Celebrating with friends

For Resurrection Sunday (I hate the name Easter), one of the ways we celebrated was by enjoying an afternoon meal and a walk to the park with friends. I took some pictures with my phone and thought I'd share a few with you. The picture at the top is of Colton and his friend, Ladd Erickson. They're standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The picture immediately above is of my friend, Jens Erickson. He's grilling what turned out to be a fabulous salmon. The picture below is of my lovely bride, who's laughter is a huge source of strength for me.

After the afternoon meal, we walked to the park. Abi is doing some kind of pose, below. Willy is flying a kite with Jens. I love the shot of Willy, because every new activity is an adventure for him. His joy is also infectious.

What's in your Chicken?

When you buy a chicken in the states, you never know what's really inside. Did they inject it with growth hormones? Was the processing plant sanitary? We'll that's not a problem at the local market here! Just in case you were longing to relive your high-school biology class and dissect a frog or something a little larger, here's a shot of the local chicken retailer near our apartment. As you can see, Willy is a chicken connoisseur.

Laughter, Language and Culture shock

Last night I preached at the anniversary celebration of a church in Lima. The Pastor asked me to preach on the family. I opened with a funny story about a wedding in which the Pastor accidentally reads John 4:17-18, "You've had five husbands and the man you are currently with is not your husband." I got no laugh from the congregation. In fact, I got no response at all. I told them that it was a joke and that it failed miserably. Usually, people laugh at that. This crowd just stared at me. Then, I told them the joke, "Why did the chicken cross the road? ... To get to the other side." They burst into uproarious laughter.

You can know the language, but that's not the same thing as understanding the culture. The concept of what is funny is cultural. In Costa Rica, the people do not find fart jokes funny. When we go to the movies, the Peruvians laugh at things that Americans don't think is funny. One thing we have noticed is that they like slapstick humor--people falling down, etc. So, for my next sermon, I'm going to have to fall off the pulpit and get hit in the face with a pie. This falls under the category of doing whatever it takes to preach the Gospel.

Why we're here

Recently, I saw a proverb spray-painted on a crumbling brick wall. It read: Literacy is social justice. It struck me to the core. Millions of people in Peru are oppressed, because they can't read or write. They can't find a job, because they can't read the classifieds in the newspaper. They can't sign a lease to rent an apartment. They can't even read the prices of food in the grocery store. Consequently, everyday, people take advantage of them. They are without hope.

That's why we're here. The love of Christ compels us.

Peru has the worst education in all of Latin America. Our ministry (Latin America ChildCare) is a sponsorship ministry. Willing sponsors help poor children to go to a quality, Christian school, where they get a good education and hear the Gospel. Those two (education and salvation) change the future of a family forever.

The on-line journal Living in Peru reports, “According to a report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) … out of 131 countries ranked in the world, Peru was in last place in the quality of its elementary school education and in 130th place in the areas of math and science.”(1) The World Bank reports that the predominant issue of education in Peru is one of quality verses quantity. According to Daniel Cotlear of the World Bank, Peru increased access to education “by lowering the standards, so that what you ended up with was very high levels of coverage, but very poor quality.”(2)

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[1]“Peru Ranked Last in the World in Quality of Education,” Living in Peru Web site. Available from http://www.livinginperu.com/news-5061-education-peru-ranked-last-world-quality-education, Accessed 8 November 2007.

[2]“Finding Quality Education in Peru,” The World Bank Latin America & Caribbean Web site. Available from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/0,,contentMDK:20983999~menuPK:258569~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:258554,00.html, Accessed 28 September 2008.

Colossians 2:14

Years ago, my friend Mike Olejarz, asked me to do a series on the Apostles' Creed. That was a major event in my life and sparked a series of teachings on defining what we believe or what one needs to believe in order to be saved. As such, when reading the Bible, I put a little "c" next to passages that define our theology. The "c" stands for "creed." I've continued this practice in my Spanish Bible. I have three Spanish Bibles, the basic Spanish equivilents to the King James, the NIV and the CEV (Contemporary English Version). The latter is a simplified English version that I believe has been oversimplified to a dangerous level. The Spanish version of this translation (TLA - Traduccion en Lenguaje Actual) is a better translation and I read it most of the time. Colossians 2:14 (TLA) says "The Law was against us, but God put an end to that via the death of the Messiah on the cross."

The CEV says, "God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away nad nailed them to the cross."

I like the TLA because it says that "the law was against us." I also like the creedal explanation that "God put an end to it through the means of the death of the Messiah on the cross." That's a good explanation of what we believe. In biblical translation, I believe that clarity is to be preferred over poetry and impact. ("The Message" is an example of a translation that emphasizes poetic beauty and emotional impact. Sometimes it's effective. Sometimes it's just odd.) The CEV does a nice job of catching the emotional impact of this verse when it says that God took the charges the Law of Moses had against us and "nailed them to the cross." That reminds me of Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses on the church door.

Ken eats Cuy (Guinea Pig)

This morning's Devotion

I parked the car on the boardwalk, where I could see the ocean. The morning fog was rolling in off the Pacific. The air was fresh. I opened my Bible and began to read. That's when my cell phone rang. Lena said, "The water heater burst into flames and the fire department is here now."

Wilmington College XA video 1

Cuy 2

Eating Guinea Pig (Cuy)

A missions trip to Peru is not complete without eating the local delicacy--Guinea Pig. Here, we call it Cuy (which is pronounced Cooooeeeee). In these pics, my friends Tara Lydy, Ken Lydy, and my son Willy are chomping down on some tasty Cuy--head, claws and all!

Paragliding over LIma

Last September, I had the chance to go paragliding over Lima with our good friends Mike, Barbara and Sarah Olejarz. Paragliding is when you strap on a big parachute and let the natural winds take you up. The picture here is of the highway and the coast. My fingers are in it, because I was afraid of dropping the camera on the cars below!

This is my favorite shot. It is a picture of me, reflected in the windows of the Marriott hotel. It's about 20 stories high.

Here I am strapping on the parachute and pondering my fate.

Dis-Rat-ing the park

This is one of those signs that gives one great confidence when playing in the park. It says, "We are getting rid of the rats." It's always good to know that the public works department is getting rid of the rats, so that cute little girls can play in the grass without worrying about things like the black plague.

First 100 Days

Tomorrow marks Obama's 100th day. The press is in a frenzy. They are all about rating the president on his first 100 days. Is he a race horse or a plow horse? Does he really have the answers or is he just fishing? Does he have what it takes to get the job done?

I am not a fan of Obama's policies, but I have this to say: I want to thank God, the press, my friends and even my enemies that I have not been evaluated on my first 100 days of anything! I believe that any job, especially a really big one, deserves at least 150 days before you set out the dobermans.

Wilmington Chi Alpha in Ayacucho 4

Ken Lydy and the Wilmington team taught the kids some basketball techniques. Here, my son Willy is trying to make a shot, while Steven (a Wilmington student) stands ready to retrieve all lost basketballs for the work of the Gospel!

The team at a scenic overlook, high above Ayacucho, Peru.

Above: The Shrader family (Abigail, Bill, Lena, Willy, Colton and Hannah).

Below: Ken and Tara Lydy.

Wilmington Chi Alpha in Ayacucho 3

In March, Wilmington College Chi Alpha came down and worked with us. I've been struggling to get some videos loaded, but they've been disappearing after upload. So, in the mean time, here are a few more still shots of the work we did and the fun we had.

This couple are very endearing. He is a deacon at the church. They participated in the kid's program, where the team taught on the life of Joseph. Here, this sweet couple are showing their art work, having made a "coat of many colors" for "Joseph."

The kids and their artwork.

How many rinses to clean a carpet?

Colton tied for second place in the primary school division of the Science Fair. His project was answering the question, "How many rinses does it take to clean a carpet?" To answer the question, somebody had to get the carpet squares dirty...

After the real-life get-your-carpet-dirty stomping party, it was time to clean the carpet.

Colton used laundry soap, then applied clean rinses. Each rinse was collected in a sample cup.

Then it was time to measure the results.


We used multiple methods for measuring. This picture is the "light diffusion" method, where the dirt is suspended in the water. The first cup, on the far right, is the soapy extraction. The rest are clean rinses. As you can see, anything less than three, is pure yuck. The 4th rinse is optional. If you'd like to see more of Colton's experiment and the results, follow this link to our photo site: http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/200903ColtonSScienceFair#

Chocolate Bunnies?

Our daughter, Hannah, wrote the following on her facebook update:

Jesus is so amazing! ...why do we even care about the bunnies on easter? We're supposed to be celebrating the most amazing event in history and we decide to give out chocolate bunnies?

I agree.

A City Without Walls

Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! I asked, “Where are you going?”
He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”
Then the angel who was speaking to me left, and another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, “Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the LORD, “and I will be its glory within.” (Zechariah 2:1-5 NIV)

Have you ever been in a situation in which you really wanted a good, solid response to some offense? Your feelings had been hurt, along with your pride. We picture ourselves responding in a way that is deep or witty. We try on different responses. The piercing gaze perhaps, or some one-liner that puts everything to rest. It becomes something like a competition in our minds, to out-do the offender.
Maybe what we want is a good, solid wall. You know, something to really defend ourselves. Something we can touch and feel, and tell that it is at work for us just by looking at it. We want to build something impressive, daunting to protect ourselves. And we can have that. We can work at building up that wall, making it sure, and work everything from a human standpoint.
But what if you can have a wall of the Lord's presence instead? What if instead of defending yourself and planning out your smart retorts, you invite the Lord of Glory to be your wall of fire? To surround you with His presence, and make you so prosperous in your spirit that human walls cannot contain the wealth of God's presence inside you? What if you trust Him to be your defender, forget the smart retorts and worldly means of defense, and ask the Spirit of God to speak to you just in the right moment, giving you His words?
The Spirit of the Living God does not like walls. He is wild, He is untamed, and He will not be contained in a man-made box. To walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh requires us to put down our “weapons” and trust God for the right words at the right time. In that act of faith, God takes over and takes the responsibility to defend us. Having prayed blessing on our “enemies” as the Lord has instructed us, prepares our frame of mind to set everything upside down. Instead of a sleek human response, we respond with a heart of blessing. It becomes obvious that we are not fighting with the weapons of this world. We fight with the Spirit of God, and we cannot hear him when our hearts are shouting smart comebacks.
I pray for myself, and for all my friends today, that the Lord helps us to choose His wall of fire, not the man-made one. That the glory of our lives would be that of the Spirit of God within, and the wall of fire without, always growing and spreading in such a way that a man-made wall could never contain it. That the absence of man-made walls in our lives and the living, breathing, growing Kingdom of God, surrounded by God's wall of fire, would be what the world sees in it's place. Amen!!

Wilmington College Chi Alpha in Ayacucho

In Early March, 2009, the Wilmington College Chi Alpha group joined us for a week long missions trip. One of our stops was Ayacucho--high in the Andes Mountains. We did some great children's ministry, causing many kids to invite Jesus into their lives. Hallelujah! We were the first missions team to come there in a long time. When we left, the Pastor said that he was grateful that we came, since he had felt forgotten. That makes it worth the altitude sickness.

Ken and Tara Lydy are the directors of Chi Alpha at Wilmington college. We've been friends for years. They're also very charismatic actors. Here, Ken is being ... a clown! We're giving out baloons and inviting kids to an evangelistic service.

After teaching on the story of Daniel and the Lion's den, Angie (a Wilmington College student) is helping a boy make a Lion's mask.

Hannah took this picture of a traditional Quechua Indian woman.

Fierce Like Lions

I, Lena, did not learn how to drive at the traditional American age-- 16. No driver's ed for me. Why? I am not sure. But the responsibility of driving truly frightened me. I was afraid of wrecking the car, of hurting someone else. I was 24 years old when I finally learned to drive, at the "strong encouragement"of Bill when we were engaged. That is one of the reasons I really love him. He never lets me sit in my little room of fears, but throws open the door and helps me get on with it.

Fast forward quite a bit of time and mommy carpooling, long distance driving, and now to crazy Peruvian traffic. We took a team from the States on the road this past weekend, and I had a harrowing passing experience. It left me a bit shaken. I have found everything since then to be a bit of a trial.

But yesterday, as I was talking to one of the team members about my nervous state, I remembered a dream I had while we were in Costa Rica in language school. My father-in-law had recently passed, and I had heard some things about traffic in Lima and that it was a very dangerous city for pedestrians. I had found myself very worried about our children. I dreamed that I was walking down the street, and Abi was at my side. I had her hand, but even so, she was a little extended out into the traffic, and a car nearly hit her. In the dream, I continued on, very shaken, but trying to pull myself together. Arriving at our apartment, I walked in to find the rest of our family and---Bill's parents home (you know how the dream thing goes). I was surprised, but not nearly as much as when my father-in-law walked out of the bathroom. We were all in shock, not knowing what to say, and Bill made a joke-- something about, "So, is that where you have been all this time?!!" He looked at us, very intent and sincere, and urgently said, "You have to be fierce; like lions!!"

That was the end of the dream. I am so thankful to the Lord for his reminder that I need to be fierce. The definition of fierce implies an intensity that has a wild side to it. Fierceness is something that comes from the gut-- a strength that is all about busting out, not about tucking yourself away to make sure you are out of harms way. Fierce is a mom protecting her kids; a split-second decision to ford the waterfall careening over the highway on your way to share the gospel. There is no giving up of ground, but a taking of new ground. Retreat is nowhere in sight.

We all have moments--even split-second ones--when what is inside us is tested, and we can cower or pounce. Cowering involves inviting fear in to tea, and pouncing requires us to steel ourselves, push the mute button on all the voices of doom, and go for it. I am really working on accepting that this life-- in the States or abroad--requires me to step up and be fierce---like a lion.

Newsletter - March 2009

Here's the text of our latest Newsletter. You may recognize the praise report from a previous blog entry ... It's a priase report worth repeating:

Lena and I want everyone to know that it’s really hot down here and we’re very happy with that! Also, thanks for partnering with us to spread the Gospel in Peru. Thank you!

We have a prayer request and a praise report:

Prayer Request: We ask for prayer because we’ll be hosting a missions team from Wilmington College. They arrive late tonight (March 5th). Tomorrow morning we’re leaving early, driving over the tops of the Andes Mountains and ministering in the town of Ayacucho. Please pray for an evangelistic anointing, good attitudes and safety (especially since there is snow and rain in the mountains).

Praise Report: In July, we hosted a missions team from my home church (First Christian Assembly, in Cincinnati, Ohio). At the end of one of our services, we prayed for a young girl who had constant headaches which were caused by a brain tumor. When the team prayed for her she was healed! Apparently, the girl's family has known for some time, but nobody told the pastor until recently. When he asked her when it happened, she said, "I was healed the day that team from the states prayed for me."

Praise the Lord -- He answers prayers!

Much love in Christ,
Bill