Los Miércoles

For the past 5 weeks, Wednesday nights have been an inspiring time of fellowship, learning, and discussion of not only music geek topics, but also life, faith, and the life and work of Jesus Christ. Throughout the weeks, each person has volunteered to give a presentation on a different composer or artist. So far we have learned about Ludwig van Beethoven, Emmanuel Pahud (flautist), Gustavo Dudamel (conductor), Nicolo Paganini, and Andre Segovio (guitarist)

Last night, a few of us gathered early to make some Peruvian desserts. A while ago I had tried a dessert that I liked and so I asked one of the girls if she knew how. She said she didn't but after finding what I

thought was the recipe on the web, we decided to make it. What I didn't realize is that what I had tried was similar to creme brulee which is called Leche Asada. What I actually made was bizcocho de crema de leche which was more like a heavy, rich, pound cake. When everyone found out what I had intended to make, they informed me of the name and we all had a good laugh especially at my disappointment.

I was secretly hoping that bizcocho would turn out to be some

fantastic dessert that I couldn't wait to make again......... :(

One thing that is hard to get used to is that generally speaking different people come every week which makes it hard to get to know people well. However, a few regulars have ended up staying late talking over doctrinal matters. Well, really American late which is between 10 and 12 PM. If it were Peruvian late, I would just about have to get dressed for work the next day.

Walking, Micros, and craziness

One thing I love about living in T rujillo, Peru is that it is possible to walk many places. Below is a map of Trujillo with some of my haunts highlighted. My house is the purple blurb below and the blue line is Larco street which I usually take if I walk to the center of Trujillo. The center of Trujillo is a circle. The Mission office is in pink and the conservatory is green. If you walk really fast from my house the office is about 25 minutes and the conservatory is 35-40 minutes. The red dot is the supermarket Wong which is only about 7 minutes walk (which does get long if you have your arms loaded with groceries). The yellow dot is Wong's competitor Plaza Vea which is like a Walmart. Plaza Vea is actually part of Real Plaza, an open air mall which also has Starbucks for those days when you want to feel like your are in the States for 30 minutes. Plaza Vea is also really close to walk, about 10 blocks. The orange dot represents where most of the missionary families live (about a 30 minute walk).

So, what you are too tired/don't have time to walk or your destination? There is a variety of public transportation readily available. Right around the corner of my house there are all manner of buses, cars, and vans that go to various areas of Trujillo. I am grateful to live so close. The main disadvantage is that the noise is incessant all day. The air is filled with old buses missing a muffler, bus boys yelling their destinations, horns honking, and all sorts of craziness. One of my favorite rides is the micro ride to the center of Trujillo. A micro is a large bus which holds more people than you think. The bus will stop at whatever part of the street heedless of traffic moving behind it, if you wave one down. (In the States this would be a major traffic hazard but Peruvian drivers drive VERY offensively!) As soon as your right foot hits the bus stair, the bus boy yells DALE (da - ley) which indicates that you are more or less on the bus and it begins to move while you sway violently until you find a seat. This used to be a source of embarrassment to me until I saw that other people had difficulty getting to their seats as well. If you get on during rush hour, you probably will not find a seat and will be shoved on with many others trying to remain on their toes as the bus rages violently down the street (I have complete confidence in their abilities as I have rarely seen a wreck). Many do not appreciate this and complain about the danger they cause to other drivers, however, for whatever odd reason, I love riding in Micros. There are always many people to watch during the ride, fun music blaring, and an exhilarating ride all for 1 sol. You are on this bus and cannot see out the windows and so hope the busboy yells destinations so you won't miss your stop. As more people cram on, you are pushed further into the back of the bus and try to not get claustrophobic at the bodies pressing against you. Your stop nears and you wonder how you are going to get out as the bodies are packed in. You decide to be polite and say 'permiso por favor' (excuse me please). Nothing happens. You are nearing your destination. Out of desperation after you begin elbowing and pushing your way out, hitting people with the violin on your back, and unintentionally stepping on toes until, you see light coming from the door and give the busboy your sol for the trip and step off moving as fast as you can to get away from the bus that has barely stopped for you to get off,accelerating as soon as your right foot hits the ground.

An infamous micro

Month of Thanksgivings

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! In Peru, the seasons are reversed as we are on the other side of the equator. As the end of the year approaches, the weather continues to warm up. Beach weather is coming up!

God has continued to bless the relationships within the lunch Bible study. Allen and I met with these young people as well as several other musicians November 3^rd to talk about what was going on musically in Trujillo and how we could serve the city together. It was a good time of fellowship and good for me to hear their thoughts on the problems, struggles, and musical opportunities in Trujillo. This conversation led to a Bach seminar on November 22^nd. The study of Bach’s life was an encouragement for me to press on and to continue to strive for excellence even if the environment doesn’t encourage or nurture excellence. My prayer was that it would challenge and motivate these young musicians to approach their studies and music with a desire to glorify God and serve others. God’s grace was evident to me that evening not only as I spoke (I had never done anything like this in English let alone Spanish!) but also in the responses of each person who shared afterword that they were uplifted and challenged to work hard in their musical studies. My prayer is that we would work hard to be excellent musicians not so that others would appreciate us but that God would be glorified by our efforts and desires to serve Him and others.

The third week of November, God worked wonders for a dear Christian family of musicians who I worked with this past year. Branco, a former student of mine (the son of aforementioned family) received a scholarship to study the violin in the United States. Saturday, November 26^thhe was going to play a concert with the symphony to raise money for his plane ticket. Ronald, Branco’s Dad and friend of mine, asked me to play in the orchestra for the concert. We were supposed to rehearse Monday through Friday. On Wednesday morning, I arrived to rehearse only to find out that the concert was canceled due to the powers in charge of the orchestra not wanting the concert to happen. They kept the orchestra in rehearsal instead of letting us rehearse the repertoire for Saturday. I left very angry asking God why He let the wicked rein. That very afternoon was the choir practice for Sunday in which Allen and I prayed for God to work and change hearts so that this concert would be a reality. At 8:00 AM the next morning Ronald called me telling me that a miracle had happened! He ran into the conductor at 7:30 AM and he had a complete change of heart. He said we could rehearse with the orchestra half of the rehearsal time Thursday and Friday. Despite the lack of rehearsal time, God blessed the concert on Saturday night.

Thank you for your continued prayers on my behalf. Ministry starts, continues, and ends with prayer! God has graciously answered prayers about my living situation! My current roommate is moving out closer to where she works and I was going to have to move. Linda Bundy, a roommate from this past year’s internship will be moving in with me and we are staying in the same apartment! Another praise is that I am feeling better! I was sick for nearly 2 weeks with a throat infection in the beginning of the month followed by a skin rash.

The month of December has already started off crazy. Please pray for the concerts on December 6 – 7^{th (}Starting tomorrow!). I am collaborating with several local musicians in a concert series of popular, classical, and Peruvian music. Please also pray for guidance for the coming Peruvian vacation months of January through March. Pray for God to give me wisdom of who to reach out to, teach, and disciple. Lastly, Lord willing, I will be in Jackson for around 3 weeks for Christmas! I look forward to worshiping with the Body of Christ in the States as well as catching up with family and friends. You are in my prayers.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be uponhis shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isa

iah 9:6-7

Nate Henderson was here these past few weeks and took pictures for Peru Mission. Thank you, Nate! *photo credit Nate Henderson

Puesta en Marcha

Greetings at last from Peru! Thank you for your faithful prayers and for your financial support. God provided for all my financial needs so that I was able to buy a plane ticket and leave August 22^nd. It was God’s work and provision that I was only in the States for 3 months. Thank you again. God is indeed faithful. What happened to the rest of August? I am still trying to figure that out myself. Week one was the Reese family reunion. God blessed our time greatly. I really enjoyed getting to know each family better especially Paul as he came down from Pennsylvania for more than a week! And thanks be to God, for a safe arrival! I have enjoyed catching up with people and getting back into a groove. The initial arrival was a big shock. Going back and forth between Peru and the States is like being transported to another world and obviously I wasn’t ready for it. Brain overload! The language changes, the panorama changes from lush vegetation and blue sky to mountainous desert and gray skies. Since Peru is below the equator, the seasons are opposite those of the United States, so it is currently winter in Peru. However, spring is already on its way so I am enjoying 60-70° weather with sunny blue skies. Once the arrival weariness and shock wore off, it was truly wonderful to get back involved in the world here; to worship with the Body of Christ in Spanish, catch up with friends, sing and pray Sunday afternoon with the Mission, eat Peruvian food, and walk all over town.

I moved to a different location of town so I have been learning the ropes of this part and where to get this that and the other as well as which buses to take to different parts of town. I am living with Yvette, a single missionary working as a nurse in the Wichanzou medical clinic. It has been interesting coming back as a missionary instead of an intern. My role in the Mission has changed which also changes how I interact with the missionaries.

After discussing various ideas with Allen, the main plan of action comes down to the following: First to network and evangelize in the music community by teaching violin, planning concerts, and hanging out together possibly doing a seminar on Bach his life, works (musical), and faith and secondly to head up a classical style of musicians for church. This would give me the opportunity to introduce more hymns to the congregation as well as provide the opportunity for trained musicians to come and play with us. This month, I am praying how to begin these things and who God would have me teach violin and invest in. Please pray for wisdom as I renew friendships and become re-accustomed to speaking constant Spanish. I have been very tired J

My new address which is valid until December is:

Avenida Fatima 113

Trujillo, Peru

South America

Itinerary

Just one month and a few days remain of my home assignment! I cannot believe that I have been in the States for over a month! This past month has been filled with reunions, sharing, and re-connections. It has been wonderful to see family and friends face-to-face and enjoy a bowl of Starbucks ice cream and a juicy hamburger! I have been getting back in touch with everyone as well as working on getting treatment for my left arm.

As many of you know, I have had tendonitis in my left elbow for almost 3 years. It is has made playing the violin difficult and inhibited professional activities. Monday July, 13 I went to see a Dr. Bond who practices in Lafayette, Louisiana. He told me that I do not need surgery! When tendonitis became an issue, I didn't rest it which caused my body to try to do quick fixes. My forearm muscles developed knots and became so tight that I couldn't physically relax them (I apologize to the doctors that I cannot explain in a more medical/technical way). The therapy that Dr. Bond prescribed was myo-fascial release massages to release the muscles. In this process, the scar tissue is ripped up and flushed out (hopefully I am drinking enough water :). Praise God that surgery is not necessary! I have been having these massages for about 2 weeks. It has become easier to play the violin but I have still been in pain. Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. I hope that my arm will be feeling better very soon.

I would love to see you if you are in town this summer. I will be in Jackson, Mississippi most of the rest of the month I have here. I will keep this blog updated with my itinerary. As of now, there are many pending dates so I will just put the secure ones below. If you can come I would love to see you there!

July 12th Ruth Circle 6:00 PM Krisan White's house

July 15th Russ community group 6:00 PM Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church

July 31st Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church Evening service 6:00 PM

Visiting Friends, Raising Support and Preparing to return to Peru

I greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I hope that all is well with each of you! Thank you for your faithful prayers and support this past year. God has done exciting heart transforming work in Peru and within me this past year! I am writing to share with you what God has done, how He has grown me and what this upcoming year looks like. God has definitely called me back to Peru and I need your financial support again!

Where I’ve Been

This past year was a great eye-opening and maturing experience for me. God taught me how important it is to get involved in people's messy lives. This past year has been a time of learning language and culture, and beginning to build relationships. My work falls generally into two categories. The first is to evangelize the music community in Trujillo, and second, to encourage and support the churches in their music ministries.

• August-December was about intense language study

• I taught English and violin to people in the church and community

• I had musicians in my home and played concerts with the local Symphony and with conservatory students

Being a North-American trained musician, God uses that training to open up many opportunities for me to get to know people and share the gospel. It was a full year, full of surprises, growth, relationships, gospel-rich teaching and sharing, and serving alongside the church in Peru.

God brought two musicians into my life who worked many hours with me preparing for a concert.

Ricardo started out as one of my advanced English students which lead us into many conversations about spiritual things. When he found out that I was a violinist he began inviting me to concerts and introducing me to his musician friends. One of those friends was Leonardo, a pianist, composer and professed atheist. Leonardo and I started out playing a variety of music for fun using the lunch hour for rehearsals and afterwards lunching together. As we spent more time together, he became more open about his beliefs. In turn, he heard the gospel, God’s work in my life, and the reason why I was in Peru. Before I left in May, I had begun to see a change in Leonardo. He respects my beliefs even in small ways like bowing with me as I pray over our lunch. He appreciates and respects my training and talent as a musician, which gives us much to talk about. God has also given me numerous opportunities to share and live out the gospel for Ricardo. I pray that the gospel is preached to him more and that God will soften his heart and open his eyes. I am excited to see what God will continue to do in both of their lives in the coming months. If you are interested in hearing more details about this past year, I would love to talk to you!

Where I’m Going

For several months I had been praying about whether God would have me stay another year in Peru. Peru Mission invited me this May to join their team as a missionary (up to this point I was a fellow). I am very excited to be working alongside the team in Peru Mission and for this opportunity to serve another year. God has used the musical gifts and instruction that I have received to develop relationships and to share the gospel. This coming year I am planning to co-teach my violin students from the churches with a Peruvian. My goals are to be more aggressive in teaching serious violin students from different parts of the city, to play chamber music, and to plan monthly concerts to serve students by giving them opportunities to share their gifts. Additionally, I would like to make it a weekly habit for people to come hang out at my home, ask questions, have discussions, and hear the gospel. These goals will give me opportunities to get more involved in their lives. One of the things I have learned about this year is that evangelism is a community endeavor. I have met several other Christian musicians and my prayer is that we can band togetherand share Christ’s love with the rest of the community.

What I Will Need

My prayer is to be back in Peru by August 10th, 2011. I ask you to partner with me in this calling God has given me with your prayer and financial support. Please pray that God would guide me in relationships and which gatherings will build more community. Also, pray that I would be humble and open to what God has for me, that God would help me form Christ-centered relationships with fellow Christians and non-Christians, and that we would have unity as a mission team. I need to raise $21,000 to cover my travel, and living, medical insurance, ministry expenses, and administrative costs. Would you pray about giving $200 either as a one-time gift or spread out over the year? If 105 people give $200 either as a one-time gift or spread out over the year that will meet my needs. You can either make a one-time contribution or recurring pledge online at www.perumission.org under Rachel Reese or send your gift or commitment to the Christian Missionary Society P.O. Box 53363 Knoxville, TN 37950. I am excited to see what God will do!

I would love to hear from you even if it is just a quick hello! May God bless you in your relationship with Him and as you grow in Christian community.

In Christ,

Rachel

rglorifygod@gmail.com

601-519-1336

Violin Students

So, as promised oh so many months ago.....pictures of my violin students :)

This video is of my youngest violin student. She is 6 and is learning twinkle right now. Soooo adorable....

These two violinists are Ronald's students. He is a friend of mine and has been helpful to me introducing me to musicians in the orchestra and getting me involved in the Symphony. Sandy is on the right and Fabiola on the left. Sandy and I recently played a duet with the Symphony. She is very brave! She had less than a week's notice that she was playing with the Symphony as a soloist!

These are my violin students from the Arevelo Church. Katy is 19 and an attendant of the church. Please pray for her salvation. She works hard at violin and enjoys it. She first heard it on TV and fell in love with the violin. The other chica is Dorothy. She is Pastor Ricardo's daughter. She has a sweet heart and talks a lot! She laughed heartily at my translation mistakes on the music theory papers I gave her :) Dorothy tells me that she remembers very clearly a girl from the States named Bethany who came and played the violin with such passion. (I had to tell her that I was actually on that music team as well jeje God has a way of keeping us humble, very humble...) Both Katy and Dorothy share a violin donated by dear friends in the States. So many strings were breaking or raveling that I asked them what they did to the violin. I found out that between the two of them, the violin was being played between 2-3 hours every day!!!

Thank you all for your continued prayer and support. May God bless you all!

Getting things rolling again

Praise God for a new to enjoy His dear presence! Getting back to Trujillo was in some ways less of an adjustment than I thought and in other ways more of an adjustment. I missed my family a lot as soon as I got here. Adjusting to life here was like normal though and it was good to catch up with friends and roommates! Sweet Linda has arrived! She is our new roommate and will be here until June. She is such a blessing to each one of us in her eagerness to jump in and learn new things as well as her attitude of service.

I am almost done my survey of the Spanish Bible study which has 10 lessons. I was encouraged to talk with three lady musicians at the Conservatory two of which I will be teaching during their summer vacations. God has been so good to provide opportunities and students for me! I now have a violin student named Maria Eunice in the Wichanzou Church and Dorothy and Kati in the Arevelo Church. I am excited to get started although teaching in Spanish is doubly exhausting! It is cool to see God open up doors for people who have been wanting to take violin and now they have the opportunity! One thing I really enjoy about teaching in the churches is the chance to get more out into the community and out of the office.

Two weeks ago I went and did interviews. My goal was to test their musical ear and find out their reason for wanting to take violin and their goals. I had to tell someone for the first time that they couldn't take violin because they didn't have good pitch. Every day there is something new to learn. That is the hard thing with violin. So far, God has provided 9 violin students. Here, even the beginners take for one hour. So, not only is my brain dead but I am exhausted after violin classes :) However, when I think about teaching violin in another language, I give thanks to God for that gift. As my brain adjusts, it will be less exhausting. Coming up next issue is pictures!!!

Paseo

The last Saturday before I left, I went on a paseo with my English class. A paseo is a short day trip usually to a place outside the city. We went to a beach about an hour and a half north of Trujillo. There were 10 of us total. We had decided to bring the ingredients to make ceviche on the beach. For those of you who have not yet had this palatable delight, it is a speciality fish platter of Peru. Most Peruvians I have asked have said that this is their favorite dish. It is pieces of fish soaked in lemon juice and salt, covered with onions, and served with yuca and sweet potato. I was afraid to eat it at first because the fish looks raw, however, the lemon juice 'cooks' it. The picture on the left is us enjoying fresh ceviche on the beach.

I was surprised that everyone who said they were coming actually came and brought food. We played volleyball, soccer, braved the water for a bit, and took naps :) It was a good time of bonding and getting to know them better. Some of the people in my class were from other churches in the area which was good fellowship.

It is good to be back in Trujillo! It is summer here now so we are all in short-sleeved shirts and talking about the beach! We started work in Monday. This week it is my goal to get violin lessons started up in the churches and start giving violin lessons to students on summer vacation. It was good to be home for 3 weeks and to visit with my family and church family. God bless you!

Happenings

This month has been really fun as a lot of opportunities have popped up for musical involvement in the community. I'm grateful to God for these opportunities! This week was the annual 72 hour Prayer Marathon in Trujillo. For 72 hours straight people from different churches come to pray in the Plaza de Armas (the center square of the city). For 42 hours there was Scripture reading as well. Thursday morning I went with some friends from the Cristo Rey Church to pray. It was a great way to start Thanksgiving Day! One of the pastors asked me to play at the closing ceremony.

I was very honored. My pianist friend who was also my English student played piano for me. It was an interesting three days! Today, we arrived to play and we couldn't find our contact person. We found out that the rest of the musicians had come earlier in the day to try out the sound equipment. I also found out that the song I was planning on playing with music was going to have to be played from memory because I didn't have a stand and they didn't either. We were told we would probably play at 8:30. At almost 8:40 we still hadn't started. At this point I had almost ran away several times! It was definitely the Holy Spirit that kept me there.

There was a folk instrument band that played which is what is in the video. I am slowly learning songs in Spanish. I was quite thrilled to know two songs tonight!

Musicians

Last night I had the privilege of having some fellow musicians in my apartment. There were six guys and myself. The girls only Bible study is definitely not going to work! At first it was kind of awkward as I only really knew two of them. However, the bass guitarist had brought his instrument and amp so he ended up playing quite a few numbers for us including one with Beethoven's V. It was a fusion of classical themes with rock. It was really cool to watch up close. His fingers on both hands moved rapidly!

After listening to the bassist for awhile, the guys opened up and began asking me questions about the music education in the States. It ended up being an interesting exchange of ideas and methods of music education in both nations. They talked about various professors and the difficulties of studying music. In the process I was invited to several concerts in the near future.

I hope to have the opportunity to have more musicians over soon. I'm excited to talk and play with fellow musicians. It is really neat to connect with musicians in a different culture and see their perspective coming from a Peruvian musical background of the music of Peru. Maybe next time more girls will come :) I asked someone if there were more boys in Trujillo than girls as there seems to be more boys around then girls. They responded that they thought it was about the same. However, the three church plants as well as the University ministry, and English classes seem to have an overwhelming majority of guys. This is good for church leadership.

This link is to a slideshow of pictures a professional took while he was here. It will give you a little bit of an idea of what it is like here. http://vimeo.com/15889150

I miss you all a ton! Thank you for your prayers. They are both felt and appreciated!

Moyobamba in Pictures

an awesome mountain view (Lydia, Heidi, and I)

We slept in something similar to this

I think these things are so cool! It's like a picnic table for rainy days!

the roots grow like this because in the rainy season this whole forest is flooded up to about 8-10 feet.

First sleeping experience underneath a mosquito net

Lenin, our faithful guide. :)

The waterfall we were jumping from Ahhhhh......

The view from the combi

the hot baths

My last blog I had so much trouble putting up pictures that I decided to do it this way. I seriously tried to post like 5 times. So, sorry about that!

And the Adventure Continues..........

Last weekend, I went to a jungle city called Moyobamba. Moyobamba is high jungle which means it is only the beginning of the jungle on the edge of the mountains. Most of the interns went as well as Alleen. Lenin was our faithful, energetic guide! The bus ride was a 16 hour night ride. When I look back, I think how crazy we were to be in the car for 32 hours for only three days of Moyobamba. However, it was well worth it.

I don't think most of us had slept when we arrived Friday morning at 7:00 AM. It felt like Thursday had never ended! Lenin wisely chose to start out the day at the hot baths. It was probably the best way to wake up after what we had just been through! The baths were down in the ground in these stone baths. It is warmer in Moyobamba than in Trujillo so I got hot quickly. We laid in the sun after to dry and enjoyed the fresh air and greenery. In Trujillo there is a lot of smog and very little green as it is the desert.

We drove through the countryside to a waterfall outside of Moyobamba. The waterfall is about 25 feet high and perfect for jumping into the water below. I generally don’t like to be involved in these types of adventures but after lots of counseling and therapy I jumped with Tyler and Seth on either side of me holding my hands. I’m glad I did it but it was more stressful than fun. I still cannot believe I jumped. The guys version is much funnier J.This part of the jungle reminded me a lot of Mississippi. It was humid with lots of green. There wasn’t a lot of swampy material but I was told that was because the wet season hadn’t arrived. When it does arrive, the forest is flooded about 8-10 feet. So the trees grow roots like this:

I think we all got the shock of our lives when we found out we were going to spend the night in the middle of the jungle in bungalows! We rode in a boat down the Mayo river (sorry, not the Amazon) and walked about 20 minutes through the jungle to a reserve named Tingana. There was no electricity and no showers! I found out why my cell phone has a flashlight! All of the huts were made of bamboo-like material with some kind of dried leaves for a thatch roof. We ate Tingana pizza with rice which tasted a bit like a fried omelet. I was exhausted and so retired early to bed. We slept under mosquito nets which was a first! It was definitely a good thing because I already provided the dinner for several mosquitoes.

Lenin woke us up about 6:00 AM to walk through the jungle. It was really quite ethereal. We saw monkeys and a jungle condor. Our guide hacked through the trail with his machete! All the guides went barefoot even though one of them was missing a toe! After we at breakfast, we left Tingana. Since we all wanted to go spelunking we bought flashlights and climbed through a cave. It was a first experience for me to go into a random cave and it was quite fun. I wish we could have done more! The rest of the day we went to various tourist locations in the Moyobamba area finishing the day watching the sun begin to set from a lookout spot in the mountains.

Sunday we went to church at the biggest Presbyterian Church in Peru. Although it is Presbyterian in theology, the manner of worship was more charismatic. Since it was the pastor’s anniversary at the church, the elders and deacons came and prayed for him. It was so encouraging to see so many godly leaders. It was cool to see what the baby churches in Trujillo could look like in a few years!

Thank you for your continued prayers for my language acquisition. About a week ago, I crossed another milestone. I have begun to think only in Spanish without thinking in English. Before, I could think some in Spanish but I translated a lot in my head. Now, words and conjugations are coming automatically! Of course, this is inconvenient at times because if I don’t know a word in Spanish and I try to switch to English, oftentimes I don’t remember the English word! My English vocabulary has definitely dwindled but I was told that it was part of the language learning process to forget a little of your native language.

Developments......

I’m in Peru! It is 11:00 at night and there is a party next door with really loud music. I communicate with different sounds that communicate the same feelings and actions as in English. Wow! Sometimes I freeze in shock that I’m in a different country. It really is like entering a new world.

So what have I been doing besides thinking? I have continued to make Spanish flashcards as you see! This past week I spent some time at the conservatory. Monday morning I went with an English student who is cousin to the conductor of the Trujillo Orchestra. I talked to the conductor for a bit and discovered in about 3 minutes that yes, I am going to play the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the orchestra. In fact as soon as I want! I also spent time conversing with Ronald about music in Trujillo and learning about teaching Branco. The English student who took me has been taking piano lessons for 5 years at the conservatory. We did a little musical exchange in a practice room (he played his music and I played bits and pieces) and I got to meet his pianist friend. Right before lu

nch with Ronald, I was introduced to a violinist in the orchestra and heard him play. He wants violin lessons. I am going to have to get really good at saying no. Right now, since Spanish is my heavy focus, it is fairly easy to see my schedule

and see that there is simply not time for more! Later, once things loosen up it will be much harder. I am grateful for these opportunities for new relationships that God is opening up.

God has blessed me with new friends Albert, Caleb, John Pierre, and Pablo outside of Peru Mission. They are starting a music school in Trujillo with the goal to raise excellent musicians for the Church. As of now, I am unable to work with them but I hope to be able to be affiliated with them and pray and encourage their progress. I have spent a lot of time at their home getting to know them. I love getting to speak non-stop Spanish for several hours and also the time of spiritual encouragement, as well as a chance to get out of the house. Their dad is a pastor of an independent church in Trujillo called El Camino. He really challenged me to get in the Word as much as possible. He told me (in Spanish) “The more you get into the Word, the less satisfaction and pleasure you have with the things of the World.” I really appreciate their hospitality!

We are all now realizing we are here to live. This is longer than a 2 week trip! Things have gotten more frustrating in some ways and encouraging in other ways. I love hearing a word I just made a flashcard for and realizing that I actually know what it means! Communication has gotten better. Please pray for perseverance for all of us here. Please pray for all of us fellows to continue to adjust and for the missionaries as they are short-handed right now. Please pray for me as I start to develop relationships with musicians, that I could love them with the love of Christ. Thank you for your prayers regarding my Spanish. I feel like I understand the majority of what people are saying and can communicate in several different tenses. This month completes my formal study of grammar and we start more conversation and writing. Thank you again for your prayers and support! Dios le bendiga!!!

The Mercies of the Lord Endure Forever

The days continue to go very quickly here! God has continued to bless me with new friends and relationships and encouraging growth in Spanish. This past week every night when I've gone to bed, my brain begins to think in Spanish. I speak to myself in my head in Spanish and try to conjugate verbs. It is a little annoying but I'm hoping all of this processing will amount to more growth! This week was a getting back on track week for me. I was hoping to be able to do more work in the music community but found out that I'm still to be making Spanish a huge priority. This is good as it allows me to refocus even if a little disappointing. It is exciting to be hearing the words you are learning and actually know what they mean!

Since I work on Saturdays and Sundays, Wednesday is my day off. Wednesday afternoon, Maresa and

I went to the beach. It was a beautiful time of meditation on God's love. As I watched the huge waves come crashing down I was reminded of the great love of Jesus crashing around me on all sides! God has really convicted me to get in His Word more. It has been a huge encouragement to me throughout the day. Yesterday as I was sending a message to a friend Hebrews 12:1-2 came to me very strongly. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 Thank you Lord, for your Spirit at work within us and for your Word which is our comfort and support! As I miss family and friends, I have to lean more on God. He is continually reminding me that His love is the only love that will satisfy my deepest longing. May I be soft and moldable clay in His hands......

Thoughts..........

Almost as soon as I stepped off of the plane in Lima, Peru, my view of poverty and wealth changed. I began to see myself in a different light. Why have I been born to privilege, wealth, love, and joy when others are born to poverty, hate, and sadness? Although I don’t know the answer to this question, I know that because I was born in those circumstances I have a tremendous responsibility on my shoulders. We have started reading When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett. It is very thought-provoking. It is hard to come to grips with the World’s problems, my responsibility, and my inability to change the problems. It is easy to go to one extreme or the other in my thinking. One extreme: I’m totally deficient and cannot make much difference so I won’t do anything. Or the other extreme thinking that there is a lot I could accomplish on my own. As a follower of Jesus, I am called to do something in His grace. This is really an act of faith knowing that God must cause what I do to prosper and grow for it to really matter. I am still trying to figure out how to fulfill my calling to help the poor and needy. Whether it means giving diapers to the baby of the women who sits across from SALI every day, giving handouts to beggars, or saving my uneaten food for someone who needs it, I don’t know. There are so many problems most of which have no easy solution! When Helping Hurts suggests that poverty is caused by broken relationships. How are these relationships healed? How can I become involved in this relational process especially when I am broken all over? These are questions which have been at the forefront of my mind. Heidi told me “Since we have great education and wealth, it is our responsibility to use these God-given gifts for the Kingdom of God.” So, instead of feeling guilty because I have been given material wealth, I should share with others and receive from them the gifts that I don’t have. Material wealth doesn’t mean happiness. I don’t need to feel sorry for those who have less than me. They probably have learned lessons I haven’t or have a greater wealth of understanding.

September was the second month of teaching in SALI and most of us kept the same class time we had before. I have a couple of new students and am continually reminded to pray for their salvation. God has brought these specific 154 persons from all the people in Trujillo to come. Please pray that we could have good conversations and that they would see the difference in the Christians and ask questions.

A week and a half ago, I ate dinner with Ronald and Branco, his son. Ronald is a violinist here in Trujillo who has a ministry in Porvenir for children who cannot afford to take violin lessons. He is a prominent as a violinist in the Symphony Orchestra, and as a Suzuki teacher. I am now Branco’s new violin teacher. My studio has grown to two! God has used Ronald and Branco to be a blessing to me! It is really fun to listen to classical music and chat about the details of different pieces and composers. Sometimes the Spanish goes way over my head! Ronald is helping me get connected with the orchestra here. It sounds like I may be playing a concert with them soon!

My Spanish is going full charge ahead. Many times I feel so stupid and don’t want to open my mouth because whatever comes out is going to be full of errors! However, whenever I think this, I hear “Well, you have to try” in my head. I try to make 10-20 new flashcards every day, Monday through Friday. Usually a very frustrating day of Spanish indicates a big learning curve. Sunday night, I spent about 4-5 hours speaking and listening primarily in Spanish and that night I dreamed in Spanish and woke up thinking in Spanish. I was ectastic!!!!

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Grace Bateman was exactly right when she said Peruvians know how to throw a good party! Last Sunday was my 22nd Birthday. Sunday evening we had a bunch of friends over to celebrate. The tradition here is to have a "surprise" party but I was happy with knowing what was going on! We had guacamole (so far one of my favorite snacks here even though it is Mexican) and amazing cheesecake made by Alleen! I have never had such a big party. It was a very encouraging day!

A cool Peruvian tradition they did at my party was to have people say things that they appreciate about you. It is a little awkward but nevertheless encouraging! Another tradition at parties is dancing. Even though I am still learning the ropes of Salsa, it was really fun! It was really cool to have church members, fellows, and English students hanging out and having fun.

Sunday morning, I had Alleen take videos of some of the songs we do at Cristo Rey. The first video is rather amusing and a bit humbling for me as I stood up on a song I didn't know. I felt like I couldn't just sit down so I kind of faked my way through it. Alleen and I watched this video first and she said to me "Man, they need to turn up your mike. I can't hear you". I told her that that was the point. I didn't want to be heard on this one! Here is the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeaGRv_pVEU

This second video is my favorite song that we sing in Church. It is from the book of Revelations.

(I will post it later as it takes like 40 minutes to upload)

Thank you for all the letters you have sent! I have a "wall of letters" in my room where I post letters people send. :) Life here has definitely picked up speed. I cannot believe I have been here one month!

Saturday Afternoon

Saturday afternoons at 4:00 PM we have ensayo (rehearsal) for church on Sunday. This week was my second rehearsal with the church musicians and thanks to Allen Smith and Wes Baker I had some sheet music! The musicians are as follows from left to right: Me, Loida (who sang), Hermes who sings, Veronica (singer), Bruno (leads by singing and playing guitar), Rebecca, and Kati who also sings.

In Peru, most things start about 30 or so minutes late. As people arrive you greet them with a kiss. When you arrive, you greet everyone present. I actually think this makes the situation much less awkard! The greeting here is to kiss the left cheek. Some people will shake hands but the kiss is much warmer :)

We have a lot of fun in rehearsal. Hermes who is also a dancer will sometimes dance as he sings. Everyone teases each other. The main thing they say to me repeatedly is "Tranquila, tranquila, Raquelito" which basically means to relax! They are very patient with me as I try to learn the songs, introductions, and the order of worship. It is a bit difficult when you have no music and you are asked to play the introduction especially when you have forgotten what key it's in or what note it starts on!

Even though I have only been here a short time, the love that these brothers and sisters have for God and others has been obvious to me. Whenever there is a church event ministry, the young people (20-30 yr olds) are there serving. I hope to be able to learn and grow from their patience and love for each other.

Anyway, after praying, we practice the songs for worship. Afterwards, I have started a class teaching Music Theory and Sight-reading to those in the worship team. My goal is to help them not only be better educated musicians but also to give them the tools they need to write down the songs they have written for worship. If you can sightread, a new realm of music is opened to you. All of my students are very intelligent and continually surprise me with the rapidity of their growth! So far, we have done notes in the bass and treble clef (do-si are the syllables they use instead of the alphabet) and simple rhyth

ms.

The past two weeks, Veronica and I have stayed after class and played some guitar and violin duets. We tried some Paganini and some Pop songs such as Nuestro Secreto. It has been awesome to see God open up opportunities for relationships through music. I thought I would not have people to play chamber music with but I already have a guitarist friend and a violinist friend!

Thank you for all your prayers regarding my health and adjustment! To my surprise, I haven't been sick even with a cold! I am slowly learning the culture and I can get around the city some! Please continue to pray for me as I learn Spanish. It is a long and frustrating process! I always wanted to learn another language but it is very draining. It takes every ounce of brain I have to understand and to speak. By the time I teach English at 4:00 PM I keep speaking in Spanish! I was reprimanded lovingly by Alleen that this was English class and that I wasn't to speak in Spanish :)

May God bless you all!

Opportunities

La plaza de armas of Trujillo





God brought me my first violin student this week! We had our first lesson. He is very motivated and learns quickly. I went to the worship rehearsal for Cristo Rey, the new downtown church plant. It was really overwhelming because they sing about 20 songs every Sunday and I was trying to learn them all by ear. I only played 5 or so songs on Sunday 2 of which I had heard from before. I was "challenged" that I needed to learn their songs más rapido! After the rehearsal, I gave a Music Theory/Sightreading class. I am attempting to teach them first to sightread and then hopefully to write down their own songs. I loved the songs I did hear. The worship team has such enthusiasm for God and are eager to sing His praises. I'm so blessed to be here and learn from them!

The sun has been coming out in the afternoons and the sky turns blue. It makes me very happy :)