Hola!

I have to be quick because it´s after 11pm and I have to be downstairs by 6am to get an early breakfast and then go to the airport and go to Cusco. And I have to pack my stuff for Cusco tonight! We may not have internet access in Cusco.

Please pray for all of us on the mission team as we are going to be going from sea level to very very high elevation in a short period of time. Please also pray for me b-c I have packing issues and I am only supposed to bring my carry on bag--which is a bookbag--and we will be there 2 nights, I think!

We will tour Machupicchu (spelling?) on Friday. We will visit two orphanages while in Cusco--one orphanage for girls tomorrow and another for boys on Saturday morning. Aso, I am leading our devotional on Saturday morning. Please pray that I will share what God wants us to hear that day. It is going to be sad to have to say goodbye to all my new friends from my mission team and the Buckner Staff.

Anyway, today we visited Hogar Reyna de la Paz in the morning. It is a home for single moms and their children. The moms were as young as 11. This is a home run by nuns. It was very nice and had very beautiful gardens all over the outside areas. One of the girls in our group had a baby who was only 12 days old. I had the privilege to hold little Justin Timberlake (that´s what his mom said his name was) in my arms for several minutes. How awesome! I have pics, but alas, I can´t yet upload them! These little moms seemed to be learning how to take good care of their kids. I can´t imagine what it would have been like to have a child when I was a child as young as some of these girls! Many of them seemed to be pretty easy going about it. I was pretty nervous as a new mom when I had Joshua--and I was 26!

As a mom, I could tell that babies and kids were starting to get hungry during our visit. No problema for these moms! They simply nursed their children. I think it is wonderful that they felt no shame in giving their children the nourishment that God made within their bodies. Some of the men (and women) were a bit taken aback by it, but I see it as a beautiful portrayal of God´s provision and care for us.

We had a delicioso lunch today at a nice restaurant called Grand Azul. We were served warm bread, salads, the Peruvian version of Rotisserie (spelling) chicken (delicious!), grilled and skewered Anticucho (cow and-or chicken hearts--I didn´t partake of those today but I did eat a whole skewer of beef Anticucho last night at dinner), Papas Fritas, and a dessert that is like a doughnut that looks like a big onion ring served with honey. I drank Sprite and Agua. By the way, if you come to Peru, make sure to order your agua "sin gas"--unless you like sparkling water!

This afternon we visited Aldea San Ricardo, a sibling home in Chosica with over 100 children who have been removed from their families´ homes for their protection. We had a big group of children. Many of them called me "Jennifer Lopez!" She is very popular here. I was asked to share my testimony when it was time for the VBS portion of our group´s activities. I haven´t really done this much in public before--especially in front of children..so I was a little hesitant. But God led me in the direction He wanted me to go and He gave me the words and a message that many of them could relate to. I am thankful for our awesome translator Julie who helped the kids understand my testimony. She is a very gifted, loving and beautiful Drama teacher..and she really makes the gospel come alive! Almost all the kids in our group raised their hand to say that they wanted to accept the regala (or is it regalo?)--the gift--of salvation!

During the shoe selection part of our time with our group, I was able to help find new shoes for a precious 2 or 3 year old little boy named Jesus (pronounced hay-zeus). At first I couldn´t find a pair to fit him. One was too big;another was too small. But I found a whole other selection to choose from and I found some that were just right for mi amigo Jesus! He was a sweet and smart little boy. I was told that he couldn´t really talk because he was missing part of the top of his mouth. The lady who told me showed me but I can´t translate into words what it looked like. Little Jesus and I had a good time playing around while I put his new socks and shoes on his little feet--and afterward. He kept pointing to the other shoes and saying "zapatoes"! ( I don´t have a clue how to spell the Spanish word for shoes so I just wrote it how it sounds) I would laugh and tell him they were mucho grande. I was trying to tell him they were too big;I think he understood despite my incorrect wording.

Well, I didn´t want to have to leave little Jesus. I don´t know his family background or what will happen to him now. But I told him about Jesus. And I hugged him and held him and played with him and kissed him. And he gave me some sweet little kisses on my cheeks, too. I had Julie explain to him that I had to go but that I love him and Jesus loves him. And I will remember Jesus of Chosica, Peru.

The experience of taking off an orphaned child´s dirty little socks and shoes and replacing them with clean, new socks and good, sturdy, nice shoes is not like anything I have ever experienced. It reminds me, as I think about it now, of Jesus washing his disciples´ feet. Jesus was loving them and serving them--just as I was loving and serving little Jesus today.

I cannot adequately describe to you just how awesome it is to be able to go into these children´s homes and bring and give children shoes and socks and other items to meet their physical needs AND to also be able to meet their spiritual needs by telling them about Jesus. In addition, we let them know we love them and play games with them and give them the affection that they are so often starving for.

This summer, WBFJ listeners will have a chance to buy shoes to donate to Buckner International´s Shoes For Orphans Souls project. I can tell you that these shoes will go to children who really need them. And they will get more than shoes and socks--they will get the chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and to know that God loves them and that people who live in the USA love them and care for them. They will be hugged and loved and prayed for. Buckner´s in-country staff will follow up with them, too.

So, please start praying about our upcoming shoe drive. I want WBFJ to collect MUCHO shoes--good quality , sturdy, nice-looking shoes that we would buy for our own children/grandchildren/nieces/nephews, etc! I want the orphaned children who receive our donated shoes to know that WBFJ listeners care about them and want to help meet their needs. Go online to www.buckner.org to find out more about this wonderful ministry. And when you buy shoes to donate to this project, please pray for the child who will receive them. You can even put a note in the shoes for the child who will receive them. They really enjoy that! And they love pictures, too! I can´t wait to share my trip photos with you! And if God so leads, I would love to return to Peru with my husband Joe (who knows quite a bit of Spanish) and with any WBFJ listeners who would like to experience the blessing of ministering to ¨the least of these¨ and share your love and God´s love with these precious children under the capable and caring leadership of Buckner International´s staff.

:) Chau!
Jennifer

(So much for this being quick--tis now after 12:30 am here! I don´t want to get up at 5 or 5:30am!)


Thanks for your prayers.