Visiting friends, Noah pics continued

A couple weeks ago, we had the great privilege of hosting some wonderful friends, our first overnight visitors here. David (far right) was returning to Arequipa for more language study after flight training in the States, and of course had to come through Lima, so he stayed a couple nights. During the same time, our dear friend (and Laura's college roommate) Jess arrived! Admittedly, she was mostly here to see her boyfriend Seth - with whom we also studied Spanish, and who is now working in the mountains. It was so much fun to see them all, and we only wished they could have stayed longer.

In other news, Laura says that the pictures I posted didn't show enough of Noah's winning smile, so here's a couple more just for fun. His talking has really increased in the last couple weeks, and he picks up a new word or two every day now.

Latest Noah Pictures

It's been a while since we posted anything about our little stud, and he's changing so much!

We got him a little table and chairs

His favorite frog boots

He likes wearing my headlamp

With his good friend Moises at Sunday School

Thanksgiving

Almost a week late, our Thanksgiving post!

It may be the strangest major holiday to celebrate here because there's no sign of it anywhere. We had a wonderful day, though, at the Berrys' house with our team. We also joined with some other MTW missionaries in Lima, and had about 20 people in all. Everyone brought a dish or two, and it was a feast!

Noah and Moises certainly had a great time together

After dinner, we had a beautiful time singing hymns together and sharing things we are thankful for.

Here's the whole group!

Pictures

Apparently there has been a high demand for pictures of our apartment, so it's time we gave a little tour. We really couldn't be any happier with it, and actually feel a bit spoiled.

First, as you walk into the apartment, you come to our kitchen.

It actually came with cabinets! That is the washing machine in the foreground; having them in the kitchen is normal here.

This is the "dining room" part of the living room/dining room. On the right is a little house that Laura made out of the refrigerator box. Noah loves it!

And this is the other side, with the couch from our friends down the road. I think it's possibly the most comfortable couch we've ever had.

Our little office/extra bedroom.

And finally, Noah loves his new room. He's still sleeping in the port-a-crib, but may graduate to the real bed in the near future.

Now, I think one of the coolest things about our apartment is the roof. It would be the 5th floor, which means it has great views. So to finish off this initial tour, here's a bit of Salamanca from our building.

Online

It has been quite a process, but we feel pretty well settled into our new home. We now have internet and phone - vonage too, so our 703 number is still good. Wow! Feeling very thankful for this place that we have. It is a 3rd-floor apartment with three bedrooms (extra one so you can all come visit!), and if it isn't new, it hasn't been lived in much. We really feel quite spoiled here. The process has been long because when one moves out of a house or apt here, they take everything - stove, fridge, up to the lightbulbs, sometimes even toilets. So we have had to start from scratch (thankfully there were toilets). Some things purchased, some graciously given or loaned, some crafted at one of Lima's most humble and well-known merchant areas (see upcoming blog); we would have been very lost without the cheerful help of many new Peruvian friends. Today a couple folks came over to help paint, and we all enjoyed lunch afterward. Goodness, there is so much to say! Now that we have the connection here, we will catch you up on everything. Thank you again for reading faithfully, and for your prayers.

Moving In

We're still getting everything moved in, and don't have any kind of phone or internet access, which is why you haven't heard from us. Again, this has to be a short entry, but thank you for all your prayers. It has gone relatively well, and Noah is getting used to his new room. We're definitely enjoying learning about Salamanca, and it was beautiful to get to walk to church and worship this morning with all our new friends. Once we have internet, we'll be able to write more and include pictures. Chau!

Apartment!

Praise the Lord, we finally have an apartment in Salamanca! We've been absent from the blogosphere for a while, as we have been searching and preparing. But just this week, though a story we'll have to explain another time, we got a place! The contract was signed this morning, and tomorrow morning (Friday) we start moving in. Our landlady is very nice, and the apartment is actually new. Pictures will come eventually. After so much transition time, it is very exciting to think of staying in one place for a long time, especially right where we wanted to be, walking distance from the church, the market, and most of our new friends. Thank you for praying!