Welcome FBC Willow Park Team!

Monday, July 12th
Today we are cleaning sooo much, this place is going to be spotless! Kelsey, Heather and I went to the hostile to invite the lady who owns the hostile to group storying but she wasn´t there so her father told us to come back later. We invited Franny to the group storying as well. Then we made lunch! We had guacamole and salsa on sandwiches (the meat eaters had turkey as well). Emily and I went back to the hostile around 2:00 p:m and talked to the lady. She said that she works at the school during the day and takes care of her father and runs the hostile during the night. What a busy lady! So we decided that I would garden with her next weekend (she´s going out of town this weekend). We storied with Sophia and her friend. I told the story of Noah and the Flood and Emily translated, Heather followed along with me to make sure that I didn´t mess up. Storying is a group effort! It went really well! Sophia and her friend kept asking me to read in Spanish and every time they would laugh so much. My Spanish isn´t the best, which I´m sure that you have all gathered by now. Sophia pulled out a box full of avocados and I said "me gusta" so she boke one open and we split it between the five of us. We are storying again with them Friday! Kelsey and Jeremy L. did the community storying tonight and said that 18 people showed up!! God is so awesome, he is answering prayers left and right! Also, Emily and Heather said that the English class went really well too! Things are going really well in Conima as of lately, goodbye sickness!

Tuesday, July 13th
The team got here today!!!!!! They arrived at around 11:00 a:m. After they got everything settled we showed them around Conima which didn´t take long considering it is so small. Then we went and ate at the restuarant, everyone seemed to really like it! We came back to the house and the FBC Willow Park team slept since they were so tired from flying. Kelsey, Heather, and I went and gathered sticks and bought some yarn for the crafts. We came back to the house and I showered and we worked on preparing everything for the crafts. Then the Jeremy´s and I went to Yasmani´s house (one of the kids we´ve grown close to) to meet his mom but he wasn´t there so we decided to go on a short hike. While we were hiking Yasmani and his little brother and sister showed up so they hiked with us. Then we headed back to the house because Jeremy S. and I needed to get dinner ready! We made beef tacos with all the fixin´s. The kitchen was so packed with 12 of us but we managed! Then My Dad, Kelsey, Jeremy L. and I headed to the Government building to do the community storying. Kelsey told the story of The Fall of Man while Jeremy L. asked questions and kept everyone engaged. It was some what hectic because the kids were running around but 16 people came (actually a few more but some people left during the middle). One of the construction workers that came answered a lot of questions and he told Jeremy L. that he would like to learn a story one day and tell it the way that we did. Yes!!!! So Jeremy L. is going to give him one of the stories and he is going to try to memorize it. The community storying started at 7:00 p:m and we got back to the house at about 9:00 p:m. When we got back to the house we had group worship, it was real gooood. We all went to bed around 10:00 p:m, we were all pretty tired.

Today, July 14th
This morning we had worship at 8:30 a:m and then we went into preparation mode for VBS. We all prepared everything for our individual thing that we are doing. VBS started today at 2:00 p:m so be praying everyone! I´m doing crafts with Emily and Molly. Woot Woot! John and Emily went and talked to the principal of the school and he said that the kids are really excited and that they liked the posters that Heather and I made. Lunch is in about thirty minutes, we are eating at the restuarant again. God is really working here, we couldn´t do it without all of you praying back home! Oh yeah...yesterday when they got here my Dad brought me peanut butter, cheeze-itz, and some nail polish so we can do a girls day our last week here with the young girls in the town. I think the girls will really like it. My Dad also brought a letter from my Meme and my Mom. My Mom included some lipgloss from Bath and Body works in the envelope. What a sweet heart! My Mom also said in the letter that she found her journal from when she was in Bolivia (around the same age as I am now) and she put her journal entry in the letter from June 11th (the day that I left for Peru). On June 11th she had met a missionary from England named Alison. Crazy cool huh? I thought so too. Well I´m off to see what everyone else is up too. Keep praying, I know that I say that a lot but its so important!
-Love in Christ!

Floatin´ on Lake Titicaca...or actually sinkin´

Yesterday was a very eventful day, to say the least. I actually got to sleep in...till 8:00 a:m which is late for me. I munched on some Peruvian cereal and headed up stairs to the hang out room. I sat around and talked to the Jeremys and Kelsey for a bit. Jeremy Lou and Kelsey went to the clinic at 9:00 a:m. I cleaned the bathroom and then Jeremy S. and I went on a hunt for "pollo" or chicken for you non-Spanish speakers out there. We literally walked into a least six stores and said "¿Donde es pollo?" or "Where is chicken". Thats about as far as my Spanish goes. Everyone was out of chicken, they were waiting for the shipment to come in so we had veggie soup and cucumber sandwiches. It was yummie and vegaterian. ( ; I´m converting all my team-mates! After lunch I stopped by the Internet cabena and then the Jeremys came and got me to set out for our adventure! We decided that we were going to hike out to our favorite spot and build a raft...and float across Lake Titicaca on it. So we collected at least twenty soda bottles (from our kitchen and from the trash that people throw out on the streets) to help the raft float. So we started building our raft and Jeremy Lou cut his finger open pretty bad so I had to go into nurse mode. I made the sail! (We used a sheet but we didn´t actually end up using it because the wind shifted). Two and a half hours later our raft was complete! It had three parts to it for each one of us to sit on. Lets just say that we didn´t get very far from the shore and we all ended up wet, the boys more so than me! Jeremy Lou came out with leeches all over his feet and I had to pick them off! It was disgusting! We decided that it was about time for us to start heading home considering it was going to get dark soon. So we jogged back (we were so cold we were moving fast) wet and dissapointed. When we arrived at the house Kelsey and Heather were making dinner: pancakes, bacon, and eggs. It was so good! After dinner we headed up to the hang out room and had a group meeting. It went well. Today we are cleaning all day! The FBC Willow Park team arrives here tomorrow! I am so stinkin´excited to see my Dad and everyone else! Keep praying for them! I have great news...my friends Shelby and Brooke made it to Haiti yesterday. What an answer to prayer! Tonight I am telling the story of Noah and the Flood to Sophia and her husband (the people who own the store next to our house) and I am a littler nervous, so please pray for me to have a peace about it. God is doing so much in Conima, its awesome! We are building some awesome relationships, its going to be hard for me to leave. Keep praying hard everyone!
-Love in Christ!

Tummy, why won´t you get better?

Last night Jeremy S. and I played hide n go seek in the plaza with the kids, it was so fun! We found out today that the kids used to be scared of us because we are gringos but now they think we are nice, geez...what a relief. The parents here tell their children that white people will catch them and suck all their fat out...no joke. No wonder they are so scared of us! We had a nice dinner last night, pork chops (which I didn´t eat), mashed potatoes, and mac n cheese.

Today we had worship and then Emily, Kelsey, Jeremy S., and some of the kids went on a hike but Heather and I stayed behind because we weren´t feeling too well. I am starting to think that I will never get better! I literally played sudoku for hours, I think that I am kind of addicted now! Today has been pretty uneventful, yet relaxing. Tomorrow we are cleaning the whole house...we have got to kill these germs! Two of my dear friends are leaving for Haiti tomorrow, Shelby Johnson and Brooke Collins so please keep them in your prayers! I will write more tomorrow when I am feeling better.
-Love in Christ!

Getting ready!

We have been praying so much for the FBC Willow Park group that is arriving on Tuesday. We are all so excited to see them, I´m especially excited to see my dad! Today we went to the school and hung up the posters that Heather and I made, the director loved them and they even gathered a small group of kids! We will be starting VBS on Wed. at a school that ranges from age six to twelve. There are seventy kids. Be praying that we will be able to communite the Gospel to these kids affectively. I am working in crafts! It´s almost lunch time and my stomache is getting restless! Today we spotted Barnaby Jones(our pet dog in Conima) and he walked with us for a while. He is a bassit hound and I love him, I wish I could take him back with me! I´m off to go see what´s for lunch!
-Love in Christ!