Busy two days

Yaneth's daughter, Nasheli

Eric and Javier Francisco

Carolyn and Gabby's baby

Rebekah and Nasheli

Wendy's daughter and one of our favorite kids, Jeribel (that's as close as come on the name:)

Maggie and Gladys' baby, Angie

Elijah and Tania's baby

Emily and Andrea's baby, Lydia

Rebekah leading Esteban across the street (don't worry, we helped too)

Fun at McDonald's

Exhausted after terrorizing the play area

February 16

From Sue

We are half- way through our time in Peru. We have decided that January is a long month no matter in which hemispere you spend it. February is flying by so far. We got to have lunch with Yolanda and the boys yesterday. We met them and Giuli at McDaonald's because it has a play area. The boys were glad to see Eric and delighted with the play area. We got to visit with Yolanda a bit and she told us that she is very homesick for the home as they are like her family. She started to cry as she talked about it. She is comfortable where she is but she misses the nuns and the other girls. Please pray for her that she find work soon and adjust to her new home. Rebekah, Elijah, Miguel and Esteban played monster in the play area. Judging by how dirty and sweaty they were, I think they had a good time. We then walked to the grocery store and Rebekah held hands with one of them. (they are identical). While we were in the store, she had one on one side and one on the other. I called her mamacita. One of the boys cried when we said goodbye and we are hoping we can see them again, maybe at a park before we leave. They begin school on March 1 and will be in different classes for the first time ever. We figure this will be the best thing especially for the teacher!
BSF is always good for my soul and so is traveling with Raul to and from La Molina where we have bible study. Last evening he quizzed me on fruits and vegetables in Spanish. He gave me the name of a store where we can get bibles for the girls at RdlP and he told me I must improve my Spanish before I go there. He is nothing if not honest! Please pray for Raul's wife, Maria, as she has an inoperable tumor near her spine and needs periodic MRI's. Raul works hard to pay for it. To us it seems like a small amount but not to many families.
This morning we went to Reina de la Paz (RdlP). It took 45 minutes in the taxi to get there. We had a pan of cookies and a cake, bags with craft stuff and Carolyn's soccer ball. We travel with the 6 of us in the back seat. I told my brother, a policeman, that he wouldn't be able to handle it here with all of the traffic violations taking place and that is just us. Stop signs are suggestions as well as lane assignments and even red lights sometimes. Anyway, we finally got there and Giuli and I started teaching the girls about praying for their babies and how this is another "long term investment" they can make for their babies. Giuli told them about the different ways God answers prayer and that He has the overall picture and that His plans are the best ones. She told them that if God says "no" then He has something better for you. This led into me telling them about my miscarriage and the frustration I felt with God when I didn't conceive right away. I told them that is when God led us to adopt Rebekah and the MANY ways God answered prayers during that time. It is like Jane Peden tells me, "You asked for one baby and God gave you two!"

They were very interested in the process and if we will ever tell Rebekah she is adopted. I said we told her ever since she could understand. I also explained how Rebekah's adoption in many ways led to the formation of the OCM (Orphan Care Ministry) and the mission trip we take to visit them. I told them that I respect their decision to keep their babies and one of the reasons we visit is to support them in this important decision. Eric and the other kids work hard while we are teaching playing with babies and trying to keep them occupied so their moms can listen. This is a big job and we are exhausted when we get home. Rebekah and Eliljah do their share, playing soccer and making kids laugh. We did a craft and had a cake with pink icing Maggie made for Valentine's Day. We also made Valentines for all of the girls with our names on them. Marisol made her craft and gave it to me. I, of course, forgot it and pray she doesn't take it personally. Giuli asked one girl, Juanita, how old her baby is-20 months. Then she asked her how old she is-13. She had just walked up and was leaning on Giuli. Giuli says she needs someone to show her love. Sometimes I wish I could bring them all home with me. I still need my mom and I am 43. I can't imagine having all of the responsibility of raising a child as a teen with little or no support from my family.

Huaraz!

Feb. 14--Happy Valentine's Day!

From Maggie

Hi everyone, Mom wanted me to say a few things about Huaraz, so here goes:

Dad and his friend Jorge needed to go to a town in the mountains called Huaraz to meet more people and check out places for Dad's program. Emily and I tagged along to see a different part of Peru. And it was definitely different!! We are used to flat Indiana and crowded Lima, but outside of Huaraz there are beautiful snow-capped mountains and green hills. Kind of like The Sound of Music, you know? The town (city?) itself is more like Lima, with shops crowding the sidewalks and people selling things everywhere (from shirts to candy to puppies!). Speaking of puppies, there are many, many stray dogs in Huaraz. Everyone just ignores them, so I guess it's not a huge problem... The hotel we stayed at, Hotel Colomba, had a nice view of the area. I still can't believe I was in such a gorgeous place; it's kind of surreal! So Emily and I tagged along to different meetings. One was at the Lazy Dog Inn, a wonderful inn higher up, around 11,00 feet or 3,400 meters(Huaraz is around 10,000 feet, or 3,000 meters). We also visited a few very poor communities, which really made me realize that I have a very easy life. One area had around 300 kids, living in houses (adobe walls with tin roofs held down by rocks) with no electricity. There were only two places to get water in that community. I really would like to help people in those kinds of areas; I am keeping all these memories and experiences for future times (like when I choose a profession and stuff. I am a freshman in high school, by the way. So I have some time, thank goodness :). I really liked Huaraz and would love to go back sometime! :)

From Emily:

Going to Huaraz really put my life into perspective. We visited several communities that were very poverty-stricken, and it made me think about how privileged I am. I have been blessed so much by God; He has given me the resources for a wonderful education, nutritious food to eat, and warm, dry shelter, which is more than most of the people who live in the villages surrounding Huaraz have. We learned that many of the children there are malnourished and suffer from preventable diseases such as diarrhea and that access to clean water is a huge problem. There are so many opportunities for Dad's students there! I was glad he let us tag along and witness Huaraz.

Huaraz is smaller than Lima: it has 100,000 people compared to 10 million. We were wondering while we were there why it was that all sections of the town seemed the same (e.g. there were no "nicer" districts) and why it seemed like it was thrown together without any kind of plan. We found out when we got home that there was an earthquake there in the 1970's and the city was rebuilt rather quickly afterwards.

It was nice to "get away" from Lima; because Huaraz is in the mountains, the air was fresh and chilly -- the kind that fills your lungs with life, it seems. Everywhere on the streets were people hawking anything you could think of: fruit, bread, snacks, toys, puppies, and clothing. Items were cheaper there as well, and transportation didn't cost as much either. I loved walking there because it always seemed so surreal to me. I never thought I would go to a place like Huaraz, and it was amazing to walk the streets and remind myself over and over that I was really in the mountains of Peru!

The biggest lesson I learned in Huaraz is that because God has blessed me with so much, I should use my talents and resources to help better the people of places such as Huaraz who lack so many basic needs. Huaraz made me rethink what I am going to do with the rest of my life, and I thank God that I had the opportunity to visit.

Wednesday

February 10
From Sue
I know many of you are dealing with A LOT of snow! We keep saying that it is one of things we do not miss. Eric, Emily and Maggie traveled to Huaraz last night arriving safely early this morning. They were feeling a bit queasy as Eric said that it was like being on a plane with 8 hours of turbulance.
I almost assaulted another taxi driver today:) Not really but he was irritating me big time. He did not know where we live so I told him Tripoli. He kept asking where and I kept saying Tripoli. Well he had me write it down and then he says Oh, Tripoli. I said to Carolyn, that's what I said. Then he would go past a street and ask me if I remember where I live. He kept saying, "In Spanish, is Tripoli." Just because I don't speak Spanish does not mean I am stupid. I got to thinking of how harshly I often judge folks who live in the US and don't speak English well. It is easy to say they should learn English but much harder to do. Ask Eric. He is taking private classes and still feels like he doesn't know much. And then when we get home, we just want to speak English because we are exhausted from trying to understand Spanish. I am going to have much more compassion for those who are learning English and not assume that they aren't smart because they don't speak my language.

Reina de la Paz

Carolyn helping Andrea make a valentine.

Emily and a sweetie who is starting to warm-up to us.

Eric and Elijah palying peek-a-boo with Gabby's baby.

One of my favorite activities!

Maggie and Marsella, a German girl who is volunteering, watching babies.

The girls are so creative and spent about an hour working on valentines.
February 9

From Sue

Our pastor at Sunrise, Pastor Bob, says that there are 3 things in which we should invest:God, God's word and people. Maybe that's why Sunday, Monday and Tuesday have turned out to be my favorite days of the week in Peru. On Sunday we get to worship God, on Monday (at BSF) I get to study God's word and on Tuesday we are privileged to work with Giuli at Reina de la Paz. I am getting to know some of the women at BSF and my discussion leader has called several times to check in, especially when she knew that Eric was out of town and that I had 5 kids with me.

I so respect those women who study the Bible in English when it is their second language. Just about every week there is a question that I don't understand and English is my first (and only) language. My driver, Raul, and I have great discussions on the way and he is persisting in giving me Spanish lessons. He gives me a new verse every week to learn in Spanish. This week it is John 11:35, Jesus wept. Whew! Raul is a very humble man who loves the Lord with all of his heart. It is not a coincidence that I get spend so much time with him on Monday nights. His favorite Christian singer is Michael W. Smith and his favorite book the "Purpose Driven Life." I am going to loan him my copy of the "The Cross-Centered Life" by CJ Mahaney, next week.

This morning we all went to Reina de la Paz again. Last week we had planted seeds and talked about investing in their children. This week when we checked on the seeds, only one had grown. Gabby's seed was beginning to sprout and we discussed how it did because she took care of it everyday and invested in the care of the plant. We also talked about the 5 love languages and how their children need all of the five, but that when they are older, one will be their primary love language. Because so many of the girls said their love languages were physical touch and words of affirmation, we talked about how the words have to be followed by actions which reflect the words. We talked about others respecting them and about respecting themselves. We had brought paper and stickers and markers to make valentines and some of the girls wrote the love languages on the valentines. Andrea had our family sign her valentine. These girls are so sweet and creative and just longing to be affirmed. Giuli told me that she can see a difference in the girls since we started working with them. God is so good to use us in this way!

When we got home there was a package waiting for us from the Spykmans filled with Valentine's Day goodies! The kids were very excited to see the socks, candy and other treats. We are so thankful for all of the prayers and support we receive from our family and friends!

Sunday

February 7

Yesterday I (Sue) had an interesting conversation with the tour guide at the catacombs. She asked me if Rebekah was my daughter and I replied that she was. She asked about the other kids and wondered if any of them were adopted. I said no and then she asked if it is the same with her as it is with the others and I said yes. She looked a little surprised by that. Most of the time, I don't even think about Rebekah being adopted except when we get stares which we do more here than we do in the USA. I hope that it is a witness to people in Peru in some small way.

We continue to enjoy the church we attend in Lima. We were in row 4 today and have our eye on row 3. HaHa. The church is getting a new pastor at the end of the month and he just got here yesterday and was there for the first time this Sunday. He doesn't know Spanish, poor guy, but I bet he learns quickly! The sermon was about plateauing in your relationships with God and your spouse and how that the next step is decline. We were encouraged to be like Joshua and Caleb who loved God wholeheartedly. It gave Eric and I a lot to think about.

We are watching the Super Bowl as I write this and I started to cry during the singing of the National Anthem. You forget how much you love and appreciate your country. The Colts are currently losing and there are some anxious folks here:)
Well now it's Monday and we were bummed about the Colts losing but if anyone had to beat them, we were glad it was the Saints.
We learned some interesting things about Eric's trip to Iquitos that aren't on his college blog. He visited a manatee rescue and rehabilitation place and got to feed one of the mantees a bottle. He said they are so gentle. He also told us about a soup that was served for breakfast that had fish, vegetables and a big chunk of paca meat. (look it up) He said it comes under the heading of "eat first and ask questions later."

Downtown Lima

close-up of the San Francisco church

near the Municipal building

one sole, please...

the presidential palace

San Francisco church & catacombs

February 6

We are so thankful to have Eric back home with us! He had a very exciting and interesting trip to the rainforest. I think it is every biologist's dream to go there as it is so diverse. If you want to read more about it you can visit his blog on the Wabash website (when he gets the recent stuff posted).

We decided to go to downtown Lima this afternoon and see some of the interesting buildings and sites there. Our taxi driver dropped us off near the President's home. It was built by Pizarro for his home after he conquered this part of the world (1600's) and he lived there for many years. There was an official-looking marching band playing out in front of the gates and they marched through the gates and into the palace when they were done. An army band of sorts. We had visited this area with the first mission trip and noticed that there were many more guards with many more weapons than last time. Could be we were there on a Sunday before, or that the President was in residence. Right after we got out of the taxi we were approached by 2 girls selling pins. We kept walking and saying "no, gracias". They were so persistent and so cute and kept saying, "please, 1 sole for one or 3 for a dollar." Eric and I decided the "sandpaper treatment" was effective and I said to him that we could buy 3 from each girl. Well, the one started telling us ok these three from me and those 3 from her. Eric said now wait a minute, do you understand English? She just smiled and tried not to answer, but the cat was out of the bag. Both of the girls answered in english when we asked them -- at least they knew enough to get gringoes to buy their stuff! We walked to the San Francisco church and catacombs about 2 blocks away. It is a 17th century monastary of the Franciscan order where they had built catacombs under the church ala European custom. It was a beautiful and interesting place. We, unfortunately, were not allowed to take pictures (go to http://www.go2peru.com/Lim_foto02.htm if you want to see some). There was amazing art work all over the place and a dome ceiling made out of cedar. The tour guide, in English, told us that all of the materials were brought in from other places. The library was just incredible with a collection of 25,000 volumes all of which looked as if they would disintegrate if you touched them, which you could not. The place where they ate was so cool with a large painting of the last supper. Interestingly, the artist painted it with traditional Peruvian food on the table including potatoes and even cuy (guinea pig). Behind Judas the devil is painted breathing into his ear. Sound familiar BSF ladies? The choir room had beautifully carved seats for every monk. The catacombs were creepy. We walked down stairs and had to duck to get into the crypt area. They had some of the crypts filled with similar sized bones and one with skulls. We were told that they used to treat the bodies with lime to keep down the smell and to prevent disease. You could see up into the church as various places. They also had pits where the remains of unidentified people were thrown. Wealthy Spanish patrons bought crypts up in the main part of the monastary. It was a good tour and all of the kids (and parents) enjoyed it.

Clarification and More Zoo

February 5
From Sue
We skyped with my parents last night (what a blessing it is!) and they told me that my nephew, Matt, was horrified to read on the blog that I left the kids here by themselves, so I thought I should explain the situation. We live in a gated apartment building with a doorman working 24/7. We also have many locks on the door. Our neighborhood is pretty nice so we feel safe here. I just wanted to reassure people that the kids were safe without me:)

The kids wanted to chime in about the zoo, so here are their accounts:
Maggie: It was hot, and the taxi driver got lost, but the rest of the trip was fun! We saw some cool animals like teeny-tiny monkeys, little ocelots, and big parrots. The zoo was pretty crowded; everyone decided to spend a sunny day at the city zoo. It's really big and was organized into zones and "streets" like Galapagos, International, and Jungle sections. I was a little hesitant about the heat and large number of people, but I had fun hanging with my family. Elijah was a little whiny for the first part, but made up for it with his great enthusiasm for the big cats and exotic animals. It was a good adventure to do while Dad is away. :)
Rebekah: It was fun there. I saw peacocks. I also saw black jaguars. I had studied the rainforest in school, and I got to see a bunch of animals that we studied about. We saw monkeys and tapirs. One snuck up on Maggie. And Mom. I liked the tapirs. We saw an ocelot as well. We saw giraffes, some water buffaloes, and a baby water buffalo, some goats, and two ostriches. One was dirty and one was clean. Me and my sisters and my brother and my mom had a great time at the zoo.
Elijah: I got to see lions and tigers and bears. They were cool. A goat sneaked up on me. It was a goat with a beard and some big fat horns. The lions and tigers and bears were sleeping all the time. I think that they're party poopers. I had a good time with my family.