A Moment Captured

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You expect to see a vicuña in the mountains, but when we passed this one on the street of Trujillo, not far from my house . . . well, to say the least it was a surprise!

Soles4Souls

"Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:5

The day begins with two chairs and a basin of water and a towel. As each participant comes in, the worker humbles himself and washes the feet of the recipient before placing the shoes on the feet. Here in Peru, many of the roads are dirt. People wear sandals just as in Jesus' time. We have some insight into what it means to wash another's feet. It is a powerful thing to see and participate in. This is how our week with Soles4Souls is spent.

A group of 8 energetic and inspiring team members joined us with their leader to give the gift of shoes and the gift of hope to many of our neighbors for a week.  We had four donations in the neighborhoods where we work and at the orphanage we partner with. We served close to 1000 people over these few days. We are so thankful for Soles4Souls and their generosity, servant hearts, and the time and hope they gave the people of Trujillo. To read more about this trip, please visit the Soles4Souls blog.

A Moment Captured

A quick snapshot of Cristo Rey this morning as I was videoing a message from the congregation. Be on the lookout for our ebulletin this week for a special message from Peru Mission!

Wait

Wait. This short and simple word is all throughout the bible admonishing us that we should wait for the Lord. After years of prayer about my future husband, the Lord in 2007, laid a verse on my heart—Psalm 27:14.  “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”  Thanking the Lord for this answer to prayer, I recommitted myself to wait for the Lord and His perfect timing.  After coming to Peru in 2008 and experiencing my first mission trip and getting to know Peru Mission, I was convinced the Lord was not telling me to wait for a husband, but to wait “for the Lord” and what He had in store.  What he had in store was a call to the mission field.  Little did I know that this calling WAS the answer to my prayer for a godly husband. 

Hermes Apolo Tómas Rocha and I met shortly after my arrival to Trujillo in April 2009.  He was part of the young adult group at the church I attended.  We sparked up a friendship and over the course of a year and a half became good friends.  In August 2010 after praying for six (6) months, he confessed his feelings for me and declared his intentions.  After much prayer and with the counsel and consent of the mission, we began dating September 5, 2010.  Over the past year, we have both grown personally in our walks with the Lord as well as a couple walking together. We had been praying for the Lord’s will and clear blessing upon our relationship. This past week, the Lord answered our prayers.

As a result of prayer, counsel from good friend and mentor, Allen Smith, and lots of his own planning, Hermes surprised me Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and took me to a water park here in town before dinner.  I was stunned when he got on one knee and in English asked for my hand in marriage! Of course, I said, “Yes!” He had arranged for Sandi Smith to be there and photograph the special occasion. Thanks to Sandi for capturing this special moment. So, not only did my friend get to be there for the big moment, but also we have some amazing photos to remember that night for a lifetime.  After the proposal, we dined with Allen and Sandi and asked them to be our godparents for the wedding (a Peruvian tradition). They have been a great example to us as a godly couple as well as very close friends.  We are thankful for their friendship and discipleship.

Hermes and me the night we got engaged.
(c) Sandi Smith

With the blessing of God, our families and the mission, we plan to marry next year. I plan to continue working as Administrator and Short-Term Team Coordinator for Peru Mission. Hermes is a salesman for a company called La Joya where he sells dairy products to local restaurants and stores. Additionally, as a very talented musician, he uses those God-given gifts to play with a local folklore group comprised of musicians from our church, Cristo Rey, and as a part of the worship team at Cristo Rey on Sunday mornings. He also serves as a deacon at Cristo Rey.

Hermes with the band, Muyupampa
(c) Nate Henderson

Playing the zampoña. He is very talented!
(c) Nate Henderson

Hermes and I are thrilled to share this exciting news with you. Many of you have had the pleasure of knowing him through your visits to Trujillo and I look forward to others meeting him when the Lord provides a way for us to return to the States for a visit or your next trip to Peru. Please pray for our upcoming nuptials and for the Lord to provide us more opportunities to serve Him. In a culture where marriage is rare and often not recognized as a gift from the Lord and a part of His redemption plan, we are hopeful that the Lord may use us as a godly example of a Christian marriage and encouragement to other young couples. 

We had a great time with a photo shoot
when Nate was in Peru in September.
(c) Nate Henderson

A Moment Captured

The engagement!

And afterward celebrating with good friends!

A Few of my Favorite Things

I love my cell group. The more time we spend together, the more I learn about them and from them. Tonight we celebrated Hermana Lucy's birthday. We played a game using everyone's second name. One of my favorite's was her husband John's second name. He is pictured below sharing the word of God with us. And with this photo you will see how appropriate his name is. Juan Bautista (John Baptist).

A Moment Captured

I am getting ready to make Southern Vegetable Pie. Yum! The recipe called for yellow squash, but I have never seen yellow squash here so I bought the big green squash in the back. And it calls for red, yellow, and green peppers, but we just have red (though they sometimes are green too). So it may be closer to Peruvian vegetable pie, but I am excited to try this new recipe for Sunday lunch. Cooking here is often fun, exciting and challenging, but it is just part of the adventure--and a part I enjoy. I will try to post a photo tomorrow of the finished product.

Location:Prolongacion Fatima,Victor Larco Herrera,Peru

A Few of My Favorite Things

I was in a taxi on the way to work the other day when an unanswered question was answered. . . it went something like this.

Pull up to the red light at España and Larco.

Man selling q-tips, airfreshners and trash bags (yes this special combination of three is popular here apparently for what to sell at the stoplights). As he walks among the taxis, "Q-tips! Air Freshner! Trash Bags!" looking for a customer, I think to myself as I have many a time, "Who buys this stuff?  Q-tips off a street vendor? Someone doesn't have time to buy these and/or might need to clean his ears while driving? I do not get this."

My taxi driver:  "over here!"  And he buys a small thing of pink Q-tips and sets them on his dashboard.

Questioned answered.

Where Does the Time Go?

Where does the time go? I looked up from May and we are one day away from October! As you know, my busy season is May to August and this year was no different. We had a fantastic winter (your summer) with lots of visitors and teams to work with us short-term. Of course, that means less time for me to blog and share with you the amazing things God is doing! But you can read more about our teams from the past few months here at the Peru Mission website. I have started an official blog there to let people know what our visitors and teams are doing. Please check it out!

In addition to my role as short-term team coordinator, I have been doing more and more in my role as Team Administrator and really enjoying it. What is boring and drudgery to others, is a joy to me. It is such a blessing to be able to use my spiritual gifts to serve here. I still am amazed at times that my joy of excel spreadsheets, bylaws, legal documents, etc., can be an actual service to others. We have an entire "team" of administrative workers now and that has helped to get us organized and more efficient to also allow time for evangelism in my home and through the cell group of which I belong. 

One of the big projects I have been working on is moving our offices. We currently have a wonderful home in downtown Trujillo that we rent as our offices. It is an amazing space, but too large for our needs after many changes to our ministries and the way we are streamlining our focus and work here. Also, the rent and expenses do not fit within our new budget for administrative costs trying to keep them at a minimum. The search for a new place within our budget was challenging to say the list, but the Lord provided and we move next week! So stay tuned for photos of the new space. I'll give you a virtual tour in a few weeks. Until then, here is a photo of one option we looked at that is up the street from where we currently are located. The outside looked nice and had a sign for rent or to sell. So, we checked it out. This lovely local is only $2,800 a month -- yes that is dollars and not soles. The bathrooms are very nice and they offered to put a roof on the building and a tile floor down, but no walls would be included.  If we wanted walls to divide the rooms, we'd have to pay for that ourselves.  Welcome to office shopping in Peru!

A Moment Captured

One of my favorite dishes and the hands that prepared it!

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Nate doing his thing while I followed behind him and tried to learn a thing or two!  :)

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Welcome to the Suttons!  Caleb, Jane, Cassie, and Pam Doolittle who arrived tonight in Trujillo

 

A Moment Captured

Christ Covenant helping my cell group make signs for our neighborhood parks.

A Moment Captured

Muyupampa in Allen and Sandi Smith's Home

A Few of My Favorite Things

I needed a few things for lunch and chili I am making tomorrow night so I headed to the grocery 3 blocks away.  My list in hand, I was quickly done and about to head out when I realized my list was very weighty. . .literally.  In addition to my ingredients for chili, I needed a few staples and they are all very heavy to carry!  laundry detergent, big bottle of downy, 2 liter diet coke (or coke zero here and yes, it is a staple for anyone that knows me), etc. So, I am so thankful for the kind man that accompanied me to my apartment the 3 blocks away.  I also loved that since we are about to celebrate Independence Day here (July 28), he had on a wonderful costume -- Big sombrero with red and white ribbon, white cape and red hankerchief around his neck.  What a great site we must have been walking with my grocery cart full and him in his costume!

Actually, I guess these would be TWO of my favorite things -- that he offered to walk my groceries home so I did not have to pay a taxi for 3 blocks and the costumes for Independence Day that they have been wearing for weeks and will continue for the rest of this week.  It makes going to the grocery store fun and yet it is somehow not cheesy.  :-)

Thank you Lord for even the smallest of ways you take care of us. 

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"  Matthew 6:26

Read More about What I Have Been Up to!

Here is my latest newsletter.  Read more about what has been keeping me busy.  Thanks for your prayers and support!!

Why Not? Maybe God will Send me a Camera

Well, my nice digital SLR was stolen recently.  It is a long story, but suffice it to say, my camera situation is lacking.  :(  So, when I saw this, I had to re-blog.  I've been praying that the Lord would provide me a new camera to record my ministries.  Maybe this is the way!  :)

Click here to read more.

 


CONTEST/ GIVEAWAY ~
REBLOG AT A CHANCE TO WIN A NIKON D40!
I will be giving away a Nikon D40. Currently I am getting a new one which is being shipped right now so I decided why not have a contest on tumblr for my current one! Whoever reblogs this has a chance of winning this. I will pick the winner at random. You are allowed to double reblog also. My tumblr is www.deedeejo.tumblr.com and I will message the winner by the end of next week and you will have to give your adress and everything and I will keep it confidential! The giveaway includes:

• A extra long lense
• The orginal lense
• An extra battery and charger

A Few of My Favorite Things

Greetings -- they are very important here.  It is customary to greet everyone in a room and/or meeting as you arrive and leave.  For men, handshakes and for women a kiss on the left cheek. Even in hailing a taxi, there is a customary greeting. "Buenos dias" (or tardes or noches as the case may be). "al San Martin, segunda cuadra" (the direction, 2d block of San Martin).  After negotiating the price, you enter and again, another salutation "Buenos Dias" from both the taxista and the passenger. And sure, leaving a party or gathering with 20 friends may take a little longer, but it is one of my favorite things about Peru.

Alleen McLain's photostream

Alleen McLain's photostream on Flickr.

Check out some of the photos from my life in Peru. I will continue to update regularly and have it on my sidebar. Enjoy!

A Moment Captured

Sugar Cane fields burning in the distance from my apartment.

 

And the aftermath that floats over to my apartment.

A Moment Captured

NEW CLOTHESLINE!

I got a new clothes line (and added 2) and am pretty excited! The old ones had metal hooks that kept rusting and coming out of the wall. My handyman figured out this wooden piece that will last a lot longer. Since I do not have a dryer, this is an important piece of "machinery" in my house.

One Stop Shopping -- Chickens and Dental Care

Our short-term team "season" has started and it got off to a great start! We were thrilled to have Jason Vassar return for the 4th year and second year to bring a team. This energetic group worked tirelessly. In addition to seeing a lot of patients, we had the opportunity to spread the word about our clinic in Wichanzao.

Drew giving flouride treatments to the kids.

Don Jose is a patient in our clinic and took advantage of these free services.

Our location Day Three -- Primavera.

Jason in the back of the cab holding on to the table! Thanks for all you do for us!

To see more photos, go here to my Facebook page.

The last day we actually set up the clinic in the Wichanzao market--a first for me! And it turned out great. It was a little odd at first setting up near the chickens and fish, but once you got used to the smell, it was not bad. And it was full of patients! There is a short one minute video below showing us setting up and then a second one minute video of the clinic in the market once we were working. Thanks to Jason and his great team for joining us and working to serve the Lord here in Trujillo!

Setting up:



And our clinic in action: