See You at the Poll - Peruvian Style

Our kids left for school early yesterday because their school participated in "See You at the Pole". Of course it was a Peruvian flag...and there was no pole. It didn't stop the outpouring of prayers from the students.

Dad signs Hands and Feet

When we were commissioned at Parkview, Dad signed Hands and Feet. This is what it looked like:

Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village

An interesting story sent to me by my Cousin Aaron:

LIMA (AFP) - Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday.

Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.

Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.

Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said.

Rescue teams and experts were dispatched to the scene, where the meteorite left a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) and 20-foot-deep (six-meter-deep) crater, said local official Marco Limache.

"Boiling water started coming out of the crater and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby. Residents are very concerned," he said.

English Students Sing Hands & Feet

Our English students have been practicing the song Hands and Feet. I am sending in the video to Mark, who has been waiting to hear our work for about a month now. The earthquake delayed our studio session a few weeks.

Back to Lima, back to normal???

Well, I can honestly say that being a missionary is anything but normal. Coming from a life of organization, schedules and lists, to waking up not exactly sure what to expect of the week, not to mention the day, is a little bit different of a life. I remember being told about the most important rule to being a missionary....To remain flexible, because they say that "Blessed are the flexible for they are not easily bent out of shape" Now that cute little quote has rung true so many times these past few years. But thankfully, through a lot of prayer, the Lord is growing me in those areas, not to be so rigid, but to be flexible. Pray for me.

I know it has been a week or so since our last post, but we have had much going on. PawPaw arrived safe and sound and is busy at work with Arnold up in the disaster areas. They left on Sunday afternoon and will return for a day or so on Friday. During their drives in the mountains, they had 2 blow-outs. I am so thankful that Arnold was not by himself and even so much more grateful that I wasn't with Arnold. They were able to make it back to the base camp after some research into some areas to see how hard they had been hit and how much need was in each area. They have had the opportunity to serve in Ica and distribute food and supplies daily to neighboring towns and villages. I am sure they sleep sound every night after a hard days work. I also hear that PawPaw is quite a hit and that everyone loves him.

Me on the other hand. I took an unexpected trip to Arequipa this past weekend. Yep, the city that we were suppose to be in right now. I had some business to take care of and I left last Saturday morning and returned Monday night. The bad thing was, most of the time, my dear friends, the Rains, who live in Arequipa were in Lima, but I did get to see them and their new house before I left. It was a sweet time.

Arequipa was beautiful. As soon as I stepped off the plane, the sun hit my face and the edges of my mouth smiled. The sky was so bright and blue! I couldn't help but smile! The food was wonderful, the people were, well ,different than in Lima (they are proud like Texans and think of Arequipa as a country in itself) I saw the volcanos that surrounded the city Mt. Misti etc and some were even snowcapped. It was amazing. It was a nice, productive trip but I was glad to be home, even though as we flew into Lima, we flew through the clouds and I felt the edges of my mouth weigh down....boy, isn't it amazing how the sunshine and how the cloudy skies effect not only the weather, but your mood.

So, I am back and busy with emails, lists and things to do (sounds like normal huh?) We will see what the next 10 minutes hold, what the next person who emails me needs, or the next place I have to run to get something last minute. It is a crazy life, but one I am learning daily to love because He brought me here, He will keep me here and He will teach me to let go of the things that I can't control because when I do, I give Him total control.

Pray for us. I know you do. We love you and appreciate your prayers, your love and your encouragement.

His
Susie