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! 

We rode down from Pallpanccay in the Powlison's truck and then got into two taxis to head to my house.