Therefore Go…

July 2014

Hi there

Greetings from Andahuaylillas! The Ruiz-Caro family has arrived safe

and sound and with each day we are feeling more and more settled

in our new home.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, for our safe travels, for the

arrival of all our belongings, for us settling in—it really has been

incredible to see how smoothly everything has gone and we are so

grateful for all those who have been praying for us during this time.

Although upon first arriving both Jaime and I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into, we are

growing increasingly fond of this small town and really sense that we are right where God would

have us be.

Andahuaylillas really is very beautiful. Nestled in a valley along the Vilcamayo river, it has a total

population of about 5000 people most of whom dedicate their time to working in the surrounding

farmlands. At present maize seems to be the most common crop, although apparently people are

increasingly starting to farm quinoa.

The town is most famous for the church of San Pedro which stands on the main plaza. Built in the

16th Century, it is known as the Sixtine Chapel of the Andes and is perhaps one of the most ornate

and beautiful churches I have ever seen. Almost every centimetre of the church is covered either

in beautiful paintings or gold leaf decorations. The paintings give graphic descriptions of

Biblical scenes and were used by the Jesuit priests who ministered

here to evangelise the local inhabitants. Because it is so beautiful,

literally bus loads of tourists come into town every morning and

afternoon to visit the Church. In a town that is on the whole very

traditional, it is quite strange to see so many foreigners.

As part of the parish there is also a Ludoteca (a space where

children can come and play educational games, read and do

crafts) where the children from local schools can spend their

afternoons. It Is very similar in concept to the libraries in which I

used to serve in Villa Maria and so I am hoping to start

volunteering there 3 times a week next month. Kai has come with

me a few times and has enjoyed socialising with the other kids.

The daily reality of these children is obviously very different from

Kai’s background and so I am glad that he is going to have the

opportunity to built strong cross-cultural relationships from a

young age.

On Saturday Jaime had a meeting with Ronal, the man who has

been overseeing the growth of our blueberries for us. It would seem

that there is still quite a lot of experimenting that we need to do to

ensure that our blueberries are going to thrive at altitude. We might

try growing a few here in Andahuaylillas to see if they do better.

Jaime also has to travel to the

community that has promised us

the land in Yanaoca to see

whether they are still willing to let

us use it. There is a lot of work to

be done on the Renova front, but

we know that it is a long term

plan that we are working towards

and so we keep pushing on.

Renova... The photo above is of our local baker, where we buy

bread each morning.

Thank you so much for praying for Kai! Jaime and I have been

absolutely amazed at how easily Kai has taken to his new

surroundings, It seems that neither the altitude nor the cold

bother him and he happily spends his days exploring in the

garden or smiling at passers by as we walk about town. It never

ceases to amaze me how a child can open doors and gain favour for the parents. Kai really is such

a source of joy and blessing to our family.

Tomorrow my parents will be arriving to spend three weeks with us here in Andahuaylillas. Please

pray that it will be a special time for us as a family and that God will give them the grace and

gumption to adjust to these new surroundings too.

Please continue to pray for our blueberry project with Renova. May God guide and give us

wisdom to know how to proceed with the acquisition of land and the farming of the blueberries.

Please pray for my involvement in the Ludoteca. The general Catholic sentiment here is quite

against evangelical Christians. I am going to have to be very wise about how I share my faith with

the kids, but am trusting for God for open doors and an opportunity to be a witness for Him from

the “inside”.

Thank you for praying!

Please keep us in your prayers….