Last night!

Hola everyone! We had a very fun day at the market today, but had to cut it short after about an hour and fifteen minutes of shopping because my team was selected to perform the drama for the hotel staff. It was an honor, because the trip leaders select the best team, but it also was a blessing to see 65 of the hotel staff accept Jesus. The total salvation count from this trip is now 7,6odd hundred people, which is really exciting! Another small miracle happened after our drama as well. One of our translators, Dean, is a Gideon, and he asked the hotel manager if he could put Bibles in all of the rooms. The manager told Dean he could if he got enough Bibles, which was awesome to hear.

Please pray for safe travels for everyone, some teams are on their way to the airport as I type, some of us leave the resort at 2 am (my team and a few other ones) and some leave tomorrow morning. God Bless,
Hannah

Last Ministry Day

Hey guys! Today was our last ministry day, and it was very bittersweet. It was a really fun day that we are sad is over, but on the other hand everyone is excited to go home. As we left the site where we did the drama, the congregation of the church we were working with surrounded our bus and prayed for us. It was one of the most powerful things Ive experienced.

This trip has really made me think about how much Americans rely on stuff to make them happy, and how Peruvians are moving in that direction. The most fun moments on the trip have involved a beach ball, some chicos peruanos, and a couple of gringos, while the hardest moments have involved handing out stuff. The people have so little they get so excited when they get anything for free, but they seem happiest when they are playing.

It was a blessing to see one of my translators from last year right when we returned to the resort today. ¡Christina te amo! See you all soon,
Hannah

Mickey D's!

Mmm....comida americana....today we got to go McDonald's after finishing our ministry out on the outskirts of Lima. It was pretty fun, and I've never known a quarterpounder with cheese to taste better. We held a mass birthday celebration today, because one person from my team and one of the translators turned 18 yesterday, and then another girl from my team turned 17 today. One of our leaders bought a chocolate cake, and we all ate that on the bus. It was pretty good!

When we were up at our ministry site, we talked to a man who had been bedridden with arthoritis for 12 years. He came to accept Jesus, and it was really neat to see. He was so joyful that some people from our team came into his home to pray for him and give him a Bible. Lots of love,
Hannah

Rest day :)

Hey guys! Because of the risk of rioting, our group is not allowed to leave the resort, so we get a much needed rest day. Our leaders decided it wouldn't be very good idea for the rich American tourists to be riding around on their private buses while no one else could get around, so we get to rest today. Most of the people who were really sick are starting to feel better, but almost all of us are coming down with it. They are not yet sure when we will be able to meet with the CI kids, so please pray for that. Hugs,
Hannah

Lots of Dramas

Hey guys! Today was a tiring day, because we performed the drama 4 times. We were going to do it a fifth time, but the school forgot we were coming so we will do it for them tomorrow. We performed the drama in schools, and it was really neat to see what they looked like.

The last time we performed the drama, we were in a park in a town square where it was illegal for large groups to congregate. We didn´t know that until after we were back on the bus, but fortunately our translators decided that the place wasn´t safe, so we left as soon as we could after finishing the drama. As soon as we all were on the bus and ready to go, two police men walked by. If we hadn´t cut our time there short, we all could have been arrested and fined! It was rather interesting.

Tomorrow is the day where many of us have the opportunity to meet with our Compassion International kids, but that may not happen because they will arive at the place where we are staying via public bus, and there may be a bus strike tomorrow. Please pray that it doesn´t happen, and that we can meet the kids. They may be able to reschedule it, but they may not. Also please pray for health and healing, four people from my team have been sick enough to not leave the resort for two days now. Thanks for all the support and much love,
Hannah

hmm....another ministry day?

Well, it´s been an excellent trip so far. Thanks for the support, it means so much. Today was another routine day where we worked with a local church to put on the drama in a few places and raise awareness about the church. Despite three people in the drama being sick, the rest of us were able to cover very well. We really need prayers for health, because almost everyone is sick or coming down with something. Most of it is just colds, but still no fun. Our scedule doesn´t allow for much sleep, and we are all dehydrated because the baños (¡hah!¡I just used a funky n!) out at our ministry sites are slightly less than clean.

I think the most moving moment I´ve seen so far was on the night of the fourth, when an Iraqi man came to speak to us. He once was in the inner circle of Suddam Hussain´s guards, but then became a Christian and left for Peru. His family is in Canada, but he is having legal troubles going there, so please pray for him to be able to join them. Anyway, I digress. The moving moment was when a retired Air Force pilot who served in the middle East prayed for him. It was shocking to think that they would have killed each other a few years ago, but here they were united in Christ in Peru. It really made me see the peace and unity that Christ can bring.

Peace and love, Hannah

A good day

Well, stuff has started going better already. The lost luggage came at about 11 last night, and we got the sound system all figured out. We performed our drama once today, and spent the rest of the time hairwashing and helping people around their houses. It was so amazing seeing the joy in the faces of the people who accepted the Lord.

Yesterday, one of the women from the church said that the church had been praying for missionaries to come from America for years, and there we were! It really blew my mind away to think that people had been praying for my team to go on this trip, even when we didn´t know what the trip was.

That´s about it, tomorrow is a rest day around the resort so I´m looking forward to sleeping. Thanks for the support and lots of love,
Hannah

First Minstry Day!

Happy fourth everyone! I appologize in advance for any typing mistakes, this keyboard is kinda funky. Look at all the fun symbols I can do: ñ, ¡, ¿, Ç, º, and ª. Anyway, today we went out to a poor part of Lima to work with a local church. We first saw their church, which was constructed out of plywood and about the size of my bedroom. Next, we followed the pastors from the church up to a concrete soccer field to wash hair and perform our drama.

During the hairwashing, the praise band from the church put on a little concert for us. Their passion for the Lord was so evident in how they were worshiping, even though we didn´t know what they were saying. Today we didn´t introduce too many people to Jesus, but we really encouraged and affirmed many people´s faith. The people from the church were so excited about getting the word out about their church it was humbling.

On a more serious note, we really need prayer on this trip. It seems like almost everything that could go wrong has, so we feel like Satan is trying to stop us. We´ve lost luggage, had sound systems conk out, and already have had sickness of people on my team. Please pray for God to protect us, and that we can continue to do his work.

In peace,
Hannah

More Training!

Today was yet another training day. My team is really starting to come together, which is really exciting. I can't wait to be in Peru with them! We worked for another 10 hours on our drama today, making in an hour working for every minute of performance. It's crazy! But it was really starting to look good, so it was worth it. Tomorrow we will be flying to Peru, so I probably won't be able to post. More about what God has taught me so far tomorrow, I need to go to FUAGNEM soon. Love to all!

Miami at Last

Hey guys! I'm in Miami and we just concluded our first FUAGNUEM (Fired Up And Going Nuts Ever Minute; the evening worship service type thingy) and our first day of drama training. It was a blessing seeing some of my friends from last year, in fact, the first person I saw at the airport gate to fly to Miami was a friend of mine who I had no idea was going this year. When we got the hotel, I met my roomies, and they are all awesome. Then we had FUAGNUEM, which was very powerful. The worship was amazing. There's something very moving about being in a room filled with 700 people all focused on praising the Lord.

Today, Tuesday, was rather tiring, because of our 10 hour drama training. The drama we will be performing for the Peruvians is called Spellbound: Toymaker and Son, and it's all coming together well. The people on my team are taking it seriously, and it's looking good!

I should go now, because of our evening meeting. Peace until I can talk again!

Tomorrow!

So, I'm about to leave. It feels kind of surreal, like this isn't actually happening. The packing process seemed so long while I was doing, but now that it's over, it feels like it flew by. It was amazing seeing the trip move from something theoretical, from names on a list of people going, to a bunch of packing lists, to a bunch of shopping lists, to a bunch of stuff strewn across my bedroom and family room, to real people I'll be meeting in less than 24 hours and finally to a packed monster of a suitcase.

I'm so excited to be going, but it's nice to be home. Thanks to all for the support you guys have shown. Montana was so awesome, it was a blessing to be able to go. I'm so excited I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight, but we'll see! God bless

Basic Info About the Trip

Hey! I will be going on a mission trip to Lima, Peru this summer from June 30th to July 13th. While we are there, we will be performing an evangelistic drama for the Peruvians, doing general work projects, and washing the hair of the children. The places of Lima where we are going are very dusty and dry, and most families don't have electricity, indoor plumbing, or enough money to buy extra water for bathing. When I went last year, we would have 2-300 kids lined up to have their hair washed. They loved it, and it was a great way to show them a servant heart. Also, I will have the opportunity to meet the Compassion child I correspond with, so I can't wait to do that!

As far as contacting me throughout the trip, I will be able to text and answer my phone during the first three days(training in Miami), but after that the only way to reach me will be through my email or this blog. I will probably only be online for 15 minutes each day, so sorry in advance if I don't respond for a few days. It was a humbling experience that helped me grow in my faith last year, and I'm so excited to go this year!