Health "Charlas"

One part of my ministry is up and going. Every Saturday I am giving a health talk (or in Spanish-"charla") to different church plants. Right now it is only in two locations: Santa Anita and Huaycan, but we are hoping to get it started in another area: Amauta. I have taught a few classes on Dengue Fever, as that is something that they often get sick with in many of the poorer areas. (I had to do research for that one, as I didn't learn much about that in school!) I am starting a series on Nutrition, as well. Last weekend was my first talk in Huaycan about Nutrition, and it went really well. The women got really involved and interacted a lot.

Much of my time is spent in preparation for these charlas. At first it was a bit of a challenge to prepare for these, as many of the women I speak to don't read, and so I have to do a lot for visual learning. I also have to teach them in a way that would make it practical for their life.

Many of the women that come are either mothers of the children in the diaconal childrens program, women who attend the church there, or their friends. It is a mix of believers and unbelievers. Typically after my talk there is a devotional and fellowship time. It has been good to get to know these ladies better. We'll see what else God will do with this time with these women. Please continue to pray for these health talks, and the development of a lay-health ministry here.

Close Encounters With Peruvian Politics

Peru is in a political transitional period. Last month presidential elections were made, leaving the choice between what people here say, "worse and more worse." Alan Garcia, one of the candidates was president in 1985-1990, and in a brief summary: severely messed up Peru's economy. Garcia is the candidate in the run-off elections against Ollanta Humala, who despises democracy and would like to rewrite the constitution of Peru. He comes from a family that supports the shooting of Jews, homosexuals, and Chilean investors. He is greatly supported by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (if that tells you anything.) The current president Alejandro Toledo will be out of office on July 28, and the new elected president will be in. The run-off election will be on June 4th.

Please pray with us about these elections. The election results could place Peru in some rough times (again).

I have never really had many close encounters with famous people or politicians in my life. However a few weeks ago I had a few experiences back to back. May 1 was a Peruvian holiday, and I was taking that time to visit friends in Arequipa. I was in the airport, and my flight was delayed. I took to reading a book, but at one point I looked over to a coffee shop in the airport near my gate, and I spotted a man who looked a lot like Ollanta Humala sitting maybe 10-15 yards from me. I wasn't sure if it was or not (as sometimes my eyes play tricks on me, and I think that I see famous people). To make a long story short, it was him. I found out when I landed in Arequipa that his wife was on my flight, and although I didn't see him, I wouldn't be surprised if he was too because of a huge political rally for him outside of the airport.

The next day, President Toledo was in Arequipa, and I watched the last part of a speech he was giving there at a university on TV. I left shortly after the speech ended to meet up with a friend for dinner. On the way there, several police, security vehicles, and a large van with tinted windows from the same university that he was giving a speech at, passed by me on the other side of the road. The taxi asked, "I wonder what could be going on." (*free translation ; ] ) I told him it was the president, and he looked at this white girl like I was crazy. But it was the president!

So I am not one typically into politics, but with the latests events and how they can seriously change the lives of everyone living here, my interest has been sparked. It isn't everyday that one has these types of encouters, and now I've had two close encounters with 2 major politicians of Peru.

If you want to do some more reading on some of the politics here in Peru, here are some articles I have found:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060514/wl_nm/peru_poll_dc_1

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-peru-poll.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

A Different Kind of Safety

Safety? What does that mean here? Does safety in numbers still apply? Gates, locks, high walls with sharp spikes on the top. Will that protect me?

It isn't at all that I live in such fear of my environment where I don't want to leave the "safety" of my own home, but the constant guard that I have up, no matter where I go is a weight that I didn't carry back in the States. To give you just a glimpse of my surroundings, where I live and work-- the area I live, is not the most dangerous, but isn't the safest area to live either. A few weeks ago, one night at 1:30AM I was awoken to the sharp sounds of 5-6 gunshots fired close to my house. It was the first time I have heard those in my neighborhood, or EVER for that matter near me. Not that I will be walking in my neighborhood at that time of the night, but knowing that this does occasionally happen in this area, didn't bring a lot of comfort. The shots fired was with an attempted kid/adult napping. A couple weeks after I arrived here, there was an armed robbery during the day of a pedestrian walking on the street next to my own. And the other week as a gesture of friendliness after a brief conversation, I returned a handshake to a street vendor who offered his hand to me to shake. I did not know that it would be a slight battle to get my hand back as I kept pulling back from him trying to free my hand. I learned that day from some of my Peruvian friends, what should have been an obvious lesson, that safety comes before friendliness.

I have already been robbed, however I am so grateful that it wasn't an armed robbery and that they were sly enough that I didn't even feel my cell phone being slipped out of my pocket. And I am glad that was all that happened. If I am to be robbed, I'll take that anyday!

Many days I travel through some very unsafe areas, and since I am white, I will always be a target. It is a common stereotype and misconception that "gringos" (white people) have a lot of money, and that we carry it with us.

Like I said, it isn't that I live everyday in a debilitating fear that I will be robbed, attacked, or whatever, but there is a constant need to watch my steps, even within my own street, and be wise in what I do, and how I do it. Living like this daily adds more tension than this job calls for in and of itself.

What I can't refute however, is knowing that I am in God's will here in Peru. As my ol' friend Jonah will attest to, being in His will and in His hand is the safest place to be. He didn't like the plan God had for his life, and turned to go in the opposite direction. Soon he was swallowed by a whale, and spent 3 days inside with dead fish (mmm..... great smell!!) and the strong acid inside the stomach (probably bleaching his skin and hair) before being vomited onto land. I have learned in my own life as well that it just isn't a pleasant experience willfully doing the opposite of what God wants in my life. I know I am where He wants me, and that is the safest place to be. And you know what? Even if my God does allow me to be robbed, attacked, injured, or killed--He will use it for good! My life is His anyways!! So what do I have to loose?