That couldn't be.....??

Would you believe they actually show American Idol here? Yes, all the drama, with Spanish subtitles, comes right to our living room, though a week late each time, and I love it. We admit (with only a little shame) to being fans, mostly because there really are some talented people performing. But this year, I was in for a huge surprise. Watching the run-up to the final 24 last week, I could not believe my eyes as they announced a young blond kid from Staunton, VA named Colton Berry. When I was a student teacher at Stuarts Draft Middle School, exactly 5 years ago, Colton was in my class!! His voice was excellent back then, very mature for the goofy 13-year-old that he was. He even gave me a little demo he made of a country song. I remember thinking that he was a really nice guy, and that he had such potential to be a great singer (of course, as an educator, I believe that about ALL my students!). But who knew? There he was, singing for Simon, Randy, Paula, and millions more on TV! Naturally, because of the role that those crucial six weeks played in his vocal development, I take full credit for his success. :)

Unfortunately, he was voted off last week, but it was still incredible to see this kid who I briefly taught make it so far! Congratulations Colton!


P.S. With Colton gone, the one to watch now is another young lad named David Archuleta.

And the video....

Thanks for coming, Mom!

Time with "Gwama" - Part II

Friday was a work day for Michael and so Noah and I showed Grandma around at the market and our local parks. We picked up the ingredients we needed to make "Carapulcra" - apparently an old Incan dish. Elita gave us a cooking lesson on how to make it. Then Michael came home and we enjoyed it for lunch. After naptime (for everybody except Michael), we made some Valentine's cookies to bring with us to Reina de la Paz the next morning. Noah had fun helping with sprinking on the sugar with Grandma. The three of us then went to "San Antonio's" a classic Peruvian deli franchise here in Lima, for their tasty empanadas. Following dinner, we showed grandma how Noah gets to ride in the car shopping carts at "Wong," Lima's equivalent to "Fresh Fields." She wanted to bring back some special cookies they sell there.

On Saturday, Mom came with me to Reina de la Paz, and got to meet the girls and their babies there. She also was a big help, as we were missing some of our team, playing with eight of the children so their mommies could participate easier in the small group time. It was busy, and the two of us sang our repertoire of American children's songs once I ran out of my short list of Spanish ones. They didn't seem to complain. (c: We ended with a little Valentines party for everybody with heart cookies and "Shirley Temples."

That afternoon, we had a special treat. We visited the family of Alicia Sanchez, a good friend of Mom and Dad's at home. Her father and youngest sister came to pick us up and we taxied to their home in San Juan de Miraflores. We met her whole family! Her mother cooked a feast for us and we just got to know them a bit. Now we can see where Alicia gets her sweet disposition.

We got back in time to go to the youth group meeting that night which was actually a talent show, dedicated to Becca Benett, our teammate, who just left us yesterday to go home. Noah was so tired though, that we came home early and put him to bed.

Sunday, Mom came with us to church and got to see what everything was like; sunday school, the service, and children's church. We rested in the afternoon before going out to Barranco that night to visit the plaza and then walk down the "Bajada de baños" to the beach around sunset. It was gorgeous! Just down the beach a ways, we had dinner at "La Rosa Nautica," a restaurant with it's own pier over the water, specializing in seafood. Noah really enjoyed looking out the window and seeing all the waves roll right under us. It was delicious and a really special treat to end our time together.

Monday, we took grandma to the airport and shared lunch together before her flight. It was hard to say good-bye again, but we'll be home in August for Matthew and Kerry's wedding, so there's lots to look forward to!

Time with Grandma - Part I

The time with Mom passed by so quickly, but I think we made the absolute most of it. The highlights of her visit were certainly just catching-up, helping her get to know Salamanca, our church, and neighbors, and watching her and Noah bond. She arrived with a tiny bag for herself and a whole suitcase full of surprises for us, and especially for Noah. She had wrapped many of the gifts, as it was kinda like Christmas, and Noah quickly learned about all the presents she had brought. She had labeled them with days of the week so he could open something each day of her visit, but once Noah saw them and realized they were for him, he got to work and opened all of them by the second morning. Many gifts were books - reading them was one of Grandma and Noah's favorite activities. Every morning he would wake up and as soon as he remembered that Grandma was here, he would run to her door, knock, and then open it, often bringing a couple books to read with grandma in bed. Grandma was in heaven!

We did a little touring to give her a feel for the city. We went to Miraflores, took a look at the Pacific view from Larcomar (the mall built into the side of a cliff), walked through Parque Kennedy, played in the fountain a little, then briefly visited the Indian Market before having lunch at one of Lima's finest Italian restaurants. We sat in a place where Noah could watch them making the fresh pastas, and they even gave him a lump of pasta dough to play with!

The next morning, for Valentine's Day, we visited the Plaza de Armas - to visit the Cathedral, the government palace, and the changing of the guard. That particularly interested Noah as we explained what a marching band was. We pointed out the trumpets and now "trumpet" is very much a part of Noah's vocabulary - using the word whenever he hears them in music! He also liked the way the soldiers were all dressed. It reminded him the way Goliath looks in his little Bible, so when he saw them he pointed and said, "Goliat." Then we went to the Catedral de San Francisco. There, they have large catacombs with lots and lots of bones still in them. Creepy! Noah must have picked up on that too as he said "Bone yuck!" while were down there on our tour. His favorite part of this Catedral were las palomas (pigeons). There were hundreds of them! He had such a blast running through them and making them fly. (Don't worry Mom, we washed hands well after playing among those birds.) He also met a little girl there, maybe a year older than he, who he started chasing around. At one point he caught her and gave her a hug and a little kiss. Then she started chasing him through all the pigeons. Our little Valentino is starting young!

That night Elita watched Noah so we could all go out together. All the restaurants we wanted to try were full, so we went back to Larcomar to try our luck at one of the oceanview spots. Praise the Lord we found a perfect table at "Mango's" right on their terrace on the cliff! It was very special to get some time just with Mom that night. After getting back at 10, she and I went out to a Valentine's Day party, believe it or not, at the mission house while Michael stayed home with Noah. We had a lot of fun mingling and meeting the crowd, and Paulo even got Mom to join in the salsa dancing!

More to come...

She's Here!

Mom has arrived!

Actually she arrived on Tuesday, and we've been having so much fun, I haven't had time to write about it. We've packed it in, visiting sites all over Lima and Miraflores, and introducing her to our friends here. On Thursday she and Laura went to that Dia de la Amistad (Valentine's Day) dance party, and yesterday learned from Elita how to make the ancient Inca dish Carapulcra. Today, Mom will join Laura at Reina de la Paz, and then we're visiting the family of a Peruvian friend from the States. Noah is thrilled to have his "gwama" here, to read him books and make special memories. We'll have pictures to post soon!

Peas

True confessions...before we came to Peru, I had never "shucked" peas. I don't even know if that is the right verb to use. Please inform me if there is a better one. I just always bought frozen ones from the grocery store and never thought about where they actually came from. One day when I went to the market to buy some peas, I definitely had to ask which pods were for peas, or averjas, as their named here. You'd think it would be obvious, but there are also Lima beans, or habas, that come in pods too, so I had to ask.

Well, Noah will not go 26 years without knowing about where peas come from! He just loves to sit with me and empty the pods into a bowl after I open them for him. He even helps me pick them out at the market and reminds me that we need to shuck them if he sees the bag sitting on the counter - "peas!"

Reina de la Paz

It's been about a month and a half now that a group of women from our church have been visiting Reina de la Paz, here in Salamanca, a state-supported home for teen girls who are pregnant or with young children. These young ladies range in ages from 11 to 19 and there are kids from newborn to age 3. A group of nuns cares for them, helping them finish school, watching their kids while they do it, and teaching them skills to help them find jobs or at least earn some money on their own once they leave. They have given us the opportunity to enter their community every Saturday and provide these young moms with encouragement and the love of Christ. Right now we are talking with them about the promises that God has for us in the Bible and encouraging them to be reminded of these promises as young moms - it is hard enough for me, being married, with all the resources and support in the world to be patient with Noah when he is not being obedient. I just can't imagine how hard it must be for them, when they are tired and overwhelmed by their circumstances. I'm grateful that each of them have been placed there, in safety, where they have some support from each other, those that work there, and even some family when they come to visit. Our goal is to share Jesus with them through reading the Bible, discussion, teaching them praise songs with motions so they can involve their little ones, and teaching them how to care for their children. Just last week, I had the chance to do a little "charla" or health talk about dental hygiene, especially for babies and young children. We gave them all toothbrushes, both for the mamas and the kids, toothpaste, and ideas of how to encourage their kids to brush their teeth. It was fun for me to be in my role of nurse again. (c:

This week, just before Valentine's Day, we shared with them the promise of God's great love for them from Isaiah 54:10 which says:

"For the mountains may depart and the hills removed

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,

says the Lord, who has compassion on you."

We encouraged them that while the love we find in this world is not always trustworthy, God's love for us is unwavering, unchanging, and constant. I need that promise just as much as these precious mommies and children do.

This is a very special and fitting ministry for me and it brings me a lot of joy whenever we go. In the time that we have been visiting, we have seen eight young women place their trust in Jesus as their Savior! Five of them on my own birthday - what a gift! It is beautiful to watch them begin trusting God with their lives and those of their kids - and we get to be there to watch it happen, walk along-side them, and encourage them on the way.

Recent Happenings

Another landmark: Our first Super Bowl outside the States. We had a great time over at the girls' house, joined by a few other missionaries and our Peruvian friends Paolo and Raquel. Noah was more interested in Becca's dog than the football, but the rest of us enjoyed what turned out to be a really good game. I liked the Patriots for history's sake, but I have to hand it to the Giants, they played well and deserved it. Paolo kept saying that it looked like a movie, as that had been their only previous interaction with American football.

Noah also just got a late birthday present (from us). We had been looking for a tricycle or bike for a while, and just this week Elita took us to the part of town where they sell kids stuff for much cheaper than the nearby department stores. He loves it, and always insists that his bear ride along on the back. Doesn't he look so big??

Politics

I’m excited, are you? “Super-Duper Tuesday” is upon us, so I think I’d better get any political thoughts posted before results start coming in. This is only the 3rd presidential election in which I’ve been able to take part, but it is by far the most interesting. The field of candidates, though smaller now, is just fascinating, and some of the storylines have been book-worthy and terrific fun to watch. I haven’t decided who to vote for yet – one because we don’t even have a say until the general election, so even if I did pick one, he might not be a choice, and two, because even those who will be nominated have a long road ahead, with plenty of plans an policies yet to be explained. I can, however comment on what I see so far.

The republican side includes many of the more interesting plots going on. I like Mike Huckabee, for one. He has a sincere evangelical faith, and he applies it to many areas, even outside of the usual two or three usual values issues. He has spoken out in favor of compassion towards immigrants, caring for the environment, social issues related to poverty, and against torture. He has the audacity to say that Christians should be passionate about protecting life after birth as well as before. The irony is that the Republican establishment, which for so long has courted and used Evangelical voters, now finds itself with such a candidate, speaking faithfully on a number of issues, and it wants no part of him. Rush Limbaugh has said that if either Huckabee or McCain get the nomination, “it’s going to destroy the republican party”. This about the two candidates who oppose torture and want compassion for immigrants. So much for family values. Still, I was troubled to read of some comments Huckabee made – thanks to my friend Brian who pointed them out. Regarding the recent confrontation between American and Iranian ships, he warned, “…Be prepared first, to put your sights on the American vessel. And then be prepared that the next thing you see will be the gates of hell, because that is exactly what you will see after that,” as the crowd cheered loudly. It just seems a little out of line for a former pastor, someone representing Christians, to make such a flippant remark about hell. Shouldn’t we be praying for others all over the world, even if (especially if) they are our enemies, rather than joking and boasting about them going to hell? Disappointing. In addition, Huckabee’s foreign policy ignorance makes me wonder about his ability to conduct effective diplomacy and bring back some of our country’s respect around the world. In contrast, John McCain has extensive knowledge and experience overseas, and has impressed me more than any other GOP choice. He has strong moral conviction and generally sticks to it, even when it has made him unpopular in his own party – promoting a path to citizenship for immigrants, opposing tax cuts that don’t have corresponding spending cuts, and vehemently opposing torture. He mostly steers clear of nasty politics and has a long history of working across party lines to make things happen. His opponents, especially Mitt Romney, lack the ability to criticize his character, experience, or effectiveness, so they have taken to calling him a “liberal”, and hoping the slur sticks. Speaking of Romney, he certainly looks the part, but lately just seems like a desperate man, willing to say anything or change any position to appeal to the base. I can’t move on to the other side without making mention of Ron Paul. A few friends pointed me his way, and I must say, I was impressed. Very rarely do you see a politician who is so absolutely consistent to a set of principles – in his case, Libertarian principles. I don’t agree with all of his positions, but they certainly form an airtight, defendable political philosophy. I especially appreciate his consistent ethic of human life – opposing abortion, the death penalty, and unjust war. He doesn’t seem to have much of a shot, but I hope his “revolution” will at least contribute to the dialogue and inject some fresh ideas into the mix.

On to the Democratic side, where there is less difference in substance, but important differences in style. Here I have been most impressed with Barack Obama, and the vision he carries for our country. I very much agree with him on a host of moral issues, including the war, immigration, torture, poverty, diplomacy, and education – though I do not on others, like abortion. I realize that Hillary Clinton has many of the same positions, but the approach is completely different. The tone of political rhetoric, the ability to inspire, the moral leadership – in all of these Obama soars over the divisiveness and win-at-all-costs mentality of the Clinton camp. The country is in a very rough spot right now, where major progress needs to be made on some big issues, agreements need to be reached, and yet the political system is deeply divided. The bitter partisan shouting-matches that have passed for dialogue recently will surely get worse, not better with another Clinton in the White House. Obama has shown an incredible ability to break down barriers and elude narrow boxes, not just because of his skin color, but because of the way he listens, and reaches out to all kinds of people. Imagine, a democrat with significant Evangelical interest! He aims to change the whole tone of politics from combat to collaboration, and has mostly managed to stay positive in this campaign. Unfortunately, the Clintons have been successful in bringing him at times down to their level of bickering (that does include Bill, whose respect level as a non-partisan statesman/humanitarian is dropping daily). But I don’t think they can keep him down for long. I suppose we’ll get a little better picture today.

To sum up, I would love to see McCain and Obama nominated. They are very different, and while I don’t agree with everything they each stand for, I believe they would bring both integrity and competence to the White House. They have shown great leadership, and have transcended their respective parties. They each have significant personal experience that gives weight and credibility to their views on important moral issues – Obama as a community organizer in the south side of Chicago, and McCain as a POW in Vietnam. A contest between these two might be the most reasonable and civil one we’ve seen in a while. On the other hand, if it’s Romney vs. Clinton, I may look into blocking CNN for the next 10 months.

More Birthday Fun

January (where did it go??) was full of parties, finishing with last weekend's bash for Laura's birthday. We went out just the two of us for a date on Friday, because her real birthday, Saturday, was so full of activities, then celebrated with friends on Sunday evening. I actually thought it would be a nice tranquilo evening, but a dance party broke out. Noah took a little while to warm to the crowd, but was soon enjoying the spotlight, as you'll see on the video. Laura and everybody else had a great time, and we all made plans to continue the baile on Valentine's Day. Happy Birthday, Laura!