Last night, we went out to Pizza with some friends from church. The kids all help me with my children's activities twice a week in Palpanccay, so I wanted to thank them for all their help. They are (left to right) Mery, Billy, Yhonathan, Miguel, Susanna, me, and Meche.

Perspective on Peru

Here are a few pictures to give you a bit of an idea of some things you might encounter here in Peru. The cost of living is very low and the culture is very distinct, which makes the quality of life high!

Enjoy.

Here is a Quechua woman with her baby on her back. They carry the babies in these colorful 'mantas' from infancy, sometimes up until they are 2 or 3 years old. (The sweater on her head is not typical, but it's not really surprising either!)

These fresh flowers were 6 soles...that's about 2 dollars or less! And these are expensive because they're Calla lillies. 

These carts are everywhere. You can buy bottled water, candy, gum, snacks, etc. on them, all for one Nuevo Sol (the current exchange rate is 3.35 soles/dollar!) or less. Some of the people at our church and other friends have carts like this where they make their living.

Sandra...so happy! 

Americo. 

Ruthie 

April 2006

Hi and Happy Easter!

I have lots of fun pictures to add today. Below are a few from just hanging out with the kids in Palpanccay, playing with some of the great stuff that my friend, Lauren, sent from Japan! We have had a great time putting it all to use.

There are also a few from Promesa, the bilingual Christian school I have been helping out at. I work mostly with the 4 year old class and it is pretty crazy, but we are all learning a lot. The kids are really cute, too, so that definitley helps.

And I will be putting up a few pictures from yesterday when we colored Easter eggs in Palpanccay. It was really fun and the mess was minimal compared to what I had feared!

Things continue to be really busy but great. Actually we have Thursday and Friday off this week for Easter, so that is really nice. Jeremy and Christina visited during the last week of March and that was wonderful. It was hard to say goodbye, but well worth having them here! I showed them around Cusco and some other neat spots, and it was great just getting to hang out with them.

Our youth club is continuing strong and all the youth are really busy now that their school year is in full swing. We are about to get a new roommate and are excited for her arrival as well. The weather is turning cooler, so we are looking into buying some space heaters!

Please pray for our team as it is a highly transient time of year for many of them. And pray that the youth club would continue to push a little deeper. You can pray for me, that I will delight in the Lord and will press into all of the things He has me doing here, and also that He will be preparing me, and my path, as I come home in a few months. Pray that I won't be anxious about leaving or be focused on what comes next, but that I will be used by Him here up until the day I leave.

Thanks so much for your faithfulness in prayer and support and for the encouraging emails I so often receive. Thank you for even looking at these updates!

This is Miranda. She is one of the youngest students in our 4 year old class, as she is still 3. It's taken a while for her to get accustomed to the classroom but now she is a lot of fun. Isn't she cute???

Milagros, Frana, and Gabriel swinging at recreo. 

me in the chaos! 

Alisson. 

Alex coloring. 

Ruth again. 

Americo and Daniel. 

Mariela catching 

Ruthie playing with the fun new stuff than Lauren sent from Japan! 

Out in the Cusco plaza after dinner. 

Jeremy with Ellie, the Powlison's little girl. 

Me and Jeremy at Macchu Picchu. 

This puppy was in the back of our taxi on the way to Ollantaytambo!  

The three of us in the tiny motorcycle taxi in Ollantaytambo. 

Jeremy and me in Ollantaytambo, where we caught the train to Aguas Calientes (Macchu Picchu).