day 7

Day 7 in Peru.

sorry it has been a few days but we've been busy, busy, busy! Thankfully I've been feeling better and able to join the group so the blog hasn't been my first priority. i just wanted to get out of bed and that room in our hostal.

the past three days we've been finishing putting up the drywall, mudding, and sanding both inside and outside. thankfully we're nearly finished. we hope to put primer up tomorrow before we leave peru.

our time working had been tough because of the hot, humid and dust conditions and the painfull and itchy bug bites as well as the tough work but i've be so incredibly impressed with our team's work ethic, servant's hearts, and the relationships we've built with our peruvian friends that work beside us each day. the girls have rocked the drywall and mudding which has really impressed me too! We've also really enjoyed the local kids that we play with during our breaks who climb all over us, begging us for attention and silly bands (Tami is their hero!).

tuesday night felix and nancy (the peruvian church planter and his wife) invited the team over for dinner. they took an amazing meal (the same one we made for hiawatha) and the service and hospitality blessed our socks off! after a great meal, fun coversations in enlish, spanish, and spanglish, and dave serenading the group with his violin skills we heard felix and nancy's story about how God called them to Chincha to plant, the physical and spiritual struggles and obstacles they faced, and their vision for their church this year. then we had a powerful time of prayer over them, their home, their church and our group.

last night we went to the local chinese food restaurant. we made an interesting observation though: there were no buddhas in the restaurant. Not even that but there also was a picture of Jesus (you know, pale skinned, stringy light brown hair Jesus with his fingers crossed) hanging above our table. It must have been God's providence! after dinner we walked deeper into the city and had some dessert (cheese cake, tiramasu, tres leches, chocolate cake, lemon cake, flan...)! On the way tami showed us her kangaroo impression and mikle almost fell into the sewer through an open manhole cover. you know, just a normal evening in chincha peru.

our time is sadly soon coming to an ending. God has brought this team so much unity and because of the cross we not only feel like a close family, we are one spiritually.

please continue to pray for us. we miss all of you and will share more soon!

-spencer

ps i wrote the last post too

Sunday in Chincha (with pictures!)

Hola de Chincha, Peru!

It is another beautiful day here in Chincha. Sadly I am sitting in bed recovering from from a nasty bug that took me out for the past few days so I thought I'd catch you up on our trip.

Yesterday Gordy and Bear (the EFCA missionaries) took the team to a huge market in Chincha.

There was tons of different kinds of fruits and vegetables, every kind of meat you could think of, and lots of locally made items. After the market they brought us to their apartment for breakfast. Then they took us to the Pacific Ocean!

Some of us went fishing, other went swimming, and some just laid in the shade. The sun is so incredibly hot here that most of us are getting quite red despite massive amounts of sun screen being applied.

After breakfast Gordy and Bear took us to a chicaroneria (place that serves specialized pork) for a typical Peruvian meal of pork, seasoned spaghetti with pesto, yuca, and potatoes with red sauce. The food here has been great so far! We're eating like kings and the portions at restaurants have been ridiculous. Supposedly Peruvians don't eat a large lunch and dinner but rather just one large meal per day, hence the large portions. Also it is rude to not eat all, or at least most, of your food. So if when you see us in a week we've put on a few pounds, just know we were only trying to be respectful. At least that is what we're telling ourselves as we gorge wonderful ethnic food.

There is another team coming from Wisconsin in a few weeks that will be putting on a medical and dental clinic. So this afternoon and after church we canvased the neighborhood, handing out fliers to the medical and dental clinics.

This was a fun experience to be able to meet more people from Chinca, share with them some great news (the opportunity to go to the clinics), and get a better look at the community of Chincha and how people lived. It was also tough to see firsthand and in greater depth the poverty and destruction in Chincha. There were also a few scary run-ins with packs of wild dogs once it got dark. Now we know why they advise tetanus shots...

At 5 we joined "La Semilla" (which means seed in Spanish, and is the name of the church plant we're working with) for their first service as an official church! It was quite an honor to be there for such an important event. They have formerly just been a small group Bible study but have now officially opened their doors and have a name. The church is small with up to 12 Peruvians attending along with the pastor, his wife, Gordy and Bear. Felix, the Peruvian church planter, shared with us that one of reasons they chose the name semilla was because of the parable of the mustard seed in Mathew 13: 31-32. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

He shared how even though as a church they are very small, they have a huge vision that God will grow them just as he does with a mustard seed. It was great to be able to worship alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in a very new and different way, and yet still very similar. I have always been amazed when I travel abroad and meet with other Christians how despite our many differences and no prior interactions, we can immediately bond and have a connection as a part of the Body of Christ. We've only been here a few days and already we're making deep relationships with our Peruvian brothers and sisters! We're not even halfway done but we're already seeing God answer yours and our prayers for this trip (Remember Pray Encouragement Resources Unity?)! Praise God for his faithfulness!

Here are a few prayer requests you can add to your list.
-my health. I'm feeling better today and really want to get back out there soon!
-youth group's meeting tonight that some of us will be attending (they're speaking on purity)
-progress and safety at the work site
-humble servant hearts
-continued fun!

From Chincha with Love!

The Hiawatha->Peru Team

Tami has been amazing at interacting with the Peruvians despite the language barrier. She is so courageous and welcoming and has been such a blessing to have on the trip! She has been handing out silly bands to all the kids we see.

A Picture of some of the debris and devastation from the earthquake.

Work Pictures!

Construction, Day 1

We began construction today, Saturday, on the Porvenir Community Center that we have been expecting to have as our project for our time in Chincha. We aren't beginning this project, but continuing the work on it and hoping to have it near usable by the time we depart in a week. Previously, the building has been completely framed in: with a roof, exterior sheet-rock, electrical conduit mostly run, and over half sheet-rocked on the ceiling. So, the basics are for sure there. Now, onto more interior work.

We won't be working on Sunday at the community center, but will be back Monday through Friday to keep making progress.

The planned agenda for Sunday:
Morning: Visit the market where most locals would shop.
Mid-morning: Check out the ocean (just a few kilometers from where we are staying)
Afternoon: Back to the Provenir community (where the building is) to distribute invitations to a medical campaign here that happens in a little over a week.
Late-afternoon: Church from 5 to 7ish.

Hopefully, we'll be posting pictures soon!

We made it to Chincha!

It's been a busy day, but a great one. We made it to Chincha late morning, after catching a bus in Lima. Our busride had a lovely view! We were in the front of a double decker bus. Traveling on the Panamerican Highway, we made our way south out of Lima with some incredible dessert on the left and some huge ocean waves on the right. Our eyes have seen many things... and there is more to come. We got oriented a bit this afternoon to where we will be working. We met some people from the community and the children our amazing. Who knew they too would love silly bands?!:) (Tamie is the best silly bands bracelet distrubutor. ever.)

Lunch was a great start to Peruvian food... and now we are back at our hostal for a break before dinner. We hear we're headed to the best fried chicken to Peru. Then tomorrow starts construction!

With love and thinking of those in MN (hi Ben and Amy!),
Tamie and Erin

Prayer calendar

We appreciate your prayers for us as we travel and while we are in Peru. One of our team members put together this great guide as an example of how you can be praying daily for us:

Daily – pray for the gospel to be more evident to us and the church in Chincha

Jan 12 – Peace as the team prepares to leave and that God would prepare the hearts of those we will meet in Peru
Jan 13 – Good weather and safe air travel to Lima, Peru
Jan 14 – God to prepare our hearts for service and that in our weakness His strength would be made clear for His glory
Jan 15 – The team to be prepared physically, emotionally and spiritually for the work ahead
Jan 16 – Unity as we worship with the believers in Chincha and participate in a community ministry opportunity
Jan 17 – Good communication among the team and with the Peruvians
Jan 18 – Perseverance in our service and obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading regardless of any challenges that may arise
Jan 19 – Christ-like love for one another and for the people in Chincha as we attend a mid-week worship service
Jan 20 – Health and restful sleep for the team
Jan 21 – God to strengthen our loved ones at home as we are absent
Jan 22 – Safe road travel back to Lima, Peru
Jan 23 – Good weather and a safe air travel back to Minnesota
Jan 24 – Peace as the team adjusts to being back in Minneapolis

We're ready to go!