Mirador

Dorcas and I met last night to go to Mirador for the women's Bible Study. Upon arrival, we had to cross a trench that was dug to accommodate the sewer that should be installed at some point. The community has just recently received running water, and the streets are lined with huge ditches that will be filled with tubing.

When we entered the house we saw an entire room filled with piles of unpainted ceramic figurines. The woman who owns the house makes and paints these figurines to sell during Christmas. Here is an example of what I mean:

(This is not a photo that I took. I just wanted to give you an example of what I meant by unpainted ceramic figurines).

Now imagine a room filled with these things. There were probably thousands, and I could not fathom painting each one by hand. I asked one of the girls if she could teach me how to do it, and she said that we could in January. I think that the next month is going to be a season of cranking them out. I would slow down the process.

About an hour after we arrived, Dorcas started teaching about what it means to be a virtuous woman. I tried to stay focused, but one of the woman's toddlers kept walking in and out of the room. He was looking for attention, and it was hard not to notice when he opened the front door, pulled down his little pants and started peeing off the stoop. One of the woman corrected him, but I thought it was one of the funniest things I had ever seen.

The rest of the Bible study went well, and we all shared crackers and coffee to end the evening. Dorcas and I made it back to town to find that the electricity had been cut, and I thanked Jesus that I was not alone. (We have to walk through some shadier areas of town to get back to the church). I met up with Travis and Jeff (our friend who is visiting from the States), and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our apartment. It was a good Saturday.

Iglesia Refugio

Over the past few weeks, Travis and I have visited a few churches, and we've felt most at home in Iglesia Refugio (Refuge Church). During the week, a lot of college students congregate here because the building is primarily used as a coffee shop called Café Berea.

(Worship practice right before the service began)

The pastor, Efrain (far left) and his wife, Dorcas (pink shirt), have welcomed us into the congregation. We went with them to the church plant, Mirador, on Tuesday night. Travis and I hung out with little kids who seemed to have an endless supply of jokes. We then watched Facing The Giants, and the crowd cheered as Shiloh High School won the state tournament. Efrain gave an evangelistic message after the movie but explained that believing in God does not mean that you will win sports tournaments, miraculously receive trucks, have a few kids, and get a raise at work. All that to say, Travis and I feel like minded with Efrain and Dorcas. We hope to get more involved with the work in Mirador.

(One of the kids' classrooms)

Travis did not make it to church this morning as he was feeling a little under the weather. One woman came up to me and said, "Y tu esposo (and your husband)?" as she gazed at the ceiling implying that he would have been towering above us. I felt like we were being warmly received.

After the service today I had the honor of playing Connect Four with a 7 year old named Dante. As I got on the bus, I heard, "Ciao Emiiiily!" Dante was standing on the corner. I made a new friend.

Answered Prayers

1) We have a home church - Iglesia Refugio

Travis and I have attended service the past 2 weeks, and I had an opportunity to visit their church plant called Mirador. Dorcas, the pastor's wife, and I will be going to Mirador every other Saturday to do Bible study with the women. Travis and I are going to Mirador tonight to spend time with people and to watch a movie.

2) I can breathe! My allergies are under control, and my voice does not sound like a chipmunk.

(What I felt like before my magical medicine...a chipmunk)

(What I feel like now...happy)

3) We had a few friends over to play card games last night. Yay for friends! Please pray that we will continue to find community here.

4) Our apartment is feeling more and more like a home.

5) Our work on curriculum with Matt and Kelly is progressing. Travis is getting to use his creative writing, and I am working on translation. Right now, the material we write is being used with a Bolivian church. About 170 kids attend the Sunday School, and they are learning about Jesus. To read more about the work in Bolivia click here.

We Hang Out in Cemeteries.

So apparently my language school wanted me to relive my long-haired metal days.  Instead of class, they took Emily and me (along with a bunch of other students from the language school--lots of Germans!) to visit three different cemeteries in honor of Dia de los Muertos.

Side note--I didn't wear sunscreen.  So now my burn has a burn.  I read somewhere that it takes a cat over 20 repetitions to remember/learn something.  I think I have some cat DNA.  Don't tell Emily.

The first cemetery we visited was the oldest cemetery in Arequipa.  It was filled with ornate vaults (some of which looked like inviting little houses) and lots of bodies housed in walls.  Everything was colorful as most of the graves were decorated with bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals.  I thought I saw a Mary statue with a devil tail.  Turns out it was a Mary statue with an anchor behind her.  Nautical Mary.

One of the more interesting graves we saw was for a man from Arequipa who was executed in the late 60's for murdering his wife.  Pretty much right after he was killed people began to doubt that he committed the crime.  So he was made into a saint.  To this day people bring tons of flowers and money to his grave to pray for miracles.

The next cemetery we visited was incredibly different.  It was in the hills outside Arequipa and was the cemetery for people with less money.  The gravestones were definitely not as ornate, but the party was a rager!  It is a tradition to bring your dead family members their favorite food and beverages to commemorate their lives and celebrate them.  It is a bit surreal to see a bunch of graves covered in food and Inka Cola.  There were hired bands playing music over graves and tons of people sharing food and drinks. The whole thing felt much more celebratory than the previous cemetery.  Although it felt a bit weird to just trample through the middle of a bunch of graves, especially when most of them were piles of stones (according to the dates, some were really fresh!)

Finally we visited the most expensive cemetery of the 3.  It was the most European/North American inspired, complete with lots of grass, underground burials, and immaculate groundskeeping.  It was also much more boring to look at.  They had a strict ban on food or drinks left on graves.  I've decided that when I go, I am totally down with food and drink being strewn all over my headstone.  I'm also down with the whole band playing music in commemoration--as long as it's not Dave Matthews.

So all-in-all it was a super interesting day.  I feel like it would be appropriate to make some type of goth-inspired vampire joke here, but a certain teen idol vampire with horrible one-liners and a sparkly chest has pretty much ruined vampire lore for life.  So instead I'll teach you the Spanish word for "wizard."  It's "MAGO!"  Now I'm going to go serenade my wife with Iron Maiden songs.