New Space

After much searching and prayer we have finally found a place for our church plant!  We truly believe the Lord provided this place for us and we signed the contract this morning.  A week before it came up for rent I actually saw it sitting empty and rang the doorbell to ask about it but no one lived there.  It was in the paper a week later and I called to look at it.  It is a big space that we can grow into.  We were a little nervous about it being on the 2nd floor but it is right on the main road and the second floor hangs over the 1st to make it more noticeable.  We are excited to get started  The owners are making some modifications and we should get the keys on the 15th of April.  Here are some pictures:

main meeting area
main meeting area
men and women's bathrooms
men and women's bathrooms
eventual rooms for Sunday school
one of the rooms

 

 

Girls and glasses

Natali and Neomi got glasses this week!  They were super excited. We will see if that excitement abates through the years!  Here is a picture of them with their new glasses.  You can’t really tell but Natali’s frames are pink and Neomi’s are purple. 

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Looking for place

Well, this past week I have been trying to find a place for the new church plant.  Over the past couple of weeks I have surveyed several places in Cusco.  I’ve been all throughout the districts of Santiago and Cusco.  I have also walked throughout good portions of San Jeronimo (the district in which we live).  I’ve looked through the commercial advertisements a few times as well.  After doing all that, I was walking through a neighborhood just down the hill and across the main road from where we live and there was an empty space I found and I believe the Lord led me to.  The place was not in the paper and did not have a “for rent sign” but it is for rent.  We are “negotiating” with the landlord about this space.  It is one big room with a bathroom and a kitchen area.  It also has a yard with it.  Location wise, it is very close to the University, to the various bus stops, and to the main road.  Right now we are trying to get the price lower.  The landlord is asking nearly $300.00 (s/. 800 soles) for the space, and that is after her coming down from $373.00 (s/.1,000 soles).  Please pray for us as we seek the Lord’s will in this important matter!

Settling In

We have now been in Peru again for almost a week and a half!  It has been exciting being back.  We have the house all back in order and are trying to get into some type of routine again. All the family seems to be adjusting nicely.  Natali and Neomi started their school work again this week (not sure if they were happy about that or not). Rebecca has her kitchen all in order and I am enjoying the home cooked meals!  It has been neat for us to see a lot of the changes throughout the city, as well as, a lot of things that have stayed the same. Overall cost of living has risen across the board with groceries, gas and housing having gone up. There is road construction going on throughout the city. Depending on where you turn a road could/could not be closed. We have enjoyed seeing a lot of our old friends at the super markets and markets that we frequent. We also have some modern conveniences like a Maestro Homecenter (like a Lowe’s or Home Depot), which I have already visited 3 times. It is wonderful to be able to go to one store and get everything you need.  We also have a Starbucks and a KFC downtown to give us a taste of the U.S., if we are missing it.  The city of Cusco seems to be  growing and there are a lot more cars on the road.  I have noticed that I need not get in a hurry when driving because the roads are more congested.  We have been driving around the city and looking for potential places to start a church.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers!