Yellow

Yellow is my favorite color. It is the color of my room. It is the color of Dante's shirt and 4 wheeler. It is the name of the song I am listening to right now. It reminds me of life, sun, and new beginings.

Lately I have decided to take a step back and observe my surroundings. What is going on around me? What are other people doing? What does this place really look like?

I have come to these conclusions. Here there is love, and with love comes discipline and trust. I see adults here discipling children for the tings they do wrong because they love them. I see children putting their trust in the adults because they love them. There are kids playing with one another, learning, serving, and anything else a kid will do. I see workers dillegently coming to work everyday. Giving up themselves for these children and for God. This place is LOVE. We have Christ in our walls and we are radaiting His love for others in need of it.

I have recently really been able to appreciate the alburgue so much more. I think the more I get to know everyone here and what we are about, I can understand why it is such a beautiful place and why people give up their lives to serve here. I have been able to appreciate the little things in life more, also. Here are a few:

-Sitting in the grass reading to the 5 yr olds.

-Yesterday I was working in the garden, the sun was shining bright, I could hear beautiful music from the kitchen, and the birds were singing. How beautiful.

-making peruvian crafts with Becca while the older girls were on the internet.

-working in the garden with Kevin. Me- Mires tu pais (country) Kevin- Mi pais ti? Me-si tu pai...ummm lo siento (sorry) tu pies (feet). Hilarious moment!

-working in the kitchen the other day Luz had leftover juice from breakfast and me, her, and Filo had a glass. Filo turns around to talk to us and she has this amazing juice mustache! Luz said "tia you look like Santa Clause!" We all laughed and laughed :)

-cooking in the kitchen with Patty on the weekends

These are just a few of the little things that have made my time here beautiful and I am very excited to see what more will come!

I hope all is well with you, wherever you are!

Love to you all.

Just me

I have been playing around with my video maker on my computer...it's not great quality stuff, but it's me.

Hope you enjoy and here is my address!

Hogar de Esperanza - Susanna Davenport

Autopista Moche/Salaverry KM 3.5

Frente de Camal de San Francisco

Trujillo, Peru, South America

Hope it's long enough for ya! ha ha ha

Love to you all.

Psalm 139

Ok so I have this Psalm tattooed on my forearm and every time I read it I want to cry because OUR GOD knows us so well, better than we know ourselves. I feel so open and vulnerable when I read this to God.

Psalm 139
"O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand when I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way."

Love to you all.

Give Thanks to the Lord for HE is good!

There is this song that was on a music video, a Steve Green one to be exact, and it was the verse. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever. We watched those videos ALL the time! I am so thankful for sooo much. I have a roof over my head 3 meals a day and hot water. Plus I have my best friend in Peru with me!!! Even though I have so much and am thankful for it, I still want more....I want to be home for Thanksgiving with my family and friends. I am having a hard time with this because right now I cannot go home, but that doesn't stop me from praying that God will allow me to go home for Thanksgiving. Even if I don't get to go, I will still have a good time here and be thankful for all I have. But God pls find a way for me to get home for TG.

Feeling Jazzy?

My current play list is jazz. Michael Buble, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and other greats! Nothing puts you in a great mood like "Good Morning" from 'Singing in the Rain'. Or hearing Ella's rich voice belting out a tune.

Mmmmm...and then add a good book or a drawing and some hot cocoa, it doesn't matter what continent you are on, you still get that tingly warm feeling from your toenails to the tips of your hair!

Almost like the world is yours. Your own little musical, dancing, snow falling, Christmas caroling, twinkling lights, crisp evenings, sail boating, pumpkin carving, cookie baking, adventure going world! What a quaint little world!

I really wanted to talk about the micros here. But I do feel like it was necessary to share with you my love for classic music.

Ok so micros. You are probably wondering, "What is a micro? How big is a thing like this? Can I purchase one? Do they go in your yard?" Well I am glad to say that I can answer all of those questions and many more just for you! A micro is a bus that runs throughout the city. There are many different ones for each different part of Trujillo, so you can find the place you want to go. They have the name of their destination on them so you can be sure to get to the right place. But before you decide to hop on a micro you have to think, "which letter should I take to my destination, there are several different ones". Well that just means you have to ask someone who knows about each letter so that you can for example take the Salaverry C micro to get to Larco or Espana. These buses vary in sizes. Some are tiny and you have to duck your head when you are standing up on them. Some are so big you can have a party on them (we did one day too). No, I do not think you can purchase one. They are bad for the environment too so I would really recommend you do not get one. Well I do imagine that a old broken down micro could go in your yard, but may turn into a new home for someone or something.

So I would think that it is more than ok to say that I have had quite the adventures on the micros. I think just about every time I am on one I have some interesting story to take with me. I have gotten a lot of telephone numbers. Now only one out of these few has been a guy. That was quite the story in itself. The numbers have been from women living in Moche or Salaverry who think it is just wonderful that I am volunteering at the alburgue and they would just love for me to come and visit them. I have not taken them up on these offers yet, but I think it would be interesting if I did. I do not know what it is but I sit down and the person next to me just strikes up a conversation about anything and everything. Helps my Spanish that is for sure! One day I had my arms full of fruit and hopped on a very crowded micro. This young man jumped out of his seat and kindly gave it to me. I sat down and then he proceeded to talk to me. Asked me where I was from and what was I doing in Peru, blah, blah, blah...and then I looked around and saw some of the girls from the alburgue sitting in the back laughing at me! I looked miserable, Nick wouldn't shut up and then he paid my fare . Oh dear. So I would try to end the conversation and just enjoy the rest of my ride home but I couldn't. He asked me for my number and I promise you he did not understand that I did not have one and that I was not interested. So when we got off the bus to walk to the door the girls decided to ask 2 questions and thought it was so funny that a guy was talking to me. So another time I was riding on a micro one morning and a few of the workers from the alburgue got on and were headed to work. That was neat we got to talk on the way. And then another time I was riding and we past one of my friends and she saw me and we got excited and waved like crazy. Last night I stayed with Patty in town and so this morning I caught a micro home and I have to say morning rides are the most interesting of all. You always think it will be a none crowded one but you pick up people who are on their way to work. You see all kinds of people. Guys who work at factories, gas stations, kids on the way to school, old women with their bread to sell. I saw a man with tons of milk in buckets this morning. There was a woman with 3 children, one was being breast fed one the bus! Man the things that happen on a micro! Oh and I forgot to mention the best part of them...they only cost about 1 sole 50. So round trip you spend a dollar. Amazing!

*We just got a new baby the other day. We named him Daniel. Pray that he will adjust and be adopted soon!!

Love to you all.

Happy heart!

Thank you Pinelake Church for having your sermons and your renewal Bible reading plans on podcasts! My life is happy :)
I really like my church here Larco Pres. but i have to say I haven't found a church yet like PL. And it was so so so exciting to find these podcasts online! http://www.pinelake.org