Food, Fun, and Fuentes - Fountains

It's been a full couple of weeks since the last post.  Let me tell you all about it...
The first week:
Sunday we watched the Super Bowl after church with the families and a few Peruvian friends.  It was the second or third time that I'd heard one of us trying to explain football to the Peruvians, but it was still just as confusing and just as entertaining as the first time.

Monday was the first prayer and planning meeting with all four interns.  We went to the Mount of Olives with the team guys to pray over the week and what God has in store.  Then we sat doen together to plan out the week.  It's so great to see how each event we attend during the week has a purpose.

Tuesday I climbed to the top of Fortaleza in Villa Maria with Kyle G., Wes, Mark, and Carlos.  There are new homes being built along the top of the hill and down the other side.  It surprised me how many hills like Fortaleza there are, with little wooden shacks built on newly-made dirt roads.  The view was powerful, starting from the poorer parts of Lima where we were and reaching to the rich, touristy beaches.  I just had to stand there for a while to take it all in.  I really realized how small I feel and how blessed I am.

The view from the new houses in Villa Maria to the beach in Miraflores

Wednesday I went with Mark and Wes to a Bible study at our friend Eulogia's house.  This was the second time that I got to go and it was interesting to hear more about her life.  At first I thought that we weren't making a difference since we basically just sit in her living room talking.  Then I realized that God works in different ways than I expect or am accustomed to sometimes.  There were more people there this time, some Eulogia's family and some just friends.  This made us think that a small group could grow from what started out as a simple Bible study, which is part of the team's vision.  I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of our time with Eulogia.  Please pray with us for Eulogia and the other people that God can reach through our time together.

Thursday Taylor, Kyle G., and I went to look at language schools that will fit with our new schedule.  We had some good choices, but found out that none of the classes start til March.  The plan now is to study with a personal tutor for a couple weeks until we can start at one of the bigger schools in the area.  We also got our yellow fever shots so a trip to the jungle is totally possible in the near future!  You will definitely hear more about that when it happens because we are all super excited!

Friday Kyle G. and I went with the team families to Cieneguilla, an area about 45 minutes outside Lima that has plenty of opportunities for rest and family fun.  We ended up at a resort with a pool, water slides, a play area, and plenty of sun.  It was a relaxing and entertaining day.  All the kids loved the pool and slides and trying to kill Kyle with their water guns.  We had lunch there, which for me was cuy (guinea pig), a Peruvian specialty.

Cailyn and Parker enjoying the playground



Maddox loved these water guns!

Saturday morning Kyle W. left for Texas and that night the jovenes went to the Parque de las Reservas to see the water fountains and the light show.  Some of the fountains were just to look at, but some were for playing.  In one fountain, the point of the game was to get to the middle without being wet... no one succeeded haha.  Afterwards we went with some seasoned Peruvians to eat anticucho (cow heart) and picarones (fried donut-and-honey deliciousness).

Trying not to let the water touch you looks really hard in this fountain



Part of the light show



One of the biggest fountains

The second week:
Sunday we went to Villa Maria.  After some fun songs, a Bible story, and a coloring page, the kids got to play a fun game... John Mark covered the interns' faces with shaving cream and the kids got to throw cheetos at us to see who could stick the most to our faces.  Like I said, super fun!

Taylor getting shaving creamed



Kyle is ready to go, with Fatima and Sumi in the background



Me at the end of the game

Monday brought an early wake up since the team girls exercise together and with Peruvian friends at 6:15!  We go out to a park on the malecón and work out in the crisp, (sometimes fishy) cool morning air.  It has been great for me to get to know the girls better and to just have fun with them (all while getting some endorphines!).

Tuesday we had another jam session and some new people came!  We worked on learning a new Spanish song for church so hopefully we can teach people starting in a couple Sundays.  It was cool to see the group grow a little in such a short period of time and to see us working toward a better church experience too.

Wednesday I went to Eulogia's house again for Bible study.  This time the conversation naturally flowed into reading verses.  It was such an easy transition and it was encouraging to me to see just how easy sharing faith can be.  I think Eulogia was even more open and interested than last week.  My hope is that she will continue to be interested to learn more and will act on her interest.

Thursday the interns worked on our first official responsibility: planning the lessons for Sunday mornings at Villa Maria.  So far our time there has been planned at the last minute and ad-libbed, but has worked out great.  We got to thinking about how much better it could be if we could be more organized and prepared.  That afternoon Kyle, Taylor, and I sat down with Alison and planned a lesson and activities that we were really excited about.  Hopefully this planning and more preparation in the future will be beneficial to the team and the kids in Villa Maria.

Friday is our day off and we put it to good use with a trip to Punta Hermosa (Beautiful Tip).  The beach is about 30 minutes from the city and had some great waves for surfing so Wes and Kyle practiced while Taylor and I got some sun.  That afternoon Taylor and I spent some time with our friends Carmen and Katty who are graduating soon to become doctors.  They are excited to graduate and share their happiness with us.  We've even been invited to their graduation parties!

Saturday the Davidsons invited us over for an American lunch (hamburgers and hot dogs) and to meet their friends who are part of Food for the Hungry.  It's always cool to meet other Americans living in Lima doing what God has called them to do. 



Hopefully this hasn't been too long and boring.  We'll try not to keep you waiting so long next time, but until then, chau!

-JLD