In March, we were treated with a "planned at the last-minute" trip by some of our parents. When we found a price on plane tickets that we couldn't pass up, Eric's mom and Dad, and Lora's mom and step-dad packed their bags. We had a blast. For 10 days, we laughed a lot, ate a lot, walked a lot, and enjoyed Peru. It's so fun for us to have visitors, because we feel like we get to experience Peru for the first time all over again. We get to step back and remind ourselves of the wonder and excitement that Peru offers in its rich history, culture, cuisine, and landscapes. Plus, being able to share our home, jobs, and experiences with our family is something we've looked forward to since soon after our arrival.
We started in Lima and played in the big city for a few days. We toured the catacombs in the old San Franciscan cathedral, enjoyed the beach and it's towering cliffs, introduced them to the famed 'ceviche', visited the artisan market, and ate at some incredible restaurants. Having a wonderful time celebrating Lora's mom's birthday was an added bonus. It was as much of a special vacation for us as it was for them!
After a few days, we left the comforts of the big city, and brought them home to Trujillo. We actually spent lots of time at home, enjoying each other, cooking together, playing cards, and relaxing as a family. One night, couple's dancing even broke out in the living room... We had gorgeous weather and still can't believe how well our parents get along. We think they may even have more fun together without us!!! We toured the local 'huaca' or ancient temple, showed them the city, spent a day sleeping on the beach, and showed them our communities, where we work, etc. They were some very special days for us all. Even after 10 days crammed into our little apartment, we were very sad to see them go!
For more pictures, click here.
Having big hearts for animals we have adopted a few friends over the course of the past year. Some friends found us first, and others drew us in. First came a pair of lovebirds, next a lovebird that was all by himself that Lora could not stand to see be left all alone. Then came the gecko that we see from time to time on our walls looking for bugs. The last but most endearing was our Peruvian street dog, with the somewhat misleading name, Tripod. He appeared sometime after we
came back from our Christmas break. He had been run over by our neighbor and was well on his way to death when we found him. Lora made some strong appeals for his life and Eric finally broke down and bought a small bag of food. We nursed him back to health and he became a very loyal, yet very smelly, companion. He loved to follow us from place to place and defended us (okay, just Lora) from other dogs. Over the course of a couple of months our commitment to him grew. We would bring him left over meat from our meals, bought medicine for his fleas, and even bathed him. He was an old dog when he found us and we saw him almost die a handful of times while we knew him. We knew that no one would care for him like we would in our absence and we had prayed several times that he would die peacefully before we had to go home. Well, sadly, last month our prayers were answered.
We have been reminded once again (even through simple means of caring for a dog) that as you serve someone (or something), your love for that thing grows and grows. I can't say that we had some strong love for Peru before we came down, nor for the people we work with, but now after serving Peruvians, Peru Mission, and the Church in Peru, we see that the Lord has grown in us a genuine love for the people and institutions with which we work.
