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2011-12-18T14:35:00.004-05:00

Summer vacation began for the students at ICSL on noon last Friday. 4 pm marked the beginning of the teacher's summer holiday and the time when I begin enjoying the freedom to work from home--and work from 'home' I will.

Home has different meanings to TCKs and expats. Right now I am sitting in the living room at my recent temporary 'home'. ( BTW We went over to check on the progress on my apartment and it looks like several more days will be needed to get the floor put back in and the plumbing issues resolved.) Tonight I head for the airport for an early Monday morning flight to the US so I can spend Christmas at home' with my family. A few weeks later I will fly back 'home' to Peru. I am so blessed to have several places on the earth to call 'home' and eternally blessed that my real 'home' is yet to come.

John 14: 1-4

¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Flood Waters

2011-12-12T20:51:00.002-05:00

Tuesday morning was not a normal morning, not in any way. Those of you who have spent any significant time with me know that I am not a morning person and will sleep in to the last possible moment, so you would be very surprised to find me wide awake at five in the morning. I was surprised myself to be awoken at five in the morning by the doorbell ringing over and over again. I was even more surprised when I swung my feet out of bed and in to a lake. While I was sleeping my entire -- and I mean every corner of my apartment had flooded.

Because my Dad did such a good job raising me, my first thought was to turn off the water, thanks dad, and honestly my second thought was, "I need a husband." Since I don't have a husband to help me in a time of crisis, I called our business manager who helps with staff housing issues. After a moment of stunned silence he asked what I needed to which I responded, a whole team of people. Within a few minutes coworkers started showing up at my door with towels, mops, brooms, and buckets in hand. What a blessing to have such an outpouring especially before 6am. Later in the day some high school students came over to help and together we all cleaned up the water and then removed all of the laminate flooring so the cement subfloor could dry in both my apartment and the one next door.

My washing machine connects via a coupler that we bought at a local hardware store - apparantly the threads on the coupler were not correctly configured allowing the washer hose to slowly slip off. The hose disconnected some time in the night and water started shooting across the laundry room. It will be interesting to see how many cubic meters of water were in my house when I get that water bill next month. Since renter's insurance does not exist here and the problem was not with the plumbing inside the wall, I am responsible for paying to replace the laminate floors in my apartment and the one next door. The cost is estimated at around $1500 US dollars.

I have seen a couple of miracles in this:
1 - I have more than an inch of water in my house and extension cords submerged just inches from where I first stepped in to the water and was not electrecuted
2 - My computer was on the floor by my bed, but it still works even though it got wet
3- My apartment did not flood while I was away or while our last student teacher was there by herself.

I am waiting for miracle number 4 - God's complete provision. Already $400.00 has been donated for which I am very grateful.

I am also praying that my neighbors, whose apartment Iflooded, will see Christ in the way we handle this situation and how I share God's provision with them.

The other day God led me to this verse:
God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is a rock? Only our God. God—He clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect.
Psalm 18:30-32

I may not have chosen a flood for myself, but know that God is using this to show Himself to me and those around me. He is faithful. To God be the Glory.

Thanksgiving Blessing

2011-12-12T20:28:00.004-05:00

Now that I am an full on administrator I have many responsibilities and expectations that I have not had before. Some are good, some are bad, and some are ugly, but they are all mine.

One expectation is that now I have to travel a bit more than I have had to in the past. Specifically, I have two conferences I will be expected to go to yearly. One is the yearly leadership conference at the NICS home office in Mississippi and the other is an AdvancEd South American administrator's conference. AdvancEd is the secular accrediting agency through which ICSL has joint accreditation along with the Association of Christian Schools Internal. Accreditation is not my favorite subject - if you have been through it you probably know why - and I was not really looking forward to this conference. That was until I found out when it was, the week after Thanksgiving. Well, that just opened up a whole wonderful opportunity. The school budget covers my airfare to Atlanta for the conference and I just had to look to see how much adding a stop in DC would be and low and behold it would be $600 dollars cheaper for me to add a stop in DC before the conference than it would be for me just to go to the conference and back. How could I resist saving the school $600 bucks? Of course I could not.

The more I live the more I learn that there is no way I could ever deserve the blessings God pours down on me and the opportunty to be home for Thanksgiving is a huge blessing. Being the stinker I am I decided that my family would be extra blessed if they did not know that I was coming and I pretty sure from their reactions that they would agree. I had a great time surprising my family and spending time with friends before the conference and actually learned a thing or two at the conference as well. What an awesome God we serve who blesses us way beyond reason.

Choose a Side

2011-10-27T22:56:00.002-05:00

What you will find below was written by one of my BLOOM girls, Rachel.

“How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man."
      These words, said by singer and performer Johnny Cash, resonate deeply with me, as they point out the stark reality that, when it comes to Christianity and faith in God, there is absolutely no option to compromise between serving the world and serving Yahweh. To try to sit on the proverbial fence in between will result in ruin;. Trust me; I've been there, and it is really more of a great big hole than an actual fence. Anyways, the reason why I'm jotting down this note here is because of a recent conviction concerning the uncompromising nature of God. In Matt. 18, Jesus informs his disciples of several key principles for Christian living. One of his first points is found in verses 5 and 6, which start by saying that anyone who welcomes a believer also welcomes God. He ends this sweet promise of a blessing by wishing a rather painful experience on anyone who leads a believer into sin. To put it bluntly, he basically says "if you lead my followers astray, you might as well load yourself up with weights and jump into a deep part of the ocean . . . and stay at the bottom." . . . fun, right?
     Anyways . . . Upon reading this passage, I was struck by the truth in these words, and moreover, the tremendous responsibility that is placed upon believers. You see, Jesus isn't just talking about a stereotypical "cause your brother to stumble" situation, wherein a deviously creepy individual might sneakily seduce another to sin. He's talking the "cause your brother to stumble" situations that we create when we fail to live for God. By my actions, I can set an example for God, but I can also set an example for Satan. In whatever I do, I will always be promoting something, and unfortunately, if I don't watch myself, it will be the evil one who gets the glory. That is the war the wages in every thought, every idea, every action that we make in our lives. And according to Matt. 18:5-6, it is our responsibility to make sure that what we glorify is God. There is no fence; there is no compromise.
     When I first thought about this, I was more than intimidated by the pressure of this responsibility, but the more I think about it, the more I see this passage as a great opportunity for good. Think: when we put Jesus first, we are telling the world by our actions to put him first as well. When we love those who hate us, we are telling the worlds to love their enemies as well. As servants of the King, we have incredible influence on our peers, and on those who don't know Him.   So I guess the question remains: will we be a light, or will we be the ones stumbling in the darkness, leading others to try the hopeless task of straddling the gap between heaven and the world? For me, this passage was a real wake-up call (not the fun kind), so I just thought I'd share it with all of you and see if it might be of value to you, too.
Just a thought: Imagine what would happen if we all stood up and acted in the way that God called us to? Pretty cool to think about, eh?
Grace and Peace,RachelXD

My Favorite Purple Dress

2011-10-25T22:56:00.001-05:00

One more week and I can wear my favorite purple dress again. I haven't been able to wear it since October 1st. It just hangs there in my closet taunting me. I love this dress. It is comfortable, professional, and que cute. (How's that for throwing a little Spanlish in there). No matter how much I like it, it is off limits during the month of October.

During October the city of Lima celebrates El Senor de Milagros, Lord of Miracles, Lima's patron saint. Way, way, way back an Angolan slave painted a mural on the walls of a poor church portraying a dark skinned Christ on the cross. In 1746 and after three devastating earthquakes the wall with the mural was the only part of the church still standing - the miracle.

So what does this have to do with my purple dress? Well, one of the ways they show devotion to this miracle and to the patron saint of Lima, El Senor de Milagros, is by dressing in purple. So as to not get confused with a devotee of Lima's patron saint, my purple dress will be on hiatus until November.

A Day in the Life

2011-09-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

I know it is always way too long between posts and I always intend to do better but we know how intentions are.. I think what always trips me up is that I am always waiting for something more to write about. To you living in Peru might be novel and interesting, but to me it is where I do life - the regular every day. Maybe, just maybe there is this subliminal unspoken pressure that since I am a missionary my every day needs to something more than it is, I mean really all these people are praying for me, people are giving sacrifically for me to be here I should be able to amaze them with my news. And so I wait for the amazing and completely ignore the every day, but it is the every day that is the life I have here. So here it is -- a day in the life.

Wednesday, September 7th

6:30 -  Rise and shine and try to get out of the house on time which doesn't happen so my 15 minute walk to work ends up being a taxi ride. I flag down the taxi on the street in front of my apartment building. I live on a one way street that is lined with menus (men ooze) a menu is a small restaurant that offers a limited number of daily specials for low prices. There are a couple of bodegas (little convenience stores) and a few places to get frames made. Mine is the only apartment building on the block.   Before I get in the taxi I have to tell the driver where I want to go and bargain a price. He asks for 5 soles, I counter with 3 soles and since 3 soles is the actual fair price he accepts.

7:25 - I arrive at school, check my calendar and my mailbox, pull up my e-mail and start planning my day.

7:45 - Staff devotions -- On Mondays we pray for different groups within our community, Tuesdays our chaplain leads devotions, Wednesdays we pray in small groups, Thursdays Mr. Havill, our director, and I take turns leading devotions, and on Friday the staff rotate in leading devotions.

8:15 - Meeting with a teacher - I am currently meeting with each teacher to go over their professional development goals for the year. After we have gone over some paperwork and procedures, I answer any questions they have and pray with them. I am specifically praying for eternal fruit in each persons classes this year. Most meetings last about a hour. Please pray with me the each staff member have the priveledge of leading a student to Christ this year.

9:15 - Meeting with a parent of a struggling student. This student has been having both behavioral and academic struggles and we are meeting to address both. I found out at this meeting that the family received notice from their company that they would be moving. They are waiting to be given a firm time table but know it will be some time before December. The family has two children here, one who is a senior -- imagine having to move not just schools, but countries in the middle of your senior year. Change is a fact of life for the students we work with here(Third Culture Kids - TCKs) but change is not always easy. Please pray for our TCKs and that they develop a sense of belonging through Christ Alone.

10:00 - Met with another teacher - Spent some time discussing our discipleship and sports programs. Sports can be a valuable avenue for spiritual discipleship when we are purposeful in using it. We are offering competitve volleyball, soccer, and basketball this year. Please pray that our teams will honor and glorify God in all they do and that God would give wisdom to our coaches (teachers).

11:00 - Meeting with Mr. Havill, our director. John and I work closely together for decision making and leadership of the school. As I have moved up in to leadership I have had to work on being submissive when John and I disagree. “To whom we submit doesn’t have that much to do with who is right or wrong, but rather with whom God has appointed authority.” (Yohannan 2008) John and I have known each other since I went to Indonesia in 1995 (He was my principal and his wife used to come stay at my house when she would visit him before they got married.) We have learned how to communicate and have mutual respect for each other. Please pray for continued communication, unity in purpose, and decision making.

11:45 - We have four chapels every Wednesday- K-2, 3-5, 6-8, & 9-12. Today I was able to make it to high school chapel. Our students are very talented and the worship team did a great job leading worship and the drama class presented a short evangelistic skit. Today's chapel was a special treat for me since my friends, Daniel and Narelle, were there. Daniel is from the US and Narelle is from Australia. Their daughter Evie was born here in Peru - a truly international family. Daniel spoke in chapel and did a great job addressing the spiritual needs of both our believing and unbelieving students. Please pray for our students that do not know Jesus, some are learning about Him for the first time this year.

12:29 - lunch time, but I have been using lunch time this week to meet with 6th graders who are struggling in the transition to middle school. Today's conversation was with a boy who is struggling in math class. Please pray for our new middle schoolers as they learn to be more self-disciplined.

1:00 - I had an hour scheduled to write an article for the FBC news, but that didn't happen. First, I did need to eat some lunch, but then a behavior issue came up that I had to deal with and so the article is on the back burner. I'll get to it before the due date,...?   Please pray for wisdom as I deal with all kinds of student situations (behaviorial, academic, and spiritual). Pray for wisdom from God, boldness when I need to speak up, and the ability to keep my mouth shut when that is needed.

2:30 - Another meeting with a teacher. This one went a little long as there were some issues to be discussed. Leadership can be difficult -- okay, that is an understatement. Leadership is difficult. I need God's equipping moment-by-moment and like dealing with students the need for wisdom, boldness, and the ability to keep my mouth shut are all crucial to my success. I also need the ability to see in to the heart of the matter, eyes to see how I can support each teacher in their classroom and ministry, and the backbone to hold them accountable to what they are asked to do. Please pray for my continual equipping and the development of listening eyes and a surrendered heart.

4:00 - My 'work day' is over but not really. I had an afterschool appointment with one of the students I am discipling. We planned to meet at 3:30 and she patiently waited for me. We meet for discipleship on Mondays after school, but she had some personal issues she wanted to discuss as she struggles through some life changes and opportunities. After a brief chat we spent some time in prayer. I asked her to think through some things and take them to the Lord and then we set up another meeting later this week. Please pray for the discipleship that is happening here at ICSL.

4:45 - Another girl was waiting for me when I opened my office door. It was her behavior issue that I was dealing with earlier. She wanted to discuss the choice she had made and the consequences it brought. While this girl would claim to have a relationship with Christ there is a lack of fruit. We had a good conversation and she wants to keep meeting with me to talk through some struggles. We set it up to meet four times in the next two weeks. I also mentioned that if she was interested we could meet weekly to work on her relationship with God. Pray for this girl to desire a greater relationship with Christ.

5:30 - I usually have Bible study on Wednesday night, but after both the girls left I knew I wouldn't have time finish the work I had to have done before tomorrow, to go home, get my materials, and get to Bible study. I know it was a smaller group than normal as several people are struggling with health issues. Pray that our women's Bible study is a time of growth and for physical healing for those of us who are struggling with the winter crud.

6:45 - Home. My current roommate, Ana Maria, was already home. My house is housing for our student teachers. This year we will have five of them. Yesterday was a cold, cold day and since we have no heat at school Ana Maria was heading straight to the shower to try to warm up. I headed to my closet to layer up in fleece and hoodies. We are all ready for spring as we have had a exceptionally cold and humid winter with lots of mold and sickness.

I don't pay as much attention to time once I get home :)

I called my family since I had been seeing news of flooding back home. My older sister, Lorie, and her family was safe and sound at home with only a little water in the basement. My dad was dealing with water in his basement as well and his wife was at the  Philadelphia airport with her sister waiting for her nephew's flight to arrive. My sister, Marsha, and her kids, however, had gone to the dentist earlier in the day and ended up getting stranded by the flood and had to stay in a hotel.   Please pray for my family and for me as I miss them daily.

After I got off the phone, I started preparing for my BLOOM Bible study lesson and to lead devotions on Thursday. Ana Maria had prepared a nice stir fry for dinner and after about a 30 minute break to eat and watch some TV, I headed back to my room to study and pray some more.

10:00 - lights out as I need to be at school extra early the next day. The dehumidifier is running which helps cover the noise of traffic outside and I have a eye mask on to block the light from the street lamps, aww life in the big city.

So that was yesterday - just a normal day, the every day of life as I know it. How was your day?

Its About Time

2011-07-20T13:25:00.002-05:00

It has been some time since I have posted and for that I apologize. When I last posted I had just found out that I had to move out of my apartment. The end of the school year is always crazy and adding moving on top of all the regular crazy-busyness of the season was almost too much. I say almost but what I really mean is that if the Lord was not present in me holding me together I would have shattered in to a million pieces. Finishing grad school, healing after major surgery, end-of-the-year activities, catching up on all the work I was behind on because of surgery, and moving - just too much, too much without the assistance of our wonderful savior. His presence is my peace.

So I did find an apartment. It has much smaller living space than my old one so my group activities will have to be smaller. My walk to work will be longer, but I can still walk to ICSL, to church, to three grocery stores, to Starbucks...I am enjoying getting to know my new neighborhood and my new neighbors. I will post pictures when I get everything all sorted out.

School ended in a flurry of activities and goodbyes. Some goodbyes are more temporary than others. The break between our school years is only five weeks so those goodbyes are short. Some students are going on furlough for 6 months to a year - medium goodbyes. And then there are the big ones - the students and faculty members who are moving away from Lima for good. Those are the really hard ones. Below I am pasting something one of those students wrote. Rachel has been at ICSL since middle school and has to leave for her senior year. Rachel has been a student of mine in English, history, and geography, a member and now a student leader of the BLOOM Bible study, and my student aide Rachel is one of my girls and saying goodbye to her is hard, but I Believe that God has a plan for Rachel and I trust that this is part of His Plan. Here is what Rachel recently shared:

As I sit on the verge of great transition in life, it becomes clearer and clearer to me just how crucial it is to have faith--even as I seem to hang painfully suspended between a swiftly fading world and the vague future that lies ahead. As most of you know, I leave Peru in six days, and to say that it has been hard would be an offensive understatement, but God's recently showed me something kinda cool that brought me encouragment, so I thought that i would share it with you . . .

Last night, for no reason in particular, I began to think about Israel under the leadership of Moses, namely, the specific occasion in Numbers 13, which concerns Joshua, Caleb, and the other ten(?) spies who went ahead of the nation to investigate the promised land.

As many of you are familiar with the story, I won't delve too deeply into the details, but basically, Moses sent these twelve dudes ahead with instructions to scout out the people and the land, which they did for forty days before returning with a report. Ten of these spies presented terifying accounts of inconqeruable cities, fearsome men, and a surpluss of blood-enemies that would guarantee their failure to conquer the land as God had commanded them. The last two (Joshua and Caleb), however, brought news of the blessings that they had witnessed there, finishing their proclamation with an exhortation for Israel to forget their fears and take their inheritance. In the end, the ten spies who let their fear surmount them died without ever seeing God's inheritance; Joshua and Caleb, contrastingly, were rewarded for their faithfulness, and they eventually led Israel into the land to conquer it.

What I find interesting here is how different people can look at the same thing (the promised land, in this case) and draw completely different conclusions about it. Moreover, I see how fear blinds, and faith, on the other hand, emboldens those who possess it.

With this contrasting image in mind, I see vividly how this could apply to me as I face a move to the states in less than a week, and how it could relate to anyone who is about to come upon a transition. As human beings who are grounded in love, familiarity, and loyalty, change is often ill-recieved, but I would beg to differ, instead saying that the transition I face is very much like Israel's entry to the promised land. God promises to work everything out for the good of those who love him, so I know in my head that blessings and providence from the Lord await me to help me in this foreign land--but as with the twelve spies of Israel, I must choose to BELIEVE in this. The first ten didn't; rather than rely on their faithful Yahweh to sustain them, they cowerd because of their fear, and this cost them their inheritance. Joshua and Caleb believed, however, in God's perfect goodness as well as in His promise; they obeyed and rose up to conquer the land, and God, in turn, rewarded them with the strength to succeed.
God has used this illustration to teach me to not fear, and moreover, to trust in what God promises--even if the future looks miserably bleak. I know that God promises that He will be found by me if I seek Him wholeheartedly--but I must BELIEVE it. I know that God promises to use me beyond my own capabilities--but I must BELIEVE it. I know for certain that He will equip me with everything I need to be sustained in His hand--but I must BELIEVE it. At any time, in any situation, God is ready and able to help us claim that inheritance that He has set out for us, but we must have faith and not let the fear of impossibility or of enemies drive us back.
χάριτος και της ειρήνης (I thought you would appreciate the greek, angela),
Rachel

Believe

Chicken Pox and Checking Classifieds

2011-05-24T21:18:00.000-05:00

Oh what a week it has been and it is only Tuesday. We have an outbreak of chicken pox going around. The first case was reported the first week of May - a fourth grader. We have had cases in the elementary and middle school and now one of our graduating class of 2011. Poor girl is going to miss her senior trip. In addition to the news of more cases of chicken pox, I got some news today. My landlord's daughter wants my apartment and so sometime in the next four weeks I have to find a new place and move-again. Please pray that God would provide a new place for me and time to add all this to my massive to do list.

Its one of THOSE days

2011-05-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

Stopping by to share a little tidbit about living in Lima.

I have never lived by the ocean before so I am unsure of whether this is an abnormal or normal side effect of life by the sea, but every so often when the morning fog drifts in from the ocean so does an overwhelming smell of fish. We call them fishy days here and today is one of them.

My windows are all closed now that it has gotten cold in Lima so I didn't notice the smell as I got ready this morning, but as soon as I opened my apartment door the smell of fish guts hit me.

Its one of those FISHY DAYS here in Lima today.

I hope that today you leave the aroma of Christ lingering were ever you go.

"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;" 2 Corinthians 2:15

Jungle Trip from the perspective of an 8th grader

2011-05-15T18:31:00.001-05:00

Here are some of the things I (Chloe, MK, Grade 8) learned/was reminded of in La Merced...

1) God has beautifully designed the world to be interdependent with each other

2) In the body of Christ, everyone has their own special purpose.

3) The 6th graders are super cool :) And I loved getting to know them

4) God made Earth so beautiful

5) A whole bunch of Science stuff that I have mostly forgotten by now :P

6) I am NOT an outdoorsy kinda person... But instead, I'm very much a city girl

7) I am so very very blessed to go to such an amazing school with such amazing people

8) I should really appreciate living in a city without a ton of bugs..

Here are some little joys that made me very happy from La Merced:

1) There was one night when it rained... And even though I didn't see it or hear it, I woke up and it smelled like rain :)

2) There were 1,000,000,000s of stars :)

3) The lake was so beautiful

4) There was such an amazing view

5) The bonfire on the last night was fantabulous :)

A couple of quotes from La Merced:

1) Andrea R.: "SQUIRREL!" (randomly :))

2) Andrea: (on the bus) "Let's look at Lima, Peru... *A few seconds go by* OK, I've had enough."

3) Levi: "Isaac, we're gonna teach you 'THE skills'"

Paul: "What skills?"

Levi: *glares at him* "You know, 'THE skills'!"

Paul: "ohh.. THOSE skills... wait, what skills?"

I had the most amazing time in La Merced! We learned so much about Interdependence and so much more! I got to get so much closer to my friends and made many new ones! It was great!

Thanks for praying. We got there and back safely and other than being walking bug feasts and a few scrapes and bruises all came back in one piece. Please continue to pray that strongholds would be torn down and hearts restored to the savior.

Jungle Bound

2011-05-01T20:07:00.001-05:00

After months and months of planning and anticipation it is finally time. Tomorrow at 7am 44 middle school students and 14 adults are heading to the jungle for a week. We will be traveling 8 hours by bus out from Lima up over the Andes mountains and in to the jungle. We will be staying at Scripture Union's Jungle Camp called Kimo. Each day there will be science ecology education, team times, games, Bible teachings, small group Bible times, and fun. We could use some extra prayers for this week.

Monday & Friday : Pray for safe travel

Everyday:

Pray for our protection
Pray that hearts will be reached and lives changed
Pray for obedient hearts and respectful attitudes
Pray everyone stays in good health.

We will be returning to Lima Friday night and I hope to have some great things to share with you.

Thanks for Praying!

Election Results

2011-04-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

The results of Sunday's election for the next president of Peru are in and it isn't pretty. No candidates received enough of a majority to win, so a run-off election between the two top candidates will take place on June 5th. Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel prize winning author from Peru, has been quoted to saying it is like choosing between cancer and aids. Ollanta Humala is a nationalist who people fear will follow in the footsteps of Hugo Chavez. His opponent, Keiko Fujimori, doesn't seem to have a political stand other than her father is the former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, who is currently in jail for crimes against humanity during his reign as president. The general consensus is that Humala will win and many of us in missions here in Peru wonder what that will mean for the future of mission in Peru since Humala has expressed the desire to get rid of outside influences on Peru. Please pray for the people and nation of Peru.

If you are interested there is an article about the election results. Article about Peru's election

Going off to college

2011-04-03T19:30:00.001-05:00

Going off to college is always an adjustment, but for missionary kids it is alot more than that. One of my girls had the privilege of traveling to the US for a college weekend where she will be studying next year. Here is what is going through her mind as she thinks about transitioning to college.

10 Things I Won't Like About Moving to the States

By Angela B.

1. Wind. I hate the wind. The day can be cold but sunny and perfectly bearable but then the wind picks up and ruins it all. I was waiting standing outside yesterday and I felt the wind pushing me in different directions.

2. The transportation system. There are busses, which is good and I rode on them while here, but they're not the same. The Wunderinks, Tito, Andrea, Ian and Mary all know what I'm talking about. Now I know what Joshua felt like when he moved here and had to depend on his friends for rides. Micros and combis in Lima are just different and totally awesome because you can go anywhere in the city. In comparison, the buses here are good and I'll figure them out eventually, but they're so boring!

3. Static Electricity. I have found a reason to appreciate the humidity in Lima: static electricity. I keep getting shocked every time I get out of a car. I find hair stuck to me all the time. It's not bad because it's my hair, but it's annoying because no matter what I do, they never go away! And all this is because it is sooo dry here.

4. Dryness. And that dryness is not fun. My elbows feel funny because my skin is pretty dry. My nose hurts a little because the air feels thin or something. It's a good thing I'm already in the habit of putting on chapstick.

5. Speaking very little Peruvian Spanish. There is one girl in the hall that I'm staying at that's Peruvian. Even though I've only been gone for five days, it was so awesome hearing her speak in Spanish like a Peruvian, using Peruvian words. I went to a Hispanic church today and they all have different accents. Peruvian spanish makes me feel right at home.

6. The deceitful sun. In Lima, when the sun is out, it's warm outside. When the sun is not out, it's cold outside unless it's summer. That's so not true here! The sun can be out but it can still be majorly cold!

7. Moving. I just don't like moving in general. Packing up my stuff, transporting it somewhere else and then unpacking it again is just not fun. And besides, what and I going to bring with me? What books and do I leave home so that they can be boxed up and put in storage until I graduate? I mean, at the end of every year I'm going to have to pack up and then move it in somewhere else anyways.

8. The rules about strangers. In Lima, when you're trying to cross the street and a car is coming, you stop and let it go. Always. When someone is walking down the side walk, you don't talk to them except maybe to say excuse me. When yo go up to strangers, they look at you like you're crazy and try to avoid you. Here, I'm about to cross the street and a car is coming. It slows down and it takes me a while to realize that I should cross the street. A lady at the airport turned to me and told me she likes my hair. People behind cash registers are asking me how I'm doing. What am I supposed to do with all that!? I just don't know. It'll take some getting used to.

9. The size. Liberty is huge and spread out. I come form a graduating class of 10 people. Three rooms in a dorm of about 20 room will be enough to hold my entire class. There are so many people here. And the place is huge. Everything in LIma is close, at least for me, but here it's not and there are a lot of stairs.

10. Missing people. Yeah, I'm going to miss everyone. All the people at ACME, the people in my class, the kids in my sisters class, the girls in BLOOM, the people in Student Council, my *gasp* teachers. Everyone. And everything about my home. I am pretty sure Switchfoot's This Is Home will be playing in my head every time I go back for a visit.

Time to celebrate, Time to pray

2011-02-21T22:34:00.000-05:00

I have no excuse for my neglect in writing. I just haven't taken the time to sit down to reflect in a long time. Christmas, grad classes, interviewing prospective teachers, preparing for a new semester, staff retreat, teacher in-service days, the craziness of the first day of school, and a battery of medical tests later and here I am finally writing

So what spurred me to write after all this time -- Victory! Please celebrate with me the salvation of four elementary students so far this semester. God is at work here and I am overwhelmed with His presence and His Joy.

Thursday brings the annual high school retreat. We will be heading down the road at around noon and traveling to the Lunahuana river resort.While we planning on having a lot of fun in the sun the real purpose is to see souls saved and students grow in Christ. A speaker is coming down from the US to share with our students. Please pray for our safety, the speaker, and especially our students. Pray the these three days away will bring eternal results.

So you might have picked up on the phrase 'a battery of medical tests' in my list of busyness and be wondering to what this refers. Well, in 2008 I started having some unusual stomach problems including really bad pain. An endoscopy showed a hiatal hernia and I was prescribed medications, dietary changes, and other non-invasive options. Not only did those aforementioned things not help, I got progressively worse. In early 2010 I had a short respite from the pain and thought the issue had gone away, unfortunately a couple of months later and things got even worse. It has progressed to the point that my everyday existence is negatively affected. Before Christmas I started meeting with a doctor. While it was obvious from the first endoscopy that part of my stomach was pushed through my diaphragm my doctor said that my symptoms indicated that additional issues may be at play. So I have had a battery of tests that confirmed the first endoscopy and revealed damage and malfunction of my esophagus. On March 21st I will be having surgery to correct both issues. I will have to take a couple of weeks off work and then have a three month recovery time with an altered diet and limited physical activity. Now you know it all.

I will try to do a better job at writing - thanks for being better at praying than I am at writing.

Counting Down and Holding On

2010-12-16T23:28:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been quite like a roller coaster - ups and downs, twists and turns, sudden drops and slow climbs. After missing school due to an emergency appendectomy and having to slow down and give myself time to heal I started the mad rush to get caught up with all my work. Teacher evaluations and mid-year conferences that should have been spread out over weeks were crammed in to a few crazy days. The weeks before Christmas are always hectic for those of us in the school community. Not only are there a plethora of extra programs and parties but the students seem to lose their minds. Added to the regular chaos of the season is my nice sized pile of makeup work. For the last few days it feels like the roller coaster car keeps going faster and fester, but never gets any closer to the end of the ride, but now, now it is Thursday night and all I have left of this semester is one more day. The light is at the end of the tunnel. There is hope and rest on the horizon. I get to see my family in four days - just four days. My heart skips beats just thinking about it. :-)

One of these days when I don't have a to do list the size of the Empire State Building I really need to fill you in on what it was like to have surgery here in Peru and all the ways I saw the hand of God at work through it all, but for now I will close with an incredible and poignant truth -

God is good all the time, All the time God is good!

Things Most Unexpected

2010-11-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

Into the everyday burst the unexpected.

After not feeling well for a few days I decided that a doctor visit was in order - 7 hours, a sonogram and a CAT scan later and I was being wheeled in to surgery. Appendicitis

My first non-dental surgical experience and my first overnight in a hospital was experienced in Peru.

There is a clinic, The Clinica Anglo -Americana, just blocks from the school and that is where I have been since ten o'clock Monday morning. The surgery, performed by a Dr. Luigi Belloni, went well and while I have some pain it is not as bad as it was before the surgery. Now I wait for all systems to be a go. I hope and pray to be able to go home tomorrow(Wednesday), but they say I may need to stay until Thursday. While I am not at all excited about the possibility of spending Thanksgiving in the hospital, I am thankful for so much right now. I am thankful for a clear daignosis,for the surgeon's skill, for Rebecca Havill helping me through each step of this ordeal, for Michelle Smith spending the night in my room with me last night, for all those who have stopped by, for those that wish they could, for the flood of greetings and well wishes, and for the prayers of so many-powerful prayers that are holding me tight.

Thank You for Praying!

Demographics

2010-11-07T22:53:00.000-05:00

I had to compile some school demographics for a grad school project recently and thought I'd share them with you.

27% of our student body has been at ICSL less than one year.
The average tenure of a student at ICSL is 2.8 years.

52% of our students have US passports.
14% have Korean passports.
11% Peruvian passports
Other passport countries: Canada, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Japan, UK, Spain, Indonesia, Belize, India, South Africa, Costa Rica, & Thailand

30% of students have missionary parents.
48% of students have parents working in business fields.
13% of students have parents working at embassies.

32% of students' parents claim no religious affiliation.
56% are protestant
10% Catholic
<1% Muslim.

So I might be a nerd, but I find demographics like this fascinating. Maybe some of you are nerds like me and found it interesting as well.

Jungle Adventure

2010-11-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I went on a little trip with a few friends. We took an all night bus on Friday night that took us up over the Andes mountains in to the what is referred to as the ceja de la selva (eyebrow of the jungle). We arrived in La Merced at 6 am on Saturday.

After a short mototaxi (envision a motorcycle with a covered bench seat on the back) we arrived at entrance to Kimo. Kimo is a ministry center of Union Biblica (Scripture Union). We are planning to take our middle school students to Kimo in May for a week of outdoor education and spiritual retreat.

There is only one way to get all the way to Kimo - by cable. We loaded ourselves and our stuff in to the rusty car that hangs off of two thick cables and were pulled over the river by two gentlemen that never need to worry about going to the gym. Pulling people back and forth across the river negates the need for that for sure.

Once back on land we loaded in the the open back of a rickety old jeep and headed up to the center. After a nice warning about staying within the bounds of the camp - which with the threat of boas, cobras, and poisonous insects we were well prepared to do, we toured around - dreaming up the program we want to do with the kids.

The purpose of the trip was to prepare for the future, but it was nice to be out of the city and surrounded by such beauty. I, of course, loved the hot sticky jungle weather. The sun was furious and the day was a busy one so I fell in to bed ready to enjoy a night without the sounds of traffic buzzing by. God provided an orchestra of jungle sounds to lull me off to sleep and further blessed us with a nice rain shower. Since we don't get any in Lima, rain is always exciting.

After another wonderful, sunny day of dreaming and planning, it was time to head back to Lima. Once again we pilled in the back of that beat up jeep, but this time in the dark of the night. The road down to the river is steep, curvy, and sprinkled with rocks that must be avoided. It was an interesting ride on the way up and an even more interesting ride on the way back down - no headlights. Instead of head lights the driver wore a headlamp. Yep, ont of those flighlights on an eleastic band that you can buy at Wal-mart. It was an adventure.

Another all night bus home and then back to real life.

Children

2010-10-27T08:50:00.000-05:00

I know that most people would say that I have no children, but it would be very hard to convince my heart that. While I have never had the privilege of physical birth, I have many, many heart children. I could start naming them one-by-one here but since my time is short and my appointment schedule is very full today I won't. Some of my babies:-) I have had the privilege to lead to the Lord, others have been in my classes, and yet others in youth groups or Bible studies. I havetalked with them, laughed with them, cried with them, prayed with them, I have encouraged and sometimes I have pushed all in an effort to feed God into them. I have witnessed salvation, spiritual awakening, growth and metamorphisis. My heart swells with motherly pride when they step up to lead, serve, and love out of obedience to the Lord. Today one of my children is stepping up to preach in middle school chapel and my heart is joyful. No, I have not given birth to children that will carry on my family bloodline, but due to God's grace and faithfulness I have children who will carry on my heart line - Love God, Serve God.

Answered Prayer

2010-10-14T20:32:00.000-05:00

Victory! Thank you for your prayers,seven students accepted Christ as their personal savior during Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW)- three high school students and four middle school students.

I ended not being able to attend most of SEW due to being at home in bed with the flu until Wednesday. It was hard to know that God was at work, but that I couldn't be there. I asked my students what I had missed and was so encouraged to hear all that they had been learning and how God was challenging them.

Last year we saw 21 students come to Christ - so far this year we have seen 13 more enter the Kingdom. We just finished our first quarter of school - 75% of the school year left to go. It's going to be a great year!

Day of Prayer

2010-10-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

Today is the official ICSL Day of Prayer. Our goal is to petition God on behalf of our students, their families, and our community as we head in to Spiritual Emphasis Week. What I want from God is to see students come to Christ this week. To see strongholds broken down. To see hearts healed.

I received a good reminder of just how faithful God is to do just that. On Friday, I was sitting in my office working one of the many long-term projects piled on my desk right now when our 2nd grade teacher came in with one of her students clinging to her leg. This particular student has spent considerable time in my office over the last two years so I was not shocked to see her being escorted to my office. What did shock me was the look of utter joy across her face. I had never seen that look on her face as she was escorted to my office before, but this time was different. This time it was victory, She asked Jesus into her heart.

As tears of joy ran down my face, I asked her how her heart feels. "It feels so happy." Happy is not a word regularly used to describe this little girl. Her short life has seen more than its share of not happy. This little girl came to us trapped in a stronghold of Satan. She would act up each day in Bible class, plug her ears during prayer, and shake her head back and forth if you told her Jesus loves her. The stronghold on this little girl was obvious on other of our students it is not. Not to us at least. God knows. Not only does He know, but He can deliver them out of the stronghold just as he did her. As I sign off to go petition God, I ask you to do the same.
Pray for ICSL.
Pray for victory over strongholds.
Pray for souls saved.
Pray for hearts healed.
Pray for families restored.
Pray for His glory to burst forth at ICSL this week.

Convergence

2010-09-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I shared how God keep's leading me back to two key thoughts: the importance of my obedience and His amazing faithfulness.

Today is Wednesday and Wednesday is chapel day at ICSL. I went to two of the four chapel services today-high school chapel and middle school chapel. In high school chapel the speaker spoke about the blind man who Jesus healed by putting spit mud on his eyes - he stressed a couple of points one being Obedience. Then in middle school chapel my friend Claire spoke about, you guessed it, God's faithfulness.

God's message is clear: Obey and Trust in His Faithfulness. I do wonder what He is preparing me for. I have to admit that I keep thinking, "Isn't this move in to admin. and all the challenges it brings enough of a step of faith. Isn't it challenging me more than I feel comfortable with already?" I'll know, in His perfect timing, just why He keeps sending me this message, but until then I am praying that God would reveal to me the areas that I am not fully obeying Him. I know that sometimes my life might be in obedience, but my heart and attitude aren't there yet. I pray that my life and my heart will come in to complete obedience to God. I know He will faithfully guide me and strengthen me while I strive to become more like Jesus.

Collision of Thought

2010-09-21T22:32:00.001-05:00

For Bible class I am studying Exodus with my students, in Bible study we are studying Habakkuk, for staff devotions, Joshua - three distinct studies and yet two consistent themes rise to the surface: Obedience and Faithfulness.

Over and over again God reminds me that my job, my role, my calling is obedience - obedience to Him. I don't need to be perfection, I don't have to be the most popular, the prettiest, or the smartest. I don't have to have all the answers. I just have to step out in obedience. Step one: Obey, step two: obey, Step three: obey. I may not be comfortable with my leadership, I may not see why God would want to use me this way, I may not make any sense to me at all, but like Moses when called upon to lead the Israelites God does not expect anything more than obedience. And through obedience, like Moses, He will grow me, guide me, use me.

Obedience comes from faith. It is an outgrowth of our faith in God, our resting in His truth, His equipping. God gives us so many reminders of his divine reliability. Over and over and over again in scripture we see God's faithfulness. Promise after promise fulfilled. Need after need met. He is faithful! Overwhelmingly Faithful! Eternally Faithful! I love to see the faithfulness of God time after time in scripture, but that is not the only example I have. I have life. Day in and day out and blaring testimony of God's faithfulness.

I praise God for His faithfulness. Not one of the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45 In light of His faithfulness, why do I still struggle with obedience? Why do I still hesitate to step - Step one: Obey, step two: obey, Step three: obey?

First Post

2010-09-20T23:46:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed to be serving the Lord here in Lima. God is at work here in so many ways. In the last few weeks we have seen six students come to Christ. How can I not start a blog to share everything that God is doing?