Potato bread & the cost of living

During our time in Costa Rica, I was shocked at how high our food budget was. I thought Costa Rica was just expensive. When we went back to the states during the holidays, I realized that it wasn't just Costa Rica--it was everywhere. Our move to Peru has not lessened the sticker shock at the grocery store. If anything, it is worse. A recent CNN news article on the world-wide rise in food costs reported, "Partly because of the cost of imported wheat, Peru's military has begun eating bread made from potato flour, a native crop."

That's a bummer because it is motivated by high costs, but the good news for me is that I love potato bread. But, I'd love it even more if it were cheaper. The CNN article quoted Brian Halweil of the environmental research organization Worldwatch Institute, saying, "All countries are tied enough to the world food markets that this is a global crisis."

The increase in food costs is doubled when you consider the declining value of the American Dollar. The attached chart shows the decline of the dollar against the Peruvian Sol, over the past 6 months. All the missionaries that I know are concerned about their loss of purchasing power. But, it's also one of those problems that is a blessing. While I'd prefer to have cheaper access to goods and services, I'm not so enamored with it that I want to leave. To be called as a missionary is such a blessing and honor, it is worth eating beans and rice, instead of meat. If it's for the King, then it's worth it. The good news is that we have a heavenly reward coming, which has already been paid for! Amen.

San Cristobal and our 2nd tour of Lima

Last week, we joined a local Assembly of God youth group on a tour of Lima. We visited San Cristobal, the Parque de Armas and a park of fountains. Hannah has put together a slide show, which you can see at right. Or, click here to see this new show and all our photo albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/SanCristobalTour

Unexpected Comforts and the Power of a Lawnmower

From Lena...in Lima:

One of the surprises I have encountered here is exactly which things bring me comfort in the sense of familiar things. I missed my garlic press, and I was too cheap to replace it for a year in Costa Rica. Love my bedspread from home. The familiarity of the quilts I have made through the house. But the most powerful instant comfort I have experienced here has been the hum of a lawnmower.

We were getting settled in, and as you have probably read here before, we live over a private park, when I noticed something, and without even realizing what was happening, my soul did a little, “ahhhh……………” I stopped, because it was a curious feeling of familiarity. After a second of attentive quiet, I realized that alongside of the sound of jackhammers and construction (they are building high rise apartments on either side of our building), there was the hum of a lawnmower. Summer in Ohio. Sending the kids out back to play. Watching them leave through the back fence to the cul de sac with their friends. Kids screaming as they run through the neighborhood with water guns. Much farther back, I see my dad in the front yard, yelling at us to gather up the sticks in front of him as he mows. We roll around in the grass and throw big handfuls up in the air. It feels like deep-pile carpet and looks freshly vacuumed from the rows he makes with the mower.

What a silly thing to carry so much power for me—so many good memories that help me feel at home here. I am thankful for each moment like this, and the unexpected comforts of Lima.

Wash your hands!

Last Sunday night two people got saved. (Praise the Lord!) I preached a message and then asked for those who want to give their lives to the Lord to signify it, "All you have to do," I said, "is lift your hands!" But I didn't say "lift," I said, "Wash!"

They stared at me, so I repeated myself, "If you want to live with the Lord forever and received forgiveness of your sins, then WASH YOU HANDS and let me see it!"

O well, they eventually figured it out.

What a Croc!

I wear crocs--those ugly, plastic clogs. A few weeks ago, while standing in line at a hardware store, I ran into a man who is mentally challenged. He didn't appear challenged at first, so I was suprised when he walked up to me and said, "Que bonito zapatos!," which means, "What pretty shoes!" He immediately tried to put my crocks on while I was still wearing them. I kept stepping back, while he tried to stick his foot into the small space at the top of the shoe. It was unnerving. I saw him again today. He didn't remember me, but as soon as he saw my crocs, he did it again. I had to hold him off and say "No!" very forcefully.

There's only one man who can wear my shoes...at least while I'm in them.

Contentment and Maturity

When you move to a foreign country, there are a lot of problems to solve. Foremost are your unmet desires and expectations. We tend to get used to the idea that if I can just have my coffee at 6:00 am, I can be happy. In regard to this exact example, I'm a thinly veiled version of Dustin Hoffman in the movie "Rainman." In one scene, he frantically chants, "Five minutes to Wapner! Five minutes to Wapner!" He was addicted to "the Peoples' Court" and had to watch it everyday; otherwise, his world fell apart and he threw a major hissy-fit. Well, there's no Judge Wapner in Peru. There also isn't peanut butter (!), Frosted Mini Wheats, "The Amazing Race," or the major network news programs (e.g., ABC or NBC) from the states. As for T.V. news, we have CNN, which I watch but don't enjoy. (Is it me, or does Wolf Blitzer keep saying the same things over and over?) As a news junkie, I've been forced to develop a contentment strategy. As such, I read the news on the web and in our local (Spanish) newspaper. I'm learning to enjoy CNN in Spanish; which, thankfully, doesn't spend all day tallying how many delegates Hillary needs to catch up with Obama. Of course, missionaries 10 years ago didn't even have CNN, so I'm "content" with what I've got. Content is a key word, because it's a major part of maturity. One aspect of maturity is the ability to be content when you can't get what you want.

Paul, writing one of his supporting churches, said this about the missionary life in Philippians 4:10-13: "I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Paul also wrote to his disciple, in 1 Timothy 6:6-8: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

Today, I can say in all honesty and without any struggle that I am more than content. I'm bordering on a full fledged happy. Of course, we're still eating the peanut butter we brought from the states. I believe that before we run out completely, I'll have matured sufficiently to endure it with contentment and aplumb.

You are here

Lima is a big city. As such, it has some dangerous parts. We are happy to say that we don't live in one of them. We were blessed to find (actually, "be directed to") a beautiful apartment attached to a private park, where the kids can play without fear. We're also about 4 blocks from a park that overlooks the ocean. Colton and I have roller-bladed to this park many times in order watch the sunset. We feel truly blessed.

Unfortunately, I can't figure out a way to show you where we live. In the real world, there are no "you are here" arrows, like on the map at the mall. So, I'll describe it verbally: Go to the center of the map and go strait up. When you reach the diamond shaped park, we live at the top of the diamond. The white stuff on the bottom left corner are waves in the ocean. The green strip above the waves are mountain cliffs. The yellow line is a side-walk we roller-blade on. The blue dot on the left is a sports stadium.

Name that food

Seafood is a big part of the Lima identity. Consequently, every restaurant (except McDonald's) sells "mariscos" (i.e., sea food). The interesting thing about the phrase "sea food" is that it doesn't tell you what kind of food--only that it comes from the sea. There are a lot of edible things that you can hoist out of the great deep. In Lima, they like to combine them in various, nondescript forms for your dining pleasure. Knowing this, I decided to dive in and order "Arroz con mariscos" (sea food with rice). It was fabulous! I could eat it every day. I suspect that the samples below are octopus or squid. I've eaten both before. I like squid best when it's battered and fried. Octopus is, in my opinion, tasteless. Both are like eating industrial rubber bands. The bottom picture is how the meal looks with the identifiable stuff removed for inspection. After taking the picture, I dutifully ate the evidence and went back for more.

Tastes like chicken

I debated naming this entry "Name that food." People ask us about exotic food all the time and when you speak with people from Lima about life in Lima, they always list the food as one of the major benefits. I have to say that the food is good. Here are two of the more exotic selections that we have eaten since we arrived:

Cuy (cui ?) otherwise known as Guinea Pig. It's a delicacy. It was very good, though the claw is a little unnerving. Thankfully, ours was without the head.

Ceviche--raw fish "cooked" in cold lemon juice and served with a ton of onions. This is the Peruvian version of sushi. It was delicious. The flavor is very strong. We all tried it, then went back for more. As the picture shows, it is often served with sweet potatoes.

No Internet & the frustration of waiting

We've been without internet and cut off from all the world--except for Peru. It's been painful. Thankfully, Peruvians have gotten along well for a long time, by just talking to each other. For our part, we're surviving and even thriving. But—without internet. We waited a week to get internet, then had it for a few days before they cut us off. It appears that the guy who installed it, didn't file the paperwork. As such, after a few days, we looked like people who were stealing our connection--rather than the law abiding, internet addicted North Americans that we are. Getting the internet company back out to our house, to do another install, has been a frustrating experience.

Waiting for service is a big issue here. Let me share an example. We asked an electrician to re-wire our dryer. We said, "This is really important to us."

He said, "I understand, so I'll get right on it!"

We waited. Then we waited some more. We waited a few days. Nothing. So, I called and he said, "I'll be right there."

So, we waited some more. In all, we waited about 5 days. I called again and he said, "Oh yea, when I was supposed to be there, I had an emergency and couldn't come. After that, I decided to rest; but don't worry, I can be there some time next week."

I said, "Thanks, but I've got a someone else doing the job for me."

He said, "Oh that's great. Well, give me a call the next you need me and I'll be right over!"

I've saved his number, because he wasn't being rude or irresponsible, by Peruvian standards. There are people here who have a North American concept of time and service, but there are many more who don't. So, to live happily in Peru, I'm going to have to learn to wait. I am capable of waiting,... unless it's for an internet connection!

New Address

We’re still unpacking boxes. It has been a frustrating move. We’ve found ourselves feeling like we’re in an alternative world, trying to do something which is normal in the states, but is much more difficult here. Our new address is:

Av. Jacinto Lara 465
Dpto. 400
San Isidro, Lima, 27
Peru

Here, the addresses are backwards, so in the above address, you start with “Avenue” then the street name “Jacinto Lara,” then the building number, “465.” Dpto is an abbreviation of the word for apartment. Our apartment is on the fourth floor, therefore #400. San Isidro is the city (which is actually a suburb of Lima), Lima is both the name of the city and the "state." and 27 is the zip code.

Our phone numbers are, from the states:
Home: (011-511) 422-0496 (the last 7 digits are our number)
Bill Cell: (011-511) 9-457-2241 (the 9 represents a cell phone toll call)
Lena Cell: (011-511) 9-457-2245

Our voip numbers are now connected (as of last night):
Cincinnati: 513-407-5412.
Cleveland: 330-294-0955

First tour of Lima - slideshow

Lima - First Tour

We took a tour of Lima under the tutelage of Gwen Kovac (an experienced missionary and extremely courageous woman). Gwen has worked for many years in the city and the jungle. We really appreciated gleaning from her insights. The slide show at right displays the pictures from our tour. To get a better view of the shots and read the comments I wrote about each picture, please visit our on line photo album. To see the slide show of our tour, just click on the picture above. That will take you to our photo album. You can hold your cursor over the pictures to read my comments, or just click the slideshow tab at the top. You can also follow the links at the top to view our other photos. I recently updated the albums to include shots of the city I've taken from the condo we're currently staying in.

More Pics from our Temporary Condo

For the last three weeks, we've been staying in a temporary condo on the 16th floor of a high rise in Lima. The condo costs $250/week, so we feel really blessed to be here. It is much cheaper and larger than a hotel would have been and it has allowed us time to look for an apartment to live in. We've found an apartment and will hopefully be moving on Monday. Before we leave here, I wanted to take a few more photos of the awesome view. It's usually foggy over Lima, but yesterday was very clear. So I took the opportunity to take a few shots. The first photo is of a real pyramid! It is the most successfully restored pyramid in all of Peru. It is an ancient burial ground and was probably a place of sacrifice. It's both very cool (from an archeological standpoint) and also a reminder of how Peru needs to turn from false religions and come to salvation through faith in Christ. On the south side, the condo also has a view of the ocean...Well, actually it's a view of the fog over the ocean, but it's still lovely. We're pretty far from the ocean, so I took the shot here using the camera's zoom.

The north side has a view of the mountains. We feel blessed that there are some trees and grass to be seen. Lima is in a dessert, so the usual ground cover is just dirt. But, we're blessed that many in this part of town have taken care to plant and water some beautiful things. We feel that the Lord has been truly kind to us. I pray that we can bless the Lord by planting and watering the Gospel in a way that changes the Landscape for all to see.


To see more photos from the condo please click on the following link:




http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/LimaPeruViewFromOurTemporaryCondo

Dis-phone-tional communication

One of the most frustrating things I've encountered in Lima is the cell phone. Our short-term rental condo did not come with a land-line phone--that's one that you plug into the wall. Rather, it came with a pre-pay cell phone that I could use if I was willing to put minutes on it. Since we needed to call on apartments, that sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately, I had no idea how expensive the service was and how cheap the phone was. The cost of the service is really high--sometimes as much as $.50/minute. Also, the keys on this phone don't work. Consequently, I’ve been paying about $10/day for a phone that cuts off calls, sucks money out of my wallet like a vacuum and won’t let me dial the numbers. When I was trying to call on apartments, I would start talking with a landlord (in Spanish) and the phone would cut off. I’d try to call back and the keys wouldn’t work. I had visions of throwing the phone in the ocean or in front of an on-coming truck. I’ve purchased new phones that function properly, but they are still expensive. I hate paying the money, but we don’t yet have a land-line to make calls from. The cell phone is all we’ve got. I studied Spanish for a year so I could communicate. I had no idea the most frustrating part would be the actual phone.

Blog reading level

A friend of mine (Dave Godzwa) tested the reading level of his blog and found it required a genius to read it. I'm happy to report that my natural writing style is that of the common man. To read something a little more challenging, you can check out Dave's blog at http://disciplemexico.org/

TV Reviews

House Hunt

We’ve been in Lima, Peru for 2 weeks now and are loving it. (That's us in front of the President's Palace.) It’s like living in New York City in the middle of August—congested, noisy, smelly, extremely humid and full of adventure. We're really grateful to the Lord for calling us here and grateful to everyone on our team for partnering with us. Thank you!

We've had five items on our agenda over the past two weeks, each of which has involved getting lost in city traffic. I've written a new proverb for my life: Never get lost in a big city during rush hour. Here's a rundown of our 5 agenda items:

1) Finalize our residency visas. This involved trips to Interpol (the international police agency) and Immigration. We were fingerprinted in both places. At Interpol, a doctor drew a picture of our teeth, while we lay inverted in a dentist's chair. It's hard to tell, but I think he was very impressed with my teeth! We received our "you can live here now" cards a few days ago. Praise the Lord!

2) Meet with the National staff. The Peruvian Assemblies of God were having their General Council meetings the week we arrived. So, we met with the General Superintendent (the top official for the country) prior to those meetings. Later we were presented to all the ministers. After the meetings, I met with the superintendent again. Since all of the Assembly of God missionaries were in town for the Council, we had a chance to go out to dinner with them. This is important, because some of them live 1000 miles away or on the other side of the mountains. It was great to meet them all, but it was a double blessing since one of them (Gwen Kovack) offered to take us on a tour of Lima and fill us in on some of her experiences in ministry. That was invaluable.

3) Find a car. We're in the process of buying a Kia Grand Carnival (known as the Kia Sedona in the states). I'll write more about that later.

4) Find an apartment. House hunting in Lima is a daunting task. The real estate agents work word-of-mouth. If you want a house, your agent calls all of his/her friends and asks about what they've got and if they've heard anything. While your agent is calling, you go driving around the neighborhood you want to live in and look for "For Rent" signs. We were really frustrated in the process. We wanted an apartment that was close to the kids' school, since we'll have one car and I'll be all over the country. The ability to walk to school or to a grocery store was a high priority. Unfortunately, we couldn't find one in that area that was large enough for us and still in our price range. (If we wanted to pay $3000, we could have found one or two.) For me, calling people and talking real estate over the phone has been a challenge. We should have had a class in this in language school!

We found one apartment that was small and expensive. We were about to take it, when we met a teacher at the kids' school. He knew of another apartment about 1/2 mile away. It's connected to a park where the kids can play and it's within walking distance. It's more money than we wanted to spend, but it's the best thing we've seen so far. When I was asking the Lord for his perspective on it, I felt like he said, "It fits all the criteria you asked for, doesn't it?" So I said, "Yes,...Thank you!" We'll get the keys on Monday and (hopefully) get our furniture on Wednesday or Thursday. We're really grateful for a place to soon call home. We've been living out of suitcases for a month and a half. We're all looking forward to a larger wardrobe selection.

While we were home over Christmas, we visited friends at Akron-Springfield Assembly. Here's a picture of our "looking for an apartment notebook" with the pen I've been using. We we tell our partners that we couldn't do it without you, we really mean it!

5) Grocery shopping, learning the city and surviving. Whenever you're in a new town, this takes time. For us, in a new town that's 10 times larger than our old home and where everyone speaks a new language, this has been a stretch. But, it's a blessed stretch!

How and what we're doing in Peru

We're wrapping up our 10th day in Lima and the adventure is still a good one, though not without the kinds of nicks and bruises that are required for a real adventure. For instance, I'm grappling with a bad case of welcome-to-South-America diarrhea.

I recently had a meeting with the General Superintendent of Peru. Since one of my dreams is to teach in a Bible college, he wanted to know how soon I could teach at the Seminary here in Lima. That's the kind of invitation I've wanted for years. Unfortunately, I couldn't take him up on it right away. I don’t think it is wise to start teaching at the Seminary, too soon, for four reasons: 1) I’m serving as the country coordinator for Latin America ChildCare and have much to learn in order to do this job well. I need to fully understand the financial/administrative aspects of the ministry, as well as making relational connections with the pastors and directors of each school. 2) I have yet to complete my own doctoral studies. I have one class left to take and the project to complete. Of the latter, I’m about ½ way through. 3) As a family, we don’t yet have an apartment or a car. The kids aren’t enrolled in school yet. So, I need to smooth out the rough waters of transition so my family can feel more at ease. Figuratively speaking, we are like transplanted trees in buckets. We still look good, but we need to take root in the ground. 4) My Spanish is not yet strong enough—especially with regard to understanding the Peruvian accent and idioms. I told Pastor Espinoza that I needed 6 months. Rich Ferguson, another A/G missionary in Peru, advised 1 year. I probably need to sit in on a class or two before teaching, so that I can understand the dynamics of education in a Latin context. Personally, it’s disappointing to have to wait before stepping into a position I have long dreamed of. But, taking on too much too soon could be the disastrous. So, I’ll keep plugging away, jumping one hurdle at a time.

Unexpected Encouragement

On New Year's Day we had the pleasure of stopping in at the XA SALT conference in Cincinnati. What a great joy it was to see our friends! It was really surprising to see the daughter of one of my XA friends from when I was a student. I remember when Lisa Potter was born. Her mom and dad, Steve and Cindy, were major influences in my discipleship.

I knew that Lisa was attending XA at Ohio State, but it was still surprising seeing her at SALT--but it was even more surprising running into her dad (Steve) at the airport in Miami, Florida! We had just gotten there and pushed our pile of luggage into a corner, where we could spend our 5 hour lay-over on the way to Lima. (That Lay-over ended up being 7 hours.) I looked up and there was Steve! He was flying out of the same gate as us, only on an earlier flight. Steve was on his way to help a ministry in Haiti. He has always been a great encouragement to me, so I took this encounter as a sign from the Lord to be encouraged.

I wrote about Steve and Cindy previously in this blog. You an read that entry at:
http://billandlena.blogspot.com/2006/09/discipleship-through-years.html

We've Arrived!

4 years and 2 weeks after we received the call to Peru, we are finally in the Land. Praise the Lord for this awesome blessing! Our time in the states was great, though full of travel. We're looking forward to putting down some roots. Currently, we're in a condo in San Isidro, a suburb of Lima. We're renting this condo for two weeks, while we look for a perminant house or apartment. We were supposed to arrive last Saturday, Jan 5, but were delayed by the processing of our visas. We traveled to Chicago last Wednesday and went to the Peruvian Embassy. Everything was worked out and Lena and I are now card-carrying residents of Peru. Praise the Lord!

Thanks to all who've been praying for us. Our flight out of Miami was delayed 2 hours last night. As such, we arrived in Peru at 1:00 AM. It took 2 hours to get through customs. Consequently, the kids got to bed at 3:45 and I hit the hay at 4:45. Before going to bed, I opened the shades and the window in our bedroom. The breeze was great and I enjoyed looking at the lights of the city. I thought I’d sleep that way, then I remembered that the Sun comes up at 5:30 AM. Sometimes darkness is more beautiful than an impressive view. Abi, who slept through most of the flight, got up at 9:00. As such, so did the rest of us.

It is sunny and hot here. We just took a walk to the grocery store. It was lovely and expensive. Expensive is a small bummer, but the lovely part is a big upper. Hannah said, “So far, I love Lima.” We reminded her that our vacation rental condo is in the pricey part of town. I suspected when I rented this place that being in a nice part of town would be a good idea for our first impression of Lima. We’re on the 16^th floor with a great view of the city. In theory, we can see the ocean from our condo. In reality, we can only see the mist that resides over the ocean, which is very far away. I keep telling the kids, “There’s the ocean!” And they keep saying that they can’t see it. So I say, "Where's your faith?! Open your eyes!" It doesn't really help them, but I like saying it.

There is a life size replica of a pagan pyramid outside our bedroom window. I’m guessing that it’s a museum.

We love you mucho, mucho,

Bill

A short delay

We have not left the country yet. We were supposed to fly to Peru on Saturday morning (Jan 5), but the government agency that approves visas for missionaries in Peru was not able to approve ours in time for our flight. We could have gone ahead and entered the country as tourists, but it would have meant flying out of the country again to receive the proper visas. As such, we were advised to post-pone our flight so we can have our passports stamped in Chicago. We hope to have that done on Wednesday. We found out about the delay this past Thursday night, leaving us 1 day to change our plans. I was heartbroken. I wondered if it was the enemy keeping us from our calling, if it was God teaching me patience or if it was just circumstance. I prayed about it, asking the Lord if we should just go and start the visa process over in Peru. The Lord reminded me of a time when I was a kid and my uncle gave me a fishing tackle box. He offered to take me out to see “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang,” on that night, then we’d go fishing the next night. I was too anxious to go fishing with my new tackle box, so I pushed for us to go fishing on the first night. It was a frustrating experience for my uncle, because we only had 30 minutes to go fishing. Of course, 30 minutes of fishing with my new gear was insufficient for me also. Afterward, I realized that I had pushed for the wrong choice. My uncle tried to warn me, but I was too enamored by my new tackle box to listen. As I prayed about our visas for Peru, the Lord brought this memory to my mind. I took it as the Lord’s advice to sit tight and get the proper approval. So, we’re visiting my in-laws in Cleveland and plan to drive to Chicago on Tuesday. After we get the visas, we’ll drive back to Cincinnati. I’ve changed our airline tickets to next Saturday (Jan 12). We’ll be arriving in Lima at 10:50 PM.

Please keep us in prayer for the successful completion of the visa process. Also, please pray with us that all that God has planned with be accomplished for his glory during these “bonus” days we have with family and friends.

Mucho Agape,
Bill