Ten things that let me know I'm probably not in the Estados Unidos (United States) anymore!
My legs and feet look like I went camping with a bunch of buddies who happen to be mosquitoes.
Cooking food always involves a match.
You could be scared numerous time just driving into town due to the "normal" traffic.
You get sweaty just from walking around.
Brushing my teeth involves using bottled water.
Your average automobile is a hybrid motorcycle cart.
People can ask me questions and a average respond might be "What?" (Que?) or "I don't know what in the world you're trying to ask me!" (No entiendo).
I can be woken up by the sound of chickens and roosters.
A bottle of contact solution costs three days wages.
Everything seems to take twice as long.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mission Description and Experience
I just read my best friend's latest post from Nicaragua, and he described their mission and some daily issues. I thought I might do something similar.
The air base is about 25 minutes from Pucallpa. The city could be considered large at some estimates of around 250,000, however, it really is a bush/third world city. There are some modern sections, but most of it looks like shops and neighborhoods in the third world. The drive is about 5 to 10 minutes of paved road, then about 15 to 20 minutes of dirt/rock-ridden/hard-on-the-suspension road. No wonder cars look old here. Before you get to the base, you enter the village of San Jose, which has a population of about 5,000 and our own Adventist Church of about 75 members.
The base is surrounded by a fense and a locked gate to keep out intruders. I would guess that the base is about 20 acres, though it is hard to tell because we have a runway and areas rampent with plant growth. The land is owned by the mission (the local SDA conference). The runway begins at the far end of the base on the western side and stretchs to the eastern side before sloping down to the lake that passes by. The two-plane hangar/tool shed/storage/office sits slightly on top of the base near the middle overlooking the lake. Director Edie and Administrator Emilio's house, which also doubles as a small dormitory, sits by the gate on the northern side. Beto's (the bust pilot and mechanic) house, which is also my house because I'm house sitting while he is gone for a month, is next to the hangar. There is another house on the southern side, which will probably be the Donesky's house (the new bush pilot and family) when they arrive within the next couple of months. My future house and that of the soon-to-arrive airplane mechanic and his wife, sits by the lake surrounded by two meeting lodges. Group shower houses and tool sheds also dot the base.
While dissimilar from life in the United States, our air base is slightly cushy compared with other Adventist missions worldwide. We have electricity, two phone lines, cell phones (pre-paid with bad rates), an air conditioned and slightly cool office, dial-up internet (can you remember those olden days when you took breaks between websites), plenty of water considering its the dry season right now, indoor plumbing, gas stoves to boil our drinking water, and Beto even has a microwave though I haven't used it yet. We also have two planes, an old-almost working truck, one tracker, and a medical launch boat.
Though we live in the jungles of Peru in the Amazon Basin, the Lord has certainly blessed us with plenty. Please keep praying for the people of Peru and their daily lives. They struggle to live day by day. We have it so good living in the United States, we don't even have to consider if our families will have enough food for tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers, and I'll write you some more soon! May the Lord continue to bless you. Always remember to trust His with all you have!
The air base is about 25 minutes from Pucallpa. The city could be considered large at some estimates of around 250,000, however, it really is a bush/third world city. There are some modern sections, but most of it looks like shops and neighborhoods in the third world. The drive is about 5 to 10 minutes of paved road, then about 15 to 20 minutes of dirt/rock-ridden/hard-on-the-suspension road. No wonder cars look old here. Before you get to the base, you enter the village of San Jose, which has a population of about 5,000 and our own Adventist Church of about 75 members.
The base is surrounded by a fense and a locked gate to keep out intruders. I would guess that the base is about 20 acres, though it is hard to tell because we have a runway and areas rampent with plant growth. The land is owned by the mission (the local SDA conference). The runway begins at the far end of the base on the western side and stretchs to the eastern side before sloping down to the lake that passes by. The two-plane hangar/tool shed/storage/office sits slightly on top of the base near the middle overlooking the lake. Director Edie and Administrator Emilio's house, which also doubles as a small dormitory, sits by the gate on the northern side. Beto's (the bust pilot and mechanic) house, which is also my house because I'm house sitting while he is gone for a month, is next to the hangar. There is another house on the southern side, which will probably be the Donesky's house (the new bush pilot and family) when they arrive within the next couple of months. My future house and that of the soon-to-arrive airplane mechanic and his wife, sits by the lake surrounded by two meeting lodges. Group shower houses and tool sheds also dot the base.
While dissimilar from life in the United States, our air base is slightly cushy compared with other Adventist missions worldwide. We have electricity, two phone lines, cell phones (pre-paid with bad rates), an air conditioned and slightly cool office, dial-up internet (can you remember those olden days when you took breaks between websites), plenty of water considering its the dry season right now, indoor plumbing, gas stoves to boil our drinking water, and Beto even has a microwave though I haven't used it yet. We also have two planes, an old-almost working truck, one tracker, and a medical launch boat.
Though we live in the jungles of Peru in the Amazon Basin, the Lord has certainly blessed us with plenty. Please keep praying for the people of Peru and their daily lives. They struggle to live day by day. We have it so good living in the United States, we don't even have to consider if our families will have enough food for tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers, and I'll write you some more soon! May the Lord continue to bless you. Always remember to trust His with all you have!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
First Weekend
I'm nearing the end of my first weekend and have experienced some highs and lows. To my surprise, we didn't do anything special on the base for Friday night. I guess I was hoping for something like vespers at Southern. lol. Hopefully, we can start having real worships when the rest of the soon-to-arrive team get here. I probably just miss Southern and seeing many friends. Yeah, I miss you!
Well, I think the food finally struck. I was having some minor stomach problems this week. I'm not sure if it was from the food that Beto and I had on Thursday night or from something else, but I felt a little funny most of the weekend. I feel a lot better now (with the help of some charcoal and the Lord).
Sabbath school and church were good, except I only understood about 5 percent of the service. I like singing though, especially if I know the song. I remember loving to sing in Espana in the summer of 2007. Church kind of feels the same though. I'll try concentrating really hard and try to understand the topic, but then I start daydreaming when I understand so little. In time (en tiempo)...
Aner, one of the base workers who's 23 and is like a nephew to Edie, came over for Sabbath lunch. It was a real treat to talk with him afterwards. He's studied English for a number of years and speaks very well. I think he's just a little timid. It really helps speaking Spanish to someone who I can ask simple questions. Como se dice "many" (How do you say "many" in Spanish)? We probably talked for about two hours. My spanish is still bad (or malo), but the Lord is definitely helping me learn, especially since I still don't have my books yet. I also told Aner that I could help him with his English. Maybe we'll both be quite proficient in each other's languages by the time I leave.
Another downside to the weekend was the realization that the youth are just very unmovitated to have a realationship with Christ. After evening worship and talking with Edie, I decided that I really want to change that but it appears to be a daunting task. Please pray that the Lord does mighty things through me, as I boldy ask that He use me to His full potential. While I know there is a definite language barrier right now, I'm hoping that I can show them how great it is to have Jesus in their lives.
Sunday has been nice and lazy. I read the book of James this morning. Wow, time and time again, I'm amazed with the words that the Lord gives through Christ's brother. If you have some time, take a look at it. I've also been reading up on some photography skills and software (raw photos and processing). OK, maybe not the most fun reading, but I want to take my photography to new levels. I don't know if I told you, but I took over 75 shots the other morning.
The food's still great. I had a coconut (coco) today as well as some tiny bananas. The weather's been nice too, though we had a big wind storm last night. Anyway, I'm off to send a few emails and go for a run before the special meeting tonight. Praise the Lord for He is good! His mercy endures forever!
Well, I think the food finally struck. I was having some minor stomach problems this week. I'm not sure if it was from the food that Beto and I had on Thursday night or from something else, but I felt a little funny most of the weekend. I feel a lot better now (with the help of some charcoal and the Lord).
Sabbath school and church were good, except I only understood about 5 percent of the service. I like singing though, especially if I know the song. I remember loving to sing in Espana in the summer of 2007. Church kind of feels the same though. I'll try concentrating really hard and try to understand the topic, but then I start daydreaming when I understand so little. In time (en tiempo)...
Aner, one of the base workers who's 23 and is like a nephew to Edie, came over for Sabbath lunch. It was a real treat to talk with him afterwards. He's studied English for a number of years and speaks very well. I think he's just a little timid. It really helps speaking Spanish to someone who I can ask simple questions. Como se dice "many" (How do you say "many" in Spanish)? We probably talked for about two hours. My spanish is still bad (or malo), but the Lord is definitely helping me learn, especially since I still don't have my books yet. I also told Aner that I could help him with his English. Maybe we'll both be quite proficient in each other's languages by the time I leave.
Another downside to the weekend was the realization that the youth are just very unmovitated to have a realationship with Christ. After evening worship and talking with Edie, I decided that I really want to change that but it appears to be a daunting task. Please pray that the Lord does mighty things through me, as I boldy ask that He use me to His full potential. While I know there is a definite language barrier right now, I'm hoping that I can show them how great it is to have Jesus in their lives.
Sunday has been nice and lazy. I read the book of James this morning. Wow, time and time again, I'm amazed with the words that the Lord gives through Christ's brother. If you have some time, take a look at it. I've also been reading up on some photography skills and software (raw photos and processing). OK, maybe not the most fun reading, but I want to take my photography to new levels. I don't know if I told you, but I took over 75 shots the other morning.
The food's still great. I had a coconut (coco) today as well as some tiny bananas. The weather's been nice too, though we had a big wind storm last night. Anyway, I'm off to send a few emails and go for a run before the special meeting tonight. Praise the Lord for He is good! His mercy endures forever!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Pretty Much a Normal Day
I had a pretty normal day, though I had the opportunity to speak with Linda this morning over our ham radio. I had a hard time understanding her due to the atmospheric noise, but we managed (in English). And Edie told me that the connection was good too. lol. Besides that, I spent most of the day going through part of 10 GB of base pictures from the last three years or so. I'll probably spend the rest of the week organizing them and giving each specific keywords for easy searching later on. I also got a lot of great ideas for some shots, as well as remembering what not to do when I shoot. lol.
At lunch, Edie and I ate lunch with Loyda (I could be spelling that wrong). It was an amazing lunch like some of the best food at Machu Picchu Restaurant in Collegedale. She is very friendly. The people here are great! I also had the chance to converse with her, or try to converse. Well, at least I'm trying. It will help when I get my Espanol books from my second bag that's still in Lima or on its way. I can tell the Lord is definitely helping me. My studies in Espana were a huge resource I took for granted. I pray that the Lord will help me each and every day.
Beto (our pilot and mechanic) took me out to eat tonight. He's really great too. We've bonded really well, especially since he speaks English. We ate at a little shop in San Jose (our village), which was really half restaurant, half food supplies. It was really good food. I'm greatly enjoying the food here. He said that the Coke we drank should help with digestion. I'm just hoping that I don't have problems later on.
Well I'll sign off. Thank you for your prayers. Keep the Lord first in your life. Let Him lead your every step. Always remember that He always loves you, even more than you can even imagine!
Adios
At lunch, Edie and I ate lunch with Loyda (I could be spelling that wrong). It was an amazing lunch like some of the best food at Machu Picchu Restaurant in Collegedale. She is very friendly. The people here are great! I also had the chance to converse with her, or try to converse. Well, at least I'm trying. It will help when I get my Espanol books from my second bag that's still in Lima or on its way. I can tell the Lord is definitely helping me. My studies in Espana were a huge resource I took for granted. I pray that the Lord will help me each and every day.
Beto (our pilot and mechanic) took me out to eat tonight. He's really great too. We've bonded really well, especially since he speaks English. We ate at a little shop in San Jose (our village), which was really half restaurant, half food supplies. It was really good food. I'm greatly enjoying the food here. He said that the Coke we drank should help with digestion. I'm just hoping that I don't have problems later on.
Well I'll sign off. Thank you for your prayers. Keep the Lord first in your life. Let Him lead your every step. Always remember that He always loves you, even more than you can even imagine!
Adios
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Arrived at Peru Projects!
I finally arrived at Peru Projects (in Espanol, it's pronounced pe-rU pro-YECTS). If I haven't already told you, we call Peru Projects the “air base” or just “base.” It is not to be confused with the SDA Conference which is called the Mission. Well, I arrived after spending a night in Lima, the capital of Peru. Since it is winter in the southern hemisphere, it can be chilly in parts, especially in the Lima Airport. lol. It was very nice (at first) to arrive in the hot climate of Pucallpa (pronouned PU-call-pa). Edie, the director, picked me up, and I began a small part of my culture shock.
We took a short tour of Pucallpa and ate at one of the nice restaurants in town. Apparently, if we had not eaten at one of the three "safe" restaurants, I wouldn't have been doing so good, if you catch my drift. Besides being a third-world country, theft and robberies are quite prevalent here due to limited police, limited police action, and bribes. Edie told me of a local pastor who was mugged because he owned a very-nice-for-here motorcycle. I will have to make sure and use common sense and always be on my guard whenever in town. However, the Lord led me down here, so I'm guessing I have an extra battalion of angels keeping tabs on me.
The air base is beautiful. It is sort of in the jungle. We pretty much just live in semi-developed parts of the jungle, the Amazon Basin. Surrounded by fencing and a lake, the base has eight to ten buildings and features you guessed it, a runway. I walked down it last night, and it seems quite large, though I have never walked down any runways. If you search for Pucallpa, Peru on Google Maps, you can pick up the runway by the lake almost due north from Pucallpa.
In comparison to Linda and Kristen, my best friend Jeremy who's SMing in Nicaragua, and probably most of the SMs, I have it cushy. We have full time electricity, plumbing and running water (though it has to be boiled for drinking), two landlines, dial-up internet (I'll tell you more about that later), more than one washer, did I mention full time electricity (which is marvelous)? The base has other things like a couple of personal missionarys’ cars; two planes (though one is missing it's engine due to repairs), funding (which I guess I'll find out more about later on); conference support; and most importantly, the Lord's guidance, leading, and blessing. We also have houses. Right now, I will be in the mist of transititioning between houses but will have my own in a couple of months.
I am also blessed with an English presence, though I need to quit the crutch soon. I have to admit, after traveling all the way here and trying to pass off my lousy Spanish, it was really nice to speak English with Edie when she picked me up. However, I did practice my Espanol with Edie and our administrator's wife, Gloria, last night. I was able to carry on light conversation with Edie's help. Hey Mom and Dad, my studies in Espana really did help! One of the most difficult things for me is that I feel like I'm being rude to people when I meet them because I really can’t say much, especially since I'm talkative.
Speaking of hard things, just remember me in your prayers. I'm still in the vacation stage of my trip, and I know that the culture shock/wanting-to-go-home stage will hit me at some time. So just keep me in your prayers. It's hard to explain, but EVERYTHING is different down here. The change of pace is good, but it's hard not having someone here fulltime who's my age who speaks English. lol. In time, I'll make more friends when my Spanish is better. However, not to be a downer, the Lord has blessed me with so much! First, He got me here safely without problems. The staff here is wonderful and couldn't be nicer. The food has been very good so far. Edie is letting me eat with her, and I'll give her money for groceries. Plus I have to remember that the Lord led me to Peru for a specific reason. I'll keep a smile on and let Him continue to lead me.
Before I go, I wanted to tell you about the internet (what internet?). The internet as we know it doesn't really exist at the base. Why? Because I am surfing Slooooooowly. I think I'm averaging 0.0005 MB per second. I think most broadband connections are between 0.5 and 2 MB per second, so you can see how slow it is. To put it in perspective, Google's homepage took about twenty seconds to completely load. lol. But I am going to make the best of it. Hey, I guess I can get some good reading in while I surf.
Thanks for your prayers and support. I'll try to write at least something most days, though right now, the modem isn't hooked up to my computer, so it makes things a little more difficult. Adios from Peru!
We took a short tour of Pucallpa and ate at one of the nice restaurants in town. Apparently, if we had not eaten at one of the three "safe" restaurants, I wouldn't have been doing so good, if you catch my drift. Besides being a third-world country, theft and robberies are quite prevalent here due to limited police, limited police action, and bribes. Edie told me of a local pastor who was mugged because he owned a very-nice-for-here motorcycle. I will have to make sure and use common sense and always be on my guard whenever in town. However, the Lord led me down here, so I'm guessing I have an extra battalion of angels keeping tabs on me.
The air base is beautiful. It is sort of in the jungle. We pretty much just live in semi-developed parts of the jungle, the Amazon Basin. Surrounded by fencing and a lake, the base has eight to ten buildings and features you guessed it, a runway. I walked down it last night, and it seems quite large, though I have never walked down any runways. If you search for Pucallpa, Peru on Google Maps, you can pick up the runway by the lake almost due north from Pucallpa.
In comparison to Linda and Kristen, my best friend Jeremy who's SMing in Nicaragua, and probably most of the SMs, I have it cushy. We have full time electricity, plumbing and running water (though it has to be boiled for drinking), two landlines, dial-up internet (I'll tell you more about that later), more than one washer, did I mention full time electricity (which is marvelous)? The base has other things like a couple of personal missionarys’ cars; two planes (though one is missing it's engine due to repairs), funding (which I guess I'll find out more about later on); conference support; and most importantly, the Lord's guidance, leading, and blessing. We also have houses. Right now, I will be in the mist of transititioning between houses but will have my own in a couple of months.
I am also blessed with an English presence, though I need to quit the crutch soon. I have to admit, after traveling all the way here and trying to pass off my lousy Spanish, it was really nice to speak English with Edie when she picked me up. However, I did practice my Espanol with Edie and our administrator's wife, Gloria, last night. I was able to carry on light conversation with Edie's help. Hey Mom and Dad, my studies in Espana really did help! One of the most difficult things for me is that I feel like I'm being rude to people when I meet them because I really can’t say much, especially since I'm talkative.
Speaking of hard things, just remember me in your prayers. I'm still in the vacation stage of my trip, and I know that the culture shock/wanting-to-go-home stage will hit me at some time. So just keep me in your prayers. It's hard to explain, but EVERYTHING is different down here. The change of pace is good, but it's hard not having someone here fulltime who's my age who speaks English. lol. In time, I'll make more friends when my Spanish is better. However, not to be a downer, the Lord has blessed me with so much! First, He got me here safely without problems. The staff here is wonderful and couldn't be nicer. The food has been very good so far. Edie is letting me eat with her, and I'll give her money for groceries. Plus I have to remember that the Lord led me to Peru for a specific reason. I'll keep a smile on and let Him continue to lead me.
Before I go, I wanted to tell you about the internet (what internet?). The internet as we know it doesn't really exist at the base. Why? Because I am surfing Slooooooowly. I think I'm averaging 0.0005 MB per second. I think most broadband connections are between 0.5 and 2 MB per second, so you can see how slow it is. To put it in perspective, Google's homepage took about twenty seconds to completely load. lol. But I am going to make the best of it. Hey, I guess I can get some good reading in while I surf.
Thanks for your prayers and support. I'll try to write at least something most days, though right now, the modem isn't hooked up to my computer, so it makes things a little more difficult. Adios from Peru!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Packing and Update
Well I'm in the final stretch, but I thought that I would post something since it's been a super long time. My packing in going well. I talked to Linda a couple of weeks ago when she and Kristen arrived at the air base at Peru Projects (PPI, the place I will be staying). They were in great spirits and were about to head off on the medical launch boat for their first three month journey. Crazy huh? Anyway, packing is going great. I met with the Doneskys (the full time missionaries) a few days ago, and they are still waiting for the Lord to deliver the needed visa.
May the Lord bless you as you continue to trust in Him!
May the Lord bless you as you continue to trust in Him!
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