Reflection from Chavina - Love is Patient

Chavina

During the month of March I travelled to the village of Chavina with brother Jim Wells, a young pastor from northern Florida and Ana Javier a Peruvian sister who has given up the next year to do mission work. Chavina is a much bigger village than Lahuaytambo and it is a valley, or 30 minutes, away from a big city called CoraCora. The churches from the states that have adopted this village/area have been present here for about 3 years now, so the people in the village are very accustomed to seeing and interacting with “Gringos” and Christians. The churches have built some very awesome, strong relationships there with the people. Jim has also lived and worked in Chavina several times as the churches are his home supporting churches, so the people were very warm and welcoming to him and to us two girls.
Our first day in the village we were greeted by one of the believers in the village, Brother Mario. We ran into him in the plaza and he bought us ice-cream! Jim later told us that the last time he saw him, he was not sober nor a believer and now he has been sober for a year and seeking the Lord with excitement. He was very thrilled to see us, and we spent much time during the month helping Mario in his field, milking his cows, and spending time with his wife, Aquilina, who is very ill.
There are about 6 known believers in the village, including Mario, Julia, Gaudencio, Kathy and Julia (Kathy’s mom), therefore we immediately went to their homes to let them know we were in town and that we wanted to spend time with them, to help them in their fields, and to encourage them in their walk, to study the Word of God. So, we had Bible studies almost every single night and each night one of them would show up, a few times more than one of them happened to show up. They all seem to have such a strong desire to learn but it is a slow and strenuous process for them. Life for them is the fields! Sure they attend school when they are young, but school is not very important and they go to the fields before and after classes. And when they finish schooling they will normally return to take on their parents fields. Therefore they have a very low literacy level and learning is very challenging.
Julia is married and has 3 daughters all older and married as well. Her husband is not a believer and does not desire to hear anything about the Lord, but she continues to read, pray, and seek the Lord. She owns a store and she attended the Bible studies several times. Her constant smile and endless friendliness was such a joy and blessing to work with.
Gaudencio was by far the most challenging brother we had the opportunity to work with, but also the biggest blessing. Gaudencio has an extremely gentle, kind heart and welcomed us into his house several times. Furthermore, Gaudencio has a Burning desire to learn and understand more about the Lord about his Word; however, he has such a strong desire that he is willing to listen to anyone, from any religion that speaks of Jesus, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. There is a Jehovah’s Witness church in CoraCora and Gaudencio has begun looking to their leaders to teach him. He believes the Bible is the Word of God and truth, but he does not really understand how to read the Bible and outside sources influence his understanding of what he reads negatively. We were given several opportunities to talk to him about the Trinity and try to see the importance of reading the Bible in context and verse by verse.  There were many frustrating moments, times when we, in our flesh, wanted to get angry and give up, but God would not allow it! The Lord used this difficult situation to teach us patience, gentleness and endurance.
Kathy is a young mother of 2 and has a very incredible testimony which she shared with us. Jim hardly recognized Kathy when he first saw her because she had put on some weight; the year before she was VERY ill, deathly ill, and she was dangerously skinny. Through the duration of the last year the Lord had healed her. The Lord opened her eyes to see the truth of the Gospel during her sickness and began DILIGENTLY reading the Bible and PLEADING with the Lord in prayer. God used the testimony of Kathy to reach her mother, Julia. When Julia saw the extreme change in Kathy’s life, she too began reading and searching for truth and the Lord opened her eyes. Kathy’s past life still haunts her from time to time tempting her to return to her old, unhealthy, sinful habits.
This month was a month of learning how love, TRUE love is patient! Patient…patient…patient! In 1 Corinthians 13:4, the famous passage about love, what is the FIRST characteristic of love that Paul names, “Love is PATIENT”.  What is patience? Some synonyms: endurance, tolerance, persistence, and serenity. It may be easy to be patient when you are waiting on your mother to cook you favorite meal. But how difficult is it to be patient when the driver in front of your car is sitting at the green light instead of driving? How difficult is it to be patient when you say let’s get together at 7 and they don’t show up until 9? At times it is easy to be patient, other times, not so much. But love is patient in all circumstances. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into multiple tribulations; knowing that the establishment of your faith brings patience. And let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.”

Lahuaytambo Reflection - No Greater Love

Family & Friends,
Praise be to God! What an amazing month in the small but beautiful village of Lahuaytambo I have been blessed with. Just to give you a taste of the village, Lahuaytambo is a very small province in the mountains of Peru.Each morning the people wake up and start their days at the latest by 6am. The stores open from 6-9am and the village comes alive with its people, each preparing for their day in the fields. At 9 they return to their homes prepare their "sack lunch" and head to the fields for a full day of work. They return from the fields around 6pm and the stores again open until about 9pm. They eat their dinner and go to bed ready to do it all again the next day. The foods they grow in the fields is their food for living, the animals they care for and produce are their food as well: milk from the cows provide milk and cheese, wool from the sheep provide yarn for clothing, the chickens provide eggs and meat,  they also breed guinea pigs which is a very luxurious dish in the mountains of Peru. They also have a garden down at the bottom of the mountain where they all have a second house. There they produce fruits: apples, avocados, prickle pear, etc. There is not much money in the village because it is its own source of sustenance. What a beautiful way to live, but difficult and challenging I'm sure when the land does not produce!

The team I worked with was awesome and a blessing as well! Our team leader Salomon Grados Panduro is a 26year old Peruvian who has been working with REAP for about 5 years. He has a heart of gold, serving and giving, always laying his life down for his team! He was always challenging us to go deeper in the word and life, encouraging us to continue seeking God, reading his Word and praying at all times! Andrea Gave Fonseca is a 19year old Peruvian student from Lima who took her month of summer break to serve the Lord! She is new to the faith but her energy, excitement, and friendliness are so inspiring! She is a soft and quiet but powerful spirit. The Lord used my teammates to teach me about endurance and patience.

However, what I learned the most this past month was about....Giving; the gift of giving! In order to learn this there was many things the Lord had to teach or reveal to me first. He began by challenging me to give that which was "mine" to others. Wow this can be easy when what you are giving you have in abundance, but when you have a limited supply of something, Oh how difficult it can be! It was a challenge and I had to be humbled greatly. My view on that which is "mine" was changed dramatically. I have been specifically studying His love for a while now and am trying desperately to apply it to my life and by His grace through the Holy Spirit I am learning little by little.

"No greater love has one that one who will lay down is life for another." -  John 15:13 
God demonstrated the beauty of this to me in Lahuaytambo through 3 people in specific: 1. Paula Rosado 2. Mamita Luz 3. Nilton & Jeanpierre.
1. Paula Rosado: "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." - 1 Timothy 6:18
Paula is a beautiful grandmother from Canlle, a village 1hr away from Lahuaytambo that is part o the church people group. The first time we met Paula we helped her harvest potatoes, and we shared our sack lunches with her, as we packed up to leave she pulled out a plastic sack and filled it overflowing with potatoes and insisted we take it. We had come ready to work for whoever the Lord put in our path, ready to share our lunch, but this woman did not expect strangers to show up yet she was ready to share and bless us with a portion of her produce. The second time she was in Lima, but we met her husband Abraham. The third time they were both there, Salomon helped Abraham chop wood, while Andrea and I helped Paula carry the wood from the field to the house, sharing stories and giggling uncontrollably. We ate lunch together, Paula cooked a wonderful lunch "Tallarines Rojos con pollo" and we shared that which we had brought as well. After lunch we went back out to the field, as it grew dark we got ready to head back. Paula in her generous heart asked us to stay for some coffee, dinner and to stay the night in her house as the walk/hike back to Lahuaytambo can be slightly dangerous if you do not know the way and it is dark! She invited us, strangers, to stay in her house! How incredible! Some people won't even invite you into their house just to sit for a small chat and here she had invited us in for lunch and to stay the night. "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the furture, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." - 1 Timothy 6:18

2. Mamita Luz: "Blessed is he who is generous to the poor." - Proverbs 14:21b & "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." - Matthew 6:3
Mamita Luz is a grandmother in Lahuaytambo who owns a restaurant; she provided us with the majority of our meals. She continually blessed us with her generous heart giving us large portions and sneaking treats into our sack lunches. And when I got sick she was so worried for me and told me the next day that she had been praying for me, everyday after that she would ask me how I was feeling, still so worried for me, my mother in Lahuaytambo. But one particular day in her restaurant impacted greatly. It was breakfast and as we sat there at the table she brought us our plate of fried sweet potato sandwiches. About 2 minutes later she snuck out the door walking very quickly; I happened to notice she had a sweet potato sandwich in her hand, she came back a minute later empty-handed. Then a minute later I saw a little boy named Nilton outside the door eating the sandwich...  We had heard this little boy's mother has mental problems and that his grandmother takes care of him and his 2 siblings, there is no father-figure in the house, and she struggles to provide. Mamita Luz did not desire for us to know she was doing good, God had simply put it on her heart to provide this little boy with a little nourishment and she wanted to obey.  "Blessed is he who is generous to the poor." - Proverbs 14:21b & "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." - Matthew 6:3

3. Nilton & Jeanpierre: "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up & walk" - Acts 3:6
Nilton & Jeanpierre are the two little boys I was talking about in the story of Mamita Luz. Nilton is about 8 years old, Jeanpierre is Nilton's little brother of 5 years, and they have an even littler sister. As I mentioned the state of this family is a sad one...and it hurt to see these little boys in the streets running around looking for food and causing problems because they had learned to do whatever it took to get the food, even stealing. One morning we had shared some bread with them...these 2 hand-size bread rolls lasted about 1minute...and it wasn't long before they were begging us for more food...however, we did not have anymore food with us. As we left them I felt this sudden, overwhelming feeling of anger and sadness. It was such a strange feeling...the bread did not last but an instant and they were hungry for more,and this upset me. I desired to give them something that would last them their entire life, we shared the Word with them and later with their grandmother...the truth and love of Jesus Christ, the only thing we could share with them that will last for eternity. "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to y ou. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up & walk" - Acts 3:6

As I meditated on these verses that God was giving me as well as the LIVE examples day after day, I began to realize EVERY-SINGLE-THING I have is a gift, a blessing from God! My family, my church family (in Blair, in Hastings & in Lima), this opportunity to be here in Peru! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I have is of my own doing, it is ALL by the grace of God! Everything I have is a blessing, it is not "mine"; this Life that I have been given is not my own, it is His, it has been purchased by the blood of Christ! And what better hands to be than in those of the Lord God himself! Therefore, if I have been blessed with this life, none of it is "mine", it is all God's! Thank you Jesus!

Team Lahuaytambo Report #4 Final Report Fo Sho!

Team Lahuaytambo Report #4 Final Report Fo Sho!
Solomon Grados, Andrea Gave, Danielle Miller
Feb. 22nd - 26th
Week 4 - Getting to know Lahuaytambo, Canlle & Santa Ana (Fo Rizzle Ma Dizzle)
       Tuesday 22nd: Today we made plans to go with Mamita Luz to the fields
to harvest potatoes. We spent the entire day with her, her husband
Sebastian, her cousin Ricardina, and Ricardina's nephew Jair, in the
fields. We took a break for lunch and were able to have some good
conversation, sharing the Word of God. Ricardina mentioned to us that
she has a Bible and enjoys reading it from time to time, we encouraged
her to keep reading. After a full day of harvesting potatoes we had
dinner with Senora Lina and Carlos, again we were able to share and
discuss the Word.
       Wednesday 23rd: This day Andrea and Dani spent with Senora Lina
preparing food for the road workers. Due a miscommunication only 3
people showed for lunch: the Mayor, an Engineer, and Robert. The
ladies were invited to join them for lunch, sitting in on the
conversation about ideas to solve current problems and how to improve
Lahuaytambo's way of life, concerning commercial output.
Solomon spent the entire day with Mamita Luz and the crew in the
fields again harvesting potatoes and sharing the Word throughout the
day.
This evening we had dinner with Senora Lina and Carlos and as usual we
conversed about the Bible and she and Carlos sat attentively listening
as we read from the Word.
       Thursday 24th: As we arrived in Canlle today, we first encountered
nurse Geanina's 3 daughters. We sat and played with them for a while
before talking to their parents. Geanina and Miguel were very
receptive towards us and greeted us with friendly smiles. They were
sad to hear we were leaving this Sunday and asked us when we were
planning on coming back, so we reminded them about the team coming in
May/June and they are eagerly awaiting the teams arrival. They told us
where to find  Senora Paula Rosado, and when we got to her field she
was waiting patiently for us with a smile on her face. We helped her
to cut and carry alfalfa to her cows and also fire wood. We were able
to review the stories from our last visit and also to share new ones.
Every break she excitedly asked us to share another story. During one
of the breaks Senora Misulina (we met her last week as we entered
Canlle) showed up and joined our conversation. She was very interested
and attentive to what we had to share, asking many questions! We did
see Senor Horacio on his way out to the fruit garden and later his
wife Neli, we encouraged them both to keep praying and reading the
Word as they have told us they have a Bible and read it occasionaly.
       Friday 25th: Today the stomache bug once again attacked Dani, but
this time with company. Andrea stayed home to take care of Dani but
caught the bug as well. So Solomon ventured out to Santa Ana on his
own. He was able to find Senora Bernarda Patrocinio once again as she
was grazing her cows. As he shared lunch with her they talked about
life and also the Word. When he returned to Lahuaytambo he came into
contact with Senora Dilma Bernable, the mother of Gabina Belen from
our 1st and 3rd visit to Santa Ana. She was very excited to meet him
and told him that Gabina had told her about us. She also said Gabina
came looking for us Thursday to give us fruit, unfortunately, we were
already in Canlle so she returned to Santa Ana.
       Saturday 26th: On our final day we went to the fields. We met Rafael
Pumayahuli de la Cruz and his wife Julia Naupa Ramirez. They stopped
working to talk to us. They turned out to be from Canlle and Senor
Rafael told us he is Senora Graciana's brother. They told us they have
a daughter in Lima who is a Jehova's witness and how she does not
believe in idols. Not only that, she challenges them not to accept
those believes either. They told us about the Fiestas Patronales which
take place every 2 years, and how all the families take turns cooking
for the whole town. They said they did not see any benefits from it
since they kill their own animals and they spend large amounts of
money.One of the reasons they have to do it is because that is how
they get water from the chanals to irrigate their fields. The one
benefit is that they get a day to take a break.At lunch time we were
able to share some from the Scriptures they were very interested, and
after it we helped them on their work for just a little bit.As we were
returning to town, we met a group of people who were working on the
fields. We spoke to one man and he told us he is Senora Dani Torres's
brother. He gave us directions where to go to find her and so there we
went.We helped Senora Dani Torres, the girls took turns to watch over
Arnold. She said she has a Bible and she can read a little bit, but
her 10 year old son Diego can read. We encouraged her to read her
Bible.As it was our last night in Lahuaytambo, Senora Lina made a very
delicious dish for dinner. After we had eaten we were able to share
with her and Carlos from the Bible.Then we went around town to say bye
and then we headed to the hostel to pack.
       Sunday 27th:  As we were leaving this town. We were gifted with more
products by Senora Angelica/Maximo, Senor Sebastian/Luz, Senor Jose
Luis/Celia, Senor Roy/Marilu. Then we were off.

Team Lahuaytambo Report #3

Team Lahuaytambo Report #3
Solomon Grados, Andrea Gave, Danielle Miller
Feb. 15th - 21st
Week 3 - Getting to know Lahuaytambo, Canlle & Santa Ana (the meat & potatoes :D )

Hey Y'all sup?
 Tuesday 15th: For this day we made plans to help Senora Lina in the fields with her son Carlos. As we waited for her outside her house she introduced us to her 9 year-old neighbor Lesli. As we got to know her we found out that she really enjoys school and learning; we were able to share the story of Creation and the Sower with her. She was very focused and retained much of the information, as she was able to answer the majority of our questions correctly! We met up with Alisson on our way out to the fields and she joined us, Senora Lina and Carlos sowing barley. At lunch we were able to share a few Bible stories as they applied to our conversation, Creation, the Fall, the Parable of the Sower and Noah's Ark, and they listened intently.
 Wednesday 16th: We were invited to assist Senor Maximo, Senora Angelica, Senora Celia, Yacina & Omar to harvest potatoes. We were able to share the Creation and the Parable of the Sower with the little ones Yacina and Omar. For lunch we all shared the food we brought,and as we ate we exchanged stories; they told us an ancient legend about a man turned to stone and we told the story of Lot and his wife. They invited us to dinner that night! When we arrived at their house and they welcomed us warmly and served us with joy.This is the only family that has invited us to join them for the entire day: in the fields, and also in their very own house.
 Thursday 17th: We spent the majority of the day with Alisson, who had been staying with us since Sunday the 13th when her father left town for work. Tuesday the 15th. Andrea and Dani were able to spend some quality time with Alisson, encouraging her in the Word and in her walk with Christ. This night we ate at Senora Lina's house with Carlos and a gentleman named Manuel. Manuel is a believer and was in town for a few days to work on the road. We were able to share and talk about the story of Nicodemus, Carlos listened attentively.
 Friday 18th: This was a really cool day too! We had made plans to join Senora Elisa, Senor Roger and their daughter Zuli in the fields today. We went to their house in the morning to help them carry the tools. As we sat waiting for them to prepare the lunch, Zuli came over and asked to read our Bible. We had her read the story of the Good Shepherd and then shared the story of Creation and a bit of the Sower. When we arrived at the field we took a short rest before working; Elisa then asked us to read the Bible; she also read the Good Shepherd. She told us she enjoyed the story and that she really enjoys reading anything she can get her hands on. We worked in the fields and shared our lunches. Afterwards, they excitedly insisted on taking us to the infamous hot-water-spring (Aguas Calientes de Huaycaja). They have really opened up to us and continuously welcome us warmly.
 Saturday 19th: We made our way down to Canlle this day, a little bit earlier than normal in order to catch more people before they left for the fields. We met a few new people and again ran into the nurse Geanina. We also came across a Senora Neli Astumania Ramirez, whom we had met in Lahuaytambo a few days before. She took us to her house to meet her husband Horacio Figueroa Pumallauli. They were very kind, gifting us with a native fruit called Membrillo. Horacio took us to Senora Paula Rosado's house before he headed to the garden. Paula (the woman we met the first week) and her husband Abraham (the man we met the second week) were very kind and welcomed our help. Solomon spent time with Abraham while he chopped wood. Andrea and Dani spent time with Paula carrying the wood back to their house. The ladies found that Paula was Catholic but had never heard even one Bible story, so they shared the Creation story with her and she really enjoyed it. Later as we were getting ready to leave, she invited us for dinner and to stay the night with them in their house! We already had plans to dine with Lina so we headed back. That night we reviewed the story of Nicodemus and talked about John the Baptist; Lahuaytambo has been named after him and he is the most important Saint here.
 Sunday 20th: This day we hiked up to Santa Ana early again. We first met Senora Florinda Fernandez who told us about the people in Santa Ana and their lives. She invited us to her house and offered us some local fruits, Tumbo & Capuli and introduced us to her son, Jair. She told us where to find our contacts from last week and then she left to graze her cows. We went looking for our friends but none of them were home. As we were deciding our next move, Jair came by and we asked if we could join him. We helped him graze his sheep and later shared our lunch with him. Over lunch we read Psalms 23 and talked about the Good Shepherd. As we were sitting down to eat Senora Gabina passed by and we were able to greet her shortly as she was in a hurry, but she seemed very happy to see us. After lunch we headed towards the hill on which they graze their cattle, greeting/meating each person that came down. We descended the hill with the last gentleman, Julio Anchivilca who happened to be the husband of a woman we met before lunch and had given a banana to, Senora Bernarda Patrocinio Ramos. We had a casual conversation with him, he told us about the town's Holy Week celebration and how if one does not attend they must pay a fine to the government-run Catholic church. As we said our goodbyes we encouraged him to read the Word and pray.
 Monday 21st: Today is our Sabbath day, taking a time to plan, pray and seek God's will for our final week in Lahuaytambo. :(
Prayer Requests:
Lahuaytambo:
* That the Word we share will remain in them *
1. Robert & Alisson - Spiritual and Physical Health, their father-daughter relationship (confidence).
2. Mamita Luz - We will be spending Tuesday with her in the fields, Her dental health, and she is still providing us with Lunches.
3. Senora Lina & Carlos - We are spending every dinner until we leave Sunday.
4. Maximo, Angelica, Jose Luis, Celia, Yacina & Omar. (& Oso, their dog ;)
5. Roger, Elisa & Zuli (& their eldest daughter Paula in Lima)
6. Irma Bernable, Gilberto & Estela, Maximo, Lucia, Roy & MariLu
Canlle:
1. Abraham Bernable & Paula Rosado
2. Neli Astumania & Horacio Figueroa
3. Geanina, Miguel, & daughters
Santa Ana:
1. Florinda Fernandez & Jair
2. Victoria Anchivilca & Asuncion Feliciano
3. Gabina Belen & Dario, Juan & Greisi
4. Julio Anchivilca & Bernarda Patrocinio

Team Lahuaytambo - Week 2

Team Lahuaytambo Report #2
Solomon Grados, Andrea Gave, Danielle Miller
Feb. 7th - 14th
Week 2 - Getting to know Lahuaytambo, Canlle & Santa Ana (a little more :D )
 Monday 7th: The Lord blessed us with a slow day, due to Dani being sick, Solomon and Andrea were able to go with Alisson to the fields for a bit and then return to take care of Dani with juice and cookies. We were able to finish our report and spend some time as a team/family...much needed.
 Tuesday 8th: We were able to go out to the fields with Mamita Luz. Senora Luz Zavaleta Naupa is one of the ladies on your list of contacts. She just got into town Wednesday night the 2nd and we started a meal-plan with her Thursday the 3rd. So we have been able to spend quite a bit of time with her. She left this Thursday the 10th for Lima for mouth surgery, so up to that point she has joined us in prayer and Bible review.
 Wednesday 9th: We visited the Health-Center today and visited with the technician, Angelica Robles and the temporary nurse, Geni Alicia Chaves. We informed them about the team coming May/June and found that the most common problems they encounter are respiratory and vision related. Then we headed out to the fields again and met some new people. We ran into Alisson sherpherding her sheep, we left a Bible with her and encouraged her to read 1 Corinthians 12-14. By the Lord's providence we came across Senora  Lina Lacotera de la Cruz. We were able to assist her in the fields and have lunch with her. She has now provided us with meals since Mamita Luz left. This evening we spent time with Mamita Luz teaching her how to make pancakes. 
 `Thursday 10th: As we walked to the fields today we walked with Senor Gilberto Zavaleta (Sabaleta, I spelled it wrong in the 1st report). Solomon was able to share some of the Word with him. We ate lunch with Senora Lina in her house and later helped her clean the Municipality building. We headed out to the fields again and helped Senor Roy Zabaleta, his wife MariLu, and her mother Lucia harvest potatoes; they were very grateful and gave us a bag to have. During the walk back to town Solomon was able to share the Creation story with Roy.
 Friday 11th: We took this morning off to practice our stories to be better prepared to share them. We had lunch with Senora Lina in her house again and Dani shared the Creation story. She thanked us for sharing and headed out the fields. We went out the fields and came across 2 little girls, Yareli & Alexandra and we shared the Creation story with them. They knew the story and told us their mother tells them Bible stories just about every night and sings to them but their father says that God does not exist. Yareli even sang one of the songs for us. Later this evening we were able to talk to the mayor Senor Eusebio Ramirez Bernable. He was receptive, encouraging us but also cautioning us to take it slow and not push the people too hard too fast.
 Saturday 12th: We went to Canlle for the 2nd time. We encountered Graciana in the fields, unfortunately they didn't have tools for us to help them so we moved on to another couple nearby. We met a gentlemen Abram Bernable Rosado on our way into town but he encouraged us to go on into the town. In the village we found nurse Geanina and her daughters at the Health Center. We spent a little time with Geanina before she went to prepare lunch but we were able to spend more time with her 3 daughters and share the Creation story as well as the Parable of the Sower. We went back to the couple from earlier, the woman had left but the man, Senor Eugenio Bernable, was still there. We stopped and shared our lunch with him and Andrea shared the Parable of the Sower with him as well. He seemed very attentive and receptive to the story, responding to our questions and participating in our conversation. As we were getting ready to leave Senora Irma Bernable (also on your list of contacts) was passing by herding her sheep back to Lahuaytambo. We joined her and on our way back Dani was able to talk to her quite a bit. She opened up to us and wanted to come visit us later that night to share more, but due to the weather she was unable to come. She really desires to read the Bible, however, her vision is poor and she needs to purchase glasses but does not have the resources yet.
 Sunday 13th: This day we went to Santa Ana. On our way we came across two women, Senora Luz Ramirez and Senora Ricarda they informed us that the village meeting was going to last from 8am-12 and 1-5pm. As we walked through the village we met Senora Victoria Anchivilca Feliciano she was very kind and allowed us into her house for lunch. Her husband and her uncle were there as well Senor Asuncion Anchivilca Zavaleta and Eleonorio Fernandez Feliciano. As she shared her food with us we shared our stewed Guinea Pig with them. They told us about the meeting and about how they live in Santa Ana, different than Lahuaytambo. When the men went back to the meeting we were able to talk with Victoria and share about our faith, she was a little hesitant but she gave us a prayer request about her vision, her eye needs surgery. However, she was still very friendly. After returning to Lahuaytambo we made some good contacts as Solomon helped to take down and move a mobile shack. We are prayerfully planning on accompanying them in the fields this upcoming week.
 Monday 14th: We have taken the day off to fast and diligently seek and spend time with God with these 3 objective in mind: 1.That God will provide us with spiritual and physical strength to complete our last few weeks strong. 2.That the people here will be open to God, his Word, and the Biblical stories. 3.That the Word of God will compel them and that it will remain in their hearts and lives. Would you also be praying for these 3 requests.
LAHUAYTAMBO Prayer Requests:
Please be praying that the Lord will divinely direct us to know when, how and whom with to spend our time. 
*** "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." - James 1:17 ***

Team Lahuaytambo - Week 1

Team Lahuaytambo Report #1
Solomon Grados, Andrea Gave, Danielle Miller
Jan. 29th - Feb. 4th
Week 1 - Getting to know Lahuaytambo
 In order to get to know the village of Lahuaytambo the first few days we prayer-walked throughout the streets, conversing with those we came across. After asking several questions about the village's customs, their weekly routine and their family life, we quickly found that their lives revolve around their fields, animals, and religious festivals. We decided in order to get to know them better we would have to go to the fields where they spend the majority of their day.The people work in the fields from 9am-5pm, unless it rains; rainy season begins late December and ends early April.
  Monday through Thursday we went to the fields and found someone different to assist and get to know each day. Thursday the school principal was in town to supervise the installation of the internet antena. So after helping in the fields,we made a trip over to meet her and inform her about the team coming in May/June. She remembered the last team and seemed very receptive to the possibility of having the team help with teaching English again. Friday we hiked to Santa Ana. The population is smaller but the customs are exactly like Lahauytambo. Saturday we descended to the even smaller village of Canlle; smaller but exactly the same as the previous two.

LAHUAYTAMBO
 Here is a list of the people in Lahuaytambo we have gotten to know a little:
Robert and Alison Sabaleta Duran - We have had a few Bible Studies in their store & Alison is currently  staying with us for 3 days while Robert is out of town.
Isabel Rosa Paculia (Rosa) - We helped her in the field, she was very thankful just to have our  company.
Jose Luis - Helped us get a good price with the Hostal, later we helped he and his family in the fields
 Celia - his wife, Yomar & Jesina - his children
Dani Torres - We got to help her seed her field, pray, and share some food with her and her son Arnold
Antonia Bernable - Helped her take her cow up the mountain, she shared food with us and we shared some   with her.
Angela - The director of the school
Gilberto & Estela Sabaleta - Own a store, upon purchasing some goods they invited us in and we got to   know them and pray with them! (Ground-breaking encounter!Praise God)

SANTA ANA
 God allowed us to run into a family that was just leaving their house; the father was on his way out to the fields and the mother was on her way to the water canal to wash clothes. We got the opportunity to help her out and later come back to her house where she invited us in to eat our lunch that we had brought with us. We shared not only our food with her and her 2 children but also a little about our faith. She shared with us a lot of information about the village and its customs. When we left her house we prayer-walked the village and came across 2 men who greeted us warmly; they seemed very interested in getting to know who these foreigners were.
 Contacts:
  Gabina Bellen - The mother we helped do laundry
   Dario Rosado - The father
   Greisi - Their 7yr-old daughter
   Juan - Their baby boy
   Marta - Their 10yr-old daughter

CANLLE
 Before we even reach the village we were welcomed by a kind lady Paula Rosada who was taking her cows to her field. She informed us that most of the villagers would be out in their fields. We went on into the village just to see if we could find anyone. We did come across a woman, Graciana Pumayauli de la Cruz. Graciana is a believer, she was born and raised in Canlle but because her family lives in Lima and also the lack of Christian churches in the area, she now travels back and forth between the two, spending the majority of her time in Canlle. Her daughter Irma Rosada was there with her but lives in Lima. As we were walking through the village we came across 2 little girls playing the plaza near the Health Center. Their mother runs the Health Center and we were able to talk to her for a while. She told us that there are about 50 families total in the village and she showed us a drawing of the village layout. Then we returned to the field to share our lunch with Señora Rosada and to help her harvest her potatoes. To show her appreciation for our help, she gave us a small bag of potatoes.
 Contacts:
  Paula Rosada - Woman in the fields
  Graciana Pumayauli de la Cruz - Christian woman usually in Lima
   Irma Rosada - Her daughter
  Alitalia Geanina Julian Flores - Head of Health Center
   Miguel - her husband
   Nichole 7, Sandra 6, & Andrea 4 - her daughters

PRAYER REQUESTS:
TEAM:
1. HEALTH: Spiritually and Physically-
 Spiritual: That we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance.
 Physical: That God will heal each of our small illnesses and strengthen us, to adapt to the   physical demand of the daily labor. (The cold weather)
2. We ask that you would be praying for the villages, their animals and crops, and also for the  individuals we have listed. Perhaps you can pick 2 families to be praying for each day.
3. That we as a team would burn with a desire for the Word of God & that it would be changing   our lives daily.

Un Tiempo de Cambios : A Time of Changes

Wow it has been much too long since I have updated my blog; I apologize for that!

As you can imagine things have been pretty busy!

Since the last blog I continued helping out with the ESL classes with the responsibility of recruiting more people to attend, and choosing the worship music for each night. Also my brother Lidman and I were asked to put together a retreat for any and all who wanted to come.

During the month of December Lidman and I put together the weekend retreat.  With a bit of inspiration from the Fellowship of Christians we decided to call the retreat “Transformed” and base the weekend on the passage from Romans 12:1-2. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

Here is a brief look at our schedule of the weekend:

Friday Night Jan 7th:

4:30 pm Meet at REAP House

5:30 pm Leave for Chosica

7:30 pm Arrive in Chosica

8:00 pm Camp Introduction: Transformed Life & Division of Teams

8:30 pm Worship

9:00 pm Bible Games

9:15 pm Message 1: Lidman – The Gospel!!

10:00 pm Worship

10:05 pm Fellowship & Snack

11:00 pm Lights Out!

Saturday Jan 8th:

6:30 am Devotionals

7:00 am Get Ready

7:30 am Breakfast

8:00 am Worship

8:30 am Bible Games

8:45 am Message 2: Mike Weaver – What Does a Transformed Life Look Like Day to Day?

9:45 am Break

10:00 am Message 3: Arnold Austin – What Does a Transformed Life Look Like at Work Pt. 1

10:30 am Break

10:45 am  Message 4: Arnold Austin – What Does a Transformed Life Look Like at Work Pt. 2

11:15 am Questions & Answer

12:30 pm Lunch

2:00 – 5:00 pm Sports/Competition

5:30 pm Clean-Up

6:30 pm Supper

7:30 pm Worship

8:00 pm Bible Games

8:15 pm Message 5: Lidman – Testimony of Peter

9:00 pm Finalize Skits

9:30 pm Skits

10:30 pm Campfire & Testimonies

12:00 am Lights Out!

Sunday 9th:

6:30 am Devotionals

7:00 am Get Ready

7:30 am Breakfast

8:00 am Worship

8:30 am Bible Games

8:45 am Message 6: Michael Constante – What Does a Transformed Life Look Like Concerning Friends & Family.

9:45 am Awards Ceremony & Pictures

11:30 pm Lunch

12:30 pm Leave for Lima

As you can see we had a very busy schedule with a lot of challenging messages and sweet memories of worshiping our God in all aspects of our life... starting with our quiet times in the morning, with our music, with our sports/activities, and in our conversations during our free time.

I was actually blessed with the opportunity to sneak home for Christmas, which was not part of the original plan. But it was a sweet sweet blessing. After having told only 3 people about my visit including one of my best friends and husband, who picked me up from the airport, I was able to surprise everyone in my family including my mom and dad and sisters…everyone! It was especially sweet to be home because my cousin Adam proposed to his girlfriend Ashlee…AND my sister Bailey’s boyfriend Mark proposed to her the night before Christmas Eve!!!! Please be praying for them as they plan their Big Day for November 19^th, if you cannot tell by all my exclamation marks I am very excited for all 4 of them! :D

After returning to Lima we started training for our Enhancement teams. We will be traveling in groups of 3 to smaller villages around Lima to evangelize to the people, disciple the believers, and basically help support and establish the church in the village(s). I will be traveling with Solomon Grados and Andrea Gave to the village of Lahuaytambo. We have 2 other teams traveling out, including Lidman Presentacion, and Candi Mendoza, Arturo Tovar, MariaPatricia Arroyo, & Jim Wells and possibly a late addition Ana :D.  My team leaves tomorrow morning at 9:30am and will have anywhere between 3 and 6 hours of travel depending on traffic and such. The other teams will be leave Sunday and Monday. – If you could be praying for us all we would REALLY appreciate it; passion for the Gospel, compassion for the people, pray that we will walk with the boldness and strength but also the humility and gentleness of Christ. That we would walk with Christ presenting His Love and Truth to the people. Also pray for the people in the villages that God would prepare their hearts to be soft and receptive to us. I am so very excited!!!! At the same time I do have one particular concern which I am praying about and am receiving peace about. However, I would still appreciate any and all prayers! Please pray that my Spanish will be sufficient to communicate with the people clearly; I know God will help!

It is rainy season please pray for safety. It will be warm in the mornings and chilly to cold in the evenings, probably nothing compared to Nebraska right?? ;) haha. We will be returning Feb. 28^th and will have limited communication with anyone outside of the village.

As for my spiritual walk…God has been doing some really awesome work on my heart. Teaching me how much He loves me and desires to have an intimate relationship with me. He wants to be the first one I talk to in the morning and the last one I talk to at night. Even though He already knows everything about me inside and out, He wants me to tell Him all about my thoughts, my feelings, and to be entirely open and honest with Him (I can’t lie or hide, He already knows :D). Furthermore, He wants Me to know Him, He wants to share His life with me.  And it is this love relationship I must first fully accept and experience before I can love anyone else with a true, honest, steadfast, unending love. (A thank you to Mary Carol for giving me Leslie Ludy’s book “Authentic Beauty”, it has been an eye-opening read for me and a blessing for my walk, thank you Leslie for sharing your testimony).

Thank you all for your thoughts and all your prayers!

Love & Blessings!

dani