Hello Puno....

Well, it seems like everything in Peru takes longer and is more complicated but we are in Puno with all our stuff, praise God. So here’s how the move went. On Monday we packed up everything from our Arequipa house. My stuff has definitely grown. I came down here with two large suitcases, on smaller suitcase and a backpack. Now I have two large suitcases, two smaller suitcases, two bags, a backpack and a purse! Ay! Anyway, we all got packed up and on Tuesday morning the moving truck came to our house…early! That rarely happens here! With our whole team and the help of the Arequipa team we got everything loaded in about an hour and then started cleaning the apartments. Tuesday night we went out to dinner with just about everyone from Extreme in Arequipa at the food court in the new mall. Most of us ate at McDonald’s, a new addition to Arequipa and something we definitely don’t have in Puno. After dinner we went to the apartments of Dennis and Denise and Rachel, Extreme office staffers as all our beds and furniture were packed up in the truck. The entire group laid around on couches, the floor and extra beds for a few hours rest before we got up at 1 am to head to the bus station.

Our bus was supposed to leave at 2am but the bus didn’t even arrive until 2:30 at the bus station. That wait for the bus was brutal for all of us. We just wanted to get on the bus and get to sleep instead of standing around in the station. Although we were exhausted and frustrated, even the kiddos were very well behaved and we kept the griping to a minimum and tried to be patient. Finally, we were on the bus and heading out of town! We all went straight to sleep. Franci and I woke up about an hour or so into the trip as there was a vent in the roof of the bus that was blowing fierce cold air right onto us. I got up and tried to shut the vent but it wouldn’t close. I stuffed a small extra blanket in the gaping hole to block some of the wind but after a few minutes the blanket just fell. So we just had to deal with it and go back to sleep. Later, while we were sleeping, Garren was able to close the vent as he was cold and annoyed as well. But all said and done, we got a fairly good amount of sleep on the bus. Although, not quite enough to be ready for the task of unloading the truck that would await us in Puno!

We arrived in Puno and drove up to our new house in three separate taxis to fit us all. The house is very adorable from the outside. Its white and a dark purple. We were all very excited but were soon let down with bad news. The previous tenant had rented out both the second and third floor which is what we will be doing as well. He had cleared out of the second floor but his new place is not ready yet and therefore he is still occupying the first floor. In the states, this would all be handled very differently. We have a contract that says we have both floors starting the 4^th of January and we arrived on the 5^th to find out we cannot use both floors. So, we’ve had to be flexible and the owner is trying to accommodate us. We’ve loaded everything onto the second floor and the occupant on the first floor must be out by Tuesday at the latest. Currently, none of us are in the rooms in which we will be staying in the future. The Duerre family is staying in one of the boys rooms on the second floor and Franci and I are staying in the other of the boys rooms. The boys have all their mattresses laid out on the floor on the third story in a large living room. So, unfortunately, we have been unable to unpack much and are living out of suitcases for the time being.

Another disappointment we encountered when we got to the house was the room for Franci and myself. The second floor is all for the 40/40’s and the first floor is for the Duerre’s. So out of the three rooms on the second floor, Franci and I get the smallest one as we are the only two girls and there are 8 guys. The smallest room is very, very small. We would probably only be able to put our bed in there and would have to put our dressers elsewhere as we would not be able to open the drawers or walk around with everything in there! I was disappointed and frustrated with the room but was willing to live there and make it work somehow. But, God has truly blessed us and the owner is going to rent us another bathroom and bedroom on the third floor just for the girls! This is such a blessing. The room is much larger and I was really hoping not to share a bathroom with eight boys!

Right now other smaller problems we have encountered is that right now about 20 people are living in this house and the water tank is running out each night. So we cannot flush the toilet, wash dishes, shower, wash our hands or drink water when the water runs out until the next day. It has gone out as early as 5 pm but normally is running out closer to 9 or 10 pm. We also must have someone in the house at all times as we have men in and out repairing windows, leaks and more. The ower is very kind and is helping complete all repairs needed to make this house function for us. Right now I hear the scraping of the man repairing windows in one room and the hammering of another man right below our kitchen creating a shower on the first floor for the Duerre’s. But Amanda and I just discussed how we have been living with construction men in and out of our houses since October so this is actually normal for us!

Although things have not gone as planned and we are a bit uncomfortable for now. Overall, things are going well and despite setbacks and the situation, I feel truly blessed. Sometimes it’s hard to see the good through the bad. But I’m so grateful all of our stuff made the trip without being broken or stolen. I’m also grateful to be all in one place with my family and grateful to be in this beautiful city about to embark on the work I left my Colorado home for in May. I’m thankful God is reminding me of and showing me all his blessings through the muck.

Chad waiting wth the kids in the bus station at 2:30 in the morning.


The view from our kitchen table!


Our house!