Food & Spanish Songs

Well, it has officially been a long time since I have posted. During that prolonged silence, several big things have happened. Probably the biggest of those is that we had our first “Spanish” service this past Sunday. What I mean by that is that we practiced several songs in Spanish in preparation for the day (hopefully soon) when we will be having Peruvians join us for worship. We have more work to do, but it was a great start.

In other news, I went to the annual food festival in downtown Lima with the Davidsons and Elí, a Peruvian that we have been getting to know for a while. It was a great evening that filled my stomach with leche de tigre (basically raw fish, or ceviche, in some yummy juices & spices), pollo a la brasa (slow-roasted chicken), freshly baked bread, juane de pollo (a dish from the jungle), and ice cream – mmmm…I’m loving it. The festival was definitely a great way to experience more of the Peruvian culture, as well as to strengthen our relationship with Elí.

Long, But Fruitful, Day

Yesterday was a great day. It began with attending a church called Catedral de Fe with John Mark. This church has several hundred members, is one of the oldest evangelical churches in Perú, and they had a three hour service; my brain was mush afterwards. Then, John Mark and I were able to meet numerous leaders and ministers from the church, and we had a great conversation with a lady who works with several ministries here in Perú. I have no doubt that she will be a blessing to our team and our work here.

After John Mark and I parted ways, I went to a restaurant that serves food from Arequipa, the second largest city in Perú (shout out to the Arequipa team! – by the way, when are you coming on over?). Comida arequipeña is quite different from comida limeña, and what I ate was very tasty. But the best part came when some other Christians, who were sitting one table over from me, noticed that I was reading my Bible (what else do you do when you are sitting alone in a strange new place on Sunday?) . They invited me over to their table, we talked for 30 minutes, and they invited me over for lunch today. Their kindness and hospitality was very, very, very refreshing.

Later that evening, our team gathered together for our weekly gathering. We sang kids songs (and had a blast), we broke bread together, and we spent time worshipping, reading Scripture, and encouraging one another. All this topped off by a conversation with my parents. A good day, no doubt.

Thanks

Thank you to those of you who have responded to recent posts, as well as older posts. It is always nice to know who is reading out there

Jelly Jars

So, I bought my first ever jar of jelly today. Crazy, I know. But I have never been jelly’s biggest fan. But you might ask, “Mark, why start buying jelly now?” Well, I will tell you. It turns out that jelly often comes in large and unique glass jars, I must say, while I did enjoy my toast and jelly this afternoon, that my underlying motives are to use the empty jelly jar for storage of food staples. This is part of my effort to eventually decorate my new place (wherever that may be) with unique, simple, and cheap things. That being said, do you have any good ideas or know of any places to go in order to find ideas? I would definitely enjoy the suggestions.

Here Comes the Sun

At least, that is what we are all hoping around here in Lima. Ever since I have been here, there has been cloud-cover over the Lima skyline. That is not to say that there have not been some bright spots. In fact, there have been several days that have been beautiful. But, in general it has been drab to say the least. Here’s to hoping that the Beatles were prophesying the coming of spring here in Lima…

Answered Prayers

Before I moved to Lima, I had been praying that I would meet other missionaries with whom I would be able to walk through this “new life”, learning from their wisdom, encouraging one another, and sharing in God’s mission for the city. After about one month of being here, I met Bill, a middle-aged missionary who has been here in Lima with his family for almost two years. Quickly after we met, we began to get together weekly to drink coffee, share experiences, and pray. Today was our third time to get together, and it was great. I have been greatly blessed by our time together and our new friendship. Praise God for answered prayers!

The Good Stuff

Good relationships, good conversations, good memories; these things really put a smile on my face these days (not that they haven’t in the past, though). I am not sure if the distance between me and my friends & family makes me a little more nostalgic about good memories from the States, but I sure do enjoy those small moments that take me back to “the good ol’ days”. Thus far on the mission field nostalgic moments can bring much relief in moments of “unsettledness”, and good conversations with old friends are nothing short of priceless. Thank you Lord for providing the daily measures of grace that we need to thrive, and at times just to survive.

¡Happy Birthday, mis Padres!

On September 3rd, my dad turned ____ (you thought I was going to tell you his age, huh? you better ask him yourself . Earlier this summer, my mom had her birthday on June 24th. In talking with them over the last several weeks, I have come to appreciate my parents even more than I did before moving to Perú. They have been an amazing source of encouragement, have provided four great ears for listening, and have made me feel loved and respected.

In addition, their example of love, kindness, service, hospitality, and humility in their ministry at my home church (among other places) has inspired me to continue seeking to reach out to those around me, looking for ways to show the love of Jesus to the Peruvians that I meet. Currently my parents are seeking to initiate long-term practices that will help strengthen marriages at my home church while they continue to encourage and support the church body as a whole. Their efforts to show love and attention to all age groups, not just the ones that they feel most comfortable around, continues to inspire me to show love without limits or bias.

Just thought I’d give a birthday shout-out to my parents, my most faithful blog readers

Life As I Know It

What has been going on, you ask? The last few weeks have been a good balance between time with (1) teammates, (2) ministry opportunities, (3) continued preparation, and (4) some relaxation. Here are some things that have happened.

(1) I have been able to spend some great time with the Yoakums, looking for houses, having them over to wash clothes (their dryer @ the temporary pad doesn’t work very well), and sharing meals together while watching the US Open (the second time that I have been able to sit down and watch tennis in years – praise the Lord). I have also been able to meet with each of the guys at different times to talk about ministry, plan & dream for the future, and pray.

(2) Justin & I went to Villa El Salvador yesterday to help his guard mix concrete and lay the foundation for his wooden stairway. His first child is about to be born, and he is trying to make improvements to his house before the happy arrival. Villa El Salvador is a very poor part of Lima where Peruvians “invaded” desert lands that didn’t belong to them (but no one was using) in order to build homes because they couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. José and his pareja live with her family (about 5 others) in a house that is about half the size of an average American house. It was a great opportunity to serve, show the love of Christ, and to start learning that there is no difference between rich and poor in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28).

(3) I have been working on several preliminary documents that we might use in the future. Thanks to Sara Holland, we have some resources (a great songbook, leadership training, and an introduction to the Christian life) from her church plant in Morelia, Mexico (thanks Sara), which helps a ton. There are other things that I am trying to do in an effort to be proactive. Plus, some prayer time with another Peruvian missionary, Bible study, and reading a book on ministry.

(4) The US Open, my second Peruvian birthday party last night (very enjoyable, but a little stressful at the same time – lots of Spanish), watched The Soloist with the Thompsons, and lots of fun times with my sobrinos y sobrinas (the team kids). Life is good!