December 6

Today as we walked to and from school, we saw some of the same folks on a regular basis.
  Hellos are cheerfully returned with a genuine friendliness.
  It is very heartwarming.
  Robert continues to get his freshly squeezed orange juice from a woman who is set up with a 5 gallon bucket as her table on the bridge over the highway.
  She has such a sweet smile.
  The man who helps keep the buses moving through the bus stop in an orderly and timely way continues to greet us like friends.
  The principal in the elementary school we pass says a cheerful “hello” as we pass in front of his school where he is greeting all the children every morning.
  When we move to our new place we’ll have to start over, but it is nice to reach out to these people whom God loves more than we ever could.
  It is the everyday nitty gritty experiences.
  It is nice that the bus journey is a time to connect with Peruvians instead of a dreaded time.
  As with many things, it is what you put into it.
 

Ricky was away with Terry Hunka when we got back from school.
  We had lunch, worked on schoolwork and the internet.
  We decided to go out to Pizza which meant that I didn’t have to go to the market for dinner.
  Ricky brought Terry by later and we sat around in the living room and got to know him.
  From there we got to join the two of them as Ricky brought Terry to the “gray” market.
  It is this incredible place that has hundreds and hundreds of small booths set up with clothes, shoes, cameras, copies movies, etc.
  It was really mind boggling.
  There were many little booths with the same products wanting your business.
  A few seedy people were hanging around, too, Robert’s noticed.
  That is where ChildReach ministries will go to buy toys for the orphans next week.
  They’re planning a Christmas party for them.
  They will buy decorations, food, and toys and plan to make it very special.
  Only 5 people will be here for the ChildReach mission trip.
  Ricky has invited us to help him tomorrow (a school holiday) and 2-3 days next week.
  They will be working on both the orphanage and the young unwed mother’s home.
 

After the “gray” market, we tried to meet Ricky’s lawyer but she wasn’t in her office like she said she would be.
  So we went out together for pizza at Pizza Hut.
  Yes, Lima has a lot of familiar places here.
   It was decent pizza and Terry paid the bill which was a pleasant surprise.
  We had great a conversation about his ministry and how God is doing mighty things in it.
  Terry actually worked for AIM for 2 years and then started ChildReach ministries which is only 2 years old.
  Terry is a former Baptist pastor as well.
  I expect our ministries will continue to cross paths.

We got home after ten and had to study for our quiz in Spanish the next morning.