Lemonade Anyone?

The kids had a very successful Lemondade Stand with their friends, the Berrys, this weekend. However, it was pretty hot, so they may have consumed more lemonade than they sold!

Peru Mission E-Bulletin August 2009

Left-click on image for larger, readable view.

Moms' Bible Study

Allen has really been enjoying the Moms' Bible Study at 1st Pres. in Corinth. They are reading and discussing "The Five Love Languages of Children" - a very insightful and thought-provoking look at how we can best show our children that they are loved.

Day at Hill's Farm

Steve and Dianne Hill are a dynamic Peru Mission couple living in Mississippi who are currently raising support to join the Ramirezes working in Cajamarca. Steve served as a Presbyterian pastor for several years, and Dianne has experience in the publishing business. We have blessed to be able to spend time with them lately, since they are taking Spanish classes here in Corinth every week. They hosted our family on their farm last weekend - a fun day filled with horseback riding, swimming in the lake, and eating good food (popsicles too!). We can't wait to see how the Lord blesses the Cajamarquinos through them!

Spanish Service in Corinth

Saturday night we attended the 9th Anniversary of the Spanish speaking church here in Corinth. We felt like we had travelled back to Peru in an instant! The celebration was an uplifting time - to join these brethren as they worship the Lord in their own tongue so far from home.

In Loving Memory of PawPaw

Allen's dear step-grandfather, Carrol Gilmore, passed away early this morning. He was a gentle, loving man who will be dearly missed by us all. He was a fun, precious great-grandfather to our children. Please keep Debbie and the Gilmore family in your prayers.

Peru Party in Jackson

We visited Jackson, MS, this weekend to enjoy a reminiscing party with the short term team to Peru from 1st Presbyterian Church. Carey and Nina Johnston were the generous, fun-filled hosts - we had great food, lots of laughs and even caught a few fish! They were even gracious enough to allow our family to spend the night in their beautiful home. We had a blast!

While we were in Jackson, we also got to have lunch with fellow Peru Mission-er, Grace Bateman. It's always great to see Grace and hear what God is doing in her life!

Soaking Up the Good Teaching

One opportunity we try to take advantage of while on furlough is to soak up good teaching in English. First Presbyterian Church in Corinth just began their fantastic Wednesday night program for this year. The kids participate in KidsQuest, while the adults are challenged by Pastor Don Elliott's class - The Journey - a brief, yet intense, look at each book in the Bible in a 9 month study.

Worship at Lawndale

We were blessed and encouraged to visit Lawndale Presbyterian Church in Tupelo, MS, this past Sunday. We have several strong connections with the church - Bill served as assistant pastor there while we were on our last furlough and the church sent a team to work alongside us in Peru several years ago. It was great to worship and fellowship with them again!

Courthouse Bluegrass

Tonight, after we finished homework, we headed down the courthouse to enjoy some fun, toe-tapping bluegrass music. Every Thursday night, talented bluegrass musicians from all around take turns playing for the folks enjoying a summer evening around the courthouse. We always enjoyed this event while living in Corinth during our last furlough, and hope to enjoy it often this time around as well. Who knows, maybe we can get our kids to play a fiddle tune up there sometime?

First Day of School

The kids started school today! We met a lot of their buddies at Harlow's Donuts before school, where we watched the senior class parade by, then dashed off for our first day of class. The kids were all very excited, even though they were a little nervous (it has been 5 years since they were in USA schools!).

Visiting First Pres. Jackson

After Bill preached at First Presbyterian Church in Corinth on Sunday morning, we headed down to Jackson to be present for the report of the summer mission team who visited us in Peru earlier this summer. Team leader, Danny Story, gave a brief report during the evening worship service; then several other team members gave brief reports in a meeting afterwards. Bill was even given the chance to thank them for their labor in Peru. It was special for us to hear their reflections and all they learned and experienced in Peru on this side of the trip.
We enjoyed visiting with lots of old friends while we were in Jackson, and are so thankful for the generous hospitality of our friends Julia and Terrell Williams. But, there are still lots of folks we didn't get to see, so we look forward to visiting again soon!