The Most Difficult...errr- Wonderful...Time of the Year

I was talking with a friend the other evening about my family holiday traditions between Thanksgiving and Christmas as we ran circles around a nearby park. As I shared my disappointment in missing making the turkey and other food for Thanksgiving dinner, going to the movies with my family, Black Friday, and cutting down a real Christmas tree, I had flashbacks to being here in Peru in 2009 and how hard it was to be away from my family during this season.

This time of year is by far the most difficult to be away from home. The holiday season isn't the same here. First of all, listening to Christmas songs about snowmen and twinkling snow while I'm sweating under the hot sun is quite odd. Second, kicking off the holidays with a Thanksgiving feast is non-existent; in fact, I'll be working the next three days just like any other week of the year. Black Friday is unheard of, and well, a real Christmas tree would most likely come in the form of a palm tree.

As I recall 2009, I have memories of shedding tears and I crossed of days on my countdown to return home. I remember being extremely homesick and at times felt like the end of my stay in Lima would never end. I couldn't leave this country soon enough, and my whole being ached to be back home in Indiana with my loved ones and friends.

This time around, however, is different. I'm still counting down the days for my return to Indiana {25 to be exact}, and I'm still homesick missing my family traditions, BUT I'm enjoying each new day. When I start to ponder about the things I'm missing in the States, I stop to focus on the blessings poured out upon my life here. When I'm tempted to wallow in self-pity, I remind myself to rejoice because God has called me to be joyful; He is my joy. When I start to think about the lack of snowmen and Christmas trees I smile because I love the warm weather that blankets me each day here.

I'm beyond blessed by friendships I have built here with teachers at school and the few friends who haven't lost touch with me. Javier is beyond caring when I begin talking to much about how I miss being in the States for this or for that. My students give me a reason to laugh each day, and God comforts me when I begin to feel all alone. 

I'm excited to head home in a little more than 3 weeks, but at the same time there are things here I will miss. For the first time in years I feel complete contentment in life. I'm living each new day as it comes, enjoying my time as a Peruvian resident, but looking forward to a visit to my homeland, and allowing God to guide my steps. Only where He leads will I follow. Though my heart at times still feels torn in two {I'm not sure it will ever be made whole again}with Christ it is made complete.

My prayer for each of you is that you would enjoy your families during this holiday season. There are people all over the world that would love nothing more than to be united with family to sit and chat, celebrate blessings, and prepare for the birthday of Jesus our Lord. Don't take one moment with your family for granted, no matter how crazy they might be. You never know when your last holiday together may be.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Birthday #27

It's been a fun week of birthday celebrations which will end after dinner tomorrow evening. I'm not one to enjoy the center of attention much; I don't like standing awkwardly while people sing to me, opening cards in front of people always makes me nervous because everyone's eyes are staring at me while I read, and I get anxious about how to respond when I open gifts.

It was fun this year to celebrate my birthday along with Javier this year. (I'm still amazed at the way the Lord fashioned 4 years of friendship to get us to this point.) His birthday was on Sunday, and because of his crazy work/study schedule we started the celebrations on Thursday last week by adopting a family tradition of going out for a nice meal together. We went to Brujas de Cachica which is a fine dining restaurant not too far from my apartment. The food was very typical Peruvian cuisine and quite delicious.

On Sunday, Javier was here before church so I made breakfast...french toast, eggs, and coffee. I gave him his gifts, and we headed to church. Afterwards we met up with his mum, and we went to the food court at the mall for lunch before he headed to work for the afternoon shift. This has become our regular Sunday lunch when he works in the afternoon because the food court is the only place serving food at 11:30 on a Sunday morning.

Then came my birthday on Tuesday. I was informed on Monday that I had to go to the Immigration office in downtown Lima on Tuesday for the finally process of my residency. "Great," I thought, "Just how I want to spend my birthday...sitting and waiting." I really didn't have many plans for Tuesday except to have my friend Mary and her daughter over for dinner in the evening. However, Javier called late Monday night and informed me that he'd worked out his schedule to be able to spend time with me on my birthday.

Tuesday was a wonderful day; it was probably one of the most memorable birthdays yet. I woke up as normal and headed to school. When I walked into my classroom the students began singing happy birthday to me, and three more times that day a class sang to me when I walked in. I left for Immigration around 8:30 and returned to school around 1 as a resident of Peru (after 3+ months of paperwork and waiting). Upon returning to school, my students had made me a giant card and each one drew a small picture along with a little note.

Javier picked me up at school, and we went to the laguna near my home. We sat near the water and talked, fed the geese, ducks, and other birds nearby, and enjoyed the sunshine. Afterwards we went to San Marinos - a nearby cafe - for cake and then returned to my apartment to hang out for a bit before he left for work.

My friend Mary and her daughter Milly came along with my friend Juan Pedro. We ordered chicken, french fries, and salad for dinner and Mary and Milly bought me a chocolate cake. My landlords also came up and had bought me a cake that is similar to tres leches but even better. I shared cake with them before dinner arrived. Mary, Milly, JP, and I had a great time laughing over dinner and sharing cake together. We chatted for a bit, and then they headed home around 10 last evening.

Tomorrow I'm going out for dinner with some of the Peruvian teachers from school. I still find it humorous that I have more in common with the Peruvian teachers than with the international group, but I think we could all agree that I never came here for the foreigners to begin with.

I'm still waiting on the package from my parents to arrive. The tracking number shows that it's arrived in Peru, but beyond that I have no idea where it is. Hopefully a call to the customs office tomorrow will explain where the package is and how I can get it. I'm excited to see what's inside.

Year 26 began with me being offered a teaching contract here in Peru, and year 27 begun by receiving my Peruvian residency. I can only imagine the great things God has in store for this year. Here's to being one day closer to 28!

The Saga of the Taxi Drivers

I'm starting to hate taking taxis anymore here. The anxiety and stress makes an hour long trip on the bus (double the amount of a taxi) almost worth it. If you watch the news there are always stories of taxi trips gone wrong - robbery, kidnapping, etc. (Don't freak out Mom and Dad!!) I'm thankful I live in a safer area, so usually from my apartment I don't worry too much, but I still pray as I enter each taxi that I arrive safely and intact at my final destination. I have learned to check that taxi license plate number and ask the taxi driver for it so that I can text Javier the number. I then text him when I get where I need to be so that if something were to go wrong he has the information to contact the authorities.

I take a taxi to school each morning because with morning traffic and the travel time in bus, I'd rather sleep in a little bit and pay more than get up at 5a.m. to ensure arriving to school on time by bus. A few weeks after moving into my apartment, by chance I ended up asking the same taxi driving two mornings in a row to take me to school. The second day I asked him if he would be willing to take me each morning and he agreed. This worked for about a month and a half and then he quit coming on Mondays. A few weeks later he quit coming at all. And then came the stress each morning all over again...

• Would there be an empty taxi at the stop near my house?
• Would it be a safe taxi?
• How much will I have to pay today? (Each taxi here determines its own price since most are independent drivers rather than being employed by a company.)

Ironically or by God's plan, a little over a week ago I had left my house late. I arrived at the bus stop to hail a cab, and every one that passed was already occupied. I was slightly panicked, worried that I would be late for school when an empty cab finally passed. I was a bit nervous getting in as the numbers weren't on the side door like they normally are, and he was charging me 3 soles (about a dollar) more than normal, but at that point I felt I had no other option. I got in, said "Buenos dias" (good morning), locked the doors, ad prayed silently while asking for the plate number. 

The man kindly gave it to me, and then he asked me if I had worked at LISOFT (the school I worked at in 2009). Come to find out he used to be in charge of maintenance. We talked the whole way to school, and as we got near he asked if I'd like a ride every morning. To make it even better he offered to pick me up at the end of my street rather than me having to walk the 3+ blocks to the bus stop each morning. 

He picked me up each morning this week, and it has been a complete blessing. He's a trustworthy Christian man, trying to support his family. It costs a bit more than I was paying originally, but Javier and I both agreed that for the peace of mind that I will arrive at school safely without having to find a new cab each morning then $5 more a week is worth it. Plus, I'm helping out someone who I know will use the money he is making wisely to support his family.

Please continue to pray for safety throughout my time here in Peru. The plan is to start looking to buy a car when I return from vacations at the end of January, but even with owning a car there are risks one must consider. However, at this point those risks seem minor in comparison to the nerves and stress of hailing a cab.  

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

November has arrived - my birthday month, a month of Thanksgiving, and the start of the holiday season. As I think about Novembers past, I recall the smells of autumn - pumpkin pie baking in the oven, leaves burning outside, etc. I remember birthday dinners with my family and helping Mom prepare the Thanksgiving meal. However, this November will be different. Family dinner with be a Skype call, Thanksgiving here is only something talked about not observed, and smells of autumn are replaced by signs of spring. Yet no matter if I'm here or there, Thanksgiving and it's purpose will forever be near and dear to my heart whether I eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal or not.

This month I've committed to recording one thing a day I'm thankful for. Some days I get to the end of the day and feel ashamed that I've grumbled too much and been thankful to little. I'm hoping that this challenge will refocus my thoughts, enable me to see the positive things throughout the day, and cause gratitude to be a natural response even on the tough days. I may not post my items of Thanksgiving publicly each day, but I do promise to compile a list to share here at the end of the month.

It only feels appropriate, though, to begin my sharing my first day of Thanksgiving publicly to get the month started off right. Last week I blogged about being homesick and missing some of the comforts of home which indeed I do. However, even on the days of homesickness there has been one person that has been able to make me laugh and help me to forget my sadness. I had no idea when I came to Peru what exactly the Lord's plan for me was here other than my job, but little by little the Lord continues to unfold His perfect plan for my life in ways I never imagined. In the last 3 months my life has done a complete 180 in a lot of ways, changing faster at times that I can wrap my head around, but even on the bad days I couldn't be happier.

For that, today I am thankful for God's perfect timing and His plans which are bigger than I could have ever dreamed. Four years ago when I met Javier, I never imagined we'd have the friendship and relationship we have now today. Even 8 weeks ago when we started unofficially dating I wondered what in the world we were doing and if we were ruining a good friendship. Then, hearing him talk with my parents and seeing them tear up earlier this week and as he asked their permission to make our relationship official as boyfriend and girlfriend all doubt was erased. (I'll spare you the full story of Javier and I, but you can ask if you'd like more details.) I have no doubt in my mind this is God's timing - just like bringing me here to Peru when I was thinking I wouldn't be back for a few more years.

God's plans and His timing are unfathomable. He always has the best in store for His children, and even on the tough days He never leaves our side. He does not give up on us...EVER! And for that, I give thanks because even on the dark days God is bigger and His ways are wonderful.