As our time here in Ilo increases it seems to be more and more difficult to update our blog on a regular basis. As I sat down to think of the reasons for our failings in this regard I thought of the usual excuses, "we were busy", "there were more important things to get down" or "the internet was not working for about three weeks here", but as I thought of these seemingly valid excuses I realised that although these things may have contributed in one sense there is probably another reason. In our intial months in Peru we were making observations about culture, experiencing new activities and events and informing of our own progress as a family. I genuinely believe that it has become more difficult to blog regularly because although we are experiencing strange and different things on a regular basis we have adjusted and what was once strange is a way of life....not just for the Peruvians who we rub shoulders with but for us too. Therefore as we have settled into a routine it becomes more difficult to identify things of note that we care share with you. To this end we want to thank you for your continued prayers for us, we are of no doubt that your prayers have been key to helping us settle here in Peru. However in writing this there is the danger that we suggest that our time of settling, adjusting and adapting to the culture, language and ministry has finished and we are now perfectly adjusted missionaries. The reality is that we still need your prayers, we still have difficult days and face situations that seem unnatural and we still miss friends an family from home but we are pleased that God has brought us to this bought where we are content with where he has us.
It was never the intention of the blog to give detailed reports of the work that we are involved in here in Peru but we do like to give you an insight into some of the situations that we encounter and some of the things that God is doing here in Ilo/Ite. As many of you are aware, while the Morrows were on furlough we took responsibility for a number of areas of the work here, including overseeing the small church in Ite and overseeing camps and the Year Team (Mision Rescate. At the beggining of April the Morrows were back from furlough and able to step back into the work. Since then we have tried to divide up the work in a manner that is a little bit more manageable. This has been a very encouraging time for us being able to work very closely alongside another missionary family and share the work load.
In early April my (Dave's) parents paid a three week visit which was really appreciated. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with family and share the country, people and work that we are passionate about with them. It was also a good time for them as they were able to see the overall work and get a better idea of the things that we and the mission are involved in here in the South of Peru. We were also very pleased at how well Sarah took to here grandparents who she had not seen for over a year. She had a blast! It was important for her grandparents to see her going to school and how content she is here in her surroundings. With every visit from home it is nice to get time to relax as well and we really enjoyed the few days that we spent in Arequipa with mum and dad.
It was great that I was able to make it to Lima to say my farewells as mum and dads departure was combined with a necessary trip to Lima with Trevor Morrow to make some necessary purchases for the camp centre and look into the types of vehicles that are available. Many of you will have been aware that we have been looking into the purchase of a vehicle for a little while now and the trip proved to be very benificial in this regard. We thank you for your prayers and for you generosity in making this possible for us, hopefully in the not too distant future we will be able to proceed with the purchase of a vehicle.
Although the time in Lima was very busy it was thoroughly enjoyable and although many people see Lima as an undesireable large city (like most large cities), for two missionaries living in the small port of Lima it was like letting a child loose in a sweet shop! It is always exciting to be able to find small things like Heinz Ketchup, Museli or other eatables.
It was always our intention after having left language school and moving to Ilo to find a language tutor who could help us with conversation and reinforcement of ideas and rules however with one thing and another this never seemed to work out but just this last week steps have been taken to pursue this once again. It seems that in the next couple of weeks we will be starting to work with a tutor. We trust that this will help us to make big strides in bettering our ability to communicate and eradicating any bad habits that we have formed. Please pray for this.
One of the difficulties of being in Peru is certainly the seperation from family and friends, this has become all the more clear to us over the last number of weeks as my grandfather has taken seriously ill. As other family members give updates on his condition in the hospital the distance is certainly felt. Please pray for my the doctors and my family as they try to make my grandfather as comfortable as possible.
Again we really do thank you for your interest in us, and in the work here in Peru, your prayers are very much valued and appreciated. At times the work here can be lonely but we are regularly reminded that we are not alone in the work as we have some many people walking alongside us in prayer and above all we have a God who promised never to leave us or forsake us. Praise the Lord for His faithfullness and thank you for playing such a large part in the ministry here.
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