The Chadwick Chronicles

This past Tuesday and Wednesday Peruvians celebrated their independence. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to find celebrations for the work team to join in, but another missionary decided to buy some fireworks and hotdogs and invite the children’s home and several of the families from the Oasis to the Oasis to celebrate. Everyone had a blast hanging out and watching the fireworks and, especially, trying to keep the guard dog from gnawing on the lit fuses.

After the fireworks we did what any group sitting around a bonfire should do and we worshipped our God and Savior in through song. Afterwards Juan Carlos, the director of the Oasis, said a few inspirational words about the joys of celebrating our independence from Spain, but infinitely more so the joy of independence from sin that Christ has given us.

Last Saturday, the children’s home had a volleyball tournament. There were seven different teams including the house moms, the moms from the Moms Helping Moms program, a couple of staff teams, a boys team, a girls team, and even one for us missionaries. The highlight of the tournament wasn’t the championship game, but the game between the older boys from the children’s home and the older girls.

It was a back and forth game with lots on excitement on the sidelines, but eventually the girls team proved triumphant. We missionaries held our own until over half of the team left to go home and feed hungry children and then we were annihilated by the house moms.

One of the more difficult things about living in a high context culture is that rules and regulations are hard to figure out.  Elise and Lilia were turned away from the airport last night because they didn’t have permission from Jon, signed by a notary,  for Lilia to leave the country.  Look how excited they were 15 minutes earlier.

It’s not so much the law that is frustrating, it’s a good law to prevent disgruntled spouse’s from taking off with the kids.  What’s frustrating is that Elise spent hours upon hours crossing t’s, dotting i’s, and getting all of her ducks in a row.  She researched online everything she could find and nowhere did she come accross this law. 

Anyway, we serve a God who loves us and who provides and we were exstatic to find tickets for them to fly home tonight. We visited the notary early this morning and hope to spend the rest of the day napping after a long night.