January 14
From Sue
In our last post, I told you that we were homesick, bored, needed some purpose and asked for prayer about that. Well, our Lord answered- and so quickly! Giugliana, one of our friends on the Buckner staff, came over yesterday and we talked about what the kids and I can do to help her at Reina de la Paz. We are going to be helping watch babies while Giugli teaches Bible and I am going to be talking to the girls about bonding and playing with their babies. Giugli said the girls aren't sure how to interact with their babies. It makes sense; that is learned behavior. Anyway, we start on Tuesaday morning. Please pray for us about that and also that we wouldn't dwell on what we are missing.
We also had a skype conversation with our small group last night and that was really cool! We shared a bit and then ended with a cyber prayer. Those folks are a huge blessing to us.
We and the rest of Lima, continue to wonder when the sun is going to shine. It is very humid though. If I am moving, I sweat and when I am sitting, I am chilly. Running is also a challenge with the humidity, the bikers and other runners. There doesn't seem to be any unspoken rules about keep to the right or pass on the left. I can't believe that more people don't get plowed over by bikes! I am told that in the US, we have a greater need for personal space.
Later this morning we are off to the Vivanda supermercado for our tiny boxes of cereal and milk:)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 12
From Sue
We have started school and the days don't really seem to be flying by if you know what I mean. I have always respected teachers but not as much as I do now. It is not all frustrating. We can take any tangents we want. Yesterday, we all, except Eric, went to Vivanda market. We managed to get almost everything on our list and check out. Hurray! I just can't get over how small the packages are. I mean the syrup is tiny! I try to buy large whenever I can. I mean you should see our peanut butter-5lbs! Oh well, more trips to the Vivanda. We have been trying to cook some Peruvian meals and they are turning out rather well. We still have only seen the sun once but the view from the park nearby is beautiful. Eric has spent the past 2 days in language school. Four hours in the morning and 2 hours of individual tutoring in the afternoon. He is being challenged that's for sure. We fondly refer to his tutor as Elsa the Spanish nazi. Please pray that we would get an opportunity to visit a home (orphanage) and that we wouldn't feel too sorry for ouselves! A bit of homesickness is setting in.
From Sue
We have started school and the days don't really seem to be flying by if you know what I mean. I have always respected teachers but not as much as I do now. It is not all frustrating. We can take any tangents we want. Yesterday, we all, except Eric, went to Vivanda market. We managed to get almost everything on our list and check out. Hurray! I just can't get over how small the packages are. I mean the syrup is tiny! I try to buy large whenever I can. I mean you should see our peanut butter-5lbs! Oh well, more trips to the Vivanda. We have been trying to cook some Peruvian meals and they are turning out rather well. We still have only seen the sun once but the view from the park nearby is beautiful. Eric has spent the past 2 days in language school. Four hours in the morning and 2 hours of individual tutoring in the afternoon. He is being challenged that's for sure. We fondly refer to his tutor as Elsa the Spanish nazi. Please pray that we would get an opportunity to visit a home (orphanage) and that we wouldn't feel too sorry for ouselves! A bit of homesickness is setting in.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
More news from Peru
January 10
Yesterday afternoon, we went to Parque Kennedy named for JFK. The sign said that it was dedicated to the memory of Ex-President Kennedy. It probably should have read former president but oh well. The park is large and quite nice with art displayed and many shops and restaurants on the streets surrounding it. We have passed by it many times on our mission trips in the bus but the girls said we were probably too tired to notice it then. We bought a USA today newspaper and we all (those who can read) read it from cover to cover. I noticed that it was wild-card weekend in the NFL and was kind of bummed since I love football. We turned on the TV just to check and found the game on ESPN in Spanish! What a gift! We should also be able to watch the Olympics since I love the Olympics more than football! Of course, today there was a soccer game on and no playoffs. It is just as disappointing watching the Eagles lose (and the Cowboys win) in South America.
Today we were kind of at a low point in the trip just missing our church and church family and being nervous about a new church. We all piled into a taxi and for about $1.75 got a ride to church! The church we visited is called Flamingo Road Church and this is a satellite campus in Peru with the messages coming over the internet from S Florida. They do the service in English and the band, who was very good, was live. They meet in the Cineplanet, which is the movie theater so our seats were extremely comfy. We saw Erick from Buckner there and was he ever surprised to see us! It was a lot of fun to surprise him like that. We met a very nice family from CA who now live in Peru and have for some time. He works for a mining company and they have 7 children. Three are adults who live in the USA and then 4 adopted children. Isn't it like our Lord to put people in your life who share the same passions?
We went to McDonald's with them after the service (I know, Pizza Hut and McD's-we have no imagination). Outside of the McDonald's we saw 2 children peddling chicklets and snacks. They followed us into the restaurant and we talked to them a little bit. The boy was Luis, 11 and the girl was Lisbeth and she is 10. Eric introduced Luis to Carolyn, who is about a foot taller that he, and told him that she is 11 too. He looked at her in awe! The other mom gave them happy meal toys and Eric ordered them cheeseburgers. Jim Jackson, new family dad, told us that some parents rent their children to these businessmen who take the kids around the city and drop them off so they can peddle their stuff. The kids don't get to go to school. The parents get 10 soles or about $3. Debbie Jackson invited Luis into the play area. She said a few weeks ago when she did that he just sat there. Today he did not, playing with the kids. Maggie taught Luis a little hand game and he looked like he was having a ball getting a chance to be a kid.
Many of you know that our kids get on us about always being the last ones at church talking, even in PA. Well it continues in Peru so I guess it's us!
This afternoon we took Rebekah and Elijah to try to find the beach. Actually, we could see the beach just fine from about 350 feet straight down but we didn't know how to get there without going in the taxi so we explored and found an access point. We walked down and down and took more and more steps until finally, we got there. It is beautiful but crowded and it was covered in rocks which the kids liked throwing. Elijah found a sea urchin and was pleased. It was then time to go back and we counted 258 steps! We also found a shorter way to our apartment so a successful trip! Tomorrow, Eric begins language school and the rest of us begin our schooling. The party's over! Haha!
Yesterday afternoon, we went to Parque Kennedy named for JFK. The sign said that it was dedicated to the memory of Ex-President Kennedy. It probably should have read former president but oh well. The park is large and quite nice with art displayed and many shops and restaurants on the streets surrounding it. We have passed by it many times on our mission trips in the bus but the girls said we were probably too tired to notice it then. We bought a USA today newspaper and we all (those who can read) read it from cover to cover. I noticed that it was wild-card weekend in the NFL and was kind of bummed since I love football. We turned on the TV just to check and found the game on ESPN in Spanish! What a gift! We should also be able to watch the Olympics since I love the Olympics more than football! Of course, today there was a soccer game on and no playoffs. It is just as disappointing watching the Eagles lose (and the Cowboys win) in South America.
Today we were kind of at a low point in the trip just missing our church and church family and being nervous about a new church. We all piled into a taxi and for about $1.75 got a ride to church! The church we visited is called Flamingo Road Church and this is a satellite campus in Peru with the messages coming over the internet from S Florida. They do the service in English and the band, who was very good, was live. They meet in the Cineplanet, which is the movie theater so our seats were extremely comfy. We saw Erick from Buckner there and was he ever surprised to see us! It was a lot of fun to surprise him like that. We met a very nice family from CA who now live in Peru and have for some time. He works for a mining company and they have 7 children. Three are adults who live in the USA and then 4 adopted children. Isn't it like our Lord to put people in your life who share the same passions?
We went to McDonald's with them after the service (I know, Pizza Hut and McD's-we have no imagination). Outside of the McDonald's we saw 2 children peddling chicklets and snacks. They followed us into the restaurant and we talked to them a little bit. The boy was Luis, 11 and the girl was Lisbeth and she is 10. Eric introduced Luis to Carolyn, who is about a foot taller that he, and told him that she is 11 too. He looked at her in awe! The other mom gave them happy meal toys and Eric ordered them cheeseburgers. Jim Jackson, new family dad, told us that some parents rent their children to these businessmen who take the kids around the city and drop them off so they can peddle their stuff. The kids don't get to go to school. The parents get 10 soles or about $3. Debbie Jackson invited Luis into the play area. She said a few weeks ago when she did that he just sat there. Today he did not, playing with the kids. Maggie taught Luis a little hand game and he looked like he was having a ball getting a chance to be a kid.
Many of you know that our kids get on us about always being the last ones at church talking, even in PA. Well it continues in Peru so I guess it's us!
This afternoon we took Rebekah and Elijah to try to find the beach. Actually, we could see the beach just fine from about 350 feet straight down but we didn't know how to get there without going in the taxi so we explored and found an access point. We walked down and down and took more and more steps until finally, we got there. It is beautiful but crowded and it was covered in rocks which the kids liked throwing. Elijah found a sea urchin and was pleased. It was then time to go back and we counted 258 steps! We also found a shorter way to our apartment so a successful trip! Tomorrow, Eric begins language school and the rest of us begin our schooling. The party's over! Haha!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I am also adjusting to the shopping in Peru. Everything is sold in such small quantities. We are coming from the Wal-Mart and Costco types of stores and we now have to shop in the Village Pantry and Turkey Hill types. I can't remember if I have mentioned this or not but, neither the milk nor the eggs are refrigerated. Apparently, most Peruvians eat from scratch because there aren't many convenience foods. The bottles and boxes are so tiny. I feel like I am going to be going to the store every other day!
From Sue
On Friday morning, I got up to go running and when I left the apartment, water was dripping down the stairwell. I realized that it was misting since it never actually rains here apparently. I waited until 9:30 when it stopped and there was cleanup going on all over, especially at the park.
Workers had brooms and squeegees and were cleaning up the standing water. Yes, standing water after misting. On the way home, I thought, I wonder why the storm sewers don't take of all the water and then I realized that there are no storm sewers. The water has no where to go.
When we watched the news that night, we saw that there was flooding in the city. In the poor community of Collique, homes were collapasing. (For those of you on the first mission trip, we went there to the community center.) Many of them are built on the sides of mountains that are essentially shale and there is nothing keeping them in place. I just couldn't believe how such a small amount of water could cause so much damage. It was also quite sobering to see the way many Peruvians live-in squalor. Poverty is definitely a vicious cycle.
On Friday morning, I got up to go running and when I left the apartment, water was dripping down the stairwell. I realized that it was misting since it never actually rains here apparently. I waited until 9:30 when it stopped and there was cleanup going on all over, especially at the park.
Workers had brooms and squeegees and were cleaning up the standing water. Yes, standing water after misting. On the way home, I thought, I wonder why the storm sewers don't take of all the water and then I realized that there are no storm sewers. The water has no where to go.
When we watched the news that night, we saw that there was flooding in the city. In the poor community of Collique, homes were collapasing. (For those of you on the first mission trip, we went there to the community center.) Many of them are built on the sides of mountains that are essentially shale and there is nothing keeping them in place. I just couldn't believe how such a small amount of water could cause so much damage. It was also quite sobering to see the way many Peruvians live-in squalor. Poverty is definitely a vicious cycle.
Adjusting
Our dinner with Giuli, Yolanda, Miguel and Esteban was a lot of fun! Guili brought them in a taxi but did not tell them where they were going and so they were excited, especially when they figured out that Eric was here. We made the introductions of the younger Wetzels and then all 11 of us piled into 2 taxis to Lacromar, the mall that sits above the ocean. Miguel and Esteban wanted pizza so we went to Pizza Hut. We discovered that the boys had never been in an elevator, an escalator and had never seen the ocean! Whoa! They live 10 miles from it but it might as well be 1000. One of them said, "Is that all water?" Each of the boys downed 3 pieces of pizza and to say that they were wound up is an understatement! Yolanda is leaving Reina de la Paz in 10 days to live in a home owned by the congregation with some other girls. One of them will watch the boys while she works and then she will go to school from 5pm until 9pm. She worries about not spending much time with them. Please pray for Yolanda and her boys that she can finish school and provide for her boys.
Our dinner with Giuli, Yolanda, Miguel and Esteban was a lot of fun! Guili brought them in a taxi but did not tell them where they were going and so they were excited, especially when they figured out that Eric was here. We made the introductions of the younger Wetzels and then all 11 of us piled into 2 taxis to Lacromar, the mall that sits above the ocean. Miguel and Esteban wanted pizza so we went to Pizza Hut. We discovered that the boys had never been in an elevator, an escalator and had never seen the ocean! Whoa! They live 10 miles from it but it might as well be 1000. One of them said, "Is that all water?" Each of the boys downed 3 pieces of pizza and to say that they were wound up is an understatement! Yolanda is leaving Reina de la Paz in 10 days to live in a home owned by the congregation with some other girls. One of them will watch the boys while she works and then she will go to school from 5pm until 9pm. She worries about not spending much time with them. Please pray for Yolanda and her boys that she can finish school and provide for her boys.
Above are some pictures from our dinner as well as the view of the Pacific from the park that's only two blocks from our apartment.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
...and off we go!
Some pictures from the trip so far....
some wave-like clouds coming into Newark
Wednesday-Thursday, 06-07 Jan.
Oh, to be in Newark....
After a couple of days of packing and saying goodbyes we're on our way to Peru! Big thanks go out to John & Penny Bell and Jerry Dahnke for picking us up at our house at 3:15 AM and ferrying us to the airport. We successfully checked in our 12 suitcases and made it through security unscathed (this was of great concern to Elijah!). Our flight from Indianapolis went smoothly and was fun as it was a first for Elijah and Carolyn. (Rebekah's a seasoned traveler, of course, but enjoyed this one like it was her first since she doesn't remember the trip from China very well. )
After a couple of days of packing and saying goodbyes we're on our way to Peru! Big thanks go out to John & Penny Bell and Jerry Dahnke for picking us up at our house at 3:15 AM and ferrying us to the airport. We successfully checked in our 12 suitcases and made it through security unscathed (this was of great concern to Elijah!). Our flight from Indianapolis went smoothly and was fun as it was a first for Elijah and Carolyn. (Rebekah's a seasoned traveler, of course, but enjoyed this one like it was her first since she doesn't remember the trip from China very well. )
From Sue....Our flight to Lima was long (about 8 hours) but we all had our own video screen and we could watch what we wanted. Getting through immigration went smoothly and our 2 vans were waiting for us, so all in all not too bad. Our new digs remind one of the efficiency apartments you can rent at the beach which makes sense since we are at the beach! Elijah was up and dressed by 8 am and ready to walk to the beach. Eric, Elijah, Rebekah and I did walk to a park which is about 2 blocks away and I think I found my new running path. I will go out early as it is very humid. We then walked to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I am still trying to come to terms with both the milk and the eggs not being refrigerated! Plus you can buy Inca Kola in 3-liter bottles and milk sells by the quart. I can envision many trips there!
The exciting news of the day is that Giugliana is going to bring Yolanda, Miguel and Esteban here after work and then we are going to take them out for dinner or ice cream at the mall at Larcomar. We are really looking forward to that!
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