Dear...

Dear Peru: Thank you for letting me become a resident of your wonderful country! I will hold my residency card high and proud!!

Dear three-high bunk beds: Yes, I do miss church camp. But not this much...

Dear pizza: I didn't use to like you so much, with the exception of Coccia House (I just sighed a bit when I typed that!!), but thank you for tasting SO good, and for being available when I need a break from rice, vegetables and questionable meat.

Dear P90X: You will not defeat me! I am on Day 3, and going strong. But, on a nicer note, thanks for being a form of entertainment and group bonding as we all sweat to the sounds of your corny jokes and mind-boggling exercises.

Dear man walking down the street wearing a purple scarf: You might be a season or two behind, but thank you for adding a splash of color to your outfit!

Dear Amelia: Thank you for being witty and creative, and allowing me to borrow your idea for a blog! You saved my mind in a moment of dullness.

Dear 13 other girls living in my room: Thank you for becoming more organized once we received our dressers. My OCDness really appreciates it! Now if only we could do something about the trash.

Dear Brandi: I miss you like crazy, and I am still praying for you. You will always and forever be my sister. I hope you find the next step...

Dear ice cream from Artika: You are now and will always be my favorite! Your minty goodness is a little bit of bliss each time I buy you. I'm so glad for the days when you show up in that glass covered case, and I look down at you with a grin.

Dear cheap markets: THANK YOU for understanding that I am a missionary living off of s./140.00 ($40.00) per month. Thank you for selling me movies or other small goodies for a very reasonable price.

Dear cow stomach: No, I will not eat you. Please stop showing up at meal times.

Dear showers at Zamacola: I take you... every couple of days... because you are SO cold. Could we please work out some sort of arrangement so that I can smell better AND not freeze?

Dear Arequipa: If it's not too much to ask, could you get some rain? Even just for a day or an afternoon... I miss rain in my life!

Dear God: You seem to be working things out, even when we I am confused or missing family/friends. You continue to use me, even if I feel like I am not doing anything at all.

Dear readers: Thanks for reading :) Stayed tuned for more!

The past month of my life... exciting stuff inside!!!

Yes. I am alive! I have received a few emails lately from some of my followers, checking to make sure I am still alive and kicking, wanting to know updates and what has been going on in my life. Sorry I have not been able to keep up with this blog lately. Things have been super busy over the last month. I think I have talked to my parents twice in the last 3-4 weeks. Emails are backing up. But... that means I'm doing my work, right? :) Thankfully... I have a free day! So... here goes. I know it's long... but please, read to the end. There is so much to share!

LoVe ExTrEmE: Love extreme is the name of our most recent event. It encompassed three weeks in Peru in various cities. Love 1 and 2 were two different weeks set apart for different service cities. Impact events, service projects and construction all took place during these weeks. In between these weeks we had a major impact event in Arequipa. I will explain further down. This event was developed through Extreme Nazarene Ministries, and was a HUGE success in leading people to our amazing Lord and a lifetime in eternity :)

LOVE EXTREME 1

As you all know, I am assigned to the Cuzco group. We are still living in Arequipa until October, but we did get the opportunity to travel to Cuzco for the 2nd week of June, which is when Love Extreme 1 happened. The majority of our Cuzco group traveled to our future home, along with our pseudo parents and 20 short term volunteers from the States. During our time in Cuzco, we held many kids festivals in plazas or parks locally. It starts with a balloon and a microphone, shouting to anyone that can hear about the toys and fun times to be had. Kids seemed to appear from within the woodwork of this city, all anxious for attention and love. It was so good to love on these children... and it was an easy bridge to be able to talk with their parents as well. There were visits made to hospitals and nursing homes. We even had a hot chocolate night, which purely consisted of passing out hot chocolate to anyone that walked by and starting conversations with them. It was amazing to see how something as small as a cup of hot coco served as the bridge to a conversation about why we were there and what we were doing.

We were split up into small groups throughout the week, in order to do as many events as possible. So we were not all at every event. We have different favorite stories or moments from this week. One of my favorites, hands down, was getting to visit Mantay once more. For those of you that did not read my blog from earlier this year when we had visited Cuzco, I will explain Mantay. Peru is a country full of prostitution and sexual abuse, and Mantay is one of two main sources of refuge for these helpless victims. Mantay is a housing facility for girls ages 12-18 who are young mothers. These girls are either victims of sexual abuse, being sold to another family or rape. Mantay is a refuge for them and their children; a safe place for them both to grow up. We had the chance to visit these girls and do a skit, kids festival and interact with them and just try to love on them and encourage them that there are still good people in the world, even after all they have been through. This place already had my heart back in March when we visited. But this time I was able to personally participate on a deeper level. For the first time in front of a large group, I gave my testimony in front of these young mothers. This was really hard for me, and I was really emotional, since most of my family and friends don't even know everything I have been through. It was SO amazing, though, to see how God used my story to touch these girls hearts. I was looking into their eyes as I shared, and it was like I was looking into them. It was incredible, and I am so exciting to see how God will use it in the future as well. **I always knew that spiritual warfare was real, but we have all felt it and seen it SO much more than ever before since coming to Peru** After we left Mantay, I was in a taxi with three short termers when we were sideswiped by another taxi, shoved up onto the curb, then back onto the street. I was sitting in the passenger seat, and as a result was closest to where the other car hit us. Thankfully no one else had any serious injuries, and my injuries just consisted of back and neck pain. To this day, I still have that pain. But... it could have been so much worse. We were covered :) Ironically, after we returned to our hotel, and as we were walking up the hill, I twisted my ankle and fell on my ribs. I remember John, one of the short termers with me, saying (right after I fell to the ground) that Satan must think I am a pretty big threat. It was so apparent that Satan was trying to attack us and put us down. Which... just motivated me more to keep on fighting this fight in Peru!

Another cool part of our week was when we visited the construction site for our house. Our house is almost built for when we arrive in October. Every time I have seen a picture or heard a story from a volunteer that put their sweat and time into building it, it has humbled me and made me feel even that much more grateful for everything. But... to actually be able to visit our home while we were in Cuzco was SO much more than I could ever have imagined. Our house has three floors. The first floor will serve as the new location for our head church in Cuzco. The second floor is for the 40/40's (me) and the third floor is for our parents. It is SO exciting to actually look out of the window that I will soon be looking out of daily... to look onto the city I will soon be living in, serving in, fighting for.

Needless to say, Love Extreme 1 was AWESOME and I was so thankful to visit my new home once again.

LOVE EXTREME: BIG EVENT

While I was in Cuzco for Love 1, other groups stayed here in Arequipa, promoting the Big Event. Our group arrived back in Arequipa just in time to help with last minute promotion, and then the BIG day. During this day, we had kids festivals going on, men's and women's conferences with speakers from around the world!! There were different music groups from neighboring countries as well, filling the air with words of hope and how amazing God's love is. The finale for this event was speaker Nick Vujicic... a man without arms and legs, but on FIRE for God! His testimony and message was SOOOO powerful. A quote from our Extreme site...

"Nick estimated 6000 people raised their hands to accept Christ. Nick said, "There are too many people raising their hands. They don't understand. Say it again." He made the translator say "This is not a blessing, this is a commitment." . Most of the people raised their hands again. The group then was lead to speak with counselors. Not sure how many people went, but it was a HUGE crowd."

Over 10,000 people attended this event, thousands came to know Christ and so many doors were opened for the future. This day was a success. Hands down. It was so amazing to be part of loving these people, and to see how God was working.

LOVE EXTREME 2

Love 2, as well, was in several cities throughout Peru. My group stayed in Arequipa for Love 2, helping with CONSOLIDATION, which is SUCH an important part of why we are here, and how it is going to work. Consolidation involved us contact each and every single person that committed their lives to Christ, making home visits, and getting them set up with a church near by. As well, some of them volunteered their homes to be the meeting site for new churches that will be planted by 40/40's in Arequipa later this year.

Life outside of Love Extreme... what's happened since (or during)

Randomly, I have lost about 10 lbs. I have started running... or attempting to, and I guess it is working, even though my goal is just to be doing exercise, not to lose weight. I still eat like a pig, so that's good :)

After a month off, classes are getting ready to start back up this coming Monday. I have enjoyed the break, but I am looking forward to some consistency in our daily schedules. Plus... my Spanish can always use a brush up/I need to learn a lot more still LOL. So classes will push me a bit, just as Love did.

For me, the saddest part of the last few weeks is that my dear friend/sister/40/40 Brandi will not be returning to our group. If you remember from my previous blog, she had to return to the States because of back pain that had persisted for 3 months. She was able to come back down for Love, and it was SO good to see her. But, while she was here, it was decided that she had not made enough progress and there were other factors that would mean she had to leave our group for good. This sucked. Hard core. But... God gave me a peace about her leaving, because I love her. We all love her. We know that God can use Brandi in SUCH amazing ways for His glory, and we all want her to be healthy so that nothing stands in her way. I miss her like crazy already, but I know that, like with everything else, God has a plan.

Things have been crazy here. We have now been in Peru for just over 5 months. I can't believe it!! I am still in culture shock... with food, rules, missing my family, people... waking up and forgetting I am here every once in a while. Still adjusting... a staff member told me that I will never fully adjust. He meant it as comfort :) But... I'm still hoping that I will adjust more. I am excited to get back to my church here in Arequipa. We have all been so busy and helping out with things that we have not been in our own churches. Excited to get to work with the fruit of our labor efforts during Love.

Thanks for your prayers. Please keep them coming. It is SO exciting and rewarding to be here, but I would lie if I said it was easy. I get excited every time a little more of God's plan is revealed to me. I get excited when I notice changes He has made in me already, for the better. We are fighting a battle here in Peru... I have my boxing gloves on!

Oh man... LOVE EXTREME IS HERE!!!

I'm leaving... on a bus... for 10 hours. Where to, you ask? I'm headed to Cuzco, once again!! Extreme Nazarene ministries has some AMAZING things happening in the next two weeks. I will do my very best to keep you all updated as to how things are going :)

An overview of what will happen...

Over the next two weeks, we are having a major event called Amor Extremo (Love Extreme). Next week is Love 1 and the following week is Love 2. Tonight, my Cuzco group leaves for Cuzco, where we will be until the 16th. While in Cuzco (for Love 1), we will be doing impact/outreach events in the city and telling as many people as we possibly can. Then we will come back to Arequipa for Love 2. Others are staying in Arequipa for Love 1, promoting our HUGE event on the 19th. When we all return, we will be having one VERY VERY LARGE day full of celebration, worship, special guest speakers from around the world, and hopefully leading as many people to Christ as we can! Myself and the other 40/40s will be serving as translators/ counselors for those wishing to commit their lives to Christ, or just find out more information. For Love 2, we will be doing consolidation. That means that we will be visiting EVERY person's house that made a commitment to Christ, giving them more information, connecting them with a local church group and affirming their decision and new way of living. This is going to be HUGE for God, and a HUGE threat for Satan.

Please........... pray. Pray like you have never prayed before, that the Holy Spirit would be on everyone serving here in Peru, and that Satan would not win. We are SO excited to see how God is going to move in these next two weeks, and so humbled to be part of His plan.

I am taking my computer to Cuzco, and will try to update you as often as possible on the events taking place.

Thanks so much for supporting me in what I'm doing here... it means the world to me! God is so good... He has blessed me richly with each one of you.

A day in the life of Jaclyn...

A day in the life of Jaclyn...

(if I am feeling extra motivated and energetic)

5:45am-6:00am run around the block to get in some exercise (this could also be switched out for going to the gym a few days a week)

(if I hear my alarm, but was not motivated enough to run)

6:30am morning devotions with the whole group-- this is a GREAT idea that is faulted by the fact that some people are not morning people, but good idea nonetheless

7:00am-8:00am breakfast; try to look alive for the day... showering never happens in the morning because the water is solar heated, and is therefore freezing until the afternoon. I do try to wash my hair every morning in the bathroom sink. This reminds me of being a kid, when mom would have me lay on the kitchen counter and wash my hair! (miss you so much, mom!!)

8:00am-1:00pm Bible classes @ Zamacola-- we take a different class every week or two, taught by different professors, all information is taught in Spanish, which means I have to concentrate extra hard!!

1:00pm LUNCH!!!!! For everyone who knows how much I love food, this part of the day makes me really smile :)

1:30pm Shower?? This is not an every day occurance, for anyone. Showering is usually an every-other-day plan.

2:00pm-

whenever Right now we don’t have our afternoons planned, which is nice since it still takes us longer to do our homework with the language barrier. In a very short time, we will be doing practicals in the community in our afternoons... helping in local churches with various projects assigned by pastors

10:00pm CURFEW! We have a curfew to be back inside the building by 10:00pm. This is definitely something to get used to, as I have lived on my own for the last four years. But... they know what they are doing. By 10:00pm, we are all so tired from thinking so hard in Spanish all day that we need the sleep. Although... normally I won’t actually fall asleep until after midnight, which makes for an early morning to start the cycle again.

Thanks for taking a few moments to step into my shoes :) I am loving it here! And God is doing some really amazing things, both in our own lives as well as the lives of the churches here, and in the city of Arequipa as well.

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts! I appreciate them more than you know :)

new group in Arequipa!

This morning, at 7:30am, the men and women God has called to be part of Cohort 4 for Extreme Peru arrived to their new home. A bunch of us from Cohort 3 went to greet them at the airport with smiling faces, as they fought to break through the sleep-deprived fog. They welcomed the reception, and were very excited that people had showed up and cared. This cohort is a bit smaller than mine, but still... God has called these amazing men and women to do some amazing things here in Peru! It is really cool because in Cohort 4 there is a diverse range of ages, more so than in any other cohort. And yet, they all are already so close after a week of orientation, as if their age differences did not even exist. This is AWESOME! I remember being in that exact spot, 3 1/2 months ago, when we all arrived in Arequipa at 11pm at night, tired from the plane rides and not having a clue what to expect in the coming days, despite the best efforts of Extreme's orientation. It was really cool today, though, because a few of us got to take some of the group around town a bit and show them a trick or two to surviving Peru :)

Thinking ahead into the future for Cohort 4... I know that in my cohort we all miss our families. Different amounts at different times, but they are still missed nonetheless. And I was just thinking about one of the 40/40's (who I admittedly don't know much about yet) that is in her later 40's, and is a single mother of an 18 year old daughter. That has to be hard... I think I have it hard not being able to be at all of the family functions. But, she is just on my mind especially tonight, and therefore is going to be in my prayers extra as well.

That's all. Not much tonight. Classes tomorrow-- pray, please! :)

our group!

This is our group!! We have been SO blessed with our Peruvian partners... still waiting on a few because of timing issues, but they are almost all here! Please be praying for all of them!

We are the faces of the tools God is going to use to reach people in Arequipa and Cusco, Peru. Thanks for supporting all of us! :)

Zamacola... my new home

Hola mi familia y mis amigos! I miss you all SO much! I am writing you from within Zamacola, a church outside the city of Arequipa, Peru, that I will call “home” for the next several months. We eat here... sleep here... learn here... hang out here... it is our own little fortress. We have two rooms for sleeping- 1 for the guys and 1 for the girls. This means that, in order to fit 16 women and their belongings INSIDE the room, we are sleeping on three-high bunk beds, and walking over suitcases. It’s pretty much like church camp, for those of you that can relate, except MORE people and MORE stuff. Why is it that, as women get older, we collect more “stuff” and need more “stuff?” I don’t know the answer, but I am an addition to the problem, as I also have a few bags of things. We are all learning to communicate, work together, be flexible, share, be patient and be respectful. Somehow, I think this was planned! :)

Today marks the official end of my first week in Bible classes. These classes are taught completely in Spanish, so I’m not quite sure how much I have actually taken out of this week, but it’s a start! Poco a poco (little by little) I will learn this language, and therefore be able to understand better. For now, I have plenty of friends here to bounce off ideas as to what was just discussed. I am really excited for these next several months. There is a different class every week or two. We attend classes from 8am-1pm, Monday through Friday. In the coming months we will also be adding in “practicals,” when we will go out into the community with our partners and help the churches already planting in this area, as well as other things needed. It makes me laugh out loud to think that I was going to attempt to take online college courses while here in Peru, just to “kill to birds with one stone,” because there would NEVER have been enough time, and I would not want to take my focus away from life here in Peru and my service and growth as a child of God. Thankfully, God already knew that, which is why it didn’t work out for me to take those classes. I love that He is always on top of things, and is looking out for me before I even realize it!!

A few things to update you on....

1) Our Peruvian partners have arrived!!!!!! (For the most part) We are still waiting on two partners.... they are having a bit of difficulty finding Peruvian women. It is often hard to find them here because, since this culture is SO focused on family, often times their families are not willing to let them leave the home, even if it is for missions. SO, please continue to pray for those women as Extreme looks hard and prays hard for them. Also, please be praying for the partners that are now here. We are SO excited and blessed to have them in our lives, and to have their help as well, as we learn the language.

2) Brandi Courts, my very good friend/ 40-40 sister is still suffering with intense back pain. It is not for certain, but looks like she might have to go back to the States for further treatment. She is very sad and frustrated with all of this because she only wants to serve, and her pain is stopping her from doing that. And, at the same time, I have never seen someone have SO much faith in a situation with so little positives. So... please be praying for her. We are all praying that she is healed and does not have to leave Peru at all. But, if she does have to leave for further treatment, she is going to need those services provided for because we ALL used all of our money to get down here. So, please pray as well that those services or funds would be provided and she could get treatment and a quick recovery. We know that God is not healing her right now for a reason, and we don't know what that reason is, but we have faith that He will not give her more than she can handle, with His help.

Thank you SO much for reading this. I miss you all, and it's nice to have some small link to the other side of the world, so to speak. Please continue to email me at Jaclyn_Finn@hotmail.com for any prayer requests you have. Thank you so much for your support, and especially your prayers.

Hasta luego! (See you later!)

LOTS going on :)

Hola! Como estas? Yo estoy muy feliz porque es un fin de semana, y yo termine clases del espanol!! Ahorita, yo estoy comiendo popcorn y mirando una pelicula en my habitacion. Todavia, yo no saber muchas palabras en espanol, pero yo estoy tratando aprender mucho. Cuando yo llegue a peru en febrero, solo sabia hablar algunos palabras... por ejemplo: "Hola" y "uno, dos, tres..." :) Ahora, yo puedo hablar con otras personas en espanol y yo entiendo mucho!

Hello! How are you? I am very happy because it is the weekend, and I finished my Spanish classes! Right now I am eating popcorn and watching a movie in my room. As of now, I do not know a lot of Spanish words, but I am trying to learn much. When I arrived in Peru in February, I could only speak a few words... for example: "Hello" and "one, two, three.." :) Now, I can speak with other people in Spanish and I understand a lot!

*****

That is just a little taste of how much I have learned in three months! I am truly blessed and surprised at myself, but excited as well. Sorry for my lack of existence in this blog over the last two weeks. It has been crazy here with finishing up classes, studying for finals, preparing to move. GOOD NEWS-- I passed Spanish :) Well, honestly, everyone passed because it is impossible to fail, with the way classes are designed. BUT, I must say that I am extremely proud of myself, as well as all my brothers and sisters here at how far we have come. This past week I had three final exams: written, oral and listening. All went fairly well, and I am pleased with the level I am at. Friday afternoon our group had a graduation ceremony. Carmen, the woman that runs the school, passed out certificates to each of us. There was torta (cake), of course! It was so nice to have a group celebration.

Yesterday we had a youth service at one of the local churches. Every Saturday we switch where the service is located, to give everyone a chance to visit all of the Naz churches and it is also a good way to get every single community involved. Last night, at Ramiro, I had the chance to help lead worship!! IN SPANISH :) For those of you that know me, I LOVE to sing. And I have truly missed being on a worship team! Even though I know God can use me in many different ways :) Nonetheless, I was very grateful for that chance.

This weekend, I am sick LOL. Go figure. My immune system is not the best, since I have been sick three times in the three months I have been in Peru. However, I am very thankful that this time it is only a head cold. Side note-- if anyone would decide to send me a bunch of tissues, it would probably be a wise investment! :) I am still pushing strong, but also taking today to relax, in order to hopefully get all my strength back and let my body take a break from all the rushing around.

This Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays are "free days" for us 40/40's. There are no classes, and we are all going to enjoy these few days of relaxation before taking the next big leap in this journey. What is that next leap? Well-- glad you asked :) This coming Thursday we are getting our 40/40 Peruvian partners!! We all have been praying for our partners for quite some time now... hoping our Spanish is understandable so we all can communicate, praying over any difference that we might encounter (which we will) and also praying for our ministries together. My Peruvian partner, who I know nothing about except that she is a girl, is going to be with me from this coming Thursday through April 2012! I am SO excited to see how God is going to use this relationship and our ministry to reach the people of Peru :)

Right now, all of the 40/40's live in different host family homes with one other 40/40. But when Thursday comes, EVERYONE (Peruvians and non) will move into one living space inside a local church here in Arequipa. Zamacola is the church's name, and here is where we all will live, eat, studying the Bible and hang out. We will still attend our separate churches we have been assigned to in Arequipa, because it is very important to keep building those relationships and letting the people of those communities know that we are committed to being here. But it will definitely be a change from our current living situations. We are very excited, but also a bit nervous and just praying for God to be in every bit of this! Please pray with us :)

That is all I have for now. I am praying for all of you! If you have any specific prayer requests you would like to share, please feel free to email me at Jaclyn_Finn@hotmail.com. Can't wait to hear from you! Take care, and God bless :)

Hello everyone! Just a quick update that I am still alive :) It has been SOOOO busy these past few weeks. I have four tests over the next week, we are going to Lima, Peru tomorrow to get residency started, and language school ends in two Fridays! CRAZINESS!!! Time has flown by so quickly.

My birthday was this past weekend, and it was so much fun. We have a joint youth service every Saturday at different churches. Some of us in our group did a worship dance for that, which turned out really well and was awesome to be part of! Afterwards, we went out for some good old fashioned Karaoke :) At my request :)

We start Bible classes in 3 weeks, which is exciting and a littler nerve racking. Those classes will be taught completely in Spanish. SO, hopefully I have learned as much as I feel I have, and can actually understand what is going on.

My 40/40 sister, Brandi, is not getting better. The pain in her back has increased and her left arm is now numb and she can't raise it above her head. Yesterday she went to Lima, Peru to see a specialist. We are all praying for her quick recovery, and that doctors would have as many options as possible once they figure out what is wrong. Please continue to pray for her. She is absolutely amazing, and such an encouragement to me-- how she has continued to praise God and lean on Him, even in this horrible pain.

Thanks for following along! :) I will write more once I am done with tests LOL :)

Yes, I'm still alive :)

I'm still alive. Just so everyone knows :) We no longer have internet access in our home, so I will not be able to update my blog and other sites as often as I would like. I thank everyone for their patience and understanding, as this is Peru and nothing is never sure :) BUT.... I am using the internet right now, so I'm very thankful I can update you all a bit.

Language school is going great! I have three weeks of school left (which is crazy to think about) and I am feeling a little nervous. I want to be able to speak well in order to effectively communicate with everyone. We all want that. But there are moments like today in church when I feel like I don't know anything. BUT God has continued to reassure me :) I definitely know more than I knew when I came to Peru. And once we get our Peruvian partners get here we will be able to learn even more quickly because EVERYTHING will be said in Spanish, since they obviously don't know English.

God has been working already here in Peru, even though we aren't planting churches. We have all been able to tell people about our churches and invite them, and a number of us have successfully brought new people already :) It is SO encouraging.

Prayer requests...

My very good friend Brandi, who is also a 40/40 for Cusco, has been in intense back pain for several weeks. She has seen a few doctors and is going to a specialist in two weeks. She knows what is wrong, and has an idea that it is going to take some time before it goes away. But... she still could use your prayers. She has such a HUGE heart and passion for God and serving Him. Please just pray for protection over her body as she is walking around, that she would not trip or anything that would hurt her back even more, as well as pray for strength to continue praising Him through this storm.

Please pray for our Peruvian partners, as they will be going through culture shock being around a bunch of people speaking English, and away from their families as well. Pray that our relationships would bond quickly, and that our differences could be used for the betterment of God's kingdom!

We are going to be filling out paperwork to receive our Peruvian residencies in a few weeks. Prayer that the paperwork goes smoothly, and that everyone is able to receive residency without difficulty.

My friend and roommate Emily has four friends that could REALLY use God's guiding hand.

And last, but certainly not least, SPANISH!!! :) We will be doing exams in the next few weeks as we finish up. Please just pray.... this is the bridge that is going to give us an "in" with the people here in Peru.

We are all very anxious and excited to be here. Thanks for following this... and for praying for me and supporting me. I couldn't be here if it was not for all of you!

update :)

Hello everyone....

Well, I am going to the doctor tomorrow morning. I have been having problems breathing over the last few days, and it feels like someone is constantly squeezing my heart and there are weights on my chest. Hopefully it is nothing, but getting it checked out just to be safe. Please pray-- I appreciate it!

We found a gym down here, and so a clump of us have been going to work out over the last few weeks. That really makes me feel like I have a little piece of home because I am used to working out, and it helps by providing an effecting and healthy outlet when Spanish drives me crazy.

But on that note... Spanish is going really well :) I can't believe how much more I know now than when I first arrived. Tonight we were sitting at the dinner table, and my house sister was doing her English homework. (In her school, she is studying English-- she is 14.) Anyway... she wasn't understanding her homework, and Emily and I explained to her how to complete it. We explained in SPANISH :) I was super excited that I could form complete sentences, and that it came naturally and I didn't have to think too much about it.

I need to go. Sorry this is short. We haven't had internet for 2 weeks, so we are finding other places to borrow the access. Right now I am in a coffee shop. Thanks for your prayers and support. I am SOO blessed to have you all supporting me :) I love you , and I am praying for you!

a few random pictures!

I finally got a few pictures uploaded!! They are very random, but I will explain. The group picture is my host family, and Emily, my roommate. The pic with me looking life a goof ball wearing that bandana, apron and gloves is my "clothes washing" attire LOL! The arches are in La Plaza de Armas: one of our favorite places in Arequipa. And the pic of me wearing a plastic flamingo nose is from orientation in California :)

Sorry these are so random. Since this actually worked (downloading pictures) I will attempt to do so from now on. In the past it had failed, so I just picked some this time. Hope they make you laugh, and I hope you all are having amazing nights! Chau!

Oh yes, there is more!

Changes...

I have decided to try one-on-one instruction, as opposed to the group setting I have been in over the last month. I started my second week of it today. The hours change a little, but it presents a possible better situation. Things I loved about the group class setting: it is great learning this new language with my friends, it is good to have others to bounce ideas and questions off of, and it is good for conversation and community. BUT... I just don't know if I am learning as well as I could be. It is a little selfish to think of it this way, but our teacher teaches at the rate of the class as a collective unit, rather than my rate of learning. Obviously that is how classes go. But since we only have three months here, and that time is already half over, I just want to make sure I am utilizing my time to the max! So... I am going to be trying the one-on-one instruction. So far it is working out very well, and God has definitely used this opportunity for me to get to speak with Julissa, my teacher, about our awesome Creator!

Prayer request/ HUGE blessing...

I am so very grateful for those who are already supporting me financially. It is so important to be furthing God's kingdom while we are here on Earth. But, when I left for Peru I had raised JUST enough money to meet the minimum requirements. However, I still need about $3000 for flights back home and continued support for this venture. I have been praying about this, knowing that God is going to continue to provide in His timing, and I also posted something about it on my Facebook profile. Well... one of my monthly supporters is a Face friend of mine, and had seen my prayer request for funding. He told his church about it-- his church is also a supporter of mine-- and asked that they be praying about the situation. That night the church happened to have a man come and speak, and when he heard about what I was doing in Peru, and my need, he asked the church to donate his "payment" to me instead. When I received an email informing me of this, it brought me to tears. This man, who is a complete stranger to me, felt called to give. I just... continually am amazed at the faithfulness of others. Even though I am physically in Peru learning the language and will be planting these churches, it is EVERYONE here in faith. Without your continued prayers and support it would not be possible. God is so BIG, and it is awesome to see His children following Him!

That's all I have for now... I will try to not let two weeks pass before the next one :)

A glimpse at my future...

Sorry it has been a while since my last blog... It seems like there are never enough hours in the day LOL. Such is life, I suppose. Anyway, my apologies. I really do appreciate everyone that is following me and supporting me, and I do want you to be updated on what is happening in my life! On that note... here I go.

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to travel to Cuzco, Peru to help serve with the short-term volunteers through Extreme Nazarene Ministries. Let me just tell you.... it was EYE-OPENING to get a glimpse at my future over the next two years!!

First, the actual view of the city is breath-taking. The mountains were so green and covered as far as the eye could see.

A short-term trip came down to Cuzco with the specific mission of building my future home; the place where all 12 40/40's and our cluster support family will live while we are planting churches in Cuzco. Talk about humbling!! People paid money and took time out of their lives just to build us a home... they believe so much in what we are doing, and the purpose of Extreme, to build us a beautiful home. It really makes you appreciate everything you have, and are given. And a sidenote... the view from our home is going to be AMAZING. Waking up to more mountains is so exciting to look forward to!

While we were in Cuzco, we were able to help with some outreach events. The first main one was putting on a children's festival in one of the markets in Cuzco. We had balloons, face painting, games, puppet shows and, most importantly, an opportunity for the kids to choose to follow Jesus. And... I cannot describe in adequate words the emotions I felt when all these kids raised their hands, and prayed the prayer, accepting Jesus into their hearts and lives forever. Who knows how many chances people will get to hear about our amazing Creator, and these children stepped up and said "yes, I want more for my life and the life after." SOOOOO amazing.

The other huge outreach event during that weekend was at a house for young mother's and their children. This place is called Mantay (please keep it in your prayers), and we found out that this facility is only one of two places in all of Peru for this specific purpose. The other one is in Lima, Peru. Mantay is able to support/hold 16 mothers and their children. If you think about the number of prostitutes in Peru, the number of unplanned pregnancies, the number of sexually abusive relationships.... 16 people is such a small number. But they are trying.... This place really hit my heart, because I have such a passion for stopping abuse, and for helping people like these young girls. I say "girls" because the mothers that stay at Mantay are between the ages of 12-18 years old. It breaks my heart seeing a 12 year old girl carrying a 1 year old child.

We were able to see where these girls live, and then hang out with them afterwards. We showed the Jesus film to them and one of the Extreme volunteers gave her testimony in an effort to relate to these girls. There was a point in the evening where we offered for anyone that want to, to become a part of the body of Christ, and to take on a pure role in this life, acknowledging that God has a better way and plan for their lives than the abuse or situations they had been part of in the past. And wouldn't you know it.... every single girl accepted Jesus as their savior!!! I was crying. I cannot even tell you.... God rocks!!!

The really cool thing about Mantay is that, since we are actually going to be living in Cuzco for 18 months, we can actually follow up with them and do several things with these girls!! Some of us were throwing around ideas of doing a women's bible study there or doing activities for the kids. Nothing is set in stone, but it was awesome to get a glimpse at where I get to serve over the next few years!!

God is doing amazing things in Peru. He has already been working, and I am so humbled to be part of it!

Reflection, one month in...

Reflecting on this journey so far... one month in.

Faith, and understanding...

Up until last week, I was hit harder than I have ever been with spiritual attacks. Partly because Satan knew that I was going to be doing amazing things here, and he wanted to try to stop my progress. But, part of these attacks were brought on by myself. By things that I had not taken care of in my heart and in my head, even though I was unaware of them. It began to slowly eat at my spirit, and bring me down. I have loved this month in Peru so far, but I know that I have not been the most amazing person to be around at times because my attacks were rubbing off on how I treated others. This fact hurts my heart more than the attacks themselves did because I hate to think that I have already missed opportunities to truly represent a Christ-like spirit. I say this because I am being honest... I want everyone to know that it is not easy being here in Peru, and it takes constant reflection of self to make sure that our priorities are in check and we are 100% here for God. I have, thankfully, been released from these attacks and I finally feel like the real Jaclyn is in Peru. My heart, head and spirit are here, and we're not going anywhere :) I am sure that Satan will try to attack again, as we are going to be doing more and more amazing things as this journey continues. However... God has my back! And I'm ready :)

Language...

Spanish, oh spanish... why do you have so many rules? :) Actually, I have been very excited about my progress in learning this new language. It is still a bit difficult for me, and there is a lot we have not covered yet, but I am encouraged daily at my ability to at least hold minimal conversations with my host family, as well as my other classmates. I sometimes hit ruts where I hate spanish and don't ever want to hear another word, and just sit in silence, but I remember that this is not for me, but for the work God is going to do through me. And in order to do this and reach these amazing people, I need to be able to speak to them. God has continued to give me strength and peace through these difficult moments. It helps that I can laugh at myself :)

God's blessings in the form of amazing people...

I have been blessed with many amazing women surrounding me here in Peru, keeping me accountable, praying for me, encouraging me and loving on me like God knows I need. He surely has been good and faithful in His promises to love and protect and carry me through this journey.

Please pray...

We have a new person joining our team in April... Blake. Our group has already started praying for him and his journey down to Peru, but I am sure he could use all the prayers he can get, so please... those of you reading this, take a moment to pray for Blake and the people that he is going to help to know our amazing Savior!

$20 gets you 16.29 ice cream cones!!

It's March!! Can you believe it? I can't believe that we are starting our second month in Peru already-- how time has flown! It has definitely been interesting and exciting to learn about the city... how it works, finding favorite shops to visit, which combies (buses) to take and so on...

For kicks and giggles, while talking to my parents over skype the other night, I calculated how many ice cream cones I could get here for $20.00. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could get 16.29! There is an ice cream place in Arequipa called Artika, and we frequently go their to get helado (ice cream). My favorite is menta, which is mint chocolatey goodness! I have set up a budget for my monthly stipend, in order to make sure that I am being smart and using it for things I need. However, you would be surprised how easily it puts a smile on my face just to get an ice cream cone :) It's one of those small things in life that keep you sane through the moments when you hate Spanish or are frustrated with new things that are different and uncomfortable. Of course, I am depending on God far more than the ice cream cones :)

Sorry so short... I need to study! More updates to come :)

Tamales, roosters and toilet paper...

There is a woman that sells tamales every morning... as early as 7:30am, you can hear her shouting, "Tamales, tamales." Every Sunday, the Catholic church down the road chimes the bells approximately 230 times. Not that I counted :)

Things that are an adjustment for me as I adapt to Peruvian culture:

1.) Not throwing the toilet paper in the toilet after going to the restroom, but instead, putting it in the trash can.

2.) Eating a large breakfast and lunch, and a very small dinner, as opposed to my "normal" very small meals several times throughout the day. I think I have only been able to clean my plate twice since being here. I always feel bad, and try to make my host mom feel appreciated, but my stomach just is not large enough to fit the very large portions they provide.

3.) Washing my clothes by hand. This was actually very liberating the first time I did it. It gave me a better understanding of how my time is valuable, as it takes about two hours to hand wash everything in the correct process. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I had finished :)

4.) Not have cell phones and not always having internet access. I know this might seem like an obvious one, but coming from a culture that is so technologically driven where I would always have my cell attached to my hip, and checking the internet multiple times every day, to having no phone at all and internet every couple of days is a huge change. Not a bad one, though, I must say. It definitely gets my priorities back in check-- which is nice :)

5.) Waking up to a rooster crowing, or dogs barking. In Peru there are a lot of families that farm just a few animals, such as a few chickens or roosters. There is a family that lives right next door to my host family that has a rooster or two that get up very early in the morning :)

I am loving my new home. It is hard to not be as near to my family. However, I love Peru. I love being completely taken over by an unfamiliar culture and having to adapt. It forces me to expand my comfort zone and learn.

The sites are so beautiful here! Yesterday Misti was so clear and it was literally breathtaking! If you have access to my facebook page, there are a lot of pictures posted!! I can't get pictures posted on here right now, unfortunately.

Spanish school has been going well so far. For only two weeks, I think I am doing well. I don't know a lot yet, but like I said... it's only been two weeks. I can't wait to assess my progress after three months!! We try to speak as much Spanish as possible, especially with our host families. After all, that is one of the reasons we have them. And actually, today is the first day that Emily and I are attempting to ONLY speak Spanish the entire day. That includes going to church, talking with each other or other people in our group and with our families. The only exception is if we happen to skype our families today, or in this case, writing a blog. Simply because I don't know enough yet to write this entire blog in Spanish. Eventually though :) Be looking for an entry you can't understand-- that means I learned a lot!

Well, that is all for now. I am going to work out a bit and do my devotions before getting ready for church. Emily and I ran this morning with our host mom. Definitely different working out in this altitude! Until next time... Hasta luego!

Kicking it, Peruvian style!

This morning a group of us played soccer with some Peruvians! I have never played soccer a day in my life, aside from gym-class randomness in elementary school. So, needless to say, I was super pumped when I lasted for half the game, in this altitude, and even managed to score a goal! A two hour nap followed... much needed, I might add.

Our afternoon was filled with little shops and mini adventures in Plaza de Armas. I have sworn off buying souvenirs so early in this journey, but I did find an awesome pair of earrings for myself that were worth investing :)

We have our first Spanish exam this coming Thursday, so I attempted to study more and made more flash cards. It is surprising me how I am picking up the language. I don't know a lot yet, but for only being here a week so far, I feel like I am learning a lot! Which is encouraging, because this language is needed in order to make my ministry work for the glory of the Kingdom of God.

I have now been sick for a week... it's not near as horrible as Monday was, but it's still frustrating. Hopefully my body will get used to this stuff and deal...or I can hopefully find some probiotics that kick up my immune system.

Tomorrow (Valentine's Day) is the main day of a carnival/festival here in Arequipa. I will be dodging paintballs and water guns all day, as it is tradition for everyone to soak everyone else! EEK-- only old clothes tomorrow! lol

One week under my belt, and feeling good!

Night world :) Thanks for praying for me!

Thursday

Today I don't have much to say... I am tired lol. I found myself very exhausted after school today. I am learning that Peruvians eat very large meals all the time, which is hard for me. I want to be respectful and would never want to seem ungrateful. However... I had to tell my "mother" that I at smaller portions because I felt bad that food was being wasted. I try to eat as much as I can and make sure to affirm her and let her know how much I like the food. My little stomach just can't fit it all in :)

I am going up to the rooftop to make a billion flashcards :) It is Alex's birthday today (40/40) and we are going out tonight to celebrate and comos la torte (eat birthday cake). MMM :)

Peace!

Falling asleep to fireworks...

Hola mi familia y mis amigos! Como estas?

That's about all the Spanish you are going to get after two days of classes, but sure enough, I am getting there :) We arrived safely in Peru on Friday night and were taken to our host families. I was very pleased and filled with joy to meet Vicki and Jorge and their 14 year old daughter Alison. Their house is beautiful and their hearts are full of love! I am staying here with Emily, another 40/40 missionary. Both of us are very happy here in our new home for the next three months.

My journey has definitely started off.... interesado... and a bit rough. Saturday afternoon the group of new 40/40s and the Extreme Staff went out to lunch at a local restaurant where we enjoyed some wonderful chicken and great company. After lunch, Brian, our fearless leader, took us to a local market for a "challenge," so he called it lol. Every single person in our group drank "frog juice" .... yeah. That's right. It's made from a real frog that was laid to rest right before our very eyes. I couldn't believe I was going to do this because I have the weakest stomach out of anyone I know!! But I did. Most everyone seemed to be okay with it and even thought it just tasted like a protein shake. Me? Not so much :) I chugged a cola right after and didn't say a word for the next 20 minutes, thinking it would just come right up if I opened my mouth. Sorry if that's a little detailed, lol, but it's the truth! The point of this challenge was that... if we can drink frog juice, we can eat anything in Peruvian culture. We are going to be faced with a lot of new and interesting foods over the next 27 months. While I would NEVER drink that juice again, the challenge did present the correct mindset for a previously very picky eater such as myself.

So anyway, Saturday was fun hanging out with the gang and getting to know everyone. Sunday morning I woke up expecting to run before church, but instead found myself feeling sick to my stomach. About 5 minutes after turning down running, I got sick. I then spent the next three days being sick, which brings me to now.

It was somewhat discouraging to start this journey off by missing the first church service and the first and second language classes. However, I am starting to feel better. I now have two classes under my belt, and I am realizing 1) there is a LOT of Spanish I don't know, and 2) it is encouraging how I am starting to pick it up after only two days! I still don't feel 100%, but I am not letting that stop me. I keep drinking liquids and being as smart as I can so that my ministry can be amazing for my King.

Things I like so far? Rice (nothing new here lol) and falling asleep to fireworks. Peruvians take great pride in their relationships. If something good happens, they want to celebrate with that person-- whatever the occasion might be. And since there are no firework laws in Peru, as there are in the states, they can just shoot at will! It's very comforting to know that every single time I hear a firework go off... someone has been blessed and is able to celebrate with those they love and care about!

Well folks... this woman is tired, and I have escuela de espanol en manana (spanish school in the morning). So I bid you good night :) I love you all.

Ciao!!