Canchera (expert) de Chopsticks! 
Archive for July, 2005
We spent today with the Summer Missionaries. They start flying out tonight.
We all worshipped together at the Alianza Church on Benavides. Then we went to Jockey Plaza (the big mall here) were all ate lunch at different places. Amanda and I ate with a group at Benihanas. Which is surprisingly cheap here. Only about 7.50$ for a full meal….complete with knife throwing and shrimp tossing.
Then we went bowling. I almost broke a 100! Amanda didn’t!
Frank is coming into Lima tonite!
Frank Schimunek is a good friend of ours from Ouachita Baptist University. He and a friend are going to be travelling around Peru for a few weeks.
Angie Kirksey, Amanda, and I are going to pick him up at the airport.
Today we finished our formal debriefing of the summer missionaries. For the past two months we’ve had 17 college students working all over southern Peru. It’s been really cool getting to hear their stories of what God did through them.
Starting Monday they are flying out bit by bit to the U.S. A few are staying a week or two longer to visit Cuzco. Here are my two favorite pictures that the summer missionaries brought took this summer.
Today is the Peruvian Independence Day. One of the biggest holidays of the year here. There are lots of activities going on for it. I head that there is a bullfight downtown tonite. Couldn’t make it though . . . maybe next year!
I decided to go for a change of scenery today. I’ve been toiling away on the new REAPSouth website. I want to have it up and running this week. That means a lot of hours staring at a computer screen. So . . . I got out of our office today and am now staring at a computer screen in Starbucks. They’ve got free wireless here! And good coffee too!
Living in a different country sets you up for all kinds of awkward situations.
Lino, the guy who takes care of our building buzzed me down yesterday saying he wanted some advice. “What in the world???” I thought. I have barely ever talked to him before. He’s really nice, just not the talkative type.
He had a big ole camera. It was old, but really nice. With a big lense and manual zoom and focus and all that complicated stuff. He wanted me to show him how to use it. Here was his reasoning, “This camera is from America and you are from America.” I guess that means I should be an expert.
Well, I took it and said I had to investigarlo (reasearch it). I figured out how to take pictures on it . . . but that’s about it. Now, I don’t know anything about photography, couple that with my very weak Spanish . . . and what do you get??? A red faced gringo trying to explain to this peruvian how to take pictures with a complicated camera. I used the phrase ‘esta cosita’ (this little thingy) a lot!
Ever heard of him? I hadn’t really until last night. I went to his concert in La Molina with some of the Hutchison sobrinas. It was awesome. He has won some Grammys (i heard) . . . he was one of the most famous latin christian artists.
There were thousands of people. The stage was as big as anything I had ever been to. Also, it was really touchy feely. Peruvians are more that way. . . holding hands and hugging and giving besitos. It was an experience!!
I have learned some interesting things living here in Lima.
Did you know…..
-If women sleep with cats it will keep them from getting pregnant. During the night, you swallow the cat’s hair, and the hair contains microorganisms that will keep you from getting pregnant. (Now I know why Ryan let me get our cat!!!)
-You should never hold a baby under 6 months old upright. Its’ bones are developing, and if you hold it upright, its’ face will droop.
-Drinking cold drinks (water, coca-cola, etc.) can give you a cold. You should never drink cold drinks during winter. Peruvians rarely ever drink cold drinks or use ice. If you do drink something cold, you should drink it slow. This will help keep it from making you sick.
-It is healthier to eat more solid foods during your meal, and then work to the less solid food. It is healthier for you to wait and drink your drink at the end of your meal, not during it.
Who knew!!!!
Amanda
Now that Jamie is gone, I am in charge of the REAP English Ministry. Through the English Ministry, we get the translators we need for trips. Currently, I am teaching an advanced English conversational class on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and I am leading a Bible Study in English on Wednesdays. Also part of this ministry is monthly fellowships and discipling new believers. I am also in charge of getting the translators for all the trips. Needless to say, I have been staying pretty busy. I am trying to learn names and faces of those who come to class and Bible Study, and I am lining up translators for upcoming trips. The translators are so essential to the REAP strategy–we couldn’t do it without them.
Amanda
Here’s another update of how to contact us if you’d like:
Email:
ryanbush@obualumni.org
amanda@obualumni.org
Snail Mail:
Ronald D and Amanda Bush
Apartado 18-0765, Lima 18
La Florida 280, San Isidro
Peru
*only envelopes
Messanging:
We have Messangers for AOL, Yahoo, and Hotmail. Use these emails to search for us:
reachingperu@yahoo.com
reachingperu@hotmail.com
reachingperu@aol.com
And for the really adventurous . . .
Phone:
011-1-440-9958
Jeff Roe asked me a really hard question while he was here. Jeff, his wife Sandie, and his daughter Samera are talking with the IMB about a two year term somewhere in the world. Jeff wanted to know if, as missionaries, God ever gets squeezed out of our schedule.
Yup. It’s really scary. I get just as busy here as I did in college or at Geyer Springs. I get busy and don’t spend time with God like I need. It’s really hard . . . to slow down and talk to God . . . . listen to him . . . think about his word. It’s hard when you’ve got lots of ’stuff’ to do. Lots of people to see.
But the fact is, it’s the most important thing. Everything in my life hinges on this relationship. Nothing is more important. Not REAP. Not doing missions. Not making everyone happy. Not myself. Nothing.
It was a good reminder. It’s good to think about it . . . often. What am I ‘giving’ myself to? Usually whatever most of my energy and thought and passion are put into . . . that’s what my priority is . . .
Yesterday, we spent a lot of time with Geyer Springs. It was so refreshing to see friends from the Natural State! It was really hard to see them leave for the airport last night. A lot harder than we thought it would be. We had them over to our apartment for the debriefing. We wanted them to see where we are living. Then we went to eat at Rokey’s, classic peruvian.
Also, we spent a couple of hours with Betzabeth, the little girl we sponsor through Compassion International. We took her to eat and see Madagascar. It was her first time to go to the movies.
Hey Micah and Emma!
We are thinking about you way over here in Peru! Keep helping your mom and dad learn Italian and eat some of that gelato at the Blue Ice for us!
Arrivederci!
We had our first taste of Sushi a few weeks ago with the Rick and Kelly. I thought you might enjoy this picture.
Tonite we’re off to stay at the Holder’s house. Boots and Katie are IMB missionaries here in Lima. They have three kids. They are out of town for the week so we are staying at their house to watch out for Rosey . . . . their 60 lb. German Shepherd. We’ll try to put a picture up of her.
We were so excited to see some of our GSFBC friends. They flew in Friday night and Amanda and I met them at the airport. Unfortunately their luggage didn’t make it. They waited on extra day hoping it would come, but it didn’t. So . . . the Weavers and us gathered the clothes we could spare and the team picked what they needed. They got off down the PanAmerican about noon today and should be in Huaytara now.
Marty Mote, Jeff Roe, and Judy Davis are on the trip. These are some of our very best friends from GSFBC! They were also kind enough to bring us lots of goodies from the U.S., including a huge poster of Toby Mac (Amanda’s favorite) from the LifeWay store.
I just recieved an email from a married couple named Dylan and Cheri Harris. They are riding their bikes from San Diego to Tierra de Fuego, Chile. Wow! Anyway, they are coming through Lima and were asking if they could help us out in our ministry at all. Check out their website. This is amazing! www.diegotofuego.com
We are having a great week. The Martinez family has been with us this week. It’s been so good getting to know them. We love having people stay with us. Especially people like the Martinez family! We’re gonna get a family photo posted soon!
You can check out what they are doing among the Aymara people here: www.byhisgrace.cc/martinez
This morning I went to meet with Maria (the DVD lady) at Ovalo Gutierrez. We have been talking about some different work she can do to make money. The DVD’s she sells are illegal and she sometimes gets in trouble with the police, and it doesn’t even pay very well.
She brought a pillow this morning to show me that she had sewn. She wants to sell these. She doesn’t have any capital to get going. So we’re talking about a loan to get her going. It’s hard to know what to do. Questions like: Is she scamming me? Is this a good use of money? Will she really pay me back? I guess the most important question is: God, what do you want me to do? Maybe, he just wants us to use our best judgement.
What do ya’ll think?
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