Snapshot Memories from Perú

One evening, I taught Amanda how to play Go Fish - much to her delight! After that, we ate breakfast together each morning and played another round or two at her request. I haven't had so much fun playing Go Fish in years. :)

Madyson developed a fascination with the Windex bottle and went around spraying various things that she thought needed to be cleaned including my bunk bed and the wooden floor downstairs. Very cute to behold!

On Thursday, I gave Becky the day off from preparing lunch, the main meal in Perú. I had brought lasagna noodles with me from Bolivia so Italian food was on the menu for the day.

Abbey was my amazing "Sous Chef" who went shopping me with at the grocery store and helped me prepare the whole lunch.

She was so helpful and tons of fun to work with!

We had a great time cooking together while Big Band music played in the background.

This was my first time to make lasagna in years, so I was a little apprehensive about how it would turn out, especially since I made up my own version of cottage cheese with the ingredients I had to work with in Perú.

Once again, allrecipes.com was my faithful friend, providing me with a great lasagna recipe! I also found a homemade alfredo sauce recipe on cooks.com that we made to go over fettucini noodles for the family members who aren't big lasagna fans. I was very pleased with how both recipes turned out!

My sidekick.

Lady of Leisure

(who later helped us out in the kitchen and did the dishes!)

Amanda's creation

Mandie and Mady

While the lasagna baked, some family twirling was taking place in the other room.

Mm-mm! Smelling good!

Almost ready...

Somebody's hungry...

Lunch Time!

I have decided that Amanda is my favorite six year old on the planet. We had some hilarious conversations this past week! She makes me smile!

A little something from Bolivia for Justin's belated birthday.

After lunch, while Justin and Sarah were supposed to be cleaning the kitchen, a wrestling match took place instead.

Go Sarah!

Pin him down!

Oh no you don't! I am not going to be dragged into this match. This is totally between you two!

Friends again.

Adopted sisters are wonderful.

Fun times in Perú!

Touched and Teary-Eyed

As I sit here in the La Paz airport on my way back to Cochabamba after a special week in Peru, I am enjoying the free Wi-Fi and the opportunity to catch up on some of my internet blog reading. As I visited Ann Voskamp's page today, this post brought tears to my eyes and struck a chord in my heart. So often we don't realize how the seemingly "little" gestures of life make an eternal difference...

A Sunday in Peru

For more years than I can remember, my family has had the tradition of decorating the door of the birthday person and leaving little gifts. When I came to Peru in 2004 to live and work with the Earnhart family, I shared the tradition with them, and they have faithfully kept it up!

Sarah got both a door and a wall decorated for her birthday!

Teaching ladies' Sunday school at Iglesia Bautista Calvario.

It was my first time to teach a ladies' class (usually I teach teenage girls or children!) and it was my first time to teach in Spanish! Praise the Lord, it went pretty well!

Can you figure out from the board what my topic was? :)

Singing to Sarah in church. Feliz cumpleaños!

New friends and old

Sarah and I in our "matching" purple and black (no, it was not intentional)

Walking to lunch afterward...

Quick pic with Becky and Madyson!

Friends Forever

The photographer at work

Cutie-Pie Amanda

Evening church and smiling faces...

Fellowship with the ladies

Sarah and Mari

Basking in the birthday glory :)

A little person looking so Peruvian!

Cheers!

Gift opening time

Passing along my new favorite book to one of my favorite people!

Surprising Sarah

I absolutely love surprises! (Both giving them and receiving them.) This past Saturday, God worked it out such that I was able to fly to Perú for a 6-day visit as a surprise birthday gift for my "adopted" sister, Sarah Earnhart. I will never forget the look on her face when she walked into her room and saw me sitting on her bed! Abbey photographed the whole thing much to our delight!

Just a normal Saturday afternoon...or so it would seem...

"Hey! Did I hear someone was having a birthday tomorrow?" - Katrina

Shock.

I don't believe what I'm seeing!

No way!

I can't believe you're here!

Is it really you?

What are you doing here?!

Big hugs.

Happy Tears.

Not wanting to let go.

"Yes, it's really me, Sarah!"

"It's not everyday your younger sister turns 20."

A very happy Becky delighted that we pulled off the surprise without her finding out!

I can't believe you're really here!!!

"Yes, I'm really here!"

Another hug!

This one knocked me to the bed. What a warm welcome. :)

Introducing...

...InsideOut Girls - a new "blogazine" for young women desiring to live real, authentic lives to the glory of God!

Born in the heart of my good friend, Hailey Sadler, and carried out with the help of sisters and friends, this new corner on the web is sure to be a blessing! It's a place to connect with likeminded girls, to build community, to share encouragement and inspiration, to serve as iron sharpening iron. According to it's mission page:

InsideOut is designed to support Christian girls who want to live their lives inside out. We want to be real, genuine, authentic. We don’t want lives that look great and Godly on the outside but inside are a tangled mess. We want what’s outside to be for real on the inside and what's inside to show on the outside. We want to be the real deal. We want to let God’s light shine through us. We want to be beautiful from the inside out.

We realize that we aren't - and don’t have to be - perfect, and that the walls that we think will protect us, often serve to distance ourselves from others. Instead of hiding what God has done in our lives, we want to proclaim it! We are passionately pursuing lives that glorify Him.

We are thrilled for you to join us on the journey.

But no masks allowed.

Each week, new articles will be published in different categories of interest: style and fashion, health and sports, politics, and our everyday walk with the Lord. I hope you'll take a peek and join the community of those of us desiring to live inside-out for the praise and pleasure of Jesus Christ Himself!

Practicing Eucharisteo

"I had never really learned the language of “thanks in all things”! Though pastors preached it, I still came home and griped on. I had never practiced. Practiced until it became second nature...Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation...Do not disdain the small. The whole of life - even the hard - is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole...There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up. I, too, had read it often, the oft-quoted verse: “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). And I, too, would nod and say straight-faced, “I’m thankful for everything.” But in this counting gifts, to one thousand, more, I discover that slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life...Life-changing gratitude foes not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time."

- Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

August 16, 2011

201. A toothless smile on a grinning boy's face

202. Little girl lashes so long and silky

203. The shy delight of children enthralled when I enter their world of make believe

204. Dainty white flower petals hanging over a garden wall

205. Laughter around the table during ladies' Bible study

206. Childlike eagerness to memorize and recite God's Word

207. A hundred mushroom dinners being cooked in the backyard by children inspired by "Ratatouille"

208. The smell of toast in the toaster

209. Green smoothies

210. God's love

August 19, 2011

211. The rich, silky nuttiness of homemade almond butter

212. Spring days

213. Piano playing

214. Beloved hymns

215. Being surrounded by books in a church library

216. Chocolate granola

217. The children's excitement over Scripture memory

218. Sparkly gold coins

219. Evening sunlight creating golden halos around little girls' braided hair

220. Playing catch with Edgar at the park

221. Pink clouds

222. Evening talks with Tía Anita

August 25, 2011

223. Birthday candle light flickering in Angel's eyes, reflections of joy and childlike wonder

224. The realization that God is answering prayer and giving me genuine love for these kids and passion for this ministry

225. Continued eagerness to learn Scripture

226. Walking the rest of the way to our destination when the taxi driver didn't understand where I wanted to go - it was good exercise and possibly Divine protection against an unknown mishap...?

227. Ana Maria's body melting into mine as she relaxed into sleep on the bus ride home

228. The ever awe-inspiring, changing tones of afternoon sunlight and clouds over the mountains

229. Wrinkle-nose smiles

230. Phone call to Mema and Papa during family birthday dinner

August 30, 2011

231. New music from the Galkin Evangelistic Team filling my room with joyous strains. A free gift!

232. A bag of American crunch and yumminess

233. The smell of banana bread baking in the oven

234. Brown paper packages tied up with strings...the arrival of all the packages I was expecting!

235. Interior design beauty in the home of another missionary lady - reflecting God's beauty

236. Yellow pineapple and monkey bread

237. Candles flickering...so homey

238. A Sunday school lesson given

239. Transformation at the hands of God

August 31, 2011

240. Baby's breath warm against my skin

241. Warm afternoon nap with sleeping baby snuggled in the crook of my arm

242. Arches of green ivy vines dappled with golden sunlight

243. Teenage girl delighting to hold a newborn babe, awe clearly written across her face

244. Kindness

245. Evergreen needles reaching for the sunshine

246. Wind in the leaves, rustling gently

247. Clippers snipping, pruning, cutting away to beautify