The Twins Return Home

Roughly 3 months ago, we were blessed with a set of four year old twin girls –Zuleca & Valesca. Due to some situations in their family, they came to live with us. I am not going to lie, it has been challenging, but these two little girls have found their way into each one of our hearts. They are adorable, well behaved, little girls. Both of them have done exceptionally well in their classes –reciting the alphabet, counting, colors, and more in both English and Spanish. It was so cute to see them kneel beside you at night saying their prayers; one night they even prayed for Kelly’s stomach because they thought she was pregnant (she is not pregnant, but something about Lisa being pregnant has everyone wanting us to hurry up and have our kid too). It is sad to see them go and leave behind what they have here, however, if we can help unite a family (both with themselves and with God), it is of more value then having them here with us. We look forward to seeing them again soon! We will miss you both.

Goodbye Herkie-Butt

Many of you know about our adorable little monkey, Herkie. He was our most beloved son and pet. Do not fret! He has not died, but has gone to a better place: Monkey Island. Herkie saw us through most of our Peruvian life. He was always faithful to us. He was therapy in stressful times and a joy to watch leaping in the trees. As he is getting older, he is in need of a mate (his type is monogamous) and has been calling from the treetops. We have always known we must part with him at some point and so we decided to do it now. He may have helped in the decision by biting a girl on the ear. Despite the incident, he is a very loving and lovable monkey.

We took him to Monkey Island, which is a fairly large island farther down the Amazon River. It is a refuge to protect monkeys, such as those sold in the marketplace, and allows them to live in a natural environment. They run free and are taken care of by a very kind family. The goal is for the monkeys to rehabilitate and return to the wild. They are free to wander off whenever they want.

We arrived with Herkie and were pleased to see that another recent arrival was a younger female of his type. Her name is Jenny and Herkie has been renamed to Aaroncito. We hope he has a wonderful new life in the jungle.

Beard Gone, Wife Ecstatic

Since before Thanksgiving, I have allowed my plentiful beard the opportunity of a life time. It has been a chance for my face to grow freely –much to EVERYONE’S dismay. You may or may not be surprised as to all the flack that I have received. First of all, no-one in this culture can grow a beard, period. Secondly, it makes me look way older. Thirdly, it makes me look scary. And finally, apparently is sucks kissing me –via the words of Kelly. I even had two 4 year old girls tell me, “That is extremely ugly. You need to shave it off.” Anyway, I had some fun with it. You may or may not care, but here is my beard in all of its stages. Every stage you see was kept for a few days, minimum.

Welcome Mount Vernon Academy

A group of high school students from Ohio arrived down here in Iquitos. They started out by putting on a church service out here at POPPYS House for all of us, and then on Sunday, got to work on redoing our exceptionally rotten fence. They did a vacation bible school for all the kids in our little town (4 nights), dug a well, constructed trusses for a house, delivered food to a mental hospital, leveled a dirt floor in a neighbors house and fed homeless kids down town. This group did some amazing work. They were hard workers, fun to be around and well behaved. Out here at POPPYS House, we are so grateful for all of the things that they did, and we hope they come back again soon!

Church Party in Santo Tomas

Last Sunday, the Central church we attend in town came out to visit us. They planned a fun day for the youth and young adults (or the young at heart) to hang out at our place and get to better know our girls. Considering we are located about a 45 minute trip from the church, it was a full day trip for them. In the end, about 40 people came to our place to play volleyball and soccer, or cheer on the side. Everyone relaxed, laughed, talked and, all around, had a good time. We enjoyed sharing our peaceful town and spending time with good church friends. We hope they come and visit us again!

Soccer Season Starts Again

Soccer season has started once again in the Santo Tomas community. After a brief scare of having bright purple jerseys, we are now sporting team Ecuador “chompas” (local word for jerseys). Our team has won our first two games, giving us a solid 6 points –first in league. My beard has apparently invoked fear into the hearts of all the locals… Casey has not yet donned the Ecuadorian jersey, but he is resting his leg just a little longer (due to his surgery) –we are eagerly awaiting his return. Here are some photos that Kelly took of the girls coming out to cheer our team on (the girls get really into it).

Teresa, real-life success (micro finance)

Over a year ago, Teresa had a small little bodega (tiny store), selling just a few minimal items as well as making wooden butterflies to sell to tourists. With her first loan, she invested within her bodega –purchasing more items to sell. On her second loan, she decided to start a little restaurant selling French fry’s, rice, and hamburgers. She started out cooking on a tiny gas stove. Business was slow at first –people were literally scared to eat her hamburgers (a new concept for most people).
Soon business picked up enough that she eventually closed down her bodega to run her restaurant full time. With her third loan, she purchased a full size, moveable gas grill that allowed her to cook more items, more effectively, thus increasing her business. She has since continued to reinvest within this business and it has continued to grow despite other similar business starting up near by.
Her business is to the point now, that you have to wait roughly 20 minutes to get your order in –but it is worth the wait. She has never once (in over a year, with weekly payments) missed a payment, and has attended just about every meeting (also weekly). She is an extremely responsible woman that has intelligently improved the life of her family –and subsequently others around her. She is one proof of many, that micro-finance can work.