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.