Daily Sighting

Just when we start to feel normal here, we open our door and see this in the park outside our home.  This group claimed they were taking pictures for fun, and the instruments were for props only.   We aren't sure who was staring more,  us or them?

Did Jesus Stand Us Up?

We had one of Sarah Caroline's friends run in yesterday saying,  "Did you know we are going to have a big earthquake tonight?" (except she asked in Spanish).  I had a short discussion with her that no person knows for sure when an earthquake or the end of the world is coming, but that God knows.  We had some good discussions with our kids this week, too, about the end of the world.  Sarah Caroline asked me today what I thought all of those followers of Harold Camping were doing today, and if they are disappointed.  I found this article that I thought was interesting, and we'll be sure and share it with our kids tonight.

This is the article from theresurgence.com :  Did Jesus Stand Us Up?

Peru Mission's May Update

Check out our missions' newest update by clicking this link:
Peru Mission May E-Bulletin

Daily Sighting

Sam and his sweet friends Mary Allen and Satomi

Southwest Salad

I just made this salad for lunch tomorrow, and it's one of my favorites that I found several years ago in Southern Living.  It's great with any mexican food, but it's also good with grilled chicken or steak as a meal.  It serves a crowd - as a side this recipe is enough for about 12 people.

Southwest Salad

• ⅓ cup cilantro
• ½ cup lime juice
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 head romaine
• 5 plum tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small purple onion, chopped
• 1 8 oz pkg mexican cheese blend
• 1 can mexicorn
• 1 6 oz can black olives
• 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 
  

     Dressing:
Process the first 7 ingredients in a blender.

Salad:
Layer the ingredients in a large bowl.

Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving.  If you don't like cilantro, you can serve this with ranch dressing instead.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm so thankful I get to be Mom to these four wonderful kids...

I LOVE these kids!  And I am very thankful for them and the joy they bring to our lives!  But I will say I am needing a bit of encouragement in parenting them right now, and here are some verses I am going to use to remind me of my call to motherhood:


Therefore, my dear (sisters), stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  
1 Corinthians 15:58


"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  Matthew 25:40

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  
Lamentations 3:22-23

This is a good reminder that my work in raising these children is not in vain - God is honoring my work, whether it be feeding the kids a million meals they don't really appreciate, or finding shoes for the tenth time that they should have found, and teaching them how to solve their disagreements, etc.  And whether I "succeed" or "fail" as mom, God is sovereign over their lives.  It's not all up to us.... we do our very best and pray over them and teach them God's word, but only God is shaping their hearts, we are merely the instruments.  And with every single thing I do as a mom, it is another opportunity to serve Christ.  And most importantly to me, where I am right now, His mercies are new EVERY morning.  When I can't get it all together, and I feel consumed and overwhelmed, HE IS FAITHFUL.  It's not about my strength, but God's.  Put things in perspective just a bit.  

Marcus and I are so incredibly thankful for our wonderful, godly moms that raised us, and we are sad we aren't with them today to give them hugs and celebrate.  We are thankful for the selfless encouragement they have given us to live in Peru, although we have taken their grandchildren so far away for a bit of time.  Mom and Marlene, we love you!  Thank you for keeping us going with your support and encouragement!  Happy Mother's Day!

Southern Pork Roast

This pork roast is honestly the first one I've ever used that I really love, and it will be a "keeper" in our family for many years, I think.  I've now made this several times, before we moved to Peru and three times since we have been here.  Everyone seems to love it, and it's great to serve a crowd or for a weeknight family meal.

• 1 5-6 lb pork loin
• 1 tsp. onion salt
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 10 ounce jar plum jam or jelly
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 
  

-For roast, preheat oven to 325.
-Rub pork loin with salts and pepper and place in roasting pan.
-Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, baste with half of sauce, and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 160, 30-60 min.
-Serve the remaining sauce with pork.

-For sauce, in a heavy medium skillet over med-high heat, saute the onion in butter until translucent.
-Add jelly, brown sugar, water, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce.
-Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 2-3 min.

I think you could do this in a crockpot easily for 8 hours on low heat, but here I use a pressure cooker and cook for about 1 1/2 hours but add extra water to the sauce.   I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and green beans, but this past Easter Sunday I served it with roasted tomatoes and roasted asparagus and red bell pepper.  Also, I used blackberry jam instead of plum because I can't buy plum jam in Peru.

Daily Sightings

My sweet little dishwasher

Apple Muffins

These apple muffins are the yummiest ever - a great gift for a new neighbor or stick one or two in a little bag to send to your child's teacher for a snack.  This is a easy and great recipe - but this is what happens if you are talking to your friends when you make them and forget to add all the flour.

This is what the pan looked like after we scooped out the little bit of muffin part and ate it in bowls.  Not pretty, but tasty.

 As long as you follow the directions, they are great!  Doesn't my photo want you to start making these muffins now?? Ha!

Apple Muffins:

• 1 ¼ cups veg oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups apples, chopped (Macintosh)
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 cup coconut
• Mix the oil and sugar well, then add the flour with the baking soda and salt.  Then add the eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the apples, pecans and coconut until mixed well.  Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.  
• 
  

Sleepy Sam, Good Friends, and Random Photo

This is how I found Sam about 3:30 one afternoon this week.  Why in this world did he think a suitcase was a cozy place to take a nap?  

He is so afraid he is going to miss out on some fun, so unless everyone else is headed to bed, he stays up too.  Sort of!  

But,  this is about how I felt Sunday night.  And Monday.  Tuesday was a bit better.  The reason?  I had three great friends come to Peru for a "weekend visit".  Crazy, crazy that they were only here for three days.  They slept in our house only two nights, and one night in Lima (well, sort of one night in Lima - it was actually only one hour of sleep that night!).  But it was SO worth it, and we made the most of our short time together!  Which is why I was so exhausted, I guess?  

I met them in Lima, and after a 26 hour delay we had a few hours together before heading to Trujillo.  We arrived in Trujillo about 6:30 am and hit the ground running.  Allen had some business and papers to take care of, but Carolyn and Candace helped me with the "walk"-pool (I walk Luke and Sam to school)  and got a tour of our neighborhood and home.  And we unpacked lots of this....

chocolate chips, instant oatmeal, protein bars, shout stain remover, dryer sheets, clorox pens and peanut butter

and this....

lots of donated medicines for the clinic

Then we had fun lunch with all the ladies of Peru Mission. 

Then we headed to the Arevalo church women's group, where Allen taught a Bible study and Candace and Carolyn led a craft.  The ladies LOVED seeing Allen (she and her mother-in-law started this women's group when Allen lived here)  and they also loved the craft.  After that we were treated to dinner with the ladies from the church and had a great time, although we were getting pretty sleepy by this point!

Saturday we gave them a tour of the medical clinic, met with Danny Hernandez of Peru Paper at her home, and had lunch at the beach.  They also got to have a tour of the Parish Woodshop.  

Sunday we had a day of worship at Cristo Rey then lunch and worship with our team at the Smith home, before it was time to say goodbye.  I was so thankful for all of the encouragement and laughing we had with their visit!

Now, on to random Peruvian things.... sometimes weird things happen here, things take forever to get done, and we just have to say, "It's Peru."  Last week was one of those things...  I took Luke and Sam to have little passport size pictures made for their school, and after having them made the "photographer" says, (in spanish) - "would you like the photo with all of your kids to be with our without stuffed animals?"  Well, I just reminded him that all we needed were the school pictures, but he insisted that the family photo was a free offer.  So we continued with the pictures.  Which ended up taking FOREVER.  He took them with the stuffed animals and without.  And it might be good to say that this was not a clean little room -  and with photos of girls in questionable attire which I was not in the mood to explain to my children about.  Oh, and also Luke had just spent two hours at the dentist office with half of his face numb, so he can't even smile straight.  And my kids were not dressed at all in anything that I would EVER have a family photo made.  But, anyway, after waiting an hour to have the photos touched up, having to buy food because the kids were starving (although let me remind you the photos were FREE), here it is:

(Sorry for the reflection - this is a picture of the picture)