Ashaninka volume 16

How fun it was tonight to watch the baby ducklings follow their mother around the yard!  Also to watch the roosters and chickens wandering around.  The puppy, the little cat, the bats and the numerous bugs!  It is such fun for animal loving kids!

The air was filled with excitement as we planned our big Christmas party, to which the entire Ashaninka community is invited (all 70 families).  There will be around 120 kids and we are going to have the traditional paneton, which is Peruvian sweet bread, a must have at Christmas and hot chocolate, made the Peruvian way!  I have made many huge pots of this hot chocolate over the years but never over an open fire.  Our Ashaninka friends cook each day outside, using fire wood.  So, this will be fun and new, making hot chocolate on a blazing hot day, over a hot, hot fire!  I wonder if the taste will be affected by the smoke, I'm sure it will be.  Can't wait to taste it.  Each child will bring his own cup, mug or bowl and there will be a gift for every child.

We will play games, we will sing and we will share Jesus with all gathered.  This is an opportunity like none other.  We have not met the great majority of this community and we can't wait to meet them.  I hope we will be accepted with all of our foreign-ness.  Please, please pray that the seed will be planted in many hearts on this day (the 22nd of December) and that this will open the door wide for us to go back and revisit the ones we will meet for the first time.

Tonight, Ernan came.  He is a 9 year old boy who lives an hour up the side of the mountain and walks this hour every morning to school and every evening home from school!  He was shy but he stayed and listened to the story of Joseph.  The Bible repeats "But God was with Joseph" throughout his story, even in the worst of circumstances.  The kids repeated over and over - "But God was with Joseph", "But God was with Joseph".  As He is with us, every minute of every day.