What's Next???

So we have been in Arequipa now for almost 3 months...and that means our time here is coming to a close. We were only here for language training for 3 months and will be moving on to the jungle in a week and a half. I knew we would only be here for 3 months...I've known the whole time. But now, now that our time is actually coming to a close I am filled with emotions. One of those emotions is excitement...I am very excited for what lays ahead. But right now, I am also sad. Sad to be leaving so many that we have come to love so much in these last few months. The Lord blessed us with an amazing Peruvian host family. Yes, they feed us and give us a place to stay, but they have done so much more than that. They have truly welcomed us into their family. They love Kai to death and cared for him on occasion, taught him Spanish and he in turn adores them...asking about them a lot and always wanting to give a round of kisses to everyone after every meal. This week Juana, our madre, made Tyson's favorite food for his birthday...Chifa (which is a mix of Peruvian and Chinese) and gave us a cooking lesson so hopefully I can duplicate it in the future. They have a wonderful way of making us feel very special and loved and we praise the Lord for placing us in their home for this time.

Happy Birthday Tyson

We have also been blessed to be in the city that is the base for Extreme. That means we have had many other Extreme families around us during these last months which has been wonderful! We have been able to get to know those working hard behind the scenes and have been able to better capture the full vision of Extreme! Kai has loved playing with all the other kids, Tyson has had a some great guy times with the men, I have loved spending time with the amazing women that are apart of our team! We are going to miss you all a ton!

Kai with his buddy, Emma

Kai and his pal, Janna

Kai with this McMinnville/Peru friends, Joshua & Mylie
Some of the amazing women I have been blessed to know here in Arequipa!

What's next you may ask...well, I'm glad you did! We will be leaving on the 21st of May to head to Iquitos...a jungle city in the north of Peru. Although we are sad to be leaving friends behind here in Arequipa, we will have our amazing 40/40 team of Olivia, Callie, Wendy and Andrew with us...and we are excited to finally meet their Peruvian partners who will be joining us in Iquitos. We will also have the Hunt family with us for a few months in Iquitos as well. Brad & Michelle Hunt and their son, Tyler, will play a huge part in supporting our 40/40 team...and all the other 40/40 teams in the areas of medical and logistics.


In Iquitos we will be in school doing theology, cultural and church planting training. We will be in the classroom in the mornings and out working with the local churches in the afternoons. I am excited because I know that is so much for me, and all of us to learn. I am a little nervous because it will be intense training...and it will all be in Spanish! Your prayers for all of us Americans to fully comprehend all that is needed would be greatly appreciated! We will be in Iquitos for 5 months and then, at the end of October we will head to our final destination...Puerto Maldonado!

Please be praying for our entire team as we transition to Iquitos. It will be very different from Arequipa...it is a big city, but in the jungle on the Amazon River (kind of exciting), the food will be different, school will be intense, living situations will be different, and we will all go through culture shock again. But, we will be serving the Lord, learning a ton, meeting new friends and forming new relationships...and be one step closer to our work in Puerto Maldonado!

Thank you to all who have been faithfully praying and supporting us. We feel the Lord's hand on us here and know, without a doubt, we are where we are supposed to be!

Dios te bendiga! (God bless you!)