“In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17-28)

We have made it to August! The going away party (despedida) is this Friday, followed by my birthday! We are doing the despedida Peruvian style serving a chicken dish called Aji de Gallina and the purple corn drink - Chicha Morada. Yes, there will be music and dancing. The estimated guest list is around 120 and is open to people from the church, the NGOs and hospice. A party means lots of work for us preparing plates and bringing things to and fro – no guest ever gets up to fend for themselves. Also, the girls should be preparing long winded thank-you speeches. These are all things we have come to accept in Peruvian celebrations.

Julie and Corina have handed over programa Madeline (the home health project for chronically ill patients that need help in the home) to Lisa (the Canadian missionary) and myself. We are enjoying the lighter patient load, compared to hospice, but are also working on building up the program. Posters and hospital visits are in the works.

Our afternoons are free now which has enabled us to help with additional projects outside of nursing. This coming week, I go to work in a community vegetable garden twice a week and Lisa is looking forward to volunteering in the soup kitchens. We have also located a Spanish tutor downtown and are meeting 6 hours a week which will help us communicate better with our patients.

This coming year I have more structured prayer time and exercise. The house garden is looking good and for my birthday the dining room has been painted courtesy of Jane, Julie and their boyfriends. Thanks! Things are improving poco a poco. I am so excited for the future!

I now know the names of the two new missionaries!!!! Presenting Kelli and Emily and their blogs below:

Emily Ruskamp, age 22? From Dodge, Nebraska majored in journalism and economics.

http://emilyruskamp.blogspot.com/

Kelli Nelson, age 22, originally from Isanti, MN and a recent graduate of Chicago's DePaul University. Majored in English/Creative Writing, with minors in Peace Studies, Community Service Studies, and Ethics and Social Justice.

http://kellinelson.wordpress.com/

As my writings become less frequent, I hope you look in on Kelli’s and Emily’s blogs and enjoy what a fresh pair of eyes might comment on and discover in Chimbote. God bless!