Winding down

oh why can't Peru be closer to home?

"Have I not commanded you? Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you may go." Joshua 1:9

Do I really have to say goodbye? I am suddenly realizing that this may be one of the hardest things I have ever done. As coming home was 2 months away, images of all the comforts of home flooded my mind; my favorite restaurants, seeing family and friends, and blending into my own culture all sounded so appealing. But as my departure date is less than 2 weeks away, I realize that my favorite foods have been replaced with new dishes, and that in order to greet loved ones at home, I will have to say goodbye to loved ones here.





"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Ha. I came to Peru with plans to spend the majority of time in Lima; as of today I have only seen the Lima airport, as I ended up staying in Cusco for my entire term. I was unsure of what I would do on the field, but I just knew I didn't want to work with young children since I had no experience or real interest in that...and now everything I have poured myself into for the past 8 months revolves around children, and I cannot imagine what it will be like to say goodbye to them so soon. God called me here to do things I never thought I would do, much less enjoy, and I am so thankful for the time I have had here.


Please pray for me as I prepare to come home and transition back into life in the States. The changes in daily life will vary from simply leaving behind a mountain climate in the height of winter, and meeting the Texas heat head on, to leaving the presence of constant poverty and meeting a life more luxurious than my friends here can even imagine. Please pray that I will appreciate my own culture and the life God has given me, without feeling guilty or idealizing poverty, and that the lessons I have learned here will remain with me throughout my life. I want to remember these people and to be faithful in praying for and encouraging them for many years to come.

Thank you all so much for your encouragment and support over the past 8 months. It is such a privilege to have been here, and I thank you for being willing to be used by God as senders and encouragers in so many ways throughout this entire process. I look forward to sharing more stories and pictures from my time here with all of you in person.



Also...some long-overdue updates:




We recently went to the circus here in Cusco with some teenagers who help me out with the children's program and it was an absolute blast. We laughed a ton and just had a great time. It wasn't exactly Ringling Bros., but we saw some great stuff.



A few weekends ago, Susanna and I went on a trip with some friends from church to southern Peru to the city of Puno on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. It was a great time. The highlight was definitley the floating Uros islands, which are constructed of reeds and completely floating on the surface of the lake! These islands have been around since pre-Inca times and were the most incredible thing I have ever seen!

we recently went to the salt mines at Moray. 

some of the workers. 

pools 

doesn't look like salt does it? 

harvesting the salt. 

the entire place (thousands of pools) is fed by this little spring! 

Dad and me with some of the kids. 

Mom helping Yasmin make her craft. 

Dad and Efrain...they bought some of his artwork. 

Touring one of Cusco's 24 colonial era churches. 

Me and Dad downtown. 

Our Paseo - Friday, April 28, 2006

***You can read this first, but to look at the pictures, start from the bottom and go up.

A paseo is just a field trip. So last Friday, we brought 15 kids down from Pallpanccay into Cusco for the afternoon. We started out at our house, playing in the backyard and eating gelatin. After a bit, we walked over to a park in my neighborhood and played for about an hour. And to finish out the evening, we went to a local bakery and had cake for Daniel's recent birthday. Pallpanccay is a ways out from Cusco proper, so these kids have a very rural life and don't do a lot of stuff like this, so it was a big hit, and we definitley attracted a lot of attention! We had a great time.

Otherwise, things are going well. Susanna's brother, Will, and his friend, Worth, just visited from Memphis, TN and built a climbing wall out in Pallpanccay and it looks great. The kids can climb all up and around it and they love it. It was fun having visitors too. My parents get here on Thursday and I am really looking forward to spending a week with them.

Some of you may have heard that I will be home a few weeks early, July 19th. Nothing is wrong - everything is still great, but most of our team will be gone this summer, including Susanna, so now we will get to fly home together. Also, the new Peruvian President will take office on July 28th, and our team leader, Keith, recommended leaving before a big change like that if possible, especially with the two candidates in the run-off being a little volatile. So now I will be home on my birthday for the first time in 9 years!!!

Please pray for me as I try to make some plans for what's next when I get home, not to focus on the future, but to finish strong here in Cusco. And please pray that God will lead me clearly to the next thing he has for me and that I won't fret over it. Oh, and also that I won't be overcome with homesickness when my parents leave!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your continued prayers and support. And hearing from people who read this is sooo encouraging!

He was so exhausted by the time it was over. It took 45 minutes to get cabs home and it was dark, and the kids were so ready to get home because they show Bible movies in the Pallpanccay church on friday nights! 

We sort of took over the place...it was great. 

To end out the night, we went to a bakery to have cake and celebrate Daniel's birthday (he turned 5 the previous Sunday).  

Americo - I love him.  

Raul. 

Susan, Aleja, and Margot. 

I think they had fun.  

Next, we went to a park a few streets over from my house. (Americo brought Garfield everywhere that day.) 

still cute. 

Susana. 

enjoying the gelatin. 

At the house, we served gelatin with leche batida (sweet, blended milk, like thin whipped cream) out of the kitchen window like a snowcone stand!