Playing "Catch up"

I (Becca) have dropped the ball in keeping our blog updated well. It been a busy few months as ministry has picked up for Marshall, and Simon and the house are keeping me quite occupied! Please forgive the lack of posting!

Simon is doing well. He's had another check-up with the doctor in Lima and all still looks well. He's not had any further seizures either. He's quickly growing and discovering new things everyday! He is now a quick crawler, and is pulling himself up to standing positions on anything that he can! He is such a joy! Here's his 8 month picture:

Catch-up: October 21-24 Marshall in Iquitos, Peru

The pastor (Hugo) who I told you about in the previous post about the ETBIL material, desired to begin the first principles series in his church, but he didn’t have any materials. One goal of our church (Mil Palmeras) is to be a resource center for many local churches in the Amazon region of Peru. So I flew to Iquitos with the materials he needed to start. I was there for four days and three nights. During the days I was with Pastor Hugo and his cousin Silar, and then each night I shared for about three house with his church leaders – needless to say…I was on the verge of losing my voice! 

It was a sweet time with them as I explained the philosophy  behind the ETBIL First Principles and teaching in the manner of Christ and the Apostles (an intimate and intentional walk together in discipleship). Since I have returned to Pucallpa, Pastor Hugo has called me and said that he has spoken to several pastors in Iquitos who have expressed interest, so it looks like I am going back this spring (Feb/March) to do a small pastor’s conference over the ETBIL material. Please pray for divine appointments as I look to meet key pastors/church leaders in the major cities of the Amazon region of Peru.

Marshall and Pastor Hugo

Leaders at Hugo's church

Catch-up: August – October 2013 Taking the Reigns

In late August of this year, our head pastor and one of the founding members of Mil Palmeras departed for the US. (Julio Chiang and his family received their green card visas and they now have to live in the US for a year). 

Some background information: Several years ago as Mil Palmeras began studying the first principle series of discipleship (with the ETBIL Curriculum) word passed in Pucallpa that our church was doing “weird things.” (I, Marshall, was in the US at this time – having just married Becca). Several pastors came to Julio at the time and expressed desire to study God’s word in the same manner as our church was doing- thus formed the pastor’s network. This network was strong for a while, but fizzled with lots of travel from Julio who was leading the group. I, having arrived back in Peru, along with Becca, was walking into all of this (and all this material is in Spanish mind you) and it can be a little overwhelming, but….I got it! I caught the vision…I saw where this was going and I was on board! I approached Julio as he was getting ready to leave for the US and told him I would lead the pastor’s group. So, since early October this year I have been meeting with pastors and leaders from other churches and we have been going over the First Principles series together. Great, great, GREAT discussions and growth! We are growing slowly – I started with 4, and as of last two nights ago (Nov 10th) we had 16! If you are still reading – would you pray for this ministry? Pray that the Lord would bring other local pastors and church leaders to our pastor’s network. Our goal is that all be discipled in the way of Christ and the Apostles – and intimate and intentional walk together in discipleship.

Catch-up: August ETBIL Conference

In August, I (Marshall) attend my 2^nd ETBIL conference in Lima, Peru. (ETBIL stands for “theological education in the local church” in Spanish). There were roughly 40 people that represented six countries with the majority being from Peru.  It was time of getting to know new pastors and leaders who are interested in theological education in the local church. Our church, Mil Palmeras in Pucallpa, Peru has been doing the ETBIL curriculum now for over two years. Our goal and desire is to see our future leaders trained to be leaders in the local church – this curriculum is a means in by which this can happen. AND – not just our church, but many churches throughout the world are using this curriculum. We were able to network with several pastors who attended the conference. Pastor Arturo from Santa Cruz, Bolivia came to Pucallpa after the conference to look at our church and see the process of discipleship. Pastor Wilfredo from Ica, Peru came to Pucallpa a month ago and spent a week here. I was able to show him all that we are doing in the area of discipleship – preaching class, pastor’s network, studying the first principles, and small groups in our homes. Both pastors are now begging to establish what was modeled here in Pucallpa back in their home churches. We also had pastor Hugo from Iquitos who came and visited our church back in May who also attended the ETBIL conference. I will tell you more about my time with him in another blog post. God is doing some cool things in the lives of believers and the local church in Pucallpa! 

Some of the pastors at the conference.

Trusting a BIG GOD with a little baby boy

As I (Becca) type this, our precious son is on the floor playing, doing his baby bicycle leg kicks, but not only that, he's enjoying the sound of his voice as he 'coo-sings'. Last week however, on Tuesday, he gave us a little scare. He had a small seizure while was nursing him. He hadn't had one up until this point. He had no fever, and nothing was out of the ordinary. It only lasted about 10 seconds, but those 10 seconds seemed to last a lot longer! Simon was completely normal afterwards, playful and smiling, with no idea what had just happened.

I tried reaching Marshall who was teaching swim lessons to some missionary kids. I couldn't get ahold of him or the mom of the kids.  I was nervous and scared. I was crying while trying to interact with him and keep him smiling. I knew we'd probably be going to Lima to get him checked out, but I needed someone to tell me that too. So I called a fellow nurse on the field, but she was with a mission team in another part of the jungle, fortunately with cell phone service. She answered, and knew right away I was crying. I told her what happened, got her advice, and had the assurance that yes, we needed to go to Lima.

I sat there and prayed over Simon, and through my fears and tears, they were very emotional (and loud) prayers.

Then I realized I didn't want to be there by myself. All of our good neighbors had either just moved or were out of town, and our primary teammates were out of town. I thought of my good friend and mom of 4 boys and called her next. She and her husband were here within a few minutes. He left shortly after to the pool where Marshall was teaching. Their company and help will always be appreciated!

Though it was an anxious situation, not knowing if Simon is to have an epilepsy disorder, a tumor, or who knows what, bottom line I was out of control. I had to trust my son's life to God. Though He is the Author of Simon's life, and knowing that He loves Simon more than I do, the deepest part of me ached with fears of "the worst". I wasn't really trusting Him at all.

Yet, He showed us so much of Himself and His hand was obvious in the next 48 hours. We were able to get on a flight that night to Lima. There was space at the mission house for us to stay. He reminded me of our friend's pediatrician who is also a neurologist. I called first thing the next morning, and though she was booked, she came in early to see Simon. She is German, grew up in Peru, was trained in the US, and speaks English! She's been practicing for about 40 years. We were very impressed with her quality of care! We were able to get the blood labs drawn. And the next day was the EEG. We left the mission house an hour and 45 minutes before the appointment, but got stuck in HORRIBLE Lima morning rush hour traffic. We pulled up to the office right on time. He wouldn't sleep during his time slot for the EEG and we ran out of time. But we stayed there in case the next patient was older and could do the EEG quicker. We wore Simon out playing with him and keeping him active, and the next patient was a NO SHOW!! (THANK YOU LORD!) Simon was OUT within minutes and didn't budge as 20ish probes were placed all over his head. He slept the entire 30 minute recording of the EEG.....and then for another 90 in our arms! :-)

Then it was wait time.

We didn't hear from the doctor until this past Tuesday, but everything came back good. Labwork was all within normal ranges for his age. The EEG overall was "nonspecific", not showing any specific problems. It did show "diffuse slowing" which is the most common abnormality on an EEG, but she wasn't concerned about it. She said that we'd continue to watch him.

Simon hasn't had any other seizures, and we are praying that we won't see anymore! For those of you who knew about this back home and were praying....THANK YOU! Please continue praying with us for his growth, health, and a seizure free life! :-)

(And here's a bonus picture of our sweet boy who proudly holds his head up while on his belly and who can now roll over like a champ!!.....and yes, he's teething too, thus the amber necklace! :-)  )

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Video Update

We hope this is the first of many video updates to share with you all! This one is just the highlights of our ministry and lives here in Pucallpa. Pictures and words can tell great stories, but video footage says it best!

Small Groups

Mil Palmeras (the church plant we're working with) encourages people in the church to be involved with small groups. Last fall we were part of the small group of Julio and Olga Chaing (our SAM Church planting teammates) being "pruned" in order to start our own. We began our small group at the end of May, and we've met several weeks now (except on Father's Day). Our group meets on Sunday nights, and it's a time to discuss the sermon, pray, eat, games, and to enjoy getting to know each other.

Since it's a fairly new group, it's a little small right now, with 6-8 regular attendees. We'll be growing more in the near future as we've recently talked with several people in the church who don't have a small group and would like to be part of one. We're looking to mix the group up with people of different age ranges, professions, marital statuses, with or without children, etc. Its a great way to have a smaller community within the church to be able to encourage and edify each other!

Women's Prayer Group

A few weeks ago, I (Becca) realized that I don't really know many of the Peruvian women in the church very well. There are times that I still feel new, and outside of the table discipleship groups, there aren't too many activities (right now) to get to know other ladies. (And I'm not one to walk up to someone I don't know and start a conversation of out nowhere.....maybe I should be better at that!) The ladies that I know by name are volunteers at the crisis pregnancy center, but I don't know them well.

I was also feeling quite removed from things being a new stay at home wife/mom to a great husband and a beautiful little boy. I knew I would get involved with Latidos de Esperanza (the crisis pregnancy center) in a few months, but how could I get "out there" and get to know some of the women better? Then the idea came to me to have some key women over a few times a month to share and pray. After talking it over with Julio and Olga, and getting more cultural insight, it began.

We started meeting the first Saturday of June. Its a small group, right now 4-5 of us, though we'd like between 5-8 ladies, meeting every other Saturday morning. I talked with a few ladies in church, who were very eager, one saying she really needed something like that. Most work full time, sometimes 10-12 hours, Mon-Fri, or are young moms. I've been pleased to see the vulnerability already as we share our hearts, lives, what God has done and is doing. I pray this continues to be a great time of fellowship and mutual edification as time goes on and we share with each other.

Mother's and Father's Days

This year Marshall and I got to celebrate our first Mother's and Father's Days as parents. We know that being parents will present its many joys as well as its shares of trials and frustrations, and we won't be able to do a good job without God's help. We daily ask Him for wisdom to raise (for starters) Simon well. We're blessed to be parents. 

Here's a few snapshots from our home photoshoot on Mother's day.

Missionary Momma

I've always heard that being a mom is a full time job, but you never know for sure about many things until you actually try it! Wow is it so true! I learned VERY early that there is always still something for a mom to do even at the end of the day. I do delight in being a "homemaker" for this season in life, though there are times that I miss many stateside conveniences that would make this homemaker's life easier!

Like clean (er) fruits and veggies. It literally takes me all morning to get our produce edible. After a trip to the market, you've got to disinfect all of it, either in soaking in bleach water or using other products. The other product I use (called Kilol) is best (in my opinion) for the leafy veggies. You don't have to rinse with the nasty tap water, just let it dry completely.....so my lettuce, cilantro, basil, etc gets to lay out on the table in front of a fan.

Marshall has graciously taken over the chicken and beef prep (deboning) for me. Which is great! He does it more quickly and efficiently anyways.....and that's less salmonella on my hands!

And then there's the laundry. We are blessed to have a washing machine, but the Lord is santifying us more in not having much water pressure or a hot water heater for the clothes. We conquered the water pressure issue in that we have a HUGE plastic tub by the washer that we fill with water when the washer isn't filling. Then we pour the buckets of water in them to save time (a 40 minute cycle is about an hour and a half just because of how slow it fills!)

(Baby clothes on a jungle clothes line........'cause they're a lot cuter than our clothes!!) 

It's mainly the cloth diapers that need the hot water......so how do we work around it??? We carry out 4-7 buckets of hot water from our shower (which my great husband so lovingly installed a 'widow-maker'.....oooo....that looks worse typed out!). These cloth diapers need to be washed every 2-3 days. They require work, but are so much cheaper in the end! Several people I know use them, and have been saved thousands of dollars in diaper purchases.....and from what I understand, disposable diapers are more expensive here anyways.

We were awarded a diaper grant from Cotton Babies, and were also given many as gifts, either sent down by friends and family, or were financial gifts that we used to purchase the remaining needs. Here's our diaper collection....we should be set not only for Simon but for his future siblings (and no....there are none in the works right now!)

And then there's the cleaning.....We live on a dirt road that sees a fair amount of traffic, and our house only has 2 closed off rooms to help keep dust out. That leaves the rest of the house to clean. You can sweep and mop in the morning, but you'll have a new layer of dust to sweep by the afternoon.  It goes without saying (though I'll say it anyways) that there is always something to clean. 

And finally, the kitchen....we've gotta eat! So since we don't have the luxury of frozen meals or tasty take out, it's all done by scratch. This takes up time, and there are days between making bread, peanut butter, cleaning veggies and fruit, making dinner, and washing dishes that I truly feel that I'm in the kitchen all day!!

But most important of all is the time that I spend with Simon, so these things take place while he's napping or contentedly playing on his own. A mother's job isn't always easy, but it sure is worth it! Especially when I get to look into this sweet face all day! =) 

Simon's Segment

As proud parents of a great little baby boy, of course we have to give an update on him!! He is such a joy and we love seeing him grow by the day as he hits those developmental milestones as well as he develops new fat rolls! =) He's now 3 and a half months old, loves his bath, loves tummy time (until he exhausts himself), and loves to smile.

Here are some of the monthly changes we have seen:

Week One (poor lil' skinny guy!)

:

One Month

Cashibo 5K

A month ago a 5K run was held out at Cashibo, which is about a 20-30 minute drive outside of town. SAM Air runs their ministry there, as well as the Swiss Mission. Jack and Lisa Sluiter, SAM Air missionaries organized it. They served here several years ago and had organized these runs then, and were back here for a year filling in a need at SAM Air.

When I heard late March that it would be held on May 25th, that became my first fitness goal and motivation for me to get back into shape after having Simon. I really missed running in those last months of pregnancy, so I was eager to get training! It'd been over a year and a half since my last 5k, however I'd never done one in the jungle!! 

May 25th arrived, and I had already completed my own personal goal of running non-stop for 40 minutes (knowing my last 5k time was 36:36 minutes, plus adding in hills and jungle humidity). I was grateful that we had overcast skies that day. It was still humid, but without the sun, it'd be a lot easier for me!

It was a beautiful mix of people there! Adults and children, missionaries from various organizations and countries (USA, Germany, and Switzerland), and Peruvians from both the city of Pucallpa and from various tribes, either that live across the lake from SAM Air or that are studying at the Swiss Mission right now.  Some of us ran with good running shoes, others ran with flip flops, and others ran barefoot. I kept my own steady pace, but it was amusing in my mind when I knew that someone from a village was coming up on me it because of the shuffling of their flip flops behind me. 

Here I come!!

There I go!!

It was a beautiful and fun run. I'm so glad I did it! Marshall and Simon were waiting at the end for me! I  forgot to stop my watch when I went through the finish line, so I'm not sure of my exact time, however about a minute or so later I stopped my watch at 37:30....so I think I was close to my last 5k time! I hope there are more opportunities like this in the future in Pucallpa. 

Here's a  great video that Jack and Lisa did of the run, and you can see my handsome guys in the video as well!! Enjoy!!

His Hands

One thing Marshall and I discussed prior to Simon's birth was that we were excited about learning more about God as Father as we became parents. This class has only just begun.

During the last trimester, we couldn't see Simon's face in the ultrasounds because he always had his hands up by them. He's relaxed a bit now, but those first few weeks he often had his hands up by his face or his hands in his mouth, as shown in the picture below. (Here he was only a week old....watching the gators play basketball with his daddy). 

His Hands that Provide:

In those early weeks, I often had to fight Simon when it came time to nurse. He was hungry but eagerly went right to those hands. Here I was trying to give him exactly what he needed, yet he was comfortable and settling for something that wouldn't fill his needs. He of course didn't know what he was doing, but how often do we do this with God? He knows our needs (even before we ask Him), and so often without knowing that we're doing it we eagerly fill our lives with something less satisfying, something comfortable, all the while, He's fighting us to give us what we really need. We need to get our hands out of the way and open them to what His hands have to offer.

CS Lewis said it way better than I ever could:
"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far to easily pleased."

His Hands that Protect: 

There's also the protective side of me that has arisen. I was given a head's up that the mama bear would come out of me. My skin reacts to bug bites worse than the average person, and the itching can be quite annoying! However now that we're back in the jungle with Simon, I'll take every bite as long as he doesn't get bitten! Its been one of my prayers (especially in a house full of critters) that if anyone gets bitten or stung that it be me. Even now as I write I have two annoying spider bites on my belly, but I'm so relieved that the vermin didn't touch my boy! I know I can't keep harm from him his entire life, and its only a matter of time before he gets that first bite or sting. 

But on a grander scale, how much does God the Father, God our Rock, Fortress, and Shelter as He is so often described in the psalms, how much does He protect us from? I've often thought of that when I've grumbled about being stopped by another red light when I'm already late....but it could be those 30 seconds that He may have protected me from an accident. We could never know all the things He has protected us from, but as His children who've trusted in His Son, we know we are protected from an eternity without Him in misery.

And that's where His immense love for us boggles my mind. I've only held Simon in my arms for 8 weeks, and carried him in my womb for 9 months, and as much as I love him, if faced with the option, I can't say that I would give his life to save yours. Yet that's exactly what God did for us! 

- He provided a way of grace, free salvation. We are so comfortable and eager to work for it ourselves, we want to prove ourselves, thinking we can earn something. It doesn't work that way! 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.

- He protected us from an eternity without Him, in hell, in misery, yet not protecting His Son in order to provide us with an eternity with Him. 

There's so much to understand still about God's love for us, that we'll never come to a full comprehension of. All I know is as I look into my son's eyes and my heart is filled with so much love for him, I'm at a loss for words that God would even look upon me like that in love. Yet His love is greater and purer for us, and the concept that He really loves little Simon more than I do....which is WAY more than A LOT! 

Our Lima Family

The Berry family housed us during the 2 months preceding Simon's birth, and for the 2 weeks following his birth as we worked on American and Peruvian paperwork for him. I (Becca) was part of their team 2006-2008 while working in Lima. Words will never be able to adequately express my gratitude for their hospitality while we were there. A roof over our heads, a bed, endless meals, car rides, games, coffee time on the roof. They welcomed us as a part of their family, and our friendships grew a lot deeper too. The kids were also super helpful both in my pregnancy and afterwards. 

Please also pray for them and their ministry in Lima. 

Thank you again Mark, Lori, Emmett, Anna, Taylor, Abigail, and Hadassah!!! 

Past Due (this post....not the baby!)

Hey blog readers! Well....it's been a few months since our last post. We've had our hands quite full of a new little precious life!! Simon Marshall Kitron was born on March 9th at 9:20pm in Lima, Peru. He was 6 pounds, 4 ounces and 19 inches long. (A LOT smaller than we all expected!!) He is 8 weeks old today, which is so crazy to think! My how time flies!

He came after 19 hours of labor, and what an incredible story too!! When I had my appointment with Dr. Arce (my Lima OB/GYN) back in October, he informed me that he'd be on vacation on my due date. He had a replacement for him, who we saw the day before Simon was born. We weren't at ALL comfortable with him (Couldn't operate the ultrasound, the doppler, no exam, and then his receipt said "medical surgeon"). I'd decided to go with a 'natural' birth, and didn't want him to cut me for his convenience either. So as we left, and both of us weren't thrilled with him being the replacement option, we began praying that Simon would come 4 days later, and if not, we decided we'd use another doctor there at the clinic. That was March 8.

March 9 at 2am contractions began. I slept on and off through them until about 6:30 when Marshall woke up and I told him. We began timing them, and it was the real deal, as much as I was trying to deny it, not knowing who'd be delivering our baby. Lori (the wife/mom of the family we were staying with) called the clinic to see what my options were since we didn't want the replacement. They said I could have the on call doctor, so that's what we decided. We labored at home until around 2 when it seemed like it was time. We arrived to the clinic and I was checked in. We were thinking I was somewhere around 4 cm, and how disheartening that after 12 hours of labor, I was only 1cm!!! UGH!!

When they asked who my doctor was I told them, and said we knew Arce was gone, we didn't like the replacement, so we wanted to use the on call doctor. Apparently it wasn't that easy. The nurse had to call Dr Arce to get his permission for me to use the on call doctor if I didn't want his replacement. I felt bad because he was on vacation. She came back in a few minutes later saying that she got ahold of Dr Arce who was still technically on vacation, but arrived to Lima the night before, he said it was too bad that we didn't like his replacement, but he'd be there that night to deliver Simon! WHAT?!?! Wow...such a huge blessing!

I'll spare the remaining labor and delivery details, but all went smoothly, no complications, and Simon joined us at 9:20 that night!

36 Weeks

Here we are again....this time at 36 weeks!!!  

Our little guy is still doing well, growing more and more, and still squirming! Marshall will be here to visit again this weekend, and we have an appointment on Friday to see our little guy again....last time he was covering his face with one of his arms and the other hand. Time is growing closer, and we're both SUPER EAGER to meet this lil' fellow and embark on the wild adventure of being parents!! 

Thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers for us!! We'll keep you posted on any baby happenings!! 

Rainy Season

It has been rainy season for quite some time now, and Pucallpa has been missing out on some of that torrential rain pour! This past weekend was a different story though! It started raining late Thursday night/early Friday morning, and didn't let up for a long time! 

I (Becca) wish I could have been there though....I haven't experienced a downpour like this yet in Pucallpa, it doesn't rain here in Lima! (Well, if it does, its a light spritz).

We have a rain gauge at the house, and when Marshall left Friday morning to teach PE at SAM academy he checked it, and emptied it. He came home after about an hour and a half, and there were 5 inches in the gauge!! He was supposed to leave that day with a few guys from the church to visit Isaac and his family in Huanuco (a Peruvian family sent out to minister to the Quechuas in that area). The trip up the Huanuco often has landslides during the rainy season, and they also had rain all night long....The trip was postponed a day to see how the roads were holding up.

Since I'm not in Pucallpa, I can't take pictures to document all the rainfall, but due to the social media of FACEBOOK, here are some images that have been circulated around by some of our friends in Pucallpa. 

These are from the SAM base:

These are from around town in Pucallpa:

32 weeks (and 3 days)

Here's the latest 4 week update.....I'm 32 weeks along now. We had our check-up with the GOOD doctor in Lima last week, and all checked out well! He measured right on time, even weighs right at 4 pounds! He's definitely getting bigger and stronger! He kicked my ribs for the first time last week too (I'm sure it'll only get stronger!) 

He's been skyping with his daddy too!!  Yesterday he had been laying good and still for a while, and Marshall started talking to him....within about 15 seconds the little guy started moving around again and responding to his voice. It was cute to witness! 

Dengue Free and in Lima

I (Becca) have been in Lima now for about a week and a half, and I'll be here until after our son is born.

Dengue fever is a mosquito borne illness, and Pucallpa was hit early and hard this year. After reading several medical articles on dengue in pregnancy, getting dengue in the third trimester can be dangerous for me and the little guy (especially the hemorrhagic strand). So Marshall and I made the decision to send me on to Lima 2 months early. It seems that the cases of dengue has gone down in Pucallpa, but we've seen a huge rise in mosquitos too.  The incubation period is quoted to be between 5-8 days after a bite before symptoms arise. Now 10 days out, I can safely say I don't have dengue!! :)

I am staying with a family I worked with here in Lima when I was here 2006-2008, the Berry's. I am so grateful for their hospitality, and the days living with a family of 7 have flown by a lot quicker than they probably would've had I been residing in the SAM Lima guest house! 

Its been great to see old friends here too. 2 of my dear friends got married over the weekend, so between that joyful event and church on Sunday, I've been able to see many friends from my time of service here. 

On another note, its been nice to be around supermarkets, good restaurants, and movie theaters again! :)  

Oh! Not to mention good healthcare!!! Speaking of which, I had to get a medical certificate of a doctor verifying that it was ok for me to fly (that I wouldn't go into labor on the 1 hour flight to Lima). After the "scare" we were avoiding returning to that doctor (who I found out later refused to do the certificate for a friend of mine). Marshall called a friend at church who is a pediatrician, he told us where at the local hospital we could purchase the piece of paper, and had one of his OB/GYN friends meet up with us. I was praying there would be no exam (that hospital is quite dirty!) and he'd just look over my medical information and write the note. Which he did, but asked several questions along the way, and was kind-of a jerk about our answers and his opinion....

Dr- "How old are you?"

Me- "31"

Dr- "So then how many children do you have?"

(This guy is used to dealing with teenage girls)

Me (excitedly) - "This is our first!" 

Dr- "Why did you wait so long?"

Me- (internally.......'What's it to you? And 31 is not THAT LONG') "Well, its just the way God wanted it to be."

Dr- (shaking head)- "Well, that's too bad, I'm afraid you won't be able to deliver this baby vaginally at your age." 

*note....no exam was done at all by this man*

Me- "Um.....no.....I'm pretty sure my age is fine to deliver vaginally. I am a nurse, and I've been on top of things with this pregnancy."

*another note....throwing out that I was a nurse probably meant absolutely nothing to him.... here, generally doctors don't really respect the nursing profession.*

Dr- "When are you returning from Lima?"

Me- "Sometime in March after the baby is born."

Dr- (in jerk-tone)- "Why don't you want to have the baby here?"

Me- (internally.....'because if people like you don't think I can deliver this child vaginally only because I'm 31, then I don't want you near me or my son with a scalpel!)  "That's the decision we've made for our first child, and we like the healthcare in Lima."

There were some other interactions, another favorite was him completely changing my due date after seeing two doctors already gave me the same one. In the end, he gave us the piece of paper I needed to board the plane, if the airline asked for it, which ironically, they didn't (nor did I offer it to them).

As a nurse friend of mine in Pucallpa said, "I'm sure glad you're pregnant here in Pucallpa! Its given us lots of things to laugh about!"

Pucallpa Baby Shower

The weekend before I left for Lima, several missionary ladies threw a baby shower for us! It was so much fun! Brunch food, games, presents for our little guy, some which were home-made and hard work! We were showered on very well by this great group of ladies! 

One of the games was a small plastic baby in ice.....
the first person who's ice melted away from the baby
 had to say "My water broke!" and would win a prize
....my water didn't break first though! :-)

Religious Visas

Today is a big day for missionaries in Peru. Its the last day the president has here to sign an amendment to a law made several years ago stating that non-Catholic religious visas are only to be given to groups who have 10,000 or more members. The amendment allows those visas no matter the number. The previous presidents have signed the amendment each year with no problem allowing us to live and serve here. 

He's had this on his desk for several months now. We've known a little bit over the last few months, but didn't know specific details until recently. Essentially if he doesn't sign, we will not be able to renew our visas as they are right now. Some think it'll blow over, others are looking at the possibility of having to pull out. For us, the timing isn't the best with having a new baby about the time our visa needs to be renewed. 

We haven't made it too public, because we didn't have too many details. Some of you reading this knew about it, and have been praying....THANKS! 

I don't know how other mission organizations will handle the situation. Our field leader has been back and forth from Lima-Pucallpa attending meetings and trying to get things worked out if President Humala doesn't sign this amendment. He has met with the Christian Missionary and Alliance denomination who does qualify to be on the registry (10K+ members), and they have agreed to take SAM missionaries in Peru on. Praise the Lord! So even if the president doesn't sign, we have a way to keep and maintain our visas here in the country! 

Please continue to pray about this situation. Though our mission has a way to stay, many of our friends and partners in God's work here in Peru need a way to stay too.

Maternity Photo Shoot

We had a special privilege to be able to take some maternity pictures in the same location where we had our engagement pictures taken about 2 1/2 years ago. We took the pictures in Cashibo, just outside of Pucallpa, where SAMAIR operates and the pilots and mechanics reside. Our friend Jan Kooistra took the pictures for us, and I've had fun editing them (while here in Lima). Our little guy will be here soon!! :)

Here are some of our favorites:

GO GATORS! =)

Psalm 139:13
For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.

The trickiest for editing, but a lot of fun! I saw a similar idea on line and wanted to do this for our lil' guy! You can't tell, but Marshall is holding the baseball glove! :)

Christmas and New Years

This year's holidays were different for us. We both have spent Christmas and New Years here in Peru before, but as singles.....Marshall here in Pucallpa, and me (Becca) in either Arequipa or Lima. Even though the months here are technically summer months, the jungle is always summer......and hot and humid, so it never really "feels" like Christmas. The brief time we had in Lima a few weeks ago there were lights, music, and decorations all over, so it had more of the "feel" of Christmas. Pucallpa didn't really have much of that.

We did get a little tree and some decorations, brought out Christmassy dish towels, and I had my Christmas playlist playing as often as I could.....but sweating in hot weather while listening to Christmas music just didn't seem right! :)

In Peru, they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a big feast and fireworks at midnight. Not much goes on the 25th. So as Americans, we get the best of both! We joined our teammates the Chaings and the Lucases for the Christmas Eve dinner (not at midnight though....closer to 9 instead!) and fireworks.

The next morning, Marshall and I woke, ate some delicious monkey bread for breakfast, skyped with family, and then ate lunch with some friends who work for Kids Alive, the Riveros and the Chacons.  That was a nice mix of Americans, Peruvians, and my Northern Irish friend.  After a nice visit with them, we came back to the house, enjoyed our AC while watching a few holiday movies and playing video games! :)

New Year's Eve is pretty much the same.....there are parties and fireworks. Some of our neighbors down the street invited us over for fireworks, so we joined them.

And so here we are in 2013. A year that will bring some great changes in our lives and we look forward to welcoming our first child in March!

We hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years!!

Our only holiday picture in front of our humble tree! :)