Growing Belly

Sandy's belly is definitely growing and dancing these days.  If you haven't heard yet, we expect our little one to come 11/11/11, or at least that's what the calendar says. 

USA

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So, we're here, in the good ole US of A.  We spent a month in Colorado Springs, Colorado, visiting my friends and home church and meeting new people.  It was a wonderful month catching up with people and being refreshed.  But, now it is nice to be "home" in Holland, Michigan.  We are with my parents for the foreseeable future.  Between household projects, visa paperwork, and general settling in activities, we've been busy. 

Of course, we have also continued to support ATEK on our home assignmentwith Wycliffe Associates.  Please pray for us as we go through this transition to working at home and long-distance with our Peruvian colleagues. 

Teeth Pulling

March 21-25 I (Sandy) had the privilege of assisting International Dentist Ministries on a trip to the village of Cajapucara. It was a great honor to be God's hands and mouth during this time.  Pulling teeth is not my favorite thing to do (I didn't actually touch anyone; I was the Spanish/English translator), but the fact that we provided relief to many infected and hurting mouths made it worth it.  I lost count, but I believe it was over 200 teeth during the week. 

Praying for one brave teenage girl who stayed in the chair for over an hour
while both dentists pulled several difficult teeth. 

We are also doing preventative work, teaching oral hygiene to the school children.  Our hope is to pull less and less teeth each year as we give people the proper education and see families making their health a priority.

Our faithful Quechua/Spanish translator doing a teeth brushing demonstration while people wait.

Youth Meetings

On February 26 and March 26 we hosted about 15 teens at a local church in order to talk about current events, issues in their lives, and simply let them know that there are people willing to stand beside them.  The majority come from surrounding villages to study in the "big city" Cusco. For many it can be a lonely and trying time without a support system.  Albino and I, along with a team of others, want to reach out to them, being that support and providing resources.  We plan to meet again on April 23.

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THE VISA

Fun in Lima with Carletta, not all work on the visa.

We got the visa!!  The ever-present consideration in the back of our minds has been Albino's US visa.  Almost a year ago we submitted the paperwork for it.  After months of the application being passed around different US gov't agencies (and some investigation and insistence on our part), we got word that his interview was scheduled for March 7, at the US embassy in Lima.  God has been so faithful through the whole process and it has come so quickly.  This means that we'll be in the States for a couple years, starting in July.  Look out 'cuz the Rodriguezs are a-comin' to the US!

Entrenamiento de lideres quechuas

In January ATEK completed a successful two week training for 36 church leaders from Paruro, Cusco.  Treated like a military exercise, the participants adhered to strict hours of classes, regulations, and responsibilities.  Besides completing homework that included Bible memorization and essays, the ministers maintained ATEK grounds, washed dishes, and cleaned their quarters.  Throughout the activities and lessons we saw hearts and minds changed, and we continue to pray that this impact will carry to their churches and communities. Watch the video to see more of our fun and hear about the learning that took place (Audio coming soon). 

Teaching in Pucallpa

We spent the last part of October and most of November in Pucallpa, Peru, the jungle.  Albino participated in an international team to teach indigenous people how to write and publish materials in their native tongue.  The goal is to increase the literacy rates in each language group by providing more resources; if people can read, they can read The Word of God and lives are changed. The course was hosted and supported by SIL as well as a university that serves native people from the jungle area.  It was an honor to be part of this team.  Sandy accompanied him and took advantage of the time to spend with some good friends.  She was able to support the homeschooling effort in the missionary family, teaching 3 of the 4 kids.