A great team from Anderson RUF is with us for the next two weeks. We are so thrilled to have them and know it will be a blessing to so many! They arrived Wednesday night in Trujillo. It was quite a welcome at the airport as it coincided with the arrival of the Bolton's and their new daughter, Mei Mei. We enjoyed a good night of fellowship and food in the home of the Bradford's Wednesday night. We have two female interns that attended Anderson and so it was a special time for them also to see this group from "home" and to visit with an old friend, John Boyte, the team's leader.
Thursday the group was up and ready to work at Larco. This Sunday Larco is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and so we started by preparing the front of the church for a little makeover. They have been sanding, painting, and getting it ready for the big celebration on Sunday. Thursday also brought some serious manual labor as they cleared and cleaned up a back lot at the church while the front was being prepared for paint. After seeing the ladders tied together to reach the higher points, we realized we might need to invest in an extension ladder. So, off to Sodimac (think Home Depot or Lowes) we were--me, John Boyte, Sam and Jessie. We bought a few supplies and mainly the very long extension ladder. It was a fun time as they got to experience shopping Peruvian style. It is a bit of a challenge when you have a ladder twice as long as the taxi you are trying to convince to take you back to the church. He had to remove the bubble on top of the car to get the ladder on, but we made it! And had a wonderful chance to talk with the driver about why they were here and even invite him to church on Sunday. The team has already had many chances to witness to all sorts of persons (from taxi drivers to front desk workers at the hotel). Back at Larco, the group finished some sanding, cleaning lots and wrapped up for the day. This is when the jump picture came into play. My bright idea was to catch it with a continuous shot mode. . . but it actually didn't work (you can see the results in my photo album labeled -- Anderson). Finally, I got it on the next try. The fruit of my labor is the picture with this post. :-) What a fun and energetic group!
Today, Friday, we did more sanding, lot clearing, and finally painting. Also, three of us went to Arevelo and did some painting projects there. Arevelo is another church here in Trujillo where Peru Mission works. That smaller group got to experience riding in a collectivo, which is basically a taxi that runs a bus route. After a good day's work at the Larco church, we went to the Parish woodshop. (see www.parishfurniture.com)
The woodshop was a treat to see for all of us and is so very interesting. Especially to this group who graciously brought tons of wood glue for the woodshop. Many thanks again for the glue!! The Parish woodshop is a for profit organization that creates high end furniture made by Peruvians from Peruvian wood. The ministry aspect is that we are able to build relationships with these men and disciple them as they work in the woodshop. Our hope is that we eventually continue to grow in employees and that one day they will be able to start their own business. The day at the woodshop starts with devotions and through this business, the men are able to learn about how to be a Christian business man and all that goes with that.
After the woodshop, it was back to the hotel for a much needed shower and then off to one of the local universities. We went to UCV (Universidad Cesar Vallejo) where we met the local RUF director and were able to go into the university and have a conversation night with an accounting class. This was a real treat for everyone. It stretched everyone to use what Spanish they have as most students spoke no English and was an opportunity to tell people about SUSA (Peruvian RUF) and have a great time of sharing with the students in the university. We have a few more of these planned while they are here.
After the University, we went to eat at an Italian restaurant and enjoyed another evening of food and fellowship after a long day of hard work. This team is such a blessing and we are so thankful to you all for being here. Thanks John, Josh, Sam, Nate, Dustin, Lisa, Laura, Liz, Kate, Jessie and Meredith! Y'all are a joy to work with and we are so thankful! We are off to a good start and I look forward to your time with us in Trujillo!
--ps I've started a separate album for Anderson RUF so check out our pictures. I'll continue to update while the team is here.
