February 16!

On Monday we celebrated one wonderful year of marriage!

It's hard to believe that it has been a year since we walked down the aisle!

God has been so very good to us! I am so thankful for my sweet husband who has brought so much joy and laughter into my life. I couldn't ask for a better companion and best friend!

One year ago I celebrated with these flowers


This year, I was surprised by these that my sweet husband ordered from the florist!


Last year we feasted on cake

This year we enjoyed brownie trifles!

It was wonderful day to remember a wonderful year... we hope and pray for MANY more!

Saturday Sushi

In my stocking at Christmas I was excited to find some sushi making supplies from my mother in law! What a fun present! Several weeks ago I made some and took pics of the process (I am only just now posting).

Gathering supplies!

Very sticky rice

Fillings...these don't look so appetizing...cucumber, avocado, cream cheese and smoked salmon

Starting to fill

Rolling it up

The finished product- veggie rolls and Philly rolls

YUMMY!

Peru- Part 6

The evenings after camp each day were spent in various ways. One day we went to the beach and enjoyed the Pacific Ocean! The water was pretty chilly, but of course Ronnie took a dip!




Each night a different missionary family hosted us for dinner. This was quite the task as they had to feed 26 very hungry "campers" but they did a wonderful job and the food and hospitality couldn't have been better. We enjoyed lots of fresh mangoes, avocados, and tres leche cake!


One night at supper we even had live entertainment. A group of musicians from one of the churches came and performed some traditional Peruvian music for us! This was so fun and there was even some dancing!

Peru- Part 5

Tuesday through Friday were spent running a camp for children from the 3 churches, the orphanage and a bunch of missionary kids. Each day we took "Bob" the bus out to a facility in the Moche area of Trujillo. This area was the center of the ancient Moche empire that was defeated by the Inca Indians. The facility we rented was actually at the base of the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon, two ancient sites of pagan worship and human sacrifice.

The children were divided into 5 groups based upon age. Each group was assigned several Peruvian volunteers who acted as their counselors, as well as translaters at each activity. Each group did every activity each day. The activities included:

Super Fun Games: Parachute, inflatables, and games
Horseback riding

Crafts

Archery

Facepainting

Swimming

We also had snack time with plenty of ice cream!

and lunch time with...

lots of Inca Cola!

At each activity we had object lessons that taught a Bible lesson that related to the activity and then the day wasn't complete without assembly time with lots of fun songs and then teaching about Creation and the book of Genesis.

Here are some more pics:

We welcomed the kids each morning with a tunnel!

The Titanic in Peru!

Picture frame craft...we gave them a group picture at the end of the week.

"fishing" for treats

Camp was a blast! It was a great time of playing hard, learning about our great God and building relationships!

Peru- Part 4

"In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace." Ephesians 1:5, 6

Our afternoon spent at the Hogar de Esperanza (Home of Hope) orphanage was a time that I hope I will never forget. Blogging about it is a daunting task. Hogar de Esperanza is a private Christian orphanage that has opened its doors to children of a variety of backgrounds, including extreme poverty, abandonment, and abuse. They have a very nice facility that is clean and spacious. The staff seemed to genuinely care for the children there.

The outside of the orphanage

The playground (notice the background...shows how truly desert Trujillo is)

When our bus pulled up to the orphanage children began to appear from everywhere eagerly greeting us. We brought treat bags of candy and lots of stickers for them and they couldn't have been more excited! Words can't really describe the faces, so here are some pics:

These are the faces of children who love to play, they eagerly reach to be held and they yearn for a family of their own. It was somewhat of a heartbreaking afternoon...both Aaron and I fought back tears as we considered the lives of these precious children. But it was also a sweet time as we were able to love on these kids, see-saw, swing and run around with them!

I was able to spend sometime with some little girls and they were eager to show me their rooms. The children live in rooms of four and each have a cubby/closet where they keep all there belongings. One girl eagerly led me to her closet and pointed out what she had taped to the inside of her door...a photo of parents here in the States who are adopting her and 4 other orphans next month! How wonderful to see the joy in her eyes as she anticipated her adoption. What a beautiful picture of Christ's love for us and our adoption as children of God!



Have you considered adoption? There are 41 orphans at Hogar de Esperanza that would love a family! Pray for one in particular. Her name is Yuliana and she is 13. She needs a family and in July she will no longer be available for adoption. Pray that God would raise up Godly parents who will love her and welcome her into their family.