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!!!!