1/18/13

I am now 1 week into my second month here.
I just got back from taking a nice walk down to the beach and back.
I am so blessed to be living so close to the beautiful ocean again. There are tons of people so its not exactly peaceful, but it is still beautiful and sunny with a fresh breeze  (temps in the high 70s)

Life is good here. 

I don't feel so overwhelmed anymore like I did my first month here.
 The first couple weeks were really hard, especially because I could hardly understand any spanish.

But now I can understand the majority .  Of course I have a lot to learn still, but my spanish is getting better everyday.

My understanding of the culture and the Peruvian way of life has increased so much and  I feel like I have been able to adjust and get into the flow of living here.

I have been able to really relax more, and just learn as I go.

 Everyday is a cultural experience.

Now that its not all so new and over my head, I am able to just relax and enjoy the interesting, vibrant, colorful, Peruvian culture and lifestyle (and all the crazy experiences and adventures that come my way.)

I am going to try to write more posts about the adventures/experiences/culture that happen on this blog!
I  There's no way I could share all my experiences, or truly describe what Peru is like, but I want to try to give everyone a taste of the flavor of life here.

Here are some highlights of this week...

-On Monday, we had a family cook out on the roof! A Peruvian style picnic, complete with Peruvian corn on the cob, Pasta salad, Roast meat, gaurana soda and of course Aji (a spicy pepper sauce that I have already gotten addicted to)
 I tell you- Peruvians definitely know how to cook! The food here is delicious. I need to write a post dedicated to just the food. for real.

 - On Wednesday we went by public bus (about 2ish hours) to La Victoria to a big market place there. They had blocks and blocks of merchandise for sale. One of the most interesting things is the cheap name brand stuff.
They have Armani, Nike, A&F, Northface, tons of american brands for like $3-10!
I didn't buy anything, but they were way better deals than you can get in the U.S.
Tons of people, tons of yelling, tons of delicious smells from the street vendors. Had my first taste of fresh Mamey and Chiramoya fruit! (I think I need to make a post dedicated to just the exotic fruits here too)

- Then today we went to Las Palmeras and had a cleaning day. (the new cement floor is finally dry!)
We set everything up and got the building ready for Bible Class tomorrow.
Please be praying. I have some exciting plans in the mix for a new program for the kids. The details need to come together, but I think God is opening up the doors!
Please pray for details to come together as well as the Lord to provide the funds.

More info coming soon...


 

Playing games at Las Palmeras

I taught them "Duck, Duck, goose" a.k.a "Pato, Pato Ganso"

Fun!

Playing Statues

I love my sweet girls so much!

With Sweet Carlitos!

New floor!

We now have a new floor for our room at Las Palmeras! Praise God!!

The old floor, was very dirty and falling apart. 

Here are some pics from Saturday when they poured the new concrete down!

(Pastor Walter is in the baseball cap, and the others are brothers of the Church)

1 month!

My quiet time view

Today marks 1 month of living here in Peru.

What an experience it has been.

This past month has been one of the hardest, most interesting, most challenging, most eye-opening and definitely one of the most adventurous month of my life (so far.)

It has been more difficult than I thought it was going to be.

And I have learned more already than I thought I was going to.
I am not just talking about spanish.

I have learned a lot.

 I know quite a bit of Peruvian slang.

I have learned how to carry my purse in the city so it doesn't get stolen.

I have learned how to flag down a moto (as well as learned how to fit in one, which was even harder)

I have learned how to navigate getting on and off the buses without falling on my face.

I have learned how to make Arroz Con Pollo.

I have learned how to drink Coffee Peruvian style (instant, black, lots of sugar.)

But much more than all those things, I have learned about myself, God, life, the Church, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. 

One of the biggest things I am learning is what it means to have God and God alone be my Comfort.

When the "comforts" of Suburban American life are stripped away, when I am placed in trying and new situations everyday, when everything familiar is gone, when I feel lost or scared or uncomfortable... I have no where to go but to the One who gives all comfort.

What a blessing it is that here, I don't have the temptation to find my comfort in any thing else (like a car, my family, friends, starbucks, or chocolate :) etc.... ) but Him.  

Instead I am learning in a new way what it means to practically experience 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, which says:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.   
For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."


He will comfort me in all my affliction so that I may be able to comfort those around me who are in affliction. 
Every day I am learning more and more, to rely on his comfort to sustain me
I can't wait to see what God does in the next 2 1/2 months that I have left here.
 
 

a glimpse of my day in photos...

Playing "Freeze dance"

Teaching the girls how to dance like a gringa...

So much fun!

I taught them how some different silly relay races. After the kids played, it was time for the teachers...

beauty

My group of girls

I never need to fix my hair again... I have about 5 personal hairstylist...

After games, the kids enjoy some yummy refreshments

Meet Carlitos

He is the one that is singing the loudest, in fact he screams out the words with all his heart. 

He is at the front of the group of kids, jumping and clapping and praising God. 

He is the one with that melt your heart smile, always happy and having a blast.

 He is the one that will show you his coloring page and on Christmas will show off is button down shirt and tie.

 He is the first to arrive and the last to leave. 

He is the one that always takes home a big bag of food to eat during the week. 

He is the one that doesn’t go to school. 

He is the one,  that towers, head and shoulders over the rest of the kids in his table. 

 Carlitos is 16 years old.

He  has down syndrome. 

He lives with his Mother, Step father and step-brother in a tiny shack in Las Palmeras, the an impoverished village near where I am living

.

There is a school in Ancon for people with mental disabilities, but he doesn’t go.

 His Mother can’t afford to pay for the transportation to get to and from there. 

Carlos is hungry a lot of the time. 

Even when there is food, His stepfather would rather give it to his own son, and let Carlitos go hungry. 

After all, Carlitos isn’t his son

. He is at the mental capacity of a 6 year old. He cannot work or make a living himself.

 So here he is, wandering the dirty trash laden dirt roads all day. 

Nothing to enrich his life.  

Nothing to give him a chance at feeling useful and productive. 

I am praying that someday soon, God will put it on someone’s heart to provide the finances, so that Carlitos can go to school everyday and have a chance at success and growth.

But for now, he waits all week, and will come again next Saturday to sing and dance his heart out in worship to the Lord. 

After class, he will take his coloring page and his bag of food and begin waiting until the next week.

This is Carlitos. This is his story. 

Well  I pray this is just the beginning of is his story.

The rest of his story… the part where he learns and thrives and has enough to eat, just hasn’t been written yet.