It's hard to believe that August is a year old already! This year has been full of love and learning.
First birthdays are a big production here – food, gifts, party favors, clowns, decorations, cake, and games. We had August's party at a big park near our house. Planning and preparation was a cultural adventure in itself! It took several days to get everything ready. Many friends and neighbors came together to help us make it all happen. It was truly a beautiful picture of community.
A Peruvian first birthday party usually takes place after the baby has been baptized that morning. During the party we made a statement explaining that we wanted to wait until August could make the decision herself to be baptized and follow Jesus and used the opportunity to tell everyone the Good News and hope we have in Him. Jake put a lot of thought into planning and practicing what he wanted to say and did a wonderful job.
Overall it was a great success! We grew closer to those who helped, gained several new cultural insights, got to proclaim the Gospel to all of our guests at once, and August loved digging into her very own chocolate cake. Here a few pictures from the day:
