Living the Dream

This blog title is brought to you by the rest of my team and was inspired by a particular bathroom facility in Carhua. Pictures to come when back in the states.

Sorry it's taken so long to post. Yesterday (Saturday) was a very busy day. We were afraid that we wouldn't have any kids at VBS since it was the weekend. When we pulled into Carhua, there were about eight kids waiting for us and more heading in. We were greeted with shouts and hugs. Rhonda shared the story of the woman at the well, we made origami cups with Bible verse water droplets, and played lots of soccer and frisbee. As we went to Lachaqui, we had lunch at the big rock. Those of you who have been with me know that it is not just 'a' big rock... but it is "THE" big rock. While we were taking pictures, Stephanie twisted her ankle a bit. It swelled a little, but didn't bruise. We elevated and wrapped it, iced it as best we could, and it is looking better all the time. She is doing great, but prayers would be appreciated. We had quite a few children come out in Lachaqui as well, and they all enjoyed our activities. Dinner was fun - question of the day was "what would your superpower be and why?" We spent the rest of the evening and into the late hours preparing for our last day, laughing, telling stories, laughing...well, you get the point. By the time we went to our rooms, I was far too sleepy to blog.

Today (Sunday) was our last day in the villages. It is a bittersweet experience. We had another crowd in Carhua, as well as several adults. This was perfect because John and Bethany shared the gospel. There were some very good questions asked and I hope a LOT of seeds planted. Rhonda and I were able to speak with Susanna, an elderly lady that I have prayed with before. Please pray for her, as she fell and broke her arm four months ago and still needs surgery. We also distributed reading glasses and sunglasses to the adults of Carhua today. We couldn't have done it without our driver and friend, Emilio! He basically took over the whole program and I just delivered the right strength of lenses. It was awesome! I need to say a BIG THANK YOU to EVERYONE who donated glasses and school supplies to the White Christmas Offering. You cannot even imagine the difference you made in the lives of both the children and adults on this mountain.

Lunch by the river was followed by our last trip to Lachaqui. Again, we had a large number of children and quite a few adults. The gospel was shared and seeds were planted. Rhonda and I spent some time with Jaimito, who is part of the family we hoped to Bible study with. We made plans to meet with them on our next trip and pray for them until then. Leaving is always difficult and today was no different. Some of our kids cried. Some of us cried. It was hard. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that God is working on this mountain. It is my heart's desire that someday an adult from this area will look back and remember that some crazy gringos came and helped them learn about the love, grace, and forgiveness of God.

Two dinner questions tonight: 1) What was your favorite part of the mission?  and 2) a rousing game of "two truths and a lie".  We know each other VERY well now!! We also just finished up a team game of South American Yahtzee. It isn't different than the regular, but Michelle has played on almost every other continent. Their family traditions are a bit weird, and now I can say that I have done ballet leaps around a Andes hostel. We are heading to bed now. We go to Lima tomorrow and get ready for the long trip home. Keep praying, friends! We're not back yet! There are tons of people we can still minister to before we see you again!

Prayer points: Stephanie's ankle to continue to feel better, safe travels to and around Lima, and opportunities to love on people as we go.

No Conozco..... Nadie

Translation: I don't know... Anyone.

Today's fellowship game was an old one. Name three people that you would love to have a conversation with and what would you talk to them about. The first rule was that no one could actually say "Jesus" because it was our first answer and truly our real answer. We had a wide range of interesting answers - some lofty and some shallow - and unfortunately, Bethany isn't familiar with most of them. We are teasing her a lot and Emilio, our driver, is leading the pack. He kept asking her if she knew the people listed (like Princess Di, Elizabeth Taylor, Mother Teresa, Osama Bin Laden and Joe Biden) and her answer was "No Conozco". :) We are having a great time fellowshipping together! Tomorrow's question - what would your superpower be and why would you use it?

This was another wonderful day. I am telling you that we can tell when people are praying for us! We had even more children at both schools today. They loved the story Stephanie told about Jonah and the whale - focused on obedience to God. The others acted it out and it was fantastic! They made paper whales with Jonah getting swallowed, and the Carhua kids even made a cool boat. We played "whale tag", which is a LOT like freeze tag but whales chasing a bunch of Jonahs is more fun.  We got to see our friend, Agosto, in Carhua, too.  He opened the museum room so that the team could see the mummies. I was slightly disappointed to see that our cases did not stop the ancestor worship. They have just started leaving a bowl of coca leaves and burned cigarettes in front of the cases. At least they aren't damaging the actual ancestors anymore.

We had one disappointment, but it wasn't a huge surprise. We had been asked by Zoraida to come and do a Bible study today, but when we showed up, the store was padlocked and we learned that the family had gone on a trip. Oh well. :( We will try again later!!

After another good dinner (and a game), we have prepared our stories and activities for tomorrow. We're currently sitting around working knots out of shoulder muscles and talking about, basically, everything. This is what I often miss when we get back home - the fellowship!

Prayer points for tomorrow: Continued good health, lots of kids to come out on a Saturday instead of going to the field, safe travels, and the possibility of Bible study again.

Today Was NOT "Ratchet"

I am traveling with teenagers. Sigh... there was a LOT of use of the words "sketch", "totes", "adorbs", and "ratchet". The blog post title was a challenge from the team. They didn't believe I would do it. Wrong. On with the real post -

Today was AWESOME! God blessed us so immensely. Our first stop was in Carhua, and to be honest, we didn't expect much. This is typically a holiday from school and there aren't many children there. We drove in and school was open!! OPEN! The teachers welcomed us in, allowed us to teach our entire lesson on the Prodigal Son, do the craft, and play some games. There were 15 kids. Members of the team had the chance to talk with the PE teacher and discover that she attends a Baptist church in Lima. I also had the chance to chat with one of the secondary teachers about the differences between our church and the Catholic church. The kiddos are very excited that we're coming back the next few days!

After a picnic lunch by the river, we headed to Lachaqui. We headed straight to our friend Dulia's class. I got a bit "misty" when I walked in and a bunch of kids yelled "CANDI!!!" and ran for hugs. Life is good. She invited us to come teach our lesson a bit later in the afternoon so we could have more kids than just her class. Since we had some time on our hands, we went into the plaza to find some of the families Parkway has worked with before. First, we visited with a family that our mid-term team invested heavily in - Zoraida, Jaimito, and Carlos. Today we were able to deliver some devotional and study materials they had wanted, as well as some pictures that Ben took. They were so tickled with the photos of their birthday celebrations! In a gesture of thanks, they gave us a 3 liter bottle of Inka Cola. :) The best news of all is that they have been continuing their Bible study three nights a week!!! We have been invited to join them tomorrow night as they continue through the book of John. We also visited with Elsa, who runs a restaurant two doors down. She is cooking chicken soup for our lunch tomorrow, so we will get to spend some more time with her. Our time with the Lachaqui kids was good as well, and our trip down the mountain was smooth and full of laughter.

Speaking of laughter, our team is a RIOT! I have laughed more today than I have in a long time. God is also blessing us with a fellowship that is out of this world. We have flowed seamlessly from conversations about the grace of the Lord to playing a game about death row - what would our crime be and what would our last meal be. Seriously, crazy stuff happening south of the equator.

Please keep praying for us! It makes such a difference. Specific prayer points include our health (we have had small amounts of headaches, etc.), the openness of the children to our stories tomorrow, and for God to move mightily in the Bible study tomorrow night.

Until the next update...I hope your day was not at all sketch and that your tomorrow is totes fab. (pray for me - I threatened that my death row crime was beating a slang-using teen to death with a proper English dictionary!)

On the Mountain Again!

**I promise to come back and add pictures later. I'm having connectivity issues and pictures take too much broadband.

We had a fantastic day of travel, even though one plane was delayed due to a thunderstorm. We were kind of bummed at first that our seats were all spread out on both flights, but God had plans. As always. We had many opportunities to talk with people around us - about life, ourselves, our church, our beliefs, our Jesus. A very tired crew rolled into the hotel in Lima and got some sleep. :)

Today was the day to travel up the mountain to our base village, Canta. I love this day so much! The first thing that happens is a reunion. I get to see my Peruvian sister, Eva (our translator), and usually at least one of our missionaries. Today it was Brett AND David. Doubly blessed. I also get the fun of introducing these precious people to my teammates. We get to go to the Peruvian grocery store. This is a double edged sword - I love to be surrounded by Peruvian food but herding a large group of people through a store is a little crazy!! We had lunch at a place called Norky's, which specializes in rotisserie chicken and fries. I skipped that and had a sampler plate, which led to some of our team trying some new things. For instance, they tried fried yucca with cheese, anticuchos (skewered beef heart), and mollejita (chicken stomach). Don't judge. Yummy comes in many forms!

The team had a smooth trip up the mountain. The road work we've complained about for a couple of years is almost complete!! HALLELUJAH!! We've checked into our hotel, walked to our friend Mercedes' store, and had a warm dinner. Nothing wild - soup and stir fry! We're all planned out and ready for ministry tomorrow. Pray for us HARD tonight and tomorrow. This is when people start to feel the effects of the altitude and we need everyone to be healthy. We also ask for prayers for the villages. Pray that there will actually be children to teach for our VBS and that our friends in Lachaqui will be excited to have Bible study together. Thank you to all of our prayer warriors out there! We need you so much!

If you need to communicate with any of us, I have my laptop at night, so you can always leave a comment here, send an email, or comment/message on Facebook. I'll update as often as possible!!

A Year Passes

I haven't blogged at all since last August. I believe I stopped mid-trip, actually. I ask forgiveness. Lots has happened since then and I will attempt to fill you in on some of it. Our trip last August had some real issues near the end, and while dealing with it, I wasn't sure how to (or even IF to) address it to the blogging world. Long story short - one of our dearest Peruvian team members began to deal with some health issues that necessitated immediate attention and some changing of plans. This was hard and scary, and through the joint effort of my awesome adult team members, we managed to shelter our young ladies from the situation. Then our plane was delayed from leaving Lima for 32 hours. Yep - THIRTY-TWO hours. There were blessings throughout the situation though. We were able to share the love of Jesus with lots of people that we met during our extended stay!

In March of 2014, Parkway sent three of our young men to live in Lachaqui for three months. We even had a short term mens team join them in April. There are many stories to tell from this experience, but that's for another time.

So here we are today. Six of us will be leaving in the morning for Peru again. Please pray for us! Pray that we will find fruit from the seeds of prior trips. Pray that we will have sustained health and strength - physical, mental, and spiritual. Pray that the hearts of the people we encounter will be open. Pray for safe travels both to and in Peru.

Thank you, friends, for being our prayer warriors for YEARS and YEARS and YEARS! We love you. I LOVE YOU!!

Tuesday - Mummies, Stoves, & Cannons

**UPDATED WITH PICS!!

Tuesday was a wonderful day. We headed up the mountain with no tire troubles! In Carhua, we had several children waiting for us when we arrived. They seem to be excited about the lessons. Mary and Emma did a great job teaching about Abraham and Isaac... and Brian and Devon made lovely actors for the story! The woman who maintains the school was speaking with Juan and I, and as she left for the fields, she gave me the keys to the school building so we can teach, play, and have access to the bathrooms there. This may seem small to you, but here, the idea that I am carrying the keys to both the community center and the school is HUGE. We have spent three years trying to build a relationship of trust here. This culture isn't "innocent until proven guilty", but instead they distrust everyone until you earn their respect. What a blessing!! With the keys, I was able to take the team into the room that stores the mummies and other historical artifacts. I don't know why, but I love this room. Others might think it macabre, but I see history and ancestors (not to be worshipped - but respected) and lost skills with the pottery, etc. I guess it's why I always wanted to be an archeologist. Anyway, it was cool.

Jim Gilstrap joined us in Carhua and will be with us for the rest of the trip. His presence is always a blessing!! He brought a three-burner gas stove with him that Parkway had purchased for the school in Lachaqui. While the girls taught their lesson, Carmen and I went on a search to find someone who could open the building so we could deliver the stove. We walked up the mountain to homes I never even knew were there!! With the help of several villagers, we found a gentleman that could open the school. Everyone who was out in the plaza saw the stove being delivered, and were very grateful. I don't say this to suggest that we did a good thing... but given the lack of engagement we have experienced here, this was good for building trust again.

**note - I'm posting this on Wednesday, so we've already slept. Here in Peru, the Incas worshipped the Inca god. Then each village had a god, each clan had a god, each family had a god, and each individual had a god. Sounds confusing to me... Anyway, when the Spanish came to conquer, they basically held guns up and said, "Become Catholic or die." They converted. Kind of. Here in Canta, the village god was pleased with noise. Now, they say that the Catholic saint they identify with is pleased with noise as well. (see how well that conversion worked??) Imagine being sound asleep and then someone shoots off a cannon in your backyard. That really gets the heart pumping.  Then the local marching band comes through and parades your neighborhood for several hours while you enjoy a fireworks show. Yeah. That was last night beginning around 4:00am. The team is tired, but laughing about it. At least the band was good!

Monday - Prayers, Praises, & Waterfalls

So the flat tire saga continues! We got up this morning to a DIFFERENT flat tire, plus the one they patched yesterday as a spare was flat again. We prayed…and headed to the tire shop. The bad news is that we had a HUGE bolt of some sort in the tire. The good news is that both tires got a new patch and they are just fine. We were a little late to Carhua, but we still had six kids show up for VBS. Devon did a great job teaching about Adam & Eve and how the devil tries to get us to stop focusing on God. We headed up to Lachaqui for the afternoon with prayers that we would have at least a few kids show up. In the end, we had four… but you know what the Bible tells us - wherever two or more are gathered in His name!!! Praises for answered prayers!! Lots of them! Tires! Kids! Health!

We had planned to stay in Lachaqui for an adult Bible study at night. Things didn't quite work out with that. We haven't been able to find any adult leaders who could give us access to a room. One of our persons of peace, Elizabeth, said that she had talked to many in the village, but they weren't interested in coming to anything we hosted unless we were bringing gifts. She wasn't even going to be able to come. In the end, we prayed and decided to come back down the mountain before it got dark. This is okay. God is still working here and our plans are not His plans.

This change in schedule gave us an hour or so of open time, so we drove past Canta a short distance and hiked over to what I call the 'little' waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful, as usual. In the spring, we can't get nearly as close to it because it is about triple in size to the picture here. In fact, there isn't a picture that can do it justice. My camera can't really capture the height of the rocks or the strength of the water. This was a great time of fellowship for the team.

Going forward, we have two more days of VBS in each village. We are planning to host an adult Bible study on Tuesday night for Carhua - and we already have a room, so maybe we will also have some people! We are headed to a new village, San Buenaventura, on Wednesday evening for a service in their new structure that a different mission team built a few weeks ago. Thursday takes us back down the mountain into Lima, and back to the orphanage for another afternoon of loving on precious babies.

Prayer points: 

• That the hearts of the people will be open to hear the gospel
• That there will be no more problems with transportation
• That the team stays healthy and strong (a few have had some altitude headaches, nausea, etc.)
• That we always, in every decision and action and word, give God the glory

Thank you to everyone who reads this! Your love and support means more than you know when we are up here. Your "likes", comments, and shares bouy our spirits when we drag our tired selves into dinner each night and check into our accounts. Love to all!!

Sunday - Kids, Tires, & Cuy

This one is going to be quick. We are up on Monday and getting prepared to head up the mountain. 

Yesterday was definitely interesting! When we arrived in Carhua, the president of the village was sitting in the plaza waiting for us. He not only allowed us to use the community center for our VBS... he gave us the key for the week!! This is a major thing as far as trust and relationships. We had 12-14 kids (we kind of lost count), a few youth, and a couple of adults. We told the story of creation, played games, and did a craft! 

Lachaqui was a bit different. We were expecting fewer people there because Sunday is typically a day for the fields. Basically, no one showed up. It's okay. We are fluid... we go with the flow. When we arrived in the plaza, we realized that we had a flat tire. The roads here are brutal! New experience - changing a tire at 12,500 feet! It was Devon's 22nd birthday - this will be one he WON'T forget!!

 At dinner, Mary was a brave soul and ordered cuy. For those of you who don't know, this is guinea pig. It is a delicacy here. They are raised only for food - not pets. Many of us have had this in the past, and she cleaned it up! It basically tastes like greasy dark meat chicken. And yes - it is served whole... head, feet, teeth, etc. :)  Welcome to Peru!

We attended the local church service in Canta with Pastor Rafael and Sister Mercedes. Even with the language barrier, it was fantastic! Pastor made the point that some day we will all be together in heaven speaking the same language, just as we all worship the same God right now! Good stuff!!

Pray for people to come today. Pray for NO MORE FLAT TIRES!! Pray for health and strength as we begin to tire from our schedule.

Love to all!!

Saturday - Visits, Donkeys, & Shopping

To all who are praying - THANK YOU!! This trip is so different than the last one! Today we went up to our two villages and prayer walked. As we went, we spoke to everyone we met, inviting them to our VBS and an adult Bible study. We met so many wonderful people and had the opportunity to pray with them.  There were people who we recognized (and who recognized us!) and there were new faces. We met a lovely lady who is eighty-eight years young and still full of fire. We also got to pray with Señora Susanna about her health and the health of her sister, Sylvia. Her picture is below. Please keep this family in your prayers. 

We had some adventures this afternoon as well. We had lunch at a favorite landmark of ours… we call it the "big rock".   

The young ladies on our team had a new experience, also. They got to ride a donkey! :)

After we returned to Canta, we walked a few blocks to the shop of a sister in Christ, Mercedes. We worked out some details regarding church services this week, as well as shopped 'til we dropped. No pictures - don't want to ruin any gift surprises. I even have an appointment with her tomorrow afternoon to learn a new crochet technique. EXCITED!!

Well, dinner is headed to the table! Keep praying! Specifically, lift up the residents of our villages, Lachaqui & Carhua - that they will come to the various activities we are providing and that their hearts will be open to hearing the Gospel.

Friday - Reunions, Babies, & Detours

If you can stick with me through this one, I'll break today's update into three distinct categories!

Reunions: This morning, we got to meet up with two of the missionaries that we work with here, Jenn Pennington and Jim Gilstrap. The awesome thing about these trips is working with them and the worst part is really never having enough time to spend with them. We also increased our crew by three "regulars"- Juan, Carmen, and Eva. Carmen, Eva, and I have a history of sleeping little and talking/giggling much on these trips. The three musketeers ride again!!

Jenn P. & Me

EVA!!

Babies: After a quick trip to the grocery store for supplies, we drove out to Ventanilla to spend the afternoon with the babies at Sagrada Familia orphanage. If this is your first time hearing about it, you can learn more here. We got there just in time to help feed them lunch and then play a little before nap time. I've included a few pictures. The little ones just flocked to our youngest team members - as you can see!

Rubi!!

And here is my RUBI!! Look at how big and healthy and beautiful she is!! She smiled and giggled and played with me. Then she tore my heart up in a whole new way. More than once, as she tried to get my attention, she called me "Mami". Oh. My. Goodness. Now I realize that this is probably what they say to all adult women when seeking care, but when you have loved on and dreamed about and prayed for and DESIRED to be a particular child's mommy for two years… and then you hear the word from their mouth directed toward YOU. Took my breath away. We are going back on Thursday to love on them some more.

Detours: (for those of you still reading)


After leaving the orphanage, and a brief stop for lunch at our finalbathroom/gas station, we headed up the mountain to Canta. Did I mention that they are doing construction on the road to Canta? Let me tell you about it. What is normally a bumpy 3-4 hour drive is now a bone-jarring 5-6 hour ride. Unlike the States, where we tear up and repair one patch at a time, here they tear up the entire length of the road and repair a patch here and a patch there. Smooth pavement - dirt and rocks - packed dirt - smart car sized potholes. Then there are the detours. These forays include long stretches on what was always a donkey path…until now. Switchback curves with no visibility. Sheer drop-offs. Yeah… Advil is my friend. This is only a little problem, so I'm not really complaining. Well, a little… but it's just because the bumpiness is one of the few things that wears on my nerves. Ask prior team members. They know me! (Jon, Brian, Tucker, Teresa, Derek) When (if) it ever gets finished, it is going to become a VERY smooth and beautiful 2-3 hour drive, with TWO WHOLE LANES, drainage, and retaining walls.

Dinner at the new hotel tonight and then some much needed sleep. Tomorrow will begin our trek to the top of the mountain, as prepare to hold VBS in two villages. Pray for safe travels, health of our team members in this altitude, and relationships to be built with the villagers.

Thursday - Planes, Vans, & Old Friends

The team made it safely to Lima on Thursday. Leaving was hectic and fun and blessed. Packing and repacking bags at the church allowed us to not only fit in the mission supplies that we really NEEDED to bring, but also everything extra that I really WANTED to bring. Family and friends gathered around us to pray for safety, wisdom, and that God's plan would be executed. (Thanks to ALL of you who prayed no matter where you were!) Flights were on time, smooth, and uneventful, and all of the luggage showed up undamaged. God showed Himself in the neatest way in the Lima airport! We had cleared the first checkpoint (sorry - I always get customs and immigration mixed up!) and were headed over to baggage claim when a voice said, "BRIAN!!" Lo and behold, it was a friend of ours, Miguel, who served as a translator on the very first IWC trip to Peru. We hadn't seen him since, but he recognized Brian! He is working nights at the airport and was just getting off work. As he chatted with us about Brian's son, Kevin, (aka Bunky) and our current mission project, he led us through the baggage scan area to a short, quick line. What a blessing! Not much to tell about the rest of that day - we hit the hotel and crashed!!

Some Days Are Harder Than Others

So I dropped the ball again on blogging from the mountain. And from home...

This last trip was very challenging. I alluded to some of our experiences with spiritual warfare in my last post, and it continued for the rest of the time we were there. The new director of the secondary school worked against us each day, not even allowing us access to the children the last day we were there. The van continued to have battery problems, some of the team was hit with stomach issues - even the orphanage was strange, as the baby/toddler room was mostly empty while the kids were at "preschool". My precious Rubi wouldn't let anyone touch her...but BOY does she have a diva attitude. She would still fit into my family perfectly!! :)

When I returned home, everyone wanted to know how the trip went. My report wasn't like the other Parkway trips that week (we had folks in four locations total) and I didn't want to be "debbie downer". As I heard everyone else talk about the groups they had reached, the declarations of salvation, the baptisms, the devil continued to attack through depression and lack of confidence in what we were doing. I couldn't bring myself to write about it here either. Then I prayed. And prayed. And prayed. God led me to see that not sharing the truth of the mission field - that not every trip has the visible, immediate success - that sometimes it is HARD and SLOW and SAD - not sharing that is also what satan was after. So I started talking about the real deal. As I talked about the obstacles and the hardships, I also begged for prayer warriors. I was reminded of Hebrews 11 - all those heroes of the faith that didn't live to see the fruits of their labor. God strengthened my resolve to just KEEP GOING BACK. Again. Again. Again. If they welcome us - fantastic. If not - we'll keep praying and going and praying and going... well, you get it.

Speaking of going back... the next P3 team will be leaving on Thursday, August 8 for ten days on the mountain. We will be hosting VBS for the students of both villages during the day, and holding simple church in a different village each night. Well, that's the plan anyway - God will show us what to do! We're heading back to the orphanage to love on some babies. We shall see if my Rubi lets me get near her this time!!

I ask that you pray for our team, our in-country staff, the Peruvians we will encounter and that the devil will have no foothold in our trip this time. Thank you, prayer warriors, from the bottom of our hearts! I'll try my best to do better at keeping the blog updated. We're at a new hotel, though, so I don't know yet about wi-fi access. Pray. Pray! PRAY!! 

Monday & Tuesday

We've been BUSY!! Here's an update from the past two days.

Monday:
We headed up the mountain to Lachaqui early in the morning. It was a clear, beautiful day and the view was amazing. We met the new director of the Lachaqui schools and then headed over to the primary building. My friend, Dulia, is back at the primary school now - what an awesome surprise! We were able to share the story of the crucifixion and a craft with all of the primary students. After lunch by the river, we headed to Carhua. We weren't able to see the children this day because they were deep in their lessons, but we set up a time to return on Tuesday. We took some time to walk into Canta and shop at Mercedes' shop (a local Christian sister) and to find Pastor Miguel. The rest of the evening was restful - skyping our families and planning for the rest of the week.

Tuesday:
There was rain on Monday, and the roads were ROUGH. Tucker and Miguel actually had to get out of the van and build the road back with large rocks where it had washed away. We had a great time with the children of Carhua - Bible stories and crafts. I also managed to set up the use of a very large room at the school for our trip in August. (I'm on the lookout for a doctor... spread the word) In Lachaqui, we had more time with the primary school, but the secondary school proved more challenging. Please pray that they will be more open to our presence. This has been a problem in the past, and we are still trying to build those relationships, particularly with school leadership now that Dulia isn't the director. We had lunch at our Christian sister, Elizabeth's, restaurant... Caroline got a chicken foot in her soup. Lucky! :)  We went into Canta to meet Pastor Raphael. He is taking over the church in Canta as Miguel moves to Huamantanga to evangelize. He invited Tucker to preach at their church service that night. We faced some obvious spiritual warfare before the service. The rain began to POUR, the van wouldn't start, and the gate out of the hotel was locked... but the devil isn't going to win the battle, and he didn't win last night! The service was wonderful - singing praises in Spanish, prayers and fellowship with Peruvian brothers and sisters, and Tucker opened the floor for questions. This led to the opportunity for all of us to share our testimonies. It was very special!!

We are headed back up today for our last day on the mountain. Pray that we will be allowed to work with the children in Lachaqui today.

TO THE MOUNTAIN!!

Day One

HERE WE ARE!!!!

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. We were able to attend services with two of our IMB missionaries, Brian and Jenn Pennington, and their lovely family. We loaded the van, had a yummy lunch of Peruvian chicken at Norky's, and grocery shopped at Wong. This put us going out of Lima a little later than normal, so we ended up making the trip up the mountain in the dark. That was a new adventure, let me tell you! Add on to that the fact that there is construction the entire distance... so no paved roadway at all. We were all very relieved to arrive at the hotel in Canta!  The weather is wonderful - warm and sunny!! We were expecting typical April chill and clouds, so this is a lovely surprise. The picture above is one section of the view from my bedroom window.

We are getting ready to head even farther up the mountain now for our first day of ministry in Lachaqui and Carhua. We aren't sure what to expect, but are prepared for several different possibilities. Pray that the folks we meet have open hearts to what we come to say. Also, pray that we will follow God's lead and meet up with everyone that He intends!!  We welcome prayers for continued health, too - we are all feeling better than we were that first departure day, and I pray that the altitude has no ill effects on anyone!!

More later! Vamos Lachaqui!!

On the Ground

Just a quick post this morning to say that the team is in Lima and ready to begin our project. We had a great day of travel yesterday. Security at the airports was smooth and stress free, all of our flights were on time, and the long leg to Lima was so open that we had space to spread out and relax a little. Not that satan didn't TRY to mess us up... Out of the four of us, three didn't feel well when we started out. We had everything from a head cold to vomiting. Actually, the vomiting was me... results of a head cold of my own. And those of you who really know me will understand how pleasant that was for me! :(  But we recognized it for what it was - the devil would rather us depart as sick, depressed, worried people that aren't as effective in our work for the Lord. Well, GET BEHIND ME, SATAN! We prayed a bit, had some saltine crackers, and pressed forward with smiles on our faces!!

Seriously, folks, the devil is at work while all of us are on these projects. He knows that when unreached people begin to hear the good news of Jesus, his time on this earth is drawing shorter. With every person who accepts the gift of eternal life, satan draws closer to the day that Jesus returns and banishes him to the pits forever. Pray for us! Pray for all the teams that are out right now. Actually, pray for ALL the missionaries (long and short term) that go and tell - the devil is on their tails and it is so easy to let a little doubt or discomfort derail things.

More tonight from the mountain! Happy Easter, everyone! HE IS RISEN!!!

Here We Go Again!

In 48 hours, I'll be back in Peru again!

 I don't think I ever got around to blogging about the July 2012 trip. Oops... I'll get to that eventually. Good stuff happened - I promise! But it is cah-ray-zee how life flies by when you are busy living it!

Every trip is a new adventure. I travel with different team members, meet new people, and try out new activities. This time, I am traveling with the Gladiator again (aka Tucker) and two members of his church, Teresa & Caroline. We have two of our favorite Peruvian friends, Carmen and Juan, going up the mountain with us, too.  We will be spending the week in the two villages we partner with, Lachaqui and Carhua. We are ready to tell stories, do crafts, and play games in the schools and in the plazas. We are hoping that the weather will permit us to host some drop-ins and simple church in the evenings. But most of all, we are going in to this completely open to let the Lord lead us to what He has planned for us. At the end of the week, we will also be spending a day in the orphanage that has gripped so many of our hearts.

If you would, please pray for the following things:

1) Pray for the team as we travel. This includes safe and timely flights, avoiding any possible illnesses, and for us to stay strong in the face of any spiritual warfare we may come up against.

2) Pray for the people we are going to interact with. Pray that their hearts will be open and that relationships will be built.

3) Pray that we will get out of the way and let God work. It's hard for an OCD planner-type person to do that. Pray that we (I) don't get caught up in how we (I) think it should go, but instead let God lead the way.

4) Pray for our families at home. We are all so grateful that they love us enough to allow us to go - pray that they have an easy week with no stress or sickness.

I'll be keeping you updated as often as possible on this trip. I'm actually taking a computer that works this time! Thanks if advance for all your prayers!!

Vamos a Perú!!!

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!!! :)