Nuevo Día : Mercies Nuevos

Christmas this year was very different for us. We did not drive to all of our relatives’ homes, nor did we visit with old friends. We didn’t eat candy canes, struggle through driving in the snow or hear my dad read Luke 2 on Christmas morning. We didn’t eat mom’s breakfast or have a real Christmas tree. We didn’t go sledding or build a snowman. Rachel & Mark didn’t get to compare presents with their cousins and we didn’t get to enjoy traditional Christmas desserts with our siblings.

But we did ring in Christmas day at 12:01am by an entire city of fireworks. At least 80% of the rooftops of Huaraz shot fireworks for at least 15 minutes, maybe a half an hour. It was awesome! Well, except when the bush in the park outside our house caught on fire because no one knows what they’re doing with the fireworks - and until they woke up Rachel and scared her to the point that she had to sleep in mom & dad’s bed. And I use the word ’sleep’ loosely.  By 2am, we had to move her back to her bed because she was obviously more interested in playing and not so scared anymore. We maybe got 5 hours of sleep that night. Then on Christmas morning, I woke up sick. I had a head cold (which I’m still getting over) - but did that stop us on our very first Christmas away from home? No way! We had a big breakfast and then proceeded to open presents. We are so thankful for Huaraz’s low-priced toys and all of the packages we received from home. We had a lovely time watching Rachel open her presents and Mark play with the paper - and in their matching pajamas, no less. It was a joy!

Then, because Peru is so different, Scott went out! Everything was open!!! We decided at the last minute to make a chicken for dinner, and don’t you know, the market was open and he was able to go buy the chicken & vegetables to go with it on Christmas day. The trash man even came to collect trash. I wouldn’t have been surprised if we received mail! Very different. So we made a late dinner after a whole day of playing with our new toys. It was a wonderful dinner and so nice to have spent the day with our little family.

I realized that Rachel has a love for birthday parties (whenever we light a candle, she asks “Happy Birthday?”), and what an easy way to help her see that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because it’s really a birthday party for Jesus. That’s why we give presents, play with toys and eat so much yummy food - because it’s really a birthday party. We also introduced her to Santa this year, and as much as she enjoyed the idea of Santa, she really loved saying “Happy Birthday Jesus” and asking about cake & presents. I suppose things change, but I don’t foresee her having a problem understanding the real meaning of Christmas in the years to come.

We certainly missed our traditional Christmas in the States, but the Lord provided a really nice way to celebrate His birth right here in Peru. Thank you Jesus for loving us enough to leave Heaven for a few years and be our much-needed Savior from our sinful selves. And you continue to bless us with yourself! We don’t have any cause to fear or reason to be anxious. You give and love and will never stop. I love Christmas - I love you, Jesus. And I’m so thankful that You love me!

So many people have “reminded” us that we haven’t updated our website recently. I think it’s easy for us to forget what it’s like to be on the other side - the ones who stayed home in the States - wanting to know what’s going on with those who are on the field. Our lack of updates is not a matter of our being neglectful or lazy as much as it is just feeling like our life here is not as interesting as it probably is.

So I think I’ll give you a little glimpse into what we do.

Right now, Scott is up at a village called Ututupampa (Please excuse the spelling - I’m sure I get a lot of the spelling of the Quechua villages very wrong!). He is up there to talk with a teacher about potentially being able to teach a Bible lesson to the kids in that village once a week. These kinds of things always take a while, mostly because they don’t have phones for us to call and say “are you available for me to come visit you this afternoon?” Instead, we have to travel the 45 minutes to an hour up there, hoping that the teacher was in school that day, that they didn’t have the day off, that they didn’t decide to end school early that day - or some other obstacle that happens often. Scott and Larry have gone there many times, but it’s still not definite whether or not we can teach the kids there. A lot of times, the permission is there, but it isn’t logistically possible (ie there is no space for us to meet, no free time, etc.) Sometimes the facility and availability are there, but they aren’t open to us coming.

But there are places where we have a facility, availability and permission.

We go to a village called Huanja on Tuesdays, Collahuasi on Fridays and Jauna on Saturdays. Usually it’s to do a Bible lesson with the kids. These kinds of lessons look a lot like your typical Sunday School class in content and structure. We pray, sing songs in Quechua and Spanish, have a Bible story lesson in Spanish, and do activity/crafts/coloring based on the lesson. They look very different in that they happen outside, sometimes in the rain sometimes in the cold. Some villages have a facility in which we can meet - but it’s often times a cold, dark room with a dirt floor. Some have a hook-up for a light, but we need to provide the light bulb while we’re there. It’s different, but very awesome to see kids come without being dragged there by their parents and without other incentive. They just like to come.

We also go to Jauna on Thursdays and Huallcor on Sundays to show a video on the book of Genesis. It has to happen in the dark since we use a projector to show the video. And since we’re in rainy season here, we sometimes have traveling troubles going up to the villages this time of day - which is often the rainy part of the day. The roads can be dangerous, especially in the rain. If the rain is particularly heavy, we will do the safe thing and not go on that day. It all depends. PLEASE keep our traveling safety in your prayers, among other things. Larry said the other day “I don’t think I know how many times the Lord has protected me on these mountains.” And he’s right.

Many times in our journeys we stop to give medicine as needed and food sometimes. Other times there are specific individuals who want to learn more about the Bible, and so we meet with them individually.

Even as I write this, I feel inadequate to even write this post. I know I’m going to forget important details. Maybe my attempt at updating you all will prompt Scott to write his own version of what it is we do. He’s a better writer than I and will, I’m sure, give you a more interesting version of what we do.

It’s that time again.  We’re moving!  Our last day of language school was Friday with a “despedida” (good-bye party) at the school Friday and one with more friends again Saturday night.  We then worshiped with our Iglesia Refugio hermanos for the last time ’til Heaven this past Sunday (it’s sad to think that - but we won’t have a reason to go back to Arequipa, that we know of).  It was all so bittersweet as we are so sad to be leaving them, yet so excited to be moving onto Huaraz!  So we’ve been spending the past few days packing, cleaning and preparing for our departure. Included in that has been spending as much time as we can with our close friends here. We have made such great friends here that have been a blessing to us - it’s hard to leave them!  Yet, we truly cannot wait to start our ministry to the people in Huaraz.

We leave for Lima late morning on Thursday. We’ll stay with some friends in Lima until Saturday and then travel by bus to Huaraz on Saturday evening through the night - hopefully little ones (and big ones) sleep during this trip!

I know this is short, sweet and pictureless - but I wanted to keep you up to date!  Once we get settled, we’ll post more pictures on our media section.

I thought that might get your attention.

I have just a few thoughts about Christian hedonism that I wanted to write down before I forgot them.  I lost my journal when we were robbed and my laptop was stolen.  So, this might have only made it as far as my journal if I still had it.  LUCKY for you, it’s going on the blog instead.

Hedonism is the basic philosophy that pleasure is the ultimate thing for humans.  We will pursue it above all else.  Christian Hedonism - for those who don’t know - is a phrase coined by reformed Baptist pastor John Piper.  The idea of the term, as he puts it, is that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. He has written tons of original material on this topic (see his book Desiring God or Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ). But a lot of this idea goes back to the thoughts and theology of Jonathan Edwards.

Anyhow, I was thinking today how much I enjoy being a missionary. One could argue that I’m not really on my mission field yet or that I’m living in a city right now that has lots of the amenities of the States. True. But there are TONS of reasons why I could be very bitter or unhappy here. I have to learn a new language - let me just say: NOT EASY!!!  I have to be away from my friends and family.  I know how sad our parents are to be missing their grandchildren (that one kills me). I miss worshiping in my natural tongue. I miss TastyCakes (OK maybe not such a big deal). But you get the idea.

I remember being in the car with Scott while we were still in the States raising our support to come here.  I said to him “Why do I feel like I am doing what I want to do? Why am I not questioning God, asking ‘are You sure You want me to leave it all and go?’ Does that mean it’s not really a calling?  Do I want to go purely for my own selfish reasons?”  He very simply answered “God has changed your desires.”  How true! And I think I’ve realized that it has to be done that way. When we are commanded in Psalm 37 to delight ourselves in the Lord, it isn’t so that we get what we want, as many often misread it. We read that verse and say “oh goody, if I essentially give God more of my time by reading my Bible and praying, I’m going to get all of these things I have wanted.” But that’s not what the Scriptures say.  It says “and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  He will give the desires. He will take your wrong, sinful, self-focused, self-promoting desires and change them until they are what they should be.  THEN, you will be doing what you want to do.  But what you want to do will be completely in line with what He wants you to do.

Don’t be surprised, Christian friend, if it feels sometimes like you are actually satisfied and happy with your life of sacrifice. This is how it’s meant to be. Sacrifice does NOT mean you are grumbling, upset and bitter about that which you have abandoned. If it is truly a changed desire given to you from the Lord, you may find yourself completely content with very little - and yet feel like you have been given more than you could have imagined.

This does also mean the opposite is often times true. If you don’t feel sacrificial joy, it could be that you have become comfortable with your bubble. You have created a nice lifestyle for yourself that is never invaded by anything that could possibly be interpreted as an inconvenience. And yet you find yourself grumbling, upset and bitter about that which you have.

If that is your situation, I would encourage you to pray through Psalm 37:4 and ask the Lord to change your desires. Let me make sure I’m not tooting my own horn.  Remember Scott’s response to my question?  He said “God changed your desires.”  God did it.  He made me who I am, and He continues to shape me and change me, exhort me and discipline me - and this will continue, I’m sure, until glorification!  If I am to be any kind of example, it is that God has been generous with His grace toward me because of His Son’s death and resurrection - and because of nothing I’ve done.  The most I could have done was respond to His pursuit of me and ask Him to change me. If you are reading this now - He’s pursuing you.  Respond.

I want to write about motherhood for an American woman living in Peru. As you can imagine, it’s SO different, as I expected it would be.  But some of the differences have struck me as odd.

Here, I must keep Mark covered if we leave the house. I’m not kidding, not a single part of his skin can be seen! It’s not a rule or anything, but it’s certainly a cultural mandate.  If someone can see Mark, they first tell me how cute he is, and then immediately fuss at me that they can see him at all.  It’s so ironic.  Completely strangers will pull his blanket up over his face without asking if he is exposed.  This is mainly because they are afraid of him catching some sort of sickness, the flu, a cold, dust going up his nose - who knows? 

When we had Rachel (in the States), she came on time and was primarily formula fed, except a few days in the very beginning.  Mark has been able to nurse and has been primarily breast fed.  This is important, because it is way more common to hear the opinions of women, strangers, about the benefits of breastfeeding, and the “coldness” of bottle (formula) feeding.  These women don’t realize that they are talking to a woman who formula-fed a very healthy and happy child with whom I was able to bond quite well.  But that’s OK.  The grace of God is bigger than the offense I could take, and He enables me to let some things roll off my shoulders.  I say “some things” because of course, no one is perfect, and I am unable to keep all things from getting to me. 

The other day, a Peruvian woman with whom I have developed a relationship fussed at me for drinking milk while eating grapes.  She said that I was basically poisoning my baby - apparently somewhere along the lines of my digestive system, the milk would mix with the grapes and become poison in the milk that Mark would drink.  As crazy as that sounds, because it came from her it made me quite upset.  In fact, I had to walk away so that she didn’t see my face turn red and my eyes well up. 

In his consolation, Scott said to me “it’s hard to think that this Christian woman still holds onto these older ideas that hold no scientific value.”  And we went on to talk about how difficult it is for some Peruvians to completely abandon the ideas of their ancestors, their traditions that have been passed down.  I’m not saying it’s important that they abandon them completely.  Many things are fine and good, like the celebration of a young girl turning fifteen years old (much like the American sweet-sixteen), or their patriotism on the 28th of July, the Peruvian Independence Day - there is a Peruvian flad on every rooftop as far as I can see from my third floor view!

But there are some things that are done that people don’t even realize have significance that would be opposed to the Christian faith.  For example, if you go to one of the larger markets in Arequipa called San Camilo, you can find frogs that have been turned into juice in a blender.  They sell this “beverage” and it is widely accepted, even by people we know in our church here.  But if you look at the history, it is a superstitious ritual. 

It makes us think, what do we have in our North American culture that we have made part of our faith.  What are we holding onto as truth that is simply not.  I’m sure there are things that we say “a good church must have this” or “a proper Christian will do this and not that.”  It’s not a rule anywhere, and yet we demand it from Christians.  We find fault in the Christrian from the foreign land when there really is no fault there. 

In the States, it’s more subtle than in Peru. We ask: must a Christian home-school, send children to Christian schools, or is it OK to send them to public school?  Must we wear certain clothing? If we neglect Bible study attendance to participate in the lives of our families, is this looked down upon?  In the States, it’s polite to not pry into others’ business or do what we would call “force yourself” on someone.  In Peru, it is rude to not offer to be very involved in the lives of others, and it could be considered rude to not let the other person help in whatever way they can.  When leaving a function of any sort, in Peru you must greet every. single. person. that was in attendance, and you must kiss them.  In the States, you would only wave or shake hands, and it’s OK if you don’t say good-bye to absolutely everyone. It’s polite in Peru to call someone fat as long as you put the “cute” suffix on the end of the word - “gordita” is completely polite.  However in the States, calling someone a cute little fat person is totally unacceptable!

Yet, we put these heavy weights on the shoulders of the people within our culture.  We say “you must fit into this box, and if you don’t then you must have some kind of problem.”  I’m slowly, SLOWLY, learning to expect less of this nonsense from people.  And with that comes frustration when people expect things from me that simply aren’t important. 

This would be the part of most cultures that is so alike. We can’t seem to figure out what’s important and what’s not.  We create things that must be a certain way and call it gospel - yet it isn’t. I want to understand this Peruvian culture and love it without fearing their rejection or becoming jaded toward their way of life.  I hope I come away with a clearer vision of what is truth and what is myth.

There’s a good reason for the lack of blog entries… Mark is almost 6 weeks old now.  Life with two babies is excellent, but surely takes some getting used to.  I enjoy it almost always, but have yet to find out how to fit in time for things like checking email and blogging.  So please bear with me while I re-adjust my life.  I promise, as soon as I get things in order, I will get right back on track with keeping you all up-to-date.  But for now, I have two little ones to get fed, bathed, pajama-ed, and in bed.  As I write this, Mark is staring up at me making all kinds of funny faces, and Rachel has just about emptied a brand new thing of baby wipes.  Gotta jet!

You can find pictures of our new addition here.

Wow - I feel like so much change is right around the corner!  Life as I have known it for the past four months, and the past 22 months is all about to change.

I’m going to be a mommy of TWO in a matter of weeks (or maybe <gulp> days).  I can hardly believe it!!!  We’ve been buying all of the necessities for this new little one - trying to find what we can at small shops instead of the big stores.  It depends on sales and each individual item - but for the most part, the better deals are found in the market shops.  And Concho (Rachel’s nanny while we’re in classes) has offered to take me to some second-hand shops after we have the baby, where I can find nice clothes for really cheap.  So there’s the first big change: Rachel becomes a big sister and Scott & I become parents of two little ones.

We also found out that we have pretty much completed the grammar portion of our Spanish lessons.  I think they sped us (well, at least me - it was probably a more comfortable pace for Scott) through the course so that I could have completed it before having this baby and being out of classes for a while.  So far, we have had practice classes every day for an hour and a half, and grammar classes every day also for an hour and a half.  So we’ll keep having grammar to go over any loose ends until we have the baby.  Then when we return to school afterward, we will basically have two practice classes.  Same amount of time in class, but more of it spent practicing all that we have learned.  It’s optional, but we were also told that we can take an exam now to test our knowledge in grammar.  This is unlike me, but I feel like I want to take it - just to know how much I am really grasping, and what I need to focus on more in depth until I get it.  This will be helpful in that I will have some direction with my practice teachers (ie - if I am struggling with knowing when to use preterite and imperfect verb tenses, we will practice them constantly and my homework will be based around that.. etc.).  I know for absolute certain that I am not speaking well or comprehending consistently.  So, there are definitely areas that need more help than others.  I think taking a test might help shine some light on the areas that bring me difficulty of which I am unaware.  Plus, I think just practicing it consistently, daily, will help with speaking fluently become more natural.  Right now, I feel like in order to speak a good sentence, I have to have prepared it in advance - know specifically what I am going to say.  Then, the second that person speaks back to me, I feel caught off-guard and it takes me a while to form my response.  I would like conversing to be more natural.  I want to have more confidence!

So much change is a little scary for me.  I like to know what’s coming and feel like I can anticipate how my days are going to play out… but I’m in a position where I KNOW that things are coming which I just can’t predict.  It makes me feel a little uneasy and like I can’t or shouldn’t plan anything.  A friend recently asked me if I am mentally prepared to go two weeks late with this baby.  She was concerned that I might become frustrated and stressed if I remain pregnant for too much longer.  I have to say after some thought that I would be OK with the pregnancy being another month long if I KNEW it for sure and could plan my days from now until then.  It’s the uncertainty that kills me.  Every little movement, every discomfort, every bumpy bus-ride (the combi’s are KILLERS) makes me wonder “is now the time?”  There are things we weren’t meant to know, and this is one of them.  <Deep breath> Entonces, help me Lord.

We had a wonderful Easter this year!  Aside from missing being close to our family and friends, everything was marvelous!

(Picture of Rachel being her daddy - wearing his shirt & talking on his phone)

Saturday was spent as usual:  Scott plays soccer with other folks from the church & school, and then we usually go grocery shopping for that week later on in the day.  We had planned on having a big Easter dinner Sunday with the other missionaries from our home group and a few Peruvians from the church; and so Saturday after soccer, Scott and Christian went to the meat/fish market to try to find a goose to buy for the meal.  I really wish I had been there, because I think it would have been hysterical to hear them all make goose noises in an effort to communicate which bird they were searching for.  Unfortunately, they don’t sell goose in Peru (or so we understand from the folks at this market).  At the grocery store later, there was a woman selling balloons just outside the store.  Rachel has come to LOVE balloons, but they’re one of those things that you’re lucky if you get more than 10 minutes of playing out of them before they pop or lose their air.  But the tactic this particular saleswoman uses is:  stick the balloon in the child’s hand and then tell the parent how much they owe her.  Isn’t that great?  So our options were:  make Rachel cry by forcing her to give the balloon back (which probably would have looked more like us taking it from her and giving it to the woman) or paying her the one sol (which is about $.30) for the thing.  We opted to avoid the tears and pay for it.  So here is Rachel on Easter morning playing with her new toy, which had already broken!  Looks like it was a $.30 well spent.

A few weeks ago, we received in the mail a package containing an adorable Easter dress for Rachel.  Of course, we had to try it on immediately.  Rachel absolutely loved being in it!  In fact, she loved it so much that she cried and fussed when I insisted that she change so as to not get it messy before Easter.  And many mornings in between when getting dressed, she would point to her special Easter dress and say “please?”  I felt sad telling her “no,” but knew that she would be even more excited to get to wear it on Easter.  You can imagine her delight Easter morning in getting to put on her special Easter dress.

(Rachel in her dress, saying cheese for the camera, and praying)

She then looked in her “Easter basket” (which was really a fruit basket since I couldn’t find ones that looked like Easter baskets) to find stickers, tub toys & binkies (yes, she is still taking a binky at night time - and we have lost more here than we ever did in the States!)  So we had breakfast, and were off to church.  They did not separate out the children from the adults this Sunday - and the Lord really blessed that decision because the children were so well behaved during the service - Rachel included!  I am starting to understand more and more of the sermon and am so thankful for that.  I don’t think my speaking is improving at the same rate as my comprehension.  I understand way more than I can say!

We returned right home after church, had a very light lunch, put Rachel down for her nap (still in her dress - she really didn’t want to take it off!) and Scott and I got to cooking.  We had made an apple pie the night before, and Sunday we cooked a turkey breast, baked macaroni & cheese and broccoli casserole.  Then we all headed over to the Listro’s house - the whole group totalled about 25 people and the other families all brought something else to the table.  I think everyone was missing family dinners at home, and it was so nice to have the group together - not replacing family but being a suitable stand-in.  :-)  We got to know better some of the newer missionaries to the school and also the family of the pastor of one of the other local churches here in Arequipa.  It was a great time - really special.

And if we had spent Easter with Scott’s mom, sister & that side of the family, we probably would have ended the night playing games - recent favorites included Probe (an oldie), Five Crowns and Michigan Rummy.  So, Scott printed out a Michigan Rummy board off the computer and we played that for a few hours with the Listro’s after everyone else had left - yet another piece of home!  We really had a blast!

Thought I’d share an update with everyone.

I had my 32 week appointment last week with my new doctor.  What a sweet woman!  She speaks very little English (VERY little!) and so our visits are almost completely in Spanish.  This was the second appointment since we arrived in Arequipa.  I guess after the initial appointment with all of the interrogating questions, there is no need to actually enter an office.  Instead, they shuffled us right into the ultrasound room.  The baby looks good:  head & body size are normal, head is still up.  I enjoy seeing the baby as often as I do, but they never print a picture for us, so I can’t share a photo with you - sorry.  Anyhow, I feel really good.  My doctor was not pleased with my weight gain - she says I’m not gaining enough weight.  But the difference from last month to this month was just right according to the standards in the States.  I think she thought I had not gained enough weight initially, so she wanted me to gain more than normal to be on par with where I should be. But we’re a different case.  There are so many changes we’ve been through here:  more physical activity, healthier eating, & a change in life and pace altogether.  So I’m not worried about it.  I do feel very tired often, and I mentioned that to my doctor.  As a precaution, she had me get blood work done to make sure I’m not anemic.  But my tests came back fine - no anemia.  I really am praising the Lord for how healthy I feel; but even more so, for how calm I am about having a baby here!  I’m so confident that He is either going to make things happen smoothly or provide for any abnormalities that may occur.  Either way, He’s in control and I need not worry!!!  That is DEFINITELY not my normal mode.  Freak out, worry and run scared!  That’s my normal.  But I feel at ease.  Aside from being really eager to meet this new little baby, I feel calm.  Praise God!

Another praise:  our visas were approved.  We have an appointment in Lima this Wednesday to finalize our carnets and start the paperwork for Rachel’s.  We leave Tuesday and arrive home Thursday; you can be praying for us as we travel.  I do have to get a note from my doctor to allow me to fly - so you can also pray that that goes smoothly.  This will be (Lord willing) our last trip to Lima before the new baby is born.

We look forward to celebrating Easter with our brothers and sisters here in Arequipa upon our return from Lima.  This week beings Semana Santa (Holy Week) here and our school will be closed Thursday & Friday.  So we only have classes on Monday of this week.

I’m sorry it’s been so long since either of us has blogged.  We’ve been busy and a bit preoccupied.  But there is so much to share!

We had a great four days in Lima.  It really only took us one day to do our visa paperwork that could be done in the first trip; but since LAN airline typically has a special offer if you stay in Lima for four days (half off all ticket prices) we opted to stay four days to get the deal.  We stayed with another MTW missionary family, visited the big zoo in Lima, and met & spent some time with the MTW leader for Peru and his family and a few other missionary families in Lima.  We even got to go to a Chili’s and have burgers that gave us a savory taste of home!!!  ¡Que Bueno!

So we returned safely from Lima Sunday night and had a full week of school this past week upon our return.  Our classes switched around some - we have a new gramatica profesora.  She is GREAT!  She stretches us and really pushes us to learn more.  It’s so good for us.  Scott and I are in two different grammar classes now (his moves at a more rapid pace than mine does) - so we don’t have any classes together.  But that’s OK.  We have more to talk about afterward since we aren’t in class together.  Even though they’re different classes, we have the same new grammar teacher.  And she has said to me “I cannot tell if Scott is joking or being serious.”  Those of you who know Scott know he’s a jokester who enjoys being light-hearted.  So I encouraged our new teacher to joke back with him.  Today, she had him stand in the corner upon arriving to class one minute late.  It was for a game they were going to play in class - but Scott didn’t know that.  It was funny… She’s learning! 

I want to let you know about something that is in the works so you can be praying for it.  Along with about 5-6 other families, we are starting a little fellowship group on Sunday nights.  All we English speakers struggle with understanding church on Sunday mornings.  We continue to go in hopes that we will begin to understand.  It’s good to worship, even when we don’t know exactly what we’re saying.  And we love seeing and visiting with our Peruvian brothers and sisters.  But it’s difficult when you aren’t being fed by a sermon.  So, starting this Sunday, we’re going to have fellowship group in English.  We plan on having a small lesson/devotional with some worship and prayer.  Scott got a guitar this week and has really enjoyed playing!  Pray for us as we cast a vision for our new small group with the other missionary families this Sunday evening.

I’ll leave you with a photo of us from Lima.  This was at the Zoo - “El Parque de Las Leyendas”