Arrival

We arrived in Cuzco Friday morning. All of us were pretty weary, but we were also fairly hungry. So, Pastor Samuel took us to breakfast at a little shop in Cuzco. We had a nice omelet, café con leche, fruit smoothie and fresh bread. After eating we all piled into the vehicle and started the drive to Urubamba. I honestly don’t know how long the drive was, because I was exhaustedly passed out in the back seat. We did stop a couple of times to take a few pictures at some different Incan ruins. After arriving in Urubamaba we again ate and unloaded our things. We did all get a nap that afternoon and barely woke up in time to go to the evening evangelistic service. Thankfully, Peruvian time does not mean that things start on time.

I was extremely thankful for a nap, but I had also really been anticipating a nice warm shower. However, we didn’t have time before the service and then when we got back… there was no water. So, again we crashed. That peaceful sleep was interrupted thought, but a mild water crisis. The water turned on randomly, and flooded the bathroom and some other rooms in the house. The night before, the water had been turned on (but there was no water) and the facet had not been turned back to off. So, poor MJ was awakened to a wet bed. Thankfully, the only thing that really got wet was MJ’s bed. Eventually we did get all of the water sopped up, and crawled back to bed.

Today, (Saturday) the women spent a majority of the day making song charts for the Spanish children’s songs and the men used their time tearing out portions of the church and preparing for the rebuilding process. We were each able to shower today as well. The showers were pretty cold, but they were definitely refreshing!

Some random things you may want to know:

- Heather’s name in Spanish is Braza (pronounced Braysa)

- Mate (pronounced Matay) is the cure all tea… especially for headaches from the altitude.

- The water has some parasites in it, so don’t drink it unless it has been boiled. In fact, if you go out to eat somewhere, be sure to wipe your fork with a napkin so that you be sure to remove any possible parasites. The parasites are only there if water is present.

Just Beginning...

Our little group is currently sitting in the Ft Lauderdale airport awaiting our next flight. So far, our trip has gone well. It isn't really characterized by much sleep... for me anyway. I find myself being a tad envious of those who can just fall asleep before the plane has hardly even left the ground.

My day started with a 1:00 am wake up, a shower, and a rush to finish last minute packing before meeting the rest of the group at 2:00 to leave the church. (You know you haven't slept much when you haven't even had enough time for sleep to form in your eyeballs!) We arrived in Omaha and had a smooth check in, but our flight was a little delayed. This slight delay meant we were running to catch our next flight in Chicago. Since we switched airlines, we had to claim our luggage, re-check it and go through security again before we could go to our gate. Thankfully, we made it to our gate just as they began bording. There was just enough time to use the restroom, but unfortunately not enough time to grab a cup of coffee.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale a little before 2 eastern time. Thankfully, this was a great opportunity to find a big cup of coffee and a delicious burger. I also spent $1.50 on an orange. Granted, it was a very good orange, but I was rather thinking that it should be something that airports in Florida should just hand out for free... as some sort of souvenier or something... :p

Our next flight departs at 7, and we are scheduled to land in Lima sometime just after midnight. We'll spend the rest of the night in the airport, and make our last flight change to Cuzco. So... for now... we wait. Talking... some of us cat napping... making final phone calls... and other randomness.

I am very thankful to the Lord for the safety we've had so far... I love flying... it's so amazing to view so many things that the Lord has made. I will post some pictures soon...

Writing again...

I'm sure there are very few of you out there that actually check my blog anymore, but I decided to revive it again. It actually took me quite a while to remember how to get back into my account to make a post... but here I am.

I am very excited to be heading back down to South America this coming week. I will be traveling with a group of 10 to Urubamba, Peru for a missions trip. We will leave out of Omaha at 6 am Thursday morning July 28th and return Wednesday July 11th. During our trip, we will be involved in a Christian school that the missionaries recently started, we will be a part of a couple of 5 day clubs, and we will be helping with other work projects. I am hoping to be able to post periodically during our trip so that some will know how to specifically pray for our group.

For now, please pray that we will be wise in knowing what to take with us. We have just found out that we are limited to just one bag with aa weight limit of 40 lbs. We had originally been planning to take a bunch of things down for the missionaries, but now we won't be able to take everything we planned. Also pray that we will be a blessing to the missionaries that we are seeking to help.

Thanks for praying...

Applesauce!

Phew! My facebook status this morning listed a great many things that I hoped to accomplish today... one of them in particular took a quite a bit more time than I anticipated, but was enjoyable. Just before lunch today Nathan and I set about to make applesauce. We cooked the apples and Nathan graciously "squished them" (for lack of a better description). After which... I added the necessary ingredients and plopped in jars. The last of the jars are about to be processed. Just wish I would have taken pics...

Changes in life

Wow... I realized just now that it's been May since my last post! I can't believe it! So much has gone on in that time. I finished up the semester at SCA and left with many mixed emotions. Leaving many friends behind I set off for home on July 5. What a joy to be reunited with my family though!

Since my arrival back in the States I feel as if I've constantly been on the go. Home for a couple days to a week and then gone again. The Lord has given opportunity to visit many friends and family as well as share in a couple of churches that supported me during my time in Chile.

My family and I will be moving at the end of this month to Wayne, Nebraska. The main purpose for this is to be closer to my Grandparents. So we are in the midst of packing and sorting and wondering why we have so much stuff! Though I haven't been around a lot during my family's stay here in Sheridan, I have come to love it and will miss being here. I am however excited to be closer to my Grandparents again.

Many have asked me what I am doing now, or what my plans are... I can say without a shadow of a doubt... I don't know :) Beyond today, I don't know what the Lord has. I continue to pray that the Lord would give direction. He has just impressed upon my heart the need to be faithful to what I know to do now. (Hopefully I'm back to updating regularly and can answer this question sometime again in the near future :)

Fall turning to Winter...

The weather over the last couple weeks has progressively gotten colder. I wake up every morning and peak out my window to see what the day may hold. Oh the joy to see the sunshine rising over the Mountains... even if it is surrounded by smog! :) We have had a couple of cold days here and there, but nothing to horrible. Everyone has informed me that the winter is supposed to be especially cold this year, but so far we haven't see that yet. I wouldn't mind if it held off for another six weeks. :p

This evening I will be participating in a little "camping" outing with some of the kids from the Elementary. While getting ready for school this morning, I received a phone call asking me if I would be willing to help chaperone a group of the 5-6th graders who will be spending the night here on campus. Apparently they are doing some sort of wilderness experience and are going to build a campfire and all. So this evening when they are all ready to crawl into their little sleeping bags I will join the girls in their tent. Hopefully the night isn't super cold, but I will be fully decked out in warm clothing, lots of blankets, and a hot water bottle!

Germ-X!!!

It's official... the swine flu is in Chile... Ahhhh!! Just when I thought the craze was dying out... The school administrator came around to each of the classrooms today with specific instructions that everyone is to wash their hands and use germ-x every day before they eat lunch. I'm not really worried about it however. The Lord is still in control.

This week has turned out to be extremely short. There are only class days due to a Chilean holiday on Thursday and an extra holiday given for Friday. My goal is to be diligent in the work I need to accomplish.

The semester and school year are quickly drawing to a close and I know that it will be over before in a flash. Many of the students as well as the administration are beginning to fret over what is going to happen for teachers next semester. There is still a need for at least 2 more teachers. Will you be in prayer with me for the school? I know the Lord is in control and His timing is perfect.