Called to Peru: Our last week here....

I wrote this during our last week in Peru and due to the business of our lives and lack of internet there and here when we arrived, I am just now posting this. I hope you will still find this interesting...

Well, our last week in Peru. So much has been going on. We have spent the week trying to make the transition a little easier when we leave. You know, meetings, chatting with the girls, trying to get things figured out and straightened out. We have had a few interesting moments, as can only be experienced abroad.

David and I were coming back from running a few errands in town and ended up arriving at the entrance of the dark, dirt road towards Santo Tomas. There were no motokars there and so we waited, and we waited and well, waited some more. There were some volunteers for taking us out there, but there was a guy that kept telling us we shouldn't go with just any motokar driver out there because they do not know the terrain and well, just aren't known! So we waited...all along there was a group of Policemen sitting around where we were with their nice truck. Soon, they were offering to take us in to Santo Tomas. Since there was no other option, in we climbed praying they were legitimate and with two cops inside and two in the bed of the truck, we were escorted in. Two or three other guys hopped in the back for ride, too. We were glad. There have been a few murders and attacks recently on that road at night. When I asked why the road was getting so dangerous, the cps responded it was due to the fact that it was the Christmas season! Nice way to start the Holidays!

Speaking of holidays. We had a chance to spend Thanksgiving at the home of some wonderful friends and missionaries. We even had pumpkin(not really) pie, pecan pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, etc.. It was wonderful!!!! What a blessing!

One of our girls celebrates her fifteenth birthday this Sunday. What that means to me is lots of work, planning and money has to go into this day. I have been working on this for weeks! Gabi's mom came by today. She had wanted to help with the food and had offered some chickens for the the special lunch. Sure enough, she brought two beautiful roosters that were walking around, clucking. I about died thinking about how we would have to kill and deplume these birds before Sunday dinner. I just can't do it! I talked to our cook and asked her her plan. She told me not to worry, she would break their necks and put them to bleed out early Sunday morning. I am just hoping to be busy somewhere a long ways away!!!

There is great sadness as we get ready to leave this next week. We have come to love and cherish the people here. This Thanksgiving, as I struggled with all that is happening surrounding our return, God gave me a verse in Psalms that talks about the sacrifice of thanksgiving. I realized then, that God wants me to be thankful for EVERYTHING in my life. Not just the good, nice, fun and wonderful but also the difficult, the painful, the unfair and the confusing. So, this thanksgiving I am thanking God for all of that! Whatever it takes to walk closer to Him and change me to be more like Him!

Here are some of the pictures of what has happened this week! Enjoy and we are praying for you and yours over this holiday season. We will be seeing a lot of you all soon....