Slightly Behind the Eight Ball

I've been sitting here tonight trying to write something about missions for another purpose, and it dawned on me that I didn't blog any of our experiences from the July trip. We had very limited internet access this time, and I decided to leave the bulky laptop at home and only take an iPad... to my forever aggravation. Without flash player, there was no uploading pictures to facebook or the blog anyway. So as soon as I actually wrap my mind around this other written piece, I'll just "flashback" the July trip. It was amazing, and the stories need to be told. God was evident in big ways.

Stay tuned, friends - better late than never!!

And We're Off - Take Two!

All things work together for good to those who serve the Lord!!

We make plans. God laughs. So yesterday, we drove from Richmond to Reagan National in D.C., at the crack of dawn, to head out on the mission project. When we got there, we were told that all the flights to and from Newark were cancelled. No flights through other hubs. No flights on other airlines. We had to face the reality that we were going to lose a day of the trip. We reload all the luggage...and yes, the plexiglass...and go back to Richmond. We were disappointed. I was a bit frantic. But God is good all the time. I am surrounded by wonderful people. Derek reassured me and prayed. That was the best thing. One of our missionaries, Mindy, got busy rearranging hotel reservations, transportation, translators...everything. I have a fabulous travel agent, Sherry, that started dealing with the airline to make sure that we were well represented. (can you say complimentary economy plus seats for a lot of the journey?) If you want to take a group somewhere, I'll give you her number!

Now here we are! All of the plexiglass was checked onto the flights with absolutely NO issues. The first leg to Chicago was wonderful, and we are looking forward to passing through Houston on our way to Lima. If you would, pray that our entry through Peruvian security goes well. Do you remember the game show where everyone yelled, "No Whammies"? Well, we're praying for "NO RED LIGHT"!!!!

Much love to all of you! We appreciate your interest and support!!
Mo

And We're Off!

After a three month hiatus, P3 rides again! In a few short hours, another team from Parkway will make their way to Lima, Peru for a nine day mission project. This time, my entire household is going (woot!) as well as a wonderful and talented man from the church, Jack. Our focus for this trip is to construct plexiglass and wire cases for the Carhua mummies that I have talked about before. We spent two hours tonight packing 150 pounds of plexiglass into homemade cardboard boxes - and one suitcase!! We also plan to visit our orphanage, host several evening fellowships, and visit with the schoolkids I have grown to love. Truly, God has plans for this week that we haven't even begun to imagine.

Prayer points:
1) Pray for safe and uneventful travel. The weather forecast for the east coast calls for thunderstorms. Ugh. Please pray for flights to go as planned.

2) Pray for the health and welfare of the team. All of the Sheppards have been there before, and ALL have suffered from the altitude in one way or another. This will all be brand new to Jack, so pray that his body adjusts well, also. We don't want anything to hinder the ministry, so feeling good is very important.

3) Pray for the plexiglass. Seriously. It could get lost, damaged, and (most scary...) held up by customs. It is oversize and overweight. Someone is going to question it. Pray that we will be able to get the needed materials into the country with the least amount of trouble possible.

4) Pray for the people. We will be encountering so many people this week - in the airports, in the stores, in the villages. Pray for their hearts to be open to hear about the greatness of our God. Pray for divine appointments - and that we don't overlook them as we try to "get it all done".

5) Pray for family back home. We are all leaving people behind for a week. Pray that our loved ones have an easy time caring for our families, our pets, their lives.

Jon said something interesting yesterday as we discussed our departure time (5:30 am... in 5 hours...). He said, "Well, our part will be quick since we won't have any goodbyes." That made perfect sense. Everyone I live with is going with me. I have already said goodbye to parents and friends. But then I started to think about how awesome those words are going to be someday. There is a day that is coming when we will all be together - all of us - with ALL of our loved ones that EVER lived. And there will be NO. GOODBYES.  EVER. Wow. And to top it all off... we'll be worshiping our Heavenly Father, talking with our Savior, walking with the apostles. Does it get any better than that???

I'll post a team picture as soon as we take one. =/  It's been a busy few weeks and pictures weren't a priority. If you feel led, shoot us a comment or a facebook message. It does our spirits good!

I'll end with a quote I love that sums up how I feel about going back to my second "home":

"The place God calls us to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." ~Frederick Beuchner

Benediciones!
Mo

Day 6 (part 2), Day 7 & Home!

After leaving the orphanage, we went to our Lima hotel. We were looking forward to a hot shower and air conditioning. I find that one of the hardest things about a mission project is reintegrating yourself into the life that you usually live. That doesn't mean that you aren't changed by your experience, but no matter how great the needs are, you still have to go home. It is really hard to leave an emotionally draining experience like those beautiful children, get cleaned up, and then eat a really nice dinner. On the other hand, this is our chance to treat our Peruvian teammates and say "THANK YOU" for all the work they do with  us.

We grabbed a quick HOT shower, changed into fresh clothes (my jeans could almost walk home... nasty), and went to dinner at LarcoMar - an open air mall overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We decided to eat at Mango's, which is a wonderful restaurant. We laughed, ate, decompressed, ate, teased each other, ate, celebrated my birthday (last week), ate... you get the picture. Just in case you don't - here are a few fun ones!

The next day was Sunday, and we were able to go to a church service with our missionary, Jim, some of our translator friends, and our FANTASTIC van driver Juan and his wife, Mali. The message was fantastic! Very encouraging! After service, we headed out for a day of adventure. We went to Rustica, my favorite Peruvian buffet restaurant, shopped at the Inka Market, Polvos Azules, and Minka. All are markets with many different stands and products. We finally grabbed dinner at Pardo's, which is Derek's favorite Peruvian place, and headed to the airport. Serious tears. It is so hard to leave, even when you know you are coming back soon.

God blessed us with easy flights, short layovers, and the best customs/security experience I have ever had. Most of us were able to sleep at least a little on the overnight flight, and all of our luggage made it home intact. I think it is safe to say that we were thrilled to be back with our families. I even came home to a surprise! My guys had been busy building one of my dreams for our yard - a fire pit. We still have some mulch to spread, some weeds to kill, and some decorating to do (think "flowers"), but how AWESOME was it to come in and swing in a hammock under the trees?!?!?! LOVE MY GUYS!!

I hope you will all keep reading as the blog continues. I will be leading a team back to Peru in July to do some construction and (hopefully) a VBS. We might do some Bible studies, too. I'm going to keep posting as new things come along. If you feel that God is speaking to you about joining us in His work in Peru, please contact me. I can tell you more - LOTS MORE - and get you started with the application process. Most important - I hope that you continue to PRAY. We go for a short time and plant seeds. It is the prayers of the believers that support the growth of those seeds.

Now... I'm going to bed!!! :)

Day 6 (part 1) - The Orphanage

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." ~John 14:18

"No los voy a dejar huérfanos; volveré a ustedes." ~Juan 14:18

We left Canta early Saturday morning headed back to Lima. It was really hard to leave the mountain. We went straight to an orphanage in Ventanilla - one of the outlying districts of Lima. This is one of the largest (if not THE largest) orphanage in a city of almost 10 million people. The facility houses around 850 children, ages 2 weeks to 18 years. The children live there, are schooled there, and work there helping to keep everything going. Most of them can't be adopted because their parents still live in the "slum" areas around them, can't afford to feed them, and know that the orphanage will. 

In the baby/toddler room, there are 42 children ages 2 weeks-2 years, and two ladies who care for them daily. Yes, I said TWO. Just stop for a minute and imagine that. The diaper changes, the feeding, the cleaning, the cooking, the entertaining... They couldn't even remember all the names of the children. And all this in a tiny building with no heat/air conditioning, no window screens/glass, no washing machine (yet), no dishwasher.  As soon as we walked in there, children came running with their arms out to be picked up. For the next three hours we held babies, played with toddlers, changed diapers, rocked sleepers, fed infants, cried, smiled, and LOVED ON those children. There aren't enough words to describe everything there. I'm just going to post some pictures. Even these don't do justice to what it is like there. Some pics are very sweet, and some are heartbreaking. We will be going back. Over and over and over again. Even if they can't be adopted, we will do everything in our power to improve the life they do have. Every. Single. One.

Every. Single. One.

Days 4 & 5

God has been moving on the mountain!!

On Thursday, the team went to both of our villages to continue telling stories for the Bible story cloth. We were welcomed in both places. We were able to give complete (old & new testaments) to all the secondary students in Carhua, and all of the two oldest grade levels in Lachaqui. 

In the evening, we went to Canta for another "drop-in" at the church. This time, we had printed invitations and passed them out through town. We had almost 60 people show up - adults and children!! We served hot beverages and cookies, and spent a lot of time just talking in groups about our families and lives. Relationship building. YEAH! Melissa, Eli, and Brian worked in the back room the entire night entertaining 30 children with coloring pages, games, and overall fun. Others on the team were able to share with the adults some of the reasons we travel to Peru, emphasizing that Jesus commanded His believers to share the gospel throughout the world. We opened the floor to questions about the Bible, and GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY!!  They wanted to know more about everything from how to dress for church to the end times. We talked together until almost 10:30 pm, and they have asked us to go back tonight to teach more. God is good - all the time!

Today (Friday), we went up the mountain for the last time. Bittersweet moments. In Carhua, we shared the stories of the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Return. We shared the same stories with the primary students in Lachaqui, but there was an issue with the secondary school, and we were not going to be allowed in to the classes to finish up. We immediately prayed for God's plan to be carried out, no matter what that would be... and after a fantastic conversation with the school director, we were allowed to pass out copies of all of our Bible stories in Spanish to EVERY child, give all secondary children their own story cloth, and give evangelical soccer balls to the school and students. God's plan is the best plan. Just to make a point of how awesome it all was, we had enough cloths for every child and teacher... down to the very last one. No leftovers. Somehow, like the loaves and fishes, we were able to meet every need. Hallelujah!!

After all of this, we did have a bit of relaxation. We stopped on the mountain and hiked over to a giant boulder that we all love. Then we drove over to one of the many waterfalls in the area. It was so beautiful!!  (even if Derek did try to push me over the edge...) We stopped at a small shop in Canta that is run by a believer and purchased some small souvenirs.  Now we're off to Canta for our last service/Bible study there.

Tomorrow, we head off the mountain and back to Lima very early. We will be going straight to an orphanage, where we will spend several hours working with the babies and toddlers. We will also be able to give them all the clothes that so many of you wonderful friends donated. It will be another long day, so I will update whenever I can!

KEEP PRAYING!! God is on the mountain! And God will be in Lima! Just like He is wherever YOU are right now!!

Day 2 & Day 3 - A Compilation

If you've never been on a mission project, let me fill you in on something - we stay busy!! :) We came up the mountain to Canta on Tuesday after grocery shopping in Lima. 

As soon as we got here, we headed to the Tuesday night service at the Canta church. Pastor Derek led a devotion and we hosted a "drop-in" with hot beverages and cookies. We had some lovely chicken noodle soup for dinner - at 10pm Lima time, and went to BED!

Wednesday morning (Day 3), we headed out to our villages on the mountain. The clouds were very thick, so it was really cold. The farther we drove, the thicker it got, to the point of no visibility whatsoever. The good news was that no one could actually see the thousand foot drops over the edge of the road!

In Carhua, we were welcomed into the primary school immediately. Many of the kids remembered Brian and me from prior trips - and it was so WONDERFUL to see them again. I had the task of taking pictures of and measuring three pre-Inca mummies that are to be in a museum room. The people of the village use these mummies in idol worship, so we have been asked to help build protective cases for them in July. They are 4,500 years old and are fascinating! 

While I was off with the ancestors, the rest of the team shared seven Bible stories with the primary students. They were very attentive and loved the coloring pages that went along with the stories. They really got a kick out of Derek and Eli acting out Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac. You can also see one of our wonderful translators, Eva, helping the kids understand.

At lunch time we headed up the mountain to Lachaqui. They gathered ALL of the children (about 100) in the auditorium for us. We were able to share the stories there, also. Here you can see some of the kids, our other fabulous translator, Carmen, and Melissa.

The clouds were so thick that we decided to head down the mountain as soon as we were finished. It was quite possibly the most stressful thing I have ever experienced. The visibility was no more than five feet in front of the car, and believe me when I say... you DON'T want to be wrong about where the road is. Our evening consisted of dinner, a team meeting, and some very precious skype time with our families.

Tomorrow we do it all again!! I'll blog when I can! Keep praying!!! :)

Day One - Getting Here

The team met at Parkway on Monday (April 9) to double check our luggage weight and most importantly, to pray. While there, we got a better team picture:

God blessed us with a very easy day of travel. All of our flights were on time, all of our seats were together, and other than the opportunity to watch a fantastic lightning storm below us somewhere over Ecuador, everything was smooth and uneventful. We checked into our hotel in Lima around 1:30 a.m. local time, so 2:30 a.m. to our bodies. Needless to say, we were zonked out, so straight to bed we went!  I happen to think that we looked pretty peppy on the bus ride from the airport, though!

                                                             Well - maybe not.... :)

Today we will go to the grocery store for supplies (WONG!!) and then head up the mountain to Canta. Pray for traveling mercies - not everyone on the trip loves curvy roads and thousand foot drop-offs. Keep praying for health - a couple of us are suffering from remnants of Virginia allergies, and I have had a sore throat/low grade fever since we left. We don't want these things to get in the way of reaching others, so pray that it all clears up.

The rest of our day is pretty flexible. We have hopes that the baptism we were told about will take place this afternoon. Pray for those new believers - that we might be an encouragement to them in some way while we are here!

Vamos a ir a la montaña!!! (Let's go up the mountain!!)

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

P3 leaves in the morning!!! Here is our team photo.  Yeah, I look awkward. It was FREEZING - and we weren't planning a team photo, so...yeah. Anyway! As the six of us travel, we ask for your prayers. Specific prayer points:

1) Pray for safe travel: flights, van rides up and down the mountain, etc.

2) Pray for the health of the team. We are very lucky to not encounter diseases like typhoid or yellow fever, but we can be affected by altitude, parasites, and motion sickness. Please pray that we stay strong and healthy so that we can reach as many people as possible.

3) Pray for our families: We have all left loved ones behind in the states. Please pray for them as they hold down the fort at home.

4) Pray for the mission: Please pray for the people we will be coming in contact with. Pray that God will prepare the way before us, and that we will be willing to LISTEN and WATCH for the opportunities that He provides.

Thank you so much for your love and support! I can assure you that a team can feel your prayers while on the field. 

More to come tomorrow as we take some "here we go" pics!!

The Countdown Is ON!

We are five days out from departure and everything is falling into place. Thank You, Lord! I am one of those people... those OCD people... that has to plan the heck out of everything. That works when I am planning travel, lodging, meals, etc., but not so much when on the mission field. It is amazing how many times God has to remind me that all I REALLY need to do is show up. Our days will be long and full - and by the time we come home, we will have worked in an orphanage, performed a baptism, taught Bible stories to children, measured for protective cases for mummies, fellowshipped with citizens of three villages, and been a tiny part of God's work in this world.

So just to get you as excited as we are, here are some photos from past trips:

Precious Orphans at the Orphanage

The Andes - that white speck is a 15 passenger van.... yeah!

An Inca (or possibly pre-Inca) mummy in Carhua.

Quechua woman reading the plan of salvation

So, pray for us and continue to check back often to see and hear what is going on! 

Benediciones!

Mo

First Post!!

I started this blog to follow my travels through Peru - both on mission projects and on personal trips. I will try to update often while out of the USA. Our next trip will be April 9-16, 2012 - so stay tuned! "Followers" welcome!! :)