Bob Dylan was right..times they are a changing....

Cesar, Kelly, and I enjoying the motocar breeze..

Francis, one of the students of the training school and our dear friend truly enjoying the mudslide

Elias and I at my birthday surprise that followed the kids program...

Mickey, Andy, Maite, Esmeralda, and I

I know right..she looks a little too happy to have just gotten in an accident...

Change...a word popularly used but rarely understood. I thought upon leaving the states, I would cease to see this word plastered on every political ad and proclaimed in every heart-warming speech on television, but thousand of miles away, Nauta city is no different. Being in the middle of elections for mayor here, it seems each candidate clings to this word, claiming to have the ability to awaken a new generation of peace and prosperity.

Now, this is not a blog to discuss corruption in the political realm or the separation of church and state. More than anything, the past 2 months here in Peru have been a constant reminder that instead of constantly focusing on the end goal and looking at our ministry and our relationship with Christ as means to some great end, we should realize that Christ is the end. God is the only one who will never change. He truly is the solid rock on which we can stand. Believing this can completely change our perspective on how we live our lives. Instead of constantly trying to live right or inspire change, we realize that walking with Christ everyday is what is important. While so many people feel like the Christian life means we have to begrudgingly give up our old way of life just because we desire a ticket for eternal life...truly embracing a daily walk with Him brings the realization that we can live abundantly and love fervently here and now on this earth.

As the summer here is drawing to a close, this theme of change resonates within my own heart. I was sitting in the back of the campamento today barefoot, washing my clothes in a bucket as a possessed mother duck was pecking at my foot. All of the sudden I realized...this feels normal. I started thinking about the past week....driving a moto around town, the internet cafe, at least 15 hugs a day from the neighborhoods niños....it all seems normal. In a few days, change is coming. Kelly is headed back to school. I begin my student teaching. Life will continue to move forward here as we move forward there. While politicians everywhere are clamoring for change, I am not quite sure I am ready for it in my own life. I know the goodbyes will be hard, but if there is anything I have learned this summer it is that God always has been, always is, and always will be faithful to us. Praise God that our lives are more than just a series of events and emotional highs and lows. Everyday matters to Jesus and every minute is another chance to get to know Him deeper.

I know Kelly and I both look forward to seeing you all soon. these past few weeks have been full of memories that we will never forget. For those of you who have not heard, Kelly will be bringing a nice cast home with her. In an adevnture gone wrong, I let Kelly take the wheel of the moto and her mental desire to turn down the street and her physical ability to do so collided and we headed for the sidewalk pavement. Kelly fractured her wrist and I got some very beautiful bruises to take home with me but we are alive and very grateful.

My birthday was yesterday and it has to be one of the best birthdays I have ever had. It started out with a midnight serenade of 6 of our friends here, who woke us up singing outside the house at midnight. We had a delicious chicken and rice lunch and Crystal made my day by baking brownies. Afterwards, I found out the pastor we worked with last year was waiting for me at their house with another meal of chicken and rice and another cake. I was incredibly grateful and quite surprised..but it was definitely a struggle trying to eat lunch and cake number 2 with becoming ill.

Afterwards, all our friends went swimming and we found a fantastic slippery mudslide which made for great fun and great pictures. Dont worry Mr. and Mrs. Brill...I did not let Kelly on the slide. Her and her wrist were safely playing soccer in the shallow water. As soon as we finished swimming, we had to shower quickly in order to make it to our Wednesday night childrens program where I was surprised at the end by a delicious cake and many hugs from the children. Upon leaving the church, Crystal handed me the key to her moto and let me take a joyride. It was a cool and clear night and one of the best ways to help bring my 22nd birthday to a close. I met everyone at the campamento where there was...yep you guessed it..left over chicken and rice. I seriously think I ate more yesterday than I have eaten all summer. All jokes aside, I was extremely blessed yesterday. Sadly the day also consisted of 4 eggs broken on my head, a very fun Peruvian birthday tradition. Thanks to Cesar, Francis, Liliet, and Peter...such dear friends...my hair still reeks of egg.

On a more serious note. After an extremely heavy rain and wind storm mid-day yesterday, many of the houses here have suffered serious damage. One friend Moises, lost his roof completely, and I have already seen 2 more houses that have been completely destroyed. While the storm would probably make little to no impact on American houses, here a big difference was made. Our house lost its gutter system, but thats about it. We are continuing to pray for Moises and his family (his daughter was in my group during the childrens congreso) and also trying to see how we can help his family get a new roof as quickly as possible.

Well this blog is surely long enough.

Mucho amor.

-Sarita

update...FINALLY!!!

I I apologize to everyone for taking so long to update the blog. We have been really busy lately, and have had no time to sit down and write out everything that we have been doing. We are in the last 2 weeks of our trip. Sarah and I are SOOOOOO sad to be leaving. We constantly sit and talk about the differences between our life here and how we live in the states. When were here...life is simple. Whether it is with the clothes we wear, the food we eat, or the church services we attend......all is simple. We try and wonder sometimes what people here would think of us in the states, and if they would view us in the same way or differently. Sarah and I constantly learn new things each day. We both have different areas in our life where God is working, but I feel like He has really been showing us how to build up our treasures in heaven, instead of treasures on this earth. Some nights I will walk out into the middle of the field and just stare up at the stars. I begin talking with God, and my heart is overwhelmed with JOY that he has chosen me to be his servant. I know that it´s only by his grace that I am here.

Soooo, there has been a lot going on around the campamento lately. We had our Kids congreso last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There were around 100 kids that attended that were from Nauta, Iquitos, and different villages down river. We had a blast serving these kids, and getting to spend the night at the campamento with them. Sarah was a leader of one group, and I was able to lead my own. The days were filled with different activities for the kids. They had a Bible story each day, and different arts and crafts to do. There was also volleyball and Soccer that the kids partcipated in, and my team won FIRST PLACE!!!!! The first night that we went to sleep..there was SOOOOOO much noise in the campamento. The kids were out of control. Sarah and I at one point had 5 people in our mosquito net to sleep. We ended up going downstairs, and found Crystal still awake. We decided to go on a little joy ride on her moto at 11 p.m. to get a break from the kids. When we got back, sarah and I decided it would be better to sleep on the picnic table outside. How uncomfortbale!!! We woke up freezing because the dew had gotten all over our blankets and pillows. But it was definitely quite the experience! Also, we rose at 4 30 A.M. because the guys from the campamento began playing the guitar and singing.....which resulted in all the kids waking up. The kids had an awesome time of fellowship wiht other there age, and we just pray that they always remember the Bible stories and verses that they heard.

Sarah´s birthday is coming up fairly soon, but 3 guys from the campamento have already left. They were very sad they they would not be able to crack eggs over her head. So, the day before we left, the boys plotted to smash an egg over her head. They were successful, but in there success....they got me with an egg as well. I was not happy. Crystal, Sarah and I schemed and schemed. We woke up at 4 in the morning to sneak to the campamento with eggs and flour in our hands. We found them in there beds, and we were able to get a few of them. But they knew we were there and had there eggs ready as well. We left covered in egg and flour. We had a good time sneaking around the campamento.

The campamento has been very quiet lately. Three of the boys in the discipleship program have left to go home to there villages for two months. They are going home to put into practice what they have been learning, and to serve in there home churches. I learned so much from these guys. They have a passion to serve Christ, and you can see the love they have for him by the way they live there lives. Those guys have become our family here this summer, and it broke our hearts to have to say goodbye. I would always make fun of one guy at the campamento...his name is Gumersindo. I would call him Goobs, and then call him lazy!! ooo the love we have for each other!! haha pray for these guys as they are returning home. Pray that they stay strong in the faith. Dustin, another one of the guys who left....is the only Christian in his family. I know it is hard when there is no support in his own home. Pray that he will be able to witness, and share the love of Christ with them.

Sarah and I have been able to really experience the peruvian life. The other day, Marisol...a woman who helps out at the campamento...asked me if I wanted to help here with dinner. I said of course! She then proceeded to tell me that I would be pealing the chicken..................WHAT??? She pulled the chicken out of the cage, and we proceeded. Sarah cut the neck of the chicken and drained the blood...adn then we put it in pulling water where I began to pluck the feathers from the chicken. It really was not that bad. I figured I should probably learn if I am going to be doing this one day. This is normal for hte people here. After the chicken was dead....one of the girls was sitting playing with its foot in bloody water. I have a lot I still need to get used to!!

Continue praying for us. We have many friends in the next 2 weeks that we want to visit. We have some friends that do not know Christ. Pray that our conversations would be spent talking about things that really matter...things that can impact a persons life for eternity. God is good, and faithful. I pray that all we do is to only bring honor and glory to his name, and we live each day knowing that we were called to waste our lives for Christ. I want to leave this world knowing that I gave everything...and never look back with regrets. I believe with my whole heart that Jesus is worth more than anything I could ever hold in my hands. He is better than life itself. He is the one we live for each day!!!

Kelly B.3

So Cool Here!!!...no seriously..it´s COLD!

At the bonfire with Crystal!

Kelly´s surprise birthday party with dear little Patrick and his cousin also named Sarita!

Kelly digging into one of her many birthday cakes that day..yuuuum!

Chilling in the hammock at the campamento..notice the layering of the clothes...soooo chilly!!

Kel reading Green Eggs and Ham to Renzom and his little sister Ruth..two of the frequent visitors at the campamento!

Sarah here!

It has been quite a long time I know...I apologize for all you avid blog readers out there. The last week has been quite busy and the few times I have tried updating the low-speed Nauta internet would not allow it..but we are in Iquitos today running some errands and so finally I can successfully update!!

Upon returning from the jungle we bid goodbye to our American team we were translating for a working with. The last night we had a big bonfire and all took communion together. It was a really sweet time of sharing, fellowship, and encouragement between both the Peruvians and Americans.

Right after the Peruvians left, we had another big event to plan for...Kelly´s birthday. Being so far away from home on her 21st Crystal and I planned many surprises for Kel to make her feel at home. We started in the morning and instead of our normal bread and coffee breakfast we had m and m pancakes and her favorite juice from the market. Later we had one surprise party with all the kids from our street last year. One of the boys´mothers made a delicious cake. Later we surprised her yet again with another surprise party with all the boys from the campamento and other friends from around town. Thanks to a birthday tradition here in Peru, Kelly had an egg broken over her head two times. The first time by Pastor Williams and she had no clue it was coming. The second time by our good friend Carlos, and that time she tried to fight back..but the egg won. If you want to feel sympathy for anyone, feel for me. I had to sleep next to her egg drenched hair that night haha. Other than that our days have been filled with English lessons, running errands, and cleaning up around the campamento....

Today arrived the other American team. There are about 20 college-aged students and they have been working in the jungle for over a month now. They will be here in Nauta working for the next few days and then will head back out the junlge again. Right after that is a 3 day kids congreso at the campamento where 200 kids from within Nauta and the churches in the jungle will be coming to participate. It is like the Spanish version of vacation Bible school, except the kids stay overnight in tent like structures. So needless to say, the next few weeks will be busy.In other news, IT IS SO COLD HERE. I don´t know what is going on, but a huge cold front has come through and it has been cold all day and really cold at night. I would say low 50´s..but I am horrible at estimating so don´t hold me to that. Kelly and I went to bed sweating every night last year, so we definitely aren´t prepared for this cold and neither are the Peruvians. Everyone is wearing sandals with socks and piling on layers of t-shirts, shorts, pants, etc. It is quite the humorous site but I am certainly looking forward to seeing the sun come back.

It is hard to put my finger on what God has been teaching me the last few days. Like Kelly shared last time, we are definitely learning how radically different someone whoe really loves Jesus should look like. And I can write blogs all day and fill my journal with all kinds of thoughts about loving fervently and with reckless abandon..but where I am really challenged is in learning how to apply what I am learning in everyday life. In the days when I feel like I have no energy..in the days when I come across those harder to love...in every moment of every situation..what would it look like to be so focused and devoted to Christ that you aren´t living or acting for the approval of others. As hard as the lesson is, I feel like God is showing me many areas where I both lack surrender and continue to seek the approval of others over His.

I am sure soon we will have much more to update about..but for now...Chau!!

-Sarita

Jungle Life!!!

This is us in Nueva York at the Vacation Bible School we were doing. This is one of our peruvian friends Gustavo, and then the niños! The kids learned about going and making disciples of all nations...and this is there craft. It´s the world, with a cross in the middle and people on the outside from all nations!

This is a little bird on my shoulder....I freaked out and couldnt put it on my hand so Sarah put it on my shoulder!

This is a huge iguana that someone found....we also found a little alligator ...which is probably what we bathed with! haha oooo my

This is us on the boat the night before we left....we slept in our hammocks and left early the next morning!

Well guys, Sarah and I successfully made it back to Nauta. We went down river to two different villages doing work alongside the American team that has been here in Nauta for the last 3 weeks. I can not even begin to tell you all how Christ moved in mine and Sarah´s life while gone. These villages are very different from Nauta, and much smaller. I´ll try to do my best to explain, but I probably will not do these stories justice

To start off on a light note.....jungle bugs are HORRENDOUS!! The first night we got there, there were 4 huge torantulas on the side of the building, and as soon as you look down there are 50 million mosquitoes surrounding you. Sarah and I would go to bed every night knowing that a massacre was about to take place. I really do not know how the mosquitoes got in our net, but they did. We would have to kill them by clapping our hands......blooooddddd everywhere! One night Sarah and I crawled into our bed and realized that there were about 4 HUGE bugs in our bedding. We were screaming, laughing, mortified....and we were somehow trying to find the good in the situation. We got those bugs out, but then realized that there were MORE. We killed them and stuck them underneath my bedding...sooo I slept with dead bugs underneath my mat....comforting feeling. The bathroom was amazing......total sarcasm. Everytime we went to the bathroom...we left with bug bites all over our but. Bathing was pretty cool. We would all go down to the river...go down the huge mud slide, and then bathe with the kids from the village.

Now on a more serious note, I want to share a few things that I learned and saw in these two different villages. The first night in the village, we sat outside with the real life team...another team in the jungle associated with the team we were working with...and we sat around and sung worship songs. There were no lights in this village....soo I just sat there looking up at the HUGE sky and all the stars singing praises to Jesus. It´s in those moments where I feel so close to Christ. Even though bugs were biting me through my clothes...I sat there and recognized the greatness of God, and how he desires every man to know Christ.

The first day in Nueva York, we went house to house visiting the people and sharing the gospel. As We sat own with one of the women from the village, we began to ask her if she believed in Christ. She said of of course and that she went to church and her husband was a leader in the church. As we began talking to her, she did not believe that there was a hell or that Jesus even rose again from the grave...which is what Christianity hinges on. I recognized that this town was simply full of religion, but the people really did not know who Christ was. I was heart broken at the fact that we were leaving, and nobody was left there to teach these people about who Jesus really is. How are these people ever supposd to know who God really is, and what the Bible says unless we go and tell them. It´s a whole village probably dying without the gospel...and without knowing truth. They go to church for an experience, not because they really want to know God.

The second village we went to was probably my favorite. This was another tiny little village, where everyone literally knows everyone. The first day we were there, we went visiting once again. We wanted to visit a drunk man that we saw fall off his porch, but when we went to his house he was not there. So, we kept on walking and ran into a house that had guinea pigs. A girl on the team wanted to stop and look. We looked up in the house and there was an elderly man sitting in his hammock. We asked if we could come and talk with him and he said of course. Sarah opened up her Bible and began to share with him about salvation. She asked if he believed in God and he said of course. She asked if he knew where he would go when he died, and he said ...no one can really know where there going. Sarah opened the Bible and began to share with Him about who Jesus was, and how He came and died for our sins, and how we can know that we are going to Heaven when we die. When sarah would ask him Questions about Jesus, he would just stare at her coldly, and give no response. This man had never been taught anything abuot the God, he had never owned a Bible, and he was to the point where his eyesight was so bad he couldn´t read anymore. We left that house without this man knowing Jesus. As Sarah and I began to talk...she just began to cry because her heart was so broken over this man. We realized that if that village was truly teaching about Jesus, the whole town could know him. We knew that we were leaving and nobody was there to talk to this man or teach him about Christ. Heaven and hell really did become a reality at that moment to Sarah and I. We knew that we would leave, not ever seeing that man again...knowing that it would literally take a miracle for that man to know Jesus. This again really hit me hard. Whole villages..practically....dying without Jesus...but who is going to tell them? We spent two days in this village....barely enough time to truly make an impact. I think I realized that in order to reach these people.....we have to be willing to go and live among them. We have to be willing to spend years there building a foundation that is based on truth...and discipling people. Whats the point of going in, giving the salvation message...people accept Christ...and then we leave??? How are they supposed to grow?? And how are they really supposed to know who Jesus is, without making it simply a religion??

I keep thinking back on Paul, and his missionary journeys. Paul would go into different villages and start a church. He would build a foundation based on the Word of God, and would disciple the people in the village until he thought that they were established enough for him to leave. He would leave and go do the same thing in another village. You have to understand....it´s not a easy life, and it´s not always comfortable. Paul suffered so much on his journeys, but he did it all in the name of Jesus...he even rejoiced in his sufferings. When we finally realize the reality of eternity, the reality of heaven and hell....comfort no longer matters. What length are you willing to go to so you can win people to Christ? When talking to another Peruvian here, he was heart broken over the same things. I would hear him say....The church has no love for the lost, no love for the people. A lot of times we think we can just give money and pray, and thats our only duty as the body of Christ. Thats not the life that God has called any Christian to. What if the Christians started going, and I don´t mean just international missions, but also in America. If were not helping and pouring everything we are into the lost, poor and needy and sharing the love of Jesus with them....then we really are not fulfilling the Great Commission. What would it look like if we all went, and started doing our part.....how much faster people would come to know Christ, and how much faster people in unreached people groups would finally be able to hear the name of Jesus. We really need to pray and ask God to break our hearts for the things that break His.....and Jesus is heart broken over the lost.

with the Pastor´s wife Clementina. A lot of kids + no shade = a bit of sunburn

A beautiful view of Nauta!

Pastor Williams put us to work painting the fence around the campamento!

A few of my amigos with the whales they made.

R.I.P our large and scary friend

Happy July friends!!

Sarah here! I definitely feel as though Kelly and I have been here for longer than fifteen days...but I suppose that´s because we have gotten into such a routine here...but along with routines always come surprises...some not so pleasant as others. For example, tonight we we were relaxing a little bit after a long day of ministry. Soon one of the high schoolers Ashley on our team begins to scream ¨Tarantulaaaaaaaaaa¨and lo and behold I saw the largest spider I have ever seen in Peru. After a few pictures and way too many high pitched screams, it was killed with a wooden plank.

Our second week of ministry is going great. It has been busy because yesterday we had the 2 kids programs running at the same time and then Kelly and I have a Wednesday kids program we go to with the kids from our street last year. We were so exhausted by the end, but it was so much fun. We ended a night with a great game. Each kid needed a partner and one partner was to be the bird and the other the tree. Everyone is running around crazily until one person calls out...at that moment the partners have to find each other and the bird has to sit on the knee of the tree partner. Well Kelly was paired up with a young, small boy named Junior. I guess she wasn´t paying much attention to the rules because while all the other Americans knew it would be wise to be the tree, Kelly decided to be the bird. So on the first call we all had a good laugh to see Kelly sitting on the knee of a little boy...she then realized they should switch roles..but it was certainly fun to watch while it lasted...

Beside that weekly program, our daily team is divided into 2 groups and Kel´s group is working on one side of Nauta and my group is on the other side. Today we shared the story of Jonah and the whale and the kids loved it! It is only the second day and many of the children already have learned the memory verse. Ir has been awesome to see the Peruvians on our team stepping up and applying what they learned last week into the programs next week. On Monday we are leaving for the jungle where the Peruvians will get a chance to play an even greater role. I love this method of discipleship...the chance to come and encourage/teach people how to minister to their own people is so exciting..especially the knowledge that the work doesn´t stop when the high school team leaves..in reality it is just beginning!!

After the Bible school today, some of the parents and siblings of the kids in the Bible school challenged us to a game of volleyball. It was 4 Americans vs. 4 Peruvians. I would share the outcome but it is just too depressing to talk about haha.

The Lord is constantly teaching me new things everyday..but if there is any overwhelming theme it is just that he is giving both Kelly and I more of a thirst for Him..not his gifts or his blessings...but Himself. We continue to challenge each other that nothing in this world- no relationship, no amount of money, nor anything else compare with an intimate relationship with Christ. I am currently reading the Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot. All throughout there are various excerpts her husband wrote throughout his life before dying on the mission field. Today I read this:

¨To that soul which has tasted of Christ, the jaunty laugh, the tempting music of mingled voices, the haunting appeal of smiling eyes--all these lack flavor. And I would drink deeply of Him. Fill me, O Spirit of Christ, with all the fullness of God¨

Kelly and I are learning to live like ¨strangers in this land,¨ while working with all our strength, but also looking forward to our heavenly citizenship and we pray the same for you all.

-Paz

-Sarah

P.S- the chiggers and sunburn phase has about passed. The new craze is lice...bu no worries I will be sure to rid of these little friends before giving any of you hugs back in los Estados Unidos.

VBS, major sharing, and crazy motocar drivers!

This is lakin....it was her birthday yesterday, so Sarah and I bought her a blanket from the market!

This is the market place where they sell the best juice I have ever tasted. Sarah and I made a special trip yesterday for the juice!...and for lakin!

This is at the at the VBS with the ninos....it was craft time!

This is Dustin sitting beside me, Renzom in my lap, and Frances to the side of Sarah. The two older boys live at the campamento and Renzom is just adorable...he is also at the campamento quite frequently.

Well, another week passes here in Nauta! We have been here for two weeks now, and have found ourselves adjusting very comfortably to the peruvian culture.....once again! The American Team has arrived here in Nauta, and we have been working alongside them for the past week, and will continue with them for the next two weeks. We did a vacation Bible school with children from the local neighborhood. The theme for this week was obedience. Several characters from the Bible were chosen whose testimony of obedience to God radically shook the lives of people around them. We talked about jonah and the whale and david and goliath. We ended with the gospel message and how through Jesus´ obedience to his Father had cost him his life. But through that obedience, the whole world now had an opportunity to know Jesus intimately and spend eternity with him and then how we are to ultimately go out and make disciples of ALL nations! The peruvians have been working with us, and we have been teaching them how to do Vacatin Bible School with the kids here.

This morning in our church service, I stood amazed at what I saw. With one guy playing the guitar, and the pastor´s wife beating a shabby little drum, I saw what true worship really is. There were no lights, there was not a full band and they did not have the best singers....it was simply worship. I saw a true intimacy with Christ, that I have failed to see most of my life. Sometimes I wonder why people in foreign countries with nothing seem to truly grasp the fact that Jesus is absolutely there everything. They live without watching junk on television, and having things consume there mind. They simply adore Christ for who he is. All I could thing was....how can I go back to the States and maintain this mindset of worship. How can I make Jesus my everything when I live in a culture that has so many other distractions. Christ has to be treasured above All, or we are merely putting idols in front of him...and this is exactly what Christ has called us against.

Sarah has been doing a lot of translating. Last night she had to translate for a pastor here in town of Nauta, and it was quite interesting. The pastor was talking about how we, as Christians, can lose our salvation if we are ever involved in sexual immorality. Obviously, we do not believe that anyone who truly knows Christ can lose there salvation. Yes, he calls us to live righteous lives, and to be holy just as He is, but we also mess up. The leader from the American team was frustrated by this sermon. He was able to speak in church today and preach against these lies that are so often taught here in Nauta. The majority of pastor´s here in the area believe that salvation is never a guarantee, and it can be lost. This is absolutely heart breaking. We have friends here that are so confused, and do not know what to believe. Most feel that when they do fall, there is no use in trying to win there favor back with God, and they completely give up on the Christian life. How sad it is when people feel as if they have to win favor with God. He has extended his hands of mercy and grace over our lives, and how sad it is when people feel as if they have messed up to much and have lost there salvation. Pray for the youth and adults here in Nauta. I am learning more and more that the majority of Nauta is living without Christ in there lives. They have heard the gospel message, but most have rejected. We are praying that through the kid´s ministries here in Nauta, they can come to know Christ and take the word back to there families!

On a lighter note, Sarah Booth is the most giving person I think I have ever met. A few nights ago, Sarah was in a large amount of discomfort. There are two things here in Nauta that can make a person extremely uncomfortably.....Bug bites and Chiggers. She allowed a few ladies at the campamento to check her bites out, and we realized that these were not bug bites, instead they were chiggers. With chiggers, the itching never stops. As we were talking to Crystal tonight on the phone, she said that we should be careful because they can spread very easily in bed. Well folks, Sarah sleeps right next to me. As I am writing this, I feel some extreme discomfort and feel semi confident that Sarah may have passed her chiggers on to me! I finally am accustomed to the bug bites, and now on top of that.....well, you know!

Late last night, Sarah and I were on our way home from campamento. We live up on a big hill, and most motorcar drivers can never make it up and we end up having to walk. Also, here in nauta, a person should never have to pay more than 2 soles for a ride in the moto.....unless your American. Our driver last night was having a very difficult time making it up the hill, so Sarah told him we could walk. Sarah asked how much the cost was, and he said 3 soles. Well, this just did not sit well with sarah....so with a forceful voice she looked at him and said ¨Are you crazy, you couldn´t even get up the hill¨. The moto man was conning us. Well, the next thing we know, we have fiver elderly men circling the moto pushing us up to the top of the hill. It was proably the most humorous thing I have seen in a while. Once we arrived to the top, we asked the moto man how much it would cost, and he said........2 soles. Sarah set him straight!

Things continue to go well here. We continuously are learning that we can do nothing on our own strength, but Christ has to be in everything we do. We recognize that we need him so much, and daily we beg for the Spirit to guide us, and lead us in the way we do ministry here. We can do nothing apart from Jesus. Pray for Nauta, that they will truly look at Scripture for what it says, and that the pastors here will quit leading the people astray!

Kelly B.

The end of week one...

Clementinas preschool class. She shared with me that this soup is the only meal a day some of them get. The red faces are from the volleyball...here are a few of the kids around the campamento

The boys are all a part of the missionary training center.

Our new brother in Christ Ernesto...he calls those his Superman glasses..they are SUPER big that is for sure...

Sarah here. To begin, I must thank you all for your prayers..especially those of you who have been praying for Ernesto. I am delighted to share that he is now a brother in Christ. After another visit in which we gave Him a Bible and spent almost an hour just talking about different verses he suddenly told us "Hay que orar" or in other words, we HAVE to pray. For me it was such a wonderful experience because where I lacked in Spanish skills or the exact words to say, the Spirit moved...His grace really is sufficient for us.

Bugs aside, Kel and I are loving our house. There is always a lovely sunrise in the morning and unbelievable stars at night. I have been able to meet many of the neighborhood kids as well, so now there are usually at least one or two hanging around the house when we are coming and going. You know, some of you might think that leaving America would leave us missing some of the things we are used to, like American music for example, but that is not the case. For some reason, Peruvians, especially our neighbors..usually around 4:30 am...love playing all types of American music to keep us motivated...from "the Eye of the Tiger" to Celine and Elton John..we are often reminded of the decades past haha. Also, because Kelly and I live far away from the campamento where we spend our mornings we have to take motocars to and from our house. Because we live on such a high hill, it is always fun to guess if our driver will make it all the way. Usually only about 1 in 4 do so its fun to guess which ones will make it haha.

All jokes aside, today was an absolutely fantastic day. We spent the morning helping a friend Jovita with her Sunday School at the house of the Pastor where we lived last year. We talked about fathers and their importance in the family and always stressed the importance of obeying your fathers or whoever represents the father in your life. Afterwards we went right to the campamento where they were also having a large fathers day celebration. All the fathers of Clementinas preschool class were they and after eating some delicious soup we played volleyball for about 2 hours. Around 3 we immediately left to go back to our side of town where we had already promised some other ladies we would play volleyball. So after about 4 hours of volleyball and a lot of sun later it was so nice to be back in our house to rest a little bit. We ended the night by visiting one of the local churches named La Roca. We sat in the back hoping to evade too much attention, but the Pastor came over and spoke with us and invited us to come up and share a word. I definitely had nothing prepared but just shared a bit about what I had been learning recently about the power of prayer. The best part was after 4 hours of volleyball Kelly and I made the wise decision to not shower..and shortly after speaking the Pastor shared their churches tradition of forming a hug line to welcome visitors. I just prayed so much for them as 30 plus came in a line to hug us...we definitely were not smelling so good.

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Although it has been nice to get into a routine, this routine will quickly change as an American team of high schoolers is arriving Tuesday. We will be working as translators for them for the next three weeks. The idea is to work with various churches in the area and lead both kids camps, some door to door ministry, and vacation Bible schools in order to show both those in the missionary training center and various church leaders different means to do such ministry. The first 2 weeks we will be here in Nauta and the third week we will go into the jungle. We are so excited to meet this team and look forward to working with them.

Life is SO good here. After a week here, I think we have adjusted quite well. We have eaten many fish, fruits, and other Peruvian food that is given to us. Kellys legs are a sight to see..lets just say the mosquitos reallllllly like her blood. Everyday here is an adventure. Please continue to pray for us.

Paz

Sarah Booth