Season Greetings

If you are a regular reader of our blog then you deserve an apology from us for our lack of entries over these last number of weeks. Can I assure you that the reason for this is not because we have been idle or have not wanted to add any entries, in fact it is very much to the contrary!

Since our last entry we have been very busy, Dave has preached on two separate Tuesday evenings in Ite at the Prayer Meeting and Bible Study, we have been planning camps for January with the Morrows and we have been helping to plan and organise a Christmas outreach program for the community in Ite and a program for the La Pampa church in Ilo.

As well as all the busyness which we experienced we also have been blessed to have Alicia’s parents with us from the start of December right through to the end of January. Their presence here with us has been wonderful and they have been great at helping out with various practical things so that we can get on with the planning of programs and so on.

On the 8th December we were able to take just over a weeks break with Alicia’s parents, firstly in Mejia and then in Arequipa. This time out was certainly a welcome break and it was only afterwards that we realised that it was our first real holiday break away somewhere in almost a year and a half. The time spent on the beach digging sandcastles for Sarah and looking for crabs as well as all the books read and miles walked certainly helped us to chill out!

Since arriving back to Ilo on Tuesday we have been busy working alongside Mision Rescate (The Gap Year Team) in order to put together a Christmas program for the La Pampa Church (Friday night) and the community of Ite (Sunday afternoon). We are hoping that through song, the reading of God’s Word, narration and a short message people will hear the true message of Christmas and appreciate that it is much more than just giving and receiving presents but it is about the Incarnation of the greatest gift ever.

After Sunday’s Christmas program we should have a few days to unwind and enjoy some time together as a family. Alicia’s parents plan to travel for about a week in Peru from Boxing Day and the following day some good friends whom we met while at language school in Arequipa are coming to stay with us as they were planning to be passing through Ilo on that date and wanted to take the opportunity to spend some time with us.

Other significant news is that we are expecting our second child at the beginning of June. Alicia has a check up this week (16 weeks) and everything appears well so we really have much to give thanks to God for. We would appreciate your prayers for Alicia and the unborn child over the coming months.

Finally, we want to wish you a wonderful Christmas. We thank you again for you interest you have taken in us and the work here, thanks to you for the prayers that have been prayed over this past year and for the encouraging comments that so many of you have posted over this last year; always at the right time.

An Irish Baptist Team Visit and the Opening of the Camp and Conference Centre in Ite

Over the last month or so we have been expecting to get a better idea of what a normal day for a missionary in Ilo involves, however as time has passed it has become apparent that no two days are the same!

Since we arrived in Ilo our time has been spent trying to get settled into our house, settling into Ilo and helping get ready fof the opening of the Camp and Conference Centre in Ite. Prior to the opening of the Camp Centre my (Dave) time was spent working alongside the workers and the Gap Year Team in Ite doing manual work in order to get the Centre ready for the opening. This proved to be interesting as I had not done manual work of this type for many years (I also found out that manual work in Peru means manual as there are no machines for the heavier stuff!) The opportunity to work alongside the Gap Year team and the site workers proved very helpful from a language perspective as well as I found I was picking up new vocabulary. During these weeks I also spent quite a bit of time running back and forth to shops, hardwear stores and other places to get building equipment for the centre.

After working right into the early hours of the morning of the opening of the camp centre, we finally managed to get it ready for the big day. We were delighted that for the opening we could have the presence of eight people from Northern Ireland who arrived in Tacna the morning of the opening. After bringing our guests to Ilo to get a quick cup of coffee and spliting the eight between our house and the Morrows we headed for the Camp Centre.

The opening proved to be a wonderful event in which I believe God was truly glorified and where there were many unbelievers present to witness what God had done. After a number of special events and presentations our Mission Director, Gordon Darragh unveiled a plaque and then we enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Following lunch we had a time of praise led by a national pastor and a band from the Gap Year Team, it was truly uplifting. After our time of singing Derek Baxter brought a message from Psalm 100 focusing on our need to be thankful for what he has provided for us. The whole day was sandwiched by Alicia playing "I cannot tell why he whom angels worshipped" to a traditional Irish tune on the flute and by a Peruvian closing with some traditional music on the panpipes and the Peruvian flute.

For us as a family this event was hugely significant and we were delighted to be part of the missionary team in Peru for the opening. One of the most significant events in the lead up to us coming to Peru was when we first heard Trevor present the vision for a Camp and Conference Centre at the annual May meetings over five and a half years ago. At this presentation we already had a desire in our hearts to serve God but were unsure where we could fit in and what gifts we could bring to the missionary team here. As Trevor presented his vision it was as if God was speaking to us directly and confirming that he wanted us to go to Peru and that he would make sure that there was an area in which our gifts could be used. To sit on the day of the opening remembering this and also looking into the future and visualising us being a part of God's work here was very special.

Following the opening we had the joy of hosting the team from Ireland for almost a week in total. It was lovely to have people staying with us and representing all the other people in Ireland who are so faithful in supporting and praying for the work here in Peru. The visit of this group proved to be a huge encouragement to us.

The Friday following the opening of the Camp Centre a day-long ladies conference entitled "Heart to Heart" was held. The day proved to be very uplifting for many of the ladies. The following day the Camp Centre was used for a Youth Conference called "Me Queda Sin Palabras" (Lost for Words). The focus of the conference was on encouraging the young people not to be lost for words when sharing their faith but to be bold in doing so. Although mainly focused on teaching the young people to evanglise there was an evagelistic message within the seminars and we were delighted that at least one young person made a committment to Christ.

Although the official opening has passed, over the coming months workmen will continue working on the Camp Centre as there is still a lot to be done. In the next week or two we also plan to sit down with Trevor and Christine Morrow to map out a program for Camps for January and Febuary. We would appreciate your prayers as we do this.

It seems that a lot lies ahead of us and we will constantly be encountering new challenges in this life where no two days are the same. However we hope that within the next two weeks we can begin some classes with a language tutor so to help ground us in what we learnt in Arequipa and keep us moving in the right direction with regards to language. We are also delighted that we will have a visit from Alicia's Mum and Dad who come at the beginning of December. We are delighted that we will be able to spend time with them and that they will be able to see the work that we are involved in here in Ilo.

I would especially appreciate your prayers over these next couple of weeks as next Tuesday and the following Tuesday I will be sharing from God's Word at the Bible Study and Prayer Meeting in Ite. This will be my first time to share from God's Word in Spanish and so I am a little nervous about this!

This week a special evangelistic campaign has started in the La Pampa Church in Ilo. The Gap Year team are helping with this and as I write this some good opportunities have presented themselves through door to door work. Next week the team will follow up on these opportunities visiting the people in their homes once again. Please pray for them.

Finally over this past six weeks here in Ilo through our running around and general day to day activities it has become evident that we are going to need a vehicle of some kind here in order to be able to really throw ourselves into the work. Again we would ask you to join with us in prayer for this need.

Once again we thank you all for your interest in what we are doing and more importantly in God's Work here in Peru. Thank you for your faithful prayers.

Getting our Feet Wet in Ilo

These last couple of weeks in Ilo have been very busy ones and also very interesting. Part of adjusting to life in Ilo has entailed furnishing our house. We have spent alot of time running from one furniture shop to another. We have discovered that buying furniture here in Peru is very different from the same in Ballymena! As we enquired abo various things we have been told to come back the next day or in a week and they will have it, as we do this we are often disappointed as the shop is either closed for no known reason or they still don't have the furniture! At times this has proved to be frustrating as we are keen to get settled and begin to have a more active role in the work here.

Aside from settling in to Ilo we have also been getting to know many of the believers in Ilo and Ite, this has been a real encouragement to us and we trust that over time God can use us to be a huge encouragement to them. Alicia has been attending the ladies meeting in Ite on a weekly basis with Christine and has really enjoyed getting to know these ladies. I have been helping out each Saturday at the Camp Centre where there is now weekly work days for the various churches. I also go out to the Camp Centre a couple of times a week with Trevor to help with the year long evangelism team that is currently based there. While there I am able to go on to the mid week meeting or youth meeting at the Ite church depending on the day. Last week I spent two days in Tacna with Trevor as he was looking for materials and equipment for the camp centre. The opening of the centre is Saturday 3rd November. The building work is not yet complete but we will have to be content with this come 3rd November as there is too much to be done to finish off. This week the workers will continue to work on construction, painting, wiring etc and then next week their time will be devoted to cleaning up and preparing for the opening. Fortunately the Gap team have been able to lend a labouring hand at the centre.

Sarah seems to have settled well here in Ilo. We had initially planned to put her in a nursery here as she developed so well and made some good friends in here nursery in Arequipa, however after giving if some thought we decided against this idea. The school year in Peru ends at Christmas time and then restarts in March. We thought that Sarah needed time to settle and adjust to life here before being thrown into another new situation. We felt that one change in March would be sufficient as if we sent here now if would be likely that she would have to change school again in March again as the nurseries here seem to be different from Arequipa. They go up to 3 years and then there is a different school for over 3s. So far it has worked out well, we are enjoying having her around the house a little more and she does not seem to be missing out on the chance to mix with other children or to speak spanish either. God has truly been good.

Life in Ilo

On Thursday past we left the sunny hills of Arequipa for the dull and gloomy shores of Ilo. However although there was not much brightness in the sky this trip signaled a new dawn for us as we prepared to set up home in Ilo. Surprisingly the move went very smoothly. We had arranged for a removal lorry to come at 9am to take our luggage and when a lady from the business arrived at the door at 10am to enquire what time we wanted the lorry at we began to doubt whether our stuff would ever arrive in Ilo! After this hiccup everything else went as planned.

We travelled to Ilo with Trevor Morrow who had come to Arequipa to pick us up and to get some items in Arequipa for the camp centre. Fortunately his time in Arequipa was very productive as he was able to get more than he had anticipated.

It was planned that we would stay with the Morrows in their house until we got things sorted in our own house and arrangements had been made to meet the owners of our house on Thursday afternoon, however after not getting left as early as anticipated we postponed this appointement until Friday morning. When we did see the house and meet the owners we found that the house was spotless and the owner had gone to great lengths to help us settle in. We are already thankful for the wonderful ladylords we have for our house and trust that over time we will be able to get to know them better.

Since we got the keys of our house most of our time has been consumed organising our stuff, going to the market to buy essential items and spending time with Sarah. Once again Sarah seems to have coped with the transition remarkably well. We can do nothing other than thank God for this and thank God for a wonderful toddler who brings us so much joy. We hope to allow Sarah a few weeks of adjusting to her new environment before we enroll her in a nursery and so this week we may begin looking at the various possibilities. We would appreciate your prayers that we would find somewhere where she would be equally as happy as she was in Arequipa and that she would soon make a new group of friends.

As we become more settled with practical items in our house we hope to be able to establish an idea of where we will best fit in to the work here in Ilo and Ite. We are praying that God will direct us to the right place. It is likely that our role will be multi-faceted and we are fairly certain that part of this will revolve around the new camp and conference centre in Ite. We ask for your prayers for the opening of the centre in the first week in November. As yet the construction is not completed and funds are low. Please pray with us that the deadline and also financial commitments could be met. I know that the MEET (Gap Year) Team would appreciate your prayers too as they arrive on Thursday. Their time here will involve planning and helping to run camps and also some evangelism work in the Baptist churches throughout the South of Peru.

Again we thank you for your support and for remembering us as a family and the rest of the work of Baptist Missions in Peru.

Stage 1 Completed

Today we finished our studies at the Language Institute. After 28 weeks of study at the Institute we said our goodbyes today during a small party that was held for our farewell. The goal had always been to move on from the Institute and not to stay here in Arequipa but after 28 weeks working with various teachers we have developed a bond with many of them and so our goodbyes were much more difficult to say than we thought they would be. On the other hand our graduation from the Institute gave us a sense of achievement and a great awareness of how with God's help we have developed from having very little Spanish to being able to converse in Spanish.

The end of this chapter also marks the beginning of the next chapter - our work in Ilo (which was the reason we came to Peru). We will make this move next Thursday. Tomorrow morning I (Dave) will join many of the teachers and students from the Institute for the weekly game of football and then afterwards we (as a family) have been invited to enjoy lunch with our teachers Julio and Miriam at their house. In the evening we have been asked to come along to the youth fellowship of of church in order to judge a fancy dress competition. It should be fun.

On Sunday we will say goodbye to many from our church, and will likely be required to say something to the church in relation to our leaving. Alicia has also been asked to play her flute during the service, something she has not had much opportunity to do since coming here.

Next week will involve packing up our last few things and also trying to fit in a number of things in that we have not yet been able to do in Arequipa. One of the things we want to see but have not seen is the project our church is involved in in a shanty town area of Arequipa. The church has a small school there providing free schooling and some nutrition for children who cannot afford such things.

On Wednesday we hope to have a little bit of time to visit Sarah's nursery as they are having a farewell for her there too. It will also give us a little longer to see how she has developed. Normally we don't see her in class as we are in class at the same time but according to her teacher she is talking away in Spanish and really interacting well with the rest of the class. More recently Sarah had been mothering one of the newer younger kids in the nursery!

As the title says step 1 (our time at the language institute) has been completed, however as I have written previously we still need more practice and time studying on our own in order to raise our level of Spanish. Step 2 will involve settling into Ilo. It will be a much more difficult step to measure in terms of its completion, however as we settle little by little we will get more involved in the work there. As we settle we will also be able to identify exactely what areas of the work we will be involved in.

The Road Ahead

Since we arrived in Peru in January we have been so encouraged at how so many of you have maintained an interest in our adjustment to life in Peru and news of of development here. as we come to the end of our time of official language study we feel it is appropriate to let you know of the changes and challenges that lie ahead so that you can be up to date with our situation and can continue to remember us in prayer.

Friday September 21st will be our last day at the language school. As is custom we will have a small party as a farewell on this day. On the one hand it will be an exciting day as it will be the closure of one chapter here in Peru and the beggning of the next chapter. Language Study has been a necessary step in the preparation for what we came to Peru for - to share the Love of Christ with those who have never heard of it. Having said this over the past six months we have made some good friends, particularly with the teachers who have invested so much time and energy into our development. It will be difficult to say our goodbyes to them but we will keep good contact with many of the friends we have made. The last number of weeks have been building up to us leaving the language institute as we have been spending lots of time working through some tests in order to identify our weaknesses and then the rest of the time has been spent working on these areas of weakness.

The time at the language institute has been hugely beneficial and it is encouraging that having arrived in Peru with virtually no Spanish we can now have conversations with people. We have been very impressed with the system that the institute has used and the amount of time and energy the teachers have been willing to expend in order to ensure we understand things well, however at this point and time we are far from fluent. We still lack alot of vocabularly that can only be adquired from experience and time in the country. We also need lots more practice in conversation in order to become more competant Spanish speakers. With this in mind we are pleased that we will soon move on and be more involved with people and involved in real life situations where we will have to make more use of what language we have. We feel that with the base we already have this will enable us to develop from our current level. We also plan to have a tutor working with us for a few hours a week who will help us.

After finishing language study on 21st September we will have almost a week to pack up and get ready for our move to Ilo. We are currently making plans for the removal of our personal stuff and a number of furniture items that we have bought in Arequipa over the last number of weeks. We have had to buy a number of things here in Arequipa as they are either not available in Ilo or there is not as good a selection there. Hopefully during this week we will also have enough time to say goodbyes to some of the people we have got to know here.

During our last visit to Ilo in July we had the opportunity to look at a couple of houses. One of the houses we saw we really liked and were praying that it would be possible for us to rent this house. There was a degree of doubt about the availability of this house to us but on Saturday past we heard that the owners were willing to rent it to us and wanted to accomodate us in any way they could. We praise the Lord that this is available to us and that we will be arriving in Ilo having seen inside the house we will be living in. God has been more than good to us, thank you for praying with us.

Our first couple of weeks in Ilo will mainly involve us getting settled into the house and organising our stuff. We plan to put Sarah into a nursery once again as it has helped her so much and it is good for her to have the interaction with other kids her age, but we will probably allow her a couple of weeks in Ilo to settle in her new surroundings before we enrol her anywhere.

A week after we arrive in Ilo the Baptist Missions Gap year team will arrive. We will be working alongside these young people who will be working at the Camp and Conference Centre in Ite with 9 Peruvian young people. We are excited about this opportunity. I know that these young people would appreciate your prayers as they prepare for a busy year of camps and evangelism with some of the churches in the mountains.

We are also likely to have some form of church involvement. At present the nature of this involvement remains to be seen, we are unsure whether this will be in the small church plant in Ite or in the more established La Pampa church in Ilo. We would appreciate your prayers that we would fit in where God wants us to be involved.

One other area for pray is regarding our driving licences. At present we do not have Peruvian driving licences but eventually we will have to drive in and out to Ite on a regular basis. We hope to be able to take our Peruvian driving test as soon as possible in order that we can get around a little bit more easily.

Once again we want to thank you all for your interest and prayers in the work of Baptist Missions and particularly in us as a family. We are deeply indebted to you because without your prayers we could not be here.

The End is in Sight

As we write this we are counting down the number of days we have left at the Language Institute - exactly 4 weeks. It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of our formal language learning as in many ways we still feel very green to Peru and to the language.

We are very excited about the prospect of moving on to the next step but at the same time I am sure you can imagine that after spending 6 months of intensive language study with our teachers that we have bonded really well with them and become great friends. In many ways it is a disservice to call it a language institute as the teachers have helped us with our cultural adaptation, our emotional health and our spiritual health. We are grateful to God for having met our teachers and for the amount they have imparted to us.

Over the last week we were given a number of exams in the institute. The idea was to identify where we were and what our weaknesses are and then work on these areas over the last month. This has been really helpful to date and we look forward to polishing up a few more weaknesses in the coming weeks. We plan to keep studying when we leave the institute - perhaps a few hours a week so that we can continue to develop. Hopefully when we arrive in Ilo we will be able to find a tutor who can assist us with this.

The plan is that we will move house from Arequipa to Ilo on the 27th of September. Over the last couple of weeks and for the incoming weeks we have been and will be making preparations for our move. Things that we need to organise include transport of our stuff from Arequipa to Ilo. We are also planning on picking up some furniture here in Arequipa before moving as it is generally cheaper here, often of better quality and there is a much wider selection. This last week we were sofa shopping. At home this is a relatively straight forward task, the problem is often that there is too much choice. Here sofa shopping is a different story! It is rare to go into a shop and see the exact model you like here. Rather you must come to the shop with an idea of the style you would like and then from a selection of materials choose your covering, then choose the firmness of the sofa and then they make the sofa for you. It is important when you do this to pick an honest and well-known sofa maker as quality varies. After looking around many shops we have finally come to the point where we are about ready to make a decision. After we place our order we will be able to go and inspect the wood, material and filling for the sofa. To us this is another interesting aspect of the culture that we are being exposed to.

In the next week or ten days we will have to organise the transport of our sofa and other goods to Ilo. At present we believe we have found a suitable house in Ilo but will not hear until the end of August or the beginning of September if it will definitely be available to us. Once we know we can begin making a few more concrete plans and preparing for our impending move.

Our arrival in Ilo will just about coincide with the arrival of a gap year team from Ireland coming to work at the camp centre and in other projects for the the year. We are very excited about this team and look forward to meeting the individuals and working with them.

Once again we thank you for praying for us and know that all our forthcoming plans will be covered in prayer. We really appreciate your prayers and were touched by many people's concern and prayers after the recent earthquake, thank you. The media hype from this tragic event has subsided, however many, many people are still in desperate situations and it will take months and even years to rebuild their homes and their lives, please continue to pray for them.

Earthquake in Peru

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."

Romans 8:22

Last night the reality of the fact that the world that we live in is imperfect and is not our permanent home became much more real to us. At 6:41pm Peru time, Peru experienced one of the worst earthquakes the country has seen in recent times. The quake, now being recorded as having a magnitude of 8.0 shook buildings in Lima and other coastal areas, with the Ica region being the worst hit. At present the death toll has risen to almost 500 but with many people trapped under collapsed buildings it is expected to rise. Some regions are still without electricity, communications and running water while other regions have been cut off from the rest of the country as some major roads have virtually been split in two by the quake.

Fortunately Arequipa and the regions that Baptist Missions work in did not suffer much in terms of damage and no lives were lost in these areas however many of our friends here in Arequipa have relatives and friends in these areas and to date they have been unable to get in touch with them. It is a particularly distressing time for them.

We ask you to pray for the people who have lost family and friends and for others who have lost homes. In one city it was reported that 60% of the homes there had collapsed in the quake. As we watch the news and see bodies being lined up in the streets it is hard to understand this situation, however we would ask you to pray that Peru would realise that this earth is "groaning" and is an imperfect dwelling place for us but that God is building a mansion in heaven for those who trust in Him.

For more information on the earthquake: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6949984.stm

For pictures of some of the worst affected areas:

http://media.elcomercio.com.pe/peruenemergencia/

Holidays Come to an End

Today is our first day of not being on holiday for two weeks. We will resume classes this morning and the thought that we only have another eight weeks of language study left is a huge motivation to get stuck back in again but the same thought also terrifies us! How are we going to manage after language school?!

Our two weeks off from studies were two excellant weeks. The time off enabled us to relax quite a bit and divert from our usual daily routine. During our first week of holidays Sarah was still in nursery and so we had the freedom to do things together each morning in Arequipa, something whihc we have not had for a long time. As anticipated this involved visiting coffee shops amongst some other things.

On Friday 27th July we travelled down to Ilo by bus for a week. In the morning Sarah was required to be in nursery as the children were doing a special presentation for Fiestas Patrias - Peru Day. She had to dress up as a typical Liminian (Someone from Lima). Immediately after Sarah's presentation we got on the bus for the 4 hour journey to Ilo.

Our time in Ilo was very relaxing and very much a holiday, athough we did feel that we achieved a number of things while there as well. On the Saturday morning after arriving in Ilo there was a work day for all the churches at the Camp and conference centre, to help with the building of the centre. For almost three hours I (Dave) shovelled soil into a wheelbarrow so we could bring the foundation of the kitchen up two feet. It was really enjoyable as I was able to converse with many of the other Peruvians who I was working alongside. It proved to be a helpful experience from the perspective of giving me opportunity to converse a little in spanish as well. Unfortunately when I woke up on Sunday morning with aching muscles I did not value the experience quite so much!

We also had the opportunity to talk about some preparations for our move to Ilo at the end of September or the beginning of October. During the week we viewed two houses. One of the houses we really liked and would be very keen to take it. At this point we are unsure whether we will be able to get it but we are praying that if this is not the one then God would provide somewhere else for us. Please pray with us regarding this situation.

Since arriving back in Arequipa we have renewed enthusiam for studying and despite the break seem to have picked up where we left off. We have also began thinking through some of the practical details for our impending move. In the midst of all this we decided we did not have enough to occupy our minds and had a moment of madness and bought a dog. We had our eye on a little golden retriever pup for a number of weeks and eventually gave in as there seemed to be so many good reason why we should! Since buying it and bringing it home Sarah has named it after the Penguin in her DVD - Scamper! She adores the dog and the dog loves her - so much so that it jumps up on her and nearly knocks her over!

Once again we do appreciate your interest in what we are doing here and your prayers are very much valued. Could you please pray that we will continue well to the end of our language course and make good progress and that as we leave we would feel well equipped for the next step. Please also pray for all the plans that will need to be made in the coming 2 months.

Mid-Winter Vacations

Yesterday was our last day of studies for two weeks as the Institute is closed for mid-winter holidays which includes Peru Day on July 28th. We are looking forward to a few weeks off to relax a little. We plan to spend about a week of the holidays in Arequipa relaxing, and enjoying some new things in the city. As a result of the recent strike Sarah will have nursery next week and so will give us the opportunity to spend some time together, this will most likely involve coffee!

We don't want to get too lazy during our time off and so will also try and spend sometime with some of our Peruvian friends here in Arequipa. This will stop us from going backwards with the language during our holidays.

For our second week of holidays we hope to go to Ilo and spend some time with the Morrows. While we are in Ilo hopefully we will also have the opportunity to look at potential houses and perhaps make some other preparations for our long term arrival in Ilo.

After our holidays we will probably only have another 8 weeks of classes at the language institute left. If everything goes according to plan we will move on from Arequipa at the end of September or the beginning of October. Our time at the institute has been very beneficial for us and we thank God for the people who have invested time and energy into us so we could pick up the language and the culture. We are by no means fluent in the language and at times struggle, which is natural but the time here has given us to tool to work with. When we leave here we will still need to spend plenty of time each week revising over things on our own and then trying to communicate these things with people. The one benefit of Ilo will be that we will be in much more real and permanent setting and will therefore have many more opportunities to converse in natural ministry settings.

Recently our time at the Institute has been split between doing Bible studies in Spanish, answering questions and creating questions from passages and also analysing passages and their meanings. This has been hugely helpful for our language development, particularly in order to develop a Biblical vocabulary but it has also given us an insight into some cultural views and responses to certain doctrines. The other part of the language study has involved reading through "The Purpose Driven Life" in spanish "Una Vida con Proposito" with a tutor. This also has been really helpful for numerous reasons, including pronounciation and vocabulary development. Interestingly as we have worked on our language, in this way God has been feeding us and we have been learning new things from His word - in Spanish!

A Visit from Belfast

Last weekend we had the pleasure of a visit from our Mission Director, Gordon Darragh, his wife, Janet and daughter, Amy. Having them with us gaveus the opportunity to relax a little and to join in some of the touristy things that they were doing in Arequipa.

During our sightseeing of the city we were able to go to a number of lookout points that overlook the city and enjoy the spectacular views with the snow peaked mountians in the background. We also spent some time at a park with children's amusements and a lake. Although the purpose of our visit was to give Amy and Sarah something to entertain them we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there, particularly our little lap of the lake in the rowing boat.

One of the more interesting activites that we did was to visit the musuem of the ice mummy "Juanita". The museum told the story of Juanita through various artifacts. The city of Arequipa is surrounded by volcanoes. The Incas in Peru believed that everytime a volcano erupted it was a message from the gods telling them that they were angry. In order to appease the gods the Incas used to choose a child to sacrifice at the top of the mountain (almost 6000 metres) after a long pilgrimage.

Juanita was an eleven year old girl who at birth was "the chosen child" who would be used to appease the gods. She made her pilgrimage with her family knowing that she was the chosen one and woud be sacrificed. After she was sacrificed at the top of the mountain she was then buried about two metres under the surface. At 6000 metres the body of Juanita very quickly froze. Hundreds of years later Juanita's body was discovered still frozen and with everything in place including her hair. The climax of the visit to the museum was a display of Juanita in a glass freezer. The idea of it sounds horrible but the museum visit was fascinating as it gave us a great insight into the history and culture of the Incas. Hundreds of years later many Peruvians still believe that natural disasters are the gods' ways of demonstrating their anger.

As I was taken through the museum I could not help draw parallels between Juanita "the chosen one to appease the gods" and the chosen one, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Unfortunately for Juanita her willingness to die was in vain, however, we know that the death (and resurrection) of Jesus was not in vain. I could not help leaving the museum thanking God that through the chosen one, Jesus Christ, we have been freed from much more than the fury of the volcanoes but that we have been freed from the burden of our sins.

Following the Darragh departure we were thinking that everything would return to normal here, however it was just after they left that we discovered that there would be strikes thoughout Arequipa. The scale of the strikes left us housebound and needing to miss a number of classes. Fortunately the strikes are not as intense as they were and have since been able to return to classes, however, the situation has not yet been resolved with the government and more intense strikes are inevitable if a resolution is not found.

In terms of our classes, as previously mentioned we would be taking a second practical class with the intention of working on some Biblical vocabulary now that we have finished our grammar course. We have just started reading The Purpose Driven Life in Spanish (Una Vida Con Proposito). So far this has been really good and we are enjoying this. From next Friday we will have two weeks off for mid-winter break here. We plan to spend a little bit of this time with the Morrows in Ilo. We may even get the chance to look at a number of potential houses while we are there. For the remainder of our holiday we plan to relax a little, take opportunities to use our Spanish and do some studying on our own so we don't forget anything!

At language institute with our grammar teacher, Julio.

Field Conference in Ite

The Missionary Families who gathered for Field Conference on 29th and 30th of June in Ite

Last Thursday we travelled by bus from Arequipa to Ilo. Although our field conference in Ite was not due to commence until Friday lunch time we were keen to arrive a little earlier as we were aware that the Baptist Missions Summer team would also be arriving in Ilo on Thursday and we were keen to meet the members and spend a little bit of time with them.

We arrived in Ilo on Thursday in time for lunch with the team. In the evening the team headed out to Ite where they would be staying. Alicia and Christine also went to Ite for the weekly ladies meeting.

On Friday morning we set off for Ite where we would spend the next two days at field conference where Pastor Harry Dowds would be sharing from God's Word. Shortly after we arrived the whole missionary family in Peru had lunch together and then we began our first session. It would be fair to say that throughout the conference we were really well fed. We had more than enough excellant food to eat, lots of coffee and some excellant spiritual food as Pastor Dowds shared from Psalm 23. The feeling from all was that his messages were really hit the spot, the messages were both challenging and encouraging.

Following the conference we stayed in Ilo until Monday morning and travelled back to Arequipa with the Baptist Missions team. It was encouraging to be able to attend various services over the weekend in both Ite and Ilo in which the team were invovled. On Saturday evening I (Dave) was able to join the team as they were invovled in the young people's meeting which was preceeded by a dinner. It was a really enjoyable evening and great to see the enthusiasm of the young people.

On Sunday we were back in Ite once again, firstly for Sunday School and then for the Sunday morning service, which was followed by a lunch prepared by some of the ladies from Ite. On Sunday evening the team was invovled in the service at the La Pampa church in Ilo. We had a number of opportunities to speak to different Peruvian believers over the course of the weekend. On the whole for the weekend was a really benificial weekend.

Field Conference

On Wednesday we had our last Spanish grammar class. We had been due to finish grammar the previous week but due to Dave being sick we had one extra week of grammar. We had a real sense of achievement at completing the course, however in terms of langugae study it only means that there is more work ahead of us! Next week we will increase from one practical class a day to two classes a day instead of grammar. The idea now is to get lots of practice speaking and begin using the grammar that we have been taught.

Today (Thursday) we travelled by bus to Ilo. We will spend the evening with the Morrows, before heading out to Ite for our field conference tomorrow morning. This will invovle a series of meetings where Pastor Harry Dowds, who has accompanied the Baptist Team this year will speak. We are looking forward to being refreshed and challenged by God´s Word.

We plan to travel back to Arequipa after the weekend and then in the middle of the week Gordon Darragh, his wife Janet and eight year old daughter Amy will join us for a few nights. Sarah is looking forward to Amy´s company - and Gordon and Janet too of course!

A Reminder that Peru Needs the the Freeing Message of the Gospel

Today (Saturday) we decided that since Sarah and I (Dave) had recovered from our stomach bugs that we could venture out into the town for a while as we had both been stuck in the apartment for most of the week. It was nice to get a change of scenery and we were also able to enjoy a lovely meal out at lunchtime, our day as a family was just what the doctor ordered!

As we were on our way into the town in a taxi and passing under the bridge that ran above us our attention was drawn to a crowd standing below the bridge on the other side of the road. It became apparent that the crowd were standing around a body. About ten minutes previous to us passing a young person had thrown themselves off the bridge above. This is not an isolated event as suicides are very common here in Peru, however as we passed it struck me how hopeless so many people here in Peru feel. It was a reminder to us how many people need God to touch their desperate situations. It was a reminder that so many people here do not know that they are special to God, that their lives are precious, and have never heard Jesus' words of John 10:10 that he Has come to bring life and that we may have it to it to the full.

As I thought about this tragic event my heart was moved but it also confirmed to us the need to share God's love with so many people in desperate situations here in Peru. Praise God that the Gospel is a message a of hope, a message that assures us that our lives are valuable and ultimately it is a message that can deliver from darkness.

A Few Hiccups (for want of a better word!) and a Few Upcoming Events

We had been really fortunate that in 25 months of Sarah's life and 5 months in Peru Sarah had not been sick. On Friday the inevitable happened! When Alicia went to collect Sarah from her nursery Sarah's teacher told her that Sarah had been sick four times that morning. Apparently a stomach virus has been working its way around the children.

We brought Sarah home and in the evening she seemed to pick up quite a bit and she was not being sick as often. On Saturday morning Sarah seemed much better and at that point we had thought that she had just picked up a 24 hour bug. Sarah's nursery had planned a Father's Day performanc on Saturday morning and given that she seemed much better we decided to allow her to go. Unfortunately, the performance did not go to plan. Unlike Sarah's Mother's Day performance where she stole the show as the only child on stage to follow instructions, in this performance she copied her classmates and just stood motionless with a big frown on her face. (Therefore we have withheld the photos this time!)

Following Sarah's performance (or lack of!) she came down into the audience and watched the rest of the classes doing their bit. Half way through the programme she decided to be sick once again. I guess her Father's Day gift was to completely miss her Dad and totally cover her mum! At this we decided it was time to make a quick exit! Fortunately now after being prescribed some medicine Sarah is much better and well on the road to recovery.

With regards to our Spanish classes, things are going quite well. Up to this point we have had two classes each day. One class was to get a grasp of the grammar and the other class was a conversation class which allowed us to use the grammar we had been learning. This Friday will be our last grammar class and from then on we will have two practical/conversation classes a day. Just because we are finished grammar does not mean we are anywhere near fluent as knowing the rules of the grammar and being able to apply them in conversations are completely different things, however we are glad that we have made progress and day by day we are growing in confidence (although there are still days of frustration!)

From now on we will also be able to develop our Biblical and theological vocabulary as in one of our practical classes we will be expected to work through a Spanish Christian book of our choice and write summaries of the chapters, discuss topics and probably a whole lot more. We are looking forward to this and hope that it will also enable us to get a better grasp of the sermons we have been hearing in our church. Again thanks to all who have been praying for our progress in language study, we really are committed to getting the language really well (although we know that we will be learning for many years and that the language school is really just to get us off the ground and able to communicate), as we really want to be able to communicate God's love to the people here in the most simple and understandable manner.

Next week will be a short week at the language institute as we have a Mission Conference at the new Camp Centre in Ite. We will leave Arequipa on Thursday by bus and come back on Monday morning. We are looking forward to meeting the Baptist Missions team from Ireland while there and also to being encouraged by Harry Dowds' ministry. Pray that we will be refreshed by this time both spiritually and physically and please pray for Harry as he prepares God's Word.

A Welcome Break

At the end of last week we had Friday off from the language institute as we had to go to our field meeting in Tacna. We decided that since we would not be back in Arequipa until Sunday evening we would also take Monday off from studies and use the time as a little break since we had been feeling quite tired by all the studying. It was great to meet up with the other missionaries in Tacna once again and spend some time in prayer with them.

Following the meeting we travelled across to Ilo with Trevor Morrow where we spent the rest of the weekend. we had a great time with the Morrows and Sarah enjoyed being spoilt by all! We found it so refreshing to be away from the hussle and bussle of the city here in Arequipa and to be able to spend time on the coast. It was almost like being at home!

While in Ilo we were able to take a short boat trip around the port. We stopped at various points to see the seals. Sarah was fascinated with this, and although enjoyed the boat trip was a little less amused when we pulled into port once again!

The cliche of short and sweet was definitely true of our weekend away and our break from studying. It seemed like we had no sooner arrived in Ilo than we were getting on the bus for the five hour journey back to Arequipa. To make the most of the break on Monday morning we took Sarah into nursery and since we had the day off studies we were able to spend time together looking around some shops and enjoying a coffee together.

On Tuesday we were back into class with renewed enthusiasm and energy. I am sure by the time the weekend comes around again we will be ready for another couple of days rest!

Contrasting the Rich and the Poor

This week has been an interesting week. On Saturday we had the pleasure of being able to go to The Arequipa International Club which is an exclusive leisure complex in the city with some missionary friends from the language institute (they have a little boy of a similar age to Sarah). It was beautiful, and a real nice change to be able to allow Sarah the freedom to run around outside and enjoy the grass and all the outside play equipment like slides, swings and much more (Unfortunately Arequipa has very few green areas and certainly not many play parks that we know of). Sarah had a real ball and had it not been that she was so tired we would have kept her there all day. Just before we left the Club we took Sarah for a dip in the swimming pool (something she has not done since Christmas as none of the public pools here are heated or particularly clean). We were glad to be able to splash out on this little treat for Sarah as she enjoyed it so much. It was actually something we had planned to do for her birthday but never got around to it.

On Wednesday of this week the language institute took a group to a school in on the outscrirts of the city of Arequipa in quite a poor area. It was interesting to see how little the school had in terms of resources.

The purpose of the visit was twofold, to give us an opportunity to speak in Spanish and to encourage the students in the school of the value of education. Each of us were required to share a little bit about our country and then explain the education system in our country. As the whole concept was to encourage the students many of us then talked about the value of education and the possibilities that it creates. Although the school is a state school and therefore Catholic we were given freedom to talk about what we wanted. In two of the sessions we were involved in the young people were told that they need not look up to foreigners like idols as we were no better than them. They were told that there was no one more valuable to God than them and no one less valuable, no matter how they felt about themselves.

It was certainly an interesting week. A week on contrast where we began with a visit to the International Club where we were likely mixing it with some of Arequipa's more wealthy individuals to visiting this school where they did not even have a map of the world never mind decent computers!

On Friday 1st June (tomorrow) we plan to fly to Tacna for field meetings. We will then travel across to Ilo with the Morrows for the weekend. We look forward to spending some time with them and to seeing many of the believers in Ilo once again. We also trust that it will be a nice break for us and take our minds off the studying just for a couple of days. We feel that after three months of intense studying we are now due a "wee break."

Another Taste of Peruvian Culture

We have been thinking what a privilege it is to have Sarah attending a nursery here in Arequipa. Not only does Sarah absolutely love going to the nursery and interacting with her new friends and teacher but she is also being given many opportunities to do things that perhaps she would not have done at home. Through many of the activities and events that Sarah has been invovled in over the last number of weeks (including birthday parties, mother's day performances and most obscure of all 'Week of Infant Education') we too have been able to gain an insight into the Peruvian culture.

We feel blessed in so many ways for Sarah, her enthusiasm for life (although sometimes we struggle to keep up with her!) and the fun she brings to our own lives. However, we never really considered that God would use her to help us understand and adjust to the Peruvian culture. We thank God for her and for the way he is using her to help us. Maybe Sarah will never understand how important she is in helping us with life here in Peru.


This past week was a special week in her nursery (actually nearly every week seems to be a special week just for a different reason - if you had not gathered by now Peruvians like their special events and activities!). It was the week of Infant Education (no, we are not too sure what that means either). It invovled a party on Wednesday with lots of sweet stuff for the kids to enjoy and then today all the children were required to come in fancy dress. Sarah meowed all the way to nursery this morning dressed up like a cat!

Sometimes all the special events and parties make us wish we were in nursery again, especially when we think about all the verb conjugations we need to remember and all the homework that awaits us every evening. On the other hand we know that we are putting in all the hard work for a reason and the satisfaction from being accomplished in Spanish will far exceed all the hard work we are putting in now. We look forward to being able to use our language in a more meaningful way. This week we had the opportunity to converse with a girl from the church for three hours. Yes we were exhausted afterwards but really encouraged at the same time that we were able to hold a conversation in Spanish for that long! This was a real encouragement to us and although we recognise that we still have a long way to go we need to take each day as it comes and be encouraged by the progress we have made to date.

We thank God also for a number of other English-speaking people that he has brought into our lives. It is draining speaking Spanish all the time and not being able to express exactly what you want to say--just being able to speak English is a blessing at times! We really appreciate your prayers as we continue with our studies.

It is amazing how God answers our prayers and so often beyond our expectations. Before we left home the biggest issue for concern in our minds was how Sarah would settle. We have been overwhelmed by the degree of her adjustment and the way she is enjoying life and chittering away in both English and Spanish. We will soon be learning more than cultural things through her, we anticipate her to develop her Spanish beyond ours and some day she will be correcting our mistakes. Pray that we will be humble and accept her corrections when that day comes!

Star in the Making!

Just a little clip from Sarah's Birthday party in her nursery. It proved to be a little different from what we are used to, however Sarah had a great day!



Mother's Day is not only celebrated on a different date the the UK it is celebrated in a slightly different manner too! Take a little look at the performance that Sarah, her class and some of the other children from her nursery put on for their mothers!

Feliz Cumpleanos y Feliz Dia de la Madre!!

On Tuesday we were treated to a little bit of Peruvian culture as we discovered that Peruvian's really know how to go to town for birthdays and special events.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is Sarah's second birthday and the teachers at her nursery has asked us if we would be organising a party in the nursery for her. We were unsure what to do but after a few enquiries we discovered that the normal practice was to organise a party. After agreeing to the party we were then asked if we wanted to hold the party for the whole nursery (50 children) or if we wanted to just have it for her class. We decided that 20 children was a little more manageable! We were then asked whether we would like to hire clowns in or if we would prefer dancers! We decided to decline this kind offer, not so sure Sarah would appreciate their talents!!

Alicia was able to use her practical classes preparing for the party and found it really useful in enhancing her vocabularly. On Tuesday (the day of the party - we were not able to have the party on her real birthday as another child was having her party on that day) Alicia and I both had to miss our grammar class in order to be at the party, but what an experience, it may not have helped our grammar but it certainly gave us a little bit more of an insight into the culture here in Peru. Things kicked off with all the children dancing to some music (remember these are 2 year olds!) and then they sang Happy Birthday in English and Spanish.

Alicia had prepared some snacks; marshmallows coated in chocolate, a birthday cake, crisps, fizzy drinks, jelly and biscuits to name a few of the things. The kids delved into the snacks and spilled as much over the floor as they did into their little mouths! Sarah had a real blast at the party and all the other kids seemed to enjoy it too. Afterwards Sarah recieved an invitation to the Birthday Party on Thursday which had forced her party to be moved to Tuesday. She will certainly be getting a taste for Birthday parties!

Sunday is Mother's Day in Peru and so on Friday all the Mother's are invited to the nursery for a special presentation by the kids. This proves to be another culture lesson for us. We will let you know how this turns out. Our only concern about all these events are that next week Sarah is off nursery for a break, we are not sure we can entertain her in quite the same way as she has been this week!!!

Language Study - Week 8

The main focus of our day here in Arequipa has been language study. Over these last few weeks we have felt that we have progressed a little more in our ability to communicate in Spanish. We recognise that we have a long way to go but we have begun to feel much more confident in speaking in Spanish and have been able to pick up quite a bit more than previously.


On Sunday we went to church as usual and as has been the case were going expecting not to understand much of the sermon. This had proved to be a little frustrating for us over the last number of weeks, however on Sunday past we recieved a real surprise. We were able to understand most of the sermon, we understood all the main points and many of the sub-points and anecdotes. What a blessing it was to us!


Recently we had also decided that in order to continue developing in our language study we would need to have more oportunities to converse with people outside of the language school and beyond our current visits to the supermarket and markets. On Sunday as we were leaving church we were invited to a small group Bible study (which of course is in Spanish). This was a real answer to prayer. Unfortunately we are both not able to go to this Bible Study together but we have decided that since the study is weekly we will take it week about. On Monday past Alicia went to the Bible Study for the first time. She really enjoyed the study and was able to understand most of the discussion on Romans 12:1-2. Most of the people who attend this study are a similar age to ourselves and so she found it really good to be able to mix with Peruvian's at the same stage as us in life.


I (Dave) have also been asked to play football with a number of Peruvians that I met through the language institute. Again this has provided an opportunity to make new Peruvian friends and to be able to use what we learn at the language school. It has also provided me with an opportunity to play football for the first time in 6 months since I broke my ankle. (Alicia would appreciate your prayers for my safety as I get back into football again!)


This weekend we hope to have two of our language teachers Julio and his wife, Miriam for lunch, either Saturday or Sunday. It should be good as they both speak English but we will probably end up speaking Spanish for most of time.

Thank You once again for praying for us!

We have really appreciated your prayers and the way so many of you have followed what we have been up to through this blog. We regularly thank God for you and for your faithfulness in remembering us. We know that God has answered many of your prayers and have had a deep sense of His presence since we arrived here three months ago now. Right now we would appreciate your prayers that God would keep us safe here in Arequipa, and again to continue praying for our increased understanding and ability to speak Spanish.

Life in Arequipa

Apologies to those who check this blog regularly that we have not updated the blog for a while. Our life in Arequipa is following a fairly routine pattern now. This is not to say that we are not enjoying our time here but generally our daily routine involves getting up, getting ready, taking Sarah to nursery, going to the Language Institute, picking Sarah up from nursery, going home and doing homework.

In between these routine items we sometimes find time to do something different like watch a movie, have our dinner out or visit a market for some shopping.

We sometimes find ourselves feeling we should be more advanced in our language study but then we have to remind ourselves that we have actually only done 6 weeks at the institute and will be here until at least September. When we look at it that way we realise how much we have been able to pack into a short space of time. Some days when we are out we have interactions with Peruvians which leaves us feeling satisfied that we could commmunicate well, while other times we come away completely disccouraged as we were unable to understand a word!

On the whole last week was a really positive week for both Alicia and myself at the Language Institute and we really seemed to be progressing well. We were taught a new tense last week and it opened up alot of new possibilities in our communication. However, Friday was an incredibly frustrating day for us both. For some reason neither of us were able to remember much in our practical classes and really struggled - even with the elementary stuff! I guess it just shows that there are good days and bad days and not to be too discouraged by the bad days. To be fair by the end of each day we are pretty tired from the studying but particularly by Friday we are exhausted and in need of the weekend.

When we returned from Lima we began potty training Sarah. Initially it seemed like an impossible task, but after a few days she began to get the hang of it. We have been so thankful for tiled floors - it has made a change from me flooding the floors!

Back in Arequipa

We arrived back in our apartment in Arequipa last night after a very productive week away. We left for Tacna last Tuesday and had a couple of days to relax, revise through some Spanish notes and do some homework.

On Wednesday we had to travel through from Tacna to Arica, Chile. Although Alicia and I both had our VISA Sarah was in Peru as a tourist as we could not apply for the VISA until we were in Peru, however in order to collect the VISA we had to leave the country! The closest and easiest way to do this was to make the one hour journey from Tacna through to Arica. Fortunately everything went well and we were only in Chile for a few hours. Having the VISA then cleared us to apply for Sarah's residency card which we would have to collect in Lima.

On Friday morning in Tacna we had a field meeting with the other missionaries, which was nice as it gave us an opportunity to see all the other missionaries. Unfortunately things took a little turn for the worse on Friday evening when I (Dave) had some pineapple juice that was off. I woke up with food poisoning in the middle of the night. Fortunately the effects only lasted about 24 hours and was back to myself by Sunday evening.

On Sunday evening we headed off to Lima to collect Sarah's residency card. Once again everything worked out well and we found we had a little extra time in Lima to relax and to look for things that we can't get in Arequipa.

Our time away was very productive, although it is always nice to be back home again and to get on with things. Obviously since we were away we were not able to attend language classes, however we will resume classes once again on Easter Monday.

We trust that all of you will have a peaceful Easter whatever you are doing and that you will have some time just to reflect on the wonderful gift of eternal life that we have because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

An Apology
It has been drawn to my attention that some of you may have received an strange email from us. I did not intentionally send any email but I believe that the email was sent as a result of me opening an email from a friend. I received an email from a friend inviting me to join an online forum. I read the invite but did not join the forum but it seems as a result email addresses were taken from my address book and invites were sent to you (and from what I believe some were in Spanish!). Please accept my apologies for this but don't worry either as it is NOT a virus! Hopefully I will not have anymore technological problems!

A Busy Week Ahead

This coming week promises to take us out of our usual routine of classes, followed by homework each day. We will break from this routine on Tuesday morning when we will fly from Arequipa to Tacna. We plan to stay Tuesday night in Tacna and then we have to cross the border into Chile on Wednesday morning. Up until now Sarah has been living in Peru as a "tourist", we could only apply for her Visa after we had recieved our official residency card. Her Visa is ready to be collected in Lima and her residency card will also be picked up in Lima however before we do this we have to leave the country. On Wednesday we will then leave Peru, cross over into Arica, Chile and visit the consulate there.

When we return from Chile we will stay in Tacna for a few more days as we have a field conference on Friday. We look forward to this because it is our first chance to see many of the missionaries since our arrival here in Peru.

Following this we will fly north to Lima in order to visit immigration and collect Sarah's visa and residency card. This will likely take at least 24 hours. We anticipate flying back to Arequipa again the following Wednesday. The Institute is closed on the Thursday and Friday for Easter so it will give us a couple of days to recover from our travels. We would appreciate your prayers concerning our safety during our travels and also particularly that all the paperwork could be dealt with smoothly and quickly.

Life in Arequipa

Sorry it's been a while since we last posted an entry on our blog site. We have been keeping busy studying and doing homework. We are enjoying getting to grips with the language a little more each day. In Peru they say "Poco a poco" which means little by little. Some days we wonder if we will ever get to grips with it while other days we seem to do well.

Sarah continues to enjoy her nursery and has made quite a few friends. We are so glad she has settled so well. She has also made a friend in the church we have been going to. Joaquin is about Sarah's age and last Sunday Sarah chased him around the church insisting that he takes one of her sweets! (As you can imagine church is a little more relaxed here in Peru.)

As well as getting to grips with the language we have been tryin to emerse ourselves in the culture. Last Saturday I (Dave) had the opportunity to go to a men's breakfast at the church of one of my spanish teachers. I really enjoyed it and was good to converse with some of the men, although spicy onion soup with beef chunks in it with raw onions and tomatoes on the side were not quite what I expected at 7.45am!!! I managed to finish my bowl but needless to say I did not go for seconds!

Getting the Lingo

We have now been in Arequipa for over three weeks and settled into our apartment now for about two weeks and our beginning to feel settled here. We have been able to get around the city a little and find our bearings. It has also been interesting shopping and finding out where there best places are to buy things. We are fortunate that there are two supermarkets nearby but for most things it is actually better and much cheaper to get them at the market. It has been fun discovering what market is best for what things.

Sarah continues to settle into and enjoy her nursery. It sounds like it will be great. At present it is alot less structured but next week is when the summer holidays end here and so she will be seperated into age specific classes. Although it is nursery they are very much into interactive learning here even at her age. We were given a list (that filled an A4 page!) of things that we would need to get for her. (Parents provide everything that is used in the classroom, including toilet rolls and soap for the year!) Already Sarah has made some friends and she amuses the helpers by copying everything so she has already picked up some Spanish and understands many of their instructions. We have phased Sarah into the nursery and so for the first week we took her for between an hour and an hour and a half and one of us stayed with her. Last week we started language study for 1 1/2 hours a day and so we left her on her own for the full time and then this week our schedule has increased so she is staying for almost 4 hour a day. Praise God she seems to be adapting well. She always cries when we leave her (which we are told is natural) but when we come back to collect her she is almost always having lots of fun. Sometimes she has cried when we leave nursery saying "more boys and girls."!!!!!

Last week we started language study with a phonetics class. We found this really helpful to get much of our pronounciation right (although we still have a long way to go!) This week and from now on we will have two classes a day, grammar and conversation/practical. Things are much busier this week. Alicia leaves the house with Sarah at 8am and takes Sarah to nursery on her way to the language school for her conversation class which starts at 8.30am. (All the conversation classes are one to one). I then leave the house at 9.30am to get to the language school for 10am when Alicia and I have a grammar class together. This finishes around noon and then Alicia collects Sarah, takes her home, gets her lunch and puts her to bed and then starts her homework while I stay on until 2pm for my conversation class. I walk home and get some well deserved lunch and then if Sarah is still sleeping, make a start on homework. This week so far we have had about 2 hours of homework but it can be anything up to 4 hours. In the afternoon we try to do something with Sarah and then in the evening we may have a little homework to finish off.

At the weekend we hav tried to do something together on the Saturday and then go to church on Sunday. This past Sunday we also had some other missionaries from Northern Ireland here for lunch which was really nice. Since we have come to Arequipa we have attended the same church each Sunday. It is a Baptist Church. We have really enjoyed the friendliness of the people and it has been really good that it is only about 100 yards from our apartment. Hopefully over the coming weeks as our language develops we will be able to get more out of the sermons but in the meantime we have really appreciated Val's sermons on our church website (You are a star Val!!!).

We hope to post the text from our prayer letter on this blog soon but thought that we should also tell you a little more about what is happening in our life at the moment and what a day in our life involves here in Arequipa. Once again thank you to all for thinking of us and for praying for us.

Settled in New House

after nearly a month of living out of suitcases tonight we were finally able to unpack more permanently. This afternoon we moved into a lovely apartment in Arequipa. (We have now been in for more than 8 hours and I have yet to flood anywhere!!) We have spent this evening unpacking and trying to make it "home" for us for the next 6-9 months.

Thank you to those of you who prayed for us with regards to the nursery situation for Sarah. It seems to have worked out well. We have enrolled her in a Christian run nursery just around the corner from the language school where we will be studying. This last week we have been taking Sarah for about 2 hours each morning and staying with her to ease her into the program. Next week we will be starting our language study but we will also be eased in. We will only have 2 hours a day for the first week. The following week we will increase to half days in class, followed by homework.

Thanks again to all who are praying for us and to everyone who is reading this blog and posting comments. It has been a real encouragement to us. Our next steps are to commence language study on Monday and to find ourselves a church to worship in. We have met a number of other missionaries and they all seem to go to different places for church so there seems to be no shortage of places to worship, it is just finding the right place for us.

Thats all for now. Be in touch again soon.