Saturday / Lima & Nuevo Ayacucho

After very little sleep we were up early for our bus trip to see our freinds at the Nuevo Ayacucho Church. The trip was longer than I had remembered (since I was asleep last time). We received a warm and spiritual welcome from the ladies of the Nuevo Ayachucho Church. I say ladies because the men were away working. For some unknown reason, everyone was notified that we would not be visiting this year.

We were all worried that we have not heard any news from Brenda about her condition. We learned that we must be patient and put our faith in our Lord.

We all need to be concious (and thankful) of the impact of our visits to Perú have made on us and on others. On the return trip to Lima, Sara Armstrong mentioned that Samuel Montes had stated to her "that if we can come this far to visit Perú... then he can buy a car and visit others close to Huanta."

Later in the evening we heard the good news that Brenda would be joining us at the airport for the trip to Ayacucho the following morning!

Glory to God!

Friday / Lima

We were treated to a band playing Latin music next door last night. The only problem was that they didn't quit until 2:30AM! Actually the band was good. It could have been worse if the band was bad.

We were up fairly early with Brenda and I walking to the corner store to buy fresh bread for breakfast. The breads and pastries here in Perú are wonderful!

I made the mistake of taking a Hydrocodone pill for my back and foot pain in the morning. (I'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN). Most of the morning was a haze and my head didn't stop spinning until around noon. It made the kamikaze Lima traffic a little more relaxing though. Ha!

The day's schedule was a light one. We walked around the center of Lima playing tourist by visiting the President's Palace to watch the changing of the guard and some shopping.

We returned home after lunch with Brenda not feeling well. She decided to lie down for the afternoon while Connie and I packed for our trip to Huanta. Some of the luggage that Connie and I had brought were gifts to the Amen Presbyterian Church, so those bags could stay at the Paredes' home until we returned on the following Sunday.

We were all excited to see the rest of the group from Port Orange, Bryson City, and Sharon. We had left for the airport early in order to visit with Samuel and Julia Montes, Sara Armstrong, and Rusty Edmondson. As we were at the airport we heard that Brenda would not be joining us that night or the following day. She was taken to the hospital with an bacterial infection. We learned later that she was kept at the hospital for the night with IVs. We all prayed for Brenda and quietly hoped she would be able to join us for the trip to Huanta on Sunday.

As the evening hours wore on, our group finally started coming out of the secure area at the airport. Hugs were all around, as we saw old friends and met new ones. We in Lima were treated to a surprise that Phyllis Acton was able to join us again this year! But, in the back of our minds was the heartache that Brenda and Rose Boelke were not with us. Our thoughts and prayers were with both of them.

We stayed the night in Lima at the Casa Kolping Guest House and with all the excitement, bus ride and amount of luggage... we made it to bed around 2:00AM!

I must take this time to thank the Paredes family for allowing Connie and I to disrupt their daily lives and welcoming us into their wonderful home. They had spent untold hours making their home a comfortable and inviting place for us to visit. I hope someday we will be able to return their hospitality. Thank you very much.

Thursday / Lima

We woke on Thurday morning to bands playing in the streets. Many neighborhoods have small parades with local children, banners, flags, and sometimes a car or two. The Peruvians are proud of their heritage and love to celebrate their Independence for several days.

After having a pancake breakfast at the Paredes' home cooked by Connie... (yes, cooked by Connie), we were starting to settle into a daily routine with our hosts. Because of the large amount of donations that we had brought, Connie and I didn't pack much in the way of personal clothes. Creative planning of the attire/laundry schedule had to be done often wherever we stayed. So, today was laundry day.

We head from our friend Luis that the computers were DONE! Nelson (Miriam's brother) agreed to meet Luis and pick up the laptops on this day. Thank you to both.

In the early evening, we joined the Paredes family for a trip to the water park in the center of Lima. At the water park, there was music, dancing and vendors of all kinds. With the Independence celebrations continuing, the smells, sights and sounds of this city were proof of just how large of a city Lima was.

On our way home, we stopped at Channy's for dinner. It was one of Brenda's favorite neighborhood restaurants for roasted chicken. mmmm!

Wednesday / Lima

Happy Independence Day!

On this day, we met our friend Luis Cordova. Luis lived in Lima and had agreed to change the programing of all the computers that we brought to Spanish. The laptop computers were loaded with the Windows operating system in English. For convenience to our hosts, Luis had agreed to load the operating system Linux in Spanish. We were grateful for his knowledge and to Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson for their recommendation.

Later, we attended the San Pablo Church in Lima to celebrate Independence Day. (San Pablo is the mother church of the Amen Presbyterian Church). Connie and I joined the band from the Amen Presbyterian Church and sang our song!

We were also treated to a sermon by Robert Woodson. Robert and his wife Shirley came to Perú in 1965 with the PCA. (After mentioning to Sara Armstrong about who preached this day, she said that Mr. Woodson will be retiring this year, after 45 years of service in Perú. They will return to the U.S. and live in Atlanta). After the service, all attending the celebration were treated to a church luncheon.

Lucky us... later that evening we were treated to dinner at Rodizio!

Tuesday / Lima

We woke up to horns and banging early this morning. We soon realized that it was the alert for trash pickup.

We had a great morning breakfast at the Paredes' home with the usual household chores that needed to be done. We washed clothes and hung them on the line, but we were not sure how long it will take for them to dry in this cool, overcast weather. Oh well... we just had to wait and see.

The celebrations for Independence Day had begun with what sounded like guns going off or loud firecrackers... ummm we were not sure. Parades were in almost every street and neighborhood. Music was everywhere!

We were told by Brenda in the morning that the Dales would be singing with her band at the San Pablo Church in Lima on WEDNESDAY?! WHAT?! SINGING?! So, we were off to practice at the Amen Presbyterian Church.

After the much needed practice, we returned home to a wonderful lunch of Ahi de Gelina with (a special) hot sauce for Van... Whew! Thank you Miriam!

After lunch, we were off to the city to visit the Fair Trade Store, Independence services at the San Pablo Church and then... you guessed it... we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant before heading home for the evening.

Monday / Lima

It rained last night in Lima! Well... not really rain but a heavy mist. We were up early for a breakfast date with Brenda's mother and her extended family. It was a wonderful experience to meet all of her family with hugs, laughter and tears.

I WILL NEVER DRIVE IN LIMA! The traffic there was beyond belief. With so many cars, trucks, motorcycles and people... there was just too much for the police to keep up with. Everyone just seemed to police themselves.

We enjoyed lunch for the whole family at Siam Thai. I think there is only a couple of Thai restaurants in Lima. This one is goooood!

We had heard about the unusual weather in the highlands. We were going to be around 8500ft on Saturday. Even though the local people were used to cool weather, they were not accustomed to bitter cold. Because of the bitter cold, the streams in the open pastures where many Llamas graze were freezing over. Many young Llamas were dying because of the cold and lack of drinking water.

Sunday / Lima

We were treated to a warm and spiritual Sunday morning service with communion at the Amen Presbyterian Church in Lima. The small church is in the district of Carabayllo, north of the main city of Lima. The Amen Church has around 28 members, with about 20 members attending on this Sunday.

After the service we enjoyed a lunch of seafood and cerviche at Choza Nautica in Lima. In the afternoon, the Paredes family and the Dales returned home to unpack, catch up on some rest, answer the many emails of questions and good wishes, a Skype call or two, and looking at maps to plan our upcoming week. Sabastien (Brenda's 5 year old brother) was shy, but he was getting accustomed to us being at the Paredes home. That afternoon, he finally started to talk and talk and talk...

In the early evening we returned to the city for dinner at Pikalo's, were we had roasted chicken, skewers of local meat and papas fritas!

Saturday / Charlotte, Atlanta & Lima

We were able to leave Charlotte this morning after a good breakfast at our favorite restaurant for home cooking, the Tryon House on Old Pineville Road. We were grateful to Randy Ross for all of his help in getting us to the airport.

At the Charlotte airport, we waited in line to check our bags and then another line for the security check. Our flight from Charlotte to Atlanta was delayed one hour until we were able to board our plane. Once in our plane we were treated to another 30 minute wait on the tarmac. When we were allowed to finally take off, the the first leg of our journey to Perú 2010 began.

A note to Kathryn Ross: The mission shirts you dyed were fantastic. I had a few comments while walking around in the Charlotte and Atlanta airports. Not only did some say that they liked the shirt, but they actually inquired about our mission in Perú. Many thanks!

Arrival in Lima was around 12:00AM Charlotte time. We had to wait an eternity in the immigration line and then we were allowed to collect our bags. The total of our bags contained over 250 lbs of luggage and donations! For the first time since traveling to Perú, Connie and I got the "Red Light" exiting the Lima airport. Both of us were detained while our bags were scanned and then hand searched. WOW!

Finally able to walk out and greet our hosts made all of the waiting in lines, the 8 hours on stifling planes, the dragging and sweating with luggage, being searched, being scanned, having to deal with immigration officers, filling out customs forms, and being stuffed into a Mickey Rooney sized airplane seat worth the effort. Ah... life is good!

An 1½ hour ride north to the wonderful Paredes home and then to bed around 2:30AM.

It's wonderful to be back in Perú!

From The Ministry of World Service

Sharon Presbyterian Church is hosting the 2010 conference of the Peru Mission Network, to be held from Thursday, October 7, 2010 to Saturday, October 9, 2010 in the Chapel.

The Peru Mission Network (“PMN”) is a group of PC(USA) churches, presbyteries and individuals dedicated to fostering and promoting mutual ministry in Peru . The network’s mission statement is included below.

Scheduled conference speakers include the Reverend Hunter Farrell, the PC(USA)’s Director of World Mission and the Rev. Doctor Sherron George, the PC(USA)’s Regional Liaison and Theological Education Coordinator for South America . Also scheduled to attend the conference are Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson, the PC(USA) delegations and partnerships coordinators in Peru along with a to-be-invited official of the Evangelical Presbyterian and Reformed Church of Peru.

Volunteers are needed for airport and local transportation, lodging of conference attendees, meal preparation/serving, set-up, clean-up, etc. If you have an interest in extending a Sharon Church welcome to conference participants by volunteering or would like more information about the conference please contact Connie Dale (704-525-4658 or cjsdale@yahoo.com) or Randy Ross (704-552-5573 or mrandallross@aol.com).

Mutual Mission In Peru

“Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Peru Mission Network (PMN) is a group of Presbyterian (U.S.A.) churches, presbyteries, and individuals that fosters and coordinates mutual ministry in partnership, primarily with the Evangelical Presbyterian and Reformed Church of Peru (IEPRP), Biblical University of Latin America (UBL), Evangelical Church of Peru (IEP) and Joining Hands Network, and communicates with those involved in other mission efforts in Peru.” reads PMN's mission statement. Members are involved in evangelism (Vacation Bible School and other programs) and are concerned about medical and social justice issues. PMN will meet October 7–9 at Sharon Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Members will hear from a Peru pastor, several Peru mission co-workers, and Sherron George, missiologist and author. For information on the conference, contact Karen Wilson or Maria Arroyo. PMN is one of more than 30 mission networks organized around particular countries, regions and global issues. Get connected with a mission network by first visiting the Mission Networks website, which will start you on your way to being equipped and inspired in partnership with others who share a common international mission focus.

Pat Donofriopdonofrio@nhpresbytery.org

Peru Trip Commissioning

The Peru Mission Trip participants (9 members of Sharon Presbyterian Church, 5 members of Port Orange Presbyterian Church and 2 members of Bryson City Presbyterian Church) were treated to a combined "Skype" commissioning on Sunday, July 18, 2010.

They group will leave Friday, July 30, 2010, for Huanta, Peru, to work with Peruvian Presbyterians to assemble, sand, and paint 150 wooden benches to be used as pews in the churches of four presbyteries neighboring Huanta. Twenty suitcases of children's clothing and shoes, prayer shawls, knitted pew cushions, blankets, knitted infant and adult caps, toys, and craft items will be presented to the Presbytery of Huanta, along with five laptop computers and peripheral equipment to the host denomination, The Evangelical Presbyterian and Reformed Church of Peru.

The participants from Sharon Presbyterian Church are:

• Phyllis Acton
• Rose Boelke
• Connie Dale
• Van Dale
• Hunter Garbee
• Andrew Kromer
• Drew Kromer
• Randy Ross
• Sarah Ross

The participants from Port Orange Presbyterian Church are:

• Sarah Dolatowski
• Kaitlin Lyons
• Kerry Lyons
• Kendal Ward
• Theresa Wolf

The participants from Bryson City Presbyterian Church are:

• DeAnna Booth
• Laura Booth

Thanks all!

Randy

Peru Cell Phones

In the years passed, the Dales have taken a Mobal World phone on our mission trips. A Mobal cell phone is not at satellite phone, but a phone that is capable of utilizing any cell tower that is available. In essence, if you can get a signal, you can use this phone. internationa cell is differentThey will be taking their phone again this year (for emergencies).
 
With the progression of cell phone use worldwide, you might be able to use your own phone in Peru. Last year, a few of our group that use Verizon, were able to get service in Huanta. I would recommend that you check with your provider about accessibility of international calling.
 
No cell phone service:

• No alarm clock. Many cell phones use the service to maintain the internal clock.
• no calender
• no calls
• no texting

International cell phone service:

• Calls $2.95 per minute
• If texting is available (.25 each)
• Very limited service
• Service is good in Ayacucho and Lima
• Service is limited in and around Huanta.

Counter News

We are tying a new counter and as you can see, we have been honored by visits from people all over the world.

Each time you click the "i" symbol on the counter, it will scroll through;

• Visitors from cities (a country shown while viewing this page means the visitors are accessing the blog using a wireless connection)
• Visitors from countries in the last 24 hours.
• Visitors from cities in the last 24 hours
• Cities of recent visitors (with the time they visited)
• Cities of visitors that are viewing the blog at the moment
• Countries of all of our visitors.

Thanks to all!

Sharon Presbyterian Youth Mission Trip

We celebrate with the youth and adults participating in the youth mission trip to Ontario, Canada. They will participate with group work camps July 9-17 on weeklong home repair projects for elderly, low-income and disabled residents. Please keep these youth and adults in your prayers as they travel, spread God's love and receive blessings from their work.

1. Claudia Ash
2. Josh Auten
3. Tim Brown
4. Blair Burke
5. Ally Butler
6. Casey Butler
7. Randy Butler
8. Elizabeth Chappelear
9. Claire Droppelman
10. Lauren Ellis
11. Josh Greer
12. Mikayla Hailey
13. Hayley Hinson
14. Andrew Hirschy
15. Katie Lee
16. Katherine Lopez
17. Max Mason
18. Hatley McArthur
19. Grant Parker
20. Evan Scott
21. Anna Shealy
22. Brittany Stanford
23. Brooke Stanford
24. Megan Talley

Too Late?!

Today, I though I would order something for our upcoming trip... uh... I soon realized that we are too late to order anything that will be "delivered in 4 to 6 weeks"!

Our wonderful leaders have done the planning, they have purchased the tickets and they have secured our accommodations. Our checked luggage is slowly being filled with everything from prayer shawls, toys, crafts, vitamins, seat cushions, candy, computers, computer monitors, crosses, hats, caps, Traveler Paul(s), gliders, shoes, clothes, and necessary items. Anything that we could personally do without, has provided more room and weight for a gift or a donation.

Time is growing short and the excitement is building with the anticipation of experiencing and sharing the wonders of Jesus Christ in another country and in another culture. We are blessed with the chance to take another step in our spiritual journey.

For the group, click the link 2010 Mission Trip Travel Information for any baggage questions. Check page 2 for weights and sizes. Any questions, please email Randy @ mrandallross@aol.com. Please, take the time now to set the correct time and date on your cameras. START YOUR JOURNALS!

wvd

New Peru Group Members

Each year we all are blessed by the addition of new people (and returning members from other churches) to join our trip to Peru. This year we are excited to be joined by:

Bryson City Presbyterian Church, Bryson City, NC:

• DeAnna Booth (DeAnna joined us on the 2008 trip)
• Laura Booth

Port Orange Presbyterian Church, Port Orange, FL:

• Sarah Dolatowski
• Kaitlin Lyons
• Kerry Lyons
• Kendall Ward
• Theresa Wolf

Below is proof that the members of Port Orange Presbyterian Church in Port Orange, Florida are as excited to go Peru as we are. Please pray for our new guests that they will experience the joy, giving and blessings that all others have received on previous visits to Huanta.

The excerpt below is copied from the newsletter of

Port Orange Presbyterian Church (USA)

4662 S. Clyde Morris Boulevard

Port Orange, Florida 32129

Port Orange Presbyterian Church Mission Team asks God: Where are you calling us in 2010? Our long term goal is to discern just where God might want us to try to initiate a long-term mission partnership with Christians somewhere out there in His world. We want to learn from, with, about and because of each other. We want to challenge each other to grow in our relationships with Jesus Christ. We want to be the best versions of ourselves as disciples of our Lord. We want to BE the church worldwide in a long-term relationship that will undoubtedly change the people we work with and ourselves. So, we are sending out 3 scouting teams from Port Orange Presbyterian Church to learn from other churches who have been in long-term partnership with Christians worldwide. We will team up with First Presbyterian DeLand, FL and their partners at Shalom Presbyterian and La Vida Joven in Esteli, Nicaragua, two distinctly different ministries 3 that they have had 15-year relationships with. We will partner with Sharon Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC and their partners in Huanta and Lima, Peru, ministries that they have had a 5-year partnership with.
Our church will send 13 people on international scouting missions this year. These folks will come home with information that they learn from these sister churches in DeLand, Charlotte, Esteli, Huanta and Lima.

POPCians will come home with what they learn about:

• How the relationships got started
• How the churches have maintained the partnership
• How the relationships have grown and changed over the years
• How the people of their churches have been changed by the partnerships

…and these POPC folks will hopefully come home with some idea of just where and how POPC might initiate a partnership of our own in last half of 2010. This is perhaps one of the most exciting opportunities.