Jungle living - week one

Ok, let's get something straight.  Yes, we have moved to the central jungle of Peru.  No, we don't live in a tree house or have a pet monkey.  Pichanaki is a bustling, commercial town of 50,000 people.  It started with just a few folks living along the riverbank, and has grown astonishingly fast in the last 30 years.  It used to be just a truck stop for trucks forging their way through the jungle, carrying fruit and vegetables.

 It is actually kind of sad how few trees, flowers and jungly stuff is in town.  Surrounding the town are the beautiful, majestic, tree-covered mountains under a clear blue sky.  There are also numerous indigenous, Asheninka Indian tribes just outside of Pichanaki on all sides.

Our first week has been a week of unpacking, cleaning, sweating, stomach bugs and blessings.  God has once again surprised me and blessed us with a lovely home.  We are living in a brand new apartment building, the only one of its kind in town and so far, are the only ones moved in.  It's a little different, as we've had to rent two separate apartments with one bedroom in each.  The boys are actually sleeping in the tiny living area of one of the apartments.  Complicated, but it will work and we are very thankful for it.  Compared to what most live in around here, it is a palace.

Brent and I have been taken back to our days in Cuba of intense heat, shopping in the stinky, open market, backpacking groceries home, electricity outages and delicious, cheap fruit.  God has prepared us for this already in many ways.

We are mostly excited to get a church off the ground.  Our first Sunday here together as a family was a disappointment as nobody came to church,  but we had a sweet time together, just us.  We know we are going to have to work very hard, but we also know God is the one who calls and stirs hearts toward Himself.

Tomorrow is a new day, can't wait to see what it holds.

Leaving Lima

The day has finally come for us to move to the central jungle town of Pichanaki, Peru.  Remembering our 9 and 1/2 years in Lima brings a smile and a few tears.

Some of my favorite memories are:

the birth of my sons, Kyall and Lucas
 going through "Celebrate Recovery" with a wonderful group of ladies
the small group Bible study held in my home
Andrea Bocelli concert
vacations by the ocean
planning ladies' meetings
summer camps
getting to know some awesome missionary families
seeing people change after becoming Christians

Some things I will miss are:

Starbucks
family
malls
Fetzer Memorial Christian Academy
quick internet
hot water
winter
Chili's
friends

Some things I will not miss are:

gray skies
traffic
dirt
traffic
pollution
traffic
spending so many hours in the car
traffic
unbelievable humidity
traffic
mold on everything

Life changes and we roll with it.  Expecting a wonderful experience for our family as God does His thing in Pichanaki.


Miriam

Brent's travels

While waiting for family housing in Pichanaki, Brent has been going each weekend with his buddy, Fritz, to try to get the ball rolling with our church plant.  Here are some of his experiences in the past two months.

Each Fri. night, he has gotten on a double decker bus and has hoped to be seated where he actually fits, legs and all.  The bus travels overnight (10-11 hrs.), so the idea is to sleep.  Sleep is impossible when: the A/C is off and all the windows are shut, the person next to you is snoring or leaning on you, a baby is crying most of the night, the bus driver is driving fast and you wonder if he's awake, the mountain roads mess with your stomach, you have nightmares of the bus flying off a cliff (this happens), you are stuck for hours at an altitude of 16,000 feet while snow and ice pummel the bus.....to name some.  Then the trip is repeated on Sunday night back to Lima.

Brent and Fritz have gone each week and one of the first things they do is sweep and mop the church floor, as it has rained during the week and is still wet and sometimes, covered in mud.  They have visited some friends they have met, they invite people to come study the Bible, they talk to anyone who will listen.  They have handed out dozens of tracts, have witnessed to various people and have studied the Bible with a couple of families.

A few weeks ago, they asked at the only state hospital in Pichanaki if they could visit the patients during visiting hours.  The nurses seemed eager for them to come and they call Brent "Father", even though in his jeans and tennis shoes, looks nothing like a Catholic priest.  During these times, they have met several families that have pulled on their heartstrings - The young parents with the burned toddler, who couldn't afford medicine for him.  The college age boy who was in a horrific motorcycle accident and desperately needed to be taken to Lima by ambulance.  His family was trying to come up with the money.  The deaf boy and his mom.  The baby with pneumonia, whose parents were living in the hospital room, barely able to feed themselves.

We hope to continue to visit the hospital together and in this way, be an encouragement to the broken and also share the Gospel with anyone who has ears to hear.

God has also brought some street savvy little boys into Brent and Fritz's path and they are trying to figure out how to help them, when what they need most is God's love and a stable home life.

The opportunities are endless and we are excited to see what God has for us.   I am thankful for Brent and his willingness to go without his family and his desire to reach hearts for Christ.  We know that we will never reach all 50,000 people who live in Pichanaki, besides the many Asheninka tribes that live around Pichanaki, but we hope to reach some, with God's help.

Miriam

A small tribute to my mother

(Mom on the left and her sister, Rozzie on the right ~ our special tea at the Victorian tearoom.)


Born 62 years ago to a humble, preacher father and a young new wife, Deborah Lee Coldiron was the first of 5 children in the Coldiron family.  She grew up in Trenton and Middletown, Ohio.  Oh, the stories I've heard of the "house on Potter St." by the railroad tracks.  This is where she spent her first years and where she shared a bed with her sister and brother.  They had an outhouse and if anyone had to go in the night, everyone went together.  


My grandparents, Harold and Jackie, took their family to church every Sunday and my mom grew up hearing the truth of God's Word.  For this, I am immensely grateful to my grandparents.  Their church, Grace Baptist, is still alive and well today and my grandfather still attends.  We buried my grandmother, Jackie, just last year.


My mom, Debbie, met and married my dad, David, at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO in 1967 or 68.  She originally didn't care much for him, but he won her over with his smile and his love for the Lord.  They were married in August of 1969.  They moved to Fairfax, VA very soon after they were married and started immediately to work in a church there.  


Some special memories I have of my growing up years with my mom are our occasional girls' lunches out, sitting around the dinner table as a family, family devotions, her snicker doodle cookies, and watching her put her make-up on.  I also remember playing with her hair and being amazed she could tease it so high!  I remember how special I felt when she would hold my hand in church or when she hugged me.  I always loved her hands, so soft, slender and beautiful.  


As I got older, I remember her sharing her clothes with me, passing down her jewelry to me and teaching me to shave my legs.  I learned how to be a lady, how to be feminine in all situations, how to make my home a priority, how to be faithful to my husband and how to love my children from my mom.


All my life I have been told how much I look like her and she would always respond with "I'm sorry, honey" - as if!  I was always proud to look like her and super proud to have such a beautiful mother.   


My mom and I celebrate our birthdays only a day apart this month, and here's wishing her a special day. Mother's Day is a special day for me because of my precious children, but I do spend the day thinking of my mom.  I am so thankful to God for His perfect plan and wisdom in giving us the parents He does.  I love you, Mom, and admire you greatly.  Thank you for your faithful love to me and your example.


Miriam

Motherhood - what a ride!

My children are 11, 9, and 5 years old.  I am still the best and most beautiful mom in the world to them.  I know this may not always be the case, but for now, I am the most important woman in their lives and I also have the most influence in their formation and development.  At times, this scares me to death, but mostly, I am so thankful and consider it an amazing privilege.


Being a mother is the most incredible and awesome job I could imagine.  Only a mother knows the unspeakable joy that comes with carrying a baby for nine months, being the source of his/her nourishment for the first year, and hearing the word "ma ma" come out of that little mouth.  I cannot think of a greater honor than to give life.  I will never, ever forget October 27, 1999 at 11:56 pm, February 1, 2001 at 3:00 pm, or April 17, 2006 at 3:30 pm.  These were truly some of the most meaningful moments of my life.


I can also not think of a greater responsibility in the world than the character development, spiritual training, and overall care of a child.  Not to discount the role of the father, of course....I could not be half the mother I am without my husband and I am so grateful our children have a godly role model in their dad.  I will never be able to comprehend how single mothers do it and my hat goes off to them.  My job is much easier with a fantastic father by my side.


So many days I second guess myself and the decisions I make as a mother.  I want more than anything to be a godly, balanced and wise mom who is kind, consistent and loves unconditionally.  So often, I fail to measure up to my own standard and wish I could re-do the day (or week).  I am thankful for forgiving and resilient kids who love and accept me in spite of my many mistakes.  I think and hope they understand that I am growing and learning too, right along with them.


I will never be able to put into words how thankful I am for my Olivia Ruth, Kyall Brent, and Lucas Seth.  They are treasures.  Each one is so very different from the other and they each need my love in different ways.  This can be daunting, but as I seek the Lord and wise counsel, I learn how to meet the needs of each one.  I will never be a perfect mom.  I will have to ask forgiveness a hundred more times, I'm sure.  But my kids will know I love them, of that I'm sure.


My greatest desire is that my children grow up to love their Heavenly Father with all their heart, soul, mind and strength - that's it.  This is my prayer for them.  I am honored to be a part of their lives.  Olivia, Kyall and Lucas, I love you more than I can say.  You mean the world to me and I am humbled and grateful to be your mom.