Adorable

This is too cute!

Fuzzy, Little Carolina

Today was a rough day. At around 3 o'clock this afternoon the Ivey's dog, Carolina, got run over. Mary Alice and Mary Beth are both taking it pretty hard. Mary Beth actually saw it happen. I have to admitt that I am having a hard time, too. I didn't realize how attached to her I had become. I'm really going to miss her.

Everytime I think I've got a hold of myself, I see Mary Alice or hear Mary Alice and tears begin all over again. Carolina and Mary Alice were always together. It's like half of her is not here anymore.

Mary Alice walked in earlier and I asked her how she was doing. She told me how she has been in her room writing in her journal about all the fun things she and Carolina did together so she won't forget them.

It's going to be a difficult few days...pray for us. I know she was only a dog, but now there is an empty place in the family. It's weird not hearing her collar jingling or her bark everytime the doorbell rings. Dinnertime will be very strange without her whining, yipping, looking at us with those sad, puppy eyes, and begging for a bite.

Some of My Favorite Pictures

These are some of my favorite pictures. (I have a TON of favorites!) I thought I would make them black and white just for something different.

Sheep in Huamantanga
Kids' Club
Kids' Club

This week has been quite uneventful. I have been recovering from another cold. I feel 90% better today. I think that's a good sign.

On Monday and Tuesday I didn't feel much like getting out. I mostly read, sat in the sun to stay warm, prayed, and slept. Taking it easy is the best way to recover no matter how difficult it may be. Unfortunately, I don't do it very often.

I had plans to go to school with Mary Alice on Wednesday, but due to a public school teacher strike and demonstration downtown, school was canceled (as a safety precaution). I was a little disappointed, especially after being in the house for 2 days, to learn that I couldn't go out for safety reasons.

Today, I had to register for GPC classes for the fall, so I wasn't able to go either. That turned out to be alright though. Mary Alice, Joshua, and Mary Beth all came home at around 9 with the news that school was canceled due to lack of attendance. Mary Alice said there was only one elementary school student there. So, it was another quiet day of reading and resting. I guess I can't complain though, I never get the chance to relax like this at home!!

P.S. If you want to know more about the teacher strike you can read this article: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/06/america/LA-GEN-Peru-Protests.php

Photos

This week has been really tiring so far. I'm not going to sleep at night very well, so that doesn't help much. I'm hoping that tonight I will sleep better. (Maybe since I woke up at 6 a.m., I'll be sleepy enough.)

I've been helping with the Kids'Club during the afternoons. The first day (Monday) was completely CrAzY! We had approximately 500 kids and were not quite prepared for such a crowd. Fortunately, we didn't hand out candy or other prizes.(That would have caused a riot!) Yesterday (Tuesday) wasn't quite as hectic. We handed out oranges at the end, and I think we gave out around 400 of them.

This group of kids has been much harder to handle as a whole. They don't listen to instructions and will beg and plead for money, pictures, plane tickets to the States, and whatever else they think you might give them (like your watch, ring, hat, glasses, etc.). They also will lie to you about everything. When passing out crayons and paper (everyone receives one of each) one little girl came and asked me for a crayon. I KNEW that I had seen her more than once (even though with 100 6-8 year olds they all start to look alike). I asked if she already had one and she replied no. So I asked her to show me where she was sitting and walked over there. She sat down next to her friend and I asked the friend to stand up. There were about 5 crayons underneath her. Justin (another intern) said kids would lie to him and he could see the things sticking out of their pockets. Yet, even though we had caught them in lies, they would continue to lie to us about the same things. It's sad and frustrating.

One little boy followed me around asking for another sticker (they all had received one for their craft) and I kept telling him no. After he had eaten his orange and had orange juice dripping from his hands and arms, he asked again. When I gave him the same answer, he grabbed my arm to get them from me. (I greatly appreciated the orange juice wiped all over me.) It takes a good bit to make me upset, but let's just say... I had to get a little firmer with him. (He left me alone after that.)

Arthur had to be firm with a little boy, too. We were leaving on Monday afternoon from the Kids' Club, and all the kids were still hanging around in the field and jumping all over the gringos. We finally were all loaded in the bus and Arthur's truck and driving off. The kids were chasing after us and many were hanging onto the back of Arthur's truck. When Arthur saw they weren't going to get off or let go, he stopped the truck and got out. He walked to the back and told them to get off. One little boy continued to hang on and just looked at him challengingly. So, Arthur picked him up and held him up to eye level and gave him a scolding. I'm not sure what was said, but the little boy didn't touch the truck again.

It's sad that we have to be hard on them sometimes, but there seems to be no other way to get the message across. I think one reason there are more problems at this club is because of the area we are in. It is a much poorer area and most of the kids spend their days taking care of themselves and siblings since both parents work. Basically, they are their own parents. It makes me want to do something to change the situation, but the only thing I can do is love them and pray for them. I know that God can work in any situation. Pray that we will all have patience and endurance for the next two days!

The Ivey Home

I knew that some of you would be interested in seeing where I am living, so here are a few pictures of the Ivey's home in Huancayo.

This is the front of the house. The truck is Arthur's.
Here is a view from the back of the house.
This is the bedroom that Mary Beth and I share. Her bed is on the other side of the room.
This is what the living room/ dining room looks like when there is a team here. (Normally, there is only the round, brown table.)
and this...is the kitchen!

(The stove is on the other side, but I didn't take a picture because it was a little messy! :) )

Pictures from the church in Chilca

The next team from Asbury, Kentucky arrived yesterday. This morning we went to the church in Chilca for a service and lunch. The team will be working on a construction project at the church, hosting Kids' Clubs, providing discipleship, and also, offering some medical services. I will probably assist with the Kids' Clubs again and maybe some medical translation (depending on how I hold up!). There will be no lack of things to stay occupied with since we not only have the U.S. team, but we have the normal activities going on as well. (Discipleship groups, school, prayer meetings, and hopefully, a little sleep mixed in!) Please pray that everyone will stay well and energized...it's going to be a full week.

They put on a special service and this was one of their music presentations.

Me with some of the kids after the service.