Our First Peruvian Thanksgiving

Well, in the words of my husband, "I have come of age." He said this because he made broccoli cheese casserole for his own Thanksgiving this year. His momma was not here to do it. Our Thanksgiving would not have been as tasty if it weren't for the yummy box of ingredients that my mother-in-law sent to us this month (containing Velveeta and a can of real pumpkin). 

Meet Manuela

Before coming here, I was very uncomfortable with something that was suggested to us by some other Peruvian missionaries. It was the whole idea of what they call here an "empleada." Basically, many of the rich have a full-time hired maid that cooks, cleans, tends to the children, you get the idea. We heard that it was expected of those with any sort of money to hire an empleada. The people in Peru "expect" for those with money (if you are Gringo you are expected to have money) to help their economy by hiring an empleada. Would this make any of you uncomfortable?

Unexpected Paths

We have a strategy. I like it. We worked hard on it and tried to be realistic. It is no surprise that young missionaries can have unrealistic expectations, and I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. It is equally fair to call low expectations unrealistic given the Reality that we serve. To be honest, I am torn between these two modes of thought. On one hand, it is the great expectation of God that sent me into the mission field in the first place. On the other hand, it is the cowardly fear that high expectations will set us up for failure that causes me to hit the brakes. On one hand, it is the foolish zeal of inexperience that strains at the bridle. On the other hand, it is the wisdom of those gone before us that we should dedicate ourselves to learning for a time and approach our ministry to people in the careful manner of a master builder. 

Back to School

The thought of starting back to school four years after college graduation was a bit daunting to me. Studying had become a foreign concept, and since I was the Spanish rookie on the team, the task of learning an entire language loomed large in front of me. It didn’t help that the thought of sitting face-to-face with a Peruvian for four hours each day, hoping I could keep up enough to learn a few things, seemed overwhelming. 

But then we began classes, and I realized that the time goes very quickly.

Home Sweet Home

I have some great news for you. Both families are in comfortable, spacious, well-located 2 bedroom apartments! As most of you know, our plan had been to live with Peruvian families while in language school so that we could learn how Peruvians function here in Arequipa. Where do they go to the market? What things do families buy? What do you avoid? How do you cook a meal? What are the cultural nuances gringos need to learn? Though we had been planning on this for years, we have always tried to remain open to change. Needless to say, we had to start changing plans a little sooner than anticipated. 

A Roof Over Our Heads

That’s all we wanted, really. And we wanted it to include more than one room besides the bathroom, so after three weeks of hotel living, we are ready to head out into the real world of Arequipa! We have hunted for apartments for the last week or so, and it’s been quite a ride. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, so thank you for your prayers! 

The Language School Groove

It’s Friday night after our second long week of language school. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for. When we investigated language schools over a year ago, Casa de Avila was hands-down the best option in town. That, however, was far from a guarantee of excellence. One of the things I have anticipated most during the last years is language and culture training. There is something so rewarding about the look on a Peruvian’s face when you can make a word play in Spanish, order a traditional plate at a local dive, or haggle in the market without missing a beat.

First Destination: Lima, Peru

I’m not sure how many of you have ever had to run through an airport with a slim chance of making your international connection. Up until August 25th none of us had. There we were though; four first-time missionaries running our tails off through the Atlanta airport hoping that the gate folks would take pity on us and allow us on the plane which we were certainly going to miss. God is good, as you all know, and we made our flight by 8 minutes.

Our Strategy

We’ve been forming our strategy in fits and starts for years. In some ways, aspects of it were decided before we did anythings else. Those who first banded together in the final months of 2001 already knew that, within the context of South America, we would undertake an urban mission.In order to narrow our options, we participated in a research project that had two important criteria: prospects would be cities of 500,000 or more and have no “significant” Church of Christ presence. Thus, whatever we did, it would be a “frontier” church planting mission in a South American urban environment.