We´ll try to control the puns while we're here but if you did hum a little John Denver with the title...thank you, really. We did on the plane. Luckily, we were in the back. :)
My goodness! We´re in LIMA. Hard to believe that this strange new world can transport human bodies from one part of the world to another in less than 24 hours. It´s surreal for me. We had a great flight, no glitches with baggage, the man at the passport station gave us big smiles, and our sweet host was there to pick us up! I can´t tell you the amount of relief I felt when I saw a big white sign waving in the air..."MARGARET MCWILLIAMS y MARIA SWEARINGEN." I never thought in a million years my name would be on a piece of posterboard in Lima, Peru. Such a strange, strange world.
Today we head out to register for language classes. We´ve already had some pretty hilarious language moments on both our parts. I rented an international cell phone. If you want the number, shoot me an email. You can reach us both with this number! The number, you ask? 511995803718. I think you have to dial 001 (that´s the U.S. code), not totally sure, but I think that´s right. We probably won´t call you much (because it ain´t cheap friends), but all incoming calls are free for us! So...save your change. If we don´t call back, it´s because we´re probably eating pachamanca. Look it up! Apparently, it´s a prime Huancayan experience. Can´t wait! http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachamanca.
Ok, enough for now. If you want the funny stories that we can´t post on blogs for propriety´s sake...email us. Much love to all! And thanks be to God for this time...
-Maria
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Prayer Requests
I know many of you have graciously offered to pray for our trip. Right now we'd love and appreciate your intercession for the following:
1. For language to come quickly... We may be in Lima the first week or so for super-intensive language training. (Actually, keep this on your prayer list the whole summer...) Pray that we'll recognize Christ's voice even in our inability (mostly Margaret's inability) to drum up words and piece together coherent sentences in Spanish. Pray that we'll remember that it's God's voice, God's Word, God's spirit tongue, that sends us forth. (see 1 Cor 2:1-5)
2. For peace and rest in these last preparation days. Life has been a bit hectic for both of us over the past few weeks as we've attempted to get things in order in our apt and for the trip. Days like this remind me again of why less is more and "pack nothing for the journey" is a pretty good operating standard. This is also Maria's first time to live in a foreign country, and though I have experience in that regard, we would both appreciate prayer over our places of anxiety. Please remember our families, too.
3. For all things surrounding the classes we're teaching. We hope and pray that the Spirit of Christ will fall afresh on us, permeating all our encounters and exchanges, and binding us to the other students (we're all students!). May we give ourselves over to all these moments, and trust the Lord to transform us more deeply into God's image. May God bless us with diligence in study and passion in teaching and working and being "that in all things we might grow up in Him." And may we have grace to see Christ's face in every person.
4. Protection. Pray that we will know God's strength to sustain us and God's wisdom to guide us in all things. I love St. Patrick's prayer for this one: may Christ be with us, before us, behind us, in us, beneath us, above us, on our right and left, when we lie down, sit down, and arise, in every eye that sees us and in every ear that hears us. We'll be traveling to Lima and then on to Huancayo in the Central Region of the country. We'll also venture to la selva (the jungle) for a few teaching trips. May God free us from fear and also free us to laugh a lot at ourselves and with one another.
Thank you so much for journeying with us in thought and prayer, and through this blog. It's fun to have you along for the ride! How exciting that God has something prepared that our eyes haven't seen, our ears haven't heard, and our minds haven't yet conceived.
Until soon,
Margaret
1. For language to come quickly... We may be in Lima the first week or so for super-intensive language training. (Actually, keep this on your prayer list the whole summer...) Pray that we'll recognize Christ's voice even in our inability (mostly Margaret's inability) to drum up words and piece together coherent sentences in Spanish. Pray that we'll remember that it's God's voice, God's Word, God's spirit tongue, that sends us forth. (see 1 Cor 2:1-5)
2. For peace and rest in these last preparation days. Life has been a bit hectic for both of us over the past few weeks as we've attempted to get things in order in our apt and for the trip. Days like this remind me again of why less is more and "pack nothing for the journey" is a pretty good operating standard. This is also Maria's first time to live in a foreign country, and though I have experience in that regard, we would both appreciate prayer over our places of anxiety. Please remember our families, too.
3. For all things surrounding the classes we're teaching. We hope and pray that the Spirit of Christ will fall afresh on us, permeating all our encounters and exchanges, and binding us to the other students (we're all students!). May we give ourselves over to all these moments, and trust the Lord to transform us more deeply into God's image. May God bless us with diligence in study and passion in teaching and working and being "that in all things we might grow up in Him." And may we have grace to see Christ's face in every person.
4. Protection. Pray that we will know God's strength to sustain us and God's wisdom to guide us in all things. I love St. Patrick's prayer for this one: may Christ be with us, before us, behind us, in us, beneath us, above us, on our right and left, when we lie down, sit down, and arise, in every eye that sees us and in every ear that hears us. We'll be traveling to Lima and then on to Huancayo in the Central Region of the country. We'll also venture to la selva (the jungle) for a few teaching trips. May God free us from fear and also free us to laugh a lot at ourselves and with one another.
Thank you so much for journeying with us in thought and prayer, and through this blog. It's fun to have you along for the ride! How exciting that God has something prepared that our eyes haven't seen, our ears haven't heard, and our minds haven't yet conceived.
Until soon,
Margaret
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Gadgets
So, we've discovered "gadgets" on the blog page. You'll notice music playing unless you're at work and have to mute all sounds. Do that thing you always do though...you know...shut the door, unmute, drop the volume to nearly inaudible, bob your head, and smile.
Disclaimer: Eddie Money is not Peruvian. :) His song elucidates the carefully calculated blog title pun, though. Chabuca Granda is Peruvian. Google her. She's incredible.
That's all for today, I think. (Margaret says it would be good to put a bit more information about what we will be doing, where we will be going, etc. I agree. Coming soon...)
-Maria
Disclaimer: Eddie Money is not Peruvian. :) His song elucidates the carefully calculated blog title pun, though. Chabuca Granda is Peruvian. Google her. She's incredible.
That's all for today, I think. (Margaret says it would be good to put a bit more information about what we will be doing, where we will be going, etc. I agree. Coming soon...)
-Maria
Monday, May 18, 2009
Packing Bliss or Packing Blah
We are packing. It takes forever. Pharmaceuticals are now in ziploc bags (thanks to Margaret) and clothing is strewn on the floor (thanks to Maria). Slowly but surely, though, we...are...getting...excited. Maybe it was the Barnes and Noble trip where we bought a few summer reading items ranging from "In Defense of Food" (guess whose pick) to a "revolutionary" read by Foucault. Maria will probably pack Curious George along with these and Margaret may pack "Are you there God; It's me Margaret." Gosh. We've got a long way to go.
Ok, so a brief introduction. We are headed to Peru this summer as many of you know, and we'd like folks in our lives to keep up with our excursions. Mainly because at some point, Maria will get altitude sickness and you'll want to read the story. On that note, please do pray for both of us during this journey to meet with and share with our sisters and brothers in Peru. We are each thankful to learn from (and hopefully, teach...) our not-known but soon-to-be-known Peruvian friends. What a mysterious, humbling, and exciting prospect! God is good to be with us in this new place.
Sometimes Margaret will be posting her thoughts and sometimes Maria will. We'll let you know who is who. If you're ever confused...well...it's probably because we are.
Here's to Peru-dise! More importantly...here's to God's paradise...being made known in small ways and in big ways...wherever and whenever we are willing to squint long enough to see it.
En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo, y del Espiritu Santo, que Dios le bendiga, mas y mas y mas y mas. Amen.
-Margaret and Maria
Ok, so a brief introduction. We are headed to Peru this summer as many of you know, and we'd like folks in our lives to keep up with our excursions. Mainly because at some point, Maria will get altitude sickness and you'll want to read the story. On that note, please do pray for both of us during this journey to meet with and share with our sisters and brothers in Peru. We are each thankful to learn from (and hopefully, teach...) our not-known but soon-to-be-known Peruvian friends. What a mysterious, humbling, and exciting prospect! God is good to be with us in this new place.
Sometimes Margaret will be posting her thoughts and sometimes Maria will. We'll let you know who is who. If you're ever confused...well...it's probably because we are.
Here's to Peru-dise! More importantly...here's to God's paradise...being made known in small ways and in big ways...wherever and whenever we are willing to squint long enough to see it.
En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo, y del Espiritu Santo, que Dios le bendiga, mas y mas y mas y mas. Amen.
-Margaret and Maria
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