God, Family, Friends, Ministry!!

Since my last blog post we have finally moved into our new house in Picota (even if it is only 2 doors down from the Compassionist Sisters' house, where we were living before)! Moreover, we even have internet access at home now! This is really such a blessing. It is amazing how much of our daily "business" we now take care of online, from banking to research, to skype-ing with family, to finding downloadable home school materials, etc.. I think that the web is even more of a boon for those out of the country because we can tend to our affairs and find information and materials in English that we would never have access to otherwise. So, while there can be abuses of the world wide web, I maintain that it - just like so many other forms of media and communication - can be used for much good as well.

One of my favorite uses for the internet lately is receiving my weekly informative updates about what is going on in my pregnancy! Yes - that's right!! The Browns have been blessed again and are expecting #4! We were quite surprised to find that I was pregnant, and even more thrilled that the pregnancy has been a healthy and promising one! After experiencing many miscarriages, we always hold our breath a little bit until we get out of the riskiest period. Yet, all seems to be going very, very well, and I am tickled pink to enjoy feeling each little hiccup and aquatic somersault! The doctor has prescribed a lot of rest for me because of my history, but he is also quite confident that all is well. Please keep us and our little one in prayer!

In ministry news, we continue to work with married couples and families, preparing them for various sacraments and providing adult catechesis. Our family, along with our parochial team, just finished our mission of visiting each and every house in town to invite them to parish events and to inscribe those who want to partake in sacrament preparation. You see, there is no mail system in town, and very few people have telephones. If you want to reach the people, you have to do it the old-fashioned way! While I may have felt terrified to do such a thing in the states, here it turned out to be quite a blessed experience! You see, while we Americans cringe at the sight of a stranger walking up our front walk, the Peruvians (like many 3rd world cultures) are much more inviting and welcoming. When they are at home, their front doors are literally "open" to receive whoever may wish to visit. If the door is closed, everybody knows that means they are not at home. It was our pleasant experience to find the people eager to accept us and to talk with us about our beautiful Faith! It is refreshing to be living in such culture that is still aware of the importance of friendships, neighbors, and community.

Just yesterday the parish "Comedor" (sort of like a soup-kitchen) opened its doors for the first time to feed the most impoverished children and youth of the town. In December, the parish completed a census to determine which of the households were in greatest need of help to feed their children. The comedor provides these malnourished children with the nutrition and energy they need in order to grow, study, and play as they ought. The financial relief this provides for their families will hopefully decrease the amount of pressure that parents put on their children to earn their own keep. Some children are so tired out from having to work that they cannot concentrate in school, and don't even show interest in normal, healthy play. The priests and sisters hope that the Comedor will help to address all these problems over time, as well as provide all of us missionaries with a chance to really "be Christ" His beloved children who come to eat there.

Other parishioners in town are pitching in to help with the project. This is an agricultural area, and several of the families have donated a portion of their crops to provide the comedor with fresh produce (and let me tell you - the fruits you see around here are top-quality! They would cost you a fortune in the States!). Yesterday, Kevin joined some of the other parishioners in an afternoon fruit harvest at one such farm, and their work provided today's children with oranges, papaya, different varieties of bananas, and zapotes (one of the many delicious fruits that I had never even heard of before coming to the jungle). Missionaries do not often get to see the "fruits" of their labor, but I guess this is one instance where it couldn't be avoided!!

One of Kevin's companions in the harvest yesterday was a special visitor on temporary mission from Spain. Alvaro and his wife, Juana are here for their annual three-month mission to Picota. They are quite an amazing and generous couple! We were particularly blessed to team up with them in presenting a talk at a recent retreat on the importance of a deep personal prayer life. It has been uplifting to work with another married couple, and we already treasure their friendship. As it turns out, Alvaro and Juana are also good friends of Family Missions Company's mission team that served in Cordoba, Spain a couple of years ago! It is amazing to watch the way God crosses the paths of His servants in such beautiful ways. It reminds me that borders, oceans, languages, and other such seeming-barriers are no match for God's providence and benevolence!

One last note from your missionary family in Peru is that yesterday Maria had her first day of school at the elementary school here in Picota! We prayed about it, and decided it would be a great way for her to improve her Spanish and to make friends with the children in town. Now, she will only attend 2 days a week, which works well because they only cover one subject per day here, and so she won't miss any material for her classes on the days she does not attend. The other three days of the school week I continue to home school her so that she won't fall behind in our curriculum. Learning to write in Spanish is great, but she still needs to be able to do it in English!

Well, that is all for now! Please keep us in your prayers and please stay in touch! May God bless you and your families with abundant grace.