Hola amigos! You missed an interesting day in Conima yesterday. We had been hearing since we arrived about a dance performance all the school kids were putting on June 24th. We heard them practicing, and like I think I said last post, all the restaurants were closed in preparation. So, yesterday was the big day. We asked Frannie, who works at the store around the corner, what time the dance was. She told us it was from 10am to 2pm. So, being good Americans we left at 9:45am and were at the school where it was being held at 9:55am. There were other people heading down there so we figured it was at least around the right time. So, we got there and found a place to sit on the concrete stairs. We sat for quite a while waiting for it to start because, being good South Americans, the performance didn´t start until 12:30pm... So, before it even started Alison and I had to take a bathroom break back to the house. Once it finally started it was really cool to watch. All the kids were dressed up in very colorful outfits and performed different dances. Most were telling a story, which we didn´t totally get because of the language and not knowing the cultural history very well. There were kids of all ages, from around 3 yrs old to seniors in high school or older. We saw a lot of the kids we have been playing with in the plaza. I took lots of pictures, so you will get to see them when I get back. We finally left around 2:45 because our behinds were numb from sitting on the hard ground. I think there were only a few more groups left, if any. I also think the announcer was getting drunk, so he would talk forever between groups!
A lot of beer was hauled out to the school by store owners to sell. We didn´t see too much drinking before we left, but we have seen the effects today. A group of men was sitting in the street playing cards and drinking even today on our way to lunch. The plaza itself smells like beer. We don´t feel in danger or anything, we are always together and everything is in the open here. But it´s disappointing to see all these people spending so much time and money on drinking. One big part of the culture here is having fiestas where everyone dresses up in fancy clothes and celebrates and gets drunk. All under the guise of religion and culture. We have yet to see a really big fiesta, just this one. Pray that the people would realize the problem with these fiestas and realize it is not something God supports.
Last night Jeremy and Sara got a cool opportunity to play basketball with some teenagers. Sara decided to use basketball to get them to respect her :) They started off making fun of the gringos but ended up respecting them. So, that´s cool that those relationships were started.
Today is another day devoted to story memorizing. We are supposed to be sharing our stories with each other tonight. I don´t know how I can finish mine. I still have a ton left. Hopefully by Monday though. We have plans to story with people next week. Please be praying for them:
Frannie: She is 22 and works at the store around the corner from our house. She giggles a lot. We think she was drunk the other day when we were talking with her. She has a 6 year old son. Sara has talked to her about sharing a story with her this coming Wednesday.
Gumericinda & Her Husband: The team from Willow Park that came in May got to share condensed stories from Genesis to Jesus with this couple. They own the restaurant to try to visit a few times a week. They have read some in a Bible John gave them and want to hear more stories. The husband has been in Juliaca, so we are hoping he will be here this week. John is going to drive out and share with them more.
Sophia: Sophia owns the store next door to our house and her uncle owns our house. She has been a huge help to us. She sits out in the plaza almost every afternoon and crochets. Emily wants to share a story with her.
Hopefully we will also be able to share with the teenagers from last night. Please pray that we can get these stories down and that the people would be receptive and can understand despite our poor pronunciation.
Healthwise, Sara has a rash that will hopefully go away soon. Also, a virus our group might have brought to Peru is hitting the missionary family and the girls in Huancane. Overall I think stomach sicknesses have been less frequent within the group. Pray we can all be healthy!
Until next time...
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