Life Lately....

Being home in Peru has been wonderful. Nothing better than coming home to the man you love, flowers, a dog who finally got over me being gone and decided she still loved me, and a community of precious friends and belonging to an extended family. Here are some peeks at life lately:

Christian and I getting to work together in minsitry, on the house, shared meals, early morning prayer times, time with his parents and siblings, and one of my personal favorites with "abuelita," his 87 year old grandmother that lives in the same building as us. She is a spitfire, loves to joke and laugh, and she and I adore each other. The sun *sort of* came out yesterday so we convinced her to leave the house for a couple of hours and take a little break... to La Punta and see the ocean.

Raquel and Angela, 2 of our "neices" came down from Pachacutec last weekend with their dad for one of those adolecent "family meetings"and some hard conversations but the girls stayed all weekend. Christian and I count it a privledge to love these girls and one of my favorite moments was all 4 of us snuggling on the couch under blankets with popcorn and a movie.  One thing I know... Christian will be an INCREDIBLE father someday!

Traffic and chaos... still getting used to it again. Not driving here yet, I just dont feel as confident as I used to. So, I am back to the fun crowded buses! 

Flecha Veloz (English Fast Arrow), our turtle is joining us again to her beautiful spacious space on the concrete roof. 

Minsitry... while we're on hold with visiting the orphanage due to some new regulations about paper work and permissions (soon to be resolved), House of Mercy has been PURE JOY to visit the past few weeks.  I came back to find not only our physcial therapist, but a new volunteer psychologist conducting evaluations to determine mental age, capacities, and diagnosis, a team of women from a loca church that come to clean, cook, wash clothes and organize, a young woman who has become Magaly's dear friend and is a neighbor, enabling her to go to ehr home to pick her up (literally) and carry her down the narrow stair case and stay with her all day since Magaly's mom isnt able. 

 I found Toño (our deaf and blind friend) more ionvolved than ever and doing all the heavy lifting, including carrying Angel Davico when he couldnt walk with his walker any furthur.  

I found Julia energetic as ever and now committed to full time work with the minsitry visiting our friends' homes in shanty towns and working with their local churches on the outskirts of Lima, still trusting God for the support needed to fully fund her.

I found Cesar who seemed to ill to continue sitting up and eating... even laughing at the games with a sweet volunteer from a local church. 

And yet I sometimes still struggle when I see homes like these... invasions/squatters living 3 feet from a train track, a track they cross multiple times daily to hang their hand washed clothes to dry, a track their children often play on and cross as its their "front yard" 

...and all of this only 10 minutes from my "safe" and relativly luxerious home in the barrio. 

Its just something I dont ever want to get used to or be desensitized to. I am thankful and blessed. Full and joyful. I love my home. I love this country and continue to pray for God to restore and redeem at all levels.