I am really behind on my posts, so I am going to do two separate ones about recent events. Just a few short weeks ago we celebrated our 2nd anniversary here in Peru and our first anniversary since the inauguration of the Ayllu congregation. I’ll start with the anniversary of the church here, since that’s why many of you read this blog. At the end of October, we celebrated our first anniversary with the Ayllu congregation. The past year has been a huge blessing and it’s really neat to look back and think of all the new friends we’ve made and the new Christians that are now working with us. It hasn’t been without its challenges, and I know there will be more to come in the future. But overall, we feel very blessed to be a part of the work here. It’s been a great learning experience, not just that we’re having to do everything in a language and culture that are foreign to us, but also in the way God can work in people’s lives and how the gospel really can change people for the good. We’ve learned that there are many challenges and struggles in trying to help new Christians grow, especially when many times the culture here dictates a different view on what commitment really is. A lot of Catholics here in the city are accustomed to church being a small part of their life. They go to mass once a month, or less, and celebrate the big holidays. But it’s more of a background thought than a major part of how they see the world and live in it. So one of the big challenges we face here is getting our new converts and regular visitors to really embrace Christianity and let it change every aspect of their lives, rather than have the church just be a place they go one Sunday a month. Please pray for us in these challenges.
Many of you were able to come down and work with us on some of the various campaigns we held throughout the year, and we want to express our gratitude once again for your help and support, whether you physically came or whether your donations and prayers made our work possible. We kicked off with an Inauguration Campaign last October, which ended with the first official service as the Ayllu congregation. Over 200 were in attendance that day, and we made lots of new contacts that are still working with us today. We also had a program of English classes that the campaigners used as a way to introduce the church to the surrounding community. In March, we held a medical campaign and were able to help around 850 patients, and lots of new Bible studies were set up. Once again, some of the people we met that week are still working with us as a valuable part of our church today. In July, we had a team of 8 college students from Freed-Hardeman University come and work with us for a 6 week program of English classes using the Bible. One of the campaigners had the blessing of baptizing one of his students, and we really enjoyed forming some new relationships both with the campaigners and with the students they helped. And then last month we held a carnival/family seminar that you can read about in the previous post. We are so grateful to have been able to help our community and make lots of new contacts through the efforts of these campaigns.
Additionally, the end of last month marked two years that we have been living and working in Peru. It’s difficult for me to express to you what a huge blessing the last two years have been to our lives. We have had the blessing of becoming bilingual, and while the process of learning Spanish hasn’t always been fun, it’s a lot of fun to be able to speak and work in two languages now. There are still new words and phrases that we learn on a regular basis, but overall we have grown very comfortable with the language here. It’s also a lot of fun to watch the kids on the team start to understand and communicate more and more in Spanish. Cole can follow many commands in Spanish, and many times he greets people and says goodbye (chao) to them in Spanish without us having to prompt him. It’s also neat to hear him ask to pray for some of the people he’s met through the church here. It just warms my heart to hear him request to pray for “Alboto” (Alberto), Marco, “Chora” (Melchora) and “Edira” (Yedira), people he never would have met or formed relationships with had we not made the decision to come here to Peru. I’ve learned to cook lots of new dishes, and learned new ways to cook some of my favorite dishes from back home. I now can successfully cook lots of dishes at a high altitude (11,500 feet) although some things still allude me (layer cakes and chocolate chip cookies)! I’ve tried tons of Peruvian food, which is rich with new flavors and combinations that I would have never thought to try before. I’ve heard before that Peru has one of the widest variety of different dishes in the world, and I believe it. And most Peruvians (both men and women) can really cook! I’m always amazed at how well they navigate themselves around the kitchen. We’ve learned where to buy little odds and ends around the city, and we’ve found lots of great restaurants and parks. We’ve been able to take several trips and vacations to see various parts of Peru, which is also rich in geographical diversity. We’ve traveled from the peaks of the mountains through the rich valleys, through deserts, beaches, and islands and even through the jungles (the guys are the only ones so far to have this experience). We’ve both embraced and become incredibly frustrated by cultural difference between “us” and “them”, but we’ve learned a lot through the process. We’ve had several family members and friends come down to visit us and we look forward to more visits in the future. Through the confusion and frustration, we really have come to love our life here in Cusco, Peru.
I’d like to post a year in review in photos but haven’t had the chance yet so be watching for that soon.
