missionaryMAC

An hourlong drive to the desert oasis of Cieneguilla helped a volunteer team from the North Wisconsin District mentally shift gears from VBS mode to women's retreat mode. Women's ministry is an emergent area in which US volunteers can support the Peru mission as they provide encouragement and resources to the newly formed Peruvian equivalent of the LWML (the UDLP, or Unión de Damas Luteranas del Perú ). A growing group of ladies from all three congregations in Lima meets locally on a regular basis, but it was immediately evident that an overnight, offsite gathering provided a special boost for them organizationally, personally, and spiritually.  The Wisconsin team welcomed 16 Peruvian guests with hugs (pictured) and goodie bags.  Group sessions typically began with singing. The team taught the ladies one of the same songs they'd taught the kids at Castillo Fuerte mere days prior: "Praise Ye the Lord." The ladies - Peruvian and otherwise - got SO into a Lutheran W...

What a joy to be back in Peru after almost a year since my last trip there . I thoroughly enjoyed hosting nine ladies representing six North Wisconsin District congregations for just over a week at the beginning of February. I learned a few things about a part of the country I've never been to. North Wisconsin has culture! Some hardcore delegating helped them pull off a two-pronged project: a 4-day summer  escuelita (VBS) at the Castillo Fuerte after-school program in the district called La Victoria, followed by a women's retreat about an hour outside Lima (which I'll detail in a separate post).  As always, I arrived in-country in advance of the team so I had time to prep for their arrival. After walking by this mochi donut place a gazillion times over my past several stays in Lima, I finally grabbed one for an afternoon snack on my way to the grocery store. It was...chewy.  The team "Lutheranized" a scuba-themed VBS program that included a memory verse from John ...

It'd been five years since the LAC regional leadership team met at Camp Concordia just outside Belmopan, Belize...and five years since our meeting was interrupted by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Puerto Rico. That reality wasn't far from anyone's mind, but I'm happy to report that this go-round went according to plan - as much as anything does on the mission field, that is.  Two representatives from the LCMS Communications team joined the Santiago-based contingent and our three Area Facilitators (based in Belize, Panama, and Uruguay, respectively) for two days of high-level planning that would take weeks or months via Zoom, WhatsApp, and email.  The "Fab Four" (Tirzah, Jamielynn, Courtney, and I) took our newest initiate on a pre-dinner walk after Herb & I got back from Mexico  Monday afternoon. #viewfromhere for Tuesday & Wednesday. I got to give a brief report on Expanding the Spanish Footprint , YTD volunteer activity, and the outlook for the remai...