (Extreme), and for this country (Peru).

My prayer for you comes from Philippians 1:3-6,9-11

³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Mi Testimonio

2009-06-14T20:52:00.001-05:00

Cuando fui a la universidad, yo parecía una "buena chica cristiana", pero por dentro sentía como que no podía estar más lejos de Dios. Sólo un par de años vi como mi hermano se involucró en las drogas y el alcohol, y vi como esto destruyó a mis padres. Yo no los lastimaba así, de manera que seguí actuando como la "buena chica cristiana" que se me enseñó a ser, pero por dentro odiaba a Dios.

Esto duró mis dos primeros años de la universidad. El verano antes de mi último año, escuché a Dios hablarme. Él dijo, "Kindra, el próximo verano vas a ir a un viaje, un viaje que cambiará tu vida. Sin embargo, tienes que confiar en mí. "Me sorprendió, ya que no me había sentido así desde hacía mucho tiempo que había oído de él. Yo respondí: "Bueno, yo confío en ti." La verdad es que no creía, pero en realidad lo estaba diciendo para apaciguarlo a él más que nada. Durante el primer mes de la escuela, Jóvenes en Misión fue a visitar la universidad. Ellos hablaron de como estaban invitando a los jóvenes a dar su verano a Dios, y e afiliarse a uno de los muchos grupos que viajan alrededor del mundo para servir. Supe de inmediato que se trataba de aquello a lo que Dios se referí. Entonces, me presenté, y fui puesta en una lista de espera. Yo estaba enojada. Si esto era a lo que Dios se refería, ¿Por qué no fui aceptada? . Oí decir una vez más a Dios ", Kindra, ¿no confías en mí?" En este punto me sentía como Pedro, cuando Dios le preguntó varias veces "¿Me amas?" Empecé a llorar, y en ese momento, di mi vida por completo a él.

En la siguiente semana, he recibido una carta de JEM diciendo que había sido aceptada y estaría yendo a Brooklyn Nueva York. Dios tenía razón, esto hizo cambiar mi vida. Sin embargo, esto fue sólo el comienzo de mi viaje. En los próximos años, Dios continuó trabajando en mí. Me proporcionó un trabajo en la iglesia trabajando con computadoras, lo que me llevó al seminario para aprender más acerca de él, trabajando con niños del centro de la ciudad, y mucho más.

En el 2006, cuando me gradué de seminario, me sentía todavía totalmente inepta para su trabajo. Yo escuché de nuevo la voz de Dios,” Kindra, tengo un plan para tu vida, te he venido preparando y continuaré preparándote. Pero tienes que confiar en mí. "Encontré consuelo en esta promesa. El siguiente mes, Dios me ha llevado a reducir mis horasde trabajo, y trabajar por menos dinero en un centro para la juventud el centro de la ciudad. Fue aquí que Dios comenzó a demostrar me, cuánto más preparada estaba que ese primer verano. Me mostró los dones y habilidades que me había dado, y una idea de cómo podía usarlos.

Unos meses después, sentí que Dios me guiaba a ir a un viaje de Trabajo y Testimonio a Ucrania. Yo sabía que esto sería más que un viaje de dos semanas. Sentía como Dios estaba usando esto para hablarme una vez más. Mientras estuve ahí, Dios comenzó a crear en mí una pasión por su pueblo en todo el mundo. Me mostró cómo esos dones y talentos que él me ha dado pueden ser utilizados para más que solo la gente de mi propio patio trasero, sino también para los de todo el mundo. Cuando regresé, me llené mi solicitud inmediatamente con Mission Corps para hacer misiones en el extranjero. Esto me llevó a Extreme.

Después de escuchar la historia de Extreme, he oído hablar a Dios de nuevo. Él dijo, "Kindra, aquí es donde yo te quiero a ti, pero esto es demasiado grande para que lo puedas hacer sola. Tienes que confiar en mí." En el transcurso del siguiente año, Dios me estaba preparando para venir a Perú, yo aprendí lo que significaba realmente confiar en Dios. Yo estaba completamente en paz, incluso las pruebas, vinieron y se fueron. Ahora, estoy en el Perú, es sorprendente sentirse totalmente en el centro de la voluntad de Dios. Veo cómo Él me ha preparado para estar aquí, y estoy emocionada de ver las cosas grandes que Dios tiene para mí, para este equipo (de Extremos), y para este país (Perú).

Mi oración por ustedes viene de Filipenses 1:3-6,9-11

³ Doy gracias a mi Dios cada vez que me acuerdo de ustedes.⁴ En todas mis oraciones por todos ustedes, siempre oro con alegría,⁵ porque han participado en el *evangelio desde el primer día hasta ahora.⁶ Estoy convencido de esto: el que comenzó tan buena obra en ustedes la irá *perfeccionando hasta el día de Cristo Jesús.
⁹ Esto es lo que pido en oración: que el amor de ustedes abunde cada vez más en conocimiento y en buen juicio,¹⁰ para que disciernan lo que es mejor, y sean puros e irreprochables para el día de Cristo,¹¹ llenos del fruto de justicia que se produce por medio de Jesucristo, para gloria y alabanza de Dios.

Extreme Nazarene Ministries Contest

2009-06-01T16:19:00.001-05:00

Extreme wants to give you FREE gear!
Just visit our NEW web site at www.extremenazarene.org find answers to the clues and win free stuff!

The winner of each of the 7 treasure hunts or action items below wins high-quality Extreme gear!

Button down dress shirts, backpacks, ball caps, coffee mugs, polo shirts and t-shirts are available. If you win, you choose the gear! Click here to see your options.

1. Treasure hunt - "What are the 3 kinds of animals the 4040's will hunt with blow guns?"

2. Treasure hunt - "How many spots for short term volunteers are left for the Arequipa I project?"

3. Treasure hunt - Fill in the blanks, "We are calling all ___________ between _____ and ____ years of age to experience a mission project with a deep purpose designed to shake you to your core."

4. Treasure hunt - Count the number of E logos on the site (banner only counts once, not including downloaded files, pop up windows or in videos). Please indicate the pages on which the logos are located.

5. Treasure hunt - "What dance move does Olivia Meyer do on the site?"

6. Action Item - The first person to register for any short term project (that they aren't already registered for) online.

7. Action Item - The largest 'general' donation made online to Extreme by 11:59pm eastern time on June 4!

Email your answers as quickly as possible to info@extremenazarene.org or perform your action to claim your prize. Winners will be announced on June 5th!

*only one prize awarded per family. Contest ends June 4, 2009 at 11:59 PM eastern time. Prizes will be mailed to the winner within two weeks of the contest completion date. Full and part time Extreme staff cannot participate or leak the answers.

Amazing Grace...WOW!

2009-05-30T11:58:00.006-05:00

I am completely in awe of God. He knows so much more about what we need than we do. I am coming to the realization that I am exactly where he wants me to be, doing exactly what he wants me to do. This isn't just one area of my life, but everything.

Yesterday, I successfully launched the brand new extremenazarene.org, and God helped our team to work together and create an amazing site. There are lot more features to come, but this is the culmination of the last 4 months or so of work. It is so great to see how God worked through the talents of each person to create something to help further this project which will change Peru! Thank you God!

As I have written before, I have been working for the last few months out in Chachani, a poor village outside of town. It has been amazing to go back week after week and form relationships with them, and see them grow. I love doing programming, but I think I would be missing something if I couldn't go out and do some hands on work with people. God knows this and has provided this opportunity for me. It also provides me an outlet to work with kids. I really miss my niece and nephew, the kids at Southwood, and the kids at the KC Urban Youth Center, but God has allowed me to work with kids and youth of different ages here. Amazing.

One of the biggest struggles I have had down here is loneliness. I was okay for the first three months when I was living with the Peruvian family, because I felt like I had family. Strangely enough, it wasn't until I moved out and other volunteers arrived, that I really felt lonely. I was the only single volunteer here at the time, and all of the other volunteers were married and had families. I felt completely alone. That period of time was the toughest since I have been down here. But, God helped me to realize that I was looking in the wrong place for help. It was during this period that my relationship with Him really grew. That I began to spend more time with him, and through this time, he helped me to form good relationships with the Peruvians at the church. Over the last couple months, I feel like I have made really good friends! They are amazing, and God is really using them to look out for me. There have been several instances where they were really family and GOD to me. For this, I am forever grateful. I am also fortunate to have the opportunity to be there for them when they need help as well. God is so good.

Because God has fulfulled my longing for friends, I feel like I now have this need met, and I can now be a better friend to others. I feel like the pressure is off, and I am beginning to enjoy getting to know the other volunteers here as well. The female volunteers have begun doing a weekly bible study, and it is a great environment to get to know them while learning more about God at the same time. It is amazing what God can do.

God is also helping me get more involved in the church. He knew how important music is to me for worship. First, the church began selling Spanish hymnals, which have the english name of the song written on them as well. So, I can now enjoy the hymns I love both at home and at church, in spanish or english. I even found Amazing Grace in the hymnal. I really think it was God showing me his amazing grace. Second, I have had the opportunity to sing at church a couple times, and once at a evangelistic service out in one of the local communities. It is great. I even got the chance to do a duet with the District Superintendent of South Peru (also the Co-Director of Extreme Peru) on Easter Sunday. Wow.

A few weeks ago, my computer crashed. This was not good timing. I had to have the website done in like 3 weeks, was really behind, and had no prospects for a new computer...in Peru. I freaked out, but I finally said, God, this is too big for me, this is yours. The next day, they found a spare computer for me to use until I could get a new one, and then I ordered a new computer in the states. The new computer was delivered a WEEK early, and was able to get down here in time for me to finish the site. Amazing.

Finally, the project is really coming together! It is so neat to see what God is doing in this country, and to catch a glimpse of what he has planned. The first group of 40/40s finished language school, and headed up to Iquitos for Bible training. This marked the next step in their journey as well as for the project. Next step for them, Puerto Maldonado and 12 new churches! I will write more about this in another post, but pray for this community. The project team is also making progress planning all of the short term projects. If you are at all interested in missions, you HAVE to come to one of the 11 short term projects taking place down here. You have to be a part of this. Peru is changing. 120 new churches in the next 3 years. Love Extreme next June is going to be a major part of this transformation. Check out the website above for more info about this or email me. Wow.

I am sorry this post is so long, but I am just overwhelmed by God's grace. He is moving, and if you don't see him moving where you are, ask him how how you can be an instrument to start the movement. Amazing grace....WOW!

Easter

2009-04-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

Catholicism is very big in Peru, but you have to be careful to distinguish between the two types. There is the catholic culture and then there is the Catholic church. These sometimes overlap, but in general they are very different. Around Easter (or Pascua as it is referred to here), it gets very difficult to distinguish the difference. Because for those who are catholic by culture only (same as many in the US), it is one of two times per year that they attend mass. Leading up to Easter, I saw many people walking to the Cathedrals to bring palm leaves or flowers. On Easter morning, you could even hear what sounded like fireworks at 5:30 am! This turned out to be one of the local churches! They have a tradition of creating a stuffed Judas, and then blowing him up! Very different traditions than in the US!

My church had services on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in celebration of Holy Week. Unlike my church back in the US, where each day represents part of what happened leading up to Christ's death, my church here used it as an evangelistic campaign. Each night they preached a very clear evangelistic message. The first couple nights there weren't many new people, but little by little it grew. It was neat to see.

The service on Easter was wonderful. We sang many hymns in Spanish, which was a great way to really bring home the meaning to me. We also had communion, which was wonderful. The best part of the service for me was having the opportunity to do a duet with Pastor Solano (he was the pastor of the church and district superintendent of all of southern Peru, but has now stepped back from being the local pastor and has taken over role of co-director of the Extreme project in Peru as well as his role of district superintendent). We sang the Old Rugged Cross. He sang the verses in Spanish. I sang the chorus in English, and then we ended singing the chorus together (him in Spanish and me in English). It was very powerful for me to have been given this opportunity, and to sing one of my favorite songs.

After service, all of the Extreme staff, met at the office and had an American Easter dinner with Ham, homemade mac and cheese (I used a little of the Velveeta that was sent down and made this it was WONDERFUL), green beans, and many desserts. It was great. They also hid Easter eggs for the kids, so that was neat.

Overall it was a very meaningful and fun time, and I could totally see the Lord working. Powerful!

Parent's Visit

2009-04-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

My parent's arrived on April 1. As I waited for them at the Airport at 5:30 am, I was really hoping their visit wasn't just an April Fools Joke. It has been exactly 6 months to the day since I had seen them. When I saw them get off the plan, I breathed a sigh of relief.

We greeted each other with big hugs, and then headed back to my apartment. When we arrived, they began unpacking all of the gifts that had been sent down for me. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning! Books, pictures, Reeces, cheese, peanut butter, taco seasoning, fuzzy blankets, kitchen utensils, games, and much more! The pile was overwhelming, and I wasn't sure what to enjoy first. I showed my parents to their room so they could get some sleep, and went to begin putting away all of my new "toys".

It was so great having them here. I was able to show them my city, my new home, and a glimpse of the bigger picture of why I am down here. We visited many of the local tourist attractions (Plaza de Armas, Santa Catalina, Mummy Museum, and a Bus Tour of the city), as well as visited many local restaurants. We even were able to get out of the city for a couple of days and saw the Colca Canyon (Second deepest canyon in the world, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon). It was BEAUTIFUL, and very relaxing. But the part I enjoyed the most was just being able to spend some quality time with them, talking, playing games, and sharing a glimpse of what God is doing down here in Peru. They were even able to come to our weekly staff lunch and meet the other volunteers who are currently down here.

It meant a lot to me to have them down here. I know that they have sacrificed a lot for me to be able to be here, as well as for them to be able to visit me here. I also know that the trip coming down here caused them to experience a lot of things that were out of their comfort zones
(long place rides, spending the night in the airport, eating strange foods, my dad walking a trail right at the edge of the canyon even though he is scared of heights--trail shown in picture to the right, and much more) which is a big sacrifice as well. So, I just want to say a big thanks to them for everything they do for me. I am very lucky to have all of the support I do, from them as well as all of you.

I took MANY pictures while they were here. I have picked a few of my favorites and am putting them in this note, but there are many more in the April slide show to the right, or you can just click here.

View from our hotel in Colca Canyon

Marveling at the beauty of God's creation

Andean Condor flying over the Andes Mountains

This picture just makes me laugh

Thank you!

2009-04-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is a little bit delayed, but I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who gave things to my parents to bring down to me (or sent things down separately). It was like a touch of home, and I felt truly blessed. It means more than I can express.

Also, I am not sure I ever published my address down here. So, here it is.

Kindra Bible
Avenida Lima 108, Piso 3
Yanahura
Arequipa

Feel free to write anytime. I would love to hear from all of you! Also, my phone number here is (913) 489-3997. It is NOT an international call if you live in the US. You can call the number, just like if I was living in Kansas City (If you are in KC, it is a local call.) Oh, the power of technology! Anyway, so this is another way to stay in touch. I miss each of you, so please write an email, a letter, or call and let me know how you are doing.

Thanks again for everything. Your support means more than you know!

Operation Christmas Child

2009-03-01T16:31:00.003-06:00

Today, I had the opportunity to go up with a group of people from my church in Peru to a village called Vedoya. This is a village where the church has been going up and having lessons with the children. Today, they went up and delivered gifts that had been delivered from Operation Christmas Child (program through Samaritans Purse). I have been on the giving end of this program, so it was very special to see the other side of it.

The kids were all so excited! Before handing out the gifts, they had a lesson with the kids and told them about how the gift of Christ dying on the cross for us was by far a greater gift than they would receive here. They then prayed with the kids. It was incredible, and the looks on the kids faces were just amazing. Below are a bunch of pictures from today.

Opportunity to Help

2009-02-28T21:52:00.004-06:00

Everyday I am down here, I am reminded that I am not doing this alone. God is with me, and so are all of you. Everyone of you that prays for me, encourages me, and has provided financially for me is a part of this journey with me.

If you would like to participate in this journey with me, here are a few ways to do so:

1. PRAY

2. Donate financially (http://www.extremenazarene.org/bible)

3. Send emails or letters of encouragement

4. My parents are coming down to visit on March 31. There are a few things that I would love to have from the US that I can't get here. They have an extra suit case. Here are a few ideas (feel free to donate other items you think I would like):

Peanut Butter
Cans of Gold Star Chili (for those of you in Cincinnati OH)
Reece's Peanut Butter Cups
Soft Throw Blanket
Christian fiction books
Rotel
Velveeta Cheese
Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan
Pampered Chef Measuring Spoons (tablespoon and 1 cup changeable kind)
Other small kitchen supplies
Letters and Pictures
Phase 10 Game
Victoria Secret Love Spell Body Splash
Taco Seasoning
Altoids

I would love for them to be able to fill that suit case with things from the US. Letters and pictures are especially appreciated! If you would like to donate any of these items, please contact my mother (gloriabible@reeceandnichols.com).

Thanks!

Learning Spanish

2009-02-28T21:35:00.002-06:00

After finishing language school, I began to wonder am I really prepared to use this? Not just in a class room, but in life? The first few weeks after moving into my new apartment, I didn't really need to use it much, and was afraid that I would forget what I had learned.

Then an opportunity presented itself to go to Cusco to help translate for a group of volunteers from the US that didn't know Spanish. They were down here to learn more about some of the different sites where the project will be working, so that they could back to the US and recruit more volunteers to come. I was scared out of my mind to have my Spanish knowledge be the sole resource of knowledge! But, everyone else with more experience was busy, so I went. I got up there, and was pleased to find that God had provided additional help! The pastor's niece was there for a few days and she knew English! So, between the two of us, we were able to successfully translate between the Peruvians and Americans, and it was a great day of meeting together. The following day we attempted to go up to Maccu Piccu (only Americans), and I was the sole translator. God provided the words needed. We weren't able to actually make it up to Maccu Piccu (due to a protest of some of the local peasants blocking the tracks), but for me that was okay the trip had been successful. As I headed back to Arequipa, God reminded me that he is equipping me to do his work, especially my language skills.

In recent days, I have been reminded of this again. There have been several more new American volunteers in town recently, and many times I have been the only one who knows Spanish. So, I have had many opportunity to practice my Spanish. One of the local Peruvians, who I first met the first day I arrived in Peru, said to me just on Friday that he was very happy in how my Spanish has improved that he can understand me now and that I can understand him. For me this was a great complement, since he knows how hard I have work and how far I have come.

God continues to work in my life, and continues to mold me and make me who he wants me to be. Although sometimes it is uncomfortable, I pray that I continue to allow him to make me who he wants me to be, and develop the skills I need to do his work.

Miracles

2009-02-28T21:16:00.002-06:00

As anyone who has ever worked for a non-profit organization will know, budgets are always VERY small, especially during this tough economic time. So far, Extreme has been doing well with the resources that it has. Recently, we have come to realize that the router that we are using in the office will not be adequate. It is meant for residential use, not for a business. The router that we would need would cost at least $500-$1000, with the best ones costing $1500-$2000. This money just wasn't available. As Ryan (IT officer), was sitting there wondering how we were going to get by, I thought to myself, "I really wish someone knew someone in an organization that could help!". God immediately said to me, "What about you?" I remembered a conversation that I had with a cousin of mine 10 years ago, in which he told me that he worked at Cisco. Now, why I can remember a random conversation with my cousin 10 years ago, but can't remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, I will never know, except to say it was God. I didn't know my cousins email address, but his sister had just joined facebook a couple days before. So, I emailed her to just see if he happened to still work there. She responded back that she wasn't sure why she had joined facebook, but that yes he still worked there. She then gave me his email address. So, I emailed him, asking if he knew anyone who might be able to get us a used router or a discount on one, not really expecting anything to come of it. To my surprise, he emailed back and said that he had a router that he would give to us for FREE. The timing was perfect because we were able to get it sent to a man who is coming down to Peru this weekend!

God used person after person, in exact right timing, to provide for what one of his children needed. Miracle after miracle after miracle. I am in awe of God, and I am in awe of the support of friends and family. This is just the latest in a long line of examples of how God has used people in my life to provide for what I needed. I couldn't be here with out you. I am in awe of the miracles of God, and it makes me excited to see what comes next. Which makes me wonder, how many of his miracles do we notice and how many go unnoticed? I challenge you to keep your eyes open for the miracles in your own life, and be willing to be a part of making miracles happen in the lives of those around you!

Volunteers Arrive and Extreme Office Opens

2009-02-28T20:51:00.004-06:00

As of January 1st, the only Extreme volunteers in Arequipa were the Foster family and me. Since then, just about every week new volunteers arrive. Now, there are the Fosters, the Englunds, the Tibbs, the Durans, the Drinkwaters, the Smiths, the Hunts, Denise Linnell, and me, as well as our first set of 40/40s (Olivia Meyer, Andrew Kendall, Callie Pugel, and Wendy Sheets) who are here for language school and then will head up north for further training then end up in Puerto Maldonado. We also have quite a few Peruvians working with us as well. So, things have grown rapidly, but everyone seems to be adjusting well.

Our lease on the office building began January 1, so the first part of January was spent getting moved in and getting settled. By mid to late January, work in the new office officially began.

One of the first things I began working on, was redesigning the Extreme web site. Brian (director of Extreme), Ryan (IT officer), Daniel (Communications coordinator), and I (programmer) met for several weeks discussing all of what we wanted in the new site and coming up with an overall plan for the new site. This was an overwhelming process at times. I am so used to working with a team of people that I kept thinking "How am I going to do this all by myself?", especially since I am learning a brand new platform to build all of this on! But, in time, God gave me a sense of peace about all of it. I am reminded daily that God works miracles (will explain a recent one in my next post), and so I am anxious to see what God can do through me and the other providing resources for this site. Once it is finished, it should be a great resource for the organization.

After working in the same organization for over 10 years, it has been interesting getting to know a new set of co-workers. Every one has their own personality and work habits, and so adjustments have to be made in knowing how to best work with them. Currently, there are only a few of us in the office on a daily basis, since most of them are in language school. So, it has helped that we are able to start with just a few. I know that over time there will be conflicts among people, but I pray that we all continue to keep our eyes focused on God and his goal for this project in mind. As an attempt to keep this in focus, every Wednesday all of the volunteers (Americans and Peruvains) meet together, eat lunch together, have a short devotion, and pray together. So, far this has greatly helped, and I pray this will continue to be a resource to help us gel as a team focused on God.

I am thankful for all of my fellow workers toward this goal. It definitely takes adjustment, but I have caught a glimpse of what he wants to do with the project. It makes me excited to be a part of it. Please pray for the work that is going on down here.

Living Situation

2009-02-28T20:25:00.006-06:00

The first weekend in January, I moved out of the home of Patricia, Maria, and Santiago, and I moved into my own apartment. It was very hard to leave them, because they were such a HUGE part of helping me survive my first 3 months in Peru. But, the fact that I was only moving 15 minutes or so away made it a little easier. I still keep in contact with them, and have been back to the house a couple times. I need to make an effort to get together with them more, because I wish I spent more time with them. But, it is amazing how fast life goes by, and like writing these blog posts, before I know it weeks have passed.

My new apartment is great. I have been here two months now, and every day I realize how blessed I am that God provided it for me. It is a 3 bedroom completely furnished apartment with free cable, located right next to the office. I can leave my apartment at 7:59 and be on time for work. Although, I am getting my excercie because I live on the third floor and work on the second floor of the office, and run back and forth between them multiple times per day. I also have room for guests (hint, hint...), which I have already used several times for different volunteers that need a place to stay for a night or two. There is also a huge picture window where I can sit each night

and watch the sun set. Also, the supermarket, restaurants, banks, and even a movie theater are all within walking distance. Thank you Lord for providing.

One adjustment that I have had to make since being in this apartment is actually cooking for myself again. The three months I lived with the family, Patricia cooked every meal for me, which was wonderful. Since being in the apartment, I have to cook for myself. I kind of did this in the states, but in the US there are a lot more fast food restaurants, food in cans or boxes, and prepared meals. In the US, I also had a stove that had temperature dials on it so I knew how hot the stove was. Here, their are no cans or frozen vegetables (and very few canned fruits), only fresh. They also don't have many box mixes. So, slowly I am trying to learn how to actually cook. I have had several Peruvians offer to teach me, I may have to take them up on it.

Another adjustment that I have had to make is washing clothes. I do have a washing machine (many Peruvians don't, they just wash by hand), but hardly anyone has a dryer, including me. I have clothes lines that I hang my clothes up on after I wash them. Although, I have to be careful on the placement of said clothes (e.g. underwear, etc) because the office is right next door!

The first couple weeks I was in the apartment, I really enjoyed having space. Having gone from living alone for the last 4 years to living with a family, it felt good to have my own space again. But after a couple weeks, it got very lonely without seeing Patricica and her family everyday and the other volunteers here all were married and had families. But, God again took care of me, and has been showing me that I am not alone.

God is good, and takes care of his children.

Sorry...

2009-02-28T19:54:00.003-06:00

Okay, I want to begin by apologizing for not posting anything in two months. I started out posting daily, which turned into monthly, which turned into every other month. I am going to try to do better, because the longer I wait the more I forget what has happened and it hurts my brain to try to remember that far back. So, here I go, facing my punishment...

I have decided that instead of trying to make one HUGE blog post I am going to write individual blog posts on topics, which might make my ramblings easier to follow. So, I am going to end this one, and simply make it my apology, continuing fresh and new with another post for details. I promise this will not be the only blog post I write for two months!

Reflecting on 2008 and Preparing for 2009

2009-01-01T01:25:00.000-06:00

As I sit here, I hear the fireworks going off, celebrating the beginning of a new year. I have begun reflecting on this past year, and all that I have learned. I just wanted to take a few minutes, and recollect some of what I have learned this year.

Preparation for the Adventure

One year ago, I was preparing to go on an adventure, an adventure to Brazil. I would never have imagined that I would be sitting here in Arequipa, Peru. I heard God say very clearly when I questioned him about going to Brazil that this was too big for me that I needed to trust him. Over the course of the first 9 months of this year, God led me on a journey that led me not to Brazil, but Peru. During this journey, I was reminded again how to trust him, and what it means to truly rest in him. I learned that things and money aren't important, and that God will provide for me exactly what I need. I learned that life doesn't always turn out like you expect. When you place your life in the Lord's hands, you can rest in the fact that life may be an adventure, but you have the best guide available that will be with you through everything.

Three Months in Peru

Three months ago, I left Kansas City, the place I had lived most of my life, and headed to Peru. As I reflect on my time so far here, I am overwhelmed at how much God has taught me, and how much I have experienced in just this short time.

One important thing I am learning is what foods I can eat, and what foods I can't. It took some time and pain to figure this out! In the first two months I was here, I was sick three times! One of those times included a trip to the ER facing the idea of an emergency appendectomy (thank goodness it turned out to be only a stomach/intestinal infection). But, it has now been over a month since the last time I was sick, so hopefully the worst of it is behind me. Hopefully as I transition into preparing my own food that I will prepare it correctly, and won't have to revisit this difficulty.

Another thing that I have had to learn to get used to is differences in transportation and traffic. First of all, very few people own cars. Most use public transportation, either taxis (over 30,000 registered), combis (small buses or vans that they cram as many people as possible into), and collectivos (large older cars, don't fully understand these, and find them kind of creepy). I have learned to take a taxi by myself, hail a taxi in the street (including which ones are good and which ones to avoid), and have successfully called and ordered a taxi pickup. Second, there aren't really any street signs, and people just are supposed to know what to do. This includes no speed limit signs, very few street name signs, and very few other traffic signs. There are a few stop lights, although major intersections have a traffic cop at the intersections, who are also responsible for handing out tickets. There are also very few indications of directions on streets, and if there are, they aren't guaranteed to be right. If they have problems with people going to fast on a stretch of road, they put in speed bumps. It is also normal to have three lanes of traffic on a two lane road. It is definitely not the most efficient system, and is a system that has not been able to keep up with the rapid growth in the city. I have yet to drive here, and not sure I ever want to.

Recently, I finished language school, 200 hours! Looking back, I realize how little I knew when I started! I don't know everything, far from it, but I know way more now. I can honestly say that I have learned more Spanish in 11 weeks than I have in the three years I studied Spanish in high school and college. I am looking forward to learning more as I continue to practice in daily life.

In just a couple days, I will be moving out of the family's home where I have been living for the last three months, and into my new apartment. When I thought about coming to Peru, honestly, living with a Peruvian family was one of the scariest parts about coming. But, I now know that God put me in this home at this time for a reason. Patricia, Maria, and Santiago have gone through a lot this year, and more specifically in the last few months. I know that I have been used to show God to them during this time, and it has been amazing to see how God is working in this home and in this family. I have been able to be a support system for them, and they have been a support system for me. They have helped me learn more about their city and their culture, but they have also been a family away from my family. Without them, I am not sure I would have made it. God used me in their lives, and he used them in mine. God is amazing in the fact that he knows exactly what you need even if you don't. It has also helped me to catch a glimpse of what ministry can be like. It is life lived together, teaching others, learning from others, admitting you don't know much of anything, and allowing God to control everything.

The other volunteers have also been a great source of learning for me. Right now, there is only one other family here, but in the next few months there will be MANY more. I am very grateful for Ryan and Sarah. I got off the plane overwhelmed, and they allowed me to stay in their home for a couple days to get my feet back under me. They then helped me to learn and to grow here. They knew when it was time for me to learn something new, and they knew when I needed support and a little "hand holding" through things. I hope that when new volunteers come that I can help other volunteers as they have helped me.

The church here in Peru has been a real stretching experience for me. Having come from Kansas City, which is like Mecca for Nazarene churches, coming to Arequipa was completely different. There are only three Nazarene churches in Arequipa, and all of these churches definitely run less than 100, probably less than 50. The Church of the Nazarene has been in Peru for a while, but mainly in Northern Peru. They don't really see many missionaries down in this part, so it was decided that we should spread out evenly among these churches. As only the second one here, I ended up going to a church where I was the only English speaker there. My first Sunday they were so happy to have me there that they called me up in front of the church and asked me to say a few words. I managed to say a sentence in Spanish, and they all were very happy. I however was mortified, and walked away from the church crying. I didn't understand anything, and felt like a baby. But, each week I understand a little more, and try to talk with a few more people. It is a slow process, and has been very challenging. But, I know that this is a vital part of my spiritual growth here, and so I am really trying to make an effort, please pray for me and the spiritual growth of the people in Peru.

I have also had a little time to site see, and learn more about the culture here in Arequipa. It is a beautiful city set in the high plains in the Andean Mountains. It is very dry and very mild. It is a country with a rich history of the Inca Empire, the Invasion and Conquering by the Spanish, and now the developing/forming of its own unique independent culture. Since the Spanish came and forced their religion on the people, many Catholic ideas form a prominent part of the culture, but they have been mixed with traditional concepts and ideas, and in many cases have formed a very distorted view of who God is. Almost every month, you will see some sort of parade down the street for one Saint or another, and most worship the Saints more than they worship God. It will be important when witnessing to the people in the country to separate what is important to know about God, what has been added from other local religious beliefs, and what is just a different cultural expression of the same belief.

Looking into 2009

These three months here have been a great learning experience. There are days that I love being here, and there are days that I want to take the next flight out of here. But, God has been with me every step of the way. I pray that as I move into this new year and think about all the new things it will bring, that I always remember that God is in control.

Here are a few of my personal goals for the next year. Please pray with me that I will be able to make conscious efforts to work toward these goals.

Strengthen relationship with God

Develop real friendships with Peruvians and other volunteers

Learn ASP and other web programming languages

Improve Spanish skills

Improve health

Strengthen relationship with Patricia and Maria

Find my place in the church

Find new ways to minister to people

Don’t let my fears hold me back

Allow God control to make me who he wants me to be, and to do what he wants me to do

The Longer I Serve Him...

2008-12-10T15:26:00.002-06:00

Recently I have been thinking a lot about family, and the heritage the comes from family. I don't know anything about genealogy or for that matter anything about my family beyond the generation of my grandparents. But, I am extremely blessed to have had two sets of Christian grandparents, as well as a set of Christian parents. I was reminded of this heritage again today, when I remembered that today was the one year anniversary of my grandmother's death (mother's mother). My grandmother was a wonderful Christian woman, and she cared deeply for her family and all those around her. My mother tells a memory of her that explains it all:

After care of the large farm that only my dad knew how to do. She would get up early in the morning and go out to the garage which was detached from the house. The garage held the large boiler that she had to stoke with coal and wood to provide steam heat for the house. The bedroom that I slept in had a window that looked into the garage and I would faithfully see my mother kneeling on the concrete floor over a log and praying. As a kid it seemed hours that she was out there but I always knew that my mother was faithfully praying to God to help her through life and all the unknowns.

She prayed for everyone in the family almost every day. I thank God for the lives she changed because she followed Him. She now has children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who are serving God because of her life. Each one of them now have the opportunity to tell others about Him, because of her faithfulness. I wouldn't be where I am today without her. In fact there is a scholarship set up in her honor at Nazarene Theological Seminary, in order to help people just like me who are called to the mission field.

I am also reminded of my other grandmother and grandfather (father's parents). The anniversary of my grandfather's death is coming up soon as well, Christmas eve. They were founding members of a local Nazarene Church in Ohio, and faithfully attended for many years. In fact, my grandmother still attends there to this day. I have many memories of my grandfather sitting in his rocking chair reading the Bible. He also went on many mission trips around the world, putting his faith into action. In fact, I discovered shortly before I came to Peru, that he had been to Peru several times, and there is a church here built here in his honor. My grandmother is my only living grandparent left. She has taught me many things. The most important of which is that God can use whatever talents, skills, and passions you have to further his kingdom. She has always enjoyed helping people, and also enjoys shopping. She rarely buys things for herself, instead she buys all of the gifts for the people in her church (wedding, baby, etc). She goes into stores, and knows all of the employees by name (and some she also knows their story). It is a ministry. Not your typical ministry, but one that reaches out where people are and helps people in the process.

Because of them, I have my parents without which I wouldn't be here (in many ways besides the obvious). My father uses his gifts and talents as a writer, and his books/music have literally been shared around the world. He is not showy with his faith (in fact for many years he wouldn't even put his own name on his writing), but just a quiet steady rock, doing what God asks no matter the cost. My mother is probably the kindest person I have ever met. She will do anything for anyone, if there is any possible way. Her greatest joy is helping people. She currently works as a real estate agent. She works night and day, in order to not just help people find any home, but help them create a future for themselves. She isn't in it for the money, but to impact people's lives. She is out in the world, with the folks that need to see Jesus, and she shows them every day. Together, they show me that every person interacts with God differently, and that God meets us as we are and uses us as we are.

I don't have space here to mention all of the family members that make up this Christian heritage (aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sister-in-law, niece, and nephews), not to mention all of the non-biological "family", all of which I have learned so much from, and wouldn't be here without. Because of them, I am her in Peru, serving the Lord to the best of my abilities, hoping that in some way I can impact a life.

I encourage anyone who reads this to consider your Christian heritage (even if you are the first Christian in your biological family, all of us have a heritage, a group of people that have impacted us, and that have made us who we are), and thank them. Then, consider who can you impact, whose story can you impact....

My grandmother's favorite hymn says it all:

Since I started for the Kingdom,
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

Ev'ry need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Ev'ry day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

Chorus
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

Family Photos

2008-12-09T06:53:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple photos of family. The first photo is the most important to me. It is a photo of my family taken before I left for Peru (my parents - Ken and Gloria, my brothers - David and Jason, my sister-in-law Amy, my niece - Olivia, and my nephews - Sam and Cooper). Without their support I couldn't have made it to Peru.

This second photo is a photo of my Arequipanian family. (The mother - Patricia, the children - Maria and Santiago, and another student in the house - Peter) Without their support, I couldn't have made it through the first couple months in Peru.

God is bigger than...

2008-12-03T15:05:00.003-06:00

There is a veggie tales song that goes something like this "God is bigger than the boogie man. He's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on TV. Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man, and he's big enough for you and me." God has been showing me over the last few weeks how true this is, and he has also been showing me that he can use each one of us to prove this to others.

Three weeks ago today, Patricia came in my room before school, and told me in Spanish (and I actually understood!) that Miguel the father of her children was leaving for good and going back to Spain. He hadn't lived up in the apartment with the rest of the family for a couple weeks, but had lived downstairs. He had decided to go back to Spain, where he originally came from. Patricia was crying, and wasn't sure how she and the children would make it without him. He was scheduled to leave on a flight the following Monday, and wanted me to take the kids somewhere that evening so that they wouldn't be there when he left. I told her I would pray for her, and gave her a hug.

I knew in this moment that there was a reason I was in this house at this time. Over the next few days, Peter (the other student in the house) and I spent extra time with the kids to try to distract them from what was going on. On that Friday (two days later), Patricia told me that Miguel had left early. She was very upset that he hadn't said goodbye to the kids, but I reminded her that this might actually be a good thing that there wasn't a big scene. In fact, the kids didn't even seem to realize anything had happened.

I have been praying a lot for the family over the last few weeks. Today I got another chance to sit and have a good talk with Patricia. It has been exactly three weeks since she told me Miguel was leaving. She began to open up and tell me her story, all the struggles she has been through, as well as how she ended up finding the Lord. As we talked, Santiago was in the room. I realized that he is happy! Maria is happy! Patricia is happy! God has taken this family in his arms, and comforted them. This could have been a horrible situation, but it turned into something good. Something better than I could have ever imagined. Extra renters have come, and she is doing fine financially. Peter and I have been able to be there for her and her kids. He has brought another single mother with her two kids to rent the lower apartment, and who have also offered to buy Christmas presents for the kids. She has grown closer to God, and the family is doing very well!

I don't want to go into all the details of the situation, but it is a really good thing that he is gone. God is bigger than me. God is bigger than a bad relationship. God is bigger than financial struggles. God is bigger than family issues. God is bigger than our future, and God is big enough for you and me.

For this, I am thankful

2008-12-03T14:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday marked two months in Arequipa. Hard to believe I have been here that long, but yet in some ways it feels like I have been here a lot longer. I began writing this post on Thanksgiving, to explain all that I am thankful for, but life got busy and I never posted it. But, I still think that the purpose of the original post is valid, so read the insert below as if it were Thanksgiving.

I woke up this morning, a normal day in Peru. I got ready for school, finished my homework, and headed off to school like I have every day for the past two months. When I arrived at school, my professor said 'Feliz Dia de Gracias', and it was an instant collision of two worlds, especially strange since Thanksgiving is only an American holiday. My professor then handed me a gift (see photo). It was a chocolate bar and on it was a traditional Peruvian image. I love Chocolate! This was a small reminder from God that he knows what I want and provides it. For this I am thankful.

On my way home from school, I began to think about what I would be doing if I were in the US. I would be spending the day with my family, eating a big meal, and playing games. At that moment, all I wanted to do was be instantly transported back to Kansas City. I began to feel sorry for myself. Why am I in this strange country, alone, on thanksgiving?! I love my family, and I want to be with them today! Yet again, God answered my prayer. I got back to the house where I am staying, and we ate lunch. After lunch, Patricia brought out dessert, of all things it was ice cream DRUMSTICKS! She had no idea that they were called drumsticks in the US. As I ate mine, I looked around the table, and began to realize that in the short time I have been here these people have become my family. They of course will never replace my family in Kansas City, but I realized that yet again God has provided for me. He has provided great friends and family both here in Arequipa, in Kansas City, and around the world. Without their support, I wouldn't be able to be here, and I definitely wouldn't have been able to stay here. For this, I am thankful.

This afternoon, I went to Plaza Vea with the family. We went to pick up food for dinner. For weeks, the family has been wanting to do something special for me for Thanksgiving or 'Dia de Gracias'. They know that it is special in the US, and wanted to make it special. Since the big meal in the US is in the evening, they wanted to prepare a special meal for me that evening. We picked up ingredients for a homemade pizza (which is one of my favorite foods) and a cheesecake (which is another one of my favorite foods), and then headed home where Patricia prepared it. While we waited for the food to be ready, the whole family sat down and played games together. Just before we ate, we went around the table and each person said what we were thankful for. This is always one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving, and this year proved why. As I will write about in a future post, the family has been through a rough time in the past few weeks. But, you would never know it during this time. Each person talked about how thankful they were to have each other (the family and students as well). I couldn't have asked for a better meal, and better support in Peru. For this, I am thankful.

As I think back over the day, I realize that God has provided for every need/want today. This may seem strange since this year I have sold my house, my car, and my furniture. I have ended up owing $15,000 on my house, and have less money and own less things than a year ago. But have never been happier. I came into today dreading it, but came away from the day thankful for God and all he has provided. My memory of thanksgiving in the US was replicated in Peru. Different food and different people but same feelings. I have so much to be thankful for, and it is all because of God's provisions. For this, I am thankful.

Weekend 10/25/08-10/26/08

2008-11-04T13:44:00.006-06:00

Saturday
Pizza! There are 4 US restaurants in Arequipa, and surprisingly none of them are McDonalds! There is KFC, Burger King, Dominoes, and Pizza Hut. All of them but Dominoes are in one place, Sagafalabella, the one and only local shopping mall (it also has a movie theater but have not been there yet).

Although there are many less pizza options at Pizza Hut in Arequipa, it as still pizza, and very tasty. We got two pizzas (cheese and pepperoni), and took them back to the house, and watched Buffy and the Vampire Slayer (the movie not the TV show). It was a great evening relaxing with friends.

Sunday
Sunday was one of those days in church where I had a really hard time focusing. I have these type of days occassionally, and in the US it isn't that big of a deal. But, in Peru, when I don't know the language very well yet, it is a real hinderance. To understand what people are saying I have to focus really hard, and this day I just couldn't. So, it was frustrating.

Every Sunday a few people from the church go up to a poor village outside of town. They sing songs, tell stories, and play with them. They also try to do something for them each week. This week they were going to give free hair cuts to the kids, and they invited me to come along. When I was first asked, I understood that we all were going to be giving hair cuts. Any of you who know my bad experience cutting my own hair as a kid, know how frightening this prospect was to have me cut hair. But, I knew it was a great opportunity to get to know people from the church, and to reach out to others. So, I decided to go.

It was my understanding that we were all going to stop at a local restaurant for lunch, and then head up to the village. Once church was over, I found those who were going, and they began to talk to me. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't understand what they were saying. After way too much time, I figured out that they were all going home to eat and were going to meet later. I don't know if I misunderstood the original conversation, or they changed their mind. But, luckily the pastor's family invited me to eat with them, and then I could go with Jonathon (their son) to meet the others. So, I went up to their apartment (located on the second floor of the church), and waited as the pastor's wife prepared lunch. I would have offered to help, but with my level of understanding that day I figured I would be more harm than good. Jonathon and his cousin (who dropped by for a couple hours) were also sitting in the living room and were chatting very quickly in Spanish. I didn't understand anything. I felt so overwhelmed that I almost began to cry. I began to question, why I was here and if it would ever get better.

Luckily I didn't have to wait long for the answer. Moments later, Jonathon turned to me and began asking me some basic questions in Spanish, which I actually understood. He also began asking me to teach him a few English words, and I showed him my electronic translator. He had so much fun playing with it, and I began to feel like maybe it wasn't so bad. Then, lunch was ready. Jonathon continued to play with the translator all during lunch, and I was able to help him with his pronunciation. The rest of the family joined in on the lesson, and I was able to teach them many different English words (and learn some Spanish ones at the same time).

After lunch, a taxi came by and picked up Jonathon and I, and took us up to the village to meet the others. Once I got there, I learned that they brought with them a friend who cuts hair professionally, and SHE was cutting hair not us. They brought with them a portable generator, and microphone/speaker. They announced to the town "Free Haircuts", and quickly 20-30 kids showed up. While she gave haircuts, Pillar and Medalit told stories and sang songs with the kids. Pillar then told the kids that I was going to sing a song for them in English. This was news to me, but I did (Jesus Loves Me). They then asked for a second one, and I sang "Hallelu...", and had the kids repeat. It was fun. After this we all played games together. It was so much fun!

I brought my camera along, and all of the kids wanted their picture taken, so I have included many photos here. We were out there about 3 hours, and around 15 kids got free hair cuts. It was a lot of fun, and a great opportunity to minister to the kids, as well as begin friendships with those at the church. It was a great reminder of God's purpose for me here, and that learning takes time/isn't always easy. Thank you God for this day and this reminder.

Miscellaneous Pictures

2008-10-25T10:54:00.006-05:00

Front view of the local bodega

Cactus

A view of my street on my way to school

Some of the many local flowers (no rain so people have gardners, who water, etc)

More flowers

more flowers

and still more flowers

A local restaurant and hostel

One of the buildings of the local University

A picture of Avenida Venezuela (on my way home from school)

A local rug store

Another picture from my walk home from school

The Misti Volcano

A front view of the language school

The 1 sol, 2 soles, and 5 soles coins

The 5 centimos, 20 centimos, and 50 centimos coins

Soles and Centimos

Monday through Friday (10/20/08-10/24/08)

2008-10-25T10:37:00.002-05:00

Spanish Lessons: Review of comparisons, the family, adjectives and indefinite pronouns, prepositions, uses of muy and mucho, reflexives, present tense verbs, ser and estar, past perfect tense

Cultural Articles: Saint festivals, Hispanic American family, the coca plant, and street kids

I decided at least for this week to write one post for the school week. This week was a short week because I was out sick Tuesday and Wednesday, and wasn't sure I had enough to write about each day separately.

Monday:
It was interesting because after seeing the procession for the saint in the street last night, I had been thinking I wanted to learn more. Then, my teacher for the last two hours, brought in an article about these Saint festivals. It was interesting to read a little more about it. I didn't realize just how much importance the Catholics (at least in Peru) really put on the saints. In my opinion, it seems to go beyond simply a good Christian role-model, and seems to cross the line into worship. I am not Catholic, and don't claim to know much about the Catholic Church. But where is the line of 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me'?

Tuesday and Wednesday:
I woke up Tuesday morning feeling horrible: diarreah, achey, dizzy, and exhausted. I talked to Patricia, and she suggested I stay home, so I went back to bed. I stayed in bed most of Tuesday and Wednesday. I think it was a virus, because it turns out both Sarah and Ryan had gotten sick as well. Although being sick stinks, it was just the break from school I needed. God is in control.

Thursday and Friday:
Although not quite 100%, I went back to school on Thursday. It took a little bit for my brain to get back in gear, but it was nice that much of this week was review of the past couple weeks. In the afternoons, I did some web work for Extreme and LNW, and also walked down to the city center and did a few errands.

Overall this was a very quiet and relaxing week, and it was exactly what I needed.

Weekend! 10/18/08 - 10/19/08

2008-10-25T10:06:00.003-05:00

Saturday, I slept until 8:30, by far the latest since I have been here. Fantastic. I then had a nice relaxing morning, where I was able to move at my own pace. Very nice. After lunch, I spent much of the afternoon hanging out with Maria Fernanda. We talked and laughed, it was fun. Around 5:00, Ryan and Sarah came by and picked me up. Sarah made a great dinner of Chicken and vegetables, including mushrooms (didn't realize how much I had missed those), macaroni and cheese, and cake with chocolate icing. Oh, it was nice to have American food again. We then watched the Veggie Tales movie 'Jonah' in Spanish, which was pretty good, and the newest episode of 'The Office' (they purchased it on ITunes). It was a great break, and much needed.

Sunday, I was back to my old ways of waking up at 6 or 6:30. Sarah was sick with stomach issues, and so they all decided to stay home from Church. They did bring me to church though. I was a little anxious about going, since last Sunday didn't go so well. This time, I remembered to bring my bi-lingual Bible. It was much better. During Sunday School, I was able to follow much of what was going on (they write the key points on the board, and I can look up any words I don't know), and even read a couple verses out loud. The lesson was a little different than I am used to, do to much of it being from Revelations and focusing on end times, but it was good. Before the service began, they handed out sheets with the words to the songs. I was ecstatic! It is really hard to sing Spanish songs when you don't know the words. This made things go much smoother. I have also noticed that the sermons in Peru are very different than many American sermons. Rather than having one main scripture passage for the sermon, they have a concept they want to talk about, and then much of the sermon is reading scripture on that topic. With me not knowing the language, it makes it easy to follow because my Bible is in English and Spanish. Not sure how I would feel about the sermon if I knew the language well, but for now at least it felt good to be able to follow what was going on. After church, I had actual conversations with a few people, which was nice. I am beginning to feel connected, still feel like an outsider, but progress. They were very amused by my bilingual Bible too, which I thought was neat.

After Church, Ryan came back and picked me up, and I spent a nice relaxing afternoon reading and taking a nap. It was nice. Then, Ryan, Landon, and I left to take me back to my house. We didn't get to far until we were stopped with a big crowd of people in the road. We were stopped behind this for 20-30 minutes before we were able to get to a side street where we could turn to get around it.

Turns out, it was a processional/ceremony celebrating Senor de los Milagros (or something like that). Peru is a very catholic country (as is much of South America), and the Saints are VERY important. In Arequipa, October is the month they celebrate this particular saint. So, all month long through out the city there are different celebrations and processionals. This particular person, from what I understand, painted a picture of Jesus on the cross in a major Church in Lima. Shortly after the painting, there was a major earthquake, and everything was destroyed. The only thing that wasn't was this picture, and they refer to this as a major miracle, so this man is now considered a saint, a saint from right here in Peru.

Friday - 10/17/08

2008-10-25T10:01:00.002-05:00

Spanish Lessons: Reflexive Verbs, Cutural Stereotypes, and the Hispanic American family

I had never been so happy for it to be Friday as I was today. It had been a really long week, and I needed a break from school. I never would have thought school could be so intense.

In the evening, I did nothing. I sat and watched TV. It was great.

Sorry, nothing spectacular to report.

Thursday - 10/16/2008

2008-10-17T18:52:00.005-05:00

Spanish Lessons: Imperative tense, and poder + infinitive (polite way to ask someone to do something)

Still in a little bit of a funk, but continuing to study and learn. I can definitely tell I am making progress. I have now successfully finished my first Spanish workbook at school. Good to see progress. Conversation is still difficult, but it is difficult in English too :).

After school, came back to the house and ate lunch with the family. After lunch, I decided to go for a walk. I think I have been in the house too much, but haven't been sure about doing things by myself. So, decided it was time to venture out. I decided to walk downtown. Last week, Patricia walked with me down there so that I would know how to get there. This time, I was by myself, and praying that I wouldn't get lost wandering the streets of Arequipa. It was great to get out, observe the people and the city, and just get away. Below are some of the pictures that I took along my way:

Plaza de Armas

Pigeon

Plaza de Armas

Street (Obvious Girl strikes again...)

Local Hospital/Emergency Room

Apartment Complex

Sewer ?

Catholic Medical Center

Sign in front of the local store/Bodega

Place I am staying. Window to the right of the door is mine.

The street where I live

Downtown, they expect a lot of tourists. I went into a shop that sold traditional Peruvian touristy type stuff. One of the ladies said hello and asked me how I was (in spanish), so I answered back in Spanish. The look on her face was hilarious, she was shocked! I guess they are not used to white people knowing Spanish. It was good to feel successful, even in something small.

I also successfully went into a shop and bought something, speaking only Spanish. I bought Queso Helado. For those who know Spanish, you will know that the literal translation of this is Cheese Ice Cream. One of my Spanish teachers recommended I try it. It really isn't cheese flavored. It is kind of a homemade ice cream, and it tastes kind of like cinnamon. It was really good.

When I came home, Maria (12) was home. She needed help again with her English homework. We had a great time. It is neat to start to form a relationship with her. This time was beneficial for both of us. She learned some English, and I learned some Spanish. I was able to spend quite a bit of time with her, she ate dinner with me as well, and we had a great time.

Today was a great day, where I was able to really have fun. I think I am snapping out of my funk. Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday - 10/15/08

2008-10-17T18:41:00.002-05:00

Spanish Lessons: More on Pasado Indefinido (Indefinite Past), and uses of the word Que (that or than)

I am not sure what has been up with me this week, but I woke up on Wednesday in a really bad mood. I really didn't want to go to school. But, some days you just have to go through the motions. At breakfast, Tony (former housemate who left this past weekend) was there. Turns out he was passing back through on the way from Colca Canyon to Puno. It was nice because he took the time to encourage me to keep going. I really needed the encouragement.

Once I got to school, it was good. Some days it just takes a little bit of a push to get going.

Wednesday night was fun, because I got to help Maria (12) with her English homework. It was nice to feel useful.

Sorry I have been in a little bit of a funk this week. Please pray that I will snap out of it soon.

Tuesday - 10/14/2008

2008-10-15T18:03:00.002-05:00

Spanish Lessons: Indefinite Past Tense (distant past, event complete)

I woke up, exhausted and really not wanting to go to school. I wasn't in the mood to be social. I wasn't in the mood to learn, and I REALLY wasn't in the mood for the 15-20 minute up hill the whole way walk to school. Somehow, I did make it to school though, and then they tried to teach me the indefinite past tense. For those who don't know spanish, this is not an easy tense to learn, because there are all sorts of crazy exceptions. I did okay for the first part when I just had to learn it, I survived. Then, I actually had to use it in conversation, and speak/be social for the last two hours. I just couldn't get my brain to say the words, it was horrible. I had to just apologize to my teacher, very embarrassing. But, yet again, I survived.

I came back to the house, ate a quick lunch, and locked myself in my room all afternoon. I laid in bed and read a book in English all afternoon. It was fantastic.

By dinner time, I was feeling human again. I was able to have a good conversation with the mother and daughter, and was even able to help Maria (daughter) with her English homework. I then went back to my room, finished my book, and went to bed. I really should have studied my Spanish homework, but I didn't.

Lessons learned: learning Spanish and dealing with a different culture on little sleep is REALLY hard.

Monday - 10/13/2008

2008-10-15T17:43:00.002-05:00

Spanish Lessons: Past perfect tense (for recent past or continuing events), the verb doler - to hurt, family member vocabulary

There are new students in the house, a young couple from Switzerland. They speak primarily German, but know English pretty well also. I left early for school so that I could show them where the bank was on the way. It was weird to feel like the experienced one, after being in the house/school only a week. After school, we all walked back together. It was nice, but it was weird feeling like the third wheel. After lunch, I walked down to the store by myself, and bought water. I felt very successful, gotta celebrate the small things.

Monday night, I talked with my parents, and it turns out I am going to owe more on my house than we thought, about $12,000. It is tough being down here without a job, already living off of money donated by others, and looking at my bank account and trying to figure out how I am going to pay for this. My parents are being very gracious, and helping me as much as they can. I couldn't do this without them.

It took me a while to go to sleep. I was up late thinking about just how much I have sacrificed to come down here: my house, car, furniture, family, friends, and now my savings, but I am reminded on a daily basis that it is worth it to follow God. God has and will take care of me. Please pray that God will continue to provide, and that I will not get caught up on needing things.

Weekend 10/11-10/12

2008-10-13T17:34:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning, I slept until 8 am! This may not sound late, but it is the latest since I arrived in Peru. I woke up, ate breakfast, and just had time to relax. I read. I watched TV. I also unpacked the rest of my stuff, and my room began to feel like home. It felt really good to have a break from school.

At lunch time, I had a really good conversation with Patricia (mom) and Maria (daughter) about life (favorite movies, tv shows, activities, etc). It felt good to feel like I was really developing a friendship with them. I also got a glimpse into what it would be like to have people staying at your house all the time. Tony left Saturday, headed for the next leg of his trip. Maria began to cry. She begins to develop relationships with people, and then they leave. It makes me happy that I will be here in the house a couple months, and in the city for a couple years. So, maybe our relationship won't have to end so soon. It is a great family.

Saturday evening, Ryan and Sarah picked me up and I spent the rest of the weekend at their house. We got fast food Chinese, and watched Clue on a projector on the wall. I got to speak English too, so that was a nice break.

Sunday morning, they dropped me off at my new church. Since churches in Arequipa, never see missionaries, Extreme decided that each of us should attend a different church, so that all churches have at least one of us. Since I am the second to arrive, I am at a church by myself. I was feeling pretty confident, because I was beginning to understand better and speak better. But I soon realized, church is a whole different situation! Wow, I was so lost! It didn't help that I forgot to bring my bible. Sunday school wasn't so bad, because they wrote the key points on the board, and I could look up the words I didn't know. So, I got a general overview, but during the service I was lost. The lowest point though was when they announced who I was and why I was there (which was nice), but then they called me up to the front to say something to the crowd. I had NO idea what they were wanting me to say. I was so nervous that my brain wouldn't function at all. I managed to get out in Spanglish, "Thank you, I am happy to be here", and then "Uh, I don't know.", which they got a good chuckle out of. I was so embarassed. But, it was amazing how after the service was over people began to come talk to me, even though I couldn't always understand. I realized that they really wanted to accept me into their church, and want to help me learn. Even though this was an exhausting, overwhelming experience, looking back I think it was a step I need to get through in order to progress.

Ryan and Sarah (and family) came back and picked me up after church, and I got to relax at their house that afternoon. They brought me back to my host family's house that evening. I was so exhausted that I was asleep by 8.

Thank you God for continuing to stretch me, and help me grow. Thank you also for those moments of achievement so that I can continue to have the confidence to move forward.

Friday - 10/10

2008-10-13T17:24:00.002-05:00

Spanish Lessons: Present Continuing (e.g. I am studying), clothing, materials, colors, expressions of intentions (e.g. I am going to study)

I really feel like I am beginning to get the hang of things! The family even commented that my understanding of spanish has gotten better. They also asked if I would help Maria (12) to learn more English. So, this should be fun. I have also had the chance to get to know the family better, and feel like God has a plan for putting me here with this family. It has also been interesting to be able to have good conversations with people back home. I have been able to be an open ear to people back home, and have had the opportunity to pray for them in their time of need. I am glad God has helped me to have a purpose even during this time of learning. It has helped me to catch a glimpse of God at work, and I thank him for that.