Speak to the mountain...

One of the things we do here is evaluate new projects. Pastors who have Christian schools ask for our assistance. In this case, the school has to build new classrooms on the first floor, because the government no longer allows primary grades to be on a second story. The problem with this school is that there's a huge rock in the way. In this picture, Phyllis Rose and Sarah Olejarz are pondering the rock. We're talking with the school about how to blast that thing and get the rubble out. After that, the real building project would begin. We prayed over it and claimed the passage that says that we will speak to the mountain and it will be moved!

Even though this school is in the middle of the desert, God has not left them without reminders of beauty.

The picture above is of the students. The picture below is of the building. It's a classic example of what school buildings look like here.

Arica & the Sea

The desert of southern Peru and northern Chile runs up against the Pacific ocean. In our trip to Arica, Chile, we got to see both the desert and the sea. Arica is a port town that has sea food, big boats and seals (the kind that bark and grunt). We visited a sea food market and had a great time. Above, you can see crabs, fish and hairy balls. Inside the hairy balls is a live crab. People cut the balls open and suck the juices out of the crab while it tries to escape one's mouth. I failed the courage test and was unwilling to try it.

One of the guys working this stand suggested that we get behind it and act like a family selling sea food. He offered to take our picture. Once he had my camera, he took off running. The guys working the other stands all said they had never seen him before and that I just gave my camera to a stranger. It was all a joke. They were all in cahoots and were a very funny bunch of fishermen.

Hannah's first kiss!

My good looking buddy! All the girls at Colton's grade school swoon when he walks down the hall.

Arica & the desert

The west coast of Peru is desert--a vast barren desert that lasts for thousands of miles. A few months back, we had to travel to Arica, Chile, in order to complete the kids' visa processing (i.e., the paperwork required to live in Peru). On the way to Chile, we traveled through the desert. In the movies, you see guys walking through the desert and surviving. I don't know how it could be possible. It is that barren. Nonetheless, when you're driving through it in a car or bus, you have the chance to take some fabulous photos. When we took this trip, the papers were showing photos of Mars. I kept thinking, "I've been there!"

Praise and Thanks

I want to say "THANK YOU!" to God and to all our friends how have been praying for us.

THANK YOU!

We have been through a serious and difficult test here. I feel like Nehemiah, repairing the walls of Jerusalem with a brick in one hand and a sword in the other. I'm grateful to everyone who has been praying for us. We feel your prayers and are so grateful for them! We are seeing breakthroughs. Our recent victories have been significant, but the issues are not complete. We have the tools to put out the fire and have begun to do so, but there are still flames. Therefore, please continue to pray with us for complete victory.

More peaceful pics

In order to continue thinking on things that are lovely (in accordance with Philipians chapter 4), here are more pictures we took in Arequipa. I took these shots at night, putting the camera on the ground in order not to shake too much. I love the effect, because the buildings look good, but the rest of the shot comes out blurry. The picture above is of the cathedral (pictured in my last blog entry during the day). The picture below is a smaller Catholic church near the Plaza de Armas. These pictures answer the question of what to do with a 400 year old church building. The answer: decorative flood lights.

The Church in Arequipa

I took this shot back in May. It's of the church in Arequipa. The town of Arequipa is lovely and also very Catholic. The church, pictured here, is known as the Vatican of the Americas. I love this shot because of the deep blue sky. In Lima, we rarely see the sky. As such, trips to the mountains are a treat.

Pleasant photos after a rough week

We've had a rough week. One of our schools is experiencing a spiritual attack and we're taking some of the shrapnel. We continue to ask for prayer. The weight of it all has left us drained. In an attempt to regain normality, I'm sharing a few photos from a recent trip over the Andes Mountains. We passed the peak of the highest railroad in the world. It was beautiful when the snow fell. We all cheered. Once over the peak, we descended down the other side of the mountain into the jungle. Soon we will regain the peace we felt on this short journey.

More pictures of this trip can be found on our photo site: http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/LaMerced?authkey=CfzH46C6vfw#