Happy New Year Matthew!!!

I know most of you are going to get sick of so many photos and videos...but I don't care! Matthew is great in this one...he is starting to do some facial expressions and his curiosity of being able to see things is capturing his attention. Enjoy!

Happy New Year Matthew!!!

We will be celebrating the new year a little early this year with the arrival of Matthew.

After more than a day of contractions, 20 hours of pain, and 14 hours in the hospital, he finally decided to come out. Chiqui was unbelieveable the way she handled that much pain for that much time.

He came out at 52 1/2 centimeters (20 3/4 inches) and 3.710 kilos (8.2 lbs). But you don't want to read about him...you want to see him!

X-Mas Peru Style

I choose coffee over hot chocolate because the milk here kind of makes me sit down on the porcelain throne too often.

It is a little different in latin countries...but I like the the reasoning.

Here the families get together and hang out until midnight when they all greet each other with a Christmas kiss on the cheek and have a big meal (kind of our Thanksgiving). A big turkey and the whole family together, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. In the Nativity scene Jesus is covered with a small cloth until midnight and then they remove the "veil" and reveal baby Jesus.

After all of this it is time for presents, hanging out late into the morning and then sleeping in on Christmas day.

Christmas morning everyone usually has the typical Christmas breakfast of Paneton (kind of like a Peruvian fruitcake) and hot chocolate. This year we actually woke up in time to have it for lunch...a 12 o'clock hot chocolate and paneton...

Christmas was nice and relaxing. Unfortunately, I was working on Christmas eve until about 10pm so I missed out on some of the family time...but it was in order to open the School Supply store so it was something else we could celebrate on Christmas.

Matthew's Future?

Most people thought it was a ball when they saw this photo.

Who knows what will be of our son? But if Chiqui and her friends are any form of prophetess', he will be doing something in missions. Here are some photos of what they did with her belly the other day.

Very creative!

School Supply Store

Edwin and Livia are two of the four people who will be employed through the School Supply store. Here they are happily posing for a photo in the first couple of hours that we opened.

It has finished!!!

Most famously quoted by our savior, but also appropriate today.

I have been at the School Supply store almost every day getting the last details (which the list never seems to end) taken care of so we can open up the school supply store. Well the day has finally come, Christmas eve 2009.

We will officially inaugurate it on Saturday or Sunday, but it is good to go and Edwin has decided that he doesn't want to wait until Saturday or Sunday. He said he wanted to work tonight and tomorrow. He has been there everyday with me at some time or another and he just kept asking when we were going to open.

It is a good way to finish of the year and a good way to prepare myself for Christmas.

It is finished! Now it is time to remember Him who came to finish it all, our Savior Jesucristo!

Ciudad Nueva - 6th Anniversary

We were very excited after months of planning to finally celebrate our anniversary as a church. Here in Peru it is a custom to celebrate everything. We planned on having an all day event like we did in September, but this time with all three churches. Our goal was to unite and celebrate...and it was accomplished. To finally sit back on Monday and thank God for the way he moved on Sunday was great. The church continues to grow and be more and more united.

Another one of our goals is to raise up a new generation of leaders. Here are two of the youth from the youth group that are learning to serve. Edwin, on the right, also is helping in Sunday school and AWANA's and he is learning guitar to be one of the first worship team members to come out of Ciudad Nueva. He is one of the fruits that makes all the difficult moments and times of depression worth everything. Please pray for him and the other youth and adults who are being brought up as future leaders.

A good time for food and laughs while we watch a video compilation of the 6+ years of the church's history.

Typical clothes and dance outfits displaying some of the beautiful typical parts of the Peruvian cultures. Yvan (on the left of the photo above) is also helping out in AWANA's and learning to play guitar.

We love you all and thank God for your participation in the ministry in Tacna through prayers, encouragement, and financial support. May God continue to bless you and others through you.

School Supply Store

Things are underway and on track to meet our goal. From the start of the year we had planned and hoped to open up the first micro-business by years end, and at least one more in 2010. We are on track to open up the School Supply store for mid-December.

Thank you all for your prayers and financial support for making this happen. You are all a vital part of God's work in progress here in Tacna.

Baby Shower 2

Baby Shower

So we had our first baby shower...and unfortunately here that means that WE had our first baby shower. Even though I tried and tried to tell them that baby showers are for women. In the end I was still there at the families baby shower and at the church's baby shower. In the end it was great to see all the things we will be saving money on...lol!