Lily

HERE'S LILY

With or new weekly commitment to blog about our time in Peru, we have decided to highlight each of our kids at some point during the next few months.  Being that Lily is the oldest, and because of a recent change in her life (see below), we thought we should start with her.  

When we moved here nearly three years ago, Lily was only 7 years old.  She has spent a little under half of her life here and has grown not only physically, but is growing into a mature, beautiful, young lady of God.  As she has faced the many challenges that come with living in another culture, she has dealt with loneliness and frustration, but has also experienced tremendous blessings and growth.

Lily has always cherished participating in ministry events with her daddy.  Of all our kids, she is always the first to volunteer for ministry related activities, loving a good adventure.  A few months ago, she was asking to accompany Geoff on Wednesdays for the regular ministry program at the center.  Last year, I had told her "no" because she needed to focus on her school work.  This year, I was convicted that I was elevating her education over something far more important.  I decided that I would rearrange her schooling to allow her time to serve alongside Geoff.  On Tuesdays, after she finishes the day's assignments, she starts right in on Wednesday's schoolwork.

I am so grateful for the opportunity she has to serve with her dad.  She is an enormous help to the ministry, while being discipled through the process of working with Geoff.  I am confident that this has been a formative year for her, and I thank God daily for the evidence of His grace at work in her life.  Geoff and I both pray with steadfast hope and great expectation that the seeds that are being planted today will issue forth in a glorious harvest in the life of this God-honoring young women.

Pictures of Lily in Action   

Lily loves her some babies!!!

Helping with a skit at the Family Bible Study.

I can't understand why the kids love her so much.

Her favorite job in the world, holding babies.

She has the gift of endless energy.

A Short Interview With Lily

Mommy, "Tell me some things you love about Peru?"

Lily, "The food, traveling in Peru, the Ocean, and I love going to the ministry center with dad"

Mommy, "What are some things that have been hard for you here?"

Lily, "Speaking Spanish, being away from family, and I love climbing trees and being in the forest, but here it is all city." 

Mommy, "What do you like about working with Word Made Flesh?"

Lily, "I love playing with the kids and having them come to me, and holding babies."

Mommy, "What have you learned during your time here?"

Lily, "I have learned that God has given me a gift to work with kids.  It is really hard, but I like it because I love kids, and once they get to know me, they come to me.  It has taught me patience.  For example, one time I was walking around with a crying child because she wanted her mom.  I just kept trying to comfort her, and I had never realized a child could have so many tears."

Mommy, "How have you changed during your time here?"

Lily, "I have seen a lot of poverty and sin and this has changed my perspective on things.  For example, I visited a lady's home and she had one room with two beds and a small table.  I was amazed that people live like this, while we have big houses and lots of stuff we don't even need.  I also sometimes think about the little kids I work with.  I don't want them to grow up like their parents who are often rowdy, with no manners, and maybe on drugs."

Mommy, "Is there anything else you want to share?"

Lily, "Peru has been a good experience for me.  I have learned a lot and seen a lot of things that have changed me.  Although it has been hard, it has been good."

Mommy, "What do you want to do in the future?"

Lily, "I want to have lots of kids and maybe be an artist or a writer.  Maybe I would like to be an owner of an orphanage.  Hopefully, I can live on a farm because I like nature and animals, and I think my kids would like that too."

Pictures from Lily's time here

Lily's first birthday in Peru.  Her neighborhood friends threw her a surprise birthday party.

Our trip to visit Elita's family included a visit to the third largest waterfall in the world, Gocta.  Lily and the boys rode mules, while the grownups walked.  (Side-note:  Elita and Raechel almost died from exhaustion on this four hour trek.  Raechel would like to add that the trail was nearly vertical...in both directions.  "It was the hardest thing I have ever done." - Raechel)

Lily enjoying a Christmas celebration...In the summer!!

In Santa Rosa, Lima, and the world round, Lily is a kid magnet.

Lily enjoying a visit from her cousin and friend.

Lily and Daddy acting a fool.

The two most beautiful women in the world...In my humble opinion. - Geoff

A Day At The Beach And Other Unrelated Topics

Here we go again!  As we begin the process of wrapping up our time in Peru, we have committed ourselves, once more (a final last ditch effort, if you will), to share some of the memories that we have made over the course of the last two and a half years.  Some of these stories will carry us back to our arrival to Peru, while others will reflect our more recent adventures.  Through these accounts we will endeavor to also communicate some of the lessons that we have learned and the various ways that God has forever changed us during our time here in Lima.  Our goal is to publish these recollections every Friday for your reading enjoyment.

At the end of this past summer (in March), we decided to take our friends to the beach.  Three young ladies, a young man, and their respective kids piled into our car early one weekday morning, and we left the smog-filled foulness of the streets of Central Lima for the open-air splendidness of the beaches south of the city.  The car ride alone was worth the price of gas as we lifted our voices together to the blissful sound of Eighties music and filled the remaining moments with congenial conversation.

We arrived at our destination in time for lunch and hit a local eatery a stones throw from the beach.  The food was typical Peruvian cuisine.  True to form, Lily and Chi demolished adult sized portions of the delicious fare while Eli and Zeke bemoaned the fact that I wouldn't allow them to just eat the crackers and apples that I had packed for a mid-afternoon snack.  Our friends ate their fill quicker then usual, and we all felt a little anxious about being so close to the beach yet not quite there.

After lunch, we made the short drive to the beach where we passed the afternoon breathing deep of the fresh ocean air and bathing in the golden drops of sunshine that warmed us just enough to allow us to brave the frigid water off the Peruvian coast.  The kids attempted to burrow to China, and made amazing progress towards that end.  The youth played volleyball and dodged jellyfish in the sea.  As for me, I soaked it all in.

For just a moment, life was grand, literally, "a day at the beach."  We weren't standing on a street corner amidst the tumult and depravation of Central Lima.  We weren't surrounded by kids reeking of glue and looking like the streets that they live on.  We were on the sandy shore of the Pacific Ocean amongst the grandeur and glory of God's creation.  We were in the presence of young women and a young man, with their children, who seemed to be in all visible respects no different than me and my kids.  What a difference a change in venue can make.

On the drive back to Lima a solemness replaced the jubilant atmosphere that marked our trip to the beach.  Each of us seemed to be wrestling with words to express our gratefulness for the day God had given us, free from our normal worries, concerns, and battles, while sensing the impending return to reality that awaited us in Lima, very different realities to be sure, yet each weighty in their own respect.

As I pulled into downtown Lima to drop off my young friends, they identified the corner where they would disembark.  I stopped at the place they asked me to and immediately recognized it as the infamous intersection of Grau and Iquitos, where broken young women gather to sell their bodies to depraved men.  We were not at the beach any more.

The following is a post by Dianne Miller.

By the time you read this, we will be home. It has been a very full 12 days! We have heard the stories of many while we have been here. The one commonality – the one thing that ties all the stories together, has been the message of the gospel. We came to encourage – to walk alongside those who are already doing the work of building God’s kingdom here in Lima and Santa Rosa. While here, we have been encouraged, and also challenged.  What a blessing to connect with another piece of the body of Christ! As our intent was to serve, we were also served. As our intent was to pray for, we were lifted up. In our effort to learn more about all that God is doing, we were challenged to ask, “What are our next steps?” “What does God want us to do with the stories we have heard?” “How have I been impacted by the people we have met and talked with and laughed with and cried with?” “What now?”

We want to thank our churches, family, and friends for the opportunity to come to Lima. To be the hands and feet of Christ has been a great privilege and honor. We have had times of weakness and times of strength; times of joy and times of sadness; times of weariness and times of the kind of strength and energy that only God can provide; times of worship and prayer; times of digging deep into God’s word, and asking hard questions of ourselves.  Please continue praying that our hearts are tender toward God’s molding and shaping us for His use. Please continue to pray for our friends here at Palabra Hecha Hombre (WMF), our friends that are struggling in the street, our translator friends, and amigos in Santa Rosa. Pray that the gospel continues to be shared in their lives AND ours at every opportunity. Pray as we seek God’s direction in determining “What’s next?”

Team 2 is in Peru!

Hey all! This is Diana - just wanted to share some pictures and stories with you guys about our trip so far! I want to say first and foremost thank you for all the prayers that have come our way. Our team is all healthy and people are being reached! So please continue to lift this team, family, and people up in prayer as we continue on the second leg of our trip this week.

Ok so these are a different combination of pictures I've taken from my iPhone and my real camera so if some of the images aren't super-great quality...here's my formal apology ;)

So let's start with Thursday! We started out by going out to the Word Made Flesh Center (Palabra Hecho Hombre) to do our devotion and hear the history of the program. After that, we went to the soccer field to play soccer with kids in the program and some of these little kids came to! They all flocked to Haley.

This is the soccer field.  Renaldo, Joe, Geoff and I (Diana) took a bit of a beating trying to keep up with these teenagers but we did our best! Lots of laughs had by both teams...whether it was with us or because of us...well that's still questionable. There was a lot to be laughed about! :)

It's kind of amazing how these guys are so good. They are so young! But don't be deceived. They. Are. Pros. 

Pablo (Right) is a friend of one of the workers at WMF and he came with us to the soccer field. He gave his testimony (very powerful) to the teens. José (left) asked Pablo and Geoff to pray - he accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour!! Glory be to God. 

Ok so Thursday was awesome. We came back, talked about the day, and called it a night. Friday morning! Friday Diana (haha..funny to narrate myself in third person) led us in a devotion on "The Greatness of Our God" just as a reminder of who we serve and how while things may not go "according to plan" this weekend, they really are going according to plan - God's plan. After the devotion we headed out to Santa Rosa (pictured above). If I were to spin around you would basically see this in every direction (however photos take a long time to upload so...just put like 8 of those pictures together and you have it.) Definitely different from Lima. Once we got our stuff in our rooms we headed out in 2 teams with our translators to invite the community to an event, a bonfire at the church! We brought s'mores! One group also made a visit to pray for a family. 

We loved the children. This girl wanted to come with us while we walked around inviting other kids so haley happily threw her on her back and walked around :)

Ok so here's the story. In Santa Rosa, we're right by the ocean - so it was like...50 something degrees out AND like 98% humidity. So we're like...literally walking through a mist of water. So all of our wood was wet - we couldn't use it for a bonfire. SO. Here we are with enough s'mores to feed like, 100 people but we can't make them! So we brainstormed...and decided to have like a hang out thing in the church, and then at the end, we brought in a little stove and made the s'mores over that. None of these kids had tried s'mores before! The excitement and joy was contagious. Joe gave a message and included a little bit of his testimony and Erik (one of our translators, left) translated for him. All in all the night = successful.

Bryan and Nehemiah enjoying their first s'more ;)

precious children. and Diane ;)

playing sharks and minos with the kids!

Little Andy passed out on Joe for a good 2 hours. :)

 Diane and Haley tag teamed the lesson for the Kids Program from 3-5. We talked about the power of the cross and did a very cool craft!

Sunday was Joe AND Geoff's birthday!! So we had a cake after Renaldo gave his message about sharing the gospel...which was awesome. 

Diana (myself) and Tito led worship with Joe playing the box drum Sunday morning and multiple times throughout the weekend. It was so cool to sing songs with the congregation, songs that they sang in Spanish that some of us knew the english. Way cool.

Our team picture from Santa Rosa. :)

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support! We will post again before we leave! (even if it's me...hahah) Seriously though we all can't wait to tell of the things God has done and will do! Love you all!!

- Diana and the Team. 

Buenas Dias! Just a quick post to let you know we are all feeling better today (so far). We are headed back to Santa Rosa in a few hours and everyone is looking forward to that....tho this time it will be harder to leave knowing we aren't coming back in a week.

Yesterday was exhausting but really good. Word Made Flesh had a celebration for all the kids who are sponsered to attend school. I don't know the number but there were A LOT of people and A LOT of kids! They have this celebration twice a year. All of moms of these kids used to be on the street. Many of the kids were on the street for years before they were elegible for the program (which is to be living in a home). Still most are not in homes like we consider homes and they need a lot of prayer.

Thats really all I have time to write. We pray all our families and friends in the states are doing well. We heard it is VERY hot there :( SO we will just stay here a few more days and maybe bring the nice weather home with us!

Blessings - Julie for Rachel

Tuesday and Wednesday

Greetings from Lima Peru. We have been busy and we are really tired. Several are sick and could really use your prayer. Some of the youth are feeling pretty green. Riley seems to be the worst and can't seem to shake it. Sydney stayed home one day and bounced back fine. Courtney stayed home today...I think Allison has to stay home tomorrow. Riley too. 

I can't even remember how many things we have done since Santa Rosa. 

A group went to the music store. They bought strings, a cajon and shakers for the team in Santa Rosa. This is a picture of a panflute. The boys play these at the same time as playing the guitar. They make a beautiful sound. 

We went to a fabulous Peruvian restaurant called Mango's that was right on the ocean. We are all in agreement that Peruvian food is the best we have ever had. Many new flavors and dishes. Lydia and I are planning a trip to the world market to see if we can duplicate anything close to what is here. Being the adventuresome girls they are, Sydney and Cara especially enjoyed french fries.

The view from the restaurant was out of a post card. You would never know that Peruvians don't swim in their ocean. For the most part the ocean is part of the sewer system. We did see some people surfing...but also signs about red boils and warnings not to get in. We didn't need any more warning than that. The weather was beautiful and it was a fun refreshing time. 

I can't stress to you how much this group has blessed me personally. We have SO much fun. Wherever we go together we laugh until we cry. This photo is on the way to the car in the parking garage. Whoever said being a Christian wasn't fun....never met this team! 

We met several of the youth boys last night that live on the street. They went with us to a hamburger place that is out of someones home and only a few blocks from Geoff and Reachel's place. It was a great ice breaker for us with the guys. They came back and played authentic Peruvian music. I am proud to say that Lonnie could keep up with them! This is the music they play on the streets for money. They live day to day. We were told it is a problem for the young men here...that they don't have a desire to get off the streets because they do make enough to buy a meal or a room for the night. Lonnie got to speak to them some about this today at the music camp. The camp went really well considering we had people who had planned to teach out sick. Everyone moved around and God really moved there today. The youth were receptive...it is becoming personal now. They are our friends and we are theirs so they listen when we talk to them about Jesus. Which I had the honor to do today. 

Introduction to the streets -

Jason and I were given a true gift yesterday after all the work at the center was done. We walked the streets with Geoff and Anna the director of Palabra Heche Hombre (Word Made Flesh). We also had another staff member (Samuel) because we actually needed the protection of a group. I have to take a deep breath to even know how to convey to you what we saw. 

To start,  we had to get out of a taxi because the driver was afraid someone would break his window to get to Jason's camera. So right in the middle of an intersection he says GO. There is no doubt in my mind that God protected us during this walk. These were the real streets of Peru. The inner city streets where the kids live. Not many get to see this and we had a hard time dealing with emotions and conviction that rained down all around us. Jason is actually filming for Word Made Flesh, the church, and the Ingrums. A sort of multi functional documentary for anyone who wants to see what the program is about or what brought Geoff and Reachel here...or anyone who wants to know what a mission trip is all about. What being Christian is all about. 

We talked a lot about this on the way home. The fact that we all KNOW about poverty. As Christians, or even as American's we have been educated about what is out there. Even tho we easily forget. We get caught up in our own culture...which is buy more, have more, do more. SO it's not that we didn't expect to see bad things. Filth. Urine. Hunger. Babies in places I would literally not let my dog or my cat go. Babies we held and kissed. Beautiful babies and little girls and boys left unsupervised in places where anyone could hurt them. Young mothers who's hearts are hardened because they don' t know their worth.  Most of them are already living with hurt, abuse and neglect. Most of them have never known anything different. We realized that even if we spent our whole lives here...we wouldn't be able to help everyone. But some have been helped. A few. A few have found Christ. A few have returned to their homes. A few have found new homes. That is why we keep trying. Because even one is precious to God and we can't forget these people. We can't forget that God loves them as much as he loves you or me. That he commands us to be his hands and feet. The world has proclaimed that it is acceptable to forget these people. God has not. All four of these kids live on the streets. I could describe it but...I'm sure you already know and yeah, it really is THAT horrible. Please don't forget them. We sure won't.