The ladies were a great encouragement to me this week, and I really enjoyed being roommates with Mrs. Frey, a missionary down here.

the ladies got a little wound up...

our banquet dinner of chicken and rice, what a surprise! =)

Cynthia and Yanette, a couple of girls that I had fun hanging out with this week

We had a lot of fun with the skits and things throughout the week. The lady in the blue skirt in the back is Estela, a lady from my church.

my job in ladies camp, the lifeguard. I am so happy that I didn´t even have to rescue anyone.

Ladies Camp

Ladies Camp was really nice. I was the life guard and did a few other things, but I had a lot of time to study and to think about things that God is working in my life and teaching me. I really enjoyed the week!! The ladies were super friendly, and if they had their way they would have me married before this year is out and back here in Peru as a missionary for ever. They were very enthusiastic and they really encouraged me with their hearts that were so willing to participate and to serve.

February Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,
The time is flying by, we have been extremely busy this past month. I just got back from my fourth week at Camp Buenas Nuevas which lies a couple hours north of my home in Lima. This past month, we worked in Pastor’s camp washing a lot of dishes and doing games for the kids and whatever other thing we were needed for. The next week brought missionary’s camp. It was really enjoyable to be with the Baptist Mid-Missions from the different parts of Perú and being able to teach their children. The ARRIBA group taught VBS every morning for all of the children. The third week of camp was Niños camp. We had a camp full of kids from the age of 5 to 12. I was able to be a helper in one of the cabins, I also taught the 5 to 8 year old class every morning.
This past week of Intermedios Camp was a lot different than the previous week. We had around 80-100 kids from the age of 11-17. I could really see a lot of how the world has affected these kids, things that they learn in school, clothes they wear, etc. They have learned a lot about “life” by basically learning from their friends or on the street rather than in a Christian home or in their churches. I really enjoyed working with them as a counselor, and God really used this week to show me His strength. After almost six weeks of non-stop going, going, going without a day of rest, I was completely worn out. It is sad that sometimes it takes times like these for us to remember how much we really need God’s strength. But He showed me once again that I can rely on His strength. At times in our lives we feel like we don’t have any strength left, and that is because we don’t have the strength in and of ourselves to get through this life. God has the strength and we must rely on Him to carry us through the good and the bad.
No matter how drained or frustrated I felt at times in this past week, I saw a change in some of the girls in my cabin, in the way they thought about things and reacted to different situations. I saw them make decisions to be a light to the world, at home and far away, and I pray that they will carry through with these decisions as they go back to their homes and schools where not everyone will think the decisions they made are good. Seeing God work in this way made everything worth while.
I have one week left out at camp, Ladies Camp. I will be working as a lifeguard and using my spare time to study for an upcoming Spanish test that we have to take in order to get our college credits for our time down here. I will also be using my time to prepare some lessons for our two week trip to Iquitos that we will be going on. We are planning on holding some kid’s clubs and working with different churches up there.
Our church down here is still looking for a Pastor house. The owners of the house that Pastor Evelio is using right now are being very difficult and even though the money to buy the house is there, the owners are not willing to sell it under fair terms.
We have been meeting up in Manchay on Thursday evenings for a while, trying to start a new church in that area. We have found a place now where we can meet, and we are now trusting in the Lord and taking offerings at church for the money to rent the small store that we will be using. I should be able to use the building for the kid’s club in which I work up in Manchay. I think it would help a lot to have a place where the kid’s can come to without a lot of distractions and things.
A praise: my Peruvian family safely arrived back from their month long trip to the jungle. While they were out there, they were able to lead Nordid’s uncle to the Lord. They had left with the intentions of witnessing to their family, and it was neat to see this answer to prayer.

Prayer Requests:
-Pastoral house
-Last week of camp/trip to Iquitos
-Kid’s club and new work up in Manchay
-The kids who made decisions at camp
-Spanish learning (tests coming up)
-For God to continue to work in my heart and mold me into the servant He wants me to be
-The financial support that I need to finish out this year, I still need over $2,000 to pay for the rest of this year

One big, happy cabin, Crystal, Liseth, Elizabeth, Maria, Laura, Andrea, Nathaly, Karina, Mirian, Johana, Berenice, Mery, Yessenia

My cabin, the Pharisees, what a terrible name!! =) 

Game time at the pool, everyone looking on with anticipation 

Fabiola Pharisee, our team mascot and my date for the camp banquet on Thursday 

Vicky Garcia, morning speaker for the girls 

Intermedios Camp

This week was an interesting week!! It went really well, with several people accepting Christ as their personal Savior, many people making different decisions, and God showing me His strength. He reminded me that when I am really tired and drained, His strength is sufficient for me.
I was a counselor for 12 young teenage girls. We had good times, hard times, and many times of learning. My hope for this week was not that we would win the overall contest, although we were trying, but that they would realize that the real point of doing things is not for points and to win, but to do them with an attitude that glorifies God. It was an encouragement to see some of the girls realizing that by the end of the week.
I am really thankful that I got to be the counselor of the "Pharisees" (our team name because the theme of the week was "Jesus, Friend of Sinners").

Time to rest after a busy week at camp.... 

My cabin...Lesli, me, Pilar, Karina, Carol, Karen, and Maria 

The Luchadores-my team for this week 

A still life Bible story-King Solomon's command to cut the baby in half 

Kid's Camp

Kid's camp was interesting!! With kids things always are....
The theme was Champions for Christ, and we had a contest to see what team could win. My team came in last place, but that is OK cuz we had a lot of fun and learned a lot!!
I taught one group of the kids in the morning session, I was a counselor's helper, worked in the kitchen, helped out lifeguarding, and was able to do other bits and pieces of things. It was a lot of fun, and the classes were always interesting with the little kids. We spoke about four differents things that happened in the life of Apostle Paul.
One day I asked the different tables to answer some questions among themselves and then share the answers with me afterwards. I asked one table to tell me some times when it is difficult to tell others about Christ. These are the answers that they came up with.... (Keep in mind these kids were from the ages of 5 to 8) When it is raining fire, when there is lightning, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and when the people don't want to listen. I suppose they were right with their answers, just not what I expected to hear!!
I really enjoyed this past week, and had a lot of fun with the kids. I had some other really funny comments from kids (really light-colored armhair down here is a little unusual, I guess), and I learned some things in my life that personally encouraged me.

A beautiful sunset at camp, a reminder to me of God's love

My class from missionary camp: Sonia, Lili, Briana, and Abigail---The Little Princesses

Missionary Camp

Spending a week at missionary camp was really refreshing. I was able to hear some excellent sermons from speakers (in english!) and spend time with the missionaries from the places around Peru. The ARRIBA group taught the kids in the mornings, and I had four adorable girls in my class. We had a really great week together, and they really found their way into my heart quickly.
I was neat to see the way that God is working in the lives of the missionaries, and how they are trusting in God, even when they have so many struggles and pressing things going on.