Having a Party tonight!

Tonight we are having a bienvenidos (Welcome) for the Grady Family. John, Sonia and baby Samuel arrived in Peru on Sunday after spending almost a year in Costa Rica at language school. (So as you can tell, these are some really close buddies of ours). Samuel was born right before we left Costa Rica so he got to see his Aunt Sue Sue before I left. He has grown so much since we last saw them.

So tonight we will welcome them to the Peru IMB family in a special way. We will have it here in the apartment that we are housesitting and all the missionaries will come and make them feel welcome. And of course there will be food!

Please pray for the Gradys as they begin the next chapter of thier life here in Peru. They will only be in Lima for a few days before heading up uP UP into the mountains. They will be living at the highest elevation that any of the missionaries here live. So please pray for thier safety as they go. Their ability to acclimate to the altitude. Pray that they will be able to find a home quickly and that they all stay healthy and happy.

WELCOME TO PERU!
His.
Susie

O.K. Now this just stinks!

Yesterday afternoon, Arnold made me go to the Doctor because I have been having a lot of trouble with my left foot. About a week ago, after I was exercising, my foot starting hurting so bad that I couldn' walk on it. It would swell up and I would ice it but the pain would never go away and it would always start to swell again. I got to where I could walk on the side of my foot and the pain wouldn't be so bad. Anyway, the doctor said that he thinks it is just a bad sprain and he ordered me to wear a bracey thingy and not to walk for at least a week and when I need to get around, that I need to use a CLUTCH. I laughed. We tried using a clutch and I find it isn't that helpful, so Arnold is getting me CRUTCHES today.

Also while we were there, he went over all my bloodwork and other tests from when I had kidney stones. He said that I had, had a parasite but by the last sample that I had given, that it was gone. BUT, now I have a bug in my stomach called H-pylori. After I finish with my round of medication for my ankle, I have to get on a 10 day treatment of about 4 medications. Supposidly it will be a rough 10 days. Please pray for me as I rid my body of this thing. YUCK!

OHHHHH! The really bad thing about this buggy thing is I have to be on a special diet to try to get rid of it. One of the main things that I have to stay away from is aji. That means no more Aji de Gallina for me for a while!!!!! (I guess my little bug likes it as much as I do!) That stinks.

His.
Susie

Peru can't be good for my diet!

One of the things I REALLY like about Peru is the FOOD! Oh My! I thought nothing could replace good old home cooking or even cajun cooking but Peruvian food is beginning to rank really high at the top of my list. My very favorite is Aji de Gallina. It is chicken in a yellow sauce served over perfect rice and a 1/2 of a potatoe with a 1/2 of a boiled egg! It is SOOOOO yummy! There are lots of other really great dishes here. Too many to try in a lifetime I am sure, but I am also sure that I am gonna try.

Another yummy thing about Peru is a restuarant called Pasquales. It is a restuarant that sells sandwiches and yuca fries or balls! WOW! One of our English Class students told me that once I ate there, that I would want to eat there everyday! He was right! The only thing I have had is the Lomo Saltado Pasquale....It is seasoned strips of beef with sauted onions, bell peppers, avacado and cheese with some sauce. Oh man! I doubt I will ever try anything else there because that one is just too perfect. (If someone wants to make a killing on money in the states, I suggest you look into a franchise of this restaurant!) Yum.....making myself hungry.

So for those of you who worry if we are eating or not in a 3rd world country, be comforted...we are eating well! Peruvian food runs circles around ANY food you can get in Costa Rica (ok, ok, to be fair, Costa Rica is home to Oteros pizza which can never be outdone!)

Hungry yet???? Come see us and I will prove it to you! Gotta go wash up for dinner! Love you all!

His.
Susie

Yes ma’am it’s “Noche de Puertas Abiertas”

Last night was Open House for the kid’s new school. We were able to go and meet all of the new teachers and see their classrooms. They all seemed to be very nice. Patrick’s teacher is Mr. Erickson and he seems to be a great 5^th grade teacher! Since it is a small private school, Alisha and Ben have quite a few of the same teachers (not during the same time, but usually for the same subject). Most of their teachers, except their Spanish teachers are North Americans here and this is how they serve as missionaries, to our mission kids! When talking to them about the kids, the funny thing was the only real comment that every one of their teachers made was, “It sounds so weird to be called or to hear them say “Yes Ma’am.” Well apparently most of these teachers are not from the South!!!! (We won’t hold that against them!)

After we visited in the classrooms, we all ate at a school-wide pot-luck. YUMMMM! Too bad I just started back on my Weight Watchers (the pot luck won!) We brought a garlic beef recipe that Arnold found online…it smelled so good while it was cooking and it must have been good because by the time we got up to the table it was all gone! It is an easy and really good recipe if any of you want the recipe. I also made rice on the stove top tonight to go with it. Our house helper, Marisol makes the best white rice! You literally want to eat it plain!!! It is snow white and NEVER is gummy or sticky…it is perfect. Anyway, I made it similar to how she makes it and I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out! Not gummy or sticky at all! (But definitely not Marisol’s) YEAH! And I didn’t even have to use my rice cooker (which I don’t have anymore).

Do I love you? Yes Ma’am I sure do!

His,

Susie

After the quiz, there is ALWAYS a test!

Did you pass Quiz 1 and Quiz 2? Ready for the test? Well, about a week and 1/2 ago, Arnold and I had to go take our Drivers license test. We were told that if we had our International Drivers License that we wouldn't have to take the driving part but only have to take the written test. Well, that in itself scared the heebie geebies outta me! It was in Spanish!!!!!!! We had a study book from 2004 and had no idea if any of it had changed or not.
Well, thank goodness that we have a wonderful Peruvian woman in our office named Ada that helps all the missionaries get visas, licenses, etc or we would have been so lost. She went with us and when she told us to sit, we sat, when she told us to stay, we stayed, when she told us to speak, we did (and in whatever language she told us too!) we kinda felt like puppies, but in a good way that we appreciated very much!
Ada, took us in and guided us through each step of the way. We took an eye exam, a medical exam and a psycological exam (which required us to draw the same shapes that we saw on the board and a picture of a human...good to know that I passed that one). Then after we passed all that, we had to go take the computer drivers license test. Oh my goodness! It was IN SPANISH! What more can I say!
On the test, you had to get at least 20 right and could only miss 11. There were several Peruvians who left out before we got in after they had failed. We had 30 minutes to complete it. It would tell you immediately when you missed one, so when I missed one I would say"ARHHH!" and when I would get one right I would rejoice in my little seat. I kinda freaked out when Arnold got up because I wasn't sure if he had already passed and that made me feel a little stupid and slow or if he already failed and I that made me feel like maybe I had NO chance at all! ARGHHHHH! All at once, a huge box popped up in the middle of my screen saying "Felicidades" I had passed my test! I was so excited! Oh course, Arnold passed too!
When we were done, we found out that the motor vehicles office was having a problem with Arnold's International Drivers License. It seems that the young lady in the states at AAA who wrote it out, forgot that it was 2007 and instead wrote 2006 and then when she realized that she made a mistake, she wrote over the 6 with a 7. In hopes to show the validity of his, we showed mine which was correct, in the same handwriting etc, but it posed the opposite effect. Then they had a problem with MY International Drivers license. All this to say, after having to contact AAA in the states, and having them verify that these licenses were valid, we recieved our Peruvian Drivers Licenses today! YEAH!
I must tell you, the pictures here are 10 times worse than license pictures in the states. You have to sit waiting under 2 huge 100000 watt bulbs and wonder if the guy even remembers that you are there to take a picture, then about the time you stop smiling and decide that he'll tell you when he is ready, he snaps the picture....no I'm not sweating, I am glistening!

****And that does mean that Arnold's accident was BEFORE he recieved his real license here in Peru! OOHH! One other interesting fact about Arnold's day at the police station....when he had to be tested for drug and alcohol use, it was in another office in another area of town so they told him to drive over and get tested. Anything sound strange to you....uhhh, you might be drunk or stoned so please DRIVE to get tested! *********

Another interesting day in Peru. Praise the Lord we are here!
His
Susie

Peru Driving Quiz Part 2

So, it looks like some people want some answers! It looks like Heather (third commenter) is the closest. She cheated, because she is here with us. It is most likely that you should not look anywhere before making this turn, but to be on the safe side (because the gringo WILL be blamed, if possible), you had better look everywhere, even if that's not the norm here.

There's a reason for this quiz. I was in the blue car's position the day of the photo, making this turn. There was a bus in front of me. I was stopped, signaling my left turn. When it was clear, I proceded to make my turn. Little did I know, but a taxi decided to pass both me and the bus in front of me, disregarding the double yellow line. He tried to blame me, resulting in my first arguement in Spanish. I faired pretty well, I guess, because when he realized he was clearly at fault, he left the accident scene. I spent the next 3 hours at two police stations doing paperwork and taking alcohol tests. I was able to report the license plate number.

The results:

Driving Quiz - Part 1

You are driving in Peru. You are in the blue car. You want to turn left onto the one way street.

Which way should you check for traffic?

a. Oncoming traffic from the opposite direction.

b. Traffic crossing over on the one way street.

c. Traffic approching from behind you on the double yellow-lined road

d. Oncoming traffic traveling opposite on the one way street

e. a & b are correct

f. all of the above.

Love in any language

Happy Valentines day to all!

It doesn't seem like Valentines day or Dia del Amor, is a really big deal here in Peru. When we went to the market yesterday to get a valentine treat for the kids, we ended up having to be pretty creative. There were no long aisles of Mickey Mouse, Barbie, or Pooh Valentines, there were no large packs of valentine suckers and chocolate candy hearts. There were only a few heart shaped balloons and a few packs of odd candy that I think was suppose to be for valentines day but it wasn't for ours. We ended up going to the area of the store that had thier regular candy and getting some chocolate bees (not real ones, just in the shape and the wrapper looks like them) and we wrote on them....Will you bee mine, bee nice, bee happy and cheesy stuff like that....It looks like you CAN live without Halmark! Ha! We also got them some "besos de moza" which translated into english is "A young womans kiss" It is marshmallow cream covered in chocolate..they are so yummy! (But Ben used to think that they were called "besos de mosca" which means the kiss of a fly or mosquito! Glad we figured that one out!) Since there were no valentine cards, we all made each other ones and we also were sneaky and sent each other e-cards (OK, OK, so we CAN'T live without Halmark!)

One thing we have really missed the past two years, is a tradition that my Aunt Louise started when the kids were really little. The kids would get an anomymous package in the mail with tons of valentines from all the different cartoon characters, Donald Duck, Buzz Lightyear, Cinderella, and whatever else was popular at the time. It was a hughe package and they all got at least 20 each, if not more. Every year they looked forward to it so much. She always wanted us to keep it a secret who they were from. They never knew until recently that they were from Aunt Louise, they always used to think it was from DisneyWorld. Thank you Aunt Louise for always thinking of us. We miss you and Uncle Babe!

Happy Valentines Day...I think Arnold and I are going out for a Valentines Day Lunch!


******Guess what we got in the mail today? A Valentine from the Acteens at FBC Zachary, LA! Thanks guys for thinking of us! Good timing too, we got it ON Valentines Day! Also, we got a sweet e-card from Mrs. Stubblefield! Thanks for always encouraging us guys! God Bless

His.
Susie

Bienvenidos a la escuela

"Welcome to the school"

Today was the first day of school. If you've ever moved, you know how it is to enter a new setting for the first time. Please pray for their integration into the student body.

When we dropped Patrick off at his class, he looked so scared. A boy named Jack came right up to him and said, "Do you feel welcome? Cuz ya are!" I hope this is true for all three, in all classes.

I feel like Chicken Tonight

Remember the feather we found in our eggs that we bought in Peru. We took it up a notch. We we're eating at the dinner table this evening and Alisha grossed out at the sight of chicken feather s on her already cooked chicken leg in her spaghetti. Life is good.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Not I, but when people do in Lima, don't be surprised if it's on the roof. No one has been able to adequately explain the phenomena. Some think it's a type of home security. I think the razor wire worked pretty well in Costa Rica. Here is a sample:

Carne

Carne means meat in Spanish and usually means beef. With an accent on the end (Carné) it means happyness. Actually it's the title given to the resident or national ID card in Peru. The good news is, we have our carné and are legal here in Peru. It also means I can stop carrying around my passport, which has a street value of about $600 we are told. rejoice with us:

Life in Lima

Ok, now that summer here is almost over, we are hoping to get into a routine of sorts. School will start next Monday (the kids are so-o excited..not really). They will be going to a small private christian school called ICSL. Here is the link to their website if you are interested. http://icslima.org/FTWriteRight/Html/Html-Blank/about%20us%20welcome.htm The school is only 2 blocks from where we live now and 1 block from our new apartment. This will surely be a blessing after so many years in Baton Rouge traffic and carpool lines!!!

This is still the middle of the year for them because the school where they will be going is on the American School System, just the holidays and breaks are different. (The national schools will begin in March and they will be starting a new school year when they begin) Please pray that all goes well with their new school, new teachers, and new friends.

Arnold and I are in full swing into our 2nd year of language learning. This year is not in a classroom setting, but in the really large classroom setting of Peru. We are going through a program called Kaleidoscope. It is a years worth of activities dealing with the language, the culture, the religions, the people and other missionaries here in Peru. It is alot of work, so pray for us. Also pray that this will help sharpen our spanish.

We also have begun our IMB mentorship. This will last for a year. We will have activities to accomplish during this year to help us further understand what it is that we will be doing as missionaries. Please pray for us during this time to be able to prepare ourselves for the job ahead.

We are so blessed to be part of the IMB. They are fully equipping each missionary with the tools necessary to do a job well done. Thank you all for being a part of this ministry as you help with your prayer support, encouragement and your financial support to Lottie Moon. Pray for the Harvest!

His,(Here in Lima!)
Susie

Alisha's thoughts about Paraguay

During our trip to Paraguay I had the opportunity to meet a larger group of MK’s that are not only in the same mission as I, but going through the same things and feelings as I, if they hadn’t already felt it.

I had a blast. It was the best thing I was able to do all summer. We had a long trip there that included a four hour layover in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I was so excited to be able to visit two new countries in one day. We were so blessed to meet up with the Paliminos ( Our member care consultants) at the Argentine airport for two reasons: one, they helped Aunt Debbie watch us and that gave her a little rest from us and two, they let us go into their private waiting room in the airport. It was such a nice place to rest on couches and eat a little for breakfast.

We finally got to our hotel around lunch time. We were immediately served grilled cheese sandwiches and greeted by some of the volunteers that were there running our conference. The first day I was very uncomfortable because I felt like everyone but the Peru MK’s knew everyone. At least it seemed that way.

By the second day I was blessed by being a little more comfortable with the people and having some fun, enjoying what the Lord had just begun to teach me.

Throughout the week I met some really nice people that I became as close as you can get to someone in a week. We had a lot of fun and I learned about the habits a Christian should have: Hang time with God, Accountability partners and how to be accountable, Bible memorization, Involvement in doing the work of God, Tithing to God, and Sermon notes to look back on and help you remember what the Lord has or is teaching you.

I also learned that just like I would be really happy and having fun during games, that I should have the same attitude towards God during worship and reading my Bible and doing HIS work.

The whole trip, to me, was about learning through God and meeting some neat people.

His Child,
Susie

Paraguay Postcard from Ben...Wish you were here

First a little history about Paraguay...

Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay ; is a landlocked country in South America which is a little smaller than the state of California. It lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, bordering Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Boliva to the northwest, and is located in the very heart of South America. The name "Paraguay" is derived from the Guaraní word pararaguay meaning "from a great river". The "great river" is the Parana River, which produces the greatest amount of hydroelectric power in the world. The population of Paraguay is 6,158,000. Okay enough of that, you want to know about my trip.

When we went to the Mission Kid retreat in Paraguay, we had to fly to Paraguay on Argentine Airlines. There were me, Alisha, a mission kid Jacob who lives in the Amazon jungle with his parents, Melissa a mission kid who lives here in Lima and will go to school with us and our chaperone, Mrs. Debbie. We had a really long day because we had a LONNNNGGG layover at the Argentina airport. When we finally got to Paraguay, we checked into a Days Inn hotel with about 60 other mission kids (These kids are from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile). I shared a room with Jacob and Garret (He is a mission kid from Uruguay).

A group from a church in the United States came down to lead the retreat. We had so much fun. We played games, got to know each other and had worship and Bible time. Each day we would get up at 7:00 and eat breakfast then at * we would have worship. We would then have Bible study in the morning and in the afternoon within our specific groups. The groups were set up by age. We spent time reading through the Bible adn discussing what we read. We also talked alot about accountablity partners and why having one is a good idea.

During the days we also had some feww time so we were able to go swimming and hang out with the other Mk's. Also, each day, we would have a game time for games like, watergames, outdoor games, and then messy games. I also had art class in which I made a cross necklace, a duck tape wallet and some duck tape pants for a missionary who was going to be preforming a song. We had lots of fun and I really hope that we can go back next year.

Ben

vote today to be apart of my (alisha's) science project

well, it's been a while since i've blogged so i decided to let ya'll be apart of my science project by choice. first off, let me tell ya'll about my project.
i am seeing which liquid; 2 liters of coca cola, filtered water, or gatorade; forms the most urine put out. my purpose is to determine the diuretic value of liquids. well, today we started testing this and we chose to drink coca cola today. it was a hard day because we drank all 2 liters within 2 hours. talk about feeling nauseous.
so here is my request: send me a sample of your.... just kidding.
really, please vote for what my title should be for my paper---
1) To Pee or Not To Pee....That is the Question.
2) Intake vs. Output
3) Where's the Bathroom? Urine trouble
the first and second were my mom's ideas and the third was my dad's idea.
thank ya'll.

***(We all went to the bathroom at 20 minute intervals and measured our output (except mom, she had to go every 10 minutes...No JOKE!)***

HIS child

Alisha