Starbucks specials and Quinoa

Okay, I know. I'm horrible at keeping up with my blog. I would say that I'll do better, but I think we all know that is not true. So for this post, I will stick with some good and some funny stories from the past few days and try (keep mind the definition of try) to update more often. So hold me to it! [=

Okay, so first I have successfully completed the first season of The X Files. What does this have to do with anything? Simple: I watch the show while working on Emerge stuff. Yes, I am a pro at multitasking. I think the best X Files moment was when I was watching an episode super late at night and the TV just mysteriously shut off. I immediately looked around for some bright lights and prepared my self for an alien encounter. Don't worry, nothing happened... that I remember. [=

One day, I went with Lauren and Jess our mentor to this shopping super center called Gamarra. Literally 10 city blocks of nothing but stores. We walked into one building that looked like it was only 4 stories to discover that over half the building was under ground. All the buildings were basically like this. So it was an awesome experience. I bought 4 pairs of earrings for 6.5 soles and a pair of harem pants for 17 soles. What is that in USDollars? Less than $10. Oh yes, I am so going back before I leave. The only problem is that there are no sizes, everything is one size and each store has a different size. So you really have to look to find  good clothes, but the deals make it worth it.

On Thursdays, I help out with ICPNA's production of Hairspray. All I really do is to help the singers with their pronunciation. Which is fun, since the Peruvian accent pronounces 'b' as a pretty solid 'v'. Which turns the song "Good Morning Baltimore" into "Good Morning Voldemort". I really can't help but wonder what a merging of the two stories would be like.. just picture it: Harry Potter meets Hairspray! The Musical! I would definitely check that show out.

I still do a good bit of surveys and flyer-passing-out at various ICPNAs and Universidads. One time, I met these two guys that could just barely speak English, but needed some help with an English class project. They told me that I had fallen from the sky and told Lauren that she had beautiful eyes. Because flattery will always work on gringas. I still giggle at just how corny those lines are, I never thought someone would actually use it on me.

Starbucks in Lima is amazing. They have several promotions pretty often. This past week was buy one get one free for hot drinks. The first Friday that I was in Peru was Peruvian Coffee day, so if you brought a cup, you got free coffee. Sure, there's no pumpkin anything at the Starbucks here, or the amazing red velvet cheesecake. But really, when was the last time I got free coffee at the Starbucks back in the States? Plus, coffee is just better in South America. Period.

Which brings me to the meeting Lauren and I had in Starbucks with John. Actually, it is what happened after the meeting that is important. And totally a God thing. So Lauren, who has a tiny bladder, and I had some pretty excellent machiatos and were headed out the door to go back to the apartment when Lauren needed to go to the bathroom. But wait! The door was locked. So we had to cross the street and go into TGI Fridays. While Lauren was exploring the upper level of Fridays, I was thinking to myself that we should hand the workers some flyers from Emerge. So when she came back down we talked to a waiter about Emerge. The manager came over and asked what we were doing, so we explained to him about Emerge and the free English conversation groups. He suggested that we go to the Fridays in Larcomar( a super cool mall right on the ocean. I'll post some pics of it one day..). So Lauren and I head back to the apartment and grab a quick lunch and then make our way to Larcomar along the Malecon. Once we get there, we start talking to the hostess about Emerge. This guy comes over and introduces himself as Diego and seemed really interested in Emerge. He asks for a flyer to take the HR folks once he gets back to his office and says that they would give us a call about the groups. Long story short, God put us in the right place at the right time to talk to the possible owner of all the TGI Fridays in Lima. I don't know if anything will come from this while I'm here, but I like to think that a connection was made that day that could be used in the future.

Okay, that's all I have time for today. [= Y'all know the drill by now. Leave me some questions if you have any. [=

Love you all and wishing a bit of happiness for you on everyday,

Lauren T

It has been a while..

And so much has happened. So let's catch up!

First, I am no longer living right on Ovalo Gutierrez, but a few more blocks away. I can still walk to the Ovalo anytime I want to. [= I have another roommate now as well, whose name is also Lauren. Yep, that makes 3 Laurens living together in Lima. Pretty rad and kind of funny, I know. Anywho, let us discuss what has transpired in the past 10 days or so.

On Monday, I worked with the absolutely wonderful and fantasmic Lauren A. and John. We did surveys outside of the ICPNA very near where we live. These surveys are to help us gather information for our English conversation group that will start up at the end of September. We met some great girls that day and have continued to meet with them to work on our Spanish and their English. As a matter of fact, we are meeting them later today.

On Tuesday we rode out to Pamplona Alta and helped lead a bible study for the women and children there. I worked with the kids along with a new friend Jimmy. The kids learned Ephesians 6:1. I really enjoy going out to Pamplona. The women are kind and a few have a real love for Christ. I pray to see their numbers grow and that more ladies will join our bible study. Yesterday, when we went out to Pamplona we made pizzas from scratch. It was my first time ever making them and I had a blast. Even if a certain someone threw flour on me. Haha. The pizzas were amazing, mostly because of the dough. That I helped to make, so of course it was the best part. AND!!! the kids remembered their verse from the week before. And when challenged with a long verse, one girl was super eager to memorize it for next week. I really couldn't be happier with those kids.

On Wednesday we rode out with the dental clinic and family photo team to a small village called Pampalomia. The village is on the side of a hill and looks out over a green valley. Lauren A. and I played with the kids pretty much the entire day. I really enjoyed getting to know those kids. They were so nice and loving to us, even if my spanish is really bad. I tried my hand (or foot) at futball for the first time a long time. Playing with kids has a way of lifting your spirit. I don't know if it is their carefree-ness that rubs off on you or what, but I really needed to just hang out with them. My lack of Spanish skills didn't matter, only that I would pay attention to them and love on them for a little while. And, yes. Some of their lives are truly tragic. Their parents may beat them or their older sisters are pregnant, along with their mothers and grandmothers. And every kid seemed to have a different father. But somehow they still were able to love a couple of gringas. If I could take them home, I would. They deserve a shot at a better life, but they face insurmountable odds in overcoming they life they have been given. All I can do is pray for them, pray that they accept Christ's love, love Him in return, and trust His promise that better things await us. On a brighter note, while I was watching some of the girls make some bead necklaces one of the mothers came into the church with a bag. But what was so special about this bag? The thing inside the bag. So what was this special thing?? Oh you know, dinner. Also known as a PIG'S HEAD. Yep, a severed pig's head. Is your stomach growling yet?? The local ladies got a real kick out of my reaction to the head. No, I didn't completely flip out and run screaming from the church. I just made a few funny faces and that was all it took for the ladies to laugh. I'm glad I provided them a good laugh. Haha.

On Thursday we had discipleship with Jessica. She is really awesome. I love that she doesn't judge me or make assumptions with anything that I say. She just accepts my words and encourages me to be a better Christ follower. We also did some more surveys and then went out to eat at a super awesome french restaurant. New favorite place to eat in Lima. Plus the inside just looks cool. [= Thursday night we went to Parque Kennedy to meet with our two new national friends to work on our language skills. We learned how to say cool in Spanish, and the text spelling of the word. I'm super excited to meet with them tonight.  We also went to an English Translator's class and helped out there some. They re-enacted the story of Abraham and Lot parting ways. I was thoroughly entertained by their enthusiasm. 

On Friday we went for an interview at ICPNA, a language institute. We will be facilitating English conversation club in exchange for some Spanish classes. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity. We also visited the Hauca (pronounced wocka, so make some Wocka Flocka jokes [= ). It is a local archaeological site and museum. I learned a good bit about the Limean culture on that tour. And yes, I geeked out a good bit. That night we went over to John and Jessica's house and met their kids and had dinner with them. I got to play the cornet for the first time in over 2 years. I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely thrilled. We also had a bonfire and just good fellowship with some truly amazing people.

On Saturday we went to help with one of the English translators classes and discussed environmentally issues in Lima and around the world. That afternoon we moved into the new place, a record move if I do say so myself. And then went with John to his house so that we could watch their kids while he and Jessica went on a date. Those kids are the best behaved I have ever met. I enjoyed playing the wii, eating pizza and watching a movie with them. That entire family is just awesome.

On Sunday we went to Calvary church with the other Lauren. The service was in English and over a difficult passage. By this time, my cold was kicking my butt. I didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything. After church we just hung out at the apartment for a while and I got to catch up with my family. We had Lauren bonding time and watched New Year's Eve. Good movie, but I'm not too happy with the age differences in the couples. I just can't imagine why the producers didn't ask for my opinion.

On Monday, Lauren A. and I went to the ICPNA near Jockey Plaza and did some more surveys there. We even surveyed some police officers. After doing several surveys we came back to the apartment and had lunch/dinner. Lauren A. went to meet our new friends for language improvement while I stayed home. I was still feeling super sick and really didn't want to go anywhere else. I ended up falling asleep for hours and got none of the work done that I needed to get done.

And that brings us to yesterday, Tuesday. Which I already talked about. Remember the homemade pizza in Pamplona Alta?? So there you are. As I've said, if you have questions PLEASE comment me. I want feedback, I like feedback. [=

wishing you each wondrous adventures and happiness in the smallest of things,

with all of God's love,

Lauren T.

Somewhere between pulled teeth and a family photo

Well folks, this post has lots of visual aids. [= Be happy and enjoy because I'm not so certain that I will upload this many at once. I just wanted to share so many of the images and things I see and got a bit upload happy. 

Now, this first picture is of our sticker collection from Wongs. Wongs is that supermarket on Ovalo Gutierrez where we do all of our food shopping. They have these random promotions where when you purchase certain products or brands, you get stickers and after you get a certain number of stickers you get a discount on stuff or free stuff. Right now, the promotion is for these really rad towels. As you can see from the picture, we have surpassed the needed 50 stickers and have made a dent towards our second set. I don't even want or need the towels.. I just love the idea of getting stickers and want to see how many I can get before I head back to the States. Silly? Yes, but entertaining. 

Something about Lima: It is right on the coast. I always find myself shocked when I catch site of the Pacific ocean. And the waves!! They are HUGE!!! I'm told it is perfect for surfing, but I think it is way too cold to be out in the water. No, really. It is winter here. It is cold. I expect snow any day now. Not really, because of two reasons. Reason 1: Lima is in the driest desert in the world. Rain here is mist. If I remember correctly, Lima gets like less than 2 inches of rain a year.  I'll talk later on how they keep the nicer parts of town so green. Reason 2: The average temperature for the last week is like 63 degrees... not quite cold enough for snow but definitely cold enough to make me think twice about jumping into the water to try my hand at surfing. 

Today Lauren and I worked with a missions team from Charleston, South Carolina with a free dental clinic and free family portrait. I helped people register when they first came into the door. We stayed busy for several hours but it was definitely worth it. I'm sure we've all heard of free dental clinics, but this was my first experience with the free family portrait idea. I really like it. It is so simple and easy for us to just take for granted, but for these people it is so important. Pictures are a rare thing in the shanty towns of Lima. And pictures of the whole family? Let's just say they were a big hit in this part of town. It is days like today that I really treasure the life I have and the gifts and opportunities God has allowed in my life.

 

 The remaining pictures are just different views from the little church the missions team worked from today. They will be in the same location tomorrow and Tuesday and are moving to another similar area on Wednesday. The thing you need to understand about this area is that 10 years ago, it was simply an empty desert. Maybe even as recently as 5 years ago. And then someone decided they wanted to live there. And You see how far and how vast the area has grown. So look on, look on. [=

 Something super quick about this picture above, the SUN was out today. I've only seen the sun on two days since we arrived in Lima, both of them were Sundays. [=

Well, that was the photo frenzy. Now, I understand that you guys are reading this and being quietly supportive, but I'd like to know what y'all WANT to know about. So feel free to ask me questions. I find it much easier to write things when I have questions to answer. [=

<3 <3 <3 

Lauren T.

Hamburgers

Today we ate at the La Lucha that is right on Ovalo Gutierrez. I ordered the Hamburgueso with Papaya con Leche to drink. Ordering food at La Lucha is a bit of a challenge. You order what you want to eat and then you are asked what sauces or salsas you want on the sandwich and what you would like to add to your sandwich. I didn't catch all the names of the sauces, let alone what they were. I did catch that they would add juevos, if I wanted. I'm not a big fan of eggs on my burgers, so I declined. I watched them put all these sauces on this hamburger, there was a purplish sauce, an herbed mayonnaise, aji sauce, a tomato sauce, ketchup, and mustard and a few others that I only caught a slight glimpse of. To that pile of flavor was added bacon (very cooked, very red variety), shredded lettuce, tomato, and some fabulous queso blanco. All of this was piled onto a toasted bun. So what did I think of the Limeño Hamburger?? Best. Burger. I. Have. Ever. Had!!!! All the flavors and textures made for a delightful experience. 

 

 Earlier today we met at a local Baptist church to help with an English translators class. It is really neat to see the whole process of learning English as a second language and comparing it to my experience in learning Spanish. Something I'm still working on. An update on our work and maybe a more detailed description of what it is that we are doing: Right now we are helping Connect Peru with whatever they need. Mostly just helping with the English classes but also with the Bible Study out in Pamplona. There will be more on each of those later, I promise. Twice a week we are working with John to set up an English Conversation group or club. We have come up with a name for that, EMERGE. Embracing Many, Exposing Reality, Gleaning English. On Monday we hope to go to different university campuses and pass out some surveys and information on the conversation groups. Our ultimate goal is to plant a church in the upper classes of Lima, a vastly under-reached demographic. So we start with some English conversation groups and lead a bible study afterward and let God do the rest. [= So pray that the hearts of Lima are opened to the Gospel and God's amazing love. 

Hope this post finds you all in happiness, peace, and good health. <3

Lauren T.

It would seem this is long over due..

Due to the interest of life here in Lima I have decided to start and maintain a blog. This first post is going to be short but don't worry, I will try to update at least twice a week. I have been in Lima, Peru for 4 days now. So far I am completely enamored of the food! I've had the infamous Aji sauce several times now and love it! I've had anticuchos, or grilled cow heart. It was surprising similar to steak, made even better with some aji sauce. Today was the first day that we actually cooked in our kitchen, just your basic chicken and veggie soup. Simple but yummy. 

So a bit of humor before I end for the day: As I was typing this, some fireworks started going off, only I could not see them. Obviously, my first thought was that we were under attack. All that security training has me jumping at popped balloons and fireworks. 

Hope you each have days full of wonder and joy until we meet again. 

Lauren T. [=