Not an Author

I'm pretty sure I need to scratch the idea of writing a book because some days I can't even think of a decent blog entry. I mean it's not that I don't have the material for a good entry I just can't seem to put all of it into an interesting format.

I guess I'll start with what I know. I've been teaching my advanced English class every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. By "advanced" I mean conversational. I'm not so good with the English grammar; therefore, we've been doing quite the opposite-- learning Southern slang. I like to hear "ya'll" and "ain't" come out of my students' mouths. I know you won't hear that from your average English teacher, but I've never claimed to be average.

We have been reading the "Southern Journal" articles from the last page of Southern Living magazines. The students seem to really be enjoying the classes. I decided that since most of the missionary volunteers that come to Peru are from the South it is important for our translators, a.k.a. my students, to be aware of Southern culture and idioms.

We are doing this because I decided I needed to regroup on my Bible Storying lessons. I was having trouble helping my students understand the need for Storying. They were doing a great job memorizing the stories for themselves, but I'm not sure I was expressing the importance of learning this as a method of sharing the gospel with others. So, this week I found several articles online from the IMB which explain the reasons and methods of Bible Storying. Next week we will begin again. I hope that as a teacher I am able to help them understand the concept.

On to other news. . .

Yesterday, Sandi and I were able to go with one of our students, Mijail, to his church. We went there because he is teaching English to a small group. He came up with the idea of teaching English in order to encourage people to come to his church. He invited us to come because he wanted them to be able to hear "real live English speakers" first hand. The whole trip was quite the adventure and we had a great time! Mijail came from his home to get us at our office at 4:30 p.m. We rode with him by bus back to his home/church. The trip took an hour and 15 minutes. We taught for about an hour and a half maybe. I can't really remember because the time flew by. We had so much fun. The group consisted of Mijail's brother, Father, and 3 other students. They all had great attitudes and came prepared with the questions they had been learning. We left and went with him to catch a bus back to our home after class. We stood on the street for quite a while waiting for the right bus, but it never came. So after about 20 minutes, at least, we decided we would have to take 2 different buses. Mijail rode with us on the first bus in order to help us catch the second one. Again, the bus we needed never came, but we found an alternate that actually took us very close to our neighborhood. I know you probably think it is crazy that I have lived in Lima for so long and can't even catch a bus by myself, but just come here and you will understand. On any given day the drivers don't even know which route they will be taking! So, we finally arrived home about 9:45 p.m. I'm so glad I was able to go! It was such a great experience to be able to go with a student to his neighborhood and to also see him teaching others what he has learned from us.

A sign at Mijail's church. It says, "The Bible: light for our district"

Mijail's father (his name is Pastor, but he's not a pastor, he's actually a communist!), Sandi, Priscila, Mijail's brother(sorry I forgot his name), Roger, and Mijail

Our second bus on the way home. The most comfortable, and by far the most empty. The others had been standing room only and no cushioned seats.

The rest of the pictures are from today:

I ran into the Extreme Team in town (a rare ocassion). They were passing through and they HAD to enjoy a good meal at Chili's. I enjoyed sitting and getting to know the girls.

The guys also enjoying a break from rice and sugar (the meal they have eaten everyday for a month!)

Thanks for suffering through the post.

I love ya'll!

Llama Tails

I went to the Lima Zoo yesterday with a friend and his brother who is in Peru visiting. When I was invited my first question was "will there be llamas?" for you see I've missed these creatures something aweful. My buddy says, "I don't know we'll just have to see". So, as we are entering the gate my first question to the lady taking tickets was "Where are the llamas?". Well they were in the Sierra section of the zoo, of course. I was thoroughly excited when I saw a small field filled with llamas and alpacas and a few other breeds of similar animals. As we were passing by LJ, my friend, asks me, "Do you know how to tell the difference between a llama and an alpaca?". I reply with, well, the natives have tried to explain it to me, but I think they are just making it up. I mean some of them tell me that llamas are the big ones and some tell me that alpacas are the big ones. Some tell me one has more hair than the other (what about when you shave them.. how do you tell?) LJ, though, tells me that it's all in the tail. He says that "they" (the natives) told him Alpacas' tails are always up and Llamas' tails are always down! Now, go figure! Well, we are clearly not experts, but I sure did have a great time seeing my animal friends again. I've missed them since I had to leave the mountains. Too, I thought it was only fair that I dedicate a little blog space to my furry friends since, afterall, they were the inspiration for the blog title!

p.s. keep reading (below) to find out what else i did yesterday

Sellin' Shoes and Studyin' the Word

This week I've had the awesome opportunity to hang out with some new friends at their place of business. I introduced my friend Tania to ya'll in the last blog entry. She is one of the students that comes to our English classes during the week. When I met her a few weeks ago I was really touched by her sweet spirit. I felt the Lord telling me that she would be a good person to invest my life into. So, last week I asked for her email address and asked if we could hang out sometime. She quickly agreed that that would be a great idea and so began a new friendship. I am very thankful that she invited me to spend time with her at the shoe store that she and her mom run. It is one thing to meet my friends at a restuarant or some other mutual meeting place, but it is something entirely different to spend time with them in their homes or, in this case, business. Thankfully, Tania lives and works within a short commute of my house. (This is usually not the case with our students. Many times they travel an hour or two on a bus to be able to attend our classes.)

So, I say all that to say... on Monday and Tuesday, I went with Tania to her store. I met her mom and friend, Noemi. Noemi works across the isle in another shoe store and also lives in the same building as Tania and her mom. On Monday we worked on Tania's English, ate lunch together, and the four of us studied the Bible. Tuesday I had less time to spend with them, but I was still able to eat and read a passage of scripture with Noemi. Noemi actually brought her Bible in anticipation of me coming to read with her! Not to mention, Tania sold a pair of shoes! For me that was one of the most exciting things about being with the girls. Peruvians work so hard to acquire a business. They spend all of their waking minutes working at that place and yet many times the economy just doesn't cooperate with their need to earn money. So, I was thrilled to be present when she sold a pair of 120 sole (about $40) shoes.

I will be going with the girls to Noemi's church on Sunday. She attends an evangelical church. Tania is not a member of a church, but we invited her to go with us on Sunday.

Tania and her mom working

Left to Right: Noemi, Me, Tania eating lunch in the store

Tania going upstairs to get shoes (the store is so small they don't have a back room to store things in, but instead store everything in the ceiling)

This is the neighboring store owner's child. Notice the blue string that keeps her from rolling too far!

Please pray for these relationships. Pray that we will have time each day I go to study the Bible and talk more about what it really means to follow Christ.

Valentine's Party con los estudiantes

C-love, your wish is my command. Blog entry number 2 in the same weekend!

Last night we had our monthly English Fellowship Party. We always have about a bijillion more people come to parties than come to class. Okay so maybe only 50, but 50 is a lot! I asked them why everybody comes to the parties and not to class and they (the students) quickly told me that it's because Peruvians love a party! Well, that makes sense. I guess everybody would rather eat and make Valentine's cards than study.

Anyways, we did have probably about 50 students come. We talked to them some about what we do for Valentine's in the U.S. Susie wanted someone to tell a story about a good Valentine gift they had received and after plenty of awkward silence I spoke up and told them how Chris wooed me last Valentine's day. I really wish I had brought his card with me to the party since we were making Valentine's cards, but I just told them about it instead. Telling them that story served two purposes. Killing the awkward silence AND making sure all the guys knew I was taken. We made it very clear that the cards they made could not be given to Sandi or I. One pretty persistent guy wanted to know why he couldn't give me his card. I told him, "I already have a Valentine". First, I had to explain the whole idea of what a Valentine is as a person and then I happily explained who mine is!

This is the card that Chris made and sent to me last year for Valentine's Day. The rest is history!

My new friend, Tania. She was allowed to make me a Valentine card.

This is the card that Tania made for me. How sweet!

My table making their cards. I'm not quite sure what kind of pose I'm striking!

Some of the students. These guys were too cool to make cards.

Sandi and I actually went recruiting (for more advanced English students) on Thursday at one of the local English Institutes and the four guys above are some of the students we talked to.

This is one that I thought was really good! I told Javier that he is an artist. He was really humble about his creation.

A few of our students waiting patiently in the food line.

Well, I guess that's it. I had another really fun English class tonight and I forgot to take a picture of them again! But three of the people in the above picture are in my class. Hope this pleases some of you blog stalker types or just interested boyfriend types.

Doin' What They Do and King Cake

I know it is now Saturday and I said last Friday that I would be doing a better job of keeping up with my blog. I mean, really, who wants to know more frequently than every week what I'm doing? But anyways, here is the next post whether some think it is late or others believe it to be right on time.

I really wanted to wait until I had a picture of my English class before I posted again, but I keep forgetting to take their picture. I guess I need to pencil that into my lesson plans. Even without a picture I can tell you that my class is going GREAT! I love my students and they tell me I'm a good teacher. Of course, they could be lying, but we have a great time anyways!

Even though I didn't get pictures of my class, I did manage to take several pictures of Peruvians at work this week. I was actually killing some time at a local park and started taking pictures of what people were doing around me. As I was leaving I walked about two blocks to my destination and realized that there were so many people working. I don't think I've ever really noticed how many people are working in the length of two blocks. There are the construction workers who whistle at me on a daily basis (maybe that's why I don't notice them, I have chosen to ignore them). But there are others, like the lady who works at a little corner fruit stand, men washing cars, guard for apartment buildings, and of course taxi drivers. So, I started taking pictures of these things just so I can remember the "normal" people of Peru. Then, I went to the Inca Market (the souvenir place) yesterday and saw a few of the vendors working on their goods. So, I asked some ladies if I could take their picture. Maybe it's me thinking ahead to the fact that I will be leaving soon and I just wanted pictures of the people or maybe it was sheer boredom. Either way, I hope ya'll enjoy some of the many jobs of Peru.
These guys were taking a break (it was siesta time). I think they are the park maintainace men.

This is an Ice Cream cart. They are on almost every block in Lima. They have a funny little whistle they blow to let you know that Ice Cream is close by.

This is a typical fruit cart that you find on lots of corners in Peru. You also see these carts filled with candy, cookies, and other junk food.

A man washing a car. Some apartment guards wash the cars of their tenants and sometimes random people just offer their car washing services. Either way you can get a very thorough car wash for about 15 soles ($5).

Construction worker. He appeared to be digging up the sidewalk and putting it in that dump truck. Not sure why.

This was one of the ladies in the market. She was working on her painting. I really wanted a candid, but when I asked to take her picture she posed (she was pretty shy about it too).

This lady is carving a gord. These things require sooo much time and talent. There are tiny little pictures carved all over. They are one of the more expensive things in the market because of the amount of time it requires to make them. This is one of the few things you can't talk them down on in price.

Another "normal" thing in Peru that I do not think will ever seem normal to me is the fact that people drink all drinks warm -- even soda drinks. I know this is not a shocker to all you people living overseas. I've read on many of your blogs that the locals in your country do the same thing. Maybe it's us Americans that are so different, heck, maybe all that ice does make us sick... who knows!! Anyways, I was in Burger King with some friends and there was a lady sitting next to us with two children. I looked over and noticed that she was pouring a steaming hot cup of water into the girl's Pepsi. I said, "Man, I wish I had a picture of that." Well, as I'm saying that she is telling the girl to go get a refill of hot water so that she can pour it into their other two drinks. So, as the girl goes for the refill I get my camera ready. After about 3 failed attempts I got a pretty good picture of the actual pouring action -- steamy hot water from a styrofoam cup into the Pepsi. Ah, Peru!
And lastly our King Cake Party. The Austins (http://hands-n-feet.blogspot.com/) are a good ole Louisianna family and they enjoy lots of the traditions that go with that state. (Including that purple and gold team so hated on my beloved Ole Miss campus) So, when Susie's friend, Kim, came all the way from Baton Rouge this past weekend with a King Cake mix in hand there was no doubt that they would be eating it on the day of Mardi Gras. They graciously invited over several of us single types (that never have food, much less cake in our homes) and it turned into a regular Austin Party. So here are a few photos from the night of Mardi Gras. It wasn't quite what you think of when you think "French Quater" and "Bourbon Street", but we did have beads!

Susie found the baby!!!

Highlights of the Week

I have decided to become a better blogger. We will see how long this particular "kick" lasts, but hopefully for my readers' sakes it will last until I leave Peru at the end of May.

I want to start by giving credit to my wonderful boyfriend for redesigning my blog. Aren't ya'll impressed with his handy work? He was making changes to his blog on Wednesday and I got a little jealous and asked him to make mine look "prettier". And of course I had to work on the title, I'm mean how could it still be "Jungle Bound" when I left the jungle nearly 9 months ago now? So, we talked on skype and worked on the new look. He actually was able to put one of the photographs (the llamas) that I took up in the mountains and make it into the header thing. I'm just so impressed. He also added that little international counter thing to the bottom. So ya'll tell all your international friends to come and visit so they can be counted! If you want to tell Chris how well he did you can click on his link to the right and leave him a comment on his blog.

Chris--just in case ya'll forgot how cute he is (or maybe you never knew)

Now, on to the highlights of the week. Wednesday night I went to ESL class with my roommate. (My class will begin on Sunday night.) They have a rule in class that no one can use a Spanish word to explain something unless the teacher asks for the Spanish word. If the person does use a Spanish word they have to wear "Regina" until someone else slips up and uses Spanish.

The following is "Regina": The girl is not Regina, the hat is. This is Kristen (one of my roommates) wearing the hat after Solomon (a good friend and one of our translators) tricked her into speaking Spanish. Daniel, a student, asked me if I had a camera so that I could take her picture. So, I did, but ironically the very next person to speak Spanish was Daniel. He wasn't quite as excited about me having my camera with me then!

Daniel

After class several of us went to McDonalds so that we could eat french fries with ice cream. Solomon LOVES ice cream and several of our summer missionaries from last year had told him how good french fries and ice cream are together (you dip the fries into the ice cream-- usually done with frosties at Wendy's, but we had to improvise). So, we promised him that when we returned from Chile we would go get some french fries and ice cream.

Here we are. . .

Annibal y Solomon (two of our ESL students)

And last but not least, today my roommates and I had a day out with the girls. A couple of girls from Delaware are helping an ISC couple here with their English ministry and the girls will be leaving on Sunday. So, they invited us to go hang out at a local pool and then have a homemade supper afterwards. It was so much fun to hang out with them and hear about how the Lord has led them thus far in their lives. We just sat around sharing testimonies and listening to one another. And of course there was talk of boys and love-- I mean what girls' outing is complete without that?

This would be me going down the slide at the kiddy pool, yes i said kiddy pool

Judy fixed us an amazing meal when we returned from the swimming pool. We had roast with potatoes and carrots, an amazing salad with Bacos and Ranch dressing all the way from the states, and an apple pie a la mode that was out of this world! Oh, and dare I forget the sweet tea?!

I was pretty excited about the ranch dressing!

But before digging into all of that I decided that it was time for my braids to come down. All the girls helped me get them down and the reverse process was 3 hours less than the ordeal 2 weeks ago.

The girls patiently taking down my hair

Enjoy the crimped look all over again (is anyone besides me having flashbacks to the 80s?):

Ya'll leave me some comments and let me know what you think about the all new "Llama Tales".
I love ya'll!

p.s. I washed my hair and it's back to normal... just in case ya'll were worried. :)

Chile

part of my team in the Lima airport before leaving to fly to Chile
from left to right: brad, mike (my boss), Kathy (mike's wife), Sandi (my roommate)

Tuesday morning around 2:30 a.m. I returned from a wonderful week of fellowship and learning. The Lord really used this past week in Chile, where we had our annual mission meeting, to renew my passion for the lost and my energy for each new day!

i loved the sunshine!
We started each day around 9 a.m. with worship music and a sermon. Several members (including their pastor, youth minister, and music minister) from First Baptist Church Tupelo, MS came to volunteer their time. They served us by leading our times of worship and also taking care of the children during our sessions. Bro. Randy Von Kanel spoke to us each morning from the book of Luke. The Lord really blessed that time each day. It was during those sermons that God really began to speak and minister to my heart. After months on end of sickness I realized that my heart had really become hard and closed. Bro. Randy talked to us about the wilderness experience that we often face as believers, but we are not there alone and certainly not without reason. Our own Lord and Savior had to go through the wilderness where he became completely dependent on the Father. We can't truly follow Jesus without following him to the wilderness (where we will be tempted) and then on to Calvary. Bro. Randy really brought us back to the fundamentals of the Christian faith and God spoke to me each day through His word. After these times of worship we then had morning and afternoon sessions with Dr. Jim Slack. Dr. Slack works in the research and global outreach department of the IMB. He is an amazing man who has more knowledge than I thought was possible. He talked to us about Worldview, Heart Language, the History of the Church, and numerous other thought provoking subjects. I went away each day thinking about how I could better serve my people group here in Lima. All the statistics he brought to the forefront also made me wonder how I could ever NOT be a missionary. There are so many people who are still so lost in their sin. Someone MUST go to them. Again even in the midst of all these never ending statistics and people group histories my passion for the nations was renewed.

Then there was the food!!! I think I could live the rest of my life in Chile just for the food. Each day for lunch we had a buffet that consisted of 5 tables of food choices and then dessert!! There was always a soup, then you could choose a meat, cooked vegetable, and salads. There were also amazing french fries everyday (for the kiddos---and other more picky adults, no names will be mentioned). Then the real kicker was that right after you had enough time to finish your meal a table of ice cream would be rolled out and beside it another table would be filled with fresh fruit. I broke all the "bland diet", no raw fruits/veggies rules that I have been placed on. And you know what... I didn't get sick once! Chile was good for me in every way.

It stayed daylight until nearly 9:30 everyday and the sun was bright and warm until at least 8 p.m. I enjoyed the sun each day after lunch before having to return to the air conditioned conference room for more sessions.

We left our little valley town at 10 a.m. on Monday morning and headed to the Santiago mall. Our team from Lima had been looking forward to the rumored Subway Sandwiches for about 2 weeks. Sure enough the land of fresh bread and lunch meats was there. I indulged in a footlong (or 30 cm if you like) Subway melt (that somehow never got melted because Chile's Subway decided the toaster oven wasn't that important for their business) with chips and a drink. I ate all but about 3 bites and enjoyed every bit of it!

i was kinda excited. . .

the austins had been looking forward to Subway also

I then proceeded to Starbucks where I slurped down a Carmel Frappacino. About 30 minutes later I made my way to an ice cream shop and finished off the afternoon with a giant waffle cone filled to overflowing.

i think i gained a few pounds

From the mall we went on to an Artisania market where I bought a few little souvenirs then we were on our way to the airport.

Between the food, fellowship, and fun I think I have been thoroughly refreshed. We'll see how Peru treats my system for the next four months. I am confident, however, that if the Lord has led me this far He has no intention of giving up on me now.

"We are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." -- Hebrews 10: 39

i love ya'll!

A Wild Hair...

. . . Quite Literally!

Yes, I am crazy. I have no idea why I wanted to do this, but the idea just struck me last night right before bed. Since it was right before bed, I ended up dreaming about an entirely braided head. Once an idea is in my mind it is not easily laid to rest, so after lunch today I started calling beauty shops. I looked in the YellowPages for a salon that was open on Sundays and close to my house. The first one I called said they could do "trenzas" so 30 minutes later I was sitting in the salon chair! Now 4 hours and 30 minutes later I'm telling ya'll about it. Yes, you read that right FOUR HOURS.... who knew!! Oh well, I've always wanted braids and now I have them.

about time for an update...

hey ya'll,

this month has been challenging in a lot of ways, but things are beginning to get brighter.

last Friday (the 14th) i met with a nutritionist. he put me on an EXTREMELY bland diet. it will be easier for me to tell you what i can eat than what i can't eat.

things Lane can eat:
meat with mild seasonings (no pepper, no lemon, no soy sauce....)
pasta with olive oil (Praise the Lord for olive oil!)
rice
potatoes(no butter, no nothing)
white bread
refined cereals
jello

are you getting the idea? thankfully i am able to use milk without lactose, but i can't have any other dairy.

i have had to write down every morsel that i put into my body on a calendar.

the good news is that my body is recovering. i haven't had nearly the stomach pain or problems that i have been having. the most difficult part is eating these things while everyone around me is eating holiday goodies.

i went back to the nutritionist yesterday (the 21st) and i have to remain on this bland diet one more week. i was pretty disappointed in this news, but thankfully i will be able to start adding more variety the following week.

the week of my vacation to Italy (Dec. 28th - Jan 8th.) i will be able to eat cooked veggies and he told me to try dairy foods slowly building up. i will still have to write everything down and i will go back to see him in one month.

i am thankful to finally see improvement in my health. i am extremely thankful to all of you for praying me through this time.

starting in January i will have a new job description so that i will be able to stay in Lima for the remainder of my term (May 30, 2008). i am not sure at this time what the new job will entail, but i will do my best to keep ya'll up to date.

i hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

i love ya'll!

Elf! Just call me "Buddy"!

check it out!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1170880668

AND i really did update my picture page today... sorry about the earlier post that said I had new pictures when I actually did not...

www.lanembrown.shutterfly.com

13 Soles down the drain?

So, I thought it was time for a more entertaining blog. Lucky for us... I had something rather entertaining happen to me today!

I walk down stairs bright and early (about 11:00 a.m.) and decide to make some Bisquick biscuits straight from my mother with love. As I am getting things ready I immediately notice the state of our kitchen -- quite disgusting. I figure it is time to get a handle on this mess and then I see the source of the problem--the kitchen sink is clogged. Yep, lots of nasty dishes sitting in even nastier water. So, I left the biscuits in the oven and went to the corner store to see if they had some drain-o. No such luck. So, I texted my roommate, asked her to take the biscuits out of the oven, and I was going to the grocery store. I couldn't handle the mess any longer. I went to a larger grocery store found the biggest bottle of drain-o that Peru makes (costing the grand total of 13 soles... 4 and some odd American dollars) and came home. I poured the entire bottle down the drain and I think all I accomplished was making the sink fuller! So, it was time to get serious. I went and got my knife (with a handy screw driver) and started taking a shelf out from under the cabinet so I could get to the pipe. As I started on the first screw Kristen (my roomie who was helping with all this) let me know that the drain-o had kicked in and the sink had started draining! Well, that is all fine and well, but things were still moving a little slow and I figured it was still time to get to the bottom of this clogged drain. I put a large pitcher under the pipe and it was time to see what was holding up progress down there....

Can you see it? Wait, maybe the picture isn't large enough... here is another:

and one more, just for good measure:

Well, there you have it my friends. A Knife, in my sink! Welcome to my life... it is always quite entertaining!

I think this can definitely be added to the list of strange things I've done in Peru.. right up there with killing a baby snake with my machete. Okay, maybe it doesn't rank that high, but I think I'd rather play with a snake than touch that nasty goo that has been sliding around in my sink for months.

Hope ya'll enjoyed!

Continue to pray for my stomach and the decisions that I am going to have to make this month.

new pics

i just added three new albums to my shutterfly site. check them out.

www.lanembrown.shutterfly.com

"Home" Again

Friends and Family,

I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have updated you on my life. I have been in the village of Lampa since October 13th and I returned to Lima the day before Thanksgiving. While in Lampa my teammates and I looked for opportunities to disciple believers and to also evangelize. We showed two different movies in the Municipal Theater in order to present the gospel. We had many youth come to these movies. We probably had 100 at the first movie and around 60 at the second.

We had Bible studies on Sunday nights and Tuesday nights each week. We had a steady group of 4 or 5 who were either believers or persons who were very interested in learning more about the Bible. We also talked on the local radio three times a week in order to teach more about the Bible. We taught on the radio every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I spoke each Monday for about 30 minutes. Some of the topics we spoke about were Salvation, Following Christ, Love, and many others. We had many people tell us that they listened to our radio show and I really think it was a great way to get the word out to the people.

We also visited a couple more remote communities/villages each week. We visited one village named Huayta Central where a man named Juan and his wife Rosa and children live. Juan is a strong believer who is studying his Bible and sharing his faith with others. It was an encouragement to be able to share with him and encourage him each week. We also were able to talk with a group of men in the community of Tusini Grande about 3 different Saturdays. There were a couple of these men who were very interested in the Bible and had lots of good questions for us. Pray that a seed has been planted among them and that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in their lives.

Continue to also pray for Senor Mendez (our hostel owner and prospective leader of the church in Lampa), as well as Carlos (a local teacher and coach), and a young man named Alex. We also had a lot of interest from some young people. One young lady named Damaris and a young man named Alejandro. I believe that both of these young people really understood and desired to truly study the Bible. It is always difficult to leave a place because you have to trust that the Lord is in control to continue the work that was started.

I have several other prayer requests for you also. While I was in Lampa my stomach began acting up again. I talked to my Doctor through email and he put me back on some medicine. I also went to see him as soon as I got back in town. As a matter of fact I went to see him at 9 on Thanksgiving morning. We talked in his office for a while then he issued some tests for me to have run. I had my blood drawn that day. The following day he called and said that I would need to have further tests done on my Thyroid. I had those tests done on Friday and Saturday. Currently I am waiting for the results of those tests. I will most likely talk to my doctor again on Monday... at the latest Tuesday.

I had planned to go with my team to Nazca for a training event; however, my doctor informed me on Friday that I would need to stay here. So instead of going I will be babysitting my Boss' dog and resting until I hear from the Doctor.

This latest episode with my stomach is making it more clear that I will probably not need to continue traveling the way I have for the past several weeks. We have all but decided as a team that I will not continue traveling as I have been doing. Instead, I will have to be placed somewhere where I can find the foods that I need to have a consistent diet. I'm not exactly sure what this means for my future. My boss is working very hard to find something for me to do here in Peru. The most important thing, however is finding the source of the problem.

Please pray that my doctor will be able to tell me what is going on with my body. Also, pray that my boss will have wisdom as to where I should work for the next 6 months before my term is over. Pray that we (my boss and I) will be open to the Lord's will no matter what that means.

And finally, do not think that all this sickness ruined my Thanksgiving meal! It did not. When I got home from the doctor on Thursday I made a green bean casserole! I think the thing I was most thankful for this year was CANNED GOODS! Last year I had to make my green bean casserole from scratch, but thanks to volunteers and my mama I had all my ingredients in a can! It was amazing how much smoother the cooking went this year! We had about 50 missionaries together at my Boss' house for Thanksgiving lunch. The food was amazing- just like home! My doctor told me to go ahead and enjoy myself because he knew it was Thanksgiving, but to start a more bland diet after that big meal. I have been doing my best to eat smart, but I have always loved food that is not so good for my insides. Pray that I will have self-control to eat the things my body needs.

Thank you all for your prayers. Please do not worry about me. I have a great doctor and a great team who are taking care of me. The Lord is in control and I am trying to take each day at a time and learn everything the Lord wants to teach me through this.

I love ya'll,
Lane

Lampa

Hey Friends,

I just wanted to give a quick update on what I've been doing here in Lampa. Kristen and I arrived in Lampa last Monday. We stopped through Arequipa to visit a couple of our friends who are living and working there. We hit the ground running on Tuesday and went to the Radio Station and Municipal building to try and get some public shows going. We were able to get 30 minutes each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a Radio Show. When Kristen went to do her show last Friday the guy ended up giving her 45 minutes. So we paid for 30 minutes for 3 times a week for a month and we are getting 45 minutes for that price. We also were able to book the days of October 31st and November 8th to show a movie in the Municipal Theater. The movie we are showing is called "La Esperanza" which means "The Hope". It is a very thorough movie that teaches the Bible from Creation to the End in Story form. I am excited about those days, please be praying for them as well as our days on the Radio. I had my first show on Monday the 22nd. I really enjoyed myself and a Peruvian friend of mine, Claudia, told me that my pronunciation of Spanish was well done. I am thankful for that, in that hopefully those who were listening were able to hear, understand, and comprehend the Truth of Jesus Christ.

We have had a group from the church in Lithia Springs, GA here with us since last Thursday and they left yesterday. They are the church who has adopted the area of Lampa (adoption of areas by U.S. churches is REAP's strategy for reaching South America). We stayed very busy the days they were here. We visited several village communities as well as having 3 very good church services on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. Brad, Kristen, and I will continue and followup with the things we did last week. We also have a strong vision for the youth and young people of this area. We have come up with several ideas for reaching and being part of the community here.

Please pray for Fransisco, Carlos, Alex, Italo, and Senor Mendez as they are the men that we are working to invest in and grow as leaders of Lampa. Several of them have lots of potiental. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in there lives and they will be motivated to reach their own community for Christ.

I will try to keep ya'll updated weekly as to our work here in Lampa. I will be back in Lima on Thanksgiving in order to celebrate with my team there. Until then keep praying for the village of Lampa. Pray that the people's eyes will be opened and they can break the chains of rote religion that has been handed to them for centuries and see that they can see there is freedom in Christ.

You can see some pictures of my visit to Arequipa on my picture page. www.lanembrown.shutterfly.com or just click on the link to the Right that says "ALL MY PICTURES". enjoy! and i will try and post some from here in Lampa when I have acess to fast internet.

new picture site

hey ya'll,

i'm working on putting all my pictures on a new site called shutterfly. i deleted facebook so you can't access my pictures that were on there any more. sooo, i created this:

www.lanembrown.shutterfly.com

you can also click on the link to the right ----> ALL MY PICTURES and it will take you straight to them.

i'm working on putting them in categories of my life since i came to Peru last August. i doubt anyone has that much serious interest in my life, i mean, it's like over 400 pictures and i haven't even finished yet. But hey, some of ya'll might be really bored one night... and i just want you to know that i'm here for ya'll... or my pictures are anyways!

also, just to let you know... my wisdom teeth came out this past Friday. i'm still having a small amount of pain and pressure/tension, but i think overall i'm recovering well.

i will be leaving for the mountains again on either Saturday or Sunday after i have my stitches removed on Friday. i am looking forward to this trip. Pray that it will be fruitful and the work there in Lampa will multiply.

Thanks!

i love ya'll!