Perú Comes To Street View

Resource:  Digital Trends

By Trevor Mogg

Street View cars are continuing to make their way around the world, with Peru the latest country to join the ranks of those visited by the Mountain View company’s camera-laden motors.

In fact, according to a Google+ post announcing the news, the South American nation is the 51st country to join Street View, with its major cities now among more than 3,000 around the world that’ve been given the Street View treatment.

To make the most of your armchair-based Street View trip to Peru, be sure to click on the thumbnail images at the bottom right of your screen to bring up a panel offering more full-size images of a location or famous landmark using public user-contributed photos from Picasa and Panaromio .

Where possible, Google has brought these images together to create a photo tour that show a particular location from multiple angles, with the pictures morphing from one to another. Such tours are currently available for more than 15,000 famous sites around the world.

The Street View team also said it has expanded its coverage of Chile, with a colossal 21,000 miles of the country’s roads now mapped by its vehicles. Among South American nations, Google’s Street View cars have also mapped parts of Brazil.

Google has been rolling out a ton of Street View updates in recent months. Besides adding 360-degree imagery for more unusual locations – the interior of the world’s largest passenger plane, the top of the highest building in the world, and Doctor Who’s TARDIS among them – it also recently launched a new behind-the-scenes site offering users the chance to find out more about how some of the content was gathered.

Webinar Invitation

Grace and peace to you.

Join us for a webinar to learn from and pray with our partners working in Egypt. Hear how our brothers and sisters are being impacted by recent happenings, and learn how God is present in the midst of this situation. We will have the chance to hear from one of our Egyptian global partners, a Presbyterian mission co-worker, and Amgad Beblawi, World Mission's Area Coordinator for the Middle East.

When: Thursday, August 29 at 1:00 PM (EST)

To register for this webinar

We hope you will be able to join us for this important conversation. Please share this event with your congregations and colleagues.

In Christ,

Hunter Farrell

Director, Presbyterian World Mission

Mission Crossroads PC(USA)

Lima's Dreaded Skies

Resource: Yahoo News

For roughly four months a year, the sun abandons Peru's seaside desert capital, suffocating it under a ponderous gray cloudbank and fog that coats the city with nighttime drizzles.

The 19th-century writer and seafarer Herman Melville called Lima "the strangest and saddest city thou can'st see."

Other writers have likened its leaden winter sky to "the belly of a burro."

Barometers often read 100 percent humidity, and rheumatoid and bronchial ailments soar in the city of 9 million.

Limenos don scarfs and jackets and complain of slipping into a gloom of seasonal depression.


Fog Covered Stairs Leading To The Bella Vista del Paraiso Neighborhood

This year, Lima has had a particularly bad bout of winter, its coldest, dampest in 30 years, according to the state meteorological agency, with temperatures dropping to a sodden 12 degrees centigrade (about 54 degrees Fahrenheit).

The cold Humboldt current that runs north from Antarctica along the coast is the culprit, colliding with the warmer tropical atmosphere to create the blinding mists called "garua" in coastal Chile and Peru.

Of course no one suffers Lima's winters like the poor huddled in its hilly, fog-draped peripheries.

In one cardboard-and-wood shack, 41-year-old Digna Salvador tells a visiting journalist that it takes her clothing 12 days to dry on the line. Four of her nine children are sick with bronchitis.

Her 10-month-old, Marcos, coughs incessantly as she holds him in her arms.

Salvador says the highlands province from which she hails, Cajamarca, is much colder in winter.

"But everything is sad here," she says. "In winter, it's as if we're living enclosed in a cloud."

8 Things You Should Never Carry In Your Wallet

Resource:  Finance Answers
By Kim Carleton

1.  Social Security Card 
Anything that has your Social Security number on it is extremely dangerous to lose. According to identity theft experts, your Social Security card is the absolute worst item to lose. If you happen to be a retiree you should take out your Medicare card as well (your SSN is on this as well). Be sure to check all the items in your wallet and keep your SSN to yourself.

2.  Checks 
Blank checks are a huge risk. Thieves can easily empty your checking account with a single piece of paper. Even if you've already filled out a check you are still at financial risk. Because your check contains routing and account numbers, almost anyone could transfer funds from your account. Only carry paper checks when they are absolutely necessary and leave the rest at home.

3.  Passport 
Your passport literally opens a world of possibilities for a thief. With a government-issued photo ID anyone can travel in your name, open bank accounts, or even get a copy of your social security card. Instead of carrying your passport try to only bring a driver's license or another form of personal ID while in the U.S.

4.  Password Cheat Sheet 
With so many different sites and accounts to access, we understand it can be difficult to keep track of passwords these days. However, carrying a list of them can lead to horrible consequences if misplaced. If you must write down your passwords we suggest you keep the list safe in a locked box at home or consider an encrypted mobile app in order to protect your identity.

5.  Spare Keys
A lost wallet containing a spare key and a home address is basically an invitation for a burglar. Carrying a spare key in your wallet puts not only your assets but also your family at risk. At the very least you'll have to pay for a locksmith to change your locks.

6.  Receipts
Fortunately businesses are no longer allowed to print any information containing your credit or debit card's expiration date or more than the last five digits of your credit card number. However, a clever thief can still use limited info and merchant material to phish for your remaining numbers. Try to shred and clear old receipts from your wallet at least a few times a week and keep your identity safe.

7.  Birth Certificate
Although a birth certificate itself won't get identity thieves very far, "birth certificates could be used in correlation with other types of fraudulent IDs," Junker says. Be especially cautious on occasions when you are carrying all of your important documents at once because someone can come along and steal them all.

8.  Multiple Cards
Carrying a single card is much safer than several. More plastic runs a greater risk and leaves you with more cards to cancel if your wallet is stolen. Carrying a single card is much safer and can be very helpful in the event of an unplanned emergency. It is also a good idea to know your cards' cancellation numbers or have them written down in case you need to cancel your credit cards.

We hope you gained some valuable knowledge from this list. When it comes to your identity and assets there's no such thing as being too cautious. Losing your wallet or purse can be an inconvenience but taking these steps can stop it from being a disaster.

In Perú, Fly The Flag In July, Or Pay Up

Resource:  Times-Standard National & World News

Anyone traveling in Peru in recent weeks could easily have concluded it's among the world's most patriotic nations. Until they find out why the national flag is flapping virtually everywhere: Failing to fly the banner for Independence Day can bring a hefty fine.

Under a 1939 national law, Peruvian homes, businesses and institutions are required to fly the red-and-white standard from July 27 through July 30 to honor Independence Day, which falls on July 28.

But some municipalities require that the flag be flown for the entire month of July, or even longer. Enforcement varies from municipality to municipality.

There is uniformity neither in the specified time period nor in the penalty for non-compliance.

Fines begin at about $20 and can run as high as $380, according to a 2011 study by the Peruvian Institute of Municipal Administration.

So, flags are everywhere.

And more often than not, they are affixed to roofs far from the street—where they can't be easily stolen

Ethernet In Huanta

This past year, mission members were able to connect to the WiFi network from the engineering office next to the La Posada del Marques in Huanta.  Albeit, it was only available in the hotel lobby area.  We have heard that the engineering group might be leaving at the completion of their project in August of 2014, possibly earlier.  So, the free WiFi might not be available when we return in July.

We are not sure if WiFi will ever be available in the hotel rooms.  There are new Ethernet cables in each room of the hotel, so if you decide to bring a laptop in the coming years, you should have no problem connecting.

WiFi connections with smart phones and tablets will be another issue.  I have ordered an adapter/converter that I hope will enable us to plug an Ethernet cable to a tablet.  As the order arrives and we try the converter with different tablets and phones, we will keep you posted of the results.

We can always return to the Internet Cafes too...

We Need You!

If you have ever thought about joining the adult mission trip to Perú, next year will be a wonderful opportunity to use the gifts and talents that God has given you.  The trip is scheduled for July 11-21, 2014.

The 2014 trip is going to be big!  So big in fact, that we have already started the planning!

The tentative work scheduled for us is to assist in completing the new kitchen for the Cristo Rey church in Huanta.  Hopefully the new kitchen (and new Sanctuary) will be completed for the Bible Institute students that will be returning to school later in the month of July.

All participant's talents will be needed!  The kids and members of Cristo Rey and Huanta are anxiously waiting for our return too!

Please search your hearts and prayerfully consider joining us.

More news and information coming soon!

Use Your Gifts Of Service On Western North Carolina Mission Trip

On October 24 - 27, 2013, Sharon Presbyterian Church will participate in the third annual Western North Carolina adult mission trip.

Partnering with Bryson City Presbyterian Church, we will be providing assistance to those residents of Swain County, NC, who have fallen on hard times. These individuals are physically and financially unable to maintain their homes and yards.

During the previous trips, the team has rebuilt disability ramps, installed tile flooring and cabinets, stacked fire wood, cleaned yards, trimmed shrubs, painted homes, replaced windows and siding, and repaired porch floors.

As noted in 1 Peter 4, we are to serve with the gifts we are given by the Lord. We invite you to consider participating in this year’s mission trip. No particular skill or experience level required. This is a great opportunity for you to use your gifts in service to others and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina.

For additional information contact David Spivey, 704-604-3644, spiveys_@msn.com.

The Week That Changed Me

A story from the Sturgis, SD, mission trip shared anonymously by one of our youth

Last week really changed me and I just want to tell everybody what happened. 

During Thursday’s evening program they gave us all a Band-Aid. The question of the night was ‘Why do you fear when Jesus is with you?’ They asked us to put the Band-Aid on our hand to cover our wound. My wound was the fear of being alone in life.

Even though I was surrounded by lots of people, I never interacted with the group. I hid myself from everybody, even people who did notice me.

To end the program we prayed and then Ashley the Emcee asked us to put our Band-Aids on the cross when we were ready to give up our fear. After she said that, I immediately got up and started to walk down. I placed my Band-Aid on the cross and sat down on the wall. That night I accepted that I didn't have confidence in myself. That night was really moving to me.

The next day I saw Jesus work through me as I went up to people and talked and hung out with them.  It was like my fear was gone, before that night I did't really have faith in Jesus. But the next day, like that, I switched groups and became faithful.  I don't really know what happened to me that made me change so much but today I feel like a new person.  That Work Camp was the best thing that I have ever done in my entire life.