Help from the Hills

Hard goodbyes

2012-02-04T22:08:00.000-06:00

As my time in Cusco comes to a close, I have been able to see and spend time with dear friends have started having to say some sad goodbyes. Yesterday I went to visit and say goodbye to the kids at La Casa Josefina. I was glad to see all the kids after being away for so long. It was so sweet to get hugged and tackled by them and just enjoy being around them and playing with them.

My time with the kids at La Casa Josefina has been one of my favorite things in Cusco and I will dearly miss spending time with all of them. As I think about Jesus’ love for orphans, I am so thankful for the people involved in this ministry and how they love all the children. As I have witnessed a few children come into the home, they are sometimes in shock and are a bit withdrawn. Its been neat to watch as they gradually become more open and thrive on being loved by the people who care for them.

I feel privileged to have had a glimpse of what God is doing through his people in this ministry and am thankful to have met all of the kids. This was one place I will dearly miss after I go back to the States, but am encouraged by everyone who cares for and have a special love for the kids. And, I’m thankful for the time I was given to love on each and every sweet kid, it’s been great!

some of the funnest and silliest kids I've ever known

Change

2012-02-02T06:37:00.000-06:00

Well, it’s been a wild ride these past three years, but change is coming. In the next couple of weeks I will be transitioning out of life in Cusco and back into the States.

As I prepare to make this transition out of Cusco, I am happy to be around dear friends, others I have met in my time here, adventures I have gone on, the breath taking mountains around me, spring weather, great food, speaking in Spanish, sweet kids at La Casa Josefina, and so much more. I am sad to leave many things here in Cusco, but am thankful that God has made it clear to me that it’s time to come back to life in the States. I am excited to be closer to family, friends and my home church, to renew precious relationships and be involved in my church in the States.

In a little under a week, I’ll be traveling back to the States into the dreadful cold, but on the upside, I’m looking forward to being around friends and family, for new beginnings, and...........to seeing what's next.

Paseo!!

2011-12-14T20:14:00.000-06:00

This week seems to be flying by as Friday (the day I leave for Baltimore) is right around the corner. Yesterday I got to spend some time with some of my favorite peeps here. It was so good to spend time with all the kiddos at the Josephine before I’m away for a while. After the 40 min walk there, I can’t help but smile when I’m greeted by all the kids.

Yesterday we went on a little paseo (“field-trip”). It was just down the road to a little store to get some Gatorade as a special treat for all the kids to share, but I was amazed at how excited the kids were about it and how much they enjoyed it. It was fun to see them so interested in different things on the way, like trees they haven’t seen, flowers, and of course, the chanchos(pigs). I did end up carrying one of then kids on the way back, but it was well worth it.

I’m glad to have had the chance to spend some time with all the kids(and 4 infants) before leaving Cusco for a bit. It will be good to see them when I get back.

the long road back....

Snack time after the long walk

one of the newest additions to the JH, cute little Samuel at 3wks

nail polish is an amazing thing...

painting rocks with the boys!

sweet Adriano!

Rain!

2011-12-10T14:26:00.000-06:00

I think rainy season has finally arrived. A couple of weeks I got a new raincoat in preparation for rainy season. Sadly, I haven't worn it all that much, but have managed to get caught in the rain unprepared a few times. Typically here, the day starts out beautiful and sunny with almost no clouds in the sky and then by 2-5ish anything goes as far as rain is concerned. It can last anywhere from 10 minutes of light to hours of heavy rain(sometimes hail) with flood like conditions. I guess I still haven't learned my lesson yet, but it just feels silly to be wearing a heavy rain coat when I leave the house in the morning with the sun shining brightly.

The foto below is a shot from beautiful rain shower the other day. It was one of the coolest rain storms I've ever seen. My apartment is on the 4th floor, so I got a sweet view of it all.

Home for Christmas

2011-12-01T17:48:00.000-06:00

I’ve never been a huge fan of decorating the tree and playing Christmas music right after Thanksgiving, but it seems like this year I don’t have much choice in the matter since I’ll be in Cusco only til the 16^th of this month. I’m super excited to go to the States for Christmas, see family and friends ,but also a bit sad to miss all the Christmas fun here. I guess you can’t have everything…. At least for now my house is all decorated, the tree is up, the Christmas is on, and I have plenty of Christmas cookies in my house.

I’m hoping for a white Christmas or at least snow at some point during my visit (and hopefully my body won’t go into shock from the cold).

the tree is up!! hopefully the cat won't bring it down...

the makeshift tree topper

Christmas is coming!!

2011-12-01T17:18:00.002-06:00

I’m so excited that the Christmas season has officially arrived for me. Christmas in Cusco always seems a bit strange for me, mainly because it doesn’t feel like Christmas at all. Since our weather is opposite the weather in the States (we’re in the middle of spring and coming up on summer, which the kids here are getting excited about) it doesn’t feel like the right time of year to be having Christmas.

This past week I was tasked with making a few dozen cookies for a Christmas cookie exchange. AAACK!! I’m a huge fan of baking, but I’ve had a bit of bakers anxiety since moving to Cusco at an altitude of 11,000 feet. Over the past year I’ve been able to get a handle on breads and cakes, but for some reason, cookies haven’t ever worked out for me. But, I went ahead and attempted one of my favorite Christmas cookies. To my surprise, they turned out great! I was so excited, especially since some valuable imports from the States were used to make the cookies.

It’s a really good thing they turned out well since they ended up making more than 5 dozen. Otherwise, I would have had a lot of cookies to get rid of….. yay!! Christmas is coming!!

yay for peanut blossems!!

Raining

2011-11-27T14:32:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like rainy season has finally arrived. The past couple of months, I've been enjoying some lovely sunsets from my apartment, so I just wanted to share with you all.
Enjoy!


and.......this was the first good rain for the start of rainy season, which has put an end to the beautiful sunsets

change up

2011-11-12T14:41:00.000-06:00

This past week we had a huge team from all over the world to do a medical campaign in Cusco for a few days and then in outlying areas for another couple of days,. It has been a bit of a change from normal daily life here.

Pretty much every day was super busy with lots and lots of patients. I helped out with triage most of the days. One of the days I was curious about how long patients were waiting to be seen, so I asked one of the patients how long they had been waiting and she told me that she had arrived at 530 a.m. and she ended up coming through triage at 10 a.m. as the 30^th patient in line. Yikes! We were able to see lots of patients, but it just wasn’t possible to see everyone.

It’s been a long couple of days for my brain. I’ve forgotten how much of a challenge it can be to continually switch between Spanish and English all day long as I was talking with the patients when they came and was then writing it all down in English since most of the doctors were from the States. I had to laugh at myself when I wrote uterectomy on a patient’s history and couldn’t figure out why it just didn’t look right. Glad I came up with hysterectomy a minute later. But…….I did survive.

It was a bit of a crazy week, but I’m glad I could be involved in the fun.

one of the little villages where we had clinic for a day

patients waiting.....

triage

one of the many cute kids we saw at the mobile clinic

Explosion!!

2011-10-11T16:45:00.002-05:00

There seems to have been an explosion of activity at the Josephine house over the past few weeks. In the past 6 months or so, there have been quite a few kids who have been adopted or have gone back home to their parents, which is great, but has left us empty at the Josephine House. A number of people have been praying for more kids to come and a few weeks ago, God opened that door wide open....

Luke…….

A few weeks ago, one of the ladies who works at the JH was walking along the street, taking her normal route to her destination. She always walks on one particular side of that street, but on this particular day, there were a bunch of dogs who seemed a bit crazy, so she decided to walk on the other side. As she was walking down the street, she heard crying. As she looked around, she found a baby, wrapped in a blanket and a diaper bag next to him. Shortly after, the process to get Luke into the JH was started. Luke was just three days old when he was found. He is a beautiful, healthy, content baby, is growing like crazy and enjoying his sleep.

Little Luke, just a couple of weeks old

Marleni came to the JH just days old as well. Her mom brought her because she has a cleft palate that will require numerous surgeries. Mom would like to take her back after the surgeries are completed, but for now, she can’t care for Marlene. As with most babies with cleft palates, feeding and getting an adequate intake of calories can be a challenge, but the mamás at the JH are working diligently with this little one to help her get enough calories so she can grow and develop well. Other than difficulties with feeding, she’s a happy baby.

The "battle" with Marlene to get her to eat. I lost and ended up handing her over to one of the mamás to work their magic with feeding her.

Carlitos……

This little one came one day after Marlene’s arrival. I would imagine life has been difficult for him from day one. This little one was brought to the JH by his mother who is an alcoholic and willingly gave him up. According to his mother, he is five months old, but he’s about the same size as the other two new babies. After taking him to La Fuente the pediatrician said, it looks like Carlitos is probably closer to 3 months old, but he is still severely under weight. Eating has been a challenge and sleeping as well, but he is in good hands. Since some of the feeding issues have improved, he’s a calm little baby at times.


Marlene and Carlitos

Marlene(3 weeks), Carlitos(3 months), and Luke(3 weeks)

One more…Adrean

Last Friday, I found myself at the Josephine house playing with the kids and holding one of the babies. All of a sudden, one of the mamas came in with a naked kid(wrapped with a towel). They went straight to the bathroom, immediately started applying lice shampoo into the kids head and then proceeded to wash him from head to toe(he wasn’t happy about all of it, but he was good and clean…). Adrean is about a year and a half. He was found sitting next to his mom who was passed out from alcohol intoxication. He’s a VERY active child who just jumped right on in playing with the other kids. Photos on this little one to come soon!

So...as you can see, the Josephine House is plenty busy these days with all kinds of fun and activity for now. Stay tuned for more soon!!

The lion sleeps tonight....

2011-10-01T20:27:00.000-05:00

One thing I've wanted to do before leaving Peru is visit the Amazon. During my parents visit, I had the opportunity to visit Puerto Maldonado, a southern portion of the Amazon in Peru. It was just beautiful. Besides getting to enjoy a few days of summer (temps from 70’s-90’s and 70-100% humidity), it was just so cool to visit the jungle. The few days I was able to spend there were just so much fun, even though the days started pretty early(one day we left for a hike a 0500).

The lodge where we stayed was pretty simple. It didn’t have electricity, so we used candles at night. Also, there wasn’t hot water, but it didn’t really matter since it was so stinkin hot outside. During rainy season, mosquitoes and malaria are a big issue, so we had mosquito nets around the beds to protect from the mosquitoes at night.

One of my favorite adventures was the night walks in the jungle. Our guide saw and was able to point out some pretty cool animals “hidden” in the jungle. There were plenty of spiders and bugs to be seen, but thankfully no snakes. I was really hoping to see a puma, but sadly they were shy and or hidden too well for us to see them.

One night we ended up going out in a boat looking for Caymans (an animal in the crocodile family). We got to see a few and some bats as well. Another morning we went out at 6 to go bird watching and saw plenty of macaws at a feeding sight where they licked minerals off rocks. It was pretty cool!

Overall, the whole thing was a blast and a sweet time away to enjoy other regions of Peru.

La Selva

2011-10-01T20:22:00.002-05:00

la selva

a truly wild monkey

sunrise on the river

caymen

banana boat

a wild "pet" at the lodge

cool beetle on night hike

time to eat!!

my bed

cute little spider we saw on a night hike

cool frog

still here

2011-10-01T15:23:00.001-05:00

Once again, it’s been way too long since I’ve written. It’s been a busy past month with settling in with my recent move and then a visit from my parents.

Since it’s been more than a year that I’ve seen them, it was great to see my parents for a bit(they were here for about two weeks). We did some traveling in Peru, but they also had the opportunity to see what life is like for me here. They were also generous with their time and helped me with fixing and improving some things in my new place to make it feel more like home. It was great to see them for so long and I’m thankful they had the time to come to Peru

So, after some fun and games, it’s back to normal life for me.

Sweet Gift

2011-09-04T19:13:00.002-05:00

Over the past few months, I have been considering moving to another part of town, but about a month or so ago, I started searching for a new place. I had been living in a townhouse and knew I would be looking for an apartment for the area of town I wanted to live in, so I had been preparing myself for apartment life (noises from neighbors above, no yard, etc….)

After looking at a few apartments, I found one I really liked (of coarse not perfect, but what is?), so after a few weeks of going back and forth with the owner about various things, I’m finally moved in and trying to get settled asap.

It’s a great new place for me and I’m enjoying so many things about it. I’m so excited to live closer to other families on my team here and to be living closer to suburbia. In my old neighborhood, I could hear cows and guinea pigs when I walked down the streets and now at the new place I see trees and grass, and plenty of cars. It’s been quite a change and has taken some getting used to as it’s been a long time since I’ve lived in an apartment with another floor above(actually this is the first time ever for me). My neighbors upstairs are pretty quiet, except their dog is quite lively. I can pretty much hear his nails clicking on the floors whenever he’s walking around up there. Every time the dog’s walking around, my cat just goes crazy and appears to be a bit confused, pretty funny.

All of these small adjustments are worth it though. I’m not sure if I’m a huge fan of the orange and yellow walls, but I’m loving the wide open spaces in the living area. I now have a view of the mountains from my balcony that’s just gorgeous, lots of windows in the apartment to let the warm sunlight in, and a nice sunny space on the sofa for reading(or maybe napping....). I’m so thankful I no longer live in a cave(my old place) I’m also super pumped about my new kitchen and all the counter space, which means now I can cook and bake for fun!

Relatively speaking, the whole process of finding my new place to moving in has been pretty smooth and settling in has been really nice. All and all, this new place has been a pretty sweet gift to me!

Any and all visitors are welcome!

Just say no.....

2011-09-04T18:11:00.000-05:00

Since I’ve been living in Cusco I just don’t go to the center of town all that often. Mostly because it’s a bit far from where I live and also because it’s always swarming with tourists, which means there are always people trying to sell stuff and don’t want to take no as an answer.

When being harassed to buy something (anywhere from a painting to a foto of me with a baby llama, or a massage), I try to politely say no or not today(maybe another day...). Well, I guess I made an impression on one of the dudes selling paintings from a previous time I was in the center. The other day, I told one of the venders no and they he proceeded to tell me, that I had said no the last time he saw me in the center and that this time I should actually buy something. I think I actually had spoken with him a while back. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself….

Another day as I was walking along a side of the plaza with lots of restaurants, trying to ignore everyone trying to sell me something, there was one girl outside a restaurant who started to approach me, but before she really said much of anything, I bluntly told her I didn’t want to eat at her restaurant. All of a sudden I realized I actually knew her and she wasn’t trying to sell me anything, but was just saying hi. Oops!! It was nice to talk with her and hear about how she’s doing, but when we parted ways, I was glad to have seen her, but was a bit embarrassed. I guess I should take another look at my “say no to everyone” policy…..

Home sweet home

2011-08-29T23:31:00.002-05:00

Well, this past weekend I moved to a new place and I'm just lovin it. It's just around the corner from other families on my team and other positive things too. This is a view at sunset from my balcony. Today was filled with the challenge of unpacking and settling. Little by little I'm sure it will get done. For now, I'm just trying to get it out of the way.
More later!!

Building

2011-08-03T19:28:00.000-05:00

As you can see, there's been lots going on these past couple of months with the building of the eye clinic. We have had teams here to help with construction this summer and they have a tremendous amount of work. It's been great to see things progress as we get closer and closer to the eye clinic opening in the next couple of months!!

We're all looking forward to the finished product!!

Really?!?

2011-07-26T20:02:00.001-05:00

So, I've been in Cusco for a while now and I think I've gotten to the point where not many weird things really phase me. Today I was attempting to get on the bus before it left without me. I got on in the bus in a mad rush and was just glad that I wouldn't have to wait for another bus. A couple of stops down the road I was able to get a seat and at this point I was settling in for the long ride home and all of a sudden I hear a cat crying. What? I am on the bus, right? I look over to my left and there's a girl across the isle holding a cute little kitten. He was so tiny and super cute!!! He didn't look super happy to be on the bus, but was doing alright. Anther few stops and the kitten his owner got off the bus.

It just made me laugh to myself as I thought about my cat Sam and if he were ever coerced or forced onto a bus... Everyone on the bus would be deaf from all his screaming and complainig, I'd have scratches all over my entire body, and the bus would probably have crashed as a result of Sam's disruptive behavior.

It was cute little kitty, but I'm just glad it wasn't Sam on the bus....

Visiting

2011-07-19T16:22:00.001-05:00

My brother and sister-in-law were in town last week for a visit and after not seeing them for more than a year, it was great to see them. Even though they were here for just a short time, it was a sweet 5 days.

From the start, the visit started with a bang. On our way home from the airport, our cab got into a small “altercation” with a bus and a few other cars when he decided to start to cross the train tracks while the bus had already started to drive over the tracks. When our cab driver decided he’d drive on to the tracks and not back up out of the way of the bus since we both couldn’t fit, the battle started. With all the cars honking, other cabs trying to cut in front of us, our cab driver refusing to move, and the dude on the bus who collects fares getting off the bus to yell at our cab driver, it was pretty lively. After another minute or two, a police officer just happened to be in the area had a bit of a chat with the taxi driver and shortly after, we were backing up to let the bus cross the tracks and then amazingly, there was space for us to pass by. I was just laughing to myself about the incident because it’s just typical. Welcome to Cusco!!

Beyond seeing the sights and getting a glimpse of my world here, it was great to spend time with them and catch up in ways you just can’t do over the phone. They really enjoyed the mountains, good Peruvian food and of course meeting and taunting/playing with my cat, Sam.

I found it interesting how some things have become at least somewhat normal to me here, but might not have been for them…..

The massive mountains around me

Cows and other random animals walking down the street every now and then

Lots of dogs on the streets that are usually someone’s “pet”

Really cheap fresh bread being widely available

Super pasteurized milk in a bag that doesn’t have to be refrigerated until opened

Walking in the middle of the street (at least in my neighborhood)

Lots and lots of rice

The lovely widow maker in my shower

Cusco drivers and traffic

And I sure there’s much more….

Thankfully, the weather behaved while they were here and every day was just beautiful with nice warm weather, which ended up being a nice cool break from summer for them, which I’m sure was much appreciated. We ended up doing a few random things here and there, so here’s a small sample of our adventures…

Jared lovin on Sam

on our way to Machu Picchu....

continued....

2011-07-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

There just isn't enough space for all the pictures I want to post. The last day Jared and Beth were here, we went to the Josephine house and as you can see, everyone enjoyed the visit....

Apagado

2011-07-19T10:46:00.002-05:00

So, I’m doing stuff around my house in the evening and all of a sudden the lights are gone. It’s not a real regular thing for the lights to go off here. Yes, it’s dry season, so it’s more than reasonable for the water to be turned off at night, no prob. To be honest, I can’t remember that last time the electricity was turned off.

Thankfully, I have a candle fetish, so I was in great shape for lighting up my house for a bit. It was quite a sight to see. At one point, my neighbor came by to see if I was alright with candles and such. I think she might have been laughing inside after she stepped foot into my house and saw my house lit up with candles almost as bright as if I had electricity and had my lights on.

It was a nice cozy night and a good reminder to me to be thankful that I almost always have electricity and water(oh yeah, and a gas heater too…)

Moving right along.....

2011-06-26T21:14:00.005-05:00

As life seems to be ever changing for me these days, the latest one is probably going to be a pretty interesting adventure. As more of the new families coming to join our team here in Cusco, lots of new things are starting up.

As many of you know, an eye clinic is being built behind our already existing medical clinic here. It has been encouraging to see the progress of the building of the clinic as things are moving right along. In addition to all of this exciting stuff, it looks like I will be working at the new clinic full time. It should be an interesting change of jobs.

Looks like I've got plenty of learning to do....

here's the latest progress on the clinic

Settling

2011-06-23T20:53:00.005-05:00

I doesn't seem like I've been living in my neighborhood for a long time, but I guess I have been here for a bit. Over the past couple of weeks I've noticed that I see at least one person I know when I'm out in my neighborhood, whether it's at the market, on my way to work, at a bus stop, or just walking down the street.

It's good to know that I am becoming more established within my community and am starting to really plant some roots.

Makes it feel more like home!

Burrr!!!

2011-05-26T18:16:00.002-05:00

Today confirmed it. Like it or not, Winter is definitely HERE!!! My walk to work today brought back memories of walking to school on those super cold days as a kid. Maybe the memory was triggered by the fact that I actually was walking to a school today. As the weather has gotten cooler I think I've adapted to the Peruvian way off dressing....At the beginning of they day I've got about 5 or 6 layers of clothing on and by mid days is down to about 4 layers and then by evening is up to 6 again. What is happening to me?!? At least I get to wear all my favorite clothes multiple times each week.

I'd have to say I'm a bit jealous of all of you who are enjoying that 80 and 90 degree humid weather in Baltimore. All of you Baltimore people out there, enjoy!!

Changes

2011-05-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well, since I've been working full time at the clinic I haven't been spending as much time at la Casa Josefina. A lot of the kids have been coming to the clinic sick as cold and flu season has started here. Pretty much when one kid gets sick, it's only a matter of time until lots of the other kiddos gets sick. So, earlier this week, one of the other nurses from the clinic and I went to do some teaching on flu, colds, deciding when the kids should come to the clinic for that sort of stuff, hand washing, etc.... It was a good time to teach the women who work in the home and to check up on the kids as well.

After seeing Zoe, I discovered that it really had been a long since I'd been there. About a month or two ago now, she had her first of three surgeries to repair her double cleft pallet. Here's the before and after, she looks like a different baby. It's just amazing what they can do with this surgery!!

Oh yeah, and here are some pictures of some of the sweet kids of La Casa Josefina....

Kids of the Casa Josefina....

2011-05-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

Sisters!!

Veronica and Fabiola

Fabricio, one of my best buddies!

Juan Carlos

Jose, Carlos's brother, sadly has been sick and just isn't happy with life these days....

Just pure silliness!!

Breaking Ground

2011-05-11T20:15:00.000-05:00

It's finally happening!!! I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but in the very near future, five new families will be joining our team in Cusco. They all work in various medical disciplines and will be involved in campus ministry at the local medical school but will be spending some of their time working in the clinic as well.

One of the new team members is an Ophthalmologist and he has plans to build an eye clinic behind La Fuente. There's been lots of talk about the plans(and timing) for this building over the past months. Well,they finally broke ground yesterday!! It's a bit strange to look behind the clinic and see the huge pile of dirt and imagine what the next couple of months will bring.

And.... the fist new family will be arriving in Cusco later this week. All in all, it's pretty exciting!!

Buen viaje!!

2011-05-09T22:28:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it’s just nice to go out of town, at least that’s the case for me. I’ve always enjoyed going out of town for the weekend in the States and I feel the same way here. At times, it’s just nice to have a change of scenery and get away from what you see every single day. I guess there are some things that never change….

This past weekend I went to Cotabumbas, which is about six hours outside of Cusco. It was nice to go back after being away for a few months this winter to continue with the community health project. It was good to see all the moms and kids show up for the “reunion” on Saturday so we could continue our teaching and our relationships with the moms in this project.

I have also come to understand that there is never a dull moment here and ANYTHING can happen at any time. The last time I traveled to Cotabumbas our car broke down and we ended up staying in a little town an extra night because of it.

Well….before I left Cusco, I was told that the van was in good shape and we should be good to go for the whole trip. After rainy season the roads ended up being pretty bad, as expected. But.……we did end up breaking down on the way home. Our kind driver did end up doing a makeshift job of fixing the car after about an hour or so of work, but we ended up checking it every hour on our journey home. Thankfully we did get home at a very early hour and when we did get back to Cusco. I was so glad to be home!!!

What??

2011-04-30T17:31:00.003-05:00

I guess I have good and bad days with Spanish and it seems that ever day there's at least one person I just can't understand. Frustrating as it is, I think I've finally come to accept it and can now move on. I am comforted when other who have been speaking Spanish for years have mentioned that there's some Spanish speaking people they just can't understand. These incidents aren't usually that big of a deal and is at the most, a couple of minuets of either being lost in a conversation or asking the person to repeat themselves one more time.

Well, yesterday was extra special because my person per day quota happened to be someone I saw on a home visit. Even better was that the visit ended up being three and a half hours. In my defense, there was some Quechua mixed in there at times.

Needless to say it was a long visit and unfortunately I had very little to contribute to the conversation...

Burned

2011-04-18T19:35:00.003-05:00

Today started off as a cloudy, cold Monday(great motivation to get out of bed and get going for the day!!) Mondays are usually crazy busy, which is alright with me. We have a Pediatrician at the clinic on Mondays, so there are usually plenty of screaming kids the whole day.

We started out pretty busy for a couple of hours and then all the busyness and fun came to an end. It started raining and that was the end of our patients for the day. Sad since I'd much rather be busy than just sitting around for a couple of hours.

About an hour before we closed, woman came it who had burned both of her feet(pretty badly) about five days ago. I think she had been cooking? They were easily second or third degree burns. They looked horrible and the patient looked like she was in so much pain. I felt so bad for her.

As I started to clean the wound, and dress it, the patient started to tell me about the care she had received at a local hospital over the past five days and how she had waited for hours and hours each visit. She then went on to tell me about how they pretty much did a half done job for her wound care. Again, it made me sad to hear about the care she had received. I asked her how she ended up at La Fuente. She said that a friend had told her about the clinic and about how good the care was. It's always great to hear how people in the community see La Fuente in a positive way as we strive to give good care and serve the community around us. I'm glad that God has given us the opportunity to give this woman good care, minister to her, and walk with her through this time of difficulty.

The best part is that we will be going to her house every day at least for the next week or so to clean, dress, and look after the wounds. I'm super pumped to visit her and do wound care for many reasons, but one of the top reasons is that I love wounds!! It's just one of my things I've always enjoyed as a nurse(it's close behind Cardiac Nursing). I always enjoyed working with skin grafts, burns, and all other kinds of wounds when I worked in trauma. It's just so cool to see the progression of healing and such. Probably the only wound stuff I don't like is when skin grafts are failing and as a last resort leech therapy comes to the picture. That's one of the things I cant handle...

As I work more and more in the clinic, its been an adjustment getting used to the fact that it's just not as exciting as working in the hospital where I have spent my entire work life up until now, so it was pretty sweet to add some excitement to my life with a cool case and be able to be more directly involved in patient care for a bit.

So....in the end it was a pretty interesting Monday!!

Ruins

2011-04-17T14:44:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to do some travel some friends and a visiting team from the UK. It was a brilliant trip! We spent the day at a couple of sites in the Sacred Valley. It was nice to get out of the city and farther out into the countryside and be reminded of how beautiful it is here and how breathtaking the mountains really are.

Our first stop was Moray, which is one of the many Incan ruins around Cusco. It was a cool descent, but the way back up was a bit more challenging, but was worth the work(even though I'm feelin it in my quads today) But.....it was absolutely spectacular!! Here's just a few pics.

On our way...

Moray

Just beautiful from above

Nice from within, but quite a hike back up

Just passin through....

2011-04-17T14:13:00.004-05:00

The next place we stopped was Maras, a town very close to some really cool salt ponds. The main attraction was the salt ponds, which are still owned by different families in the surrounding towns(each fam has about 5). The salt ponds still produce salt, which is exported to other countries and used in Peru as well. The salt comes from a single underground stream, but the all the separate ponds are supplied by different channels. After all the water in each little pond evaporates in about two months time, it’s ready to harvest.

After taking a look from the top, we got to hike our way down the mountain.

It was quite a sight to see!!

The first view was just breath taking!!

All different stages of the process

Irrigation system

Pillars of salt

Staying

2011-04-10T12:40:00.003-05:00

For the past couple of months I have been doing a lot of travel to various cities in Peru for different things that needed to get done. My trip to Lima last week was the last trip for a while. I'm so glad to be done with traveling for a while. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy traveling but it will be nice to be in Cusco without so many interruptions for a bit.

My trip to Lima last week was to finish the application process for my residency card for Peru. It was a long day of waiting at the office of immigrations(for all you Marylanders out there, it was kind of like doing anything at the MVA), but.......I am happy to report that I am now a resident of Peru. Yay!!!

Encounters

2011-04-01T13:57:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I thought that after living in Cusco for six months now, people in my little neighborhood were finally used to seeing me. I was proved wrong today. I've found it interesting the responses I've received after greeting people on the street from time to time. People usually respond, but other times, it's as if I'm invisible and end up getting no response at all(which is fine I guess.... I am a bit out of place for them?).

Well, today on my way to work I said good morning to this older woman. She immediately started talking to me and then proceeded to touch my hair and remark about the color. And then she started talking about my eyes and how they were the color of the sky. Wow!! I'm used to kids staring or making comments about the gringa, but adults don't usually say anything It just made me laugh for some reason.

I guess it's my every now and then reminder that I'm Cusqueñian....

Looking back....

2011-03-24T19:33:00.007-05:00

Well, the time sure has gone by super fast. As of yesterday, I have been in Peru for a year. Yikes!! Its kind of wild to think about how much has gone on this past year, the people I’ve met, the new things I have encountered, the things I have learned, and so much more. There have been lots of fun times, but difficult times as well. Even though there are people from home I dearly miss, I am so thankful to have some dear friends here who have helped keep me sane during this adventure and always seem to keep me smiling. Over all, it’s been a pretty cool adventure and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead as well!!

Here are a few of my favorite firsts in the past year....
-The end results of studying Spanish for 6 months:Abby speaking Spanglish
-Friendships with other missionaries from many different countries
-Getting to know lots of other missionaries and hearing their stories and adventures in missions
-Becoming thoroughly acquainted with the food of Arequipa
-Huge meals at lunch instead of dinner
-Learning Salsa
-Becoming a big fan of some of the popular music here
-Experiencing the World Cup in a Latin American country
-Empanadas
-A visit to one of the Seven World Wonders-Machu Picchu
-Adopting a cat
-Setting up a house
-Living in a place surrounded by HUGE and beautiful mountains
-Eating couy(guinea pig)
-Tunas
-Being involved in a ministry I have been dreaming of working with for the past couple of years
-Playing with children as a part of my job
-Going to the campo(countryside) for ministry
-The absence of a 12 hour work day
-My height is now above average
-Introduction to Burn Notice
-Really cheap produce that tastes so good!!!

Pausa

2011-03-24T18:24:00.003-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to go on a little vacation to Arequipa with my German BFF. It was SOOO nice!! It was great to visit with our Peruvian families, visit some places I’ve really missed, see some of our Peruvian friends, visit the school we studied at, go to some great restaurants, and so much more. . Some of the people we met with knew we were coming and some didn’t (the surprises were really fun!!). In many ways, it felt like I were coming home for a visit. It’s where I started my experience with cross cultural living and so much more. Seeing my Peruvian family was the next best thing to seeing my family in the States. It was nice to catch up with them, share about what life is like for me in Cusco and to hear about what’s going on with them as well. I almost laughed when my Peruvian mom set aside a special plate for me that was different from everyone else's(after a six month battle over portion sizes for me, I finally won!!! My plate had less than everyone else had:)

I was amazed by how much the city has changed in the past six months since I’ve lived there. There are now three more malls, another movie theater, and lots of new restaurants. Yikes!! We did visit the new spots, but really enjoyed going to old favorites. My favorite dog in the park where my friend and I were almost robbed was even there on the Sunday afternoon we went to the park.

Even though I haven’t traveled all that much in Peru,Arequipa has a special place in my heart and is my first love in Peru, so as you can imagine, it was a pretty sweet time.

How Long??

2011-03-15T11:33:00.002-05:00

Well, for just about the past year I have been practicing the art of waiting for people(or being the person others are waiting for...). So far, it hasn't really made me crazy. For the most part, I've been alright with it and have looked at it as a lesson in patience. It is nice not to be so rushed and be pushed to be super prompt all the time. It does have it's downsides though....

Well, I was supposed to meet with someone today and as usual, she wasn't there when I arrived at the meeting spot(even though I was late, it was no big deal since that's pretty typical). I was content to just sit and hang out for a bit. Well, after hanging out for an hour, I finally gave up on waiting and called it a day and went on my way to get some other things done for the day. So, I guess an hour is my new limit....

Back to the land of the living....

2011-03-13T21:01:00.002-05:00

Well, it feels like a month of my life is now missing. After a month of absence, I’m trying to get back into the habit of writing as life seems to be getting back to normal for me(except for feeling tired a lot of the time). I feel like such an old lady...

This past week I finally made it to the Josephine house to spend some time with the kids. It was great. Since I had been gone, one child had been adopted and a new baby has come to live there. The new baby boy is ADORABLE(he's 10 months old)!! He was stabbed and mom had left him at the hospital and we don't really know anything about dad. Sounds like a difficult situation and I'm just thankful that there was space in the Josephine house to care for this little boy. Despite the difficult situation this little boy came from, he's the most happy, easy going, good natured little kid. One of the other kids in the process of learning parts of the body and was so excited to play the “point to the body parts I call out” game. It was quite entertaining.... Another toddler has been learning to stand and walk with help and is figuring out how to pull herself up. I don't really like that I have been away for such a long time, but on my first day back,it was cool to see all kinds of new things the kiddos could do.

And......I'm finally working at the clinic full time, yay!!! One of the nurses has gone out on maternity leave, so I'll be working there full time for at least the next three months. It's been great to get back to working there full time and get to know the patients even better. We continue to be super busy just about every day we're open. It should be an interesting couple of months....

MIA

2011-02-14T07:14:00.002-06:00

Well, another month has gone by and I've yet to update my blog. The whole month I've had good intentions to write, but it just hasn't happened. It's been a busy month. I finally started the application process for my carnet(residency card for Peru). This included a nice stay in Lima. It was kind of my first time in Lima since before that, the only time I had spent in Lima was passing through in the airport. It was nice to be in a big city for a couple of days, go to a mall, go to the movies, eat at TGI Fridays, enjoy Dunkin Donuts, and much more. I had the opportunity to meet the MTW director for Peru and spend some time with his family as well. It was a good time of rest and refreshment for me. Oh yeah, and I did get step one completed for applying for my carnet(really, there was work stuff in there too).

A couple of days after I came back to Cusco, I took my first trip into the campo (countryside-about six hours out from Cusco)for the start of a year long community health project with mom's and kids. It was quite a trip. Lots of firsts for me and plenty of surprises along the way. I WILL write more about the adventure in the near future. Right now just isn't the best time.

Last week started another new South America experience for me. I was sick last week, so had a chat with the doctor at the clinic I'm working at. The end results were me taking antibiotics and also hearing that there was a high possibility that the answer to all my issues at the moment is that I have Typhoid. Things are getting better, but I'm looking forward to being vertical again. I think my cat is enjoying having me around all the time and I have had more than enough sleep for the next year, but I would really like to get back to work, be fully functional, and maybe be outside again too...

So, that's it for now and I hope to be writing more in the near future.

Muy Comodo

2011-01-15T18:15:00.002-06:00

Well, the day started out rather interesting and continued to be so through the morning. I mentioned to my landlord a couple of days ago that there was a mouse in my backyard(the yard/patio is surrounded by walls, so the mouse was trapped in there). Personally, I'm not a big fan of catching and then killing rodents, so basically I was just fishing around to see if my landlord might be interested in helping me out.

After I told my landlord, he immediately told me he'd take care of it for me. Yay!!! He came over this morning(actually three different times, but it was Saturday and I wasn't interested in answering the door at 0730) with his “tools” and went out to deal with the problem. So, he was out there for about 20 minutes or so and as far as I could tell, nothing had happened. I looked into the yard from inside the house and discovered that he had straightened up things out back, washed the patio area, and was now pulling up weeds that were well over a foot tall. I went out back and asked him to stop. I'm just lazy and hadn't gotten to the task of cutting the grass and cleaning up the yard. He quickly explained to me that the mouse was in hiding and he was waiting for the mouse to come out and had decided to do a couple of things while he waited... Then he promptly told me to go back in the house and close the door so the mouse wouldn't come in. A couple of minutes after I had gone back inside, I heard a loud bang. Score!! Target eliminated!!

After the whole event, I thanked my landlord a couple of times for helping me out with something I really didn't want to do(really I was so thankful for the help). The funny thing is that he just kept telling me that he's just glad I'm here and wants me to be comfortable here. He's said that before and I believe he really means it. Yes, I know I'm renting his house, which means income for him, but he also really wants me to feel “at home” and comfortable here and he wants to do what he can to make that happen.

I've just never experienced anything quite like this before, this friends first then business approach. It's just taken me by surprise and is something to adapt to here. There are plenty of difficult things about the culture here, so I might as well enjoy the nice things.

Not exactly sure why I thought the story deserved a post, just struck me as funny today...

Continually Amazed

2011-01-12T11:45:00.007-06:00

Well, after a long absence, I figure it's probably time to come back. The past month has been a bit disorganized in lots of ways, full of travel out into the country, special ministry events for Christmas, and then some downtime with the clinic closed on random days. I'm looking forward to going back to a somewhat normal schedule in the near future.

Just a FYI, this is super long, so read at you're own risk....

Yesterday I was able to go on some home visits with the other nurses at the clinic. It had been a while since I'd been on a home visit where we spent a good bit of time in the patient's home. It was great to get back into that routine. Our first visit was supposed to be relatively short(a half hour or so). I think we ended up being there for an hour and a half. It always amazes me how a simple assessment visit can turn into a long stay on many of our visits.

We had heard about this elderly woman through a patient at the clinic. As we came into her home we saw her sitting/lying down in some funky contraption of a wheelchair tied to one of those white plastic outdoor chairs(her legs extended into the white chair). I guess it was comfortable for her as we were told that she refused to be in the bed which was just yards from where she was. Turns out this little 90 year old woman had broken here hip(a year and a half ago). After such a long time after the injury, there really isn't anything that can be done surgically, so we had to explain to the family that it was a bit late for any kind of surgical intervention after a year and a half. This woman basically sits in this chair contraption all day long crying on and of (no one's quite sure if its from pain or something else) and not much else. The family told us that she refused to get into the bed and screamed when they try to get her there. As one of the nurses started to do a physical exam of this woman, we found fractures in her fingers which had caused deformities that no longer allowed her to have full function of her hands(again, something that can't be corrected at this point). It was just incredible how many other medical issues we found with this woman and other heartaches with the family the longer we stayed. By the end of that visit, we did get the patient into the bed without screaming(really, the nurses I work with have “special skills”)

I'm continually amazed to see the Peruvian nurses work in these situations. They have such a gift for educating the patients about their medical issues and about things they can do for themselves, encouraging patients and their families, ministering to them on a very personal level, and in all of this sharing the love of Christ. They have such a heart for the people here and I'm so thankful to be learning from them and being involved in this ministry at some level. As I spend more time going on home visits I'm learning so much and look forward to being even more involved in the visits. It's been great to start the new year with getting back into the routine of going on home visits!!

The day got even better after coming home from visiting patients last night. I found out that one of the little girls from La Casa Josephina went home with her new mom and dad yesterday. What a sweet end to the day!!

Playin

2010-12-16T21:36:00.004-06:00

Well, it looks like I'm going to be involved in La Casa Josefina(the orphanage associated with MTW) on a regular basis. Who knew that part of my new job description would include playing with kids a couple of days a week?

Right now, I'm just hanging out with the kids and helping out as needed. For now,I'm trying to get to know the kids a bit, understand the routine, and kind of figure out where I can specifically help as a nurse. Some of the kids have special needs, so it's always good to keep an extra eye on these kiddos.

La Casa Josefina is a good bit outside of town for me(and I already live a good half hour outside of the center of town). So......as you can imagine, there are plenty of wide open spaces surrounding La Casa Josefina. It's about a 45 min walk for me to get there. The mountains and countryside are beautiful, so I've really enjoyed walking there, but I haven't been caught in the rain yet, so we'll see what I have to say in the next couple of months.

It seems like just about every time I go, I end up with a pile of kids on my lap or just a bunch of kids huggin on me. They just eat up all the attention and playing they can get. The staff at the home do an awesome job, but there are 13 kids and it's just impossible to give them all the attention they would have if they had a mom and a dad. One of the things that just breaks my heart is when they call me “mama”. It just makes me sad. So, I'm glad to be able to spend some time with these precious children. It's been great for my Spanish too. Lots of the time, I can't really understand them. They talk so fast, funny, and mumbled, so its good practice. I'm pretty sure they don't really care about my grammar, so there's no pressure.....

If you're interested in reading a bit about these adorable kids(there's some cute pictures as well...), here's the link to the website for La Casa Josephina. All of the kids are lots of fun, but Jose definitely has a special place in my heart. He and I are becoming good friends.

http://www.josephinehouse.org/

Chocolatada

2010-12-09T16:50:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in an outreach to one of the communities affected by the flooding last year. Due to a river overflowing in the community flooding many people lost everything. One man lost five family members during the flood. Many destroyed houses are still standing as they were almost a year ago now. This was the first time I've been to towns deeply affected by last year's floods. It was an incredible sight.

Christmas came a bit early in Taray. A group of missionaries who have been ministering to this town since last year's flood came to give a big party, a Chocolatada(a big Christmas tradition here). About 150 people came, which was about double what we expected would come... Hot chocolate and a special bread were served, there were clowns for the kids, a craft for the kids, gifts for the children, special packages of food for the elderly and much more. It was a great event for all. There was a time of singing (Christmas songs of course) and the gospel was presented. The craft we did with the kids was a paper candle with “Jesus, Light of the world” on it. As it was linked to the message given, our hope is that the kids might remember this very important message as they bring these little candles into their homes.

Although this town has been through so much in the past year, it was great to see them enjoy this time of fun and celebration. Here are a couple of pictures from the event.

Sam

2010-11-28T18:14:00.001-06:00

I finally did it!! I got a cute little kitten. I bought him in the market about a week ago A Peruvian friend was kind enough to come with me on the little adventure. There were lots and lots of dirty little kittens in cages, along with chickens, cuy, and all kinds of other live animals.

I ended up with Sam, the runt of the litter. He's very cute and affectionate. And what I mean by affectionate is that he has to be with me ALL the time. I'm not quite sure how I feel about a cat climbing up my pant leg so he can be held at all times.

Otherwise, he's a lot of fun, likes to play, and sleeps plenty.
Here are some pictures....

Pics...

2010-11-28T17:49:00.009-06:00

Fun!!

2010-11-19T07:32:00.003-06:00

Well, it's been a great week!! Probably one of the best in my past 7 months months in Peru. Monday and Tuesday we had a huge medical campaign at our clinic. A big group from the States and Canada came for the week. They had 9 M.D's of all kinds of specialties and other medical personel as well. We were able to see a little over 400 patients for those two days. It was great!!

I had the opportunity to be a nurse and translator for those days. It was quite interesting. Was really fun to think like a nurse as I was involved in triage both days. I also worked with one of the nurses on the visiting team as I attempted to translate for her. It was quite a challenge, but at the end I was excited that I could translate at some level. Yay, I did learn something at school. The fun cases were when the patient only spoke Quechua. Then there were two translators involved and even more possibilities of incorrect information being relayed. At times, it felt a bit like the game of telephone. It was a good experience though.

The second fun part of my week was that my sister, Megan is here. She got here Thursday and will be here for the next four days. It's good to see her, show her around a bit, and to have some time to just enjoy each others company and to be able speak English for long periods of time.

I'm excited for the next couple of days and then Thanksgiving's here, yay!! I'm hoping my bosses family will kill one of their turkeys for the occasion. Would be nice and fresh....

following up

2010-11-17T09:03:00.001-06:00

Well, this is a bit late, but here's the followup from my previous blog. The home visit with the young pregnant woman and her mother was difficult visit for me. Not only is the future of this young mother and baby uncertain and most likely to be difficult, but this girl's mother has cancer as well.

The longer we were in their one room apartment more and more issues, present difficulties and future difficulties came up. For many of the of the issues discussed all we could do was encourage them, make suggestions about healthy choices, and point out available resources that could help them. In this time of crisis for this family we continued to remind them of God's promises, read the Bible with them, and pray with them. The mom is a Christian, but when we asked her daughter, her response was that all her friends in school are Catholic, so she's decided to be Catholic as well. They do have some support from some of the family, but other parts of the family has disowned them. Needless to say, it's a difficult situation for all.

We will continue to visit them and support them in all the ways we can. My prayer is that we are able to share the love of Christ with them and that we would walk with them through this difficult time in their lives.

Visitando.......

2010-11-03T20:58:00.002-05:00

I think one of my favorite parts of being here so far is the opportunities I've had to go on home visits with some of the nurses at the clinic. It's given me a closer look into the lives and worlds of the people of San Jeronimo and hopefully opportunities to start to understand the people here. It's been a while since I've been in the homes of the poor and I was reminded of here and was reminded of that fact when I entered into my first home. As I sat in people's homes, the smells, the tiny one room houses with dirt floors, chickens and cuy everywhere, no electricity or running water, and so many other unbelievable things just grabbed me and reminded me what life is like for many people in the world. The stories I've heard are incredible and many are heartbreaking, but it's been amazing to see the nurses here minister to these people.

I quickly realized after my first couple of home visits that that the ministry at La Fuente is special. God is doing a great work here. To see the care these nurses have for the patients, their teaching, patience with everyone, spiritual support, encouragement, and offerings of food and other basic essential to living things has been amazing to me. It's been so cool to watch this ministry in process as the nurses really do care for and seek to support the whole person. Some of the patients are Christians and some are not, but the nurses are always sharing the Gospel, reading the Bible to patients, and praying with them.

It's been an unbelievable week or so of home visits, but I'm anticipating that Friday will end up being a difficult day. We'll be visiting a young pregnant girl who is in a pretty bad situation on many levels. Please pray for us as we visit with her, assess her situation, and try to figure out the best way we can love and help her. I imagine that it's going to be a challenging visit, but also a great opportunity to serve and share the love of Christ with this woman in crisis.

Yikes!!! It's been a wild couple of weeks and I imagine it will continue to be so.(sorry, my brain's done and this is all I've got for now...)
Hasta luego!!

Getting Started

2010-11-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks getting to know San Jeronimo, and it's surrounding areas. As I've been working on making my house an actual home. I've also been spending more time in the clinic and going on home visits.

Every day that I've been in the clinic, it's been super busy with patients with many different medical problems. One of the M.D.'s that had been working at the clinic has gone back to the U.K. for HMA(home missionary assignment) and will be there for the next four months. So, the M.D who is here right now has been and I imagine will continue to be quite busy.

The nurses have been busy showing me around and helping me with my Spanish, the metric system, and Peruvian culture. It's been a bit of a challenge since much of the vocabulary in the medical setting is so very different from the every day vocabulary that I've learned over the past six months.

So, it's been good to get my feet wet here and I'm looking forward to the other possibilities ahead. Hopefully this won't be another lesson in patience, but I'm pretty sure that's what it will turn out to be. Guess I should get ready for the wild ride ahead...

Surprise!!

2010-10-17T14:30:00.004-05:00

As I begin to settle in a bit more here I've had the opportunity to meet with the clinic staff. Lots of things in this ministry have changed since I started my journey to Cusco(including clinic staff). It was great to meet with the new doctors that are now staffing the clinic and it was nice to see the three nurses that I already know.

I had a good meeting with the M.D. and got to hear about his vision for the ministry in the next couple of years. It appears that my job description might have changed a bit. Since I last spoke with anyone at the clinic, there's been an explosion of nurses coming. There had been 3 Peruvian nurses and there will very soon be a total of 6 nurses(me included) at the clinic. It's wonderful for this ministry, but all six aren't needed in the actual clinic. This means that there are more possibilities for serving and meeting other medical needs within the community.

There is still a great need for home visits for clinic patients, but since we have more nurses we're looking at the possibility of work farther out into the country where there are so many needs and many people who need to hear the gospel. It's an exciting time for this ministry to have more missionaries making it possible to consider expanding the ministry to other communities.

My challenge is that I'm not really a think outside the box kind of person and I have now been give the opportunity to be a dreamer. I'm about to start the process of figuring out where I fit best in the ministry as a whole. Within the next couple of months I'll be jumping into whatever is going on inside and outside of the actual clinic to try to get a feel for different projects and hopefully figure out what I like, where there are needs, and just in general where I fit. It's potentially very exciting, will require lots of patience on my part(not a strong point of mine). But it will be a good lesson in patience and trusting God.

With all that said, I'm excited to discover what God has planned for me in His Kingdom work in Cusco. The adventure continues....

Roots

2010-10-17T13:02:00.004-05:00

Well, after a relaxing time at a confrence for Mission to the World missionaries in Mexico, I'm finally back in Cusco for good. In my new world of ever changing circumstances it's good to be in Cusco and be able to start planting some roots.

I'll warn you ahead of time that this is kind of long and may be boring for some, but others have asked about my living situation, so here's the info....

Before arriving here there were lots of unknowns(yes, I know it's just a normal part of life...). One of the things I've wanted to have ironed out asap was my living situation. My boss had opened his home to me and offered that I could stay there as long as I needed til I could find a place of my own. I'm not always a very patient person, so i was determined to find a place the two days I was in Cusco before going to Mexico for a week. God was gracious to me and quickly provided a nice place to live(such a great deal!!). I was able to move into my house the day I came back from the conference in Mexico. Yay!!

Friends on my team were so sweet to take me shopping(directly from the airport) for appliances and other stuff I would need so I could move in right away. So, I am now living in a place of my own. I've discovered that all you REALLY need is a fridge and microwave to get started. Houses or Apartments don't come with any appliances here, so it takes a good bit of work to get a place up and running.

It's a great little place for me. It's a cute little townhouse in a "gated community" on the top of a hill, so it's really quiet and has an absolutely beautiful view of the mountains from my bedroom window. There's plenty of room for me and a cute tiny backyard, which I am so excited about since I like to garden. Other favorite features: lots of windows and skylights upstairs, cute little kitchen, and newly painted walls in my favorite shade of yellow. Another added bonus is that there's a missionary family living just a couple of doors down from me. They have been so sweet to me and have really looked after me since I moved in.

It's been so nice to wake up to complete silence. After living with a family and lots of other students as well, it is so nice for me. Other nice features are that it's just a short walk to the clinic and church. There's also a market close by, which is very convenient if I just want to run over to buy a pigs head right quick.

So, at this point, I'm enjoying setting up the house and making it my own little space. The only think I've disliked about the place is the rat living in the kitchen since day #1. Not cool!! Thankfully, some really kind friends dealt with it for me. Otherwise it's been a nice place to start to plant roots.

Home!!

2010-10-04T13:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm here. After an enjoyable 10 hour bus ride I'm finally in Cusco. I'm serious about the enjoyable bus ride this time around. It was pretty much uneventful except for the losing my ticket part. I had to wait a while to get all of my bags. Thankfully I had locked my luggage and had the keys, so I could prove it was mine by opening the locks. All worked out and was pretty funny for my friend who was traveling with me....

It's good to be in the city I'll be calling home for the next couple of years, but does feel pretty strange not to be in school or studying. I still have plenty to do as far as set up, but I'm happy to be done with the moving lots of stuff and the hassle with all of that. I'm still current homeless, but am happy to report that I'm not living under the bridge I had previously thought I'd be calling home for a while. I'll be staying with my bosses family for a while til I can find a place to live. Cusco is a bit of a change from the city of Arequipa, but it's absolutely beautiful here. I'd forgotten how close the mountains are and how many wide open spaces there are here. It's beautiful!! I'm looking forward to hiking some of those mountains hopefully in near future.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to get more settled into home and work asap. Many surprises are ahead for me on that side of things and I'm excited to have less mysteries in that part of life, but wouldn't be surprised if God's answer to this request is NO, you need to wait a bit more.... For now I'm trying to be patient and enjoy the ride.

I'm looking forward to a little bit of travel this week. I'll be attending an retreat with Mission to the World for the missionaries in Latin America. Should be a good time of fellowship and renewal. I'm thankful for God's timing with my transition from school to Cusco and having the opportunity to attend this retreat. Hopefully I'll be sane when I get back...

Hasta Luego!!

Que chévere!!

2010-09-30T16:42:00.010-05:00

I can't believe that I'm finished with school, but I'm told that I'm done. Whenever a student finishes their studies here, there's a little graduation party in between classes. This time around, there were two of us graduating. Each graduating student gives a speech(in Spanish), we eat some food, and pray for the students who are graduating. It's a good time for the students who are graduating, but for newer students as well as they see what the end results of half a year of studying look like.

It was a good time for me to look back to when I first started at the school and see where I am today. It was also nice to thank my kind teachers for all they have done for me and apologize to them for all they've had to put up in the past six months I've been there. There's a slight possibility I'm on the top of the "difficult students" list at the school by now(just personality). I've had the best, kindest, sweetest teachers for my time in school. They were SO patient with me always. I've enjoyed studying at the school and will miss many people at the school. Today was the start of many goodbyes I'd rather not say, but it's one of those things that's got to be done in a transition.

It feels a bit strange not to have homework, but I guess in place of homework, I get to pack up all of my stuff and move to Cusco. Saturday's the big day. I'm looking forward to getting to Cusco, just not the packing up my life here part...
Any volunteers for packing??

My huge grammar class of two students: My very entertaining y maravillosa teacher in the middle and my partner in crime/mother on the right

Sweet!!!!!

2010-09-27T17:07:00.002-05:00

As the time to move to Cusco comes closer and closer I've started the process of saying goodbye to some things here in Arequipa. This past Sunday I had one of my first “last times”. It was my last Sunday here in Arequipa. I've enjoyed worshiping at the church I've called home for the past six months, but at times it's been difficult. Most Sundays, my brain's working so hard to understand little bits of things, inevitably there's a word or two in there that I don't understand(so I have to write it down or look it up),and then after all of that I've pretty much lost little parts of the whole point of the sermon, and then the big point of the whole deal. It's been a bit frustrating at times, but it's all a part of the language learning process.

Ever since I've started school here, the response to the slow process of language learning has been one of the most popular phrases here: “poco a poco....”(little by little..). As an impatient person, I'm really not a fan of the concept, but have come to respect it. It's been the story of my life for the past six months and I'm pretty sure it will continue for the rest of my time here in Peru.

I'm not saying I'm best friends with the concept, but it was a good thing for me to remember in church this past Sunday. After the service I realized that I really didn't have think hard core during the sermon, I was able to just listen (exciting since it doesn't always work out that way...) Oops, a great example of that (in my eyes) frustrating phrase of “poco a poco”. It was a sweet time for my last Sunday in Arequipa and I'm looking forward to more opportunities to see the results of language school in the future.

The forbidden word........

2010-09-21T21:28:00.004-05:00

So, I've decided to come up with some reasonable goals for my last seven days of school I've recently discovered my inappropriate use of "like" mixed in with my Spanish. I've never noticed this habit, but it's been confirmed by all of my teachers and friends that it's crazy bad, so I'd like to purge it out of my system ASAP....

I'm still looking for good solutions to the problem. The most popular one has been paying one Sole every time anyone catches me saying the "forbidden word". We'll see how that one goes. I might end up broke soon.

ojalá.....

2010-09-19T19:40:00.001-05:00

Were has the time gone? Seriously... I can't believe that I've been here for just a couple days shy of six months. That's means I've been in school for almost 26 weeks. It's really hard for me to believe my time here is just about up. It's been such a fun experience. I've come to love the people of Arequipa, even if everyone and their mother on the streets thinks I want to talk with them. As strange as it has been at times, I think I'm going to miss all the random conversations with total strangers(mostly in the parks...). I've really enjoyed my time in school too. The school has become my family here and I'm really going to miss them(they probably won't miss my crazy antics though....)

As school finishes up, I'm desperately trying to squeeze as much Spanish into my brain as possible. Its an interesting challenge as my brain is asking to quit. I don't think that's going to fly if I want to continue to live. I knew the day would come, but I'm now faced with the reality that I will so very soon be forced to function in the real world again. My bubble is going away......

I am very excited to start working again as a nurse and am a bit curious about what God has for me in my quickly approaching future in Cusco. As of right now, there are lots of unknowns about Cusco, so I'm in the process of attempting to become Peruvian in how I react to ever changing plans. It's been a good lesson in flexibility and in trusting God. So for now, I'm just trying to hang on an enjoy the ride. I'm sure the next couple of weeks in Arequipa will fly right by and before I know it, I'll be in Cusco starting up even more trouble.....

hasta luego,

estás seguro?

2010-08-23T16:08:00.007-05:00

Just about every Sunday I spend part of my afternoon in a park. It's always nice to enjoy the sun and fresh air for a while. It was an enjoyable and relaxing time til some dude and and a woman came up to my friend and I (not always that strange in Abby world....) As some of you know, I've been known to attract various people here who think they want to talk to me.

It wasn't an odd situation until the dude knelt down next to my friend and the woman went and stood behind me. The dude started talking with us really fast in a kind of whiny voice. All we understood was: dinero (the exchange was more like: can you give me you're money please?). Then it got a bit strange when my friend saw the knife in the dude's sleeve. After my friend (who has been blessed with common sense and height) stood up, started talking loudly, and told the dude all she had with her was her homework(actually true...) and that she had nothing else, the woman standing behind me said: Tienes un celular?(do you have a cell phone?). Seriously, are y'all for real? You're asking or are you trying to rob me? A moment later they started to get upset and told us there was no need for us to get worked up or yell. Then they asked us to calm down and sit back down. Then they just walked away, got into a cab, and went their merry way. So strange...kind of felt like I was in a movie or something. Maybe we were their trial run??

I've never been in an attempted robbery where the robbers ASKED if they could have my things. I did have my book bag right next to me with all kinds of stuff in it. I guess it didn't appeal to them because I still have it. Maybe their laid back style creates a stress free working environment?

The whole thing was very calm and it wasn't til afterwords that I fully realized what had happened. It was at least a little bit funny to me, but thinking back, I'm thankful for God's protection in the situation and that nothing worse happened. It's probably a good reminder for me to be aware of my surroundings and the people around me at all times. In reality, this could have happened to me at home in Baltimore walking from the parking garage to the hospital, but he robbers probably wouldn't have been so kind and non confrontational...

Looks like I'll have to find somewhere else to sit Sunday afternoons... Any creative ideas for new locations would be appreciated.

Hasta Luego

Almost Home

2010-08-03T13:17:00.007-05:00

When I left Arequipa last week, I wondered what might be in store for me in Cuzco As I've been in school the past four months I've had many questions floating around my brain about what God's plans for me in Cuzco might look like.

The 10 hour bus ride there was quite interesting. It was quite comfortable except for the confused woman behind be grabbing at my head and then getting up and trying to walk around the bus pretty much all night long with her son every now and then saying: “cállate , sientate (shut up/be quiet and sit down). It was a great night. Needless to say, I was very excited to get off that bus in Cuzco. I'd forgotten how much colder it is in Cuzco than Arequipa. That will be a fun adjustment.... I'd also forgotten about all of the beautiful Mountains everywhere you look. Absolutely breath taking!!

My second day was great. I had an opportunity to drive about two or three hours outside of Cuzco with my team leader and his family. It was my first time into the countryside around Cuzco It was different from other parts of Peru I've been to. It was beautiful!!

Sadly, the next day my body decided it didn't like Cuzco and I ended up sick for the next two days or so. As I returned to the land of the living, I enjoyed some time of fellowship with my new team and get to know them a bit. I had the opportunity to worship at the Presbyterian Church on Sunday. It was great and I'm looking forward to worshiping there in the future.

I also got to spend some time at the orphanage that my team runs. There's nothing like walking into a room and having five new best friends for life hugging and crawling all over you. The kids always love attention, so I got to be a big kid for a while (so much fun!!)

I also had some adult time and was able to start ironing out some details about my upcoming move to Cuzco (which is quickly approaching in October...). For now, I'm trying to squeeze in as much Spanish as possible in the next couple of months, but am looking forward to finishing school and moving. It should be an exciting next couple of months....

Oh yeah, the trip back was much smoother than the way there (everyone on the bus was quiet and well behaved...)

Yes, I know it's random, but this is the only picture I took in Cuzco this time. I just thought it was so cute... I was so excited to find out my team leader has a kitten!! For those of you who don't know, I have just a small obsession with cats.

A Breath of Fresh Air

2010-08-03T12:34:00.003-05:00

To celebrate my break from school I took a weekend trip to see Colca Canyon and the condors it's known for. I went went on a tour with a tour group. It was a bit of a long ride, but was worth it. Right now is the dry season in Peru, so I was told it wouldn't be all that green. It was true... it was rather yellow, but it was still beautiful in a different way. It was a good to take a short pause from everyday life, enjoy being out in the country for a bit, and take in the beauty of God's creation.

Here are a few pics of the trip.

Ultimo dia...

2010-08-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

The next couple of weeks here in Peru will be filled with plenty of fun, fiestas, parades, and lots more. It's an interesting time of the year here in Peru and Arequipa as well. July 28th was dia de independencia for Peru and dia de Arequipa is the 15th of August.

Today's classes were a bit different than normal(this is a bit late in being sent...I'm in the process of catching up a bit....). We had a Peruvian culture day in which heard a bit about Peru and South America's history, prepared a typical for Arequipa, and also had the opportunity to see a little parade with some cute kids to celebrate Peru. It was fun to see the little kids all dressed up(some of them happy and some of them not so happy...) I really enjoyed hearing about Peru's history as it was much richer than any information I've been able to find in my research of Peru. As I'm here learning the language, I've found that it's just as important for me to become acquainted with Peru's people and history. It was a nice day at school. It was also a good day because it was the last day of school before the school's vacation.

This probably doesn't mean that I'll have a nice long break from Spanish, probably just from the classroom setting. I'll be using the time to go to Cuzco for a while. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people on the Cuzco team and reconnecting with some of the people I already know. It will be my first bus ride in South America. Should be fun... I'm told the buses here are more comfortable than the Greyhound buses in the U.S. and more comfortable than planes too. We'll see when I'm done with the 10 hour trip...

Hasta Luego.

Half Baked

2010-07-14T21:54:00.004-05:00

I guess it's about time I get my act together and post something. I can no longer use my computer as an excuse since I now have a functioning space bar.

Winter is definitely here. I know I complain about the cold all the time(at least that's what friends keep telling me...), but it's getting even colder here(low 40's at night..). Wouldn't be so bad if houses had heat, but they don't so it's starting to get a bit interesting..... I'm in good company though. Peruvians aren't huge fans of the cold either. Besides the weather, I've enjoyed being here for the World Cup. I'm just not used to the hard core fans, alteration of class times for a game, and the high level of emotion involved in fútbol (players and fans too...) It's been an interesting cultural experience.

I'm thankful to have had a few sweet days in the U.S. last month. It was nice to thaw out a little bit, but even better was being at home to see my sister get married. It was a great occasion and good to see family and friends after three months of living in Peru. I was able to catch up on my American pop culture, enjoy Dunkin Donuts coffee, and lots of other things too.... It was a fun time, but it's good to be back in Arequipa.

School continues to be a challenge, but is still enjoyable. Plenty more tenses and vocabulary every week. At this point, I'm just excited to have more vocabulary and be able to speak a bit more intelligently. The other day I had a wonderful surprise when I noticed some paperwork that said I'm at the intermediate level now. Yay!!! After studying for 17 weeks, I've made some kind of progress.... I also believe I had my first dream in Spanish. It was quite strange. I guess Spanish has finally invaded my entire life. It's been a good thing, just a bit disturbing. I think my brain's rebelling just a little bit at this point. I'm forgetting words in English and am having a hard time spelling words in English and in Spanish too. It's great!!

So, for now I'm half baked, but Spanish is slowly but surely getting into my brain. I'm looking forward to being finished with school and getting to my end destination, but am encouraged daily as I walk through the process of becoming best friends with Spanish. So far, it's been an interesting ride and I imagine it will continue to be so.

Hasta próximo tiempo!!

Huelgo.....

2010-06-12T18:19:00.007-05:00

Dear.kind.readers,
It.seems.my.computer.has.gone.on.strike.this.week.and.will
continue.to.be.on.strike.until.further.notice
(as.you've.probably.figured.out.by.now,I.don't.have.a.
functioning.space.bar.and.am.having.spacing.issues.as.well).
So....Until.my.computer.decides.to.start.behaving.
I.won't.be.posting.anything....

Just.letting.all.know,so.you.don't.think.I've.abandoned
ship.or.gone.on.strike.myself...

Hasta.proximo.tiempo...

Poco a Poco.....

2010-05-22T13:48:00.003-05:00

Where does the time go? It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Arequipa for two months now. Yikes!! The weather seems to be getting cooler here. It’s a bit strange to see some of the little kids going to school wearing gloves…it’s probably warmer than 55 degrees outside. Funny!! Since summer is coming for y’all in the U.S. that means winter is coming for me. AAACK!! Two winters this year!! At least it won’t snow here…

School continues to be challenging and fun too (most of the time…). As we push through more complex verb tenses and lots of new rules for grammar I’m reminded of how much I have already learned and also of how much more there is for me to learn as well.

Lots of people down here seem to like the phrase, “poco a poco"(little by little) when talking about language learning. This is probably a good way to look at the process, but I’m more of an instant gratification person… I’m an American. I’d like to have the results now please. For me, this has been a good lesson in patience and reliance on God. As I gradually learn more language I’m encouraged and thankful that God has opened up my old brain to learn Spanish in preparation for my next destination. One day, (I hope sooner rather than later) I’ll be fluent in Spanish. Until then, I’m enjoying the adventures on the way. I’m sure there are plenty more to come.

Other than school, I’ve been enjoying the sun, parks, center of town, and running from dogs. I think it’s rained about twice since I’ve been here. It’s been great!! I guess that’s the advantage of two winters for me. Yay for dry season!! The food continues to be absolutely amazing. I still miss cooking, but the food here is so good… Otherwise, life has been full of lots of Spanish and little bits of confusion.

Hasta próximo tiempo!!

Toros!!

2010-05-08T23:05:00.020-05:00

Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures from my latest adventure to a bull fight down here.

Pre show entertainment

Couy!!

More Pre show entertainment....

Priming the bull

Three fearless men

The real deal.....

Que Pasa?

2010-04-19T21:33:00.004-05:00

What's new? Lots of Spanish vocabulary, verbs, and grammar. At this point I could name just about every object in your house and tell you what to do in the house with my mad crazy amount of verb knowledge. I've been in school for almost a month now. Yikes!! Classes have been challenging and fun as well. Give me a couple more weeks and I'll be fluent (only in the present tense though). One of these days I'll be stable enough to go on to future and past tense. I'm so excited to be able to talk about what I did last week in past tense.

Life in the city continues to be an adventure. Nothing surprises me anymore. I've managed to stay out of trouble in my travels and am thankful for this. I hope to keep a clean record for my stay here....

Other than studying hard core and playing in the city, there's not much else to report, so I'll keep it short. Fall is here with cooler weather than I'd like, but it's not as cool as the falls in MD. I'm enjoying the time God has given me here and am really looking forward to being fluent in Spanish. Soon enough!!

Hasta próximo tiempo!!

No comprendo!! Repite, por favor

2010-04-04T21:50:00.006-05:00

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve now been in Arequipa for about two weeks. The adventure continues to be exciting and full of new things. I’m still trying to get used to laid back Peruvian time, dogs barking all the time, the sun rising at 0500, and all the kissing too. I think I’m now healed of my personal space issues.

I’ve been in school for almost two weeks and am now fluent in Spanish. It’s a miracle!!! Actually, I’m nowhere close to fluent. But…..I’m happy to report that I can now name just about any item in your kitchen or dining room in Spanish(very important stuff…). Over all, classes are going well and there is definitely some learning going on these days.

Outside of school, just about everything is in Spanish as well. The Peruvian family I’m living with speaks mostly Spanish, so I’m being exposed to Spanish pretty much all day. As expected, church is in Spanish as well. A two hour church service can feel pretty long if you don’t understand everything being said…. I can’t wait til the day I’m dreaming in Spanish.

I’ve had a couple of opportunities to explore the city and am thankful that I haven’t gotten lost(for those of you who don’t know….I’m directionally challenged). It’s been interesting learning the ins and outs of getting around the city in buses and taxis. I still have lots to learn, but I’m glad to have a basic understanding of where I am.

Over the past two weeks I’ve been reminded quite often of how dependant on God I really am. For a person who likes to be in control, I’d have to say that God has been stretching me in many ways. It is comforting to know and remember that He is with me every step of the way in this adventure. I’m excited for the amazing things God has planned for my time in Arequipa and in Cusco as well.

Hasta la vez próxima (until next time)

Finally!!!

2010-03-25T21:43:00.004-05:00

I'm here!!! Three planes, two drug sniffing dogs in the lovely country of Columbia, and a great time in customs, I'm through traveling for a while. Yay!!! I've been in Arequipa for almost four days. It's beautiful here!! Actually, I'm just a fan of the mountains, lovely flowers, and warm sun (not all the business of the city).

Once I got here I started off running. Classes started the morning after I arrived, so there's already lots of learning going on here(I think...). I'm pretty much fluent in Spanish at this point, so I'll be moving to Cusco next week(just kidding). I'm still a beginner and probably sound like a 2 year old learning to talk at this point. So far, it's been a good experience.

The host family I'm be living with for the next six months is lovely. They are so warm and welcoming(great cooking too!) They don't speak much English, so we have fun conversations with English/Spanish, pantomime, and plenty of laughing. It's great!!

I'm sure there are plenty of adventures to come. God has been faithful in bringing me here and I'm looking forward to what He has in store for me in the next six months and beyond!!

Thank y'all for continuing to pray for me!!

Adios!!

2010-03-14T21:50:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe it, but the time has finally come….. Just one week from today I will be starting my adventure to Peru. Time has been flying by. Amazingly, most of the last minute things on my to do list have been taken care of and I’m starting to see straight again. I’m starting to feel kind of organized. Praise God!! The bags are getting packed and hopefully they will contain everything I thought I packed… Any suggestions for strange stuff I might not have thought of to pack yet would be greatly appreciated.

As I go through this next week, please pray for me as I tie up loose ends, make final preparations, and say goodbye to dear family and friends. I head out this coming Monday (March 22). I’ll be flying out of New York and making a couple of stops before I get to my final destination. You can pray that I arrive in Arequipa in one piece with all of my bags. I’m praying for a green light as I go through customs (if I get the red light they’ll go through my bags). It’s just more of a nuisance to go through all of that

I’ll be staying with a host family while I’m in school. I’m looking forward to the experience of living with a Peruvian family and being immersed into their culture and the Spanish language as well. It should be great!!

There are so many things to look forward to and lots of exciting things right around the corner. It is my prayer that throughout all of this I keep my eyes on Christ, that I don’t lose sight of what He has called me to as I step into the mission field.

See y’all on the other side!!

7 days….

Baby steps....

2010-03-01T13:58:00.004-06:00

This past month has been filled with new possibilities and surprises. It looks like circumstances in Cusco have changed and I am now revisiting the possibility of serving there. The work I’d be involved in would be a bit different than I had previously expected, but there is still a great need for the gospel in this hard to reach people group in Cusco . There is also an opportunity for me to serve in another city in Peru and I am exploring it as a possible place that God might be calling me to.

My current plan is to attend language school in Arequipa, Peru to learn Spanish. I can make a decision about the final destination while I’m in school. Regardless of where I end up, I can rest in the fact that God will use me for His purposes wherever I go. I’m not exactly sure what my end destination is at this point, but I’m trusting that God will show me in His perfect timing. I’ll start with learning Spanish and we’ll see what the next step is.

My new departure date is March 22nd. I’m looking forward to what God has in store for me and where that might be. God has taught me so much this past month and in the end, I am thankful for His love and care for me as I go through this time of uncertainty. Thank you all for continuing to pray with me as I walk through this adventure.

21 days...

Change is the spice of life...

2010-02-06T08:25:00.007-06:00

As I move closer to leaving for the mission field, God continues to teach me that I am totally dependent on Him. As of right now, it looks like God is leading me away from Cusco. I am currently in a month long training program with my mission organization, MTW, to prepare me for the field. When I left home three weeks ago, I thought I was on the home stretch to Cusco and was very excited!!! My plan was to move to Peru on March 4th to start language school, but God has other plans. The team in Cusco is experiencing some changes and complications including some team members departing from the field. These things would make it really difficult for me to join the team at this time. With that in mind, I am trusting that the Lord has something else in store for me.

I know that the Lord has a perfect plan. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans of a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I am finding this to be true. So….now I’m in the process of figuring out where God is calling me to serve.

I am now exploring options for other sites where I can serve on the field as a nurse. I have some options, so now I'm thinking and praying through all of this. Please pray for me as I walk through this process of discovering where God is calling me to go. You can pray for clarity, patience, and wisdom as I work through all this. It’s been a wild ride so far and God has already taught me so much.

I’m looking forward to discovering the exciting future God has in store for me. Thank you for your continued support. I’ll keep you all posted on God's amazing plan for my life.

For all the Baltimore people out there, I just want to let you know I'm so jealous. No snow in Belgium.... I'm Looking forward to coming home next week. See you all soon!!!

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

2010-01-24T12:18:00.009-06:00

It has been a good week in Zaventem, Belgium.

This week has been full of some great teaching during our time in the classroom. We have been looking at different methods of evangelism, contextualizing the gospel, conflict management, culture shock, and so much more…. The one thing that stuck out to me this week was the idea that we need to evangelize Christians and disciple non Christians. When did the disciples become Christians? They did drop everything and become followers of Christ, but when did Thomas finally believe? As Christians, we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves. I can be so much like a Pharisee sometimes and need to keep hearing the gospel of grace every day. As I go to the mission field and enter into people’s lives, it is good for me to remember that coming toward Christ can be a long process, not a onetime decision.

Between all of the classroom time and various other assignments I have been plenty busy. I had an opportunity to go to a prayer meeting at the house of one of the members of the Korean church my team is involved with this month. The women were so gracious to open their homes to us, share their lives, and serve us some AMAZING Korean food. It was one hot mess in some ways…..there were so many different languages flying around... (Korean, Thai, Flemish, and English). It was inevitable that something would get lost in translation. Needless to say, there was lots of laughing going on. One thing I learned that day was that the Korean church is a group of believers that prays. The church has numerous house churches, prayer groups, and times for prayer devoted to North Korea. It’s been a great encouragement to see God at work in this church.

I’ve had a little bit of time for travel to wild exotic places. This weekend a group of went to Brazil. It was great!! It was a nice change of pace and much warmer!! Actually, a group of us went to Brugge (Brussel’s capital for chocolate and lace). It was a nice time away even if it was cold and rainy. Back to the classroom tomorrow…. I’m looking forward to another intense and exciting week and look forward to what God has to teach me before I head off to my final destination.

40 days to go……

If I owned a grocery store...

2010-01-19T16:53:00.012-06:00

….I’d call it Abba’s Butt. It's been a good week here in Belgium. I have enjoyed spending some time in Zaventem (the village I'm staying in) and in Brussels as well. My team and I are enjoying getting to know the public transportation system and the ins and outs of the city. It’s been nice to have some time to walk around the village and city. I’m starting to become better acquainted with the community I’m living in, so it’s nice to be able to make my way to bakeries and other nice establishments….

We've been spending mornings in the classroom and the rest of the time putting some of what we have learned into practice. My favorite day last week was when we went into Brussels for an insane team exercise in which we collected a boatload of information about the city with the end goal of making a presentation for a fictional team of short term missionaries coming to Brussels.. We spend a good part of the day gathering information from the city and people in the city as well. We did everything from locating and visiting museums, locating the stock exchange, and major architectural landmarks to eating some great waffles, asking 20 what their favorite beer is, and all kinds of other stuff. I think my favorite stop on this excursion was a visit to a café/pub where we talked with the owner for a while. The point of the trip was a lesson in teamwork, but we did have lots of fun too!!

Sunday worship at the Korean church was quite interesting. I’ve never seen so many Koreans so boisterous (there was plenty of clapping during church). It was a good time of worship and thankfully we had a translator for the service. I’m looking forward to getting to know people in the church and attending their house churches as well.

Just thought I’d end on a positive note…. I’m happy to share some great news with you all….I found out today that a. I’m an optimist (thought you’d appreciate that Meg) and b. I’m emotionally stable(kind of…) I’m excited for this time of training to learn and be equipped to be more effective in sharing the gospel, loving others, and ministering to the lost. My prayer is that I will be a good listener and wait expectantly for what God has to teach me during my time here. Time is flying right on by. Before I know it I’ll be in Peru.

44 days to go….

Finally here

2010-01-13T02:44:00.007-06:00

After a fairly pain free flight over the Atlantic ocean, I have arrived in Brussels. Yay!!! With no complications or crazy moments so far..... I'm optimistic that it's going to be a great 4 weeks.

The conference center/dorm I'll be calling home for a little while is very quaint and tucked away in a cute little village. I had an opportunity to explore a little bit and am thankful that I didn't get lost this time around... It's a bit cold and drafty in the house, but I'm enjoying staying in a neat old house (thank you all who strongly suggested I bring lots of sweaters). I'll be living with two other women in a dorm room and will be sharing a shower with 10 other women(that should be interesting...). I guess it's good prep for me since I'll be living with a host family for six months while I'm in language school. It should be a nice place to stay for the next four weeks.

It looks like I'll be pretty busy while I'm here with plenty of time in the classroom, work in local churches, and homework too. Hopefully there will be time to sleep too!! I just found out today that I'll be working at a Korean church while I'm here. This is going to be a great adventure!!

I'm excited to meet people in the community and spend time in Brussels, but am also looking forward to listening to and learning what God is going to teach me during my time here. I'm sure it will be a fruitful time for me as I prepare to go to Peru (50 days to go...). Thank you all for continuing to pray for me and support me as I walk through the process of getting to the field.

Off to Brussels!!

2010-01-10T17:57:00.008-06:00

The day has finally come....I head off to Belgium tomorrow afternoon. I'm pumped to make my way to the last bit of training with MTW before I'm on my way to Peru. I guess that isn't entirely true since I'll be in language school for 6 months.

I'm looking forward to spending the next month in Brussels. It should be a good time filled with plenty of challenges, learning, fellowship, and fun too. It will be great to see old friends and enjoy good beer and chocolate(yes Meg.....I will hook you up with the "good stuff" when I get back). On a more serious note, please pray for me as I travel to and from Brussels(and for the month I'm there as well). Please pray for Meg(she says she will actually miss me or something like that...)

Thank you all for your continued support as I move closer to the work God has called me to in Cusco.
A.Smith

53 days to go.....

Countdown to Cusco...

2009-12-28T20:18:00.005-06:00

It's been an amazing year. This year I have enjoyed spending Christmas at home. It has been a nice time of celebration and fellowship with family and friends. I've enjoyed being jobless for a short amount of time. As of Jan 1, 2010 I will be employed at Mission to the World(yikes!! I'll be a full time missionary.)

It's hard to believe that a little over a year ago I started the application process to become a short term missionary with Mission to the World. Who would have thought I'd be so close to getting to Cusco? Time flies by. In mid January I head off to the land of chocolate and beer(for pre-field training) and will come back home in mid February. My time in Belgium should be a fun and challenging month away filled all kinds of learning and good stuff to prepare me for the mission field. Thankfully we'll be spending only part of the time in the classroom setting. The majority of the time will be spent serving in various ministries in the community and at local churches. It will be a good time of learning about living cross culturally, understand how to minister in other cultures, and I would imagine many other things as well.

One of my BIG events for December was the purchase of my one way ticket to Peru. It was exciting to buy a one way ticket, but a bit strange as well. I'll be on my way to Arequipa for language school in March. I'll be leaving the good old U.S.A. on March 4th. Five airports, four connections, and 24 hours later.....I'll be in Arequipa where one of my new adventures will start. I'll be attending the ABC Spanish school for six months. It appears that the Spanish classes in high school and college have had no long term benefits for me. The placement test didn't go very well. Since I couldn't so much understand the questions on the test, it looks like I'll be starting out in the beginner classes. While I'm in school, I'll be staying with a host family. From what I understand, there will be minimal use of English. I feel like there will be plenty of laughing and pantomiming going on for a couple of months. I'm looking forward to it.

This past month has been filled with many fun tasks and "new things" in preparation for leaving the country for a couple of years. Who would have thought I'd have to make out a will, make sure my dental records are available to MTW(in case I'm mauled by a llama and my body is unidentifiable), pack up and auction off all the stuff I've accumulated over the past 29 years, or consider getting vaccinated for rabies. There seem to be way too many dogs lying around on the streets of Cusco for my comfort, so I'm still thinking about that one....

This has been wild year with many blessings, challenges, and surprises. God has been good to me. I've been stretched and in so many ways and in the end am thankful for it. I'm so excited for what is ahead and am looking forward to seeing the great things God is going to do. God is at work in Cusco and I'm so thankful to be called to this ministry.

Grace and Peace to all,
A. Smith

66 Days...

Addendum

2009-12-09T06:47:00.007-06:00

Just about a year after starting the application process with Mission to the World to become a short term medical missionary, I am extremely excited to report that I am now 100% funded to go to Cusco, Peru for my 30 month term. I will be employed at MTW as of January 1, 2010. What a great way to start the New Year!!!

I'll be heading off to Belgium in January for training and then to Peru for language scool in Febuary. I look forward to sharing about the exciting things God is doing through my team in Cusco. Thank you all for your continued support.

On my way.....

2009-12-04T07:07:00.008-06:00

I am very excited to announce that I am ALMOST completely funded. Yay!!! Praise God!! This means that I'll be going to Brussels for pre-field training in January and then Peru in late February. Since today is pretty much my target date/deadline for having my funds in, I am reminded that God does provide in His perfect timing. Thank you all for your generous prayer and financial support. It has been an interesting week of attempting to rest in the fact that God loves me and knows what's best for me. I'm just thankful that what I want this time around has lined up with God's perfect will for my life.

Yesterday was a great day filled with much joy and excitement. After getting the go ahead from MTW, I was finally able to quit my current job ( a big step for me!!). It was such a relief for me as my boss was not aware of my plans to move to Peru. That was an interesting conversation...... It was a great opportunity to share about what I will be doing and why I'm doing it.

I'm looking forward to celebrating Jesus' birthday at home with my family(I won't have to work since I'll be unemployed as of December 22nd. No worries...I have a job offer that looks promising and it looks like there is an opening starting in January). In January I'll be in Belgium for a month for training and then tentatively I'll be heading to Peru in late February.

Thank you all for praying for me as I move closer to my departure to Cusco, Peru. Please pray for the rest of my support to come while I'm in Belgium. All I need to meet my goal is $100/month. I'm so close and give thanks to God for that. As I prepare for departure please pray for me as I tie up all the loose ends here. It seems like there is plenty to do in a limited amount of time, but again.... I need to remember that God is in control.

God is good and has blessed me with an awesome supportive family and so many really sweet friendships. I am so thankful for all of the people He has placed in my life and for their encouragement, care, and support as I move closer to the work I have been called to.

Many thanks to all who continue to read about and support me in this adventure.

Exciting Cusco news!!

2009-11-18T21:57:00.017-06:00

I'm going to keep it short this time. I just wanted to praise God for His gracious provisions in my life. As of yesterday I am 100% funded for my one time need to get to the field. YAY!! Now all I have left to raise by the end of this month is $600/month in pledges. I'm getting so close to being 100% funded with about 12ish more days til my deadline(the first week in December) for support raising.

I'm getting really excited and am looking forward to the distinct possibility of heading off to Belgium in January for pre field training and then to language school in February. In theory I'll get to my final destination(Cusco, Peru) in July of 2010 to start my work in Hinterland Health ministry. I am thankful for all of the generous supporters and prayer partners God has provided for me and am looking forward to sharing this experience and ministry with dear friends and family. I'm just pumped to be involved hands on and have a front row seat in this work God has called me to. God has been good to me.

If anyone might be interested in supporting me on an ongoing basis, please feel free to contact me with your pledge info or any questions you might have. You can email me your pledge or send your pledge to MTW by mail.

Please continue to pray for my support to come in by the end of this month so I can move forward in the process of getting to Cusco. Thank you all for praying about support and other preparations I have for this ministry.

Hopefully the next update I'll send out (very soon) will be the announcement that I'm 100% funded for everything. I'll keep you all posted!!

Cusco Update

2009-11-03T10:30:00.012-06:00

As requested, here's a short update on my trip to Cusco last week( glad to hear that some people are looking this. Thanks Jared!! You rock!)

After much excitement and anticipation I finally had an opportunity to get a glimpse of what life will look like for me in the near future. It was a great week in many ways. God was gracious and placed me on a team with so many really cool and gifted brothers and sisters in Christ. It was a time of sweet fellowship. With a team of so many disciplines within the medical field, God equipped us to meet many different needs. There were 18 of us. We had a wide range of physicians-Family practice, radiologist, plastic surgeon, Ob/gyn, general surgeon, 4 nurses, 2 dentists, Physical therapist, and some lay people. I think one of my favorite team members was a 16 year old who did children's ministry during clinic hours(it really can be quite a challenge). How brave of him come spend a week with "a bunch of old people" as he put it, give of himself, and minister to the children. It was neat to see how God brought us all together to share the love of Christ with people in need.

Thankfully, we all arrived in Cusco on time, with all of our luggage and had no issues with customs on the way in or the way out. We all got along and actually had a blast(imagine that....what a surprise). The food was pretty good and no one got really really sick. The llama was pretty good. I'll have to wait til I move there to try the cuy(guinea pig). I hear it's quite good.

As is my usual experience, we encountered much heartache in the lives of the poor in Cusco. We were able to address some of these people's physical needs. We also had time to pray with patients and care for them(hopefully showing them the love of Christ). It can be a challenge to share the Gospel with the Quechua people. In general, they are very guarded and closed. It can take a long time to gain their trust, but I do believe we planted many seeds during our time there. God did give our team a gift of seeing a young woman come to know Christ while we were in Cusco. What an encouragement!! It always touches me to see the visible difference in someone when they come to know Christ.

The team also got to visit an orphanage run by part of the MTW Hinterland team. It was fun to play with and love these children, but also painful to hear the stories of abandonment and abuse in some cases. Apparently, the acceptable way to get rid of children in Cusco is to slowly starve them to death. I thank God for those who are willing to step up and care for God's precious children through this ministry.

It was good for me to spend some time with and get to know the missionaries I'll be spending the next couple of years with. As our team was leaving to come back home I was excited to not have to say goodbye permanently because I'm coming back soon!!! It was great and made me even more eager to get to Cusco. I still hope to have all my support raised by the first week in December, so I can go to prefield training and then language school in January. It's hard to believe I'm on the home stretch for support raising. God has provided so much support(prayer and financial), but I still need $3000 for my one time need and $600/month in pledges. I'm praying for a miracle so I can get to the field this winter. I trust that God will provide in His perfect timing and am trying to rest in that.

I think I've gone on long enough, so I'm going to end here. If you want to hear more......I'm having a party/support raising dinner next Sunday, November 8th from 6-8ish at my church(let me know if you want more info). I'm looking forward to sharing about what God is doing in my life and in Cusco, Peru as well. I really can't do this alone. Thank you all for your continued support.

Ready for adventure

2009-10-22T23:11:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I head out for Cusco. Yay!! I'm so thankful to have this opportunity to serve with a team from Mississippi, spend time with the in country team, and see God work through us. I'm looking forward to the great things God is going to do.

These times God has given me in past trips have been so sweet and precious to me. These have been some of the times I have felt closest to God. It is always such a joy to see God at work through His people in providing medical care and see the Holy Spirit at work in the hearts of so many that are lost. Needless to say, I am excited for this coming week.

Please pray for our team in our travels. It's always an adventure going through customs with lots of medications, medical supplies, medical equipment, and dental equipment(and then there's the issue of all the checked equipment making it to the end destination with us). Please pray for team unity, safety(from the llamas and snakes, and elephants), and that we will be willing to be used by God and that God would prepare the hearts of those we share the love of Christ with.

I'm already pumped to come back and share about what God is doing in this ministry at my support raising event/party (it's at Dayspring Presbyterian Church Nov 8th from 6-8 pm). It should be a great time.

I'm going to end here since I should be asleep by now. Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to send out another update next week while I'm in Cusco.

Blessings!!

Update

2009-10-12T19:45:00.004-05:00

Lots of friends and family have asked me for an update on my support raising process. So…..here it is. As many of you know, the time for possible departure to Cusco, Peru is coming very quickly. I am excited for the possibility of leaving for the field in February. Tentatively I will be going to pre-field training in mid-January. The training is a month long and will be held in Brussels, Belgium. After completing the training I will be heading off to language school in Arequipa, Peru. I will be in school for 4-6 months, depending on how long it takes me to learn Spanish. So…..I should actually get to Cusco in the summer of 2010.

I’m looking forward to what is ahead and eager to leave for the field. At this point, I’m in the process of finishing up support raising. God has already done amazing things, giving me so many prayer partners. He has provided 63% of my monthly needs and 67% of my one time need. God is moving things right along. Praise Him!! I still have $1100/month and $6000 for one time needs to go. In order for me to go to the month long training required to get to the field, I need to have 100% of my support in by the first week in December. Otherwise, I will have to wait till July of 2010 to go to the next training session. Please pray that all the support comes in by December.

God has opened a door for me to go to Cusco for a week at the end of this month with a medical team from Mississippi (yay for the Deep South!!) to work alongside the MTW team in Cusco. I’m looking forward to scoping things out and meeting the people who will become my friends and family for the next two years.
After I return home I will be having a support-raising event (November 8th from 6-8 at DaySpring Presbyterian Church). There will be dinner and I will be sharing about the ministry in Cusco and how I’ll be involved. All are welcome!!