Home again

I made it back safe and sound to Oklahoma late tuesday night, after traveling for 18 hours.
 I had some long delays, but thankfully made all my flights, and all my luggage came back in tact and complete!
Thank you all for your prayers!

Important Update

There has been a new development with Purses 4 Peru and my plans for the Jungle missions trip.

Our missions trip to the jungles of Iquitos has been postponed due to relentless and torrential rains and floods in the Amazon area.

The Amazon river is really high from the rainy season and it is now at  danger alert level red, so there can be no travel in or out of Iquitos until the rains stop and the river recedes.

There is no way to know when the waters will abate, and when it will be dry enough to make travel there safe again.

After much prayer and deliberation, I feel like God is leading me not to extend my return ticket to an indefinite date, but instead to return to the USA April 2^nd (one week from today) as originally planned.

This is not how I planned on things working out, but I believe God is using the high flood waters of Iquitos’ rainy season to redirect my path right now. I have full confidence that this is His leading.

The money raised for Iquitos through Purses 4 Peru will be staying in Peru. The local missions team will take it with them when they go to Iquitos and will  be used for the children as planned.  

To all who helped support this missions work by purchasing a purse I wanna give you a big- THANK YOU! This upcoming missions work could not be possible without the support that was given through Purses 4 Peru!

 I am praying about the opportunity to return to Peru again this summer so I can be a part of the missions team when they go to Iquitos.  But right now I am just taking the next step of what I believe is obedience to Him, and planning on getting on a plane in just 1 week to return to U.S soil.

Even if I don’t get the chance to come back this summer, the team will still be going and doing the same work with the kids in Iquitos (with or without me) which wouldn’t have been possible without your help and support.

I will send out an update when the rainy season has abated some and the team chooses a new trip date. And will update the blog with ministry updates, photos and stories from the missions trip - whether I go or not 

This leaves me with just 1 week left in Peru... It is going to be very hard to leave here, even though I am very excited to see everyone in Oklahoma.

 Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare and get everything ready in order to return stateside!

 

my weekend in photos

FRIDAY

I watched my first "futbol" game ever! It was Peru against Chile! Kate and I bought matching Jerseys of our favorite player!

EVERYONE had to get dressed up for the game

With Pastor Walter and Clarisa

Cheering for Paulo Guerrero, #9!

and for the first time in 8 years.... PERU WON AGAINST CHILE!!!!!!!!! we were all hoarse the next morn

ing

SATURDAY

The Church had a "Pollada". Selling grilled chicken lunches to raise money for Iquitos Missions

Yummy pollo a la parrilla

Met my first "cuy" or guinea pig. Here in Peru they aren't pets. just dinner.

Saturday was a pretty day in ancon

In a Moto-taxi with Pastor Walter.  I think I have ridden a moto at least once a day for the past 3 months.

Love the brightly painted houses in Peru

Ancon

@ Las Palmeras working with the kids!

@Las Palmeras, Preparing bread for the kids with my friends Gabbi and Mikela

@ Las Palmeras with the 6-8 year old class

@ Las Palmeras with the oldest group of kids. These are my english class students too!

@Las Palmeras With the 4-6 year old class

@ Las Palmeras with the babies class

Las Palmeras

@ Las Palmeras with all of the teachers!

 

 

Las Palmeras, this is our building

@ Las Palmeras in a moto with about 15 kids and the worlds youngest moto-driver

Las Palmerasa

Las Palmeras

SUNDAY

 

 

 

Worshiping at Church

Sweet little Siomarra at Church

Lucas at Church  (I think he might be my biggest fan)

Worship

With my friends Kate, Gabbi and Mikela at Church

Isaac, Kate, Me, Gabbi and Mikela

beach baptisms, buffets,babies & a braid

The Baptism

Last weekend, we had baptisms at the worlds biggest baptismal...
(a.k.a the ocean!)

It was such a beautiful thing to be a part of!

The whole group

Pastor Walter giving a short talk to the church members before the baptisms.

2 of the church leaders leading a new Sister into the water to be baptized

The joy of in their faces! After publicly demonstraitng their new lives in Christ

Its hard to find too many pictures that don't have these folks laughing in it. Peruvians are joyful, funny people.

I love this lady! Hermana Monica! She is so fun!

The Buffet

After Baptisms, we had a church potluck/buffet style. Everyone brought different dishes to share.

Peruvians love their food and love to talk about food, so I have become quite the expert on Peruvian dishes.

(if your mouth doesn't water just by looking at these pictures its just because you don't know what it tastes like) 

Cara pulcra, causa and papa rellana

The spread

"Oyoquito" .

Aji de Machas. This stuff was ahhh-mazing. (I think Machas are clams but I am not quite sure- at least its some sort of sea-animal and tasted somewhat like clam chowder... ha ha )

Arroz Jardinero

We call ourselves Café, leche & café-con-leche (coffee, milk, coffee with milk) Can you guess which color I am? 

The Baby Section...

So, it's pretty much split half and half. 

Half of the peruvian babies like me and half of them just start crying when they look at me! :(

I never thought I would have that effect on babies! They all stare at me for  along time and more often then not, start to cry. 

I guess they just aren't used to blonde hair and blue eyes.  

kids over 2 years old, think I'm fascinating and stare at me and follow me around talking to me, but the majority of the little ones are pretty much just scared of me, no matter how try I hard to make them smile, they just cry!

Little Blanca- one of the brave few that isn't scared of me

this little guy is too young to be afraid of the Gringa yet.

and lastly the Braid:

Thanks Hmna. Monica for the beautiful 'trenza'.
Funny thing is here they comment on how super thin my hair is, whereas in the U.S everyone always say that its SO thick. Guess its all perspective!

where I live...

Here are some pictures of where I am living in Ancon.
I realized that I haven't posted any photos of my church, street or neighborhood yet!
I am going to try to take my camera out more and get photos of all the other parts of my Ancon, but this is a start!!!

This is where I live/worship. The front half of the building is the Church- 1 big room, and the back part of the building is our house!

 

 

The front door plaque for La Iglesia "El Camino" of Ancon.

This is my street, if you were to walk out the front door of the church and look left

And this is my street, looking  to the right

This is the "main Street" . We live on a hill and this is the is just a short walk down the hill from our house. It is the road that we take to go anywhere. Every trip to the market, the beach, the bus stop, Las Palmeras, resturant, store etc. 

Another view of the Main Street, just down the hill from my street.

(Looking to the left down the main road.)

I can't tell you how many times I have ridden one of these "moto" taxis in the last 3 months. With no car, and super cheap fare, we ride these motos everywhere. At night time the streets are comopletley full with these cute, honking, little motos! 

 

 

Looking right down the main road

Walking home from the main road, to get to our house you go up this hill and take the first right!