Evolution of a Painting

I've often thought I should document all of the different stages of a painting I do, so when I started my first Peru painting one rainy day while waiting for a team from the States to arrive (their plane was delayed, and we had the day cleared of activities), I decided to take a picture after each day's work.  As of today, I'm still only about a third of the way done with it, but I'll come back and add pictures as I take them.

 

(an up-close)

Stay tuned for updates to the painting!

- Laura

The Hardest Thing

What’s the hardest thing about living in Peru?  We’ve lived in this country for over 10 months now, and we feel so fortunate and blessed by so many aspects of our life here.  But if I had to pin point the hardest thing about life for me right now, I’d have to say that it’s actually the same thing that was hard about living in Birmingham.  I miss having my best friends close at hand.  On the other hand, however, I feel incredibly blessed by the support system I have from my long-distance friends. 

In each of the last several places I’ve lived I’ve had to say goodbye to close friends, but the upside is that I now have quite a few close friends living in several different places, and all willing to bless me from afar with prayers and encouragement.  Because of the extreme introvert that I am, I imagine if I’d lived in the same place my whole life I’d probably have a much smaller number of close friends.

My closest friends know that I love to write long e-mails, and I am so thankful for the sweet friends God has given me who are willing to read and respond.  This encourages me more than they will ever know.

Sometimes I feel a bit lonely and dwell on my desire to have all of these friends close, but it really never lasts long, because I pull out my laptop and type up an email and immediately feel connected and loved once again because I know I can count on them to be there for me and show me again the love of Christ.

" I have an inkling that when you see the face of God in heaven, you will say, 'Yes, I always knew You!' It was Him all along that you loved whenever you were with that treasured person. In friendship, God opens your eyes to the glories of Himself, and the greater the number of friends with whom you share deep and selfless love, the better and more clear the picture of God you will have."
- Joni Earickson Tada

Soccer, Friends, and Green Beans

This weekend has been a fun one for Finn.  On Saturday morning our family went to a cancha (a soccer field) to play some fútbol as a family.  Finn was excited to run around with Mommy and Daddy and kick the ball!

Later that day we went to some friend's house for a "despedida" (a going away party) for some friends who are moving back to the states.  Finn really enjoyed playing with all of the kids and eating lots of sweets!

This morning Finn helped mom snap green beans in the window seat (our version of a front porch).  While Finn grabbed green beans from the bag, snapped them in half and selected a bowl to put them in, Mommy fished Finn's pieces out of the incorrect bowl and removed the ends from the green beans.  It was great fun for both!

Settling in to Cusco Life

Well, we've been in Cusco four and a half months now!  Finn is settled into his new preschool and has learned to use the potty (with assistance still).  Derek has been leading worship, helping with men's Bible studies, and helping with lots of other random aspects of church ministry.  And I've been teaching MKs every week, teaching children's Sunday School, and helping lead women's Bible studies.  We're still taking Spanish classes once or twice a week but we're both feeling encouraged with our continued improvement in that area.  We're getting better and better at understanding people even when they talk quickly or quietly.  We praise the Lord for helping us with all of these things.

Some pictures from our everyday lives:

Finn has gotten more and more affectionate and snugly in recent weeks.  He finally learned how to give a North American kiss too (involving his lips and not just his cheek).  I'm sure enjoying it!

One of Finn's final trips to toss his diapers in the trash.

 My sister Kelly came to visit in August and took me back to Machu Picchu.  We had a blast!

Finn sure enjoyed his time with Aunt Kelly, though he wasn't super cooperative whenever she tried to get a picture with him!