Jairus' Journey to Peru

Back in the day, Joe and I decided that we wanted Jairus to grow up with missions being part of what we do as a family. We want to him to be exposed to what God is doing in and through our home church plus other places. We desire that he experience much of life with us. So, when the opportunity to lead this trip came before us, we knew we wanted to take Jairus. Still having mission family in Peru made it easier for this to become a reality. Not every trip would have afforded such a bonus for our family. And let me tell you, we have no regrets. It was such a next experience to serve together as a family and to take Jairus back to a place that holds such a special place in our hearts. We would do it all again in a heart beat!

(at the DFW airport -- Peru here we come!)

Since several people have asked how Jairus did on our big trip to Peru, I thought I should post an answer. I can easily answer that with one word: GREAT! He did fine with differently daily schedules, the food, hanging with high school kids, meeting lots of new people, and traveling. In many ways, he acted like being in a foreign country is what he does every day! :)

Here are some Jairus pictures from our trip. Enjoy! :)

Getting ready to take his very first airplane ride!

Lovin' the friendly skies! He did great on all 4 flights.

Truly the center of attention! Jairus loved the high school kids and they loved him. He learned most of their names and enjoyed playing with them. Here he is probably doing his fake laugh, which made all of us laugh, and prompted his fake laugh again and the cycle repeated. We also have fun memories of him playing drums on the stairs, spitting at the moon, and calling them all his "friends." When we got home he asked me several times were all his friends were. :)

Jairus spent a day with Grandma Kathy Weaver

And a couple days with Grandma June and Papaw Burney.

Being Super Cool!

And Super Cute!

Monkeying around with the boys

Catching a nap when he can -- playing hard makes a boy tired!

Wolfe Family March 2009-- Lima, Peru

Racing the big boys on the moving sidewalks in the Miami airport -- fun time had by ALL!

Worn out from his BIG trip!

Peru Crew Finale

Even though we have been home a couple days, I want to blog about our last days in Peru if for no other reason than to bring closure for me! :)

Wednesday morning the 3 seniors, with Miss Ross's help, treated us to a real breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. All week we had been munching on various breakfast breads and cereal so a hot breakfast was a treat. After breakfast we walked a few blocks to Union Church of Lima to be the chapel guests at the International Christian School. We lead in worship, performed our couple of skits and then Sydney and Nicole D both shared their testimonies. The cool thing is that when I lived in Lima, I taught at this school. At that time it was called Emmanuel Christian School and we only took up 3 classrooms on the 2nd floor. Now the school has a couple hundred kids and fills the 2nd floor and the basement. I enjoyed my tour of the school -- wow, things have changed!!! It was a fun walk down memory lane for me.

From there we took our handy dandy bus to the Peruvian Japanese Cultural center. After enjoying Italian Chicken for lunch in a Japanese restaurant in Peru (catch the irony there!) we toured the museum. It gave a great history of the Japanese in Peru. The kids had an opportunity to pray for the gospel to reach this unique people group!

Our next stop was a tour of the Huaca (archaeological dig) that was at the end of our street. We not only got to learn about the pre-Incan Lima people, but also saw llamas and the famous Peruvian hairless dogs. We then walked to the Indian Market for phase one of shopping. We ended the day enjoying a yummy Peruvian dinner at a cute restaurant at Kennedy Park.

Thursday was a true day to be tourists. We were downtown early to tour the Inquisition Museum, the San Franciscan church complete with catacombs and waited forever to see the changing of the guard at the governor palace. The riot police were out in full force, which is actually pretty normal protocol there. But, we did get to see the President of Peru and listen to his short speech! I guess that is why they were running late on the ceremony. After our time downtown we headed to the coast to tour the Royal Felipe Fort. It was enjoyable, but we were all getting hot and tired. We ended this day with another made dash to shop at the Indian market and then thew everything in our suitcases. Since we brought in so much stuff, we had lots of room for souvenirs. :)

Friday morning started early -- after a very short night. We didn't have any problems processing through all the hoops to leave the country. Although Jairus was pretty upset to leave Joe behind. Poor kid! The flight to Miami was uneventful. Thankfully we had lots of time there because it sure took time to get 18 people through immigration and customs and back to our gate. Everything seemed fine until at the last minute right before our flight left for DFW. There was a mix up on one ticket and Katie couldn't fly with us. In a few stressful moments, it was decided that Miss Ross would stay behind. (I say it was decided b/c the airlines made that decision for us -- in a not so nice or helpful way.) That wasn't the way any of us wanted the trip to end. But even in this huge hassle we can see God's provision. Both made it back to DFW Saturday morning.

Whew! There is my final summary! :)

This team has the testimony of God's faithfulness and His goodness. We experienced God! Today my pastor preached about being hungry for God’s presence. He used Acts 4 as his focus passage, but pulled many examples from the book of Acts. His main point was that God moves in a big way and we strongly sense His presence when His people pray! I sat in my pew and wept because we have that testimony – we were living proof of that truth! Praise God!

THANK YOU to everyone who prayed for us. Your prayer covering was the key to God doing mighty works in and through these kids! They will never be the same. Amen!

Leaving Lima :(

Well, we are loading the bus now -- 3 am! We have had a full couple days -- wonderful, but FULL!!! :) I will update again when we get back.

Please pray for smooth connections. And for health -- we are getting tired!

THANKS

Alive and Well in Lima

Where to start? Where to start?

First, I now realize my last blog was filled with typing and spelling errors -- worse than normal that is. I was SO tired that night I could barely think straight. So, I apologize you had to suffer through that. I hope you got the main idea. :)

Looking at our original agenda, you would think we would be doing the same thing each day -- practice English with Peruvian students, but everyday has been a new adventure. Monday found us visiting 3 public elementary schools in a poor area of Callao. The Colegio America school is setting up a mentoring program with these schools in an effort to give their students some community service experience and honestly assist the poor schools. We basically were phase one of this partnership. Most of the children we worked with had lead poisoning and their socio-economic status was the lowest we have seen here. We quickly found that teaching English wasn't the main need. Instead we did a lot of playing, laughing, and hugging, and we exposed them to very simple English concepts. The first school surprised us since we had been spoiled at the Colegio America school. But the kids quickly readjusted and did great the rest of the day. Oh -- make sure you ask them about the bus ride! They decided the bus driver needs his own reality show "Driving in Lima!" :)

Monday evening most of the team walked along the cliffs overlooking the ocean and timed it to see the sun set. Then we ate dinner at a neat mall that sits right in the cliffs (an amazing feat of engineering really). I say "most" because Tim Mitchell took Nicole M. and me to a clinic to have Nicole's arm x-rayed. The night before she had fallen on the concrete floor, and since it was still swollen and painful I decided to play it safe. In the 3 years I lived in Lima I never went to the clinic, so this was another adventure. But I tell you what, God's favor was all over us! We were able to get in to see an English speaking Orthopedic, quickly got x-rays and the doctor himself set her half-cast. (no broken bones, he just wanted to make sure her arm was steady and could heal) We did all of this in 2 hours!!!! Trust me when I say that this was a miracle! :)

Just FYI -- we have been blessed with GREAT health. We have had an occasional head-ache, but that is really all. Oh, and I know anyone who knows me well, will find great humor in the fact that I was the one to go with Nicole to the clinic. :)

Today we were up and on the road early for an hour + bus ride to an area in northern Lima. We had asked you to pray that we would get into a Nikkei school, and God answered that prayer better than we asked. We didn't get into the original one, instead God opened up a brand new door at a Nikkei school in Comas that Tim had no prior contact with! When we arrived at school we were greeted by Kindergartners singing and waving flags. It was so cute! We divided into 5 teams to work in the elementary classes and were blessed by their enthusiasm. After that, we were treated to a dance lesson. The dance teacher taught us 3 Peruvian dances...and it was so fun! I so should have video taped it!! We also toured an animal farm, an organic farm, and their own Japanese/Peruvian museum. After being treated to lunch we worked in the 7th-11th grade classes all afternoon. Once again, our kids did wonderful. The Peruvians were shy because this was their first time to hear American's speak English in person. But, we won them over! We also had several opportunities to share the gospel.

Tonight we have relaxed and prepared for another day. Tomorrow includes a chapel service at the International Christian School, a tour of the Japanese Cultural Center, prayer walking, visiting a Huaca (archaeological dig) and maybe even souvenir shopping.

Please keep praying for us. Specifically we need energy to finish strong. These kids have been pouring out and doing everything that is asked of them. Please pray that God will fill them again and again with his strength. Tomorrow we do get to sleep in a bit, which is a welcomed blessing. Thursday we will sight-see in downtown Lima and on the coast. Before you know it, we will be back in Fort Worth.

God is at work in Lima! I can't wait for you to see pictures and hear the testimonies from the kids!

Adios for now!

Lynelle and the Peru Crew!

Lovin' Lima

I feel like we have lived 5 days in the 2 days since I have blogged! There is so much I could tell you. I have been making mental notes throughout each day of blog topics. Unfortunately, my exhausted mind may not remember it all.

Saturday was awesome with a capital AWESOME!!!!!! About 80 high school students came for our English club. They had many opportunities to practice their English as they rotated through our stations. They ran relays, played bingo, learned idioms, played Apples to Apples, made bracelets and crafts, learned to line dance, and played ultimate Frisbee. They also clearly heard the gospel through the "sin" skit and the explanation of the bracelets at the final assembly. Both LCCS students and the Colegio America students had FUN! Watching the students interact, you would have thought they had worked together all week, not just for a few hours. It was hard to tear ourselves away! It was a great experience anyway you look at it. And Tim Mitchell felt like it gave a good foundation for the religion class he will be co-teaching this semester at that school. They will study the life of Christ in this class.

Saturday evening didn't go quite like we had orginally planned. (Act surprised --scarcism.) The Japanese buinsness assocation cancled their evening events where we were going to do a program, because of a memorial service for a family member that died a year ago. A special service on the first anniversay is a culture expectation. Because of that we only had 4 people come to the ESL (English as a Second Langague) class that Tim and his wife, Joy, teach on Saturday nights. The upper classman stayed to help with the ESL classes while the underclassman did some prayer walking in a cool park filled with water fountains and light shows.

Today, we had 2 unique church experiences. This morning we worshipped with 6 Peruvians, 6 missionaries (the Mitchell family) and the 19 of us in a tiny room on the 5th floor of a business building. This little church started just a few months ago in a Chinese resturant primarily for the workers at the resturant. They have met in a park and for the last 3 weeks have been in their own space. We shared special music and a skit. We were fortunate that they had powerpoint for the words and the sermon outline, so many of our kids were able to get the gist of what was going on.

This evening we worshipped with the church that we (Joe and Lynelle) attended the most when we lived in Lima. It was SO cool to take the kids there. And it was the first time to introduce Jairus to this church family. We really surprised them when we showed up! Here too we were invited to sing a few songs and they would have let us do a mini-concert had we wanted. :) They were so friendly and welcoming.

Tonight in share time, ALL the kids agreed that today was a special day. Having cross-cultural worship services was very eye-opening. One special moment tonight was when the church sang "Open the Eyes of My Heart" because it was a song we all knew. So in both languages we praised God together!

I could also write about our authenitc Peruvian dinners yesterday and lunch today. Parents, just start planning now -- we will have a team reunion at the Peruvian restaurant in Dallas, and your student will want you to go. Even though almost every student tried beef heart today (and liked it) and ceviche, you can stick with the more tame Peruvian food that day. :) :)

Oh I have got to get to bed... so I can't tell you about the Indian market or the ice cream dinner or meeting Wu or the long list of funny happenings. This team has really gelled. They are having fun serving the Lord. They are growing! They are experiecing God in a new way, and it is exciting. Tonight during our daily debrief time I just cried as they worshipped. God is at work!!! And I am so blessed for being a small part of it. THANK YOU for sending your children.

Please KEEP PRAYING!!!! Tomorrow we will be with a public school or two working with with Kindergartners. Our Tuesday schedule is sitll up in the air. Our specific prayer request is that we can get into the Nikkei school on Tuesday. Please join us in praying to this end. Also, please pray for Wu's salvation. The kids can tell you this awesome God-story when they get home. Just trust us -- and pray.

Good night!

Lynelle and the Peru Crew

Peru Crew Checking in again

Good morning from Peru! As the crew is getting up and around I have a couple minutes to update the blog.

What a day we had yesterday! After experiencing some interesting Peruvian traffic, we arrived at Colegio America bright and early. We created quite the stir when we entered the high school's Fridaymorning assembly time. :) Right away we had to put our flexibility exercise to work. We had prepared for teaching in 3 groups of 5, but the English director had us set up to be in 5 groups of 3. Ok, no problem! We quickly regrouped! The kids handled this change beautifully!

I wish words on a computer screen could capture the energy and awesome interactions I witnessed yesterday. Our kids were master special operation teachers! Our teaching teams worked with kids from 1st grade to 10th grade. We pulled kids (usually 12-15 kids) out of their classes for 45 minute special classes with us. Sometimes we did numbers, colors, and shapes, others times we played bingo and concentration or Apples to Apples. Across the board, we were blown away by their English skills. What their English coordinator considered remedial was by far better than our Spanish! :) Oh -- and before I forget, Make sure you ask about the pork and sweet potato sandwiches we had for lunch!

I tell you what, our kids came home TIRED from a high-energy day of teaching. But they all can testify to God's goodness! We had favor with the director and her teachers. The students loved us! Some wanted our autographs! :) But our day didn't end there. After a delicious dinner of Pollo a la brasa and papas fritas we spent hours preparing for our English club today. We are running 4 stations that include conversation games, dance, ultimate Frisbee, crafts and bingo. Plus doing skits and dances for 2 assemblies. But most importantly, we will clearly share the gospel this afternoon in our closing assembly. Each Peruvian will make a witness bracelet which we will use to share the gospel. Pray for this time!

Tonight we are doing ESL classes for the Japanese business association. Again we will have a great platform to share the gospel!

Our kids are healthy and happy. They are enjoying the country, the Peruvian people, and each other. My heart beams with pride for them! They are doing super!!

Please keep praying for us. We need it! Don't let our good reports convince you that we are doing fine and don't need prayer. On the contrary, I believe we are finding such favor because you are praying!!!

Please forgive me -- no pictures this time because I am out of time. We need to make sandwiches and get this day started!

Peru Crew

The Peru crew is checking in all safe and sound!

We were late leaving DFW and unfortunately sat in the airplane a long time, but everyone got along fine. In Miami we just had enough time for a bathroom break and to walk to the international concourse. As soon as our group found some floor space, they started calling for the first boarding group. The overnight flight to Lima was uneventful. Everyone tried to sleep, some found more success than others. (Just FYI – even Jairus did GREAT! What an answer to a prayer – he has been a trooper and is responding great to the high school kids. Katie, Hannah, and Nicole D should have a good refresher in the alphabet after the flight to Miami. And A’lia and Colton will forever have to count to 3 and jump with Jairus everywhere we walk. I tried to warn them!)

We had no problems maneuvering through immigration and everyone got a green light through customs! Yea God!! Tim Mitchell was waiting for us with a BIG bus hauling a luggage cart. Now we have settled into the guest house for a little nap before we start the day.

Along with the general prayer requests, here is how you can pray for us for today and tomorrow.
Today we will have orientation and organization. We need to sort through the 800 lbs of stuff we brought in and get organized for tomorrow. Please pray that we will be efficient with our time and for everyone to be able to work together in their teams.

Tomorrow we will leave here about 7 to head to the Colegio Americano school. Pray for favor with their English director and with the students. Pray for a smooth transition of our group into the classrooms. Also pray that our kids with shine with the love of Christ – they will teach English with excellence and also be a bright light. May that school be different because we were there. May the Peruvian students be drawn back to our English Club on Saturday because they know there is something different in a spiritual sense.

Thank you for praying. You are a vital part of this team. We need you!

I will try to update tomorrow night and Lord willing may even have some pictures to share.

Lynelle Wolfe