We wanted to update you on what is happening here in Chiclayo and Ferrañafe.

Work men have poured the foundation for two new classrooms. In the will of the Lord a group of volunteers will be coming to construct them in January. These two rooms will allow us to move the grade one (who were in tight quarters this year) and add grade two in the new year.

The school year is now over – there was the kindergarten graduation on Friday with nineteen students graduating. I will be working over the summer preparing the Bible and English curriculum for the coming school year.

We were able to pick up our visa cards in Lima this month, they will renew once a year. Immigration has started working on the children’s visas which should be ready in late January or February. This will mean another trip to Lima, but this time with the children.

Spanish is coming along slowly but surely (here they say poco a poco – little by little). We try to practice as much as we can as that is the best tool for lodging the new words in our minds. Our Spanish teacher arranged for us to go to a private university twice a week and practice our Spanish with students who are learning English. We have also been able to make some contacts through our efforts to learn the language.

I have been able to speak at a few meetings by means of a translator (generally Tom Clark). I also have shared a few things in Spanish but it has to be prepared before to make any sense.

We recently spent the day filling in for some of the house parents at the children’s home so they could have a much needed break. There continue to be changes at the children’s home. One infant was returned to her mother while another girl and boy (both nine years old) were brought in as a result of police intervention in their living arrangements. Please pray for these children, their young life has already been so difficult and its only God’s grace can help them recover. Pray too for the staff as they work with the children and for their hearts as they deal with the challenges of saying goodbye when the children leave.

If you would like our home address or phone number please email me. Through the power of the internet we are able to call free anywhere in North America, but since we do not have a desktop the computer might be off when you call so please leave a message and we will return your call.

A few things to pray for:

· The children’s visas

· As we learn Spanish & for opportunities to practice it

· For the house parents at the children’s home

· Pray for us to adjust to living in Peru (culture, health)

Thank you for your prayers in this past year. We pray you will enjoy your fellowship with our Saviour as we take time to remember His birth this Christmas.

In Him

Mark & Kim DeJager and family

We wanted to take the opportunity to bring you up to date on what is happening here in Peru, and to thank-you for your prayers before the throne on our behalf.

We are now in our fourth week of Spanish, and are trying to understand and use what we learn. Our teacher spends three hours a day with Kim and I and then one hour with the children. We then try to get out in the neighbourhood use it on anyone who is not moving. Our goal is to spend the next ten months learning the language.

We have found an apartment and moved in after some paint/renovations. Apartments here often do not come fixed up or with kitchen cupboards. So we are working away fixing things up and setting up house. The location is excellent as it is across the street from a general’s home which means we have 24/7 police presence on the street (a good theft deterrent).

We have not purchased a car yet so up to now we take the “combis” (vans in which they will pack up to 28 people) or locally we take the “Tico” taxis, it’s a snug fit for us but they get us where we need to go. Unfortunately to the uninitiated their driving can be rather terrifying. It’s like a game of chicken in a car (or van).

We are thankful that the weather here has been cool (for their standards). One gentleman told me the weather was strange – because it had been a bit cloudy lately!

We received news last week that our visas are ready. So in two weeks we will be traveling to Lima to pick them up. Then they will start working on the children’s visas. We are thankful that they were ready so quickly and that we do not have to leave the country to initiate them (which is what happened in the past).

The children have been busy with school and working on their Spanish. They have been able to go to the youth groups at the assembly and fellowship with the young people. It makes a great break for them. The challenge is keeping busy in a safe way in a city where you do not speak the language or know anyone.

We all have enjoyed fellowshipping at the local assembly. Many of the people are fairly new believers so please pray for their growth and wisdom for the leaders.

Prayer requests

· That we would learn Spanish

· Learn the customs of the people

· For our children – activites and friends

· For the children’s visas

In Him

Mark Kim and Family

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Apartment hunting was a bit different than we had previously experienced. We discovered that it was not uncommon for apartments to be rented with no cupboards in the kitchen. Often it is up to the new tenant to clean and update the apartment.
We also discovered that many houses here do not have hot water. They often have a devise attached to the showerhead that heats the water. Ironically it calls for 10awg wire which is what is actually the feed for the entire apartment.