Well, the first mission team of Peru has left. I have decided it will be a very emotional summer. I will be saying goodbye a lot this summer. But I have also come to realize that the life of a missionary will consist of many goodbyes. That also means, however, that there will be many Hellos and many new friends to meet along the way!
It was sad to say goodbye to another group who as become like family, not the same type of family as the WA group, but a family still (since no 2 families are the same). It is great knowing that I have people in PA to visit and who will let me stay with them if/when I am able to visit (or at least they tell me I'll have a few homes to visit)!
Please be praying for everyone on the team. Please pray their fire/passion is strong, not only for their mission experience, but for God and that the fire will be noticable in their lives to the people around them. Please pray as they prepare to present to their church, that the words they speak will sink into those that weren't able to come and their church would be able to see what they did, but more importantly, what God did.
THANKS!!
PS. Another prayer request from CR. I received an e-mail from one of the missionary students about how there has been a lot of attacks on the missionary students - a lot of robberies at gun or knife point, as well as break-ins. Please pray for safety and strength for the students, as well as peace that the Lord will protect them and their family. Also, pray for encouragement. I can only imagine how hard this is for them (especially since many families have small children). At the beginning of their missionary experience, this could make them wonder why they are doing this, pray they will stay strong in their faith.
Thanks again!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Craziness From PA
Where to start with this group and this time...I haven't written much because we have been kept fairly busy and by the time I have time to write, I'm too tired and just want to sleep.
To refresh your memory, there is a group from a PA Alliance church who came for a mission trip to Trujillo, Peru. We had the exciting adventure in Lima where my things were taken (or left somewhere). But since then, we've been in Trujillo doing various ministries. The main job - and most physically demanding - is working near a dump where a new building has been constructed to hold activities for the kids whose parents work in the dump. There has been sanding down of the walls and painting primer, and final color. There has been a lot of playing with kids (it has been great to watch them just completely love on the kids), going door to door (this was stretching for me as well since in my group, I had to share twice and translate once), we ate in the homes of the people, we attended small groups as well as church, and visited a historical site.
It has been amazing watching this group come together as a church body, after sacrificing their time, energy, family, work, etc, to come help out a church in another country.
Today was our last full day together. Tonight we will be taking another late night bus to Lima so the group can head out tomorrow on the plane. It will definitely be hard to say good-bye as we have grown close. But I suppose this is what my summer will look like. I will constantly be building relationships only to have to say good-bye after a week or 2. I am glad, however, to have shared in this experience and to share my passion for missions with this group. I hope and pray that they will return home with a strong fire and light the fire in others too! I also hope and pray that they will go home changed people, and not just a change for the short term, but a life change.
To refresh your memory, there is a group from a PA Alliance church who came for a mission trip to Trujillo, Peru. We had the exciting adventure in Lima where my things were taken (or left somewhere). But since then, we've been in Trujillo doing various ministries. The main job - and most physically demanding - is working near a dump where a new building has been constructed to hold activities for the kids whose parents work in the dump. There has been sanding down of the walls and painting primer, and final color. There has been a lot of playing with kids (it has been great to watch them just completely love on the kids), going door to door (this was stretching for me as well since in my group, I had to share twice and translate once), we ate in the homes of the people, we attended small groups as well as church, and visited a historical site.
It has been amazing watching this group come together as a church body, after sacrificing their time, energy, family, work, etc, to come help out a church in another country.
Today was our last full day together. Tonight we will be taking another late night bus to Lima so the group can head out tomorrow on the plane. It will definitely be hard to say good-bye as we have grown close. But I suppose this is what my summer will look like. I will constantly be building relationships only to have to say good-bye after a week or 2. I am glad, however, to have shared in this experience and to share my passion for missions with this group. I hope and pray that they will return home with a strong fire and light the fire in others too! I also hope and pray that they will go home changed people, and not just a change for the short term, but a life change.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Situation Update
Well, the farmers' strike is over...it was only a 1 day thing I guess. Our Peruvian friends think it was over money (not a big surprise), but don't know much else. There wasn't anything on the news to explain anything, we just had to take the bus people's word that something was happening.
Tuesday, we spent a lot of the day trying to figure out what the next plan was. We didn't know if we'd be able to on a bus for another day or so, so we thought we'd try to leave by plane. Janet (a Peruvian), Scott (the Somerset pastor), and I went to see about buying tickets. We thought we had by phone confirmed $90 round trip tickets, but when we arrived, a round trip ticket to and from Trujillo was $169 plus tax...that was WAY too expensive. So we ended up heading back to the bus station to see if we could get on a bus. Gracias a Dios (thanks to God)there was a bus leaving that night at 11:05pm that we could all get on. So we went to dinner and relaxed a little before heading back to the bus station to leave.
Unfortunately during this time, my bag disappeared. A friend was carrying it for me while I carried the bag of one of the ladies on the team (her bag was big and a little heavy). Either while waiting for everyone to get in taxis someone cut it off my friend, or it got left in her taxi. No one turned it back in, so now I have to get a new passport. Please be praying for this process. Pray that there aren't any problems and that my old passport doesn't have any issues. It's kind of scary knowing someone out there has my identity...God's a big God and in control, so I've been at peace and know there must be some purpose, even if it's just more missionary training, and or reliance on God.
Anyways, we are now currently back in Trujillo. The group is getting to know the areas of ministry here. They have been great about the whole thing and are still super excited about being here and getting to work! Please continue to pray for the group, the ministries, and the people we come in contact with. Thanks!!
Tuesday, we spent a lot of the day trying to figure out what the next plan was. We didn't know if we'd be able to on a bus for another day or so, so we thought we'd try to leave by plane. Janet (a Peruvian), Scott (the Somerset pastor), and I went to see about buying tickets. We thought we had by phone confirmed $90 round trip tickets, but when we arrived, a round trip ticket to and from Trujillo was $169 plus tax...that was WAY too expensive. So we ended up heading back to the bus station to see if we could get on a bus. Gracias a Dios (thanks to God)there was a bus leaving that night at 11:05pm that we could all get on. So we went to dinner and relaxed a little before heading back to the bus station to leave.
Unfortunately during this time, my bag disappeared. A friend was carrying it for me while I carried the bag of one of the ladies on the team (her bag was big and a little heavy). Either while waiting for everyone to get in taxis someone cut it off my friend, or it got left in her taxi. No one turned it back in, so now I have to get a new passport. Please be praying for this process. Pray that there aren't any problems and that my old passport doesn't have any issues. It's kind of scary knowing someone out there has my identity...God's a big God and in control, so I've been at peace and know there must be some purpose, even if it's just more missionary training, and or reliance on God.
Anyways, we are now currently back in Trujillo. The group is getting to know the areas of ministry here. They have been great about the whole thing and are still super excited about being here and getting to work! Please continue to pray for the group, the ministries, and the people we come in contact with. Thanks!!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Missionary/Intercultural Experience...
I just I´d let you all know that the first group to Peru arrived today! It´s a group of 13 from Somerset, PA. So far, so good...as far as the group is concerned...
Of course, there has to be something exciting in the trip, so for us, we are currently stuck in Lima. There is a protest with the farmers, so it is unsafe to travel up to Trujillo. We are stuck in Lima until it becomes safe to travel once again. It is unsafe because the farmers who live along the road to Trujillo don´t let cars pass, they throw rock and whatnot at the cars as they pass. Traveling in a large (charter-like) bus is a large target, not only for rocks, but also for thieves, so we are staying in Lima.
Please be praying for this situation. We are currently on a moment to moment basis, so we really don´t know what tomorrow, or the next day, etc holds. Please pray the farmers can get this situation resolved, pray that we´ll get to Trujillo, but while we are here in Lima, that God will use us in whichever way He wants. (We know He has a reason for us being here and not in Trujillo.) Please help the money to stretch however far it needs. Pray for the Peruvians who are in charge, that they can figure out things for us to do, keep the stress to a minimum.
The group has been great. They have been very understanding. No one is upset about being stuck here and the situation. They understand God is in control and there is a purpose. How blessed are we!! The only problem for Kari and I is that we weren´t planning on staying here, so we only have the clothes on our back. Luckily, however, we did pack our toothbrushes/paste, facewash, and I packed my contact stuff, we´re safe as far as that´s concerned. We´ll just be wearing the same clothes...but there are worse things!
Thanks for your prayers!
Of course, there has to be something exciting in the trip, so for us, we are currently stuck in Lima. There is a protest with the farmers, so it is unsafe to travel up to Trujillo. We are stuck in Lima until it becomes safe to travel once again. It is unsafe because the farmers who live along the road to Trujillo don´t let cars pass, they throw rock and whatnot at the cars as they pass. Traveling in a large (charter-like) bus is a large target, not only for rocks, but also for thieves, so we are staying in Lima.
Please be praying for this situation. We are currently on a moment to moment basis, so we really don´t know what tomorrow, or the next day, etc holds. Please pray the farmers can get this situation resolved, pray that we´ll get to Trujillo, but while we are here in Lima, that God will use us in whichever way He wants. (We know He has a reason for us being here and not in Trujillo.) Please help the money to stretch however far it needs. Pray for the Peruvians who are in charge, that they can figure out things for us to do, keep the stress to a minimum.
The group has been great. They have been very understanding. No one is upset about being stuck here and the situation. They understand God is in control and there is a purpose. How blessed are we!! The only problem for Kari and I is that we weren´t planning on staying here, so we only have the clothes on our back. Luckily, however, we did pack our toothbrushes/paste, facewash, and I packed my contact stuff, we´re safe as far as that´s concerned. We´ll just be wearing the same clothes...but there are worse things!
Thanks for your prayers!
Friday, May 16, 2008
PERU!!!
I'M IN PERU!!
Kari and I left our houses around 7:30am Wednesday morning to embark on another journey...to PERU!! After a layover in Bogota, Colombia, we made it to Lima, Peru around 7:35pm. A family, who is originally from Trujillo (the city we'll be spending most of our time in Northern Peru), but is currently living in Lima due to work, was there to great us. They took us out to dinner and then we spent the night at their house. Thursday morning they took us on a mini tour of Lima. We toured a Catholic church and catacombs (my very first look at catacombs). We had a great time with this family. By the time we got on the bus last night (the 11:15pm bus), we felt as though we had known the family for a long time!
We took the late night bus to Trujillo, arriving this morning around 9:15am. Now we'll just be hanging around here until Sunday night when we take another night bus to Lima to pick up a team Monday afternoon (and return by bus to Trujillo - it's a good thing the buses are SUPER comfy!!).
Please be praying for Kari and I as we become familiar with Trujillo, the people, and how things are done here. As well as our translating as the accents are different and they use different than CR. Please also pray for the teams that will be passing through over the summer that we will be meeting, that God will us, them and the Peruvians to teach each other and challenging each other and impact the people around Peru.
Thank you for your continued support!
Kari and I left our houses around 7:30am Wednesday morning to embark on another journey...to PERU!! After a layover in Bogota, Colombia, we made it to Lima, Peru around 7:35pm. A family, who is originally from Trujillo (the city we'll be spending most of our time in Northern Peru), but is currently living in Lima due to work, was there to great us. They took us out to dinner and then we spent the night at their house. Thursday morning they took us on a mini tour of Lima. We toured a Catholic church and catacombs (my very first look at catacombs). We had a great time with this family. By the time we got on the bus last night (the 11:15pm bus), we felt as though we had known the family for a long time!
We took the late night bus to Trujillo, arriving this morning around 9:15am. Now we'll just be hanging around here until Sunday night when we take another night bus to Lima to pick up a team Monday afternoon (and return by bus to Trujillo - it's a good thing the buses are SUPER comfy!!).
Please be praying for Kari and I as we become familiar with Trujillo, the people, and how things are done here. As well as our translating as the accents are different and they use different than CR. Please also pray for the teams that will be passing through over the summer that we will be meeting, that God will us, them and the Peruvians to teach each other and challenging each other and impact the people around Peru.
Thank you for your continued support!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Shari's Visit
Kari's sister, Shari, came to visit her. Shari was able to stay for 10 days. She was at the retreat with us, we also did a variety of other activities together. Take a look at the pictures to get an idea!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
PRAYER
If you could be praying for my host sister, Krish, and mom, Shirley, it would be wonderful. Krish has been sick since Friday and isn't getting any better. The first medicine made her throw up, so they switched medicine. She also doesn't want to eat, but she needs to. Today they gave her a shot and she'll be needing another one tomorrow and Friday. If these don't help, she'll have to go to the hospital. I don't really know what's all wrong physically, but obviously, it's not something good. Please be praying for Shirley as well. I can only imagine what it's like to be a mom watching your daughter suffer and not be able to do anything to make it go away. I know she's worried and frustrated. Please pray for strength and wisdom for her.
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Playa Jaco, Retreat
Well, I just returned for a 4 day retreat in Playa Jaco. This was a chance for the missionary students to relax before the next trimester starts. Kari and I (as well as Kari's sister) tagged along to help with the kids and teach a VBS. It was great to relax with the everyone and enjoy the sun.
Thanks to the Alliance Women, we were able to enjoy an all-inclusive resort, which meant "free" drinks whenever we wanted, "free" meals, a pool, beachfront, and lots of fun! This was my first all-inclusive experience (as well as my first CR hotel experience) and it was a definite plus!
I'll add more pictures later once I've got the album put together, but we had beautiful weather and a great group of people!
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