New Life

Jose Luis was the first Peruvian that was baptized into Christ in our time here.  I can remember our first meetings with only the two missionary families, Emilio (who was already a Christian), and Jose Luis.  How exciting it is to see what has happened over the course of these almost-four years.  We have grown in number, but more than that, we have grown in our relationships with so many of these Peruvians.  I commented to one of our interns that it is kind of scary for me to think about leaving Peru at this point.  I am so invested in the lives of these people, my Peruvian family, that I cannot and don't want to imagine the day when we leave.

Throughout the first part of this year, Jose Luis's attendance to our weekly meetings were off and on.  He works a lot, and we were aware that his work sometimes affected his attendance.  What we were not expecting to hear one Sunday is that Jose Luis was gone a lot of weekends because he was visiting a certain friend in another city...

Meet Miriam.  She is promised to Jose Luis and they will wed this August (the 18th to be exact).  She lives in a town 4 hours away from Arequipa.  She will move here the beginning of August.  She has been studying the gospel message with Jose Luis throughout their courtship.  They requested to come meet with Greg and me a few Sundays ago.  We felt so honored that she would make a special trip to come meet us.  But that trip meant more than that.  Jose Luis explained that she wanted to join him in his journey with the Lord.  We scheduled a time to meet again and talk about the cost of discipleship.  They came, we talked, and Miriam decided to go with the “Eunuch response.”  If there was a place to do the baptism, she didn't see any reason to wait.  On June 29, the holiday of Peter and Paul here in Peru, Miriam confessed her faith in front of the church that could come with 2 hours notice.  It was a beautiful scene.  We all came back to the house.  We shared, sang, and prayed.  Keep Miriam in your prayers as she begins her journey of discipleship.  Also pray for the new life Jose Luis and Miriam will share as they say their wedding vows this August.

Toward the end of this month, I finished the study of Mark with Nadia.  I went into that last study feeling so excited about Nadia making the commitment.  The result caught me off guard.  To make a long story short, I learned that Nadia had a different perception of baptism than what I believe the Bible teaches.  She explained to me that she is in the process of making that commitment but she needed to forgive some people in her life and make things in her heart right before she could make covenant with God.  I immediately went to Romans 8 where it talks about the Spirit helping us in our weakness.  We conversed for awhile, and we concluded with the plan to look more closely at baptism in our next study.  I spoke with David Mitchell, the overseeing elder at Cedar Lane of the Peru work who was here with the engineers, and with Greg about where I should go with this conversation.  I fully believe the Spirit pointed me to Romans 8, so it was no surprise to me when they both said I should take her through Romans 6-8.  

Also, I spoke with three of our Peruvian Christians that came from a Catholic background– Paty, Alfredo, and Manuela.  I learned from them that Nadia's hesitancy comes from a Catholic mindset of not being able to approach the presence of God unless your horizontal relationships are made right.  I learned a lot from them, and I thank God that I have my Peruvian family that understands a Peruvian mindset better than I ever can.  Isn't that what Christian brothers and sisters are for?
Nadia and I read through Romans 6-8, and we ended the meeting with her saying that she was ready.  She realizes that she is in process, but that she will always be in process.  Baptism isn't the end result of making yourself who you think you should be.  Baptism is the beginning.  It is the acceptance of the gift of the Holy Spirit who is the only answer for making us into the person God wants us to be.  

We haven't made it to the water yet, because there are some people that Nadia really wants to be there to witness her decision.  We are making plans for that special day.  I am thrilled beyond words to have walked thus far with her in this journey.  God has taught me and stretched me so much in the process.  I am now excited to see her confess her faith publicly in front of the saints, and enter into a study of discipleship with her.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers for Nadia.  She is such a dear friend to me, and I cannot express the joy I feel in being able to call her “sister.”

2012 Interns

When I was at Harding as an undergraduate—and as I turn 30 I'm coming to the realization that it's been longer than I was imagining—I remember wishing that there was an internship for Latin America comparable to the one for Africa.  Africa was the primiere destination for the missional student, and it seemed that the program was pretty great.  I began to dream then of creating a comparable internship, once we got to the field, that could provide students interested in Latin American missions another opportunity.  I'm guessing that the Africa internship at Harding is still the main event, and for good reason.  But it's been fun to see our efforts here evolve into a multi-university, seven-intern experience. 

I thought you might like to meet the students who have given their summer to learn and serve in Arequipa.

Back Home

We had several people ask us during our time in the US if we were glad to be home or were enjoying our time at home.  That is an interesting concept for our family because “home” is a pretty fluid thing.  Beyond having spent chunks of time in several different places in the states and then leaving for another country, we have also moved several times while in Peru.  And with the sheer number of homes we stayed in over a two month furlough, we started referring to wherever we would sleep as “home”.  

But Peru really is where we feel at home right now.  It’s where our family has grown into who we are, with two of our kids having spent hardly any of their lives in the US.  We have been changed by our time here in ways that are hard to express, but our assumptions and expectations are different.  After traveling, this is where we feel like we can relax and rest and settle back into our life.  

We are blessed that our churches, families and friends welcome us so readily and find somewhere to fit us back in for a while.  We never lacked for a place to stay, people to see or things to do.  You loved us and our kids, asked about our lives, bought our coffee, invited us into your homes, and even had a baby shower for Aria.  Even though Peru might be where our family calls home, no matter where we traveled, we never felt out of place.  You made us feel right at home with you, too.  We appreciate you and the ways you keep us in your thoughts and prayers and hearts.  We truly enjoyed the opportunity to have spent time with you.  
And after all that, since you asked, yes, we are glad to be home.

CUDA News: May

One day after we returned to Arequipa from furlough I went to the airport to pick up David Fann.  David works for Vanderbilt, is an adjunct teacher at Lipscomb, and is one of CUDA’s board members.  We were really excited to have David visit and see what CUDA is up to, meet Alfredo and Paty personally, visit our worksites and basically just get a feel for Arequipa, its people and its needs.  He visited 3/4 of our church groups, met a few of the borrowers in our loan program and was able to visit a few of our libraries.  

The timing of David’s visit was perfect as he was also able to help us with some of the prep-work for the solar panel project that will take place in June.  Over the years David has been a part of numerous mission trips with an engineering focus.  He has helped design, build and install solar panel setups in Central America, so has the experience to help us get prepared for the team coming next month.  We were able to show him the community where we will be installing the panels so that he could give input on the design and installation ideas being thrown around.  We also took him to a few stores so he could see what kind of tools and materials were available.  His input on all levels has been extremely helpful.

The CUDA board has been a big blessing already but having one make the trip down sure made everything feel more official.  These men and women have years of experience and knowledge gained but don’t know Arequipa nor the people we interact with on a daily basis.  Personal knowledge of the city, workers, projects and people being reached will help them as they make decisions for the organization.  A number of other members have begun to think and pray about a time they can visit.  We look forward to having them here!

Let me give you a short list of things/people that we would ask you to be actively praying about as we head into the summer:

• CUDA Board (David, Ileene, Monty, Mark, Sheila, Budd, Greg, Alfredo, Kyle)
• Summer Interns (Rebecca, Ann, Sean, Emily, Taylor, Jordan, Katie)
• Library Program - the kids and teachers that Megan works with on a weekly basis
• Solar Project - team from TN coming in June to build and install 10 solar power units
• Loan Program - growth in borrowers’ businesses
• Cafe - that we utilize the space for more than just selling coffee, and that we would sell more coffee!
• Alfredo - wisdom as he leads CUDA in Peru
• Paty - funding for us to be able to bring her on board full time

Kindred Spirits

If you are a fan (like me) of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, you might use the term “kindred spirit” for a that dear friend or friends in your life that just get you.  They are the people that you don't have to explain yourself to, that care about you, the ones that you actually try to keep up with and they keep up with you.  I am a relational person.  I love social networking like Facebook and blogs because they are ways that I keep up with others and try to let others keep up with me.  Living in a foreign land, I have learned that these types of social venues are good for me.  Since I am such a social person and my Spanish has been on the side of lacking for the majority of my time here, Skype and social networking have helped me with not feeling a loneliness that I think I would have if I didn't have the internet.

So some of you may be thinking, “Where are you going with this?  Remember, you always have God.  He is the only one that can fill that void.”  Nothing is wrong with me (I hope) so that I don't realize this about my heavenly Father.  This isn't a bad reflection on my marriage.  This girl just needs to have some of those kindred spirit connections in addition to God and a loving husband, and it has been hard to find here in this foreign place.

I remember going through the emotional roller coaster before making this move of being excited about the work, but incredibly sad to leave behind family and close friends.  Some of you may not know that Greg, Kyle, and Larissa all grew up together in Tyler, TX.  They were all good friends in the same youth group.  I remember telling Greg that it wasn't fair that we were moving so far away from everything I knew and it wasn't so bad for him because we were moving there with his friends.  This was also at a time when we had another teammate that grew up with their Tyler group.  Greg, knowing that I am an emotional basket case that has highs and lows that change in a moment, consoled me that day and said, “Megan, maybe God has a kindred spirit waiting for you in Arequipa that you don't even know yet?”  Greg knew my “kindred spirit” language at this point, and it did the job for that day.

Well, here I am 4 years later.  To be honest, I have felt like I give about 85% in most of my friendships here, and I am lucky to get 5% in return sometimes.  That is how it feels.  We have many godly members of our church body that are true friends, but there is something about finding that person that you just know you click well with.  You know?  God blessed and encouraged me so much in this last month with two girlfriends that just might become Peruvian kindred spirits to me...

This last month has been a stinker in two ways.  First, my grandmother (who I am extremely close to) got really sick.  It is the first time that I have felt the burden of distance to family weigh so heavily on me.  I can't just make a quick trip home.  I had a conversation with my father about the possibility of coming to see her.  Tell me I am a pessimist, but all I could think is that I might not get to ever see or talk to her in person again.  This absolutely broke my heart.  I had this conversation with my father right before a house church gathering.  One of our dearest sisters, Etelvina, arrived to the meeting first.  Even though I had washed my face and “put on my smile” she immediately asked me, “Why have you been crying?”  (Peruvians are so blunt sometimes.)  I explained the situation to her in the midst of my blubbering and tears.  In the meeting that day, I couldn't get through the songs.  They seemed to all trigger thoughts and memories I have with one of the greatest heroes of my life, my granny.  I shared with the church that day why I was so emotional, and I asked for their prayers.

That night, I got a phone call.  It was Areli, Etelvina's daughter, who is seeking God right now.  She couldn't come to the meeting that day, but she heard through her mother what was going on.  She called to tell me that I would have peace in God, that she cared for me, and that she was here for me.  I haven't told her this (and I will), but that phone call meant the world to me during a time that I was feeling extreme loneliness.  She is someone I enjoy hanging out with.  She is someone that genuinely cares for me.  She went the 85% that night.  And I answered with the 15%.  That is friendship.

The other big stink bomb that occurred this month is with our house.  Our landlord decided to raise our rent significantly (which all of our Peruvian friends said was not right or normal), and we decided that we would look for a different place to live.  Moving is such a pain here.  It would be our 4th move, our interns arrive in June, and we know how stressful the looking and moving process can be.  To tell you the truth, I didn't really let it bother me.  I had received the news of my grandmother (and decided to take a trip to see her the first part of May), and I was over my head in the library work.  I honestly can't tell you if I was experiencing peace or just choosing to ignore the worry that I could have dwelled on.  That Thursday, I was teaching in one of the third-grade classes and my phone rang.  I ignored it.  It rang again.  I tried to silence it.  When it rang the third time, I thought that maybe there was an emergency.  It was my neighbor and good friend, Nadia.  I told her I would talk when I got home from the schools.

I returned home, and as I passed the door leading to their side of the house (our homes share the same lot), I thought I should ask what was going on.  She came to the door, looked at me, told me she had heard about our conversation with the landlord (her cousin), and burst into tears.  I hugged her.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  She wanted us to stay.  We actually have a relationship with our neighbors (which has been hard to cultivate in this culture; people stay to themselves).  After a 30 minute conversation with Nadia and her mother, I returned to my house.  Greg was in the front room, and I told him that I felt like I had experienced one of the most beautiful moments of my time here in Peru.  Nadia and Anita (her mom) checked on houses in the neighborhood, suggested scenarios for what we could try, and told us more than once they didn't want us to move.  Nadia has become so dear to me, which you know if you read my monthly articles.  This situation confirmed to me something that I feel like I always have to question here—true friendship.  What a beautiful moment.

In order not to leave you hanging, our landlord came to the house this week, and he lowered the price of the rent.  We aren't moving.  Praise God.  And I told Greg in retrospect, Nadia and Anita are a deal of a lifetime.  You can't “rent” good friends and neighbors that will look out for you.  God is good, and I feel so blessed by these friendships at this point of my Peru journey.

A Glimpse into the Library Project

It has been a week since we kicked off the program with the teachers here, and it has been quite an adjustment for me.  First of all, I feel like I am officially working part-time.  We are hiring Manuela to work an additional day in the house to care for Cohen so that I can have the freedom to work with the schools on Thursdays.  This has been different for me.  Even though I have always played an active part in the ministry here, I have either been pregnant, nursing, or tending to a toddler.  Now that Ana and Maggie are in school and Cohen is weaned, it seems that I have entered into a new phase for my ministry role here in the library program... and I love it.

I am in contact with a professor I studied under at Harding who teaches staff development conferences all over Arkansas.  I am basing my entire curriculum of reading strategies on some books that I bought in his class.  I skyped with him last month to talk about our program and get some feedback and advice on how I was doing it.  He told me that if I want to see results in this first year I need to have as much face-to-face time as I can with the teachers.  It is a modeling system.  I model for the teachers, they model for the students, the students model for each other, and hopefully, by that point, the majority of students can use the reading strategies independently.  I have taken his advice to heart, and I have coordinated a class visit with each of the teachers once a week and a monthly meeting for all the teachers to come together and discuss and share what has worked for them throughout the month.

It is all very exciting.  I am enjoying the curriculum planning, I am learning more and more about the Peruvian methods of instruction (ways I can learn from them and suggestions for improving upon what they do), and I am developing a whole new set of relationships with Peruvian women that are share a common passion with me—teaching children.  I had a one-on-one meeting with a teacher this week that asked if I might have extra time to meet with just her outside of class.  She expressed to me that the teachers are not given much support and don't have the opportunities for staff development.  She really appreciates the opportunity she is receiving through CUDA and considers it a huge blessing to her work.  That made my day, and it opened my eyes even more to see that the children aren't the only ones lacking in educational support.  We will serve such a purpose in providing staff development opportunities for the teachers.  Something I know I took for granted in my home country.

As I learn, I hope to journal my thoughts and share with you all back home what is going on.  It is an exciting road that we have started, and I look forward to the ways in which God uses this work to bless the futures of many Peruvian children.  Please pray for the teachers and directors that I will be serving beside: Rosa, María Rosa, Betty, Graciela, Erasmina, Nadia, and Mariela.  Thank you for your support and the prayers you have lifted on our behalf before this time.

Special Prayer Requests

Moving Again

The McKinzies are moving again. As usual, now that the initial year's contract is up, the owner is seeking to increase the rent significantly. The process of even finding other options is time-consuming and stressful, and the move itself will be costly. I pray that God would help us cope with the circumstances and find a house that meets our needs within our budget. 

Solar Panel Project

The team coming from Cedar Lane to install solar panels in a poor community will arrive in Arequipa on June 15. We are struggling on our end to ensure that things are ready on schedule in order for the project to be as beneficial as possible to the people we intend to serve. There are some cultural and logistical issues yet to be overcome. We request that you pray for their resolution and for the project to be a blessing in every way.

Living Libraries 2012

We are off to a great start in the Living Library program.  After three years of opening community libraries and struggling to make them work, we have a new strategy, and I am very excited to share this with our supporters.  In our community libraries, the people in the neighborhoods were very supportive and encouraging toward our goal of seeing the library succeed.  However, we learned that getting members of the community to volunteer their time free of charge was next to impossible.  After seeing several open and close, we chose to invest all of our man-power into the Porvenir location.  I believe that the children that attended those Saturday library events appreciated every moment they spent there.  But at the end of last year, we received a final word from the Miraflores mayor asking us to leave the building because he wanted to use it for other purposes.  I was really bummed over this situation.  How could a mayor not see the benefit of this community library.  But politics are politics, and they definitely played into that situation.  I was very sad for the children we served, but we had no choice.  And looking back, I think it was God's hand closing that door and pushing us toward another opening.

So we have a new plan.  And I am so excited to share this with you.  First, I need to fill you in on Naranjal.  We have a long-standing relationship with the people of Naranjal.  We decided to open our final community library there.  I worked during the summer months with the children at that location.  It was a very short time, during a very wet rainy season.  Only 4-6 kids came to the events, but I pray that over time that program will grow more and more.

Now for the brand new part!  We are collaborating with three different public schools this first year to try a new method in promoting reading comprehension in the lives of these students.  We are targeting just the third grade classes.  I know from my experience as a teacher and my time here, that the key to making this a success is equipping the teachers.  We had such a problem with finding a volunteer base in those community settings.  Why not go to the places where people are passionate about the kids and already trying to teach them?  So that is exactly what we have done.  The staff at these schools are thrilled to have the extra help and staff development opportunity.  Here is how it is all going down:

1. Alfredo and I met with the staff at all three of the locations.  They have listened to the plan, know what is expected from them, and have signed a formal agreement stating that they are on board.
2. Alfredo and I made a visit to the classes the last Monday in March in order to have the kids evaluated at the beginning of the program.  I am hoping that this assessment coupled with an end-of-the-year assessment will show positive results.
3. I am planning the first meeting for the teachers where I will begin to share my knowledge on the subject of reading comprehension strategies.  It is my hope that we will meet once a month to discuss how it goes in the classes.  I am excited to build these relationships with the teachers involved.
4. I will make visits to the classes once a month to do an example lesson using the different strategies.  We will also provide the classes with a start-up school library (if you have donated books in the past, they will either be found in Naranjal or these schools.  And don't hesitate to send more!)
5. Our plan is to incentivize the students that perform well in the program half way through the year and then end of the year.

A couple of stories I would like to share with you that happened this past Monday:

I walked into the all-boys school class, and a little boy shouted, "Profesora!" (which means "teacher" in Spanish).  It was a little boy, Joel, that came to our library location in Porvenir.  I also ran into one of our girls in the all-girls school.  It is such a blessing, and affirmation from God, that we will still be serving the same children that could have come to that community library location.

In one of my assessments with a third-grade boy, I could tell he was one of the sharper ones.  His reading fluency was excellent, he answered every reading comprehension question with ease.  I got to a question, "What is your favorite book?"  He told me that he didn't have one, shrugging his shoulders.  I asked, "But do you like to read?"  He looked up at me, "Yes.  But I don't have any books to read.  That is why I can't tell you my favorite."

That, supporters, is a huge reason you are making a difference here.  It is my hope that we can make an improvement in reading comprehension, but something simpler than that is to make it easier for these children to have free access to books.  It is my prayer that they will discover a world of knowledge through this program and the stories that they will have access to read.

What Is My Purpose?

How would you answer this question if a seeker asked you?  This month, I was blown away by a conversation I had with my neighbor.  We have studied through the ministry of Jesus, and we have had some really good conversations.  We talk about life, what God was doing in sending Jesus, Jesus' message, and how that message affects the world today.  We share a lot in common.  We are both teachers.

I started our "English class" by asking Nadia why she hasn't started back to work.  She taught 4th grade in a private Catholic school last year, and it was my understanding that she was still teaching there.  Apparently, her contract ended and instead of renewing, she decided she wanted to work in the public setting where the pay is higher.  Since the school year has already started, Nadia was hoping for a maternity leave to open or some other emergency opening.  Nothing has come up so she is exploring other jobs.  She has worked as a secretary before and she had finished one part of an interview for a secretary's position.  I asked her if she liked that kind of work.  She shared that she loves to manage and she loves the interaction she has with different people as a secretary.  I thought this was all interesting, and I told her that I hoped she found a job soon.

She looked very intently at me, and asked, "Megan, I have something I have been thinking about for awhile, and I want to ask you what you think.  I want to know what God's purpose is for my life.  I want to do whatever it is, but I need him to tell me.  How can I figure this out?"  I was not expecting this, but God has been weaving a beautiful friendship between Nadia and me--it is a friendship of genuine trust and respect.  If I said anything eloquently after this question it was an act of the Holy Spirit.  We just recently studied the passage in 1 Peter in house church about "being prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have."  This was my opportunity.

I explained to Nadia that God has one purpose and plan, and we have to ask ourselves how we fit into that purpose and plan.  I used to quote the verse in Jeremiah 39 that is so popular "for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…"  I always took that so personally.  And while I believe that our Father is a personal God, he is not talking to individuals in that passage.  He is talking to his people, Israel.  God's purpose was going to happen through a people that he chose.  He continues to fulfill that purpose through his "people" today, the Church.  So when we define "my purpose" we have to take a serious look at the story of God and how we fit into that story.  I decided to share my own personal story that some of you may not know.

I decided that I would serve God as a missionary in the public school system of the United States.  Well, you see how that worked out.  I met a guy in college that I happened to fall in love with.  He had this dream to go to Latin America and be a missionary.  As we fell in love, decided to marry, and formed a dream together, I decided that I would just have to forfeit some of "my dreams" for the sake of a partnership in the gospel.  I would still be serving God by ministering to children (probably in the church and as a stay-at-home-mom), it would just look different than what I had thought.  Maybe my masters in curriculum and instruction was for nothing, but I thought it was the right choice at the time.

Well, four years later after being in the field, look at where God has led me.  I am working in the public school system of Arequipa.  Influencing the lives of children for good and loving and supporting them is my passion.  I never would have known that this would happen here, but I think that God blesses us with passions and he desires for us to use them for the sake of his kingdom.

I asked Nadia, "Are you more passionate about secretary work or working with children?"  Children are her passion.  I explained that that may not be what will happen right now, but as long as she is living for God and trying to glorify him with her actions, she is fulfilling his purpose.

All of a sudden something clicked in my head.  I had been in a meeting earlier in the week with Alfredo and the staff from Put Them First (to discuss their library we helped start) and they mentioned wanting to hire a librarian full-time.  They had recently raised funds from the states and had the budget to hire a Peruvian for one year.  I hesitantly shared this with Nadia not knowing if she would have any interest in working so far out of the city.  It ended up she was very interested.

We continued to converse on the topic and I chose (I think the Holy Spirit was just telling me to go for it) to be very frank with her.  "Nadia, many might say that it is coincidence that we are here right now.  I don't think it is coincidence.  I moved in this home.  You wanted English lessons and came to me.  You are seeking out God's will, and you decided to talk to me, a missionary, about it.  We both teach and enjoy discussing it.  I work with a library program and know of a job.  You need a job and love working with kids."  I told her that I didn't know why God had put us together in this way.  Maybe the whole reason is for her to have a job.  Maybe God wants her to find Jesus and faith through our study.  I don't know, but I don't believe it is coincidence.  God has a plan.  He has a purpose.  All I can do is try to live for him and glorify him with my actions.  I told her that I pray for her every day.  We left that meeting closer than ever.  We will see what the future holds.

As far as this week being the future, it looks like she is getting the job.  Can you believe it?  Nadia will be one of the four teachers I work with for the pilot of our school library program.  It doesn't get much cooler than that.  Man, we serve an awesome God.