Parading around town...

These go along with the parade story in the post below. :) 

Before Semana Santa started, Arequipenans wanted to march for life, so that's what we did....

Surprising Reality.

Thank you for checking the blog out, it's been awhile since I've updated. Good things continue to grace our lives as Malea and I press on in Arequipa. Praise God for new opportunities, March and April have been incredibly busy. We have had a huge amount of interest in English classes, and we've continued to see existing classes grow. We've started teaching at new locations, and we've also started private classes--everyone wants to learn English all of the sudden. We're also volunteering services at a colegio attached to a church; I work with kids ranging in age from 3 years to 17 years. It's been so beautiful hanging out with these children, and I love that I can help Pastor Ulysses and his wife advance their small mountain school. 

New friends are always being made. Denka has become one of my mothers here in Arequipa. She is the mom to Muriel, the little girl I work with in English. Muriel is certainly a fiery spirit, but I enjoy hanging out with her and her mom. I feel blessed to have met Denka, a sister in Christ, as well as Violeta and Dorcas. Violeta is married to Renato, and Dorcas to Ephrain; all four are leaders in the church I've been attending. God has been good in blessing us with a church family. It certainly was unexpected, if only because I've seen such unsound doctrine pervading the "Christian" churches in Arequipa.

Semana Santa has started, and it has been a wake up call. For the first time in some time, God has shown me just how many people are without Hope because they worship things or people that are absolute lies. I've recently come to terms with the fact that Arequipa is the most Catholic city in Peru. Evidence of this includes witnessing people carrying their palms as they parade up and down the streets, as if to show off that they've attended mass; others sell their goods in the name of Jesus or Mary or whatever, hoping to make a profit in some weird "carnival-esque" fashion. Still others seem to just go along with whatever event is happening in the name of "Holy Week" to seem like they fit into the good Religious bubble. Please pray that eyes and hearts will be opened; Pray that God empowers us to speak Truth; Pray that the Spirit moves and people come to know that Jesus Christ is the only Way. 

Random things...

-TONS of friends passed through AQP recently, and we were able to host them. It was so great to see fellow Americans, but I have to be honest, it was a shock to my system. It made me think about my return to the States, considering that I've only been here six months and I wanted to hide under a rock as I was surrounded by non-Peruanos.

-Funny story #1: I got to walk in a parade. I didn't know what I was committing to when I told a friend I'd go somewhere with her one Saturday morning; Kristen and I ended up being the only gringas in a parade, walking as reps. for an English institute. It was pretty funny. Check out facebook for photos. 

-Super random, but I finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire. I've been waiting on this movie for a long time, and I finally saw it. Check it out, it was great!

-A group came through from Alabama to work with the Rainses, and it was great having fellow southerners here, they were so sweet. I had fun working with them and seeing their hearts for this city. They held a Pastor's conference for the Peruvian pastors and their wives, so that was neat. It also allowed me to meet some new translators. Yay for Roberto, Yessinia, Benjamin and Josue!

-Praise God for my friend and sister in Christ, Betty, as she has been such a support in some hard times. Lift her up. Lift up other friends, including Eva, Katy, Esmeralda, Giannina, and Laura. I would LOVE to start a women's study here, we'll see what happens. 

-Lightbulb moment of the month: Peruvians have no filter (make that Latinos in general, a broad statement, I know...). Example: I had really, really, really bad acne and two of my friends thought it appropriate to say "Sara, what happened, you look awful." They then proceeded to ask me if I've been eating a lot of fat. All I can do is laugh at the differences in culture. :) 

-Ephrain, our pastor, wants to start a new church plant in a district called Mariano Melgar. It is a fairly poor area outside the city, so he took us there recently to check it out. He leads a Bible study there now (there is no church), and he wants me to teach at the study sometime--in spanish. Ha! We'll see....Anyway, Ephrain is so vision oriented, I love it. Apart from this new church, he is also looking into creating a home for young pregnant women and ministering in that way. Pray for Ephrain and his family. 

-New spanish praise and worship music has made me smile. :) I'm also learning how to make several Peruvian dishes, and I love it. My newest teacher was Kevin, and he made a mean Lomo Saltado.

-Classes are going well, people are hearing the Truth, seeking out more information, and wanting to hang out with us. Pray that they continue to come.

-Funny story #2: I travel up into Enace twice a week to teach at the school for ninos. The first time I went, I met Rambo--not his real name, obviously. When I heard this nickname, I chuckled and said "Like the movie?" and he nodded, knowingly. Anyway, Rambo, 8, is the class clown, the talker, but I love him. He looks at me after we'd made our introduction and mutters something like "bootefool eeis." Turns out he was trying to say "beautiful eyes," I assume, to me. Gracias. :) After teaching the class the correct pronunciation of his flattery, I look at Rambo, who then informs me, very matter-of-factly, that I should take off my earrings because I look better without them. It made me laugh, and I obliged. I love kids. 

-We had an earthquake. We're fine, but it's always interesting. I was out in public for this one, and people seriously freaked out. 

-Finally, praise the Lord that it has gotten warmer!! I miss spring in Athens, so the fact that winter is coming is difficult to handle. BUT the return of the sun has made the "cooler" temps seem warmer. I've been able to relax on my roof and catch some rays while viewing my gorgeous mountains, which have also reemerged. I'm still anticipating some really cold nights coming up, I'll let you know how it goes. 

Blessings to all of you, prayers are appreciated, and know that I am on my knees for you. Until next time, much love.

"psalm 1 prayer"

Plant me in the ground. 

Make my roots dig deep into fertile soil.

Water me with the Word.

Make me to not falter.

Your precepts drift downstream 

And my heart reaches for them...

clinging to them with rusty, 

yet steadfast, hands.

Because of You I bear fruit, 

Saturated in Your love 

and watered by the 

oil of Your Spirit. 

May these roots dig deep into You. 

Pure Joy...

A month and five days after my last post, I find myself in a very different state of mind now. I'll try not to wax too poetic in this post, but be forewarned that God is moving in my heart like He hasn't (or at least like I haven't recognized) in a long while. Because of these lessons, many of them difficult to swallow, I've been fairly introspective, moreso than usual. In an attempt to just wait and "be inspired" to blog, I instead journaled a lot over the last month; this blog post, I think, will be paraphrasing much of what I've written in my journal. Here we go...

Lesson 1: Keeping myself in God's love. Jude 21 says "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life..." This verse, though I've read it a lot, jumped out at me on Feb. 17. After our Valentine's Party (which went very well--thank you for your prayers), Peru celebrated "Dia del Amor/Dia de Amistad" for about a week, and I was reminded that there is no greater love in this universe greater than the love of God. 

Lesson 2: Only God can point people to Himself, I am just a vessel. I think as each day passes, I'm reminded that this is a lifelong lesson. I've started to read the Psalms, and I am continually in awe of His power. 

Lesson 3: God spreads His protection over me. I read Psalm 3 on Feb. 18: "But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill." The end of last month was filled with whispers from the Lord that He is my protector, in everything: In physical trials, in my emotional/mental state, and in my spiritual life. Little did I know that I would enter into a trying time in which He would spread His protection over me (Psalm 5). 

Lesson 4: I now have the supernatural ability to replace my mind with that of Christ. He has set me free from myself, praise God. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. See Galatians 2:20...Enough said. 

Lesson 5: Spiritual warfare is a reality. At Iglesia Refugio last week, we talked about being "mas que vencedores." "Sea preparada," He says, and that "mis armas no son de este mundo..." ("more than conquerors," "be prepared," and "our weapons are not of this world," all from 2 Corinthians). I've not felt so spiritually attacked in a long time. The last few weeks have been rough, and I covet your prayers: Pray that I flee all temptation, pray that I give no foothold to Satan, pray that I am given strength to persevere, pray that I choose to be joyful, and pray that God continues to refine me into a fisher of men. Perhaps more than anything, pray against the work of the Devil here, for he is moving; instead, pray in the name of Jesus that hearts are turned towards Him and that revival starts in Arequipa. 

Lesson 6: Offering a sacrifice of praise. Again, fairly self-explanatory. In times of trouble, I learn what it is to praise the name of God, even when it is the hardest thing to do. Ultimately, it seems to be the only thing I can do.

Lesson 7: Repentance...and grace to forgive. I can be so stupid sometimes; even when I am told by the Lord that I have the mind of Christ and He has given me power over my enemies, I make some dumb decisions. I falter. I mess up. I'm still dirty...But His blood washes over me and makes me clean. God is faithful to forgive when I ask for forgiveness and acknowledge my sin. What incredible grace, what deep love He has for me; I cannot fathom it. I just know that the grace of God covers me everyday. Perhaps even more lovely: He gives me grace to forgive others, even when it is the last thing I want to do.

March 11: I was up around 3:30 because I could not sleep, I had an ache in my stomach. After speaking to the Lord about some things, He granted me sleep. The next morning I woke and praised Him and spent time in His presence. The first shuffled song that came up on my ipod was called "The Sun is Shining," by Third Day. One of my favorite bands, but not necessarily one of my go-to songs. Mac P. put words to what I was feeling that morning: "Yesterday I lost everything I had and loved. I cried out for you Lord, and You picked me up. The sorrow lasted through the night, but the joy came with the morn. The sun is shining...there is hope for me again." 

How lovely that in the midst of struggle, He is shown strong in me. In the moment of my weakness, Christ Jesus is glorified because His power is made perfect. That's been a great lesson. Growing closer to the Lord, seeing His hand of protection, hearing His whisper of love, being encouraged in small, surprising moments...those times make this whole mess worth it. Jesus is worth it. 

I praise God for these difficult times. I rejoice in Him for making Himself known. I glory in Him just because. Finally, I thank Him for the Body of Christ. I've been encouraged by you, and I thank you for your prayers. I would list you all, but there are too many, and this is already massive. People aren't kidding: This life is hard. But it isn't hard just because I'm in Peru. I'm learning more every day that being a Follower of Jesus Christ is a difficult path. I'd encounter hardship in Georgia, maybe in a different way than I encounter it here. But for now, with the knowledge that I am in obedience to Christ, the fact that He has placed me here for His purpose is all I need to know. 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3

Let's go on and LOVE.

Happy February! As we quickly approach March, I'm in awe that I'm about to surpass the six-month term mark. Some things to look forward to: A possible trip into the mountains in March, summer missionaries coming at the end of May, and a family vacation in July. 

First off, here is a photo of the mountains that you see when you fly into the AQP airport. Brittany tagged me in this thing to post the 4th photo of the 4th album on your computer; this is what I came up with...

Not only do I get to see these mountains everyday, God continuously reminds me that He is the Creator-God who fashioned them with His hands. May people in the mountains, near the sea, atop rolling hills, and nestled into valleys hear the name of Jesus and come to believe and confess that He is Lord over all. 

The last post mentioned the strikes that had started in Arequipa; no worries, I'm still alive. I'll keep you posted on any future political turmoils that might arise. While the strikes were winding down, I was able to go to Lima for a team retreat. Not only did I get to meet a ton of new people AND see old friends, I got to hang out with my team for over a week. I shopped, went to the Fountain Park, ate yummy food, hung out with Limenos, and saw movies. While in Lima, I had to go to several doctors for checkups (including a small dermatological procedure, all is well) and to get blood drawn. I hate needles. I was a brave little girl, though, and made it through. Needless to say, I never want to get sick and have to go back to the doctor or the lab. 

Lima was hot and sticky (a big change from the mild temps in AQP), but the retreat center outside of the city offered a nice break from the bustle (and heat) of one of the biggest cities in the world. I was blessed to sit and play with friends (and cute kids), but more than that, the Lord blessed me with His presence. We had some nice chats there, and I can't wait to meet with Him again in May when we travel back for the summer missionary orientation week. 

In other news, James and Malea are both here! You knew about Malea's arrival in January, and now James has joined the team until the end of March. He has just jumped right in, which has been such a huge help. It's been great getting back into the swing of classes, and we're already thinking about how to improve them; we also want to potentially add another day of class, Lord willing. Pray that we are sensitive to how God would like to use us; pray also for continued language learning for myself and James, and that Malea will determine how the Lord wants her to learn Spanish. 

To update you a bit on the boring doings of my small town life...well, not much is going on. I've been working on details for a trip coming in March. I hung out with some girlfriends yesterday, whom I haven't seen in some time. Malea and I have our ritual American Idol tv time over the weekends. I went to a small group on Saturday evening, which was a blessing. In fact, the small groups at church will be having a cake bake-off on Saturday for Valentine's Day, so some people are coming to my house on Friday evening to make it. That should be interesting, I didn't tell them that my oven is awful. Speaking of baking, I made some yummy peanut butter banana bread the other day, which was a good reminder of home. We've started a Beth Moore Bible Study on the life of Paul, which is wonderful. 

In hitting the four month mark of being in Peru, my heart has started to miss home--not just people, but home. I know that this is my home for now, but I'm restless to be in the place I know like the back of my hand. Until then, however, God has been faithful to remind me that even in the hard moments I find myself in, He is here. As I reflect on my time here so far and enter into a phase of the "newness" wearing off, I realize how much He has already done and how much He will do. I've also witnessed the beautiful verbal encouragement of friends around the world who are in the same position as myself. As my friend Caroline recently told me, may we push through this discouraging stage to find that there are opportunities to love everywhere. 

Enjoy the "Love month," as I like to call it. Let's press on to know Him and supremely encounter His love for us. In loving Him more we see Him even more, and we get to share that Love with others. Some prayer requests for this time: 

-A "Valentine's Party" this Thursday at 7 pm is going to be a great opportunity to talk about God's love and the Gospel. Pray that people understand and are receptive.

-Continue praying over new friendships and an increase in the number of people coming to class. 

-Pray for the teams coming out in the near future, and for the opportunity for me to tag along on a trip in March...more on that later.

-My personal request would be that I seek after His face harder than ever; that He makes me more and more homesick for Himself and for my heavenly home, rather than for the place I call home on this earth. 

Know that I miss you all and am praying for you. A verse that has spoken to me recently is Psalm 116:7:

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you." 

As if blogging might not be narcissistic enough...

I did this "25 Things"  deal on Facebook, which has apparently become increasingly popular. In an effort to indulge this narcissistic fad, here is my list on the blog. Following the list, I've posted a link to an incredibly funny story about it from TIME Magazine. Check it out.

25 things, just because. 
1. In “The Sound of Music,” I will sometimes fast forward to the gazebo scene with Captain Von Trapp and Maria confessing their love. I love this part.
2. I can’t bake, but I like to think I can cook. I make messes when I cook, it’s therapeutic for me…
3. I like using periods when typing.................................
4. I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow, much less in a year or two. Waiting on God to tell me.
5. I am really really really afraid of thunder and lightning.
6. I have been told I’m a networker (Caro ☺). Really, I just love being surrounded by the people I love. 
7. I love to sing and have a secret (not-so-secret anymore) desire to be a backup singer in a band.
8. When I was little, I wanted to be a meteorologist, an Olympic swimmer, the President, a lawyer…I finally settled on teaching somewhere along the way. Now I hang out with people/teach in Peru. And I still like the weather, swimming, watching Letterman make fun of whatever President we have at the time, and being right. 
9. I have an orange tank top (more like coral-ish) that earned me the name “ray of sunshine.” Let’s just say I’m not a morning person. CT and Sara found that out the hard way (Rule 1: Don’t jump on me while I’m sleeping). Also, I will never forget Dossy and Steph whispering “Sarah Bond Junco….” for fear of "waking the beast." 
10. I love milk. Love love love it. I’m convinced I can complete the gallon challenge, though everyone tells me I can’t…one day. 
11. I love a good hug, especially a reuniting hug.
12. I want to go to Russia. 
13. I want to go everywhere. Especially a road trip around the U.S. 
14. There is absolutely nothing like a good sunset. 
15. I wish I could do a lot of things better than I can, but am learning that God has gifted me with everything He wanted to give me, and that is enough.
16. Back scratches are my favorite. Good stories are a close second. Back scratches during a good story…I’m golden.
17. I’ve got my dad wrapped around my finger, but I fear him as well…a nice balance. My mother and I are more similar than I think. ☺
18. My jaw clicks really loudly sometimes and I’ve even gotten it stuck. 
19. Cristina and Kathryn can never get rid of me. I’ve realized after being in Peru, even for such a short time, that I will always, always need them—they’re the link back to memories, back to youth (good and not-so-good), back to when life was nothing complicated.
20. Crafting words=favorite Outlet 1. Reading=relaxation Outlet 2. Painting=creative Outlet 3. Good photos=I wish I could take better ones Outlet 4. Wishing I had money to take a pottery class=potential Outlet 5.
21. Unfortunately, I enjoy keeping up with the more shallow doings of the world, ie. Hollywood junk. The upside: If you ever need to know who just broke up with whom, ask me. 
22. I used to have a really good memory; I feel like it’s starting to go downhill. The first sign of old age. ☹
23. Athens coffee with Athens people is always best. Frisbee in the park is the cherry on top.
24. Some of my best memories involve spooning—the closeness of girlfriends and just hanging out, being silly. Roomie Love and dancing with JG is irreplaceable ("Here we go again...") 
25. I’m realizing that this life is really short. I was going to say too short, but I am also recognizing more every day that nothing is better than walking with God on the way to meet Him and His Son in Paradise. To end the randomness of all this: Life isn’t random. That’s cool. 

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1877187,00.html

I can't leave my house, so I blog.

I just got home from a mini-adventure. I am supposed to teach at the University downtown every morning. I hop in my taxi, tell him where I'm going, and he says "Well, if we can get there..." I'm a little nervous at this statement already, given that we've hit day 3 of strikes in Arequipa. These strikes are "indefinite," so there is no telling how long it will last, and public transportation has shut down. It's interesting to see how these strikes affect the whole city: the workers, the stores, the schools, the whole economy in general. I've yet to get a really good answer about the reason these are occurring. Somewhere deep down I just think that Arequipenans like this kind of thing. Who knows. 

Okay, back to my story: I'm in the cab, on the way to school. We come to the bridge and I see what he means by "manifestantes." It is a MASSIVE "strike parade" going over the bridge into downtown. I see the throngs of people and think, "I don't really feel like getting caught up in that." I ask my taxista if he thought it would be best for me to go back, and he says yes; I also see some neighbors, who tell me the same thing. We're goin' back, I decide. Thus, I sit here for day 2 of sequestration (yes, this is a word, I looked it up). :) 

In other news, because of day 1 of being confined in my house, I did get to watch much of the inauguration on TV. That was very exciting. I'm still happy I'm not in the US for all this "change"--even given my current country's situation with "paros" (strikes). Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching history in the making. In my lazy state that day I also set up skype call forwarding, which means if any of you lovely people want to get in touch with me and I'm offline, you can call my name/number/whatever-it-is, and it will direct the call to my cell phone. I'm also setting up Vonage soon, which is just another step in the direction of communicating with family back home.

Tomorrow Malea (my new roommate, who is hysterical, by the way) and I are traveling to Lima for the week. I have a doctor's appointment, as well as business-related things to do. At the end of the week our whole team will leave the city for a mini-retreat of sorts. I don't really know what to expect, so pray that good things come of it. I am excited to go meet new friends, see old ones (Sandi, who is leaving in April!) and see a decent movie (I heard "Bride Wars" is out there now--I'm pumped!) So I'll be leaving the strike zone for the beach. I lead a hard life. :) 

And now it's time for "Cultural moments that I have to learn to get over:"

-I have now had to twice remove my feet from a chair/bench. Apparently people here have a huge problem with feet being propped up somewhere. I think this is very ironic, given some of their other habits. Anyway, the first time this happened, I was in a park with Christy, and we were chatting on a bench. I pulled my feet up to my chest (shoes on), and the guard comes over, blows his whistle at me and tells me to put my feet down. Weird. Well, the second time this happens is at a cafe. Once again, shoes on. I had one leg down and one foot resting on the chair I was sitting in. The waiter comes over and asks me to stop. At this point, I've gotten the hint. They clearly don't like that here, but like I said, I'm a bit confused that they condone certain things and yet I can't do this. 

-I have discovered since Malea came (because she points this out) that Peruvians have different sidewalk manners than we do. Ie, they don't move out of the way. You better be ready to just hop off the sidewalk if they are heading toward you, because they will not give anything. 

-I am still a tourist to them. This is frustrating after having lived here 3 months. I think it's because I am very blonde and appear either American or Chilean or Argentinian (I can't remember if I've mentioned that I've been told I look like I'm from Chile or Argentina...) I also wear some of the things that the tourists here wear: chacos, blue jeans rolled up, dresses, COLOR. Arequipenans wear very little color, I've noticed. Anyway, I still get awful taxi rates because they think I'm a stupid tourist, and I still get asked to go to all the tourist joints. I think I am going to start wearing a sign that says "Vivo aca" (I live here). 

On a fun note, I'm in the process of discovering some new music. It's been awhile since I've acquired a lot of spanish musica, so I thought I'd share what I've found: Fonseca, Reik, Camila, Black Guayaba, Tommy Torres, and Abel Zavala (a really good Christan artist). Check 'em out. 

Finally, continue to be in prayer over the ministry here. We are having our second class at the cafe tonight. We will be studying some in 1 John, as well as having some fun with a game or two. Malea and I have been discussing the possibilities of growth in the classes, and I'm excited to hear what her creative little mind has to say. I'm so blessed to have her here with me. We are also thrilled to have James come and help out. 

Blessings to all of you. Counting down the days until I get to see each of you again. Much love.