Thursday, April 29th
Hello to all the blog followers, it’s Katie; today was mostly an off day. We have been very busy and needed the rest, we slept in till about 12 and really just hung around the house all day. We all felt like walking ZOMBIES.
Finally around 4pm we started to get ready for a youth service at Pastor Eber’s (who has a great testimony, leads worship and is blind) church in Ancon. Service was supposed to start at 8pm and didn’t start till 8:15-8:30. Dylon felt sick ( no need to worry moms, Emily, Dylon, Mrs. Marilyn and I have all experienced this icky feeling, and it started with Emily, we are all feeling great now), but still pushed through his teaching on Unity, and could hardly tell he was sick, Emily sang her beautiful song, and I danced to the Revelation song.
God has been with us through everything we have done no matter how we feel. Before we introduced ourselves and went on with our program, some of the youth there had some special dramas and dances planned for us. “Special” doesn’t even describe it all, these people are so excited to share their gifts with us, and really just love to show how much they appreciate us being with them.
It’s not too organized here and we have become experts at just going with the flow as far as the order of service goes. As Dylon closed, a few people raised their hand for salvation, praise God. They all can’t express enough appreciation towards us all. Peruvians are very warm and welcoming. After I danced a little girl came up to me, Emily and Dylon ( she told me she loved my dance, and loved Emily’s song as well as Dylon’s teaching). This little girl’s name was Hennasis and gave us each one of her beaded bracelets from her wrist.) We left the church after 10pm and after an hour drive, went home to sleep!
Friday, April 30th
Our day was full of endless surprises. We ended up going to a school in the morning which got changed to an hour after the first time so we went to Starbucks and had some coffee. Here Dylon decided to have a shot of espresso so just imagine how our day went. It just got better! When we arrived to school we waited for about 30 minutes and walked down to a block which the school had closed off so that we could share of message with them and so that the kids could share a couple things with us.
Katie taught on the armor of God while Dylon, Rosita and I blew up balloons. To our amazement the balloon part seemed harder. We popped about 5 balloons all together, the kids were talking during the message and a woman who found it necessary to check the microphone every 5 minutes. By the grace of we got through it. We had four girls dance for us to the song “Jesus You’re my Superhero.” After an 11 year old boy started beat boxing which was amazing.
Some of the kids presented us with gifts and we went to lunch at the mall where we all had something different. We hung out there for about an hour and a half and when we went to the car it didn’t start. After pushing about 6 times Marco decided to put us in a taxi so that we could make it to the the pastors church on time. When we got there I got to share my message on being obedient. We gave out a couple prizes, danced, sang and played hot potato.
After service was over we got to see a pig that was a least 4 feet tall, layed out on a table. They had cleaned it out but the experience was a memorable one, especially for Katie! Dylon and I had no problems feeling it but for Katie it was life changing. Ahahahahaha. She freaked out!
After having a brief break we made our way back to another church where Dr. D spoke and Mrs. Marilyn and us LTI students got to entertain and share a message with the kids. After we went out to eat and arrived home at about midnight. This was a very long day for us but we did it! Woooooohhhooo.
Emily here!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 29th
The day is over and the “children” are all headed for bed. Oh that they would be silent so that I would not be reminded of how much energy they have after arriving at our “Peruvian Home” when they were telling me how tired they were on the way here.
But that’s “girls” for you! They can talk when there seems to be nothing to talk about. But now to get on with the day’s happenings.
The day was spent in Los Olivos at Communidad Cristiana La Vina, Pastored by Guillermo and Lisset Sifuentes. This morning the LTI Team ministered to all levels of the school directly across the courtyard from the Church. The comment I heard from Dylon was, “This was the best experience and provided the best opportunities for ministry of all the places we have been so far.”
They spent the afternoon cleaning the Church facilities. That is after we returned from eating. And our eating experience was interesting. We ate at Chili’s. Now past experience has told us that when you eat at Chili’s you have a pleasant experience. We did experience good food, but the service was lacking. It started with a “bang” and ended with a “fizzle and a sputter”. But we were full!
Marilyn was the keynote person today! She took an assignment from the pastor to speak on raising children. And she met the challenge with a teaching she called, “Building With God’s Tools”. Because the pastor requested an opportunity be given for the people to ask questions, she was not able to finish the final two areas. But the questions kept her busy for another 40 minutes which those two areas would have needed.
You could tell from the questions there is a “BIG” need in this society for such teaching. After the session ended Pastor Guillermo approached me and said, “Put us on your list for requested services. I want her to finish this teaching.”
We had set up to video the sessions but I am not sure how they are going to turn out because the Church did not have adequate lighting. In fact they had only one light and that was in the center of their auditorium. This put a dark shadow Marilyn and the interpreter and the screen was not adequate to clearly see the PowerPoint presentation. But maybe I can save the audio and then give them the PowerPoint presentation for continued use.
Tomorrow, Thursday, is an easy day. Well, at least we can “sleep-in” because the activities do not begin until late afternoon for the Team.
Beyond The Peruvian News:
In the last two days I have received two invitations for ministry. The first comes from PastorDesiderio Escalante from Chincha. He wants me to go with him into the mountainous jungle area in mid-September and be one of the two speakers from the United States. There will be a four day event including a medical team of 22 doctors; a special day with emphasis on the Bible and two days of services. They are expecting 5,000 to attend.
Then I just received an email from Belgium and Mauricio Salazar has requested for me to be the speaker for a 3 day July event which includes their graduation services from Logos Bible School. Logos is one of Covenant Life Universities schools and has produced, if I remember correctly at least five pastors who have started churches after completing the two year school.
Please pray for finances so that I can walk through these open doors.
God bless,
Dr D, Marilyn, Katie, Emily, Dylon and two Peruvian team members who have been a great asset: Rosita and Jovanna – Ceci’s nieces.
But that’s “girls” for you! They can talk when there seems to be nothing to talk about. But now to get on with the day’s happenings.
The day was spent in Los Olivos at Communidad Cristiana La Vina, Pastored by Guillermo and Lisset Sifuentes. This morning the LTI Team ministered to all levels of the school directly across the courtyard from the Church. The comment I heard from Dylon was, “This was the best experience and provided the best opportunities for ministry of all the places we have been so far.”
They spent the afternoon cleaning the Church facilities. That is after we returned from eating. And our eating experience was interesting. We ate at Chili’s. Now past experience has told us that when you eat at Chili’s you have a pleasant experience. We did experience good food, but the service was lacking. It started with a “bang” and ended with a “fizzle and a sputter”. But we were full!
Marilyn was the keynote person today! She took an assignment from the pastor to speak on raising children. And she met the challenge with a teaching she called, “Building With God’s Tools”. Because the pastor requested an opportunity be given for the people to ask questions, she was not able to finish the final two areas. But the questions kept her busy for another 40 minutes which those two areas would have needed.
You could tell from the questions there is a “BIG” need in this society for such teaching. After the session ended Pastor Guillermo approached me and said, “Put us on your list for requested services. I want her to finish this teaching.”
We had set up to video the sessions but I am not sure how they are going to turn out because the Church did not have adequate lighting. In fact they had only one light and that was in the center of their auditorium. This put a dark shadow Marilyn and the interpreter and the screen was not adequate to clearly see the PowerPoint presentation. But maybe I can save the audio and then give them the PowerPoint presentation for continued use.
Tomorrow, Thursday, is an easy day. Well, at least we can “sleep-in” because the activities do not begin until late afternoon for the Team.
Beyond The Peruvian News:
In the last two days I have received two invitations for ministry. The first comes from PastorDesiderio Escalante from Chincha. He wants me to go with him into the mountainous jungle area in mid-September and be one of the two speakers from the United States. There will be a four day event including a medical team of 22 doctors; a special day with emphasis on the Bible and two days of services. They are expecting 5,000 to attend.
Then I just received an email from Belgium and Mauricio Salazar has requested for me to be the speaker for a 3 day July event which includes their graduation services from Logos Bible School. Logos is one of Covenant Life Universities schools and has produced, if I remember correctly at least five pastors who have started churches after completing the two year school.
Please pray for finances so that I can walk through these open doors.
God bless,
Dr D, Marilyn, Katie, Emily, Dylon and two Peruvian team members who have been a great asset: Rosita and Jovanna – Ceci’s nieces.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 27th
What a long day. I can’t even believe I’m still awake to write this and its only 10 pm local time. It was an early start with everyone having to be downstairs for breakfast at 7:30 am. I took my wonderful hot shower (thank God for abnormal accommodations), finished up a blog to send out, and had pancakes prepared by our breakfast chef, David Hodges. Then it was on the road for a 2 hour and 15 minute ride to Chincha.
Chincha is a poor region that was devastated by the Peruvian earthquake of 2007. We arrived at a fenced in complex, a feeding program funded by Compassion feeds about 250 kids a day. In Peru, there is morning school, generally for elementary grades, and afternoon school for the junior and senior high. That gave us two groups of loving children to share our message and present everything we had planned. We flawlessly went through our first routine with Emily teaching on their worth in God’s eyes (Deuteronomy 7:6.)
After eating lunch and enjoying a 12 pound watermelon we picked up at a stand on the way, I finally got my first opportunity to play soccer in Peru. Normally “futbol” is not one of my favorite sports, but having played while growing up, this is something that was definitely on my Peruvian to-do list. Marco and I each made our own teams and enjoyed running around in the heat for about an hour. The outcome didn’t matter, but we were definitely able to break the ice with the boys and open a door to communicate with them.
We repeated our lesson plan for the next group, although it was about 3 or 4 times the size of the first. Leaving was probably the worst part, with the children crowding our van as we tried to navigate out of the facility. After stopping at a local restaurant for cold water, our next destination was 10 minutes away at a local church that is still in the construction phase.
We tiredly performed a new series and ended with face-painting to a group of about 25 kids. Many of them took taxis to be there and this was once again an event put together just for us to be there. What an honor.
I’m not sitting on a couch outside my bedroom, more than ready to crash in the bed I just had to reassemble. (I promise I haven’t been overeating aside from Sunday.) Its been a long but rewarding day and I’m quickly being taught on how to run on Holy Spirit fuel. The reason we are here is because of God, and the only reason we will continue to be here is because of Him. Continue to pray for opportunities for us to minister on a more personal level to the people of Peru and as always, your support is much appreciated.
Goodnight, Dylon
Chincha is a poor region that was devastated by the Peruvian earthquake of 2007. We arrived at a fenced in complex, a feeding program funded by Compassion feeds about 250 kids a day. In Peru, there is morning school, generally for elementary grades, and afternoon school for the junior and senior high. That gave us two groups of loving children to share our message and present everything we had planned. We flawlessly went through our first routine with Emily teaching on their worth in God’s eyes (Deuteronomy 7:6.)
After eating lunch and enjoying a 12 pound watermelon we picked up at a stand on the way, I finally got my first opportunity to play soccer in Peru. Normally “futbol” is not one of my favorite sports, but having played while growing up, this is something that was definitely on my Peruvian to-do list. Marco and I each made our own teams and enjoyed running around in the heat for about an hour. The outcome didn’t matter, but we were definitely able to break the ice with the boys and open a door to communicate with them.
We repeated our lesson plan for the next group, although it was about 3 or 4 times the size of the first. Leaving was probably the worst part, with the children crowding our van as we tried to navigate out of the facility. After stopping at a local restaurant for cold water, our next destination was 10 minutes away at a local church that is still in the construction phase.
We tiredly performed a new series and ended with face-painting to a group of about 25 kids. Many of them took taxis to be there and this was once again an event put together just for us to be there. What an honor.
I’m not sitting on a couch outside my bedroom, more than ready to crash in the bed I just had to reassemble. (I promise I haven’t been overeating aside from Sunday.) Its been a long but rewarding day and I’m quickly being taught on how to run on Holy Spirit fuel. The reason we are here is because of God, and the only reason we will continue to be here is because of Him. Continue to pray for opportunities for us to minister on a more personal level to the people of Peru and as always, your support is much appreciated.
Goodnight, Dylon
SIX DAYS IN PERU
Wednesday, April 21st
Once again we have arrived in Lima with minimal problems! Ft. Myers to Miami and the check-in desk was almost a breeze all because “Yours Truly” insists on leaving home 45 - 60 minutes earlier than most. I know, but again I was right! We had a traffic slow-down the last 10 miles. At times we were crawling along and even dead-still on the highway. So when we did arrive, give our bags to the Sky Cap and in 10 minutes we were being served by the Copa agent. That allowed us time to get our “Last Supper” – well it may seem like it to the Life Training Institute students before going through the TSA line.
We passed through Panama on our way – 60 minute change of planes. Oh yes, I’d better confess before someone else “squeals”. We walked to gate 25 which was on our tickets and did not pay any attention to the sign above check-in when Dylon spotted the word “Habana”. We hustled over to our new gate and onto the runway, down the stairs to a bus and were transported to our plane. It was only about 30% occupied and we had seats with elbow room plus.
Lima immigration proved to be no problem – which is normally the case, but once getting our bags and going through the customs procedure is always exciting and this one was more than normal. I instructed the LTI team to not go through one behind the other and if possible not to use the same line as someone else.
The process is that you hand your customs forms to an agent and then push a button to see if you get a green or red light. As you guessed, the red light means running your bags through their scanner and potential inspection of contents. Marilyn was ahead of me and she got a red light, so because we were family that meant both of us had to go through inspection. I looked back and saw that the agent had turned her back and was being rushed by other travelers, so I told her to go on out and I turned down the inspection lane. She was instructed by a guard to get on out and not to wait. GREAT!
Now the fun began. I had five bags (two carry-ons, and three pieces of weight-limited bags). I proceeded to put them on the belt and circled around the machine and saw that all my bags except my large carry-on were ready to be reloaded on my cart. Then I heard the voice of an inspector telling me to open the carry-on. As I did, she asked what was in it. I told her I had two cameras, a printer and a projector used to teach with. And “NO” I did not register it because I have never been asked to do it any other time when I went through the inspection process since.
That did not suffice her and another agent came and escourted by to “Aduana” – their taxing department. I re-opened the bag for the new agent who met us and explained again. She said that I had to declare it. She looked at it and took the model number and went to her desk. I dug out a receipt I had for it and handed it through the window to try to speed the process. It worked! She stood and walked back out to me and said, “Thanks” and indicated that I could go.
This was a surprise because she did not give me any papers, nor require me to sign and documents. Translated: No problems! I was in “free.” The bottom line is this: The projector was not mine. It belonged to a pastor in Peru. He purchased it on-line, had it sent to my house to bring to Peru. I told him I would “if” I could use it while here – that was no problem. So only time was lost and we were “IN”
and once again an “angel” went before us.
Then a quick load into the new van – I should say BIG LOAD because with 5 of us and 11 bags plus carry-ons and now 2 more people and we were like a can of “sardenes” but the air-conditioning was great and we were in the new used van that the Hodges now owns.
Well, we landed at our home for two days, went through the normal “greetings,” discovered our beds and flopped into them. But this was after an hour of talking, and another hour of listening to our cook prepare for breakfast. No problem, you say! But we did not get there until 1:30 AM! The lights finally went out about 3:00 AM. Did we sleep? The majority did! Me – that is questionable!
So we are safe and the first ministry experience is behind the team and I will let them write about it. Here is the writer, Dylon to fill you in on today’s activities.
As you know, we arrived late in the early morning hours in Lima, Peru, but regardless of the time the city was still very alive. I honestly love the sights of Peru and made a comment that it was beautiful and received a few chuckles, but I still won’t take that comment back. Sure its down, pieced together with anything that can be found, and resembles a “post atomic bomb world,” as David put it, but there is jsut something about it. Its simplistic and bare necessity, but amidst that is color and character. Its as if each building is a puzzle pieced together with its own story.
We awoke for breakfast and got ready to go to a school further up the mountain in Jicamarca. It was unexpected, but a decent first place to open up the trip. The school was extremely small with about 20 five and six year olds. We went through our cup and “Garbage Mouth” routine with quite a few bumps, but all was well. The kids were very interactive and receptive the candy and prizes we had to bless them with.
We closed and the kids began to walk home down the mountain on their own. Sure it was not a municipal, crowded city, but it surprised me nonetheless. We wanted to walk them all home and carry their large books for them, but our desire was bigger than the possibility. We stood outside the school for about 15 minutes and talked, in English and Spanish, to our new friends in Jicamarca while overlooking the grand scenery. It was the definition of tranquil.
Emily and I split the teaching that night on the topic of “Living Higher.” It was a special youth service they held just to hear from us! They are a newly formed, but hungry group. The sacrifice they have here just to get to church is quite evident. It means not working, getting yourself ready in the dark sometimes, and taking however long of a journey it might be to get to Iglesia Vida. It shows how much they want to be there and when they do arrive, they are ready.
We closed the night laughing together as they each attempted their own interpretation of our glowstick routine. A very cool first day.
Thursday, April 22nd
Today was a total LTI day so I am going to forgo any comments and turn to Emily for the events.
It is now Monday April 26th, 11:38 pm in Peru and I am sitting in a hallway with Katie and Dylon while there are blogging about the previous days that we have had so far. It has taken us about an hour to write a small paragraph because of all the fun we have when we are in each others presence. Now for a summury on our Thursday.
We LTI students were all very happy to wake up around 10:30am to a wonderful breakfast prepared by David, which was pancakes with fresh pineapple juice which was delicious! Everyone changed to get started on the painting that need to be done in the children’s area at Iglesia Vida, but before that Dylon, Katie and Rosita decided to climb the mountain behind David and Ceci’s house. I stood behind to take pictures because I did not want to risk getting sick. After they came down and we began sanding down the walls and about 15 minutes later Mrs. Marilyn came out and released me from duties of sanding due to the fact that she didn’t want me to get asthma sooooooo, I washed the chairs in the church and went inside after I was done.
At around 6:30pm we started getting ready for church and Katie decided to straighten her hair so she plugged in her straightener and once she turned it off the lights in the room went off. Now Katie and I thought nothing of this but about 5 minutes later once the sun finished going down we noticed that there were no lights on in all of Jicamarca. (At least all that we could see.) Marco and Dylon had to rush to get gas for the generator so that we would be able to have church service. Once David got the generator working Katie was feeling so bad about blowing out allt he lights but was later told that it wasn’t her fault. (Having no lights for about 30 mins was an experience and thinking that it was Katie’s fault made that much better.)
Once service started we waited to be introduced by David and in the process I had a bug fly into my eye! Those who know have a good idea that I freaked out and apparently I was good entertainment for Dr. D and Dylon to laugh at. I completely missed my intro but made it in time to sing Dame Tu ojos which was better than I thought only because almost everyone sang with me! Katie danced and she interpreted the Revelations song(in spanish) amazingly. All in all the day was great considering minor bumps in the road.
Good night! 11:55pm
Friday, April 23rd
Up And At It:
The night was short and the day was long! 6:00 AM and I beat the alarm to it! Now the task of getting everyone up and doing the final packing for our trip over the Andes to Huanuco. Breakfast was light because of the upcoming altitude journey – over 14,000 feet – break with jelly or ham, fruit, tea or coffee but no milk or anything heavy. And of course everyone gets to take a pill to attempt to prevent altitude sickness. It can drop even the biggest to their knees.
We headed for the bus station at 7:45 and waited for Marco to return from parking the van. He returned from the excursion at 8:30. We had to wait another 15 minutes before we could hand our luggage to the workers and another 15 minutes before we could board.
I had requested a seat on the second level at the front. I wanted to see the sights this trip and also decided that I was not going to sleep any on the 9 hour journey. So with both cameras ready I plopped down into my seat to enjoy the views. I was not disappointed. It was an absolutely fantastic view from that position.
David Hodges and two of his nieces joined us on the trip. Only one person was affected with the altitutde and she was a Peruvian - Jovanna for those of you who know David’s nieces. We arrived at 6:30 PM and had to hurry to the hotel because the youth had a 7:00 meal scheduled at the Pastor’s house and then off to their first ministry event
Here I will let Dylon tell you about it.
We were very crammed for time, but did all we could to start the youth service promptly at Iglesia Peniel. They opened up with their own lively worship using wonderfully loud speakers and microphones at their highest level. Emily, thinking she had a prime seat in the front, left with a ringing in her ears due to being blasted by enormous sound waves. I joke and am serious at the same time, as it was overall enjoyable and as close to the worship at home as we will probably see during our time here.
I spoke on Unity and Change to a crowd of about 25-30 youth and I think it went over pretty well. They were talkative and Rosita did a terrific job translating for me. I threw Katie a bit of a curve-ball in having her do a call for salvation at the last minute, but I knew it was necessary after speaking on change. After all, the only true way to permanent change is through Jesus (John 4:23-24.) Much of the youth weren’t very sociable after service, but it was evident that they were at church with purpose, not just to be there. And I can easily say I understand how hard a language barrier is to overcome, although my Spanish is slowly improving.
The leaders concluded the night with their native tasks and responsibilities and we left to grab a small bite to eat. We stopped at a local Polleria, very popular to Huanuco and all of Peru, and had a version of papas fritas (french fries) and our first taste of Inca Cola, a tasty experiential drink that has a history of its own which I’ll have to share when we return.
We were exhausted from the very hot bus ride earlier that day and quickly headed to bed after preparing for tomorrow’s schedule. We were finally beginning to step into our flow as a team and it was a great start to an even better weekend. Love you all and greatly appreciate your prayers and support!
Saturday, April 24th
I had two assignments scheduled. Pastor Carlos had invited area pastors and his leadership to an 11:00 AM service. Problem! Only two people beside the Pastor and his wife showed up and they were from his church, so he canceled the meeting. I guess my name scared them away! In reality, I am not sure he did much to promote it but only a quick invitation. So David, who was my interpreter, were treated to a tour of the city which is nestled in a valley from the mountains that surround it. And then back to the house of our host and a meeting with the LTI youth for lunch.
Saturday evening was filled with drama! Literally! Each of the cell groups were to present a drama and I was injected into the middle. It forgoes saying that the evening was long! The team walked 5 blocks to a restaurant to fill their stomachs with Chinese cusine and then to our hotel to crash.
But lest I be thrown under-the-bus, I better let Emily share her experience from her ministry activities of the day.
The morning was amazing. It was my turn to give some of the children of Huanaco a message which was on being obedient to God. I was expecting about 40-50 kids and once we were about to start we had over 130, praise God! Katie did a skit that spoke about the widow that Elijah meet during the famine. It’s a great story that shows what being obedient and having faith through all circumstances in you’re life is all about. (1 Kings 17.)
Rosita has been my interpreter which has been a blessing. She has been able to get the messages across beautifully for all of us. After lunch, we went to a very small church but it was very impacting. Everyone who had attended participated in the games that Katie had which was on Armor of God. We were able to hear about healing that god had done on a woman’s legs.
It’s always good to hear people give praise to God for things that seem impossible in the natural. As Dr. D let you know we met up for lunch then in the evening we went to church. Dr. D shared an amazing message about being chosen to change the atmosphere. I think it was the right amount of encouragement that we all needed. Our Saturday night could not have ended on a better note than an empowering word and good dinner all together!
Sunday, April 25th
I forgot to tell you about our accommodations, not that you care but continue to read anyway. Six beds in the room with four inhabitants; a bathroom with only enough room to turn around – IF you were careful; a shower in there also but to get under the water you had to put your back against the plastic curtain; no air-conditioning and only one window. To assist with airflow we placed a small lamp table against the door while permitting it to stand ajar, knowing that if someone came in we would hear the table move. And I forgot to tell you about our “unwanted guests!” Mosquitoes! But they decided that only one person would be attacked - Marco so the rest of us were pleased!
Breakfast was brought to us by our hosts. It consisted of an fried egg sandwich with meat, but being hungry we downed it and headed out for the day – to a graduation for students who have completed the first year of studies in Pacto De Vida (Covenant Life University) and the LTI students and Peruvian assistants to minister to the children of the adults who came to the 11:00 AM graduation.
I figured we would be over by 12:00. WRONG! It wasn’t because of the speaker either! So back off! Okay? Thanks! My pride would be hurt if you didn’t! We did finish though about 2:00 and then quickly went to our hotel room, changed clothes and headed to the pastor’s for lunch. Lunch did I say! It was good but soooooooooo much food and not one of us could clean their plate. So instead of a clean plate saying it was great we had to EMPHASIZE it with words.
After some fellowship with Pastor Carlos and his wife, Lenora, we took off for our room and some rest before the evening service – all except Katie, Emily, Dylon, Rosita, Jovanna and Marco. They took a walk around the town and ended up at the hotel later.
The evening service began only 5 minutes late and the crowd, if I can use that word, kept arriving even through my message. The evening concluded with what turned out to be our favorite food for Huanuco – CHICKEN! Only because we had it every meal – in some form or other. But that is the life of missions!
We had to hurry after the service, eat those chicken sandwiches, change into travel clothes, seal our suitcases and backpacks and head to the bus station for the overnight trip back to Lima. I’ll let one of the students describe that bus trip!
To wrap up our first five days we can only say, “God was with us and He displayed His power.” And we heard a testimony from a lady we prayed for last year. In the middle of my sermon I stopped and said, “There is a person here with heart problems.” In a few minutes a lady raised her hand and came forward. This trip she said three doctors gave her three different reports about her heart. She said God had spoken to her and told her she would be healed. And in a vision she had seen herself enter a building without any family member with her. She met a doctor who told her to lay down on the cement table. He took a scaple and cut her open, took out an object and then told her to get dressed and go home. That night when she was prayed for, she fell onto the floor and when she tried to get up I told her to stay there because God was operating on her. She told us that from that moment on she had not had any problem and can do everything she could not do before.
Now for words from Katie.
Greetings from the wanna-be Peruvians. My stenographer, Dylon, is typing for me at this moment because I just finished painting my nails red. According to Marco, we were supposed to have around 100 kids in the morning and take them to the park for an outreach. Unfortunately, there were only 9 kids at the church so we ended up taking them to this little square room on the side of the church building. (Thinking now...) Learning to be as flexible as possible in overseas ministry, we quickly changed our order of events and adapted to our surroundings. We introduced ourselves, as always, and are finding intros to be awkward situations. (We welcome your suggestions and really need them.)
We opened up with our now internationally recognized cup routine. Followed by two stomps and a skit starring Emily Rodriguez and Dylon Dixon. I gave the “Garbage Mouth” lesson, which is becoming an all-time Peruvian fave. Having time to spare, we face painted with the kids. They loved it.
We then went to the Pastor’s house for lunch, which was a hilarious experience. One portion of food to them is like 3 meals to me. No joke! They served us thinly sliced fried chicken, a four normal-sized-human-being portion of rice, and a side of butter with a little bit of potato. To my disadvantage, after lifting my 8 inch piece of chicken I found two black pieces of hair. To make a long story short, that was the most interesting meal I’ve had in Peru so far.
We then got to do some sight seeing with “Marcoroni”. We got back to the room, packed our stuff, and got ready to attend church that evening. I was expecting a large crowd to come and see me dance, but I found out that I’m not as popular as I thought. I danced and Emily sang. Dr. D preached. We then received gifts from the pastors, which was very sweet and heart-warming. We were blessed by the thought they put into the gifts. (Pictures to come.)
Our bus was fabulous–two story and comfortable seats that turn into fully reclinable beds. I was affected more than others by “the pill” for altitude sickness so I fell asleep watching the Rock dance around in a tutu. I didn’t sleep too well going over the Andes mountains as the bus driver was taking the curves very sharply. I woke up several times terrified and thinking I was rolling down the mountain, but thank God I was sitting next to Rosita, our awesome translator, because as I looked into her eyes I knew I would make it back to Lima safely. What a trip. Fun times in Huanuco overall.
Monday, April 26th
We did return safely to Lima even though we arrived two hours late due to a flat tire about 5:30 AM. But that was nothing to the excitement Marilyn had. She had remained with Ceci and the boys in Jicamarca where she was to speak at the Church on Sunday since David went with me to be my interpreter. The report is that she did GOOD!
But on Monday as they were preparing to meet us here in Lima she called me and reported that the taxi driver – a man who had on Thursday given his heart to the Lord at the service at Iglesia Vida was bitten severely by “Tyson” without any provocation. Now Tyson belongs to David Hodges. The driver was bitten on the leg just above the ankle and in the process his pants were ruined as was his leather shoes. Fortunately the man was not angry nor vindictive and was smiling when they arrived an hour late to be with us.
The rest of the day was a “rest day”. We went down to coast to eat some American Food (I wonder why?) – and the students along with David and Ceci took the afternoon and evening to tour Lima and see the historical sites in central part of the city. During that time Marilyn and I returned to our “home” – the home given to us to use while we are here on this trip – so Marilyn could do the laundry and I could catch up on some needed work. Work can even be “sleeping” when you are overseas.
So now you are up-to-date on the events of this trip. We are now able to do this daily so continue to follow the exciting events of this trip.
I must now prepare to leave for Chincha.
God, bless,
Dr D, Marilyn, Dylon, Emily and Katie
Once again we have arrived in Lima with minimal problems! Ft. Myers to Miami and the check-in desk was almost a breeze all because “Yours Truly” insists on leaving home 45 - 60 minutes earlier than most. I know, but again I was right! We had a traffic slow-down the last 10 miles. At times we were crawling along and even dead-still on the highway. So when we did arrive, give our bags to the Sky Cap and in 10 minutes we were being served by the Copa agent. That allowed us time to get our “Last Supper” – well it may seem like it to the Life Training Institute students before going through the TSA line.
We passed through Panama on our way – 60 minute change of planes. Oh yes, I’d better confess before someone else “squeals”. We walked to gate 25 which was on our tickets and did not pay any attention to the sign above check-in when Dylon spotted the word “Habana”. We hustled over to our new gate and onto the runway, down the stairs to a bus and were transported to our plane. It was only about 30% occupied and we had seats with elbow room plus.
Lima immigration proved to be no problem – which is normally the case, but once getting our bags and going through the customs procedure is always exciting and this one was more than normal. I instructed the LTI team to not go through one behind the other and if possible not to use the same line as someone else.
The process is that you hand your customs forms to an agent and then push a button to see if you get a green or red light. As you guessed, the red light means running your bags through their scanner and potential inspection of contents. Marilyn was ahead of me and she got a red light, so because we were family that meant both of us had to go through inspection. I looked back and saw that the agent had turned her back and was being rushed by other travelers, so I told her to go on out and I turned down the inspection lane. She was instructed by a guard to get on out and not to wait. GREAT!
Now the fun began. I had five bags (two carry-ons, and three pieces of weight-limited bags). I proceeded to put them on the belt and circled around the machine and saw that all my bags except my large carry-on were ready to be reloaded on my cart. Then I heard the voice of an inspector telling me to open the carry-on. As I did, she asked what was in it. I told her I had two cameras, a printer and a projector used to teach with. And “NO” I did not register it because I have never been asked to do it any other time when I went through the inspection process since.
That did not suffice her and another agent came and escourted by to “Aduana” – their taxing department. I re-opened the bag for the new agent who met us and explained again. She said that I had to declare it. She looked at it and took the model number and went to her desk. I dug out a receipt I had for it and handed it through the window to try to speed the process. It worked! She stood and walked back out to me and said, “Thanks” and indicated that I could go.
This was a surprise because she did not give me any papers, nor require me to sign and documents. Translated: No problems! I was in “free.” The bottom line is this: The projector was not mine. It belonged to a pastor in Peru. He purchased it on-line, had it sent to my house to bring to Peru. I told him I would “if” I could use it while here – that was no problem. So only time was lost and we were “IN”
and once again an “angel” went before us.
Then a quick load into the new van – I should say BIG LOAD because with 5 of us and 11 bags plus carry-ons and now 2 more people and we were like a can of “sardenes” but the air-conditioning was great and we were in the new used van that the Hodges now owns.
Well, we landed at our home for two days, went through the normal “greetings,” discovered our beds and flopped into them. But this was after an hour of talking, and another hour of listening to our cook prepare for breakfast. No problem, you say! But we did not get there until 1:30 AM! The lights finally went out about 3:00 AM. Did we sleep? The majority did! Me – that is questionable!
So we are safe and the first ministry experience is behind the team and I will let them write about it. Here is the writer, Dylon to fill you in on today’s activities.
As you know, we arrived late in the early morning hours in Lima, Peru, but regardless of the time the city was still very alive. I honestly love the sights of Peru and made a comment that it was beautiful and received a few chuckles, but I still won’t take that comment back. Sure its down, pieced together with anything that can be found, and resembles a “post atomic bomb world,” as David put it, but there is jsut something about it. Its simplistic and bare necessity, but amidst that is color and character. Its as if each building is a puzzle pieced together with its own story.
We awoke for breakfast and got ready to go to a school further up the mountain in Jicamarca. It was unexpected, but a decent first place to open up the trip. The school was extremely small with about 20 five and six year olds. We went through our cup and “Garbage Mouth” routine with quite a few bumps, but all was well. The kids were very interactive and receptive the candy and prizes we had to bless them with.
We closed and the kids began to walk home down the mountain on their own. Sure it was not a municipal, crowded city, but it surprised me nonetheless. We wanted to walk them all home and carry their large books for them, but our desire was bigger than the possibility. We stood outside the school for about 15 minutes and talked, in English and Spanish, to our new friends in Jicamarca while overlooking the grand scenery. It was the definition of tranquil.
Emily and I split the teaching that night on the topic of “Living Higher.” It was a special youth service they held just to hear from us! They are a newly formed, but hungry group. The sacrifice they have here just to get to church is quite evident. It means not working, getting yourself ready in the dark sometimes, and taking however long of a journey it might be to get to Iglesia Vida. It shows how much they want to be there and when they do arrive, they are ready.
We closed the night laughing together as they each attempted their own interpretation of our glowstick routine. A very cool first day.
Thursday, April 22nd
Today was a total LTI day so I am going to forgo any comments and turn to Emily for the events.
It is now Monday April 26th, 11:38 pm in Peru and I am sitting in a hallway with Katie and Dylon while there are blogging about the previous days that we have had so far. It has taken us about an hour to write a small paragraph because of all the fun we have when we are in each others presence. Now for a summury on our Thursday.
We LTI students were all very happy to wake up around 10:30am to a wonderful breakfast prepared by David, which was pancakes with fresh pineapple juice which was delicious! Everyone changed to get started on the painting that need to be done in the children’s area at Iglesia Vida, but before that Dylon, Katie and Rosita decided to climb the mountain behind David and Ceci’s house. I stood behind to take pictures because I did not want to risk getting sick. After they came down and we began sanding down the walls and about 15 minutes later Mrs. Marilyn came out and released me from duties of sanding due to the fact that she didn’t want me to get asthma sooooooo, I washed the chairs in the church and went inside after I was done.
At around 6:30pm we started getting ready for church and Katie decided to straighten her hair so she plugged in her straightener and once she turned it off the lights in the room went off. Now Katie and I thought nothing of this but about 5 minutes later once the sun finished going down we noticed that there were no lights on in all of Jicamarca. (At least all that we could see.) Marco and Dylon had to rush to get gas for the generator so that we would be able to have church service. Once David got the generator working Katie was feeling so bad about blowing out allt he lights but was later told that it wasn’t her fault. (Having no lights for about 30 mins was an experience and thinking that it was Katie’s fault made that much better.)
Once service started we waited to be introduced by David and in the process I had a bug fly into my eye! Those who know have a good idea that I freaked out and apparently I was good entertainment for Dr. D and Dylon to laugh at. I completely missed my intro but made it in time to sing Dame Tu ojos which was better than I thought only because almost everyone sang with me! Katie danced and she interpreted the Revelations song(in spanish) amazingly. All in all the day was great considering minor bumps in the road.
Good night! 11:55pm
Friday, April 23rd
Up And At It:
The night was short and the day was long! 6:00 AM and I beat the alarm to it! Now the task of getting everyone up and doing the final packing for our trip over the Andes to Huanuco. Breakfast was light because of the upcoming altitude journey – over 14,000 feet – break with jelly or ham, fruit, tea or coffee but no milk or anything heavy. And of course everyone gets to take a pill to attempt to prevent altitude sickness. It can drop even the biggest to their knees.
We headed for the bus station at 7:45 and waited for Marco to return from parking the van. He returned from the excursion at 8:30. We had to wait another 15 minutes before we could hand our luggage to the workers and another 15 minutes before we could board.
I had requested a seat on the second level at the front. I wanted to see the sights this trip and also decided that I was not going to sleep any on the 9 hour journey. So with both cameras ready I plopped down into my seat to enjoy the views. I was not disappointed. It was an absolutely fantastic view from that position.
David Hodges and two of his nieces joined us on the trip. Only one person was affected with the altitutde and she was a Peruvian - Jovanna for those of you who know David’s nieces. We arrived at 6:30 PM and had to hurry to the hotel because the youth had a 7:00 meal scheduled at the Pastor’s house and then off to their first ministry event
Here I will let Dylon tell you about it.
We were very crammed for time, but did all we could to start the youth service promptly at Iglesia Peniel. They opened up with their own lively worship using wonderfully loud speakers and microphones at their highest level. Emily, thinking she had a prime seat in the front, left with a ringing in her ears due to being blasted by enormous sound waves. I joke and am serious at the same time, as it was overall enjoyable and as close to the worship at home as we will probably see during our time here.
I spoke on Unity and Change to a crowd of about 25-30 youth and I think it went over pretty well. They were talkative and Rosita did a terrific job translating for me. I threw Katie a bit of a curve-ball in having her do a call for salvation at the last minute, but I knew it was necessary after speaking on change. After all, the only true way to permanent change is through Jesus (John 4:23-24.) Much of the youth weren’t very sociable after service, but it was evident that they were at church with purpose, not just to be there. And I can easily say I understand how hard a language barrier is to overcome, although my Spanish is slowly improving.
The leaders concluded the night with their native tasks and responsibilities and we left to grab a small bite to eat. We stopped at a local Polleria, very popular to Huanuco and all of Peru, and had a version of papas fritas (french fries) and our first taste of Inca Cola, a tasty experiential drink that has a history of its own which I’ll have to share when we return.
We were exhausted from the very hot bus ride earlier that day and quickly headed to bed after preparing for tomorrow’s schedule. We were finally beginning to step into our flow as a team and it was a great start to an even better weekend. Love you all and greatly appreciate your prayers and support!
Saturday, April 24th
I had two assignments scheduled. Pastor Carlos had invited area pastors and his leadership to an 11:00 AM service. Problem! Only two people beside the Pastor and his wife showed up and they were from his church, so he canceled the meeting. I guess my name scared them away! In reality, I am not sure he did much to promote it but only a quick invitation. So David, who was my interpreter, were treated to a tour of the city which is nestled in a valley from the mountains that surround it. And then back to the house of our host and a meeting with the LTI youth for lunch.
Saturday evening was filled with drama! Literally! Each of the cell groups were to present a drama and I was injected into the middle. It forgoes saying that the evening was long! The team walked 5 blocks to a restaurant to fill their stomachs with Chinese cusine and then to our hotel to crash.
But lest I be thrown under-the-bus, I better let Emily share her experience from her ministry activities of the day.
The morning was amazing. It was my turn to give some of the children of Huanaco a message which was on being obedient to God. I was expecting about 40-50 kids and once we were about to start we had over 130, praise God! Katie did a skit that spoke about the widow that Elijah meet during the famine. It’s a great story that shows what being obedient and having faith through all circumstances in you’re life is all about. (1 Kings 17.)
Rosita has been my interpreter which has been a blessing. She has been able to get the messages across beautifully for all of us. After lunch, we went to a very small church but it was very impacting. Everyone who had attended participated in the games that Katie had which was on Armor of God. We were able to hear about healing that god had done on a woman’s legs.
It’s always good to hear people give praise to God for things that seem impossible in the natural. As Dr. D let you know we met up for lunch then in the evening we went to church. Dr. D shared an amazing message about being chosen to change the atmosphere. I think it was the right amount of encouragement that we all needed. Our Saturday night could not have ended on a better note than an empowering word and good dinner all together!
Sunday, April 25th
I forgot to tell you about our accommodations, not that you care but continue to read anyway. Six beds in the room with four inhabitants; a bathroom with only enough room to turn around – IF you were careful; a shower in there also but to get under the water you had to put your back against the plastic curtain; no air-conditioning and only one window. To assist with airflow we placed a small lamp table against the door while permitting it to stand ajar, knowing that if someone came in we would hear the table move. And I forgot to tell you about our “unwanted guests!” Mosquitoes! But they decided that only one person would be attacked - Marco so the rest of us were pleased!
Breakfast was brought to us by our hosts. It consisted of an fried egg sandwich with meat, but being hungry we downed it and headed out for the day – to a graduation for students who have completed the first year of studies in Pacto De Vida (Covenant Life University) and the LTI students and Peruvian assistants to minister to the children of the adults who came to the 11:00 AM graduation.
I figured we would be over by 12:00. WRONG! It wasn’t because of the speaker either! So back off! Okay? Thanks! My pride would be hurt if you didn’t! We did finish though about 2:00 and then quickly went to our hotel room, changed clothes and headed to the pastor’s for lunch. Lunch did I say! It was good but soooooooooo much food and not one of us could clean their plate. So instead of a clean plate saying it was great we had to EMPHASIZE it with words.
After some fellowship with Pastor Carlos and his wife, Lenora, we took off for our room and some rest before the evening service – all except Katie, Emily, Dylon, Rosita, Jovanna and Marco. They took a walk around the town and ended up at the hotel later.
The evening service began only 5 minutes late and the crowd, if I can use that word, kept arriving even through my message. The evening concluded with what turned out to be our favorite food for Huanuco – CHICKEN! Only because we had it every meal – in some form or other. But that is the life of missions!
We had to hurry after the service, eat those chicken sandwiches, change into travel clothes, seal our suitcases and backpacks and head to the bus station for the overnight trip back to Lima. I’ll let one of the students describe that bus trip!
To wrap up our first five days we can only say, “God was with us and He displayed His power.” And we heard a testimony from a lady we prayed for last year. In the middle of my sermon I stopped and said, “There is a person here with heart problems.” In a few minutes a lady raised her hand and came forward. This trip she said three doctors gave her three different reports about her heart. She said God had spoken to her and told her she would be healed. And in a vision she had seen herself enter a building without any family member with her. She met a doctor who told her to lay down on the cement table. He took a scaple and cut her open, took out an object and then told her to get dressed and go home. That night when she was prayed for, she fell onto the floor and when she tried to get up I told her to stay there because God was operating on her. She told us that from that moment on she had not had any problem and can do everything she could not do before.
Now for words from Katie.
Greetings from the wanna-be Peruvians. My stenographer, Dylon, is typing for me at this moment because I just finished painting my nails red. According to Marco, we were supposed to have around 100 kids in the morning and take them to the park for an outreach. Unfortunately, there were only 9 kids at the church so we ended up taking them to this little square room on the side of the church building. (Thinking now...) Learning to be as flexible as possible in overseas ministry, we quickly changed our order of events and adapted to our surroundings. We introduced ourselves, as always, and are finding intros to be awkward situations. (We welcome your suggestions and really need them.)
We opened up with our now internationally recognized cup routine. Followed by two stomps and a skit starring Emily Rodriguez and Dylon Dixon. I gave the “Garbage Mouth” lesson, which is becoming an all-time Peruvian fave. Having time to spare, we face painted with the kids. They loved it.
We then went to the Pastor’s house for lunch, which was a hilarious experience. One portion of food to them is like 3 meals to me. No joke! They served us thinly sliced fried chicken, a four normal-sized-human-being portion of rice, and a side of butter with a little bit of potato. To my disadvantage, after lifting my 8 inch piece of chicken I found two black pieces of hair. To make a long story short, that was the most interesting meal I’ve had in Peru so far.
We then got to do some sight seeing with “Marcoroni”. We got back to the room, packed our stuff, and got ready to attend church that evening. I was expecting a large crowd to come and see me dance, but I found out that I’m not as popular as I thought. I danced and Emily sang. Dr. D preached. We then received gifts from the pastors, which was very sweet and heart-warming. We were blessed by the thought they put into the gifts. (Pictures to come.)
Our bus was fabulous–two story and comfortable seats that turn into fully reclinable beds. I was affected more than others by “the pill” for altitude sickness so I fell asleep watching the Rock dance around in a tutu. I didn’t sleep too well going over the Andes mountains as the bus driver was taking the curves very sharply. I woke up several times terrified and thinking I was rolling down the mountain, but thank God I was sitting next to Rosita, our awesome translator, because as I looked into her eyes I knew I would make it back to Lima safely. What a trip. Fun times in Huanuco overall.
Monday, April 26th
We did return safely to Lima even though we arrived two hours late due to a flat tire about 5:30 AM. But that was nothing to the excitement Marilyn had. She had remained with Ceci and the boys in Jicamarca where she was to speak at the Church on Sunday since David went with me to be my interpreter. The report is that she did GOOD!
But on Monday as they were preparing to meet us here in Lima she called me and reported that the taxi driver – a man who had on Thursday given his heart to the Lord at the service at Iglesia Vida was bitten severely by “Tyson” without any provocation. Now Tyson belongs to David Hodges. The driver was bitten on the leg just above the ankle and in the process his pants were ruined as was his leather shoes. Fortunately the man was not angry nor vindictive and was smiling when they arrived an hour late to be with us.
The rest of the day was a “rest day”. We went down to coast to eat some American Food (I wonder why?) – and the students along with David and Ceci took the afternoon and evening to tour Lima and see the historical sites in central part of the city. During that time Marilyn and I returned to our “home” – the home given to us to use while we are here on this trip – so Marilyn could do the laundry and I could catch up on some needed work. Work can even be “sleeping” when you are overseas.
So now you are up-to-date on the events of this trip. We are now able to do this daily so continue to follow the exciting events of this trip.
I must now prepare to leave for Chincha.
God, bless,
Dr D, Marilyn, Dylon, Emily and Katie
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
IT IS FINISHED! THIS TRIP THAT IS!
This is blog “#7" and since that is a perfect number, I will complete my task of informing you of the happenings since Friday, February 26th.
Saturday, February 27th:
We will skip talking about “sleep” since “sleep” tried its best to “skip” me and get on to the real activity which took place after departing from my abode with the Falcons – not “birds” but Dr. Roger and Magaly Faclon, the assistant pastor of Iglesia Centro Christiano De Avivamiento where I spoke on Friday evening.
I think it was about 3:00 when Marco and I headed for Principe de Paz (Prince of Peace) to meet with Pastor Gilberto Varillas and the students enrolled in Pacto De Vida. Again, no one can tell you in words the experience of deriving anywhere in Lima without using at least a video so you can visualize what takes place.
We arrived a few minutes early for the 4:30 appointment and what I thought was a time to personally meet the students and share 5-10 minutes more information about the college program. But as it turned out we did not leave there until 7:30 PM. So the event was filled with greetings from the Pastor and then it was my turn. When I finished sharing the scope of the Covenant Life University (Pacto De Vida) I started to return to my seat and was greeted with “now minister the Word!”
So being the “instant in season and out of season” leader, I obediently complied. Now, I never go anywhere for any meetings without taking something to deliver to the people, “just in case” and this was a time for the “in case.” And for the next one (1) hour I delivered what was on my heart – in fact it was a shortened version of Lecture #1 of a class on Leadership which I will be recording for the Spanish contingent of our educational program. I promptly sat down when finished
The pastor then asked each person there, students and other Church members to stand and introduce themselves and tell me how long they had been serving God and anything else they wanted to say. So I returned to the front so I could personally greet them and establish a more personal conversation with them. As the proceeded, the anointing began to stir me and I prayed and prophesied what God was speaking to me regarding their lives. S000000000000000000 – you’ve got the idea – the whole event extended our stay.
The most interesting event then took place. Ten more people approached the pastor and told him they wanted to be a student. So we went from 14 to 24 students in the process of visiting the extension.
This was followed up by a video depicting the ministry of the Church to two areas of poor youth and children in there area. These people are not even in what we would consider “middle class” area of their city (part of the metroplex of Lima) but they have a heart for those who are not as fortunate.
The children to whom they minister live in an area where the garbage and trash trucks dump their “goods” and the people who live there go through and “recycle” anything that is “recyclable”. Now that is “some job” but that is the way the majority make their living.
One hour after leaving we arrived at Nuevas Fuerzas, the Church pastored by Agustin and Jessica Ciccia and my bed for the remainder of this trip. But one thing I keep forgetting is that the Ciccias are so hospitable and tender toward others who are having a tough time, that frequently there may be as many as 8 +/- additional people staying in the house. So it was and is on this occasion. My room was “supposed to have at three more men/young men in the room with me. But God used one of my “problems” to scare two of them away for the night and every night since I have had the room to myself.
You are asking “what problem”? It isn’t a problem to me! But it is a problem to others! I SNORE! Apparently they were so taken back and afraid of sleeping that two of them went to the third floor and slept on the floor! Thank God for “snoring!” Now I do not do it all the time, but I was and they “fled.”
Sunday, February 28th
In the morning I ministered the word here at Nuevas Fuerzas (New Strength) and at 3:30 Marco arrived to take me to Iglesia Vida (Life Church) where David and Ceci Hodges live and minister.
I learned that there has been more violence. Someone “bombed” or at least “blew-up” some piece of equipment related to electricity (transformer or something) on Wednesday and there had also been occasion of brutality on some residents as well as the “squatters” who are attempting to move in and possess the mountains and the land belonging to those who are already there. Fortunately the electricity was on and no more violence had transpired since so we worshiped, prayed, preached the Word and then spent time in fellowship with a bowl of Ten Bean Soup over rice.
We concluded the evening by packing eight people into a car designed for 5 maximum and with 5 it is close in the back seat. The others were members of Ceci’s family who were there for the service and to avoid a lengthy bus ride we dropped them off about two blocks from the family home.
Monday and Tuesday - March 1st & 2nd:
I had plans to video for approximately 4-6 hours on Monday and concluding whatever was yet to be done but because the Spanish was not yet complete, it was required that I “punt” (using the football analogy when you cannot advance the football any longer).
The activity for Monday was a “breakfast” appointment with Peter and Blanca Wollensack who have been living here in Peru for about 5 years. They have been using the ISOM cuniculus (which we also use for the first one and one-half years of study). Their desire is to network with us and be able to see those who have completed their studies under them be able to continue their educational studies in the Bible and for pastors to attain their Bachelor’s degree.
Now a “breakfast” appointment does not mean a trip to a “breakfast restaurant” (whatever your favorite one may be.) My breakfast consisted of a pork sandwich with sweet potatoes, onions, lettuce between the typical Peruvian “hard bun” and a glass of juice – fresh squeezed juice – I had pineapple and guava.
The place was almost empty for the first 45 minutes, then suddenly two swarms of workers from the surrounding offices began to fill the place and eat their “breakfast” – the have a “breakfast break” about 10:00 AM. They also ate similar sandwiches.
The rest of Monday was spent taking care of records, etc. and a trip to the super market with Agustin and Jessica. I do not usually go to WalMart with Marilyn but because I was invited, and needed to spend some time with them, I accepted.
It was an experience! The store was jammed with shoppers. It is a BIG SUPER MARKET and had so many customers that it was next to impossible to find a shopping cart. We did and we filled it and proceeded to return home.
The only “known activity” today is a 5:00 meeting with Pastor Gustavo Rodriquez of Iglesia Centro Christiano De Avivamiento who returned home early Saturday morning. He seems to leave the country when I am coming to Peru and so I seem to “leave” the country when he comes to the US. Therefore this meeting is important to both of us.
Thanks for your prayers
Dr D
Saturday, February 27th:
We will skip talking about “sleep” since “sleep” tried its best to “skip” me and get on to the real activity which took place after departing from my abode with the Falcons – not “birds” but Dr. Roger and Magaly Faclon, the assistant pastor of Iglesia Centro Christiano De Avivamiento where I spoke on Friday evening.
I think it was about 3:00 when Marco and I headed for Principe de Paz (Prince of Peace) to meet with Pastor Gilberto Varillas and the students enrolled in Pacto De Vida. Again, no one can tell you in words the experience of deriving anywhere in Lima without using at least a video so you can visualize what takes place.
We arrived a few minutes early for the 4:30 appointment and what I thought was a time to personally meet the students and share 5-10 minutes more information about the college program. But as it turned out we did not leave there until 7:30 PM. So the event was filled with greetings from the Pastor and then it was my turn. When I finished sharing the scope of the Covenant Life University (Pacto De Vida) I started to return to my seat and was greeted with “now minister the Word!”
So being the “instant in season and out of season” leader, I obediently complied. Now, I never go anywhere for any meetings without taking something to deliver to the people, “just in case” and this was a time for the “in case.” And for the next one (1) hour I delivered what was on my heart – in fact it was a shortened version of Lecture #1 of a class on Leadership which I will be recording for the Spanish contingent of our educational program. I promptly sat down when finished
The pastor then asked each person there, students and other Church members to stand and introduce themselves and tell me how long they had been serving God and anything else they wanted to say. So I returned to the front so I could personally greet them and establish a more personal conversation with them. As the proceeded, the anointing began to stir me and I prayed and prophesied what God was speaking to me regarding their lives. S000000000000000000 – you’ve got the idea – the whole event extended our stay.
The most interesting event then took place. Ten more people approached the pastor and told him they wanted to be a student. So we went from 14 to 24 students in the process of visiting the extension.
This was followed up by a video depicting the ministry of the Church to two areas of poor youth and children in there area. These people are not even in what we would consider “middle class” area of their city (part of the metroplex of Lima) but they have a heart for those who are not as fortunate.
The children to whom they minister live in an area where the garbage and trash trucks dump their “goods” and the people who live there go through and “recycle” anything that is “recyclable”. Now that is “some job” but that is the way the majority make their living.
One hour after leaving we arrived at Nuevas Fuerzas, the Church pastored by Agustin and Jessica Ciccia and my bed for the remainder of this trip. But one thing I keep forgetting is that the Ciccias are so hospitable and tender toward others who are having a tough time, that frequently there may be as many as 8 +/- additional people staying in the house. So it was and is on this occasion. My room was “supposed to have at three more men/young men in the room with me. But God used one of my “problems” to scare two of them away for the night and every night since I have had the room to myself.
You are asking “what problem”? It isn’t a problem to me! But it is a problem to others! I SNORE! Apparently they were so taken back and afraid of sleeping that two of them went to the third floor and slept on the floor! Thank God for “snoring!” Now I do not do it all the time, but I was and they “fled.”
Sunday, February 28th
In the morning I ministered the word here at Nuevas Fuerzas (New Strength) and at 3:30 Marco arrived to take me to Iglesia Vida (Life Church) where David and Ceci Hodges live and minister.
I learned that there has been more violence. Someone “bombed” or at least “blew-up” some piece of equipment related to electricity (transformer or something) on Wednesday and there had also been occasion of brutality on some residents as well as the “squatters” who are attempting to move in and possess the mountains and the land belonging to those who are already there. Fortunately the electricity was on and no more violence had transpired since so we worshiped, prayed, preached the Word and then spent time in fellowship with a bowl of Ten Bean Soup over rice.
We concluded the evening by packing eight people into a car designed for 5 maximum and with 5 it is close in the back seat. The others were members of Ceci’s family who were there for the service and to avoid a lengthy bus ride we dropped them off about two blocks from the family home.
Monday and Tuesday - March 1st & 2nd:
I had plans to video for approximately 4-6 hours on Monday and concluding whatever was yet to be done but because the Spanish was not yet complete, it was required that I “punt” (using the football analogy when you cannot advance the football any longer).
The activity for Monday was a “breakfast” appointment with Peter and Blanca Wollensack who have been living here in Peru for about 5 years. They have been using the ISOM cuniculus (which we also use for the first one and one-half years of study). Their desire is to network with us and be able to see those who have completed their studies under them be able to continue their educational studies in the Bible and for pastors to attain their Bachelor’s degree.
Now a “breakfast” appointment does not mean a trip to a “breakfast restaurant” (whatever your favorite one may be.) My breakfast consisted of a pork sandwich with sweet potatoes, onions, lettuce between the typical Peruvian “hard bun” and a glass of juice – fresh squeezed juice – I had pineapple and guava.
The place was almost empty for the first 45 minutes, then suddenly two swarms of workers from the surrounding offices began to fill the place and eat their “breakfast” – the have a “breakfast break” about 10:00 AM. They also ate similar sandwiches.
The rest of Monday was spent taking care of records, etc. and a trip to the super market with Agustin and Jessica. I do not usually go to WalMart with Marilyn but because I was invited, and needed to spend some time with them, I accepted.
It was an experience! The store was jammed with shoppers. It is a BIG SUPER MARKET and had so many customers that it was next to impossible to find a shopping cart. We did and we filled it and proceeded to return home.
The only “known activity” today is a 5:00 meeting with Pastor Gustavo Rodriquez of Iglesia Centro Christiano De Avivamiento who returned home early Saturday morning. He seems to leave the country when I am coming to Peru and so I seem to “leave” the country when he comes to the US. Therefore this meeting is important to both of us.
Thanks for your prayers
Dr D
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Catching UP!
Wednesday, February 24
This was the day to “shift gears”. First we had breakfast with Jenny Rodriquez at her house then we ventured out onto the streets to take Mark and Rachel to the airport and their return to US soil. And being the “strong man that I am” I was able to enjoy fellowship at Starbucks (or should that have been “week man”) where we were joined by Magaly Falcon, Jenny’s sister who works just a couple of blocks from the terminal and is involved with shipping of zinc products around the world. She is the wife of Dr. Roger Falcon who is also the assistant Pastor of the Church where they worship – Gustavo, Jenny’s husband is the pastor.
Marco and I then returned to pick up my belongings from the Clowers’ apartment at the IPHC Church and move everything to the Falcon residence for three nights. This was so I would be in the center and closer to where everything was happening for the next four days.
We picked up David Hodges at 5:00 PM and drove to my speaking engagement at Communidad Cristiana La Vina, pastored by Guillermo Sifuentes and his wife Lissett. The journey required that we leave the Falcon residence at 3:45 to pick up David at his house and be on our way from there at 5:00 so we could be at the church for a 7:00 service. If you could see the traffic at that time of day you would understand about the travel situation that is utter “chaos”.
As is common in this part of the world, many do not have vehicles and take the bus which when traffic is bad will make the Church service begin late – just to avoid confusion. It did and that make the conclusion take place at a late hour. That was because I was to teach two approximately one hour sessions. I made it and the hour was late which made it almost midnight by the time we dropped David Hodges off and make out way to the Falcon residence.
The day ended as the new day began!
Thursday, February 25
I got to sleep a little late and found out that my scheduled appointment had been cancelled making the day an almost “free day.” It allowed Marco and me time to go van shopping – that is looking. Success was not in the picture. All vans we found were too beat up and too high to even consider. So after 3 hours we called it quits and returned to the Falcon residence to enjoy the evening and permit me to make some decisions regarding the material for Friday nights engagement.
I did a “Babel Fish” translation of the student outline of my lecture into Spanish just to assist Roger who would then be able to correct the final so I could make a PowerPoint Presentation for those attending. We made it by 11:30 PM and called it a day.
Friday, February 26
Up earlier than I wanted to but I got my day started and it went from there. For our 11:30 appointment we shoved off by 10:00 and forced our way through the traffic and arrived on the other side of Lima and climb the mountains, flew down the other side and followed our host, Gene Gayle – a missionary from southern Louisiana to the vacation house where he and his family were staying. They had to come into Lima to renew their residency in Peru and get their new documents.
Gene is interested in establishing an extensions of Pacto de Vida in his city, Peor. It was a good time of sharing experiences, discoveries and concerns for the people of Peru. And of course! I cannot forget the sirloin steak! Delicious! And so was the salad with a special tomato, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and something else all put through a blender.
2:30PM arrived and we had to cut short our visit and return to Lima proper to be ready to depart of for the evening service – family seminar at Iglesia Centro Christiano De Avivamiento pastored by Gustavo & Jenny Rodriquez.
As seems to be the case more than not, Pastor Gustavo and I cannot seem to get our schedules together. When I am in Peru, he is gone. When he is in the United States, I am gone. There must be something wrong with both of us if both of us keep trying to avoid the other. If you can determine the problem, please — oh forget it! We really like each other, or I would not be speaking to his people.
But it was one of “those nights!” The fuse box burned up one breaker just before starting time. It seemed like an hour before they accomplished getting “some” electricity on. We had only lights in the back half. Extension cords kept my computer and the projector and video camera going. BUT!!! It as next to impossible to see my notes. That made for many confusing statements that made it very difficult for the interpreter. It is the only time I have walked away from any service of meeting on any trip outside the US and felt like I blew it! I still am not sure of what I said.
And to make matters worse, I was depending upon getting a good video of it to add to others on the subject of marriage to complete a course for the University. I had to forget including the PowerPoint in the video and after looking at what I did get – I really got almost nothing that is usable.
But ONWARD AND UPWARDS! That is the way the old ball bounces!
It is now Saturday AM and I quit!
Love,
Dr D
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A SABBATH TUESDAY - IF SHOPPING IS A DAY OF REST!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The “rush” was over but the activity did not produce a full rest only a different mode but it did provide a break from the pressure. And since this as the last full day for Mark and Rachel it was necessary for them to get a view of the city, its food and its shopping extremes.
What better place than to begin the day with lunch a “Rustica”. It is a quaint but large place where they serve buffet style with Peruvian food. Ceviche of three types; potatoes with their special sauce; fried blood - but no one with us would touch it; Lomo Saltado; “purple corn drink” and time nor space permit the listing of it all (only because I can’t remember all the different dishes).
Then over to the Inca Mall for some tourist treasures. And who could go to Lima without venturing to Polvos Azules (Blue Dust). It is one small cubical after another of all kinds of clothing, gadgets, records, tapes, videos and anything you desire (almost). And if you are not satisfied, as Rachel wasn’t then off to a typical style US Mall! And thank goodness to be able to gt a Café Vanilla Frap from Starbucks.
We finally returned to our apartment and wrapped up all financial transactions, records, etc. and then watched “Invictus” before retiring for the night. Honestly, I retired Wednesday morning after completing preparation for teaching on Wednesday evening.
So, now it is on to new adventures with Jesus for the next week.
God bless and thanks for your prayers,
Dr D with Mark and Rachel
The “rush” was over but the activity did not produce a full rest only a different mode but it did provide a break from the pressure. And since this as the last full day for Mark and Rachel it was necessary for them to get a view of the city, its food and its shopping extremes.
What better place than to begin the day with lunch a “Rustica”. It is a quaint but large place where they serve buffet style with Peruvian food. Ceviche of three types; potatoes with their special sauce; fried blood - but no one with us would touch it; Lomo Saltado; “purple corn drink” and time nor space permit the listing of it all (only because I can’t remember all the different dishes).
Then over to the Inca Mall for some tourist treasures. And who could go to Lima without venturing to Polvos Azules (Blue Dust). It is one small cubical after another of all kinds of clothing, gadgets, records, tapes, videos and anything you desire (almost). And if you are not satisfied, as Rachel wasn’t then off to a typical style US Mall! And thank goodness to be able to gt a Café Vanilla Frap from Starbucks.
We finally returned to our apartment and wrapped up all financial transactions, records, etc. and then watched “Invictus” before retiring for the night. Honestly, I retired Wednesday morning after completing preparation for teaching on Wednesday evening.
So, now it is on to new adventures with Jesus for the next week.
God bless and thanks for your prayers,
Dr D with Mark and Rachel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
