During our furlough in the states we received lots of questions about Peru's most famous dish: Guinea Pig! Each year Peruvians eat an estimated 65 million guinea pigs. The little critters are known as "cuy" here in Peru. For thousands of years cuy was the main source of protein in Peruvian diets. The Inca Indians were especially fond of this readily available food source. Even today many mountain families breed cuy to provide food for their families.
The Peruvian National Agrarian Research Institute has been working on a special "Super-Cuy" or "Mega-Cuy." They've managed to breed guinea pigs that weigh up to seven pounds! They are hoping that a revival in "cuy-cuisine" might improve the diets of Peru's poor. The meat is rich in protein and contains less fat than chicken, pork or beef. The taste has been compared to rabbit.
We've eaten cuy several times during our years in Peru. It's not terrible, it's not really enjoyable either. Thankfully its most popular outside of Lima! However, times are changing! As Debbie prepared her grocery list she flipped through the sales ad of the local grocery store chain. We were a bit surprised to see that cuy was on sale this week and readily available in the frozen food section! Perhaps the "Mega-Cuy" will have a little more meat and a little better taste. We'll let you know if they run another special!
Thinking of visiting your local pet store and picking up a cuy for dinner? Take a look at this Peruvian goverment site that offers lots of tasty recipes and ideas for preparing your favorite little pet.
Dead End Streets = Open Opportunities
We continue to seek out contacts in the area known as Viña Alta. Many of the area residents came to this neighborhood looking for a new life. Many started as "squatters." They moved onto property owned by the agriculture school. As more and more families joined them the community grew. (Even though they didn't legally have any right to the land.) Eventually they were granted titles to the small plots where they had settled. Today it is a small, but growing community. It is seemingly a tiny oasis in the middle of the busy metropolis of Lima. The people are friendly and open to us as we visit and talk with them.
We have found that walking the narrow streets of Viña Alta is the easiest way to get around. The community is sandwiched between the mountain ridge and the agriculture school. Most of the streets are dead ends. There is no place to turn around, there is no way to navigate the neighborhood easily in a car. A neighborhood with lots of "dead ends."
We have realized that all of those dead-end streets are actually open opportunities for us. Thousands of people make this little community their home. Thousands of people that have no church nearby. People that have never clearly heard the Gospel message. People that have no hope for eternity. It's truly an open opportunity because we live just a short walking distance away. May God help us as we endeavor to take the Gospel to those who've never heard.
Fields White Unto Harvest
We recently had the opportunity to meet with a national pastor. He lives in our area, but is pastoring a church about 30 minutes away. He has been burdened for our area for sometime. He also has contacts with several families that are believers, yet have no place to congregate to study and worship. He was excited to hear that we felt lead to start a new ministry in this area. The specific neighborhood where we are looking is called "Viña Alta." The pastor went on to describe how this area was a "white harvest field" just waiting for workers. He commented that "it grieves me greatly that there has been no ministry sustained there before now." We have visited in the area several times and have always had a good response.
We have waited several days to post a picture of the area. It is visible from our apartment, yet the winter fog has made it impossible to see since we returned to Peru! Perhaps when spring arrives we can show you a photo of the area! Until then an aerial view provided by Google Earth will have to do.
Will you pray as we seek the perfect area for starting a new ministry? Pray that God will continue to open up doors of opportunity as we seek to do His will.
We have waited several days to post a picture of the area. It is visible from our apartment, yet the winter fog has made it impossible to see since we returned to Peru! Perhaps when spring arrives we can show you a photo of the area! Until then an aerial view provided by Google Earth will have to do.
Will you pray as we seek the perfect area for starting a new ministry? Pray that God will continue to open up doors of opportunity as we seek to do His will.
Winter in Lima
Most people think we are crazy when we say "It gets cold in Lima." Especially when you consider the coldest temperature of the year usually bottoms out at 58 degrees. Yet, most winter days we wear sweaters and coats and feel really chilly. Perhaps the ocean breeze is to blame. Perhaps its the high humidity. (It has been about 85 percent humidity everyday since we returned.) Perhaps we are just cold-natured now! Of course the sun rarely shines during the winter and the fog blankets the desert with a damp mist. The 1/10 of an inch of rain each year in Lima usually arrives as fog.
The pictures below, both taken from our apartment, will give you an idea of how the weather changes our view. Perhaps you will see why we feel cold during a Lima winter!
Ministry is greatly effected by the weather. Warmer days provide more witnessing opportunities and better contacts on the streets and in parks. Yet, the work goes on year round. God blesses every time we go out to minister for Him. Thankfully winter is short here. In a few weeks spring will arrive and the sun will return.
If you haven't looked for a while, visit our girls BLOG! We hope you enjoy!
The pictures below, both taken from our apartment, will give you an idea of how the weather changes our view. Perhaps you will see why we feel cold during a Lima winter!
Ministry is greatly effected by the weather. Warmer days provide more witnessing opportunities and better contacts on the streets and in parks. Yet, the work goes on year round. God blesses every time we go out to minister for Him. Thankfully winter is short here. In a few weeks spring will arrive and the sun will return.
If you haven't looked for a while, visit our girls BLOG! We hope you enjoy!
Happy Birthday Olivia!
Our little Olivia Joy, turned one today! It is amazing to see how quickly her first year went by. We actually celebrated her birthday in Virginia with family before we left the US. We'll celebrate today at home with a paneton, which is a special Peruvian bread.
Olivia continues to receive lots of attention. Her blue eyes and light hair will draw a crowd. It is really a joy to listen to the comments that people make about our girls. Olivia has finally adapted to the milk here. She loves all the food, especially the fresh fruits and vegetables. She even gobbles up asparagus.
We thank God for a wonderful first year with our Olivia!
Everyday Life in Peru
It didn't take long for us to feel at home again in Peru. We adapt quickly to the "Peru Perks" that we enjoy: Haircuts for $1.50, having your car washed and waxed for $2.75, buying fruits and vegetables for just pennies. It is a little harder to adjust to some of the problems in Peru.
Today while driving down a main road in our section of town I was stopped by a policeman standing along the road. He claimed that I had made an improper turn at the stoplight. It is true, they had installed a new sign and no longer allowed left turns at the light. I never saw the sign as it was installed during our furlough. I was among a half dozen cars that turned at the light within a few seconds. He happened to chose me to stop. He asked for my driving permit and then said he would hold it until I paid his "boss" for the ticket. All tickets here are paid at the bank, not in person to the officer of course. He began to plead with me to pay him, to save the trouble of a ticket. He would even offer me a discount, he claimed. After refusing to pay "in person" he asked if I would be kind enough to pay to put gas in the police vehicle. The corruption in the police force is terrible. Most of the officers are so poorly paid they can't afford to feed their families. They even have to purchase their own bullets, and most don't carry any for lack of funds. Unfortunately this leads to the corruption. Finally, after refusing to pay on the spot, he gave back my permit, shook my hand and sent me on my way. No ticket was ever written of course. I learned a long time ago: Don't pay bribes, just keep sitting until they either write the ticket, or let you go. (I've been stopped countless times, I've been given only one ticket.)
Today while driving down a main road in our section of town I was stopped by a policeman standing along the road. He claimed that I had made an improper turn at the stoplight. It is true, they had installed a new sign and no longer allowed left turns at the light. I never saw the sign as it was installed during our furlough. I was among a half dozen cars that turned at the light within a few seconds. He happened to chose me to stop. He asked for my driving permit and then said he would hold it until I paid his "boss" for the ticket. All tickets here are paid at the bank, not in person to the officer of course. He began to plead with me to pay him, to save the trouble of a ticket. He would even offer me a discount, he claimed. After refusing to pay "in person" he asked if I would be kind enough to pay to put gas in the police vehicle. The corruption in the police force is terrible. Most of the officers are so poorly paid they can't afford to feed their families. They even have to purchase their own bullets, and most don't carry any for lack of funds. Unfortunately this leads to the corruption. Finally, after refusing to pay on the spot, he gave back my permit, shook my hand and sent me on my way. No ticket was ever written of course. I learned a long time ago: Don't pay bribes, just keep sitting until they either write the ticket, or let you go. (I've been stopped countless times, I've been given only one ticket.)
Have time for a survey?
This week we have begun using a simple new tool in our church-planting ministry. We have designed a survey to be used as an "ice-breaker" as we approach people. With clipboard in hand, we will approach people in parks and on the streets near our home. The survey has 10 questions that will help us determine the spiritual health and interest of those we contact. The survey contains questions such as: "Do you pray regularly? Do you have more interest in religion today than you did five years ago?" The questions make it easy to determine what direction to take with the individual. We hope these early contacts will be the early roots of a church. We will continue to witness, hand out tracts and make contacts. There are a lot of thirsting souls in Lima, Peru. We are determined to bring them the Water of Life: Jesus!
What can you do? PRAY! These early days of our second term will be tough as we seek to gain a strong hold on this area. We have a lot of work today and your prayers will be a blessing to our family.
What can you do? PRAY! These early days of our second term will be tough as we seek to gain a strong hold on this area. We have a lot of work today and your prayers will be a blessing to our family.
We're Back!
It's good to be back online and be able to update you all through the BLOG. Things are going well as we readjust to life in Peru. We returned to find our apartment in perfect condition. Our car is back on the road again after a year in storage. Our phone, internet, and other utilites are reconnected and ready for use. All in all we've had a good first week back in Peru.
We've already begun surveying the area where we would like to start a new church. We've spoke with people in our neighborhood and surronding areas. We've made contact with other missionaries and national pastors. Soon we hope to begin a Bible study group that will serve as the beginnings of a new church.
It has been exciting to see that people remember us. Yesterday I went to get a haircut at the end of our street. Everyone inside stopped working and begin to ask where we had been. One even asked if we were still going to start a church nearby. It was a thrill to see that they remembered us and why we were here. At the nearby store the owner commented that he would start stocking ice cream again, even in the winter, since we were back. Neighbors have greeted us, and folks have smiled and waved as we pass by.
It's good to be back! See the latest look of our girls on their BLOG.
We've already begun surveying the area where we would like to start a new church. We've spoke with people in our neighborhood and surronding areas. We've made contact with other missionaries and national pastors. Soon we hope to begin a Bible study group that will serve as the beginnings of a new church.
It has been exciting to see that people remember us. Yesterday I went to get a haircut at the end of our street. Everyone inside stopped working and begin to ask where we had been. One even asked if we were still going to start a church nearby. It was a thrill to see that they remembered us and why we were here. At the nearby store the owner commented that he would start stocking ice cream again, even in the winter, since we were back. Neighbors have greeted us, and folks have smiled and waved as we pass by.
It's good to be back! See the latest look of our girls on their BLOG.
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