Bout Time

This blog entry is way overdue and yet I’m still not sure what I have to say. I have to walk a thin line between being informative and entertaining…in order to keep all parties interested. What am I talking about? I don’t even know who the “parties” are. So if you are reading my blog be advised that whatever I am about to write is being written in order to keep you coming back.

First order of business I suppose is the fact that my camera is broken. Yes, I know it is a very sad day. However, my mama and I are working on the warranty right now and trying to figure out how to get a replacement. So just be advised that for several months I may not have any pictures on my blog—sorry folks. The jungle is kinda hard on our “modern technology”.

Secondly, Sunshine is learning commands! She is a very smart dog—don’t we all say that about our dogs though. She sits very well; she is learning stay and come. However she fails to remember these commands at the most important times and so it goes.

I guess ya’ll are curious about how my first Christmas away from home went. Well, I made it through. No major tears and one John Grisham book richer!! Our team was actually able to celebrate this event with an Asheninka family from the community of Alto San Luis. Their oldest daughter had been studying here in Pucallpa for the past year. It was very interesting to house this family of 7 here in our home. For me it really made me question over and over what it is I came to Peru to do. It is easy to get the mentally that my people group live in the communities and I go there and see them. I should endure hard times while I’m there and then I can come back and rest. However, when the people group comes with you, you can’t just stop ministering. All this is to say, I was challenged to act like Jesus every day and really seek his guidance throughout the Christmas season a time when giving is of highest importance.
Somewhere on this list of things that ya’ll need to know is: I got lice. Yep discovered the little boogers on Christmas Day. Well Merry Christmas to you too I thought. My second thought was, “no stores are open on Christmas Day.” My third thought was, “I wonder if Hilda has something I could use.” (now for those of you who don’t remember Hilda, she was my tutor for 1 month and now she is basically my Peruvian mom. We see each other on a daily basis and she can pretty much get anything done.) So I told Hilda about my “visitantes”(visitors) over a piece of pound cake (which I made!!) to which she responded by getting up, walking into her bathroom and bringing me a bottle of cream. She told me she always had it on hand for her granddaughter who often came home from school with lice.

Also of some interest was HOW the bugs were discovered. Well as I was sitting in the McAnally’s house on Christmas morning waiting patiently for the hour when I could open my presents I laid my head over on the arm of a chair. Berta (an Asheninka girl that is also visiting us) started picking through my hair. This is a very normal thing in the communities. Children sit for long periods of time combing through each other’s hair looking for “piojos” (lice). Well, just before we were given the go ahead for opening presents Berta whispered to me, “tu tienes piojos” (you have lice)! Well, first thing I did was look up the word “piojo” in my dictionary, second thing was to shower, third I made the children look at my hair again to confirm the lice finding. Sure enough I had “bastante”(a lot). However, you all will be pleased to know that I used the cream Hilda gave me, bought some more along with lice shampoo the next day and currently there are no signs of lice in my scalp.

Now for those of you who are not totally grossed out and are still reading I suppose I will tell you about my trips to the pool.
Yes over the past week I have gone to the pool 3 or 4 times. I am looking more Peruvian every day (minus the blonde hair that keeps getting more and more bleached out with the sun) and this makes me very happy. Plus I just thoroughly enjoy the fact that I can go to the pool the week of Christmas. Doesn’t every kid dream of that? Well right after they dream of a White Christmas then they dream of being able to swim during their Christmas vacation.

Let’s see… in other news…..
Hilda and I are still working through the Bible study. She pleasantly surprised me two nights ago when we were doing our study because she had already filled in the blanks. She told me that she couldn’t sleep one night so she did the study! I was so excited and just started laughing and clapping…haha! I gave her a new Bible for Christmas…it should be easier to understand than the one she had. I also gave a Bible to Limni—the girl who cleans our house. She has recently accepted Christ and she did not have a Bible. I asked her yesterday if she has been reading and she said yes that she started at the beginning. I told her that was good, but to go ahead and start reading in John as well and if she ever had questions about anything to let me know.

Last thought---
As I was riding down the road this morning in a motortaxi this thought crossed my mind. As a child, how many times did I dream of riding on the back of a fast moving open vehicle like this (in those days I was thinking in terms of go carts—remember those). And here I am 24 years old riding on motorcycles, swimming at Christmas time, waking up each morning to the “whoop” of a monkey and sharing my love for Jesus Christ! How good is God?!! REAL GOOD I tell you! He’s all there is and if we follow him he will fill us with the desires of our heart.
Pray that I will seek Him every day and take advantage of ever opportunity given. I have the freedom to share with anyone why I am here and what I am doing. I have co-workers in other parts of the world who do not have this privilege. I pray that I will take full advantage of the freedom I have to speak into the hearts of Peruvians the love of Jesus Christ. God became man, was born of humble birth, was murdered on a cross, was raised to life three days later, and all for US!! Now stop and really think about that for a minute! No, you can’t grasp it, but you can accept it…all it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed.

I love ya’ll!!!