New Beginnings

Well we have been back in Peru for a month now, One of the things we have been doing is trying to sort out the new house, putting hot water in, as well as trying to plan to build new rooms ,and sort out old rooms so our guests this year can be properly looked after. It is possible in the 1st week of July that we will have 14 people in the house!! We now know a few of our neigbours by name, have started to have conversations with many of them and feel very accepted in the neighbourhood. We have a much better relationship with our neigbours after one month than we did the whole of the 2 years in our last house. We have maintained our relationships with the mums in Pacifico de Villa and and we have started a new small discipleship group with these mums in our house. The mums and tots meeting in our front room.

We have contact with more than 10 of the mums that we had contact with last year. This is a new exciting stage as we begin to deepen relationships and begin discipling them. We also are starting a church in our house and this Sunday, Easter Sunday will be our 1st Sunday service. We are very excited about this.
Daniel and Joanna playing in the garden.
Joel doesn't understand who Darth Vader is.

The boys are thriving well in their new house and back to life in Peru Daniel's Spanish has returned although he prefers to speak English, and speaks Spanish when he needs to. Joel is beginning to talk and not just scream and point at things he wants. Latest words are shoees, twooo, (if you say one or uno he says twooo you say three or tres he says twooo), Mummy, and this morning he said Daddy. Bread, banana, milk and other such words are said on a regular basis as well. Anna and I are also well, but getting back into the rhythm of work and play, family time, couple time, sleep time and God time.

Oh Oklahoma

Well we finished our time outside of Peru with 5 days in the USA with our friends and mentors Hannah and Alex and their wonderful boys, Joel, Samuel and Isaac. We also got the privilege of speaking at the church where they are currently serving, Bridgeway church. We again had a great time there, and were amazingly blessed, thank you guys.
While we were in Oklahoma we visited a quaint town called Guthrie, went to several parks, went shopping and ate burgers, in true American style.
The best part however was spending with the Absalom family, talking through our time in Peru in 2009 and what 2010 may well look like. Thank you guys for your love laughter, and advice.

Below are some pictures of our time.Alex, Isaac and JoelThe Absalom family eating burgersJoel just wanted to cuddle Isaac!!Daniel in front of Samuel, Isaac and Alex.

Taronga Zoo and Sydney

Cool Uncle Ben and cooler nephew Daniel!

Granddad and youngest grandson

Well we had an amazing holiday in Sydney after the madness of the UK. The UK was an amazing time, seeing so many people, so many places and really being filled up again, but we were drained physically, following possibly the most stressful and busy month of our lives in December.Grandma Sue with her 2 grandsons.
It was great to see Anna's family and just to have the space to reflect on what had happened in 2009 and what 2010 may look like. We didn't do very much but we did visit Taronga Zoo in Sydney which was great fun. Los 2 amigos or brother in laws.

Back In Peru

We will update our trip around the world as soon as we get chance but I (Mark) just wanted to let you know about an amazing testimony that Alfredo told us today. Alfredo has recently decided to move to Ventanilla so that he can have a greater presence there among other reasons. Alfredo is also currently living in the school so it isn't robbed or vandalised, as the last caretaker decided to leave recently. Alfredo, his wife Rosa, and son Francis were staying in the school last week when an invasion happened in the next block. An invasion is when several hundred families move into an area overnight. This is officially classed as illegal here, but is the way that most shanty towns are planted. This is then followed by the local government selling the land to the people that have invaded, and then others buy this land, as Alfredo did. However there is a loophole in this very strange law, that if the people can be evicted within 24 hours they are illegal immigrants and have to move on. Alfredo's neighbours didn't want these people to live there and to move on as they had moved in on on land that is classed as park land for the future. (I am presuming much further in the future as all of Ventanilla is currently 100% sand!) Anyway the only way (according to locals) to evict these people is to do it by force. This could be described as a mob, as truncheons, pistols and stones are used to evict people. I have visions of Gangs of New York! (Alfredo told me that the women collect the stones to give to thier husbands to use, this is organised violence)
This mob was unsuccessful and so they had to return the next night with the police and these people were successfully evicted. Alfredo said they heard all of this and it was quite exciting!!! The story however doesn't end there however as many of these people were told there was space to buy land near the school, and some people did this. Others however saw the land owned by Alfredo's organisation and not yet being used by the school and made a decision to invade this.
Alfredo said to them, this is private land. I am however a pastor and will not use violence to kick you out, but as you will be on my land you will be giving me permission to preach to you night and day.
The next day Alfredo woke up and no one had invaded their land!
(All the pictures were taken last year in and around the school)