"The Story of Dinosaur Jack"

"Dinosaur Jack"

There was a dinosaur, his name was Jack -

And he went to Sunday School - on the railroad track!

And he got on the train at Parque Industrial -

And he got on the train, and he sat down.

And he rode, and he rode, and he rode, and he rode,

And he rode, and he rode some more!

And he got off the train at La Cultura - 

And he walked down the street - to find a combi!

And he found a combi - a "Sol y Mar"

And he got in, and he sat down,

And he heard the cobrador say.....

"Sube, sube, baja, baja, 

La Marina, Faucett, Aeropuerto..."

And he rode, and he rode, and he rode, and he rode,

And he rode, and he rode some more!

And he got off the combi at Santa Rosa - 

And he got off the combi, and walked down the street.

And, Oh! the people he did meet!

And he invited them to come to Sunday School - 

To learn about Jesus, and how He died for our sins.

How He died on the cross, and was buried,

How He rose again - on the third day!

And how He is coming again someday - 

And the people were glad they had come to Sunday School!

And Dinosaur Jack walked back down the street 

And got on a combi - a "Sol y Mar"!

And he rode, and he rode, and he rode, and he rode,

And he rode, and he rode some more!

And he got on the train at La Cultura -

And he got on the train, and he sat down.

And he rode, and he rode, and he rode, and he rode,

And he rode, and he rode some more!

And he got off the train at Parque Industrial

And he got off the train, and found a moto.

He found a moto with a driver named Fidel - 

And he rode all the way back to Efata.

And he went inside, and he went up the stairs, 

And he went in his house, and he changed his clothes

And he got into bed, and slept all night....

And that is the story of Dinosaur Jack!

The Adventure

Shhh....the house is quiet at this very moment....don't let the tea kettle whistle - you might wake someone up....creep through the hall and very carefully open the bedroom door - and don't let your pantuflas (slippers made from alpaca) scuff on the floor!!!  Better yet....sit very still and quiet at the computer with your cup of coffee and try to get caught up on your blog (which is exactly what I am doing at the moment!)
I am on vacation - woo hoo!!!!  Yes, for the next two weeks, I am on vacation from school - okay, okay - I will probably still have school with Martha, but all my other students and I are on vacation!  This past week I was talking with the school children about how we were going to spend our vacations.  I told them (as solemnly as I could) that I was going to spend my vacation hiding under my bed - after I clean under it first, of course!  The twinkle in my eye must have given me away, for not one of them believed me!
So....why "The Adventure"?  Because that's what life is - an Adventure - even more so on the Mission Field!  Let us consider the area of transportation...I don't have a picture of a combi or the train (more about the train soon!), but living about two hours from our church certainly has its challenges!  We are Americans - never doubt that - but we have become Peruvians in our mode of travel!  We take public transit, and for the most part...we love it...the only exception being hubby turning green from motion sickness - poor fellow!  The kids think it's great - especially when we see "our" gold robot (street performer that our children have claimed as their own personal possession)!  Are you starting to see "The Adventure"?
I got to thinking about "The Adventure" last Sunday while our combi was careening down the street at a break-neck speed of about 30-45 mph!  I have no idea how Interstate travel will horrify me in the future when we are on furlough!  Then again, I will expect everyone to drive like the Peruvians - He who arrives at the intersection first, goes first - unless the light is red and the traffic police are present!  I found myself laughing as the combi dodged in and out of traffic, performed abrupt starts and stops, and the cobrador (the guy/gal who collects the fare) hustled people on and off the combi just as fast as he could!  Woe to the person who takes too long getting on or off!
Never in my life could I have ever imagined living in a huge (doesn't quite describe it...) city - much less becoming accustomed to it!  My idea of bliss is quiet days in the middle of nowhere in the country - 20 miles from the nearest town!  Now my idea of bliss is a coveted seat on the train or the combi with my hubby and my children next to me, and not across the aisle!
Included in that idea of bliss is being able to take a little nap while riding from point A to point B.  When the kids and I first started going to Callao with Matt, I marveled at all the people I saw sleeping on the train and on the combis!  How could they sleep through something so exciting?!?!?  I have since learned why....it takes a long time to get from point A to point B - especially if traffic is bad.  You might as well spend your time doing something profitable - like sleeping!  I have started bringing my crochet projects with me - there are times when I can't sleep, and I can't bear to just sit still!  I finished a scarf for Martha in about 4 trips to Callao and back....now I am working on a "carf" for Ian - he forgets the "s"!
Another aspect of "The Adventure" is seeing people saved and lives changed!  How I love to see the Deaf in Callao growing in the Lord!  How I love to see my children have a part in the lives of others.  Do you remember me telling you about Martha praying for her friends Mateo and Benjamin to be saved?  Mateo asked Jesus to live in his heart this past Wednesday, July 24, 2013!
What an "Adventure" the Lord has entrusted to us!  I am so incredibly glad to be part of "The Adventure" God has given to me and my precious family!  What is "The Adventure" God has given you?

Say, "Cheese!"

I thought everyone would enjoy seeing some of my favorite pictures!

 This was taken while we were in Iquitos.  Ian was pushing me on the swing.  Don't you know he enjoyed it?!

 After we bought heaters for the kids rooms, Matt cut holes in the boxes for the kids - they were dying to play with the boxes anyway!  At least this way they could see what they were running into - including each other!

 These two pictures were taken while we were in Iquitos.  Ian thought he was a "Big Man" riding on that bicycle!

 Martha had a turn also on the bicycle.  It did Mama's heart good to see the boys helping her!

 Here's my Honey crammed (quite literally!) into a combi (one form of our local transportation)!

 Martha had just finished eating a "Pinguino" (it's like a chocolate hostess cupcake).  She sure enjoyed every bit of it!

 Here's my "Little Lady" having a great time on the swing at Efata Baptist Deaf Church in Iquitos!  I think she's finally starting to get the hang of making the swing go by herself!