Mistura

So far September has been a busy month and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon! Let me give you a quick recap.

Tuesday: Katrina and I taught our first English class in Filidelfia. We really weren’t sure where to start, because we had idea how much English our students had been exposed to. After about five minuets of class, we realized we’d need to start at the very beginning, which was somewhat comforting to us. Learning a new language is HARD, I don’t care what anyone else says. It was nice to have someone trudging through the language trenches with us.

Wednesday: We had our first class computer class. Katrina and I have taken on the somewhat daunting task of teaching the older members of our congregation about technology. For anyone that has helped a parent or grandparent with technology, even without the language barrier, you can understand the difficulties that come with this. But really, the class was fun—it was uplifting to see how fascinated some of the students were with technology and it was a good chance to bond with congregation members we don’t usually see.


Ceviche with salsa de maracuya! My favorite dish from Mistura.

 Friday: I was in charge of the bible study class at Monte Sion for the first time. Katrina and I have taught the class together before, but this was my first time being completely in charge. The class went surprisingly well—I’ve had a hard time trying to talk to a large group in Spanish, but this time around things went smoothly. I think our Spanish classes have really helped my confidence.

Saturday: It was my first time teaching the young adult class in quite a while. The theme of the week was Jeremias 18, the story of the potter and the clay. This gave us the chance to have a little bit of fun with Play Doh and do something a little more hands on. I think this is definitely the direction I want to take the class; it lets them have some fun and it gives me a break from lecturing in Spanish.

Sunday: In the morning, Katrina, the Paz family and I went to Mistura, a giant food festival sponsored by a famous Peruvian chef, Gaston, as well as the Peruvian government. Like any country, food is a huge part of culture here. Unlike every other country, Peruvian food is wildly diverse. Peru has a large population from both China and Japan, so you Asian influences, you, of course, have Spanish influences, and then you have what’s leftover from the native south American culture. When they mix, you get Mistura, a festival with everything from the heart of an alpaca, to fried guniea pig, to quinoa, to chocolate covered fruit. The event was simply wonderful. We had some amazing ceviche (raw fish soaked in lime juice), tried some pork, sampled a dish with rice and seafood, and rounded out the day with cremolada (similar to ice cream) and chocolate covered strawberries and more! AND the sun came out! Overall, it was a great day.


And that brings us to this week. Katrina and I have been continuing our classes in Miraflores, and we’ve picked up a few new verb tenses. This week we also got a classmate, Emily from England. Things have been going well and we’ve, quite humorously, discovered the negative side of learning Spanish through a church. For example, we thought the Spanish word for neighbor was “projimo” because we heard it used in church; however, “projimo” is a very biblical word and modern day speakers say “vecino.” So basically, Katrina and I have been walking around speaking like, “Thou shalt not eat before swimming.”

 

This weekend, I’m preaching in Filidelfia and I’m excited for the opportunity to improve from last time. The theme is “Rejoice! The Lost is Found!” and I’m incorporating the movie Lilo and Stitch into my sermon. The movie works quite well with the theme, and I’m thankful to be able to use some clips to give me a break from speaking. I’ll let you know how it goes!