Reina de la Paz

Monica and her son Manuel

Wendy, mother of Jeribel. They were going to leave the home today.

The group of girls :)

February 23

From Sue

Since Eric was teaching his course today, we went to Reina without him and had Raul drive us. Many thanks to everyone who gave us toothpaste and toothbrushes for the kids in Peru. We talked about hygiene and preventing sickness by washing hands, etc. We brought a lot of stuff like soap, germ-x, and tissues which were provided by the Orphan Care Ministry at our church. We also discussed the importance of brushing their kids teeth and keeping their face and hands clean. They did not know that most germs are passed around on the hands. The kids and Raul watched some of the babies again and they do such a good job. The girls were getting ready for visitors so they had many chores to do and were not around very much. We had talks with some of the girls and they asked us if we wish our skin was darker. We told them that many people in the US try to get their skin darker. They told us they wished their skin was lighter and they wanted lighter eyes. We asked why and they just said that they like the color. Ironic I guess; it must be human nature to want what you don't have. One girl named Wendy, told us she was leaving the home and today and going to live with her family; it seemed like it was a good thing for her. Another girl named Jessica, wrote me the sweetest note thanking me for coming and teaching them. They are wonderful girls and it is a delight to spend time with them. It is also very cool watching our kids interact and be such awesome witnesses by the way they love the babies.

random thoughts

YUM

a family tradition...taking a bite!

"Happy Birthday to you..." (hence Maggie's face)

Gorgeous cake!! Delicious too!

February 22

From Sue

Since I have been having trouble sleeping lately, I think of the things I should be writing on the blog while I lay there. Our apartment is not laid out with the thought of privacy in mind. We can pretty much see our neighbors kitchen from our bedroom, a distance of about 15 feet. The floors are all tile since carpet would mildew quickly and therefore sound travels quite well. Sometimes it is hard to tell that they are not in our apartment! I would wake Eric and ask, "Where are they, in our living room?" Maggie hears a lot of birthday parties from the front room where she sleeps. It is also a night time culture, so our neighbors are eating dinner when I go to bed at 10:30. Anyway, I am sure we "get them back" when Elijah and Rebekah get up at 7:30:)

Eric is teaching a mini-course at the university today. He will lecture in the morning and then they will do field work in the afternoon. Tomorrow they will dissect and look at the data. Eric is still working hard on learning Spanish and our Peruvian friends say they notice an improvement. His major victory came when we were out walking somewhere and Peruvians stopped and asked him for directions. He gave them the directions in Spanish and we felt almost Peruvian ourselves!

We celebrated Emily's half birthday yesterday again. (You can't have a birthday without cake!) She picked out a chocolate mousse cake from the store and it was a work of art. It was also delicious! Elijah is a much "cheaper date" than Emily. He wanted Pizza Hut and a box cake.

The parks near our apartment are absolutely gorgeous. They are well-maintained and someone is always sweeping or watering. Peruvians appear to be hard workers. Many work 12 hour days, 6 days per week; like our security guards at our apartment. The folks who work at even the fast food places, seem almost offended, if you throw away your own trash. They are right there to serve and seem to take a great deal of pride in doing so. There seems to be much more of a hierarchy here than in the US.

We continue to encounter the phenomena of someone trying to sell you something wherever you go. I think the hardest part for me is when it is the kids. We just don't see that in the US. Last week, on Valentine's Day, we saw a young mom with 3 or 4 kids selling roses in the park. It was so hot but they were all wearing long sleeves and pants, probably all they had. In many ways, we think that the folks selling would do a lot better if they were organized in some way and not all trying to sell the same things to the same people. Eric said her read somewhere that nearly 80% of commerce done in Peru is by people who are "under the radar", no license or place of commerce.

The Fort

Emily the half birthday girl

Rebekah loves noodles!

The harbor at Callao

Eric, Rebekah and Elijah in the highest turret at the fort

A view of the harbor from the fort

El Real Felipe

National Police Memorial

Outside of the fort

February 20

From Sue

Today we went to tour a fort along the coast called El Real Felipe. It was built in the mid 1700's to protect the coast from pirates. It is in a district called Callao (Kiyow) which is where the airport is located, so it was kind of a long taxi ride. We had to wait for the tour and walked around and found a national police memorial. We took some pictures for Uncle Bill and then headed to the tour. The fort is a large, brick structure guarded by soldiers. We went in and bought our tickets and did not hear the words we wanted to hear. English tour. It was all in Spanish and I personally picked up about a dozen words in 2 hours. We saw many weapons and uniforms and it was very historically rich; Eric says so anyway! We went into a room and there was a pirate behind a rope up on a platform pretending to be a mannequin. He waited until people were close and taking pictures and then yelled at them. The people nearby screamed and he started on his act of being a pirate. We did not get much of what was said. He started giving orders and we just tried to stay in the back and go along as best as we could. Apparently, he was quite humorous judging by the others in the group. Carolyn said she just pretended to laugh when everyone else did. We went to the top of a turret and could see 360 degrees around the fort. Since it was near the port, it was a beautiful sight. It was also a within sight of some slums. We walked to the plaza at the port and could see a huge cargo ship coming into the harbor. We then took a taxi to Larcomar and went to one of our favorite restaurants, the Chifa (Chinese) place we go to on the mission trips, to celebrate Emily's half birthday. It was delicious! We are tired and sunburned but we enjoyed our day as a family!

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!