Idiot K & Her Mom....

So my Dad has always had a knack for giving us girls nicknames. A few of my nicknames from Dad are....
* Hairball Kid (or HBK for short)
* Kristenitta
* Special K
* Slacker K
* Idiot K

You probably have to be a part of our family to understand us and how weird we really are inside the house. There have literally been many times when Mom, Dad, Brooke and I are doing something crazy, laughing or talking about such goofiness that I wonder what people would think if they saw us in this state.

Well, I'm going to let you all in on an Idiot K moment. But really, it was more of an Idiot P moment, the P standing for my Momma, Pat.

~

I will start out by explaining that I can't call home from my cell phone but my family can call me using international phone cards (thanks K&J!). Last night Mom dialed my number, which is complicated and long since it's international. Someone answered the phone (in english) and Momma thought it might be my partner, Franci (who speaks no english), so Momma asks (in english), "Is Kristen there?". The gal on the other end says, "No, there's no Kristen here.". So Mom's next move is particularly funny to me, the way she words things sometimes cracks me up! Mom responds by asking, "Is this Peru?" And the lady on the other end of the phone says, "No, this is Canada." Well, Momma hangs up the phone and dials my number again. But she again gets a strage voice when a man answers the phone and he tells her before she really says anything, "No, this is not Peru". haha!

~

Finally, Mom dialed the number right and I answered my cell phone, yes, this is Peru. But my cell phone here has been acting up lately and most of the time people on the other end can't hear me talking. So of course it happened when Momma called me. I tried responding, talking into the phone, but she just couldn't hear me. I was so bummed and frustrated. It's so weird not only not seeing my family everyday, and not talking to them everyday, but also to not be able to just pick up a phone and call them has been a challenge. So I knew she couldn't hear me and I hung up the phone.

~

A minute later, she called my cell phone again and she was saying, "Hello, hello, hello?" and I was saying, "Hello, hello, hello?" I could hear her, the problem with my phone is always that the other person cannot hear me. So Momma proceeds to ask, "Can you hear me?" And the Idiot K that I am, I say, "No, I can't hear you." Why? I don't know! I meant to say I could hear her but it came out of my mouth that I couldn't! And Momma thought it was so crazy that I knew she was asking if I could hear her and how convenient that I answered her right after she asked me and just how ironic. So again, I hung up the phone. Sad and frustrated and getting worried at this point about why she might be calling me late on a Monday night.

~

I sent Momma and email and told her my phone wasn't working right and to get on skype so we could talk on there instead. We both hopped on skype and chatted for about 40 minutes. Nothing was wrong, I just have an awesome, supportive family and Mommy wanted to say hi and chat. It wasn't until the end of our conversation when we realized we could both hear each other on the phone earlier and could have talked on the phone but we are Idiot K and Idiot P, the apple does not fall far from the tree!

~

Love you so much Mommy! Thanks for making me laugh so hard my stomach hurts and thanks for loving me so much my eyes can't hold back the tears! You are my Momma because you are biologically, duh, but also because you are always there when I'm sick or need advice. You are my sister because we are so close sometimes you even forget your my Mom. And you are my friend because I enjoy the time I spend with you whether we are chatting late at night, giggling quietly so we don't wake Daddy or whether we are at Wal Mart on a Friday night while most 25 year olds are out at dance clubs!

6 Months....

I have now been in Arequipa Peru for over 6 months! Our anniversary of arriving was 11/24/10, the day before Thanksgiving and our 7 month anniversary will be Christmas Eve. Here is a list of things I have and have not done in the past 6 months.....

HAVE
* Eaten chicken off the bone
* Been in Bible classes, all in spanish
* Spoke something in spanish everyday
* Lived with 13 other girls in one room
* Made new friends
* Visited Puno 3 times
* Eaten mounds of rice and potatoes (together!)
* Ran out of water in the shower
* Tried cow tongue
* Drank frog juice
* Eaten at Burger King
* Had Starbucks grounds for my coffee press (thanks to mommy and daddy!)
* Seen 8 people be baptized
* Taught Sunday School in spanish
* Helped lead a cell group
* Cried
* Laughed
* Lived with a Peruvian family
* Watched the Nanny with Brooke on skype
* Been to a Peruvian beach
* Worn high heels exactly 3 times
* Used the water bottle Momma bought me everyday
* Opened a letter from family and friends everyday (thanks Kevin & Jamie & NWCC!)
* Watched tv shows online
* Been horseback riding
* Learned to bargain
* Had one Starbucks latte
* Seen a lot of blood and animal guts in the markets
* Hailed many taxis and combis
* Called my Daddy to cry and vent
* Explained what an insulin pump is and why I have it in spanish
* Learned how to wash clothes by hand
* Lost all finess I may have had for speaking in English
* Given the message at church in spanish
* Moved two times
* Had many cold showers (and a few warm ones)
* Skyped my with my family on a regular basis
* Helped a lady on a combi put her escapee Guinea Pig back in a bag
* Learned a lot about myself, God, His Will, His Calling, other cultures, and so, so much more!

And now for the other end of things, here are the have not's.....

HAVE NOT
* Heard my daddy preach
* Sent a text message
* Driven a car
* Seen the inside of a dryer (and neither have my clothes!)
* Seen my friends or family back home in person
* Drank tap water
* Been to Wal Mart or King Soopers
* Showered everyday
* Answered a phone, "State Farm Insurance"
* Bought gas
* Had a bathroom to myself
* Ate sour cream
* Seen snow or rain
* Flushed toilet paper down the toilet
* Cut my hair
* Slept in the room next to my sissy
* Recieved a hug from my mommy
* Seen the Rocky Mountains
* Regretted following this path

When I first started thinking about this, my have's and have not's, I thought there would be more things I have not done in the past 6 months, being away from home. But as I created this list and reflected on the past 6 months, I realized I have had so many opportunities to do new things, to try new things, to learn new things. The opportunities I have had to grow personally, and the opportunities I have had to help build the Kingdom and the opportunities I will have, balance out the things I miss and have not done in the past 6 months.

And, in only about 6 more months, my momma, dadda, sissy and hopefully some others will be coming to Puno to help jump start our church plants with a short term missions trip. If you are interested in coming too, check out this link for more information.

http://www.extremenazarene.org/ShortTermDetail.aspx?ID=29

Horses and Lima

Happy Birthday Roy! ~-~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~-~ Through the river instead of over it!

Off we go, S/. 20 for one hour is about $7!

The view from the ranch...this is not what I look at everyday. Where I live is dusty and white, it was awesome to see some green and such a beautiful view!

A view of Lima from the taxi.

Starbucks....how I missed you! ~-~~-~~~-~ Christmas Coke advertisment.

Micah admiring his food. ~-~~~~-~~~-~ Garren satisfied after his meal at Chili's!

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Really, Lima was all about the food!

What Schedule????

You might wonder what do I do with my time and what each day looks like. Well, here is an overview of the last week and the next few days.....

Monday through Wednesday we had classes with my "Peruvian Father", Cristobal, as our professor. The class was cultural anthropology and was one of the most useful classes we have had. Each night last week we also had some homework but did have plenty of free time in the afternoons. In our free time I usually take naps, read, watch tv online or movies, make my lunch, hang out with friends, spend time with Francisca and whatever else comes up to do.

On Wednseday night Francisca and I went to our cell group and we were so excited that Armando, his fiancee Matilde and their little boy Johnathan came this week! They haven't come to our group in over a month and there had been rumors that Armando was drinking again. Needless to say, I was incredibly grateful to God and we are praying that he continues to come back.

On Wednesday afternoon our group found out there was a house in Puno that might be big enough for all of us (10 40/40's and our cluster family, a family of 4) to live. But the owner needed the down payment on Thursday. So Amanda was going to Puno to check it out and since we didn't have class I decided to go along with her and our VP of Extreme, Dennis. So we left the hose at 4:20 am (I woke up at 4:08 when Amanda called me wondering where I was!). We got to the bus station on time only to find out that the bus doesn't leave at 5 but at 5:30am so we waited around for a while. We traveled the 6 hours up to Puno, met up with the Pastor in Puno, Pastor Herman, and checked out this house. It was not the right place fo us! It needed a lot of work, didn't have a kitchen and the bathroom situation was not going to work. Needless to say, we were bummed. We went back and ate lunch at the pastors house with his family. After lunch we went back out into the city, walking around and knocking on doors with "for rent" signs (in spanish of course) and doors of apartments that look empty. We didn't find anything but Herman and his wife are continuing the search for us as we left on the 5pm bus that evening and got back to Arequipa at 11pm that night.

Friday I caught up on some sleep from the day before and later watched Thomas and Ella while Chad and Amanda went out on a date. ThenSaturday I spent a few hours cleaning our apartment which get quite dirty fast living in a dusty desert and having 20+ people in and out of here daily. Also on Saturday I skyped with my Mommy and Daddy! :)

Sunday I went to church in the morning and helped Francisca teach the children Phillippians 4:13, that we can handle anything with God's help. We came home from church, ate lunch and napped. Then I had to review my notes and practice as I gave the message at our church Sunday night in Spanish! After Sunday night church I came back home and joined in a little late on our Sunday night English Bible study with the parents.

This week we ended up not having class so yesterday we went horseback riding (I will post some pictures later) with Roy for his 49th birthday! Then I had to run by the Extreme office with Francisca and we ended up staying at the office and helping with some clerical duties in the afternoon until our 7pm church leadership meeting at the office.

Today, we had our normal 8am prayer time with the Puno group and our parents gave us "homework". We were to go into the city in our pairs to pray over people and look for someone or some people we can help physically or spiritually. francisca and I went to Alto Libertad where we walked and prayed. Then we saw a bunch of people working in a park and there was a tienda across the street. We went to the tienda to buy some household items for one of the workers, to bless with. As we were buying things, the store owner was hobbling around. As we were leaving, I asked her if we could pray for her health. She said yes so Francisca prayed for her and afterwards we talked about her spiritual life. She says she cannot leave the house much as she needs to tend to the tienda so we told her we would come by next week to spend more time with her and talk more. Not only would this never happen in the states, someone allowing you to pray for them while they are running their business and talk about their spiritual life 5 minutes after knowing their name, but as we were walking out, she gave us each a banana. Wow, what an example of generosity and humility. So keep Nora in your prayers. I know she was a gift from God as we were only going to buy items in her store and she ended up being the best part of our day. After our time with Nora we went over to the park and I gave a gal the bag of food and household items we had purchased for Norma. Her boss was nearby so we didn't have much time but we found out her name was Maria and she has two children. I pray those items we purchased for her make a difference and that she knows they are a blessing from not people but God.

Tomorrow, the North Americans leave in the afternoon to Lima as we are starting our residency process. We will be in Lima Wednesday afternoon and night then most of the day Thursday. We are looking forward to getting Starbucks, Chili's and whatever else from home we can find!

So basically, everyday is different and plans can change at the very last minute. I try not to count on anything happening until we are about halfway through what was planned. hehe.

David Speaks to my Heart.....

A few weeks ago I was reading through and meditating on 2 Samuel chapter 22, "David's Song of Praise". David sings this song of praise after God gives him victory in two battles. David had to clear the blood stain Saul had left from when he massacred the Gibeonites because the "blood stain" caused a three year famine in David's kingdom. So David went to the Gibeonites and asked what he could do to make things right. The Gibeonites requsted that David's army kill seven of the descendents of Saul to make amends. So David's army completed the task and buried the bones of the seven descendents and God answered their prayer to revive the land from the famine. And after this battle, the Israelites were in battle again with the Philistines. There was a giant man on the Philistine side who had six fingers on each hand and six toes, but despite his extra extremities, (haha!) God gave David victory as David's brother killed the giant.


So that's the background to 2 Samuel 22. It's good to know why David was singing this song of praise. I would really encourage you to read this chapter which this song of praise can also be found in Psalm 18 with only a few differences.

My favorite part of the Psalm is verses 17-25 in The Message, here it is:

"But me he caught-reached all the way

from sky to sea; he pulled me out

Of that ocean of hate; that enemy chaos,

the void in which I was drowning.

They hit me when I was down,

but God stuck by me.

He stood me up on a wide-open field;

I stood there saved-surprised to be loved!

God made my life complete

when I placed all the pieces before him.

When I cleaned up my act,

he gave me a fresh start.

Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways;

I haven't taken God for granted.

Everyday I review the ways he works,

I try not to miss a trick.

I feel put back together,

and I'm watching my step.

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."

I like these verses as they are a powerful testimony and it made me think that some of you might not know my testimony. So without going into too much detail, I would like to share what God has done for me in the past few years!


Most of you know I grew up with awesome parents who strive to follow the right path and live daily in communion with our Father. They are such a great example for me and I look up to them both so much. I am so grateful to God for my upbringing and parents, I am a lucky girl! But despite my parents doing almost all the right things (sorry guys, your not perfect, but close!), I decided to follow my own desires as this world teaches us at a young age. Its all about what you want and with my selfish attitude, I liked the message of the world better than the message from God. So at the age of 18 I started heading down the path of what I wanted. And there was a specific moment when I was 20 that I had a choice, I was at a fork in the road and the signs said "God's way" on one and "my way" on the other. I tried to compromise and have both, but when I couldn't have both at once, (as you can't walk on two paths at once), I chose MY way. I turned my back on God and walked away from him. But thanks to God, He didn't give up on me. He tugged on my heart for two years, calling me back to Him.


So at the age of 22 I started to feel the void and this is where I feel connected with David's words. I felt a void and called on God "In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears". (v. 7 NIV). God took hold of my life, he reached down and saved me from "the void in which I was drowning" (v. 18 MSG). Then I had another opportunity to choose God's way or my way, and this time, I chose God! It was the hardest thing I had to do in my life because this involved letting go of MY plans and a person (specifically a boy, of course), I loved. But I realized God loves me more and that my relationship with this guy was hollow and doomed as God was not involved. So, "God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him" (v. 21 MSG). I placed the broken pieces of my life at His feet and with joy, He took the mess I had made, and put me back together.

Now I am a new girl (yep, I'm 25 and still a girl!) in Him. God has forgiven me of my past and "he gave me a fresh start" (v. 21 MSG), and "God rewrote the text of my life" (v. 25 MSG) when I chose His way instead of mine, when I realized how much I need Him, when I realized how void my life is without Him, "when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes" (v. 25 MSG).

And now I strive daily to follow His path and lean on Him because, "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." (v. 31 NIV) He pulled me out of the mucky water where I was living, he has cleansed me and given me a fresh start, even gave me an undeserving opporunity to be used for His Kingdom expansion in Peru. "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my ways perfect" (v.33 NIV).

God has given me victory from my past! Horrray to our Savior!

Shane....

This past week has been full of changes and emotions with a member of the Arequipa team going back to the states, preaching in spanish for our final exam in class, saying goodbye to the Cusco team as they left for Cusco, moving into the apartments and to top it off, we found out Sunday night that one of the pastors, the house dad for my good friends Garren, Trevor and Micah, during our time in spanish school, passed away last night. His name is Genaro and he has left behind his wife and two children as well as the church body. Please pray for the family and the church (Umacollo Iglesia del Nazareno) at this time.

So you might wonder, why is the title of this blog "Shane". Well, the last memorial service I went to before today was for my good friend Shane Washington in December. And going through this sad time down here makes me think about and miss Shane more than normal. But it also reminds me that Shane is a huge part of why I am here in Peru right now. Shane's passing made me realize the importance of time and the urgency of the gospel. I miss Shane and I still cry some days and think about our long conversations and the fun we had. But I'm glad to be reminded that he is a part of my life now and forever. Better yet, he's a part of my reason for coming here!

I wrote a letter to Shane in my journal in the end of December to help deal with my thoughts and feelings. Here is a part of what I wrote in my letter, keep in mind this was while I had been thinking about and praying for a missions opportunity but before I knew anything about Peru or Extreme....

You have given me a few gifts from this situation, I am learning that this life is so temporary and I can’t hesitate in doing God’s Will, I must do it now, the minute I have been called. Also, I’m learning so much I think, do, and worry about doesn’t matter. I need to get my priorities straight. And, this has emphasized the magnitude and gift of God’s redeeming love. I thank God for helping me learn through a tragedy. It’s the difficult times that we rely on Him and grow closer to Him. Shane, I’m going to miss you but know I will always remember and love you. God crossed our paths for a reason and I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with you.

Kristen, Nathan, Shane - Rockies Game September 2009

Goodbye Zamacola....

Tomorrow morning the Arequipa and Puno teams are moving from this place, Zamacola, over to apartments a block away. The girls will have an apartment and the boys will have an apartment. So in order to say Goodbye (and good riddance), to the place I have called "home" the past 10 weeks, I thought I would show you all where I have been living. I'm all packed up and ready to haul my material life a block away to a place that will feel more like "home" where I can sleep better and have more personal space!
The front of the church, Zamacola Iglesia del Nazareno.
Our "house" part of the church (the third floor). The windows on the top floor are from the girls room.
What you see when you walk in the front door. The stairs to the left are to the pastor's hose, past the stairs to the left is the dining room and kitchen, the spiral stairs lead up to our rooms and to the right is the classroom.
Our classroom, I sit right here in the back. That's my blue notebook, dictionary and Bible.
The inside of our fridge. Yep, that's a sack of raw beef and a bowl of raw chicken. I'm sad there wasn't a whole chicken, head, feet and all like ususal!
This room is where we eat and hang out to watch movies. Through the cutout in the back is the kitchen.
The girls bathroom. Don't be decieved, it is disgustingly dirty most of the time.
Dressers outside of the bathroom doors because there's not enough room in the bedrooms.
The hallway to our bedrooms. The first door is to the boys room and the door at the end of the hall is the girls room.
My dresser in the girls room. Its like a little hallway of dressers and mine is the one closest to the wall on the right. Henrietta has the one opposite of me and I call it "the hole". We cannot get into our dressers at the same time.
The view when you walk into the girls room. (Please not this is the room clean!) There are 6 sets of bunk beds 3 high and we have 14 girls living in this room)
This is my bed, the second bunk, of course, the bed that is not made! Its the only place I can call "mine".