Navidad en Perú

Though I won't be able to go home to the States this year to celebrate Christmas, I'm very excited to learn and participate in some of the Peruvian Christmas traditions. One very popular Christmas tradition in Peru is to drink hot chocolate (chocolate caliente) and eat panetón. Panetón is a type of sweet bread that contains chocolate chips, gummies, or small pieces of fruit. Around the holidays, it can be bought it any store or bodega throughout Peru. The typical hot chocolate is no Swiss Miss mix. It is much thicker and richer than the hot chocolate that I was accustomed to in the United States. The water and chocolate is mixed with evaporated milk, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and sometimes even oatmeal to create a very delicious, sweet, Christmas beverage. A few nights ago I was able to enjoy this rich dessert combination at the home of some local friends. Yessenia and her daughter Juanita (pictured above) have frequently worked with LCMS World Mission in the past and continue to remain friends with the different missionaries (long and short-term) who have served in Lunahuana.

Enjoy making this delicious drink yourself!

Peruvian Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

• -3 cups water

• -1 cinnamon stick

• -2-3 cloves

• -1 oz. square of unsweetenedchocolate

• -1 can evaporated milk

• -1 heaping Tbsp. oatmeal

• -sugar to taste

• Bring the water to a boil with the cinnamon stick, cloves and chocolate cube.

• Once boiled, turn down flame and add evaporated milk and oatmeal. Stir for 5 minutes or until the oatmeal is cooked through. Watch closely to make sure it doesn’t boil over!

• Add sugar to taste and more milk to increase servings as necessary.

  
  

Praise Ye the Lord

In that day you will say:

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done,

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

Isaiah 12:4-6

Vino

"A lo suyo vino, pero los suyos no lo recibieron." Juan 1:11

The following link is a beautiful film put together by members of The Lutheran Church of Panama and LCMS World Mission missionary, James Neuendorf. The film is entitled "Vino" which is Spanish for "Came". It tells the Christmas story as if it happened in present times in the country of Panama. It is in Spanish, but most of the story is visual. Enjoy!

http://www.vinocortometraje.com/

Thanksgiving Festivities

Though I was not able to be at home for a traditional Thanksgiving with my family, that did not keep me from celebrating. Thanksgiving, or Accion de Gracias, was incorporated into my English classes this past week as we learned about this popular holiday in the United States. In the adult and youth classes we discussed the history of Thanksgiving and how it is celebrated in the United States today. In the youth classes we also talked about how Thanksgiving in celebrated today and did many different activities in class to celebrate this holiday. Over the past two weeks we have been learning vocabulary for fruits and vegetables, so for Thanksgiving we also learned about the blessing of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). Along with this Bible lesson, we created "Fruit of the Spirit" mobiles.

Please continue to pray that the Lord would continue to bless me with opportunities to talk about Him in the classroom and outside of the classroom.

Sand boarding for my 24th

Last Saturday marked 24 years since the day I was born and what better way to celebrate than by hitting the sand dunes of Huacca China, Peru. Huacca China (top picture) is a small oasis about 3 hours south of Lunahuana where tourists from all over the world venture to try their hand at sand boarding and to enjoy dune buggy excursions. Anthony, Jamie, and I spent the afternoon cruising the sand dunes with our driver, periodically stopping to slide down the dunes on our boards. Afterwards we relaxed in Huacca China, enjoying the atmosphere of this enchanted place. The beautiful contrast between the dry, barren desert and the rich, lush lagoon gives us a small glimpse of the creativity of our Creator and the vastness of his masterpiece. Thank you all for your birthday wishes from the United States (and a few other countries). I am extremely blessed by all of you.

The only down side of the day was the mistake made on my bus ticket. Instead of "Katie Lane" it says "Kathie Lame"....a new alias, perhaps?

Teaching Pictures

Some students from my adult class. (From left: Eda, Sara, Maria, me, Christian, and Peace Corp worker Pat) Pat also teaches one class at the training center.

Bruce Wall, LCMS World Mission Area Facilitator for Latin America and the Caribbean, helping teach an English lesson.

Teaching the children!

Corre Sin Limitas ("Run Without Limits")

Last Saturday a total of 10,000 runners put on their running shoes and neon-green t-shirts to participate in the We Run Lima 10K. Anthony, Jamie, and I could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of this event and I'm excited to share that all three members of "Team Luterano" successfully completed the course. The run was held at 7:30PM and the starting line was just a few blocks away from the mission apartment in Lima. With a beautiful route overlooking the Pacific Ocean, different bands playing throughout the course, and thousands of people cheering us on, the experience was one to be remembered! Thanks to the presence of fellow missionary and area facilitator, Bruce Wall, I have some great pictures to help capture the event. Enjoy!

A Holiday Weekend

Last weekend was an eventful one as Monday was a national holiday here in Peru. With the long weekend, the Lunahuana area was busy with tourists from Lima and other parts of the country. The streets were full and all the vendors were out selling chocolate, wine, jewelry, and other hand-crafted materials. It was enjoyable to be out and about, watching different interactions and conversing with a variety of people.

Last Friday night we had a birthday party at the training center where I teach English to celebrate all the October birthdays. Nilda and Pablo, the couple running the program, are planning on celebrating birthdays the last Friday of each month to give the students and teachers the opportunity to meet outside of the classroom and enjoy one another's company. The night was full of dancing, conversing, eating, and laughing. The whole group is pictured below.

On Sunday night, one of my students had a birthday party at his house. Willie turned forty and was kind enough to invite Jamie and me to his home to celebrate with his family and friends. Though the start time was "seven", Jamie and I arrived between 8:30 and 9 to find that we were some of the first people there. :) Oh, Latin America. As we conversed, more and more people arrived and the dancing began in the living room. One tradition that many Peruvians seem to have is that the person who is celebrating his or her birthday stands in the middle of the group and takes turns dancing with each person of the opposite gender. When it was my turn to dance with Willie, the whole group began laughing at the site of a tall, fair-skinned girl dancing with a short, Peruvian man. They called for Willie to get a chair in order to spin me and the joke continued throughout the night.

Let's just say this is not the first time my height has been commented on. :)

The whole group celebrating at the training center!

A Peruvian Scenario

Read the situation below and respond with what you think would be the best solution to the problem from the given options.

You are a foreign English teacher living in the country of Peru. Each day you arrive at the training center where you teach around 2:45PM in order to begin classes at 3:00. Your mode of transportation is usually catching a moto taxi or a regular taxi to get up the mountain from where you live. The ride is only about 5-10 minutes, but the walk would be a good 45-50 minutes. Most days you begin walking around 2:30PM and a ride stops within 10 minutes. No problem. Most days.

Today is different. You get out of the house a few minutes later than usual and begin the trek. You walk...and walk...and walk. No sign of any cab. You keep walking. It's been about 15 minutes when you run into one of your students. "Has visto un moto?" you ask. Have you seen a moto? "No, no he visto nada." is the response. No, I haven't seen anything. Great. You keep walking. Where have all the motos gone?

Time is ticking and you're not sure what to do. It's hot. You're sweaty. And you are carrying all your teaching materials. Class begins in about 10 minutes at this point, but it's still at least another 25 minute walk. Then you realize that there really are no options and you keep walking. Tick tock, tick tock. Hmmmm. Wait. What's that?! You think you hear a car about to turn around the bend and you stop. "Please be a cab" you think to yourself.

You are in luck and so relieved to see the cab sticker that you excitedly wave it down. But as soon as it stops you wonder why it did. The front seat has three people crammed in and the back is full with four. Clearly you weren't the only one wondering where all the cabs were. It's about five minutes to class at this point and you have a decision. What do you do??

OPTION A

Wave the cab on by and keep walking. There's no room for you in that car and you're not about to sit on a stranger's lap. Besides, being 15 minutes late to something is not a big deal in Latin America, right? Sure, you are the teacher, but you're usually very punctual. Once is not a big deal and maybe another cab will come around that turn in a few seconds...

OPTION B

Ask the cab driver if he'll drop the others off and come back for you. It will take a little longer, but you'll know for sure that someone is on his way. You may only be 5-10 minutes late with this scenario.

OPTION C

Pop the trunk open and hop in. Heck, you've got places to be and are tired of walking. It's only about a 3 minute ride from here and there aren't laws against doing this in Peru. You think you've seen other people do it and the driver obviously thinks he has room for you somewhere.

Dear Grandma

October 26th, 2010

Dear Grandma Donna,

Land-line phone calls...I don't think so.

Hand-written letters....are you kidding me?

Morse code....let's be serious.

I'll be honest, grandma. I didn't think this day would come. But now that it has, I want the world to know that yesterday was a day to go down in the history books. Not only did you get a computer and turn it on, but you successfully got online and skyped with me for 45 minutes. It took me a second this morning when I woke up to remember if it had been a dream or reality. Sure enough, your name was still on my Skype list when I logged on. Beautiful.

Let me know when you start writing a blog or get Facebook.

Your technologically inferior granddaughter,

Katie

PS If you talk to Grandma Kay, let her know that it's been too long since I've skyped with her. I'd like to change that.

Psalm 121

The view out my backyard in Lunahuana.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Salmos 121

Cántico de los *peregrinos.

¹ A las montañas levanto mis ojos;
¿de dónde ha de venir mi ayuda?
² Mi ayuda proviene del Señor,
creador del cielo y de la tierra.

³ No permitirá que tu pie resbale;
jamás duerme el que te cuida.
⁴ Jamás duerme ni se adormece
el que cuida de Israel.

⁵ El Señor es quien te cuida,
el Señor es tu sombra protectora. ^"
⁶ De día el sol no te hará daño,
ni la luna de noche.

⁷ El Señor te protegerá;
de todo mal protegerá tu vida.
⁸ El Señor te cuidará en el hogar y en el camino,
desde ahora y para siempre.

Peruanismos

Even if you speak Spanish, you may not recognize some of these distinctly Peruvian words and phrases. Enjoy!

English- Spanish- Peruanismo

House- Casa- Jato

Money- Dinero- Plata

To sleep- Dormir- Jatear

To be very tired- Estar cansado/a- Estar trapo/a

Very- Muy- Recontra

To study- Estudiar- Chancar

Party- Fiesta- Tono

To work- Trabajar- Chambear

Job- Trabajo- Chamba

A moment- Un momento- Un toque

Homegirl- Amiga- Pata

EFL News

Last Monday I was blessed to begin teaching English at the training center in Uchupampa which is a small anexo in the district of Lunahuana. To begin with, I am teaching four classes: two for youth and two for adults. The English classes are being run by a Peruvian man named Pablo and they are the first classes to be held in this building. Apart from me, there are two Peace Corps volunteers who each teach one adult class a few days during the week.

The classes are all beginning at the very basic level as most of the students have no English background or very little experience with the language. The number of students in each class continues to change each day, but I usually have between 10-15 students per class. Though numbers fluctuate a bit as we get started, there is a solid number of core students in each class who have remained consistent. It's been fun being able to see students outside of class as I spend time in the community and begin to hear more about who they are and where they are coming from. Please continue to pray for those relationships.

Another prayer request is that this Wednesday there are plans to begin a Bible study! LCMS World Mission teams and missionaries have done different outreach activities in the past and built some deep relationships in Lunahauna. The Lord is using those connections in many ways, one of which is to gather a group of people to start studying his Word on a consistent basis. We are not sure how many people to expect the first night, but many have expressed interest and seem excited to participate. Please pray that the Lord would richly bless our conversations that evening and that his message would be shared in its truth and purity.

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door four our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ..." Colossians 4:2-3

Unity

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who unites us so beautifully in faith and love. Since the recent move to Peru my mind has been dwelling frequently on this concept of unity as I find myself physically so far away from loved ones back in the United States. There have been many moments so far when I’ve actually felt very close to home thanks to Skype, e-mail, and Facebook. In fact, just last week I was able to watch the Twins game at a restaurant a few blocks away from where I am staying in Lima. On the other hand, there are also frequent moments in which I feel like life in the U.S. is a faint memory and that I’m completely out of touch with what is going on there. Being immersed in a very different culture while knowing that daily routines are still taking place back home makes it difficult to grasp this concept of unity. However, I am encouraged to know that even living on different continents, we share in fellowship and unity by the power of the Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:1-2 states, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Though our locations may look and function completely different, we are united as we are blessed and instructed by the same God. As Christians, we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and confidently know that we are one because Christ leads and guides us all.

Reconciling Human Suffering with a God who Loves

"The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word 'love', and look on things as if man were the centre of them. Man is not the centre. God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake. 'Thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created' (Revelation 4:11). We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest 'well-pleased'." C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Where exactly is Lunahuana??

In case you are not exactly sure where in Peru Lunahuana is located, this map provides a good visual. Lunahuana is southeast of Lima, Peru's capital. The terrain is mountainous and there is a river that runs through this community. Lunahuana is well-known for its river shrimp (camarones) and its white-water rafting (canotaje). In fact, it seems that every time I tell a Peruvian that I am going to be living in Lunahuana, I'm quickly asked if I have been white water rafting or tried the shrimp! This area of Peru is also filled with vineyards making wine production another source of income for people in the community. A delicious Peruvian fruit called the "nispero" grows in excess here and is produced to sell in other parts of the country.

nisperos

Happy Spring!

The end of September marks the beginning of spring here in Peru! It is strange to me having just left Minnesota on the brink of autumn, but I would never pass up beautiful spring weather. Many people enjoyed a flower show here in Lima a few blocks away from the mission apartment to celebrate the change in season. I spent some time walking around the park enjoying the unique arrangement of flowers.

During the past three weeks I have spent most of my time here in Lima attending language school down the street. It has been a great experience and I have been blessed to learn much about the language and culture in a school setting. Next week, I will be moving to Lunahuana permanently to start teaching English classes on October 11th! Please keep all the planning and transitioning in your prayers.

Safe Arrival

As you can tell from the photo, I am extremely EXCITED to share that I arrived safely in Peru last week! Though there is much to learn about the people and culture of this beautiful country, I am enjoying all the initial introductions and looking forward to the upcoming weeks and months in which I will be further immersed.

The day after getting picked up from the airport in Lima, the Peru team took a trip down to Lunahuana which is where I will be living during my time here (see picture: from left to right- Jamie, me, Anthony). We spent a few days meeting people, eating delicious Peruvian cuisine, and spending time in this mountain community. Jamie and I were able to stay at our house for the first time and began figuring out how to make our way around the city. After a two night stay, we returned to Lima and began language training on Monday. Our school, "El Sol", is located a few blocks away from the mission apartment here in Lima. We spend half our time each day working on grammar and the other half working on conversation skills. It is hard work, but I am learning much each day not only about the language, but about the culture, the history, and the people of Peru.

Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support! :)

Official Departure Date!!

Many of you have probably already heard this, but the official departure date for Peru is....drum roll, please...... SEPTEMBER 7TH!!!!

I will be leaving that morning from Minneapolis and have a lay-over in Atlanta before flying to Lima. Jamie will also be flying to Peru that day, so I will meet up with her in Atlanta to catch the same flight to Lima. In case you've forgotten, Jamie is another missionary with LCMS World Mission working in Peru. She will be my roommate while there and is responsible for coordinating the short-term teams that come down from the U.S. If you'd like to learn more about Jamie, you can check out her blog (http://jendorf.blogspot.com) or take a look at her prayer card on the LCMS website (www.lcms.org/ca/mission/prayercards/index-v1.5.asp).

Keep us in your prayers as we travel down to Lima together on Tuesday!

A Cloud of Witnesses

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Throughout Scripture, God makes it clear that there is power in numbers. From the friendship between David and Jonathan and the companionship between Paul and Silas to the creation of Eve to partner with Adam to Jesus calling his twelve disciples, it is evident that God ignites power in numbers. God uses Christians to sharpen one another, to encourage one another, and to pray for one another. Sometimes it's those relationships that keep us going, give us discernment, or challenge us in some way. There is strength in this edification that sometimes cannot be explained.

I have been richly blessed these past three month to be encouraged and lifted up by a vast group of brothers and sisters in Christ as the Lord prepares me to leave for Peru. Many of these people have supported me financially, many have eagerly asked for updates, and many have responded to this calling by offering prayers on my behalf. I am humbled by the commitment and dedication and PRAISE GOD for using these men, women, and children to provide for me. WOW! If you are reading this, you are likely one of those people....so THANK YOU for your support.

Last Wednesday I was especially blessed as a group of these loved ones took time to come to my parents' home to pray over me before leaving the country. Each one shared verses from Scripture and other words of encouragement that are still running through my heart and mind as the Holy Spirit prepares me in ways I could not have even imagined. They then prayed over me, confidently asking for the Lord's protection and guidance. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

What a gift it is that God invites us to come together in prayer to Him! It reminds me of the early church in Acts 2 when it says, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2:42-43). I have been deeply supported by the fellowship that God has surrounded me with these past few months and the prayers so many of you have offered to God. May we be filled with awe together as the Lord works in us and through us not only in Peru, but in all the places that he has brought us to.

My house in Lunahuana, Peru!!!

Fear is a Lie

"Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, 'Don't be afraid; just believe." Mark 5:36

Mark chapters 4-6 portray a strong tension between between being afraid and having faith. Chapter 3 begins with Jesus telling the Parable of the Sower in which he explains different ways in which his Word is sown in the hearts of men...Sometimes it is stripped away by the worries and desires of this world. Other times it produces results a hundred times more than what was originally sown! At the end of this chapter we see Jesus displaying his power and authority over the wind and the waves as he calms the storm despite the lack of faith in his disciples. He says to them, "Why are you so afraid? Do you sill have no faith?" Mark 4:40. Fear. Faith. It seems to be a difficult tension.

As the chapters continue, we see Jesus healing a demon-possessed man, a sick woman, and a dead girl. We see him feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. We see him walking on water amidst gusts of wind that have caused the disciples to strain at the oars of their boat. Miracle after miracle showing Christ's control over each situation yet time and time again the disciples and other followers weakly succumb to the fear so prevalent within. Fear....resulted from trust put into something or someone other than the One who has the control...control that had been displayed right in front of their eyes. "And [Jesus] was amazed at their lack of faith." Mark 6:6

It is interesting to me how fear and faith seem to have this tension when there really should not be any tension at all. We are assured by Christ throughout Scripture that He does hold authority and power over EVERYTHING! In John 16:33 he says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Friends, fear is a lie! We have nothing to be afraid of when our faith is in Jesus Christ because he has complete control. So what is it that is causing you to be fearful? To worry? To stress? I encourage you to bring it to Jesus in prayer.

Even when we are faithless, Christ is faithful (II Timothy 2:13)....how is he showing you his faithfulness?

A New Call

"So we are always

of good courage. We

know that while we

are at home in the body

we are away from the

Lord, for we walk by faith,

not by sight."

II Corinthians 5:6-7

Part of the Peru team!

Greetings, loved ones! As a new chapter in my life begins to unfold, I've decided to

change the blog along with it. I hope you enjoy the new pictures and updates along

with the new stories and adventures!

As most of you know, the Lord has called me to Peru next year! This is a

tremendous change, but I am very excited for this new journey. Philadelphia was a

great experience and I miss my friends and students there, but I am looking forward

to what Peru will have in store this upcoming year. Some of you are aware of the

path that the Lord took me on that has lead to this decision, but for those of you who

do not know how this came about, I would like to take a moment to share

it with you...

For the past six years of my life I have been praying about doing mission work in

Latin America. Many of these prayers were prompted and encouraged by short term

trips I took to places like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama. It was especially in

those moments that I felt the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart to stay for an extended

period of time and serve the people in this region. In college I was blessed to be

able to study Spanish and missions which continued to encourage my desire to do

mission work somewhere in Central or South America.

Throughout college it was my intent to serve overseas after I graduated. I

believe that our God prepares us in many different ways for the future ways that He

is going to call us to serve Him and at the time I saw my time at Concordia

University as a preparation for the mission field. During my senior year I contacted

multiple mission organizations that worked in Latin America, however, all the

positions that were offered to me never seemed like the right opportunity. I prayed

over each one and talked to many different mentors about some of those positions,

but the Lord never extended His calling. Instead, the assurance came with an

opportunity to go to Philly and teach at an elementary school while beginning my

Master's degree in education. I was placed in a school that was vastly Hispanic

and thought that perhaps the love I had for working in this culture was for my time in

Philadelphia. It was, but I later found out that it was also for much more that lies

ahead.

Though thankful for the experience I was having in Philadelphia, I did continue to

take a look at some websites for mission organizations thinking that in the future I

may still desire to go overseas. One day while I was skimming some opportunities,

I came across a position in Peru that seemed ideal for me. It was a position as a

relationship builder through teaching English as a foreign language with LCMS

World Mission. I e-mailed the coordinator to find out more about the position. After

about a four month application process, much mentorship, and prayer I ended up

taking the position.

I am extremely excited to be serving in Peru and am blessed to have a wonderful

team to be serving with. I was able to meet many of them at missionary orientation

in Chicago a few weeks ago. LCMS World Mission has been doing work in Peru

for about two and a half years now. The original response was disaster relief due

to an earthquake that hit a portion of the country. Since working there, many

relationships have been built and more opportunities to serve have developed.

One of these areas of service is teaching English which is where my role comes in.

I will teach youth and adults at a community center in an area about two and a half

hours southeast of Lima.

What a blessing it is for all of us to serve in whatever capacity the Lord calls us to!!

As we walk by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, may we remember to keep

our eyes fixed upon Him who loves us and praise him for the countless ways He

pours His grace out upon us!

Circle

In light of Easter, here are some powerful lyrics to listen to and meditate on...

Flyleaf - Circle Lyrics

Circle encircles the earth
Chance and choice break his heart
His innocent arm moves
To save me and I am spared

His beautiful arm is bloody and cut off
His heart ripped out to show me he loved me
But I would'nt believe him
He did all that he could, I still would not believe him

I left his arms empty and tied
Outstretched for me until he died
I left his arms empty and tied
Outstretched for me until he died

No man shows greater love
Than when a man lays down his life for his beloved

I left his arms empty and tied
Outstretched for me until he died
I left his arms empty and tied
Outstretched for me until he died

And here I'm alive
And I don't have the right
He gave me the right costing him his life
New mercy's in the morning

I believe, what if I believe you now?
Could it ever change this?
Forgive me, don't leave me
And please come back to life

I believe, what if I believe you now?
Could it ever change this?
Forgive me, don't leave me
And please come back to life
Come back to my life

I believe, what if I believe you now?
Forgive me, relieve me
Please come back life

To listen to the song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHblSrbgxmI

The Next Whoopi?

Today my assistant principal approached me and said that I would make a good nun. Though all the nuns I have met this year have some great qualities (yes, even you Sr Mary Clarence), I can assure you all that a life in black and white is not where the Lord is calling me.

Thank-you, single gentlemen, for that polite sign of relief. I'm flattered.

Dodging a Bullet....

First of all, I apologize for all of you who have been following my blog. There has not been much to follow lately and it is my goal to keep it more updated with prayer requests, stories, and Bible verses. The story I am about to share happened a few weeks ago, so some of you may have already heard it. Having said that, it's still worth the write-up...

During the month of January, I was blessed by a visit from my aunt. Cindy was here on business and decided to stay the weekend in order to visit with me. She was able to see my classroom and stay at the house with me and the other volunteers.

Cindy arrived on Friday night and we wanted to do something low-key because we both had just finished very busy weeks. We decided to go to dinner and a movie so we'd have time to chat and relax. I was so happy to have a visitor and was even more excited because this visitor had rented a car. No public transportation for the weekend- we could get around with convenience!

Cindy and I left the house around five to drive over to University City where we were going to eat and see a movie. The restaurant that I wanted to eat at is actually connected to a theater which was perfect. We stopped by the theater first to check movie times, picked one out, and then went to the restaurant. During dinner we talked about many different things from school to grad class and from faith to future plans. One question that Cindy asked me was, "Do you feel safe living here?"

Armed with a response because this is a question I am often asked by my loved ones back home I replied, "Where I live and where I teach are not the safest areas by any means. However, as long as I am smart about where I go and when I am out I don't ever feel threatened or unsafe. I am sure to tell people when and where I am going just so someone else always knows. Also, I am safe about where I go in my free time. I love coming to this area (University City) because there are university police all over the place. It's probably one of the safest areas of the city and I have never felt otherwise." Our conversations drifted to other topics while we continued to eat.

At about seven, Cindy asked if I was ready to head over to the theater for our 7:20 show. I said that I was, so we paid and began walking to the door. Right when we were about to go outside, I said, "Do you mind if we stop by the coffee shop down the street? I am craving a white chocolate mocha and it's my favorite place."

"Do you think they will let you take that into the theater?" She responded.

"I think I"ll risk it." I replied. We began walking.

Saxby's Coffee was a block away. I remember noticing a cop car driving by while we were walking and the only reason I took note was because it was driving the opposite direction on a one-way street. "That's odd." I thought. "Well, I am glad they are patrolling!"

We walked into Saxby's, I got my mocha to go, and we stared going back towards the theater. As we approached our destination, we noticed a crowd of people standing outside of the restaurant and multiple cop cars blocking off the street. "Hmmm." I said. "Something must have happened down the street. I think we can walk on that porch to make it to the theater. "

"Stop right there!" A cop yelled at us as we walked toward the theater entrance. "You can't go in there. Turn around, please."

"EVERYONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!!!!" Another cop yelled to the growing crowd of people. We followed the rest of the people across the street and waited for more directions. I just wanted to see the movie.

My aunt turned around to another bystander and asked, "What happened?"

"There was actually a shooting inside the lobby. A masked man went in to rob the place and an off-duty cop was in line. The cop was shot in the leg and another bystander was shot in the arm. I haven't heard if anyone else got injured or whether they caught the shooter." My aunt and I looked at one another wide-eyed realizing that we should have been inside the theater at the time of the shooting.

"Guess Someone was looking out for us!" She said with a half-smile. "And I don't think we'll be seeing that movie tonight."

Later that night we watched the news only to find out that what the bystander had told us was true. We also found out that the robber got away and was never caught. He supposedly had a get-away car parked down the street (probably very close to where we were parked, actually). It is crazy to think that we should have been in the lobby at the time of the shooting, but we were both thankful for the Lord's protection. And that he's blessed me with a mocha addiction.