Christi's Adventures

Engagement pictures

2010-10-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have written. Time has flown by with wedding plans and working. But this past weekend Marc and I took some time to go do engagement pictures with a friend of mine. Here are some of the pictures from the time. Enjoy!

All photos are by Dan Pacurar. To see more of his work, please visit his website at http://www.fstopphotography.us/

Big news!!

2010-08-18T14:25:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a while again since I wrote, but I figured now is a great time to write again.

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

This past Friday, Marc planned to take me out for dinner to celebrate 11 wonderful months together. He likes to take me out each month to a nice place and spoil me a little. He asked me to bring my camera with so we could take some pictures after dinner at the beach. So we went to Bistro 110, a nice French restaurant. We had a nice time and ate some wonderful food. After dinner we walked down to Oak Street beach and found a nice sandy spot to stop at. While at the beach Marc wrapped his arms around me and told me lots of sweet things that, well, I just can't remember. After saying all those wonderful things, he tells me he has something for me. So he bends down to get said gift out of his bag. Next thing I know he is pulling a ring box out of his bag and he is down on one knee asking me to marry him! I of course said yes and was completely surprised and speechless. We took a few pictures on the beach afterwards and will get more later. Until then, enjoy the few pictures we have!

Busy times!

2010-06-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

Time has just flown by! I can't believe it is almost July already. May and June passed quickly with lots of things going on. Sadly I have not been very good about taking pictures lately and so I don't have many pictures to show what I have been up to. But here is a brief summary of what I have been doing the past 2 months.

During May the students at Moody finished school and left You would think with all the students leaving campus would be empty, but not true. The week after the students left was Moody's annual Pastors' Conference. It was a busy week for my department with helping the pastors figure out where they were going both on campus and off campus. One of the fun parts of my job is finding directions for people. I have gotten to know my way around the city more just by finding directions for other people. By the end of May the campus was quiet again and the summer slowness started. Without students here my desk is a lot slower. But there are more campus tours during the summer which help make things more interesting. I was also able to start doing my inspection of the guest rooms to figure out what needs to be fixed or replaced. I also was given permission to improve the decor of the guest rooms and will be starting with replacing the current pictures with some of my own pictures of the city.

The end of May Marc and I celebrated his dad's birthday and also went to my boss, Stacey's wedding. It was a fun wedding and it was nice to be able to go and celebrate with her and her new husband. The first weekend of June we celebrated my mom's birthday. The next weekend found Marc and me out late to attend his brother's last improv show for the summer. It was a midnight show and so with the time for the show and traveling we didn't get home until about 3:30am. Definitely crazy times, but fun! The next weekend found us at my cousin Mark's wedding. It was great to see family again and catch up with them. Father's day was spend with my family. Wednesday the 23rd was Marc's birthday and so I took a long lunch in order to take him out for lunch. It was a fun time and always nice to see him during the week. Then this past weekend was spent celebrating his birthday even more. I took him to Bob Chinn's Crabhouse for some much desired lobster. He was very excited to have fresh lobster and totally enjoyed it! We then spent a few hours watching some of season 1 of 24, which was a birthday gift. Dessert was ice cream cake. Sunday was church and then lunch at Piece (a pizza place) with his parents. In all it has been a busy 2 months, but lots of fun.

July starts off with a week of vacation for me! I am looking forward to that. And after that we will see what we come up with. I will try to update more often, but there is no promise.

Minor adjustments

2010-05-03T08:48:00.003-05:00

New month, new things. This weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday with Marc and his family. We spent the whole weekend packing, sorting, moving and cleaning. Marc has moved out of his apartment here in the city and moved back to his parents' in the suburbs. There are a few reasons for this move, but the main one is the benefit of saving money! So for the next few months he will be commuting into the city for work, just like me! It will definitely be a change for both of us. We will have to adjust our time to talk at night a little, but I am sure we will find a good routine soon. One thing that will help a lot during this transition time, is now having the same phone provider. Neither of us will have to worry about going over on minutes or texts any more. For those who are curious, I switched to Verizon but still have the number I got with AT&T last summer. It is nice to be able to keep the same number. I just finally got my number changed on all my random bills and other things. So it would have been a pain to have to change everything again.

With the month of May, summer is quickly approaching. The students here at Moody finish with classes this week and have finals next week. It will be strange to have them all gone during the summer. But I am sure I will have plenty to keep me busy here at work. Plus there will be a plenty to do on the weekends with Marc. We have plans to do some bike riding, some walking along the lakeshore, some sitting in the sun and lots of good times together. It will be a great summer!

Spring time!

2010-04-26T10:10:00.002-05:00

Again I have been slacking on the updating of my blog. Life is just kind of in a routine and while it is interesting to me, I don't always think it will be interesting to y'all. But let me see what has been happening this month. The weeks are always the same, here is a normal day for me.

4:30am - leave home
5:30am - sleep or read at work
6:30am - go talk to Nancy at Crowell desk
6:50am - unlock and set up desk
7:00am - start work
10:00am - break time/errand hour/chapel/department devotions
11:00am - back to desk
12:00pm - lunch
1:00pm - back to work
3:30pm - go home
5:00pm - arrive home
5:10pm - shower/get ready for next day
6:00pm - make dinner
7:00pm - watch tv and wait for Marc to get off work
9:00pm - talk with Marc
10:00pm - go to bed

Not a very interesting day, but I enjoy it. It is nice to have a routine, but nice to have it change every once in a while too. There are a few days where things change a little in the evenings. But my weekends are where I have all the fun. That is when I get to hang out with Marc and go explore the city or sit and watch a movie.

Here is a brief overview of our weekends for the month of April. April 3rd watched a movie, went to church, made dinner, went to an Improv show (if you don't know what that is check it out at chicago.ioimprov.com, Marc's brother is in one of the groups) and then out for dessert with Marc's parents. April 9th - 11th Marc came down to my house for the weekend. So I met up with him after work and we went out for dinner before driving down. My friend Rose and her husband, T.J., were in town and we met up with them at church on Sunday. Saturday we did a little shopping, went to the movies and then out for dinner and ice cream afterwards. April 16th - 18th I went out to Marc's parents for the weekend. I again met up with Marc after work and we did dinner before heading out to Naperville. Saturday we went mini-golfing, watched Star Wars, had dinner with the family and played Yahtzee afterwards. Sunday was church and lunch with the family again. This past weekend, the 24th, we took our friends Seth and Celia out for lunch to Taste of Peru. It was wonderful to have good peruvian food again and just spend some time with good friends. We then went to Molly's Cupcakes for delicious cupcakes and some games. We played a round of Apples to Apples and a couple rounds of Jenga. Then it was off to do a little shopping for work and then back to watch a movie on the couch.

It has been a great month full of good times, fun, friends and even some changes that might be hard now, but will be good in the end. I am thankful for a great month and looking forward to a wonderful spring as the weather gets warmer and the grass turns green, the trees fill out and the flowers bloom.

Happy Spring!

Highlights

2010-03-26T14:53:00.003-05:00

I know, you are all thinking two posts in one day? It is true! I just thought I would list a few of the highlights (not necessarily all good, but some interesting) of my week.

- Going to church and dinner with Marc on Sunday.
- The students coming back to school after spring break.
- Going to Yolk for lunch with Nancy.
- Marc getting out of his 3 day class early and speed walking down to Moody in order to see me for 2 minutes before I headed home.
- Good discussions at mini church.
- Watching a ceiling tile almost collapse from the leak around the sprinkler.
- Being done with work for the week!

Those are just some of the highlights from my week. They might not sound super exciting to you, but they were exciting/entertaining to me. Have a great weekend!

Another month gone

2010-03-26T08:31:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe another month is almost gone. This year has really seemed to fly right by. March was actually kind of a slow month for me. The students were gone for two weeks on Spring break, so the campus was pretty empty. Things did pick up a little last week as Moody had their annual SHARE program, but even with that going it was still pretty quiet.

I have realized I have gotten really bad at posting since coming back from Peru. I think things just aren't as crazy and don't seem as adventurous here. But they are still good. Last weekend Marc and I took a road trip up to Milwaukee to visit my friend Beth and her husband, Mark. Yes, her husband's name is Mark. It was a little confusing at first, but it isn't too bad now. What will be really confusing is when Beth & Mark, Marc & I, and my other friends Angie & Mark all get together. Two Mark(c)s are ok, but three just might be too much! It was great to visit Beth and Mark, and it is so wonderful that they are only 2 hours away. It is an easy trip up to Milwaukee for us or down to Chicago for them. We went out for lunch together and then played 90s Trivial Pursuit. It was a great time and we are already looking forward to the next time we get to hang out.

Other than work and hanging out with Marc, I haven't had much time for anything. Most days I go to work, come home, get ready for the next day, talk to Marc and go to bed. Only to do it all again the next day. But I have been reading through Romans and my church is going through the book Crazy Love right now, so I have been reading that as well. I have also been working on my cross stitching again and I am slowly making progress on that front. I am looking forward to spring and summer coming soon. I am excited to get out in the city and walk around exploring as well as doing some bike riding along the lakeshore with Marc.

6 months

2010-03-11T14:19:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it has been 6 months already! God is so good and I am very thankful to Him for bringing Marc into my life. We are having a blast getting to know each other more and getting to know each other's families as well.

Last weekend was finally warm enough to go out and enjoy some of the city again! So we decided to go back to the zoo! We went and saw some animals from Africa. It was very exciting to see hippos and giraffes and monkeys and some other cool animals. We also go to see the penguins, some seabirds and polar bears as well. We had a great time and the weather was beautiful!

Work is going well. Right now the students are gone for spring break and campus is pretty quiet. But next week things will pick up as we will have Moody's annual SHARE and there will be lots of people here to volunteer to answer phones. Once SHARE is done, the students will be back and things will be busy again. It is amazing to think the end of the school year is quickly approaching. Soon summer will be here with the wonderful warm weather that I miss. But I have come to realize that my body has adjusted to the cold. It is currently around 54 outside and I think it is beautiful! I guess it is all perspective too. Coming from below freezing, 54 is beautiful. ;-) I am very thankful for the warmer weather and looking forward to summer!

Birthday and Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T20:15:00.004-06:00

I am now 28...it seems weird. But I had a great time celebrating my birthday this weekend and will be celebrating more this next weekend with my family.
Friday night I made dinner for Marc and we had a candlelight picnic as part of my Valentine's gift. Then Saturday Marc had the whole day planned for my birthday. He took me to Maggiano's for dinner. Then he took me to see the Blue Man Group! It was so much fun! Very entertaining and great music. After the show we went back to Marc's and he surprised me with a cake and a 2 liter bottle of Inca Cola! Sunday was a nice relaxing day. We went to church, out for lunch, sat and watched the Olympics and then his parents took us out for my birthday. It was a great weekend and I will definitely remember it for a long time.

Year of weddings

2010-01-25T09:24:00.003-06:00

This weekend was the first of at least 3 weddings I will be going to this year. My cousin Faith got married this weekend in Iowa. My parents, my aunts Emilie and Carole, Marc and I all flew out for the wedding Saturday morning. It was a beautiful wedding and I am so thankful I was able to go and see Faith start her new life with Bryan. The next wedding I will be attending isn't until May, so I have some time. Thankfuly the next one is in Chicago so I won't have to travel far for it.

It has been a crazy month! I can't believe it is almost over and onto February. The first week of February will be a little busy for me at work. That is the week of Moody's Founder's week, so we will have lots of guests on campus and I am sure I will be answering plenty of questions. If you happen to coming to campus for Founder's week...make sure to stop by and see me at the Welcome Center desk!

Other than Founder's week, February will be busy with birthday celebrations and attending a women's retreat in Wisconsin with my old church up there. I am excited to see some of my great friends from Appleton and get to hang out with them for the weekend. I haven't seen most of them in over a year!

Here is a picture of Marc and me from earlier this month. Not much has changed, but it is fun to post pictures from each month. ;-)

2010

2010-01-04T08:18:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it is already 2010! I feel like 2009 just flew by, especially these past few months. It totally does not feel like it should be January or another year. I look ahead to things that are happening in February and I think they are far away, but then realize...they really aren't. February will be here before I know it! As I look back at the past year, there is much I have to be thankful for. God has been so good and faithful to me through everything that has happened.

He carried me through the lonely, difficult and sometimes stressful times in Peru. He brought a time of refreshment during the summer, where I could focus on His plans for me. He allowed me to celebrate my sister's wedding and gave me the strength to make the hard decison to leave Peru. He provided a wonderful job that I enjoy and brought an amazing man into my life. 2009 was a great year, even with the difficult times, it was still great because God was in control. I know that no matter what 2010 brings in my life, it will be great as long as I let God be in control. I am looking forward to what amazing things God brings this next year and another year of learning to trust and rely on God completely!

Thank you to everyone who supported me in 2009. Whether it was financially, through prayers, or through your friendship, God has greatly blessed me with each and everyone of you! I am so thankful for you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-29T08:06:00.002-06:00

It is hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone. I feel like the month of December has just flown by. How can it possibly be the 29th already? Christmas was wonderful this year. I was able to spend it with my family as well as with Marc and his family.

Christmas Eve I went to church with my parents and then my mom and I made lefse and meatballs. For those who don't know what lefse is...it is a potato tortilla. It was fun to help my mom make the lefse and meatballs, however we got a little crazy by the end. I started writing names on the lefse with a fork. ;-) Then Christmas morning Julie and TJ came over and we had yummy chocolate chip coffee cake. We opened presents and had a good time as a family. Julie and TJ had to leave for Christmas with his family and I left for Christmas with Marc's family. I had a wonderful time celebrating with Marc and his family and watching the beautiful snow fall outside.

Saturday Marc came back with me to my house and we had the Leber side of the family over. It was good to see family and have Marc meet them. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and enjoying my last bit of time off before going back to work on Monday. It was a great Christmas and I am so thankful that I was able to celebrate with my family. It is hard to believe that 2010 will be here in just a few short days, but I am looking forward to the things God has instore for me this next year. Things that are sure to grow me and draw me closer to Him! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

3 months

2009-12-16T09:59:00.005-06:00

So, it is crazy to think, but I have been dating Marc for 3 months already. This past weekend we celebrated and had a ton of fun! I spent the weekend downtown so we got to do things all weekend. Friday night we went to see Disney's A Christmas Carol. It was good and of course always entertaining when with Marc. Then Saturday we got up nice and early and headed down to Moody Church to help with the Angel Tree. We had a great time carrying presents upstairs, sorting them, running to the store for butter and then helping in the kitchen until we had to leave. We left around 11:30am and went and got changed into our dress clothes. Marc then took me to the Goodman Theater to see A Christmas Carol. It was so very good! The actors did a wonderful job and we had a seats with a great view of the stage. Definitely a great time and I am looking forward to going back again next year. After the play he took me to this cute italian restaurant up in Lincoln Park. It had great food and the people were very nice. Sunday I finally got to go to Marc's church with him. It was a great service and I really like the church. Then we headed out to his parents' house in Naperville to watch the Bears/Packers game. I of course was cheering for the Packers and almost got kicked out by his dad for wearing my Packers shirt. But I redeemed myself by being a Cubs fan, so they let me stay. It was a great game (because the Packers won) and of course always a good time with Marc's family. Here is one picture, but this is from the weekend before when we went to Candlelight Carols.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

December?

2009-12-04T07:55:00.002-06:00

WOW! I can't believe it is already December. I feel like the past three months have flown by. I have been working at Moody for almost a month now and I am loving my job. I have been able to learn most things quickly and feel comfortable answering most questions that come my way. The cold weather has officially set in and we even had some snow yesterday. I am very thankful for a space heater at my desk since I sit right by an outside door. It gets pretty chilly at the desk sometimes. Yesterday I went to turn on the heater and well since it hasn't been used since last winter...it was kind of smelly. But this morning I had it running before I started work and the smell is gone and I am toasty warm!

This month is going to be a busy one, but I am looking forward to it. This weekend Marc and I are going to Candlelight Carols here at Moody. I am looking forward to this since I haven't been to a Candlelight Carols since graduating from Moody. Next weekend we are going to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Goodman Theater downtown. I am super excited for this too, I hear it is supposed to be really good. On top of all of that, there is Christmas shopping to finish (yes I have already started) and of course work. It will be a great month! I pray you all are having a great December already and enjoying getting ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T13:40:00.000-06:00

I know it has been a while, once again, since I have written. Life has been busy but really good. I have found an job! My official title is Welcome Center Guest Liaison at Moody, but basically I greet people when they come in, check for IDs and book the guest rooms on campus. I have been there for 3 weeks now, and I am loving it. It is a good job and it is nice to be back at Moody.

The weekend before Thanksgiving I went downtown to the Festival of Lights (the lighting of Michigan Ave) with Marc and his family. It was a nice night out, not too cold, and a good time with Marc's family. After the parade we went out for dessert and had a good time celebrating his mom's birthday. Here are a few pictures from the parade and dessert.

Thanksgiving was fun. We had my grandparents, my aunt Emilie, Julie and TJ, and Marc over for lunch on Thursday. Then I went with Marc to his parents' house to celebrate with his family. It was a great long weekend and I had a ton of fun with my family and with Marc's.

It is hard to believe that December is almost here. It will be a busy month of shopping, going to Christmas things and of course spending time with friends and family. I am looking forward to spending Christmas here this year, even if I am not very excited about the snow! =)

Fall

2009-10-12T09:45:00.004-05:00

Well, this weekend I was able to get out and see some of the beautiful fall colors God paints on all the trees. It was beautiful! Here are some pictures from my trip to the Morton Arboretum with Marc.

Long time...

2009-10-08T11:07:00.002-05:00

Well, I have really been slacking in the updating area. Sorry about the long silence from me. Let's see if I can bring you all up to speed on the past two months in a semi-short post. =)

Well, the end of August I headed back to Pucallpa for a week to pack up all my things and say goodbye to everyone there. It was a sudden change in my plans, but I know that God was leading me. I miss my life in Pucallpa, but I am also happy to be back in Chicago with my friends, family and following God's plans for me.

I am currently still looking for a job in the Chicago area. It has been hard to find something as jobs are limited. But I know that God has a plan for me and He didn't bring me back to the States to leave me jobless. While looking for a job I have also been able to spend more time with my family. It is nice to spend time with them after being gone for 2 years.

The past 2 months have been full of changes for me. Along with the big change of leaving the mission field, God has brought a wonderful man into my life. At a time when I was totally not expecting God to bring someone into my life, He did. I met Marc a month ago and it has been great! I am excited to see what God has instore for Marc and me.

Wedding

2009-08-05T14:11:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Things have been crazy for me and I have hardly had time to sit and think let alone write a post. But now that things are slightly calmer, I thought I should write a brief update. My sister, Julie, got married over the weekend. It was crazy busy with everyone in town and making sure everything was just right. But in the end she is married and that is all that really matters. =) I have been trying to work on my online class as I find the time...it is so hard to get back into the school work mindset after 5 years of being out of it. I also had the chance to see my friends Seth and Celia and meet their beautiful daugther, Cosette. It was nice to spend two days with them catching up and relaxing a bit after the wedding. Here are a few pictures from the wedding...enjoy!

California pictures

2009-07-14T08:53:00.005-05:00

Heather my wonderful friend.

These wagons are cabins for the elementary camp.

Hume Lake

Heather and the Jeep

A giant sequoia

The General Grant

Heather and Brendan

Buck Rock Lookout

California

2009-07-09T10:35:00.004-05:00

This past week I have been hanging out in California with my good friend Heather. It has been a ton of fun to see her again. She lives in Hume, CA which is about an hour and a half outside of Fresno. She lives in the beautiful mountians and works at a Christian camp. I have been lucky enough to have her as my tour guide during my week here and we have gone to see a lot of very cool things. She took me to see some ginormous sequoia trees. It was amazing to see these trees that are so tall that I could barely get the whole tree in my pictures. Talk about standing in awe of what God has done...standing next to those trees you realize how little you really are. God created these huge trees that continue to stand even when they are burned all the way up the middle. It was truely an amazing experience.

We also went to see a fire lookout called Buck Rock...but it was closed because of all the smoke from forest fires in the area. It would have been cool to see the land from the lookout, but I didn't really want to climb all the stairs to get to the top anyway. =) On the way to the fire lookout we had to drive through a prescribed burn area...it was really smokey. The firefighters were out along the road keeping a close eye on the fires they had started. Their plans for the burn didn't quite work out right...the wind they were hoping for to clear the smoke out didn't really come. So the smoke has kind of just hung around the area...makes for a very smokey few days and really hinders my ability to take some good pictures. I did however get some amazing pictures and I will post them when I get back to my parents' house because I left my cable there. In all, it has been a great trip out here to California and I am so glad I was able to come spend some time with Heather.

Next week's adventure...online class, wedding things, and who knows what else!

The joys of traveling

2009-07-01T09:09:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday I was supposed to fly from Pucallpa to Lima to Miami to Chicago. I made it as far as Lima. My flight to Miami last night was canceled because the pilot was sick and in the hospital. However, I did not find out it was canceled until after I had been sitting at the gate for about an hour. Then came the fun of getting out of security (which means them having to cancel my exit stamp in my passport), then going down and getting my luggage, heading over to the American Airlines counter and wait about an hour in line to get my flight rescheduled. I got my flight rescheduled from 11:30pm last night to 4pm today. However, leaving Lima at 4pm gets me into Miami too late at night for a flight to Chicago. So, I have to stay the night in Miami and then fly to Chicago tomorrow morning. Along with rescheduling my flight, American also gave me a hotel room, taxi ride to and from the hotel and meals. At first I was a little bummed that I wasn't able to stay at the airport hotel, but when I walked into my room at Thunderbird Hotels, I was not disappointed. The hotel room is amazing and the bed was super comfortable. One of the best nights of sleep I have had in a while. Even though I didn't sleep very long, at least it was in a very comfortable bed! So for now I am hanging out in my hotel room until the taxi comes back for me at 1:30pm. Hopefully he doesn't forget! =) Thanks for all your prayers for safe travels...they have been answered so far. Please keep praying that I get home safely tomorrow.

Re-done cool room

2009-06-07T11:14:00.005-05:00

So Laura and I decided that it was time to redo the cool room and make it a little brighter. So our first project was to sand all the walls. Lots of fun and a good stress reliever! Here are pictures of the before, during and after!

The cool room before we started!Our cool room after sanding the walls...lots of hard work!

Painting the trim...very interesting to paint on paneling...there is nothing for the paint to stick to!

The two colors we painted...green (verde nilo) and blue (celeste)...so bright!!

Our new curtain that brings all the random colors together!

Our new loveseat...so comfy!

Look at all the fun rugs we have! I love our cool room!!

2009-06-02T15:52:00.004-05:00

Spirit Week 2009

Mother/Daughter Banquet 2009

My "mom" for the banquet =)

School Musical

Field Day

There is a sloth in the top of this tree...a little hard to see but it is there! (the dark blob all the way at the top)

Elementary dressed like someone from the state each student was studying for Social Studies...lots of fun!

Karen, Laura and I decided to match on the last day of school.

School's out for the summer!

2009-05-30T07:47:00.002-05:00

Well, school officially ended last night. We had half a day of school and the graduation for our one senior was in the evening. It was a good ceremony and I am glad everyone was able to come and help celebrate the special day for Kara. I can't believe the school year is already done. It seems to have flown by. A lot has happened during the month of May. I have pictures from the Mother/Daughter Banquet, from SAM Academy's spirit week and a few random ones from the last week of school. I will try to post the pictures sometime this weekend. We finally have our high speed internet here at the base. It has been wonderful to be able to get online and get things done that I couldn't do before. I will try to get a better post put up soon...with some pictures. Until then...I am going to the school to finish cleaning my room.

Funny kids...

2009-05-04T21:22:00.002-05:00

Today in Bible class we were talking about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. So I decided we needed to make our own Red Seas that we could part and tell the story with. As I was sitting there cutting the paper for the kids while they colored their pictures, my 4th grader asked me what the paper was for. I told him we were going to make the Red Sea. He looked at me, kind of laughed, and said..."I didn't know you were God's wife." I started laughing...he was really funny! I told him, "well, I know I am making the Red Sea...but it isn't as good as God's. No, I am not God's wife!" Too funny!! Oh these kids and their crazy ideas. =)

Internet?!?!

2009-05-03T21:43:00.003-05:00

Well, the last few weeks have been pretty crazy and I don't think they will calm down much in the next month. The SAM board members were just here for a visit last week. It was good to have them here. The time to get to know them and for them to get to know us a little was good for all of us. On top of their visit, which made things crazy already, the missionary community had a bit of a shock. A missionary with Living Water, a group that drills wells in the communities, was killed in a motorcycle accident. It was had on all of us, but it was amazing to see all the Peruvians who were touched by his life.

School is almost done...we have a month left. I can't believe the year is almost over. It will be good to have a break this summer. A little bit of time to relax and a lot of time to prepare for the crazy year next year. It will be a nice change to actually have plenty of time to prepare. The past two years, I haven't really had that. =) Amongst the craziness of this last month of school, we also have so fun things going on. This Friday is a teacher lunch, it will be nice to hang out with all the teachers. Next Wednesday there is a mother/daughter banquet (I have been "adopted" by Rachael, since her daughter and my mom are in the States). The 19th a group of us are hoping to go to the Boqueron (a waterfall about 3 hours away) for the day. And then there is SAM Academy work day on the 23rd and graduation on the 29th. Should be fun and busy!

Oh! Great news...we are in the process of getting a tower for high speed internet! It will be great to have better internet so I can post more pictures and keep you all up to date on what is happening. Hopefully it will be in by the end of May! Until then...we will see how this dial-up holds out. =)

Sunrise Service

2009-04-14T20:08:00.004-05:00

For Easter this year we had a Sunrise Service out at Cashibo. It was a very early morning, but well worth it. Everyone was there and we sang some great songs, had a time of prayer and reflection and then had Communion together. Afterwards we all ate breakfast together and had a good time of fellowship. And the best part is we were finished in time for everyone to go to their church services if they wanted to. The lake was beautiful as the sun came up, even though it doesn't face the sunrise. Here are a few pictures from the morning. Enjoy!

What would you do...

2009-04-01T21:59:00.002-05:00

if you had an ANT inside of your ear? That was my problem tonight. I was locking up after prayer meeting and was walking back to my house when I heard a sound in my left ear. At first I thought it might be my jaw clicking again (like it tends to do with my arthritis). So as I am walking back to my house I am shaking my head to see if it was something inside or just my jaw. I still couldn't tell, so I decided to wait for it to go away. I was about to sit down in the cool room when I heard it again and sort of felt like something was inside. So I slightly freak out to myself and head over to Rosemary's house for her to look in my ear. I was very concerned that it might be a cockroach and that really grossed me out.

So, Rosemary looked in my ear and didn't see anything. But decided that it might be an ant and suggested that I put a fruitloop on my ear to attract the ant. So I sat at her house with a fruitloop in my ear waiting for the ant to come out. Well, apparently I have a very stubborn ant in my ear. He didn't want to come out. We tried a frosted flake next, but no luck. Then we tried flushing him out, but that didn't work either. Finally, after not hearing or feeling him for a while, we have given up. I am just going to have to wait for him to come out on his own...hopefully soon! There will be a picture posted later of me with the fruitloop in my ear.

I want to know what you would do if you had an ant in your ear?

New look

2009-03-20T21:10:00.003-05:00

Over spring break, Laura and I decided to paint a wall in our kitchen. We bought new plates that have red and yellow in them and so we picked a yellow wall and then will get red accents. We had a slight problem because the yellow was not the right color so we decided to lighten it up with some white paint we had. Only here in Pucallpa, if you want any type of color is comes in oil-based paint and the white we had was latex paint. Soooo...as you can imagine it didn't mix very well. But in the end it turned out well. We did circles with the roller on the wall to mix the two colors and it actually looks really good. The last picture is what it looked like still wet...it looks even better now that it is dry. It was a fun adventure like everything else here in Pucallpa. Now we just need to find some great red accents to finish off the room.

Overcoming a fear!

2009-03-11T12:38:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I overcame a fear that I didn't realize I had. The house I have been staying at this week has a deck that during rainy season goes out over the lake. Well the water is high enough now that you can jump off the deck into the lake. So Laura came over on Monday and jumped off...but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then yesterday Marshall and Kimberly were out there and we decided to go sit on the deck. Of course you can only sit out there so long before you want to get in the water...the easiest way in...to jump! So Marshall and Laura put the ladder down and both of them jumped no problem. I just could not seem to get myself to jump off the deck into the lake. I tried multiple times and just as I would get the edge I would freeze up and couldn't jump. Well, I finally decided I needed to do it no matter how scared I might be. So I asked Marshall to push me in. He wasn't too sure about that because he didn't want to hurt me...but I knew it was the only way I would actually get in the lake. So he pushed me off the deck into the lake...and it was GREAT!!! After that I had no problem throwing myself off the deck into the lake below. We had a lot of fun jumping off and trying to make some big splashes...Marshall won! It feels good to be able to say that I have jumped off the deck and to know that I can do it again without a problem. Sadly, I don't have a picture so you will have to just imagine me jumping off a deck into a very brown lake below!

Field conference 2009

2009-03-08T12:19:00.004-05:00

This past week was the SAM Peru field conference. It was a great week of fellowship, meetings and teaching in English. I helped out with the music and while it did make things a little more crazy for me...it was a good time. Here is a picture of Kyle, Rosemary, Matthias and me leading music.

This is everyone who attended the conference this year. There are a lof of us...see if you can find me.

The craziness continues...

2009-03-01T09:58:00.003-06:00

School break officially started Friday at noon. Some would think that with break things would calm down...it would be more relaxing for the next two weeks...not true! The craziness continued right into the weekend and will continue this week as well. Saturday, Laura and I went with Marshall and we bought a new dining room table. It is big enough to fit 6 people comfortably with the food on the table. It is a wonderful feeling to sit down to dinner and have room for everyone and all the food!

After we bought our table, we of course had to set it up in the dining room and make it look all nice. I then worked on some power points for the music for conference. It has been crazy but I think I finally have everything for leading music this week ready...that is except for my voice. =) Leading music for conference was not really something I ever thought about doing...but now that I have been asked to do it, I am getting kind of excited to do it. We will see if I am still excited to it after tonight. I know God will use me no matter how horrible I might think my voice sounds. It is just hard to be ok with singing in front of others when you know that your voice is not what it used to be. So if you think about it this week...please pray that my voice will hold out through all the singing and that I will just get over myself and allow God to work through me.

Conference starts tonight and will continue through Thursday afternoon. I am glad for the time to gather with all the other SAM missionaries in Peru and just have some good time of fellowship. Before conference starts I will be going to another motocross race this afternoon...it will be fun and I am looking forward to some time outside getting some sun and getting dirty! =) Should be a great week...but probably a little crazy too. I will try to get some good pictures and post them sometime next week!

You know you're a missionary in Pucallpa when...

2009-02-24T07:29:00.003-06:00

~you wash and reuse your ziplock bags
~you have a "cool room" which can also be used as the "warm room"
~you get excited about connecting to the dial-up internet the first time
~you are told something will be done mañana, but really it doesn't happen until two weeks later
~you make special trips to a gas station just to get some decent chocolate from the US
~you have to collect buckets of water when the power goes out
~you have to go to 10 different places just to get 2 things you are looking for
~you have to wash dishes in the bathtub

These are just a few things recently that I have run into and thought it would be fun to share with you all. The last one just occured last night...it was an interesting experience. If you want the full story...you will have to ask! =)

¡Feliz Día De La Amistad!

2009-02-14T22:12:00.006-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Today was a very full day...but tons of fun. Laura, David and I were up and off to Cashibo by 7 this morning for the two of them to run in a triathelon held by the Swiss Mission. They both did really well...David came in 3rd for the guys' race and Laura came in 4th for the women's race. They were both very tired when they got done...but I know they are both very happy to have just finished the race. After the race David worked on his bike for awhile, while Laura and I talked and hung out with some of the other missionaries. The three of us had lunch and went out on the boat with the Gahagens. We went through the caño out to lake Yarinacocha. This was the first time I was actually able to get all the way through the caño and the first time for Laura to go out on the lake and through the caño. It was a lot of fun and I am glad we were able to go and spend some more time out on the lake. It is such a beautiful lake and it was a wonderful day. I got the right amount of sun...not too much to burn...but just enough to get a nice tan.

Finally we headed back to SAM Center around 3:30 and enjoyed the AC in David's car on the way back. We decided that to celebrate the victory of David and Laura in the race, we were going to go out for dinner and then watch a movie. So at 6pm we headed out to our favorite restaurant...Orlando's. It was great food like usual and we had great conversation about past Valentine's Days and all the jobs we have had and other random things like that. After dinner we went for ice cream, which is always good. I had two scoops of maracuyá (which is passion fruit) which was very good and I could probably have eaten more than two scoops. The sweetest part of the whole night...Kyle and David didn't let us pay for dinner or ice cream. They had decided that the girls shouldn't have to pay on Valentine's Day. It was very sweet of them and both Laura and I appreciate it. We came back and tried to watch "Gladiator" but the DVD is a little messed up and so we weren't able to finish it. That is ok...Laura and I were both falling asleep and probably wouldn't have made it through the whole movie. In all, it was a great day and I am so thankful for the friends I have here...they know how to make the weekend fun!

I will try to post pictures from my birthday dinner and from the race in the next few days....hopefully the internet will behave!

Swimsuits and birthday

2009-02-12T22:18:00.002-06:00

I love the fact that I can get pretty much anything made here. It still amazes me and I am so glad that I can take advantage of it. Yesterday, Laura and I went with Rosemary to get some swimsuits made for us. We both had some material we had found and found pictures of what we wanted while we were in Lima. So we took the material, the pictures and headed to the store. Now the name of the store might mis-lead you if you didn't know any better...but Rosemary says they make good swimsuits. The store's name....Sexi Cho'pa (Sexy Shop). I wanted two swimsuits so that I have options...options are always good. So I decided to get one tankini and one 1 piece. I only had enough material for the tankini so I decided to look at the material at the shop. I found the best material! If I wear my 1 piece and sit on our couch...I will blend in! The print on my 1 piece is a Shipibo Indian print in black and brown...I am very excited to see what it looks like all done. Oh and get this....the total cost for two custom made swimsuits...is about $30! Crazy and wonderful all at the same time!

Tomorrow for my birthday, Laura is making my favorite meal, Honey Glazed Chicken and we invited the guys and Karen and Victoria over for dinner. We will then probably play games and just enjoy hanging out. I am looking forward to just spending time with friends on my birthday. School is a short day and so I have all afternoon to relax and really enjoy my birthday. It is still kind of weird however to have hot weather on my birthday down here...I am too used to the snow and cold. =) I definitely don't miss it though! Thanks to all who have sent me birthday wishes, cards and packages...it makes my birthday all the better!

Pictures

2009-02-08T11:18:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the weekend of sheer awesomeness so far. Last night we celebrated my birthday early and there are a few pictures from the staff of the restuarant singing to me. I am going to try to take some of my own pictures today and hopefully post them later. Enjoy!
Laura and me trying to look "normal" while in Lima.

This is the REAL Laura and me! =)
The staff of the restaurant getting ready to sing to me.

The staff singing to me...it was fun!

Me and my birthday pie...sadly I didn't have room to eat it so I shared it with the others!

Weekend of Sheer Awesomeness!

2009-02-07T14:09:00.002-06:00

I am currently in Lima at the SAM Guest House enjoying the high speed internet. There is a group of 6 singles here this weekend for our weekend of sheer awesomeness. We have been having a good time already. Had some wonderful Papa John's pizza last night at about midnight when we got to the guest house. This morning we all went out and did a crazy whirlwind shopping trip. I bought some things for the house and a little tool kit for minor repairs around the house. It was fun but crazy to be able to go to two stores and get everything that I needed. I didn't have to go to ten different stores to get ten different things. It was great! We then went to Chili's for lunch...and it was good! We had a blast hanging out and just joking around with each other. We then came back to the guest house and are spending the afternoon around here just relaxing. Tonight we are going to go and eat at the mall in the cliff. And tomorrow...it is another day and we will see what we decide to do.

2009-01-30T07:11:00.002-06:00

Well, today is an exciting day. Laura, my new roommate, is coming! She will be arriving in Pucallpa on the late flight tonight. I am excited to finally meet her in person and to have a girl around to hang out with and help balance out the ratio. This week I have had to try and move my things around so there is room for her things. It is amazing how in just 6 months my things have spread all over the apartment. =) Oh well, it will be good to have someone around to make me keep things a little neater.

Next weekend Laura, David, Kyle and I will be going to Lima for a weekend of fun. I am excited to take a little break from Pucallpa and enjoy some fun times with friends. It will be nice to eat American food, watch a movie and do some shopping. I am reminded once again of how blessed I am with the friends I have here.

The problem with screen windows...

2009-01-17T11:32:00.003-06:00

It has been a few weeks since my last post and not much has happened. I have been busy with school, like usual. My evenings have been spent hanging out with the guys, practicing my bass and enjoying the tv shows I got for Christmas. It is so great to have new things to watch, my movies get a little old after a while.

This week there was a little bit of excitment. I borrowed a dvd of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl from Marshall on Monday night. I started it and only got to half-time before deciding to go to bed. So the next night I figured I would finish the game...it was really good. Well, David and Kyle invited me to watch a movie with them...so I went and did that, but still wanted to watch the rest of the game. By the time I got back from the movie it was about 10:30pm and I figured I would just deal with the lack of sleep and finish the game. I got comfortable and finally started watching the game again at 11pm. It was a great game between BSU and OU and I had no clue who won. I decided to cheer for BSU because they seemed like the underdogs. Well, the second half of the game is very intense and I was cheering for BSU and really into it. I was yelling at the tv, trying to make sure they won...you know how it is when watching football. Finally, it was about 12:30am and the game was almost over. It had gone into overtime and I was cheering even louder to make sure BSU didn't screw the game up. =) The game finished and I went to bed about 12:45am thinking, hmmmm...I was a little loud...hope no one heard me.

The next day I was over at Rosemary's house and we were talking when she tells me that at about 12:30am Matthias was up and all of a sudden heard some screaming. He grabs a flashlight and goes running outside. He headed over to my place to make sure I was ok since the screaming he heard from me was something along the lines of, "noooooooooooo!" He got closer to my house and that is when he hears me screaming, "go, go, go, goooooo!" He stopped and realized I must be watching some kind of sports and that everything was ok. I felt really bad that I made him worry and come running, but it is nice to know that he would come running if something was happening to me.

I have learned my lesson and now if I watch football late at night, I will make sure that the door to my cool room is closed so that my screams don't carry out the windows and across the base. =)

Other than that, there hasn't been much to report. David S., Kyle and I are going to take a trip to Lima the first weekend of February. I am looking forward to the mini-vacation and the opportunity to eat at some American restaurants and go to the movies. I will make sure to take pictures and post those while in Lima with high speed internet!

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T21:27:00.002-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you all had a great time bringing in the New Year. I got together with some of the other missionaries and we played games, watched a movie, ate some great food and at midnight, set off some fireworks. It was a great time hanging out with them all and of course setting off fireworks was an adventure. There were a few times when I was a little scared for our safety...but no one got seriously hurt...just a little burn on one leg and some ringing ears. =)

Last night, Marshall, David S. and I all went out to the Kooistra's for dinner and games. It was great to spend some time with them and enjoy an evening of good company and games. While we were out at the Kooistra's house we were sitting around talking when some of us heard a rustling noise back by the kitchen. We weren't sure what it was and after an inspection to make sure it was a rat, we went back to talking. All of a sudden we heard a loud bang, like a mix between a balloon popping and a gunshot. David K. told us it was a mango falling on the tin roof. About a minute later we heard another fall on the ground. We all thought it was a little strange for 2 mangos to fall that close together. So the guys got the spotlight and went out to see what was going on. Jan and I were sitting inside listening to the guys when we hear them get excited because it was monkeys in the tree. So we went out with them and watched the monkeys jump form one tree to the other until they were farther away from the house. The guys had followed them and were just walking back when all of a sudden Marshall yelled out. There was still a monkey in the mango tree right by the house and it decided to try and poo on Marshall as he was walking under the tree. That was it for Jan and I, we just cracked up! It was so funny to see the guys try to get out from under the tree with out getting pooed on. It made for a very fun night. The joys of living in the jungle!

Grandma Kaetterhenry's funeral

2008-12-28T19:12:00.004-06:00

My grandma on my mom's side passed away on December 23. So since I was already here for Christmas, I was able to go to her funeral. The day after Christmas, my mom, dad and I flew up to Minnesota for her funeral. I am so glad that I was able to be here for the funeral. It was really good to see my aunts, uncles and most of my cousins that I haven't seen in a while. We were able to have some family time and catch up a little on each other's lives. Here a few pictures from the time together.

All of the cousins that were able to make it to the funeral. There are twelve of us here and there are 9 cousins missing.

The Kaetterhenry siblings and almost all the spouses...there is only one spouse missing!

This is my grandpa's brother, Alden, with his wife, Mary, and son, Kevin, and family.

My cousin Andrew wearing his army uniform at the funeral.

White Christmas

2008-12-25T09:06:00.003-06:00

Well, I definitely got a white Christmas this year. Shortly after arriving in Chicago we had below zero temperatures and I was COLD! But at least this way it feels like Christmas with the snow. Here are a few pictures of the ice and snow outside my parents' house and of me throwing a snowball for my fellow missionary, Marshall, who asked me to. =)

Motocross

2008-12-14T17:22:00.002-06:00

Today I went and watched my first motocross race. It was a lot of fun...if you like getting sweaty, dirty, beer spilled on you and standing in the sun. I had a blast! Marshall taught me how to tell the difference between a 2 stroke and 4 stroke bike. I got to watch one of the middle school students race, along with his dad and another missionary. It made it more exciting to have people I know in the race. Then I could cheer for them and not just for some random person I don't know. I will definitely be going to more races...they can be very exciting.

In other news, my little sister got engaged last night! I am super excited for her and T.J.!

Only 4 more days until I leave!!!

Motorcycle lessons!

2008-12-13T21:16:00.003-06:00

Today was my first motorcycle lesson with Rosemary...and boy was it fun! I have never driven a stick-shift car or a motorcycle...so that made it a little tricky. Today I rode mostly in first gear...I did try second...but, well, I need more practice on shifting gears. I did however do something I have never wanted to do. I popped a wheely! Not just once...but twice! I, however, did not fall off and didn't get hurt at all. It was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to my next lesson, probably sometime after I get back from Christmas. Here is a picture for proof and to see the size of the bike I am learning on. Small enough for me to touch the ground comfortably!

Good spanish day

2008-12-11T20:18:00.002-06:00

This isn't going to be long...but I just had to share. Today was a good spanish day for me. I actually made myself go out and use my spanish more than normal. Now of course it wasn't perfect...but at least I was using it. I went to town and had to get some pictures printed. I thought it would be easy enough...but not so much! The size I needed they didn't have so we had to try and figure out the best way to get a picture to fit what I was doing. Thankfully God is wonderful and helped me communicate what I needed to and the pictures are perfect! Then at dinner the guys and I went to our usual restaurant, Orlando's, and I chatted a little with the owner when I gave her some Christmas cd's. I know it wasn't much, but it was very encouraging to me to see that I actually used some of my spanish today and it went pretty well!

Headed to a white Christmas in one week!!!

Star gazing

2008-12-07T22:14:00.002-06:00

Tonight I was able to see some pretty amazing stars. Jeff from the home office is here with his brother, Scott, and they brought a telescope. It was pretty amazing to be able to see so many different things and have someone who knows what they are talking about tell you what you are seeing. I was able to see a nebula, an open cluster, a binary, the moon (really cool) and I think a few other things.

It has been a busy time. Semester is almost over and I head to Chicago for Christmas in 11 days. It is hard to believe I will be freezing in Chicago for Christmas once again. I am going to try to enjoy the snow and cold weather...since it is only for a week...but I am not sure it is going to be possible. =)

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas........

The Library

2008-11-22T19:03:00.002-06:00

1 library + 5 teachers + tons of books and VHS + 5 hours = a clean library and tired teachers!

Well, today was a teacher work day over at the school library. It was a long day but that library looks great! We got rid of a lot of books and moved some things around. We also painted one of the walls white and tomorrow two of the high schoolers and I are going to splatter the wall with some bright colors. We are also going to make some handprint flowers in the children's corner. It is so nice to have the library looking somewhat nice. There is so much that we can still do in there and one of these days we will get to it all.

I find it interesting that I have painted the library but still haven't found time to finish painting my apartment. Oh well, maybe I can do that during the Thanksgiving break!

An actual update

2008-11-14T22:19:00.002-06:00

Well, I know it has been a while since I have actually written anything meaningful. Pictures are fun and all...but actually knowing what I am up to is even better. Let me think....school has been keeping me really busy. Having four students doesn't seem like a lot until you throw in some special circumstances. Plus not having a co-teacher this year has caused me to have less down time during the school day. It has been amazing however to see God provide for the school over and over again this year. The following is a brief summary of things God has done for SAM Academy in the past 4 months.

August - brought Karen here who has experience teacher and being administrator. She has been wonderful for the school and helping us get organized.
September - I went back to the States for 2 weeks and during that time the 2 kids I had were going to do work at home with their mom...however God provided two wonderful teachers from the Bolivia field just in time. They were a great help to the school and more specifically to my classroom.
October - just as the two teachers from Bolivia left and we were wondering who would help me out at least a few days in my class...God brought two more students to the school and a mom very willing to help out. She has been a huge blessing to me and the kids and I am so thankful God has brought her here.
November - Just as we started to wonder what we would do in January when the mom who has been helping me heads back out to the jungle...we get word that there is a young lady who will be coming to Peru in January for a year to help at the school. She will be working in my classroom with the intent of deciding if this is where she fits long term. Not only will I have another teacher in the class...but God has brought me a roommate! GOD IS SO GREAT!!!

While I have been busy with many things, I have still made time to relax and enjoy my time here. Right now it is mango season and I am enjoying that greatly...I love a fresh mango right off the tree. =) I have also been able to go out and enjoy the peacefulness of Cashibo a few times already this school year. It is a nice change from the smoke and noise of the wood factory nextdoor. I thank each of you for your faithfulness in reading my blog and all the support you give me. Please know it is appreciated and that God is working in great ways here!

SAM Academy Homecoming 2008

2008-11-12T15:38:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we had Homecoming here at SAM Academy. It was a lot of fun but a very crazy weekend too. Here are some of the highlight pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

Karen and me smiling but secretly thinking...we will never do this again! =)

The high school and middle school for the 2008-2009 school year.

Jousting contest to go along with the mid-evil theme of Homecoming.

We had a food eating contest...yes I participated. But no, I did not win!

One of the two skits for the night...this was the Cashibo team's play.

Harvest Party

2008-10-31T23:08:00.008-05:00

My costume for the Harvest Party on Wednesday.

Well, Wednesday we had a Harvest party here at the SAM Center. It was a night full of games, treats, a hayride and some prayer (since it was during prayer meeting). The kids were so cute dressed up in their costumes. And even some of the adults were dressed up in fun costumes.

I think the best costumes of the night were those of Camila, Kara and Amy. They came as Charlie's Angels and they looked amazing! If I was in trouble...I would definitley call on them...they are pretty tough looking. =)

There were games and one of the games I took part in was the donut eating contest. We had to eat a donut tied on a string as fast as we could. I didn't win...but I was second for my team! If only Kyle wasn't part of my team. ;~)

Today we had a surprise at school. It actually being Halloween, Kyle decided he needed to have a costume since he didn't have one Wednesday night at the Harvest Party. Here is a picture of what Kyle looked like Wednesday night. This is what he usually looks like.

This is what Kyle looked like this morning! What a shock to all of us at school. Most of us had no clue who he was until he started talking.

It has definitely been an interesting week full of fun parties and surprises. Next week is my one year anniversary of being in Peru. It is amazing how quickly the year has past and how time has come to mean nothing. I have only been here a year and yet I have done so much in that one year. Many days I feel like I have already been here for at least 2 or 3 years and then I stop and remember that it has only been a year. I guess that is what happens when you are having such a great time doing what God has called you to do. I am praying that this next year will be as great as the first one!

Another first

2008-10-17T20:05:00.002-05:00

Well, today was another first for me. I was in the need of chicken and hamburger for the next week or so. Since I no longer have a maid, I have to do all my shopping myself and it was an adventure. Karen also needed to do some shopping so we decided to go together. I am so glad she was there otherwise who knows what I would have ended up with. Buying meat down here is nothing like buying meat in the U.S. Here there are nasty smells, flies, who knows what other type of bugs and just plain grossness! But I knew that I needed to make myself go and buy meat.

So finally, after other stops along the way, we make our way to the chicken and beef section of town. A whole street that is dedicated to the butchering and sale of chickens and cows. I knew what I needed to ask for...but apparently it didn't come out right or I wasn't told the right thing to say. The beef was no problem, but the chicken was a different story. I asked for chicken breast without the bone. After much confusion on my part and the lady there...Karen and I finally figured out what we really wanted. Instead of asking for "pechuga de pollo deshuesado" she said we wanted chicken filet (I can't remember how to say it in spanish). Finally, Karen and I had our chicken and beef and headed home. It was a long trip to town...but I now feel like I can do it again and not be grossed out. Yay for firsts and overcoming things that gross us out!

Mural

2008-10-16T06:52:00.006-05:00

The mural in all it's greatness! Right on the wall...what will I do if I ever move?!?

For about 3 days my friend Katie, who is in Pucallpa right now because of the political situation in Bolivia, has been painting a beautiful mural on my living room wall. At first I wasn't sure what I wanted her to paint for me, I just knew I wanted something painted on my wall. We had decided on a landscape and were going to put some of my favorite flowers in there somewhere. But then I was talking with Karen, Kyle and David about it when David suggested putting an airplane in there somewhere. Now he might have been joking, but I thought it was a great idea. So I said I was going to suggest that to Katie and see what she thought. Well, we had to then scratch the flower idea because I wanted it to be the SAMAIR float plane and the type of flowers I wanted don't really go with that very well. So Katie, with her wonderful artistic mind, decided to basically paint Cashibo with the float plane coming in to land on the water. It is such a great mural! As I watched her paint I was amazed that she could go from a rectangle of blueish white to a lake with so much detail. It is exactly what I wanted without really knowing it until it was done. I am very happy and will now spend more time in my living room since I have something to look at and not just plain white walls. =)

A close-up of the plane, she did an amazing job on this!

Yahoo!

2008-10-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

I was locking up the school this afternoon and to my great surprise and happiness I found out that we have a new dryer! This is very exciting news since rainy season is going to be starting again soon. It will be very nice to have my clothes actually dry the same day and not have to wait two or three days after they get washed. So very exciting for me and my clothes!

3 years

2008-10-06T07:33:00.002-05:00

Not much time to write...but I wanted to post this before school. Today is the 3 year anniversary since Jennie's death. I can't believe it has already been 3 years. Some days it feels like it was just yesterday. It is interesting how as the years go by the pain is less, but the missing of her is just as strong. It is especially hard when there are new things in my life that I would have loved to share with her. But I know that no matter how hard this day is, God is great and He loves me!

Lay-overs

2008-10-03T07:15:00.002-05:00

I think this is the worst part of traveling alone. Having long lay-overs and no one to talk to! I am currently sitting in the Lima airport at Starbucks (free wireless) waiting for my last fight home. I can't wait to get back to Pucallpa and go to sleep. I have now been up for about 27 hours and will be up for another 7 until I will finally be able to lay down in my own bed and sleep! I am looking forward to the heat and getting rid of the constant shiver that I have had since Chicago!

I had no problems getting through customs...which I am very thankful for. I think my biggest struggle this morning was being really tired and having to lug two very heavy suitcases, my duffle bag and my computer bag around the airport. I have another few hours before I have to lug them anywhere again. And then it is just downstairs to get them checked in! I was a little upset when I got through immigration and saw the schedule of departures. The LAN flight to Pucallpa was delayed and wasn't leaving until 7:15am instead of 4:30am. Oh how I wished that I was flying LAN. But I already paid for my ticket on STAR and so here I am sitting and waiting. =) I will get home eventually...just wish I didn't have to stay up for over 30 hours to get there!

Appleton

2008-09-30T16:56:00.002-05:00

Well, I spent about 4 days up in Appleton, WI seeing friends and attending my friend Beth's wedding. It was a great time and I was able to see a lot of friends that I haven't seen in a while. Beth's wedding was beautiful. It was such a blessing to be able to attend her wedding. I was able to help her out with some of the last minute details. One of them being the programs for the wedding...we spent a good chunk of Thursday night printing and folding them. =) The happy couple!

I am now getting ready to head back to Peru. I have done all the shopping I will be able to do and I am now trying to find room for everything. I am really wishing they still allowed 70 lbs for each bag, it would help me out a lot! But I am sure I will be able to get everything into the bags and back to Pucallpa. So those of you there...don't worry! I will get everything to you. =)

Mini culture shock

2008-09-23T08:17:00.002-05:00

Well, the past few days have been busy. I got here Saturday and have spent the past three days doing shopping. I thought I got tired shopping in Pucallpa...it is just as bad if not worse here. Yes, I have a car to get to each store and I don't have to go to as many stores, but still, it has been a marthon. It has been interesting to see how I have changed and adjusted to the Peruvian way of things. For example, yesterday I did all my shopping by myself and I noticed that every time I would go up to the counter to buy my things I would smile and say good morning to the person there. I am so used to doing this because everywhere you go in Pucallpa the people in the stores greet you. Well when I would smile and say good morning, most of the people just kind of looked at me and weren't really sure what to do. It was funny to see how something so simple as a greeting (or the lack there of) can throw you off. I wouldn't say that I have had much culture shock coming back here, but there are definitely little things like the greeting that kind of have me thrown. It makes me realize once again how much I love the culture in Peru and thankful that I get to go back on October 3rd.

Today I head into Chicago and will get to spend some time with some friends there. Tomorrow I am heading up to Wisconsin for my friend's wedding and the Open House at my church. It has been a huge blessing for me to be able to see all my friends and catch up with them. I am also hoping that the Open House at my church will help connect more people to my ministry and SAM. I have made some new prayer cards since being here...they are very simple but do the job. Here is what they look like, for the most part. There was a slight problem when they printed them off so the South America Mission and my email address were cut off. But that is a what a pen is for...to write it on the back!

The adventure to Chicago

2008-09-20T15:35:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday I started my journey back to the States for a two week visit. My trip was suppoesd to originally start at 12:50pm yesterday, but the flight from Pucallpa to Lima got changed to 4:55pm instead. I was ok with that because it meant less time to wait around in the Lima airport. So at about 3:30pm I headed to the airport (which is very small and only 2 minutes from my house) to check in. I was planning to just check in and stay that way Rosemary wouldn't have to make two trips to the airport. So Rosemary and I are standing in line waiting to get me checked in and after about 30 minutes of standing there we only moved about two spaces in line. By that time I figured there was only 55 minutes until my flight was supposed to leave, so I really wasn't going to leave and come back. Rosemary got talking to a guy that works for the travel agency we usually use and he told us the flight was running late and wouldn't be leaving Pucallpa until 6:30pm. I was still ok with that because it still gave me plenty of time before my flight was supposed to leave Lima. So this guy was kind enough to check me in so we could go back home and not have to waste more time at the airport.

So he got me all checked in and I came back about 5:30pm to wait for the plane to get to Pucallpa. I finally left Pucallpa at 6:30pm last night and made my way to Lima. I arrived in Lima about 7:30pm and only had to wait about half an hour before going to check in for my flight to Miami. When I checked in for my flight to Miami I noticed that the time was 20 minutes later than what it originally was supposed to be. I was ok with that, but knew that if it was much later I would really be pushing my luck with my connecting flight to Chicago. I went through security and immigration and finally got to my gate at about 9:45pm to wait for boarding at 10:30pm. Well, boarding did not start at 10:30pm like the boarding pass said, in fact it didn't start until about 11:15-11:20pm. Now my flight was supposed to leave at 11:30pm (according to the new time) and they didn't even start boarding until 11:15pm! Yep! You guessed it! My flight was late! We didn't leave Lima until about 12:05am for the 5 1/2 hour flight to Miami. By the time we finally took off, I was wondering how I was ever going to make my connection to Chicago. I figured I would have to try and get on the next flight because there was no way I would be able to make it through immigration, baggage claim, customs, get my luggage checked back in, go back through security and to my gate in the hour and 20 minutes I had before my flight to Chicago was supposed to leave.

Well, God is good and I was able to make it. We were the only flight that had to go through immigration and customs. And once I got through that I was able to get my bag checked back in right away. Security didn't take very long either which was really nice. I was able to get to my gate about 10 minutes before they started boarding. I am so thankful that everything worked out well. No missed flights, no missing baggage and I am here in Chicago safely.

"Fall" vacation

2008-09-16T22:00:00.002-05:00

For all of you who might be wondering what happened to me...don't worry! I have just been busy the past couple of weeks. But amongst the craziness that has been my life lately, I am taking a moment to write a brief update.

Last week was my first week of actually teaching for this school year. It has been so good to finally have my class. But it has taken up a lot more of my time. I am trying to do better than last year and actually be fully prepared for classes before they start. ;~) It has been different and challenging to have a 1st grader. It is the only grade I haven't taught before and so it is going to be a year of learning for me. It will be exciting however to see how much he learns and grows during this first year of being in a school setting. So far he is doing pretty well and I think once we get into a good routine he will do great! My other student, the 1st grader's sister, is in 3rd grade. This is a little easier for me this year because I taught 3rd grade last year and so I am mostly familiar with the curriculum for the grade. There are only a few that I have more work to do for since I either didn't teach that class last year, or we have gotten new curriculum. I am still trying to figure out what to do for Spanish with them. We were supposed to be getting new curriculum but I don't think it ever got ordered. Teaching them Spanish has already been good for me though. It forces me to use my Spanish more than usual and I am able to learn more vocabulary words. In all, classes have been good. Right now I am trying to get everything ready for while I am gone. It is hard to plan two weeks ahead when you only have 1 student in each grade and they fly through things. The challenges of small schools!

Well, I leave for the States this Friday. I leave Pucallpa after school and then fly out of Lima at 11pm. If everything works out and I don't miss my connecting flight in Miami, I will be back in Chicago by 10:30am on Saturday!! I am looking forward to seeing all those that will be close enough for me to spend some time with. I am praying these two weeks, even though they will be busy, will be a good break for me. I never really got a vacation this summer...I spent my summer in school!

New things

2008-09-05T22:56:00.002-05:00

I will be flying to the States in 2 weeks! This is exciting and yet a little scary. I think it might be very overwhelming to go from Pucallpa to Chicago. To go from not having driven for almost a year to driving 4 hours, by myself, through boring Wisconsin, at night! To go from ordering clothes online and not really knowing if they will fit to being able to try things on in the store. Seeing new changes that happened while I was gone...it is going to be hard. But, I am so glad that I have the chance to go back for Beth's wedding and to see my other friends and family.

Since I will be attending a wedding while there I realized that I didn't have a dress to wear. So I decided to get one made. It is amazing what the ladies here can do...I bought the fabric, the zipper and printed a picture of the dress and poof! They made a dress for me! Amazing! I went in Tuesday to be measured and give the lady my fabric. I was then able to go in Thursday and try the dress on. And I get to in tomorrow, Saturday, and pick the dress up! Now you might think...wow that must be pretty expensive...but nope! The grand total for fabric, zipper and having the dress made is about 80 soles or $28. Who can pass that up? I think I might need to have a few more dresses made.

I have made another new friend. Her name is Katie and she works with the Baptist mission. It has been nice to have another young FEMALE adult to hang out with. I don't mind hanging out with the guys...but it is so nice to have a girl to hang out with too. She has joined our weekly Tuesday night dinners and even offered to cook for us this next week. I am excited because I get to learn how to make a very yummy Peruvian dish...Aji de Gallina. It is one of my favorites and Katie is going to teach me how to make it. =)

Monday I finally get to start teaching. The Kooistras get here tomorrow and the kids will start on Monday. I am excited and I know the kids are excited too! It will be nice to have my days full again with classes. We have finished three weeks of classes already...the mangoes are starting to grow and soon I will be dodging the falling mangoes once again. It is amazing how this year has flown!

6.3

2008-08-26T21:51:00.003-05:00

Well, this afternoon I was sitting in my hammock reading after school when I felt my hammock begin to shake. At first I thought it was the fan mounted on the wall that I had blowing on me...but quickly realized what it really was...an earthquake. Yep! Another earthquake for me to experience. This one was a 6.3 according to the U.S. Geological website and the center was only 60 miles north of Pucallpa. It was pretty interesting to feel the difference of an earthquake in a cement house and an earthquake in a wood house. The wood house moves a lot more and you can feel the smaller shaking as the earthquake builds and then ends. It was pretty cool and a much different experience from the one in Arequipa. I much prefer earthquakes to happen when I am awake and aware of them. =) But no damage here...the most that happened in my house was a picture frame fell off a shelf but thankfully the glass didn't break. I am not sure what kind of damage there is closer to the center of the earthquake, but I am sure I will hear in the next few days. I am praising God for His safety and for His amazing creations!

Crazy times

2008-08-25T21:25:00.005-05:00

Been a while but I just haven't felt like there is much to write about. The first week of school went pretty well...no major issues. It is nice to have school started again but it will be even better when I actually have kids to teach. Right now I just go over to ring the bell and check on things every once in a while. Otherwise I don't have a ton that I need to be doing. I have been finishing up decorating my classroom. I finally finished doing that today and need to start working on getting things ready to teach when my kids get here in about 2 weeks. It is a small school this year, but it is still good. We have the teachers we need to at least cover all the classes. That is better than last year!

Tonight was dinner over at the Lucas'...it was fun to hang out with them for a while again and play games with them. Always a nice change from staring at the walls of my apartment. =) Tomorrow is usually the night I cook for the guys after soccer, but David's cousin and friend are visiting and so we are all going to go out to eat. It will be fun to hang out with the guys...and of course eat good food. (Not that mine wouldn't have been good, it is just better when someone else cooks it)

I am still adjusting to having people living with me again. It is interesting how all summer I pretty much was dreading having to live on my own. But then I had a few weeks of living alone and now that I have roommates again I am having to adjust back to roommate mode. I think I am having a harder time doing that than I did adjusting to living alone. But it looks like I won't have roommates for too much longer. The house is making great progress and will most likely be done in the next week or two. Then it will be time for me to adjust back to living alone. No wonder I haven't really felt myself the past couple of weeks...lots of changes in a very short time.

Well, another day of school tomorrow. I'm going to focus and hopefully get a lot done on my lesson plans. Here are a few pictures of my classroom and one of me...it has been a while I know! :~)

Finally!

2008-08-15T16:44:00.004-05:00

Well, I am finally able to upload the short video I took while my family was here. I am over at David and Kyle's house using their wonderful high-speed internet. It is great! So this video is of out landing in one of the SAM Air wheel planes. I think it is fun...so even if you don't like it...too bad! I will hopefully be able to upload some pictures too...but I might just do like before and put them on my picasa page.

Today I spent my morning cleaning and arranging my classroom. It was a lot of work and it was stinkin' hot...but I got it done. Now I just have to decorate...but I have almost a month before it will get used. So no hurry for decorating it. Tonight I get to watch a movie with the guys...it should be a good time. A nice way to end the week...hang out with some friends (even if they are guys) =and watch a movie.

Temporary roommates

2008-08-14T11:31:00.003-05:00

Hmmmm...school starts on Monday. I don't really feel ready to start school again...but it will be good. I feel a little more organized now that I know for sure what I am responsible for and have done most of the big things I needed to get done before classes start. Tomorrow I am going to get my classroom put together and get my apartment ready for my temporary roommates. Our new teacher and her daughter will be staying with me for a few weeks while they finish the construction on her house. They are making a lot of progress and will hopefully be done soon so she can get settled into her own place. But until then I will have two roommates, one of them being an 11 year old girl. =)

This past Tuesday I had David S., David L. and Kyle over for dinner. It was a lot of fun to actually cook a meal in my kitchen for more than just me. We had a good time hanging out and enjoying each other's company. Definitely better than hanging out by myself. ;~)

Still trying to get those other pictures and video uploaded. So difficult with dial-up...and very frustrating. Oh well, one of these days. Now I am going to enjoy the rest of my day and try to stay cool.

Family visit

2008-08-08T16:03:00.002-05:00

Well, I have finally uploaded some pictures from when my family was here. I decided to just upload them to Picasa since my connection isn't that great. So instead here is the link to the pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/christileber/FamilyVisit
Next week I hope to be able to upload a video of the landing from the flight we took with SAM Air while my family was here. I will also get some more pictures up next week that my parents took while they were here.

School starts in a little over a week. I have the class schedule done but we are still waiting for one of our teachers to get here. We were hoping she would get here next week but it doesn't look like that will be happening. Hopefully she will make it the week classes start. Until she gets here I will be trying to cover her classes. Should be intersting since I also have to cover classes for another teacher the first Tuesday of classes. Oh well, it will all work out...classes will be covered. Enjoy the pictures from my family's visit!

Alone time

2008-08-04T23:01:00.003-05:00

Well, I am almost completely unpacked now. I am slowly getting settled back into life here in my apartment. It has been pretty nice actually to not have a roommate. After living in a house with about 8 other people for 2 months, it is nice to have the place to myself and some alone time. But I know pretty soon that alone time will overwhelm me. But that is what nights like tonight are for. Tonight Christy, Rachel, David S., David L., Kyle and I all got together and had dinner and just hung out. It was so nice to be in a group of people my age and just sit and enjoy each other's company. I am glad to have these friends here and I am looking forward to more time hanging out with them. It was a nice break from my evenings of reading, watching a movie or unpacking. A time to just get out, away from my place and hang out with friends. God is so good!

Tomorrow I start working on the school schedule with Marilyn...hopefully it won't take us too long to figure out and all the classes will be covered. I am definitely glad that I will have two extra weeks to prepare my things for my class, I think I am going to need them. It seems like these Principal duties are going to consume this week and next week. Hopefully, I will have time at some point to work on trying to get pictures up on here. It might be a while...but eventually.

The joys of dial-up

2008-08-02T08:11:00.003-05:00

Well, I haven't posted anything this week because my phone line has been very tempermental. I have only been able to get online about once a day and usually late at night. I have pictures and videos from when my family is here that I would love to post, but it might take me a while. Things are a lot slower here in the jungle.

My family left yesterday...they are currently sitting in the Miami airport waiting for the last flight of their trip home. We had a good time, although the heat was a struggle for them. I am starting to finally get my things settled back into my apartment. Hopefully by Monday I will feel completely settled and then I can start focusing on school things. It is crazy to think that school starts in just over two weeks. Where has the time gone? I feel like I have missed so much being gone from Pucallpa for two months. It is nice to be back in the heat, humidity, and familiarity of life in Pucallpa. Although things have changed...not as many people to hang out with and those I do have to hang out with, don't like right next door anymore. Oh well, I am excited to see what is going to happen this year and how God is going to use me.

I will try my hardest to get pictures and a video up soon...we will see how well the internet behaves!

MY FAMILY IS HERE!

2008-07-26T23:26:00.002-05:00

MY FAMILY IS HERE!!!!! It is such a happy day...I finally get to see my family again after almost 9 months of being away from them. Tomorrow we head to Pucallpa...it will be nice to be back to my own place and show them around. It was sad to leave Arequipa and my "family" there...but it is nice to know that I will hopefully see them again next June. For now it is late and I am tired. But I just had to write that my family is here!

Last day of class

2008-07-24T17:19:00.003-05:00

Today was officially my last day of classes at the language school. Tomorrow we are all going on a field trip and so there are no classes. We had a little party at school today to say goodbye to the 4 of us leaving this week. It is crazy...half the school will be leaving after tomorrow. So during the party those of us leaving had to give a speech...so of course last night I was up late writing my speech. It wasn't very long...but at least I did it. =) They gave me a beautiful purse as a going away present and we had some good food. I was planning to take more pictures...but only took one. Oh well, I will remember without pictures.

This is Karen...she is one of the teachers at the institute and has become a good friend.

Tonight Christy, David, Marshall and I are going to see Batman...in spanish. We will see how much of it I actually understand. But I just couldn't pass up the chance to go to the movies one last time. I won't be able to go again until probably September when I am back in the U.S. for a visit. The rest of the weekend is a time of partying...field trip at school, lunch with the students, dinner out with the family and lunch Saturday with the family before I leave. I will get some pictures of me with the family before I leave and post them for you all to see. Saturday I fly to Lima and finally get to see my family again after almost 9 months. It will be great!

5 more days!

2008-07-21T21:57:00.003-05:00

WOW! I have 4 more days of classes! It is crazy, sad, and exciting all at the same time. It is going to be a busy week with trying to pack things up, say goodbyes, and work out details for once I get back to Pucallpa. Thankfully I have so awesome friends who are helping me out. So far I have figured out how my family and I are getting from the airport to my apartment and worked it out to have a least a little bit of food in the place when we get there. It is going to be so great to get back to nice, hot Pucallpa and see my friends again. Just a few more details about that week in Pucallpa to figure out and that will be set. I still have to do some shopping here this week, as well as trying to pack all my things back into the one suitcase I brought with me. I might have to buy another bag for my carry-on. =) Plus I am trying to get myself healthy again. I had a cold last week that I think has turned into bronchitis...never fun. So I started some meds today and will hopefully have kicked this before traveling to Lima and Pucallpa. I get to see my family in 5 days....I can't wait! Special thanks to Rosemary and David for helping me out with some of these crazy details!

One week

2008-07-18T21:29:00.002-05:00

It is crazy how quickly time flies. I only have one week left here in Arequipa. Part of me feels like I have been here for a long time already and another part feels like I just got here. A small part of me wishes I could stay longer so I can learn more, but the majority of me is ready to leave. I am very ready to get back to my life in Pucallpa. Cooking my own meals, sleeping in my own bed and enjoying the heat and humidity. Next Saturday is going to be a very exciting day...I will start my trip back to Pucallpa, but I will also be picking up my family in Lima! I am so excited to see them and show them where I live, work and serve our amazing God! Plus it will be Christmas in July with all the things they are bringing down for me. I am so thankful for them and for this opportunity for them to come down. And so this last week here in Arequipa is going to be busy, exciting and yet hard all at the same time. I have a lot to do in a week and of course like usual...I leave it until the last minute! I know it will get done and then I can move on to the next phase of my life. 7 MORE DAYS!!!!!

10 More Days!

2008-07-16T16:35:00.005-05:00

Yesterday the Doolittle family left. It was a sad day...they have been so much fun to hang out with. But I am so glad that I had the time to get to know them and I am looking forward to when I see them again. Sunday during our normal get together at their house we had a great time just hanging out, playing games and worshipping together. There was a large crowd of people there and it was a good way to say goodbye to the Doolittles. Christy, Marshall, David and I went to the airport to see the family off. It was good to see them one last time before they left and fun for them to have people there to see them off. Here are some pictures from Sunday night and from the airport.

Morgan, Stephen and Marshall

Sarah messing with me like usual!

3 of the Kooistra kids...Dean, Adrianna and Lauren

More Kooistra kids...

Cassie and David hanging out and talking.

David Kooistra with Judah

Cassie and me at the airport.

Cassie and Christy at the airport.

Cassie and her two Christi(y)s

In other news, I only have 10 more days until my family comes...which also means only 10 more days here in Arequipa. Then I finally head back to the jungle and the wonderful heat and humidity. Until then, I have homework to do so I can keep learning until I leave!

The canyon

2008-07-13T13:13:00.006-05:00

Well, I got back last night around 9 pm from our trip out to Colca Canyon. It was a great trip...although it could have been longer. We left Arequipa around 2pm on Friday and after stopping at many different places along the way, made it to Yanque around 7:30pm. After checking in we ate a yummy dinner of alapca in different forms. Some had a grilled steak while others had it mixed into different things. After dinner half of us decided to go try out the sauna...it was wonderful! It made me feel like I was back in Pucallpa. Nice and hot and very humid! A few of us really liked it...the others prefered the hot tubs. After we were all done in the sauna and hot tub, we gathered in our room with the guys to play cards. We played a game called "Up and Down the River" which is lots of fun and kept us busy until about midnight when we finally finished and decided it was time for bed.

The next morning we all got up and had breakfast between 8 and 8:30am. Most of the group wanted to go on a hike to see some pre-inca ruins and visit the hotsprings. Pam and I decided to stay back at the hotel and get massages. I am glad that I stayed because everyone said the trail was pretty rough in spots...I don't think I would have made it. Once everyone got back around 12:45pm we decided to quickly order lunch there at the hotel and take it with us in the bus to see the rest of the canyon. Well, the quick part didn't work out so well. We waited about an hour for our food and so got a late start on our drive out to the Cruz del Condor. Finally we got on our way out to see the condors. It is so amazing to drive through mountains and see all the beauty that God created. We got to the Cruz del Condor and only saw 4 condors...very far away. Oh well, if I ever go back I will have to remember to get up early in the morning and go see them when they fly farther up. Even still...it was amazing to see and I am very glad that I went. Our trip back was full of singing in the bus and some resting. It was a full day and definitely made for sleeping well in my bed here in Arequipa. You never really appreciate something like your bed until you are gone from it for a while. I have tons of pictures from the trip and so I decided to just make an album on Picasa and you all can go look at them there if you want to. Those of you who don't want to...you are missing some amazing pictures! http://picasaweb.google.com/christileber/ColcaCanyon02?authkey=cd67qxHtnDs

Arequipa friends

2008-07-10T18:24:00.002-05:00

The Doolittle family leaves on Tuesday...it is going to be a sad day. A huge chunk of the group I hang out with will be gone. But it has been a huge blessing to have known them and I am so glad they were able to be here during my time at language school. They are an awesome family and are going to be missed. Here are some pictures with them.

Cassie, me and Christy...the Tuesday morning coffee crew. I am going to miss that!
Anna, Morgan, Cassie, Pam, Jordan and Alden at our Sunday night game/prayer/singing/hanging out time!
Amanda, Marshall and Christy during the singing part of the night =)
Sarah...playing games while waiting for her class to start...great way to study Spanish.
Alden being a good boy and actually working on Spanish while waiting for classes to start.

Tomorrow there is a group of us who are going to Colca Canyon. I am excited to go and see it and have a weekend to hang out with my friends. We won't be there very long...but we are still going to have a blast! I am really looking forward to the hotsprings and the massage I am going to get at the hotel. Oh yeah and getting to see the condors. I'm sure I will post some great pictures when I get back.

Earthquake

2008-07-08T18:26:00.002-05:00

Well, early this morning I experienced my first earthquake. It was a 6.1 with the epicenter located 40 miles NNW of Arequipa. It was 4:13am and I was rudely awakend from a strange dream. At first I thought it was part of my dream but then quickly realized it wasn't. Once I was awake I started praying for God to protect me and everyone else. He answered my prayers and everyone was safe without any damage here. I knew before what I should do if there is an earthquake, but when you are awakened in the middle of the night...you don't think very clearly. So instead of getting out of bed and getting to a safe spot...I just layed there and prayed. The earthquake lasted about 15-20 seconds. I know that might not seem long to those of you who have never been in an earthquake...but it seems like a very long time when you are in the middle of it. Once the earthquake was over, I got out of bed and met up with the others in the hall so they would know I was ok. Then I tried to go back to sleep, which was a little difficult since by then I was wide awake! I am very thankful God kept us safe and pray that there won't be anymore. According to my family here, this is the strongest earthquake they have had here in Arequipa since 2001. How fun for me to be here and experience it.

In other news...tomorrow is a nation-wide strike in Peru. I get to leave for school nice and early just so I will be able to get there safely. We are all praying that it is a calm strike and that nothing horrible happens. I have also switched grammar classes as of today. I was doing my grammar with Christy and Marshall but today I got switched to being with another guy, Stephen. He and I are both leaving on July 25th and so they decided to put us together so we could speed up a little bit. It will be more challenging but really good for me too. Well, only 18 more days until I get to see my family!! I am very excited!

Changes

2008-07-06T13:52:00.002-05:00

I'm sure those of you who check this blog regularly are probably wondering why I keep on changing the colors and style of my blog...well, there really isn't a good reason besides the fact that I have time and high-speed internet. So while I still have both of those things available to me I am going to take advantage of them and mess with my blog until I really like it. So if you have an opinion on the colors or style of my blog...please let me know. I would love to hear your suggestions.

Moving on to more interesting things...this weekend I have had a great time! Yesterday was a busy but fun day. I went and watched my friends and some of the teachers play futbol (a.k.a soccer). It was a good game and fun to talk with the others just watching. Then I took advantage of my great internet and called and talked to my mom for a while. I am getting to so excited to see my family in just 20 days!!!!!! It will be so great to see them and spend a week with them in Pucallpa. Then Marshall and I met up with the Doolittle family for lunch before we all headed to drive go-karts. I have not driven a go-kart in a very long time...but it was so much fun! I had a blast hanging out with the Doolittles. Then Christy, David L., Marshall and I watched The Bourne Supremecy. It was a fun time and also good for our spanish. We watched it in spanish with english subtitles...always fun. Then we kind of decided to keep going and watch The Bourne Ultimatim....I didn't last very long. I pretty much slept through the first hour and then Marshall and I decided it was time to head home. So it was a great day full of fun and hanging out with friends. Tonight is one of the last Sunday nights with the Doolittles and so we are headed to their house to hang out, play games, eat food and sing some worship songs. I am looking forward to it!

4th of July Peruvian style

2008-07-04T16:59:00.002-05:00

Well, today is the 4th of July and I wasn't really sure how I was going to celebrate it down here. I didn't really care if I did anything to celebrate. But I have gotten to celebrate the holiday Peruvian style. I went to classes this morning and found out that we were going to celebrate teacher's day. There was a cake and flowers for the teachers at school and we had a good time celebrating all they do for us before my first class. Because of the party my grammar class was shorter than usual...it was nice and I was glad for the shorter time. Then during the break between my grammar and practica class we had a party for a family that was leaving. These are always fun and of course there was more cake. So we were eating the cake for that when we then get told that we were going to have hamburgers and hotdogs in celebration of the 4th of July. So instead of having my practica class I got to hang out with the teachers and the other students at the school. It was a great way to celebrate the 4th. It was really nice of the school to have a celebration for us Americans at the school. It was definitely different than grilling out back in the U.S. but it was a good time! And now a group of us are going to the movies and then there is another 4th of July party with some other Americans that we are going to. In all, it has been a great day and I even got to celebrate the 4th.

God's faithfulness

2008-06-30T23:00:00.002-05:00

It is always so encouraging to talk to my friends. They each have a certain way of reaching into my life and encouraging me in a way others can't. Tonight I chatted with one of my friends from Appleton online and it was so great to hear what she is learning in her life and to be able to share with her what I am learning in mine. It always amazes me how God places just the right people in my life at the right time. There are usually at least one or two of my friends who are learning the same lessons I am and so we can encourage each other through them. What am I learning right now? Trust and patience...two lessons that just don't seem to sink in for me and so God has to repeat them pretty often. I am so thankful that I serve a God who is faithful and trustworthy. If I have to learn to be patient and trust...than I am going to work my hardest to learn that. And I will continue to pray that I will remember all the great things God has done in my life. He is completely trustworthy and faithful to act at the right time. It might not always seem right to us...but it is ALWAYS right to God.

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Monasterio De Santa Catalina

2008-06-26T21:38:00.009-05:00

WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS MANY PICTURES AND NOT A LOT OF WRITING!

Me playing with my camera and interesting shots.
Christy and one of the many stairways to nowhere!
These stairs were a little dangerous since it was dark!I think my camera lens is a little dirty!
This sign is posted right by stairs up to a roof...good warning (click the picture to read the sign).
Christy climbing the dangerous stairs.
Christy with Arequipa behind her!
Got to get a picture of me with Arequipa.
Me heading down the dangerous stairs!

Some cool pillars
Just for my mom...a picture of me at a place I am visiting...amazing!!!
Beautiful arches lit up at night.
The lights on part of the church.
I love the color and lighting here...

Christy being silent...
Some great arches...I love the architecture there.
Another arch and some great lighting.
Another picture of me...you really should be impressed by now. =)
One of the many lanterns lighting up the convent at night.

Well, like I said...many pictures and not much writing. Christy and I went to see the convent at night...it was definitely worth it. We had a great time and I think we were the only ones there! Sorry if this post is a little boring...but too bad! I think it is pretty interesting.

2008-06-23T18:53:00.004-05:00

I have come to really enjoy my weekends. They are a nice break from classes and yet I still do use some of my spanish. This weekend I spent a lot of time with friends just hanging out and enjoying the fun things of this beautiful city. Friday night I finished my homework and then Christy, David, Cassie and I all went back to Christy and David's house to watch a movie. It was nice to just chill and watch a movie with friends. Then Saturday a bunch of us met up for lunch and had some great Turkish food since the Mexican place wasn't open yet. Then Christy, Marshall, David and I went to "Siglo XX" to do some shopping. I wasn't actually looking for anything but ended up buying some slippers to keep my feet nice and warm while I am here in Arequipa. We ended up running into some other missionaries and talked with them for at least an hour. It was fun to get to know them and of course like with most missionaries, find little connections between us. Then Saturday night Christy and David came over and we played cards for a while. It is always fun hanging out with them and it is nice to build friendships now since we will all be in Pucallpa sooner or later. Then of course Sunday was church and after church....watching futbol (soccer) during lunch. I think I am slowly learning to enjoy watching futbol, which is good if I am going to live in Peru...it is very popular here. =) Then there was the weekly get together at the Doolittle's house. It is always fun to go over there, play games with everyone, sing American worship songs together and have some time praying for each other. It was a good weekend and I was able to get some more pictures of the mountains/volcanoes. The view from the roof of our house is great and I think I might have to spend some more time up there.

A little better view of Misti.

This is a picture of Chachani.

A view of the street from our roof...such a great view.

A view in the other direction of the street from the roof.

So far this week (the one day so far) has gone much better than last week. I feel like I am slowly able to make more connections between what I know in my head and what comes out of my mouth. Hopefully, things will continue to connect and I will be able to express myself more clearly in spanish. Ahora, yo voy a estudiar mis verbos! (Now, I am going to study my verbs) Chau!

2008-06-19T22:28:00.003-05:00

WOW! What a week...I am not completely sure as to why this week has been so bad for me. But, it has been really rough. Things have not gone very well in my practica class...although I think if you asked my teacher he would say differently. I have felt very frustrated because the things I want to say just won't come out the correct way. There is a block between my brain and my mouth right now! Today in class I had to stop myself from crying...I just got so frustrated because I knew how to answer the question in english but couldn't get it into spanish.

I think another thing that has added to my week is that my arthritis is finally starting to act up again. It took it three weeks, but I am starting to hurt more. And of course when I don't feel good...I am usually not in a good mood. All of this on top of missing Pucallpa (yes, I miss Pucallpa)...I think I am having a little bit of culture shock. The good thing is that tomorrow is Friday...the weekend will be here...and God is in control no matter what. So He will get me through this time. I just have to keep working at it.

So tonight Marshall, Christy, David (from language school), myself and the Doolittles all went out to celebrate Cassie's birthday. It was a fun time of hanging out and playing games. I am so glad to have other people to hang out with and to play lots of fun games with. So here are a few pictures from tonight.

Cassie (The Birthday Girl), David and Sarah

Marshall and Pam talking...caught by surprise.

Me, Aldan, Christy and Amanda

Sarah and Dan (Dr. Doolittle)

A picture of the monastary from the roof of the restaurant

Well, I guess I should finish my homework for class tomorrow...anyone want to do it for me?

Combi ride

2008-06-17T14:28:00.002-05:00

This morning Christy and I left for school early so we could go get coffee with Cassie before classes. So we left a little after 8am and caught a combi to school. When we got on the combi every seat was full but we were the only one standing. Shortly after getting on we were able to get seats when some people got off. So we were sitting there and at first our driver was driving pretty nicely for a combi. We weren't going too fast or too crazy. About halfway through our ride our combi stops behind another combi for the same route. I looked and noticed that the other combi was pretty empty.

All of a sudden our driver starts to go crazy. He started to drive a lot faster and was trying to get in front of the other combi. Christy and I sat there and just started laughing because it was funny to us that they were trying to race. The further we went the more our driver got upset and drove crazier. Our combi was practically empty because the one in front of us was getting all the passengers. So we are sitting there trying to pay attention so we don't miss our corner and we notice that our driver was not wanting to stop at all. There were many people who wanted to get off and had to yell at the driver to make him stop for them. There was one lady who started chewing the driver out because he wasn't going to stop for her. Christy also told me that she saw people waving down our combi and our driver just drove right past them and didn't stop. It was really funny!

Then it was time for us to get off the combi. We said we wanted to get off at the next corner and just as we said that we stop because of traffic. So we decided to just off there since we were stopped. So Christy goes to stand up and just as she stands up our driver starts going again. She got flung across the way and almost landed in the lap of the guy sitting across from us. Thankfully she didn't get hurt and we were able to get off of the combi where we were supposed to. The rest of our walk to school Christy and I could not stop laughing. It is always an adventure when you take public transportation in another country!

2008-06-16T15:15:00.003-05:00

Well, this weekend was really nice. I didn't have a ton to do for homework, which is always nice on the weekend. Saturday I worked on homework in the morning, then we had a parrillada (BBQ) at our house for some friends that are leaving to go back to Canada. It was fun to have everyone over and enjoy the good food and company.

Litos (Juan Carlos) and Pedro...my hermano and papa in Arequipa...grilling the wonderful food!

My friend Christy standing in the backyard of my house...it is a very nice house...although it does get pretty cold!

Yay! A picture with me in it...I know it is pretty amazing!

After the wonderful parrillada, I talked to my mom on the phone for a while and then headed downtown to my favorite coffee shop. I meet Christy and Cassie there and we hung out there for a little while.

Christy working on her computer at the coffee shop...got to love the free wireless internet.

After the coffee shop, Christy and I headed to the "mall" to find some jeans for me. It was definitely an adventure since I have no clue as to what size I am here in Peru. But it turned out well, with Christy's help I was able to find a pair of jeans that actually fit me and that were reasonably priced. We were then supposed to meet friends for a movie but it turned out the times we had for the movie were wrong. So we ended up sitting around the food court for a while. The others decided they still wanted to see the movie and so they stuck around to watch the movie later and I came home and called one of my good friends. It was nice to talk to her for a while and just catch up. I really am enjoying having high-speed internet here in Arequipa. It makes life a little easier.

This is an attempt to get a picture of the volcano Misti...but it is a little hard to get a decent picture in a moving car. I will try to get a better one soon.

Sunday was Father's day and so after church we had a special meal. It was nice to hang out with other people from church, however after trying to follow a conversation for almost 40 minutes in spanish...my brain was a little fried. So I came home and took a nap before Marshall and I headed over to the Doolittle's for a fun evening of games, food, worship and prayer. It was great to spend time with others from school and not have to talk in spanish. It was a great weekend! I am very thankful for the friends I have made here already and the opportunities to hang out with them. Like right now...off I go to my favorite coffee shop to study verbs!!!

2008-06-13T17:59:00.002-05:00

Well, two weeks of language school are behind me. It has been a crazy two weeks with me coming and going...but they have been good too. I am learning a lot and looking forward to learning even more as the weeks go on. Last night Marshall and I sat and made flashcards for all of our irregular verbs...we have at least 200 cards. It is crazy how many different verbs I have to learn the meaning to and learn how to conjugate them. But I guess it is good...I am expanding my vocabulary! However it is a little annoying when you have 2 or 3 different words for the same thing and they all get used regularly. Ah the joys of another language!

Tonight I think is going to be a relaxing night...I have been tired all day and will benefit from staying home. I might work on homework, but will probably save it for tomorrow. My brain is too tired to think in Spanish tonight. It is amazing how quickly things can change in this house. Last week I was the only student staying here with the family. I came back from Lima on Tuesday and all of a sudden there were three guys staying here too. And now we are back down to just me and Marshall. It is crazy how fast and often things change around me...it is helping me to learn to be more flexible. =) David and Ed left this afternoon to head back to Lima. Ed, I believe, flies out of Lima tonight. It was fun to get to know him after hearing about him from David. I hope to see him again some day and meet his wife too, it sounds like we would have some things in common. Anyway, that has all added to the craziness of my week...but I guess it has been good craziness. But I think it is also what has made me so tired today. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better and be able to have fun hanging out with people.

Some random pictures

2008-06-11T17:47:00.005-05:00

Ed, David, Marshall and Cassie...they are fun to hang out with!!
Me, David, Marshall and Cassie...look at how short I am!

Here is a picture of my long awaited carnet!!! Yay!!!
Chris and I at the airport just before I left again for Arequipa. Very sad that he left =(
Picture of the mountains on the way back to Arequipa.
More mountains....so pretty!
The clouds that remind me of snow.

Sunset behind the mountains....plus the wing...how cool!

Friends going and friends coming

2008-06-10T22:06:00.003-05:00

Well, today I got back to Arequipa. It is good to be back....I know it is where I need to be. Chris and I hung out today before I left. It was a bittersweet time since I knew it would be the last time I would see him here in Peru. I still don't think it has hit me yet that he and Kelly won't be in Pucallpa when I get back. I am still fully expecting them to be there when I go back at the end of July. Right now it just feels like we are all on vacation...so weird.

So coming back to Arequipa has been better than last week. I feel much better than last week...last week I had a headache and wasn't very hungry because of the altitude. But thankfully, I only had a slight headache tonight and should feel mostly normal tomorrow. It has been nice already to have someone else here at the house. Marshall is staying here too and it will be nice to have someone right here to hang out with. Tomorrow it is back to classes and homework...always a fun time. I think I will have a ton of homework tomorrow since I missed two days of classes. I will probably spend my whole afternoon and evening doing homework, with maybe a little bit of time to hang out with Marshall, David and Ed. We will have to wait and see exactly how much homework I have to catch up on.

Yipee!

2008-06-09T15:48:00.002-05:00

So this morning Chris and I headed to "Migraciones" to finish up my paperwork for my carnet. We got there about 8:05 and called the CONEP office to see where we were supposed to meet the guy. So they told us were to go and we only had to wait about 10 minutes before he showed up. So I watched them put information into the computer, got my picture taken, had my fingerprints taken digitally (which was really nice and should be the only way to do fingerprints), and then waited for at least an hour. But by 10:30 I had my carnet in my hand and way free to go! I am so thankful that everything was able to be done today and that I didn't have to wait any longer for my carnet. Thank you to all of you who have been praying about this with me. Please know that I greatly appreciate your prayers.

So after all of that was done, we came back to the guest house and got to see Marshall, David and Ed before they left to head to Arequipa. It was good to see Marshall and catch up with him a bit before we both get busy with language school. Chris and I then went and did some shopping and I decided that I wanted to buy a book in Spanish to help me understand more...so I bought The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The Magician's Nephew. I figured they are books that I know well enough in English that I shouldn't have too hard of a time reading them in Spanish...I guess we will have to wait and see.

Back to Lima

2008-06-08T23:02:00.002-05:00

Well, today I flew back to Lima...so much fun. I am praying that I will get all my paperwork done before I leave again on Tuesday. But at least for now I am having a pretty good time. David and his cousin, Ed, got into Lima about an hour after I did. So I waited for them at the airport and we came to the guest house. After dropping our stuff off and talking for a bit we headed out for dinner. It was good food and fun company. It is nice to be around someone I already know...there is just a huge difference between hanging out with someone you already know and hanging out with someone you are just starting to know. Plus they aren't making me speak Spanish which is a nice break. =)

So I am not entirely sure I will be able to get everything done tomorrow like I had hoped. It sounds like the guy that is supposed to be helping me finish this all up seemed to think that he was meeting me on Tuesday instead of Monday morning. But Chris and I are going to go anyway and hopefully be able to get things done. But if not, at least I have Tuesday morning still to do things. I am very thankful John suggested that I stay Monday night just in case. So I guess we will see how things work out tomorrow and pray they actually get done. I would just love to have all my carnet paperwork done, that way when I come back to Lima at the end of July my carnet can be done and waiting for me. We will just have to wait and see.

Huge step!

2008-06-05T15:43:00.002-05:00

So today was my second day of classes and my second day taking the combi. Christy went with me again this morning on the combi, which was nice because it helped me feel a little more confident about where I was going. By the time I was done with classes I felt comfortable enough to take the combi by myself...but I didn't have to. However, I now know that I feel comfortable enough to take the combi by myself to and from school. Now taking it other places...not yet. But little by little I will get there. Second day of school and plenty of homework to do already. But I might take a nap first...we will see. Thinking in spanish all day really wears me out! I am very thankful for the time when I get to speak english...it is nice. I don't have to think about what people are saying to me and how I need to respond. One of these days I hope to be close to that level in my spanish. Until then...I will take naps!

New friend and spanish...

2008-06-04T20:49:00.002-05:00

Well, today was my first full day of language school. I think it went pretty well. Some of it was hard and some of it was easy. I think I will definitely learn a lot during my time here. I have made a new friend already...her name is Christy. She is my classmate for grammar. She was the lucky one to show me the route on the combi and we have already started studying together. It is nice to have someone already to hang out with and get to know the city with. Having Christy to hang out with should be a big help for me. For the most part, the areas where I know I really struggle, she seems to be better in. And the areas I am a little better in, I can help her out. Besides the Kooistras, there is one other person here that I have met already. It is nice to at least see a face that I recognize. Plus Marshall will be coming soon and that will be another person I know already. God is definitely working here and helping me to feel a little more comfortable. Now if it would only not be so cold here... oh well, I guess I can't have everything.

As far as my carnet stuff, I will be heading back to Lima this Sunday and staying there until Tuesday afternoon. I should get everything else done during that time and have my carnet ready to be picked up when I am done here in Arequipa. Sadly, this means I have to miss two days of classes, but there isn't much I can do about that. Well, time to finish my homework and then hop in bed to stay warm!

Paperwork in Peru

2008-06-02T16:30:00.002-05:00

So today has reconfirmed the fact that I hate doing paperwork in general, but I especially hate it in Peru. Today Chris and I went to take care of my paperwork to get my carnet (Peruvian ID). I was told to be at the CONEP office at 8am to meet the guy who was going to help us with everything. I was also told that I should be able to get everything done in one day. So of course I already bought my ticket to go to Arequipa and left myself only one day to do all this paperwork.

Chris and I arrive at the office a little after 8 and the guy we are supposed to be meeting isn't there. So we call him and he says to meet him there at 10am. Of course that means we have about a two hour wait and we are about 20-25 minutes away from the guest house. So we decided to just hang out around the area and maybe try to find some place to have coffee while we wait. Well, we didn't find a coffee place so we ended up just sitting in a park and talking...in the chilly gray morning.Finally we go back to CONEP and the guy is there. I sign some papers, pay some money and then we take off. He took us to a bank to pay something else and then we had to head to the Interpol office for me to be finger printed and have a dental record taken. After we were done at Interpol the guy with us said we were done and that I would need to come back in week to finish up. I couldn't believe it! I had not planned on having to come back and do more stuff...I was planning on it all being done today. So now I have to figure out when I can come back and finish up everything that I need to do. I have to try and work it out to when there is someone around who can go with me to help translate...so that is my job this afternoon...find a day to come back and find someone to go with me. I am praying that everything will work out smoothly and that it won't take too many days away from language study. I will keep y'all posted on what is happening.

Funny friends

2008-06-01T21:23:00.002-05:00

So today I traveled to Lima with Chris. It was hard to say good-bye to Kelly when I left Pucallpa...I am really going to miss having her as my roomie. So we got to Lima without any problems and we got a taxi to take us to the guest house. Chris and I were sitting in the taxi on the way out of the airport and he noticed that it was a really nice taxi...it even had power windows. So what does Chris do? He sat there and played with the power window button making the window go up and down just because he hadn't seen power windows in such a long time.

Chris, Emily and I then went out to TGI Fridays for supper. It was a lot of fun and the food was really good. We had a blast in general but there were a few really funny parts. One of them was after we were done eating. I went to use the restroom and when I came back I just had to tell them how nice I thought the sinks in the bathroom were. Well, when I said that Chris was very interested and thought it was cool that I thought the sinks were nice. Emily on the other hand just starts busting up laughing. Now of course I started laughing just because I realized that I was impressed with the sinks in a bathroom...you know I have been in Pucallpa too long if I am impressed with bathroom sinks. But then Emily stops and clarified what I actually said and when I tell her, she laughs even more. Apparently both of them thought I said the bathroom has really nice seats instead of sinks! Of course that does make it even funnier because why would I comment about the seats in a bathroom?!? Oh man...I love my friends and I am really going to miss them when they leave. Here are a few pictures from our night in Lima.

The last day...

2008-05-30T21:25:00.002-05:00

Well, today was the last day of school. It was a good day! I only had two kids for most of the day and so we did some fun games, including volleyball with the world. It was a good way to spend the last day with these kids since they won't be back in August. Then at noon we had our graduation ceremony for the eighth-graders. It was a great ceremony and a nice time to say good-bye to some of the people leaving. There were a few tears, which I was told tonight is healthy...for women, and there was a lot of signing of yearbooks. The high-schoolers did a great job on the yearbook. They dedicated it to Kelly since she is leaving after 3 years of working at the school. They also made her this awesome t-shirt that says I love SAM Academy on the front and then lists all the things she did at the school. It is a great shirt and I know she likes it a lot. It was really hard to say good-bye to one of my 5th graders today. Her family is heading back to the states this summer and I most likely won't see them before they leave. She had a hard time saying good-bye to me and I had an equally hard time saying it back to her. That is one of the hardest parts of being a teacher...having to say good-bye to the kids. They are so sweet and become a huge part of your life and then you have to say good-bye. Thankfully, as Christians, good-bye isn't forever...we will see each other again some day. And it is nice to know that I had an impact on these kids during my short time with them.

I am almost done packing up my room...it is crazy to think I am leaving on Sunday. At least I know I will be back in 2 months. It is going to be a difficult time away...but a good time too. I know I will learn a lot and will come back appreciating Pucallpa even more. Some people here might think it strange that I love Pucallpa so much...but I don't think it is strange. I know that it is God's love for Pucallpa filling me. Without God's love for Pucallpa...I would not be here.

Class party

2008-05-29T11:02:00.002-05:00

Today was the elementary class party! We watched "Bee Movie" and had yummy popcorn, cookies and popcicles. It was a great way to end the school year. The kids have been awesome this year and I am really going to miss them. The only one that will be back next year is Alexis...the others are going back to the States and Germany.
My wonderful elementary class...Paul, Oliver, Alexis and Bethany. They are great kids!

So goofy...that is what makes them so great!
This is a wooden sloth that Bethany gave me as an end of the year present. It is so cute and I can't wait to find a place to hang it up. I am really going to miss this class...I'm sure I will always remember them. But then again, don't teachers always remember their first class? God has greatly blessed me this year!

Field Day

2008-05-27T19:42:00.002-05:00

Today was field day at school. It was a great time! The kids all did a great job competing. It is always a little tricky to do field day with a really small school, but it works out. The kids competed by their grade level, which made for some interesting competitions. There is only one boy in the high school and so he didn't have anyone to compete against...but he still tried his hardest to break some records. The elementary kids did great and broke some of the elementary records. Middle school did great too...they also broke some of the records. In all it was a fun day and I know the kids were glad to only have half a day.

Tomorrow is another full day of school and there isn't much left to do. The kids and I are going to wash out the desks and shelves. Then we will most likely play some games and just enjoy the last few days of school. I leave on Sunday for Lima and still haven't started to pack. I guess I am just not all that motivated to pack up my stuff for the summer. I'm sure I will start soon enough...maybe Thursday or Friday. At least I am only taking one suitcase with me to Arequipa...that will make this a little easier. The rest of my stuff I just have to pack to store in our cool room for the 2 months I am gone.

Anyway, I have been enjoying some relaxing free time. Last night I sat and talked with David about friends from Moody for about an hour. It was really nice to sit and talk about college days again. Today I enjoyed a nap in my hammock and I am now watching a movie while working on a game for prayer meeting tomorrow night. Ahh...the joys of procrastination!

Cookout

2008-05-24T11:09:00.003-05:00

Last night we had an awesome SAM Center cookout! It was a ton of fun and the food was great. Chris provided most of the meat, David grilled it, and everyone else brought dessert or side dishes. It was a lot of fun to get together one more time with just the people here at SAM Center before Kelly and Chris leave. After dinner some of us hung out and played games. We played some fun new games and had a great time. I think my favorite was visual telephone. You start by writing something like, boy with a hat. The next person has to draw a picture of what you wrote. Then it is passed to the next person and they have to write what they think the picture is. It goes on like that until it gets back to you...it is pretty funny to see what people draw and write and see how close the end one is to what was originally written.

Anyway, grades are done and it is so nice to not have to grade papers today. It is crazy to think that there is only one week of school left. And it isn't even a hard week...we will just be cleaning, having a party and getting everything closed down for the summer. And then I head to Arequipa. It is crazy!! So this week I get to pack and move stuff around in my apartment so that the summer team that is here while I am gone can use my place to stay in. Well, the rest of my day is going to be pretty relaxed and probably spent mostly in my hammock. Got to love the weekends!

Life

2008-05-22T10:57:00.002-05:00

Becoming a missionary I knew I would have to face a lot of changes in my life. People are always coming and going from the mission field and if I stay long enough I am going to see a lot of people come and go. This week life has really hit me hard. Everything is going to be changing in a week and a half. Pretty much as soon as I leave for language school, nothing will be the same. Kelly, Chris and Emily are all leaving. I will be in Arequipa for 2 months. David is moving. Kyle is coming to Pucallpa. My family is coming to visit. I will most likely be living alone this fall. There are just so many changes that are happening in such a short time. I hate thinking about how when I come back from Arequipa everything will be different and I am not going to have a ton of time to get used to it before I have to start school again. Part of me feels lonely already thinking about how a big chunk of my single friends here are leaving. I've never lived alone and I am not too sure that it is going to be good for me. I mean, yeah I am going to learn a lot through it...but I am so used to having some one here to talk to. I might end up talking to the geckos!

Sometimes I just wish things didn't hit me all at once. I have know for a long time now that things would change this summer, but none of it actually hit me until yesterday. Life is crazy...but I guess that is what makes it fun and what helps you learn. God has a purpose for this season in my life...I just kind of wish I knew what it was.

Flexibility

2008-05-20T21:44:00.002-05:00

Now I know being a missionary you are supposed to be flexible...but as a teacher sometimes it is hard to be as flexible as everyone would like you to be. Today I had to be extremely flexible because someone didn't communicate things to me when they should have. Let's just say it made for a stressful morning and a very busy night. But now I think it is all done until Friday when I will have another busy night finishing up grades. It isn't until you are faced with certain situations that need a lot of flexibility that you realize how non-flexible you really are. Thankfully, God has been good and is giving me time to learn even more how to be flexible down here.

Tonight I have spent about 3 1/2 hours in the library at school trying to get things together for one of my students and work on my grades. I thought that I would be spending the evening alone in the library...but thankfully I didn't have to. David has been over here keeping me company while working on some things. It is always nice to have someone to hang out with even if it is just to have another person's presence in the room. I am finally done with everything for the night and so I am going to head home.

The fire

2008-05-19T12:45:00.002-05:00

So today was an exciting day at school. I was sitting in class when I heard this really loud cracking noise. I look out the back window of my classroom and I noticed that the property nextdoor to us was on fire. I also saw a person over there setting the fire. I knew they were burning their land to clear it and didn't think too much else about it. A little while later I saw some of the middle schoolers out there with Chris and Rosemary. It looked like they were just trying to wet down the grass and the fence to prevent them from catching fire. I figured they had enough help and kept working. A little while later I look out and the fire is right at the fence and starting to spread. The high schoolers had already joined the water chain and my kids and I went out to help. Thankfully we were able to get the fire out before it burned our fence and did some serious damage. If it wasn't for the awesome kids here and their hard work to put out the fire...the school could have caught fire. Our crazy neighbors thought it would be a good idea to clear their land by burning it...but I guess they either didn't think or didn't care that it would spread to the neighboring property. That's ok, it made for an interesting day and taught the kids how to work together to get the water to the fire the fastest.

Two weeks

2008-05-18T19:32:00.002-05:00

Wow! I can't believe that in two weeks I will be in Lima on my way to language school in Arequipa. It is crazy to think that I have been here long enough to have already finished one school year at SAM Academy. I feel like time has just flown by. I was talking to David tonight about Arequipa and how I am slowly starting to look forward to going there. And he then tells me two things...number one: "You are going to freeze there" and number two "You are going to have culture shock." That just makes me feel so wonderful and really look forward to going there. =) That is ok...I actually pretty much already figured out those two things. I mean I am going from the jungle where the average temperature is 80s to the mountains (in the winter time). I am definitely going to freeze since I was totally made for the hot weather. And I figured I would have culture shock going to Arequipa since I haven't had any here in the jungle. It is going to be really hard to go back to a city where I actually have choices in the things I do and buy. But I know it will be a good time for me. I will have plenty of time to focus on improving my spanish and I will be able to build more friendships here in Peru. God is so great and everyday He slowly increases my excitement for lanuage school and Arequipa. If you think of it over the next two months...please pray for me while I am in this new situation and have to adjust to all the changes that are happening to me all at the same time. Thanks!