The Huanuco Lifestyle

Hello again from Huanuco!

I’m typing this on the roof, trying to get some color on my hopelessly pale legs, and the puppies Hueso and Pom Pom have taken the liberty of wrestling and biting each other right next to me/on top of my right leg. So it goes.

So Katrina and I have completed our first week without Wilfredo in Huanuco. We’re starting to settle into a routine, though we still have a few kinks to work out. Regardless, here’s about what the schedule looks like:

Showing a little love for Huanuco!

Mondays – Thursdays we teach an English class to some of the local children. While we’ve been trying to spread the word, it hasn’t really taken off too much yet—right now we have three students: Eynor, Carolina and Orlando’s son, Fabricio, Carolina’s nephew that lives with us, and Estefanie, one of the neighbors. Teaching has been fun, and I love hearing the phrases that stick with people. For example, Eynor’s favorite phrase is, “A big window.”

Last week, Katrina and I found ourselves spending a majority of our time with Fabricio (7) and Eynor (11). Typically, we pick the boys up from school around 2 p.m., take a combi home with them, help them finish their homework, teach them English, then either play cards or watch a movie with them until dinner (which is generally around 8:30 p.m. here.) They’re good kids, but it has been an adjustment for Katrina and I. The other night, Fabricio cried for over an hour because Eynor wouldn’t pass him the sugar at dinner. Interestingly enough, the form of discipline to finally make Fabricio stop crying was Carolina giving him a cold shower. I’v e never seen someone use that tactic before, but it was effective.

Thursday and Friday last weekend, Carolina stayed home from work to do a few chores around the house and that gave us some time to chat with her. We did another load of hand washed laundry, this time in the comfort of the backyard, and chatted about her childhood and her escaping from a difficult life. Her honesty, matter-of-fact thinking, and everything she has overcome were touching to hear, even with our struggles across the language barrier.

(From left) Eynor, Orlando, Fabrisio and I on a little walk!

Friday and Saturday, Katrina and I got our first taste of some of the troubles the Huanaco congregation has. Friday, Katrina and I waited over two hours for our first leadership meeting to start. By the time everyone showed up for the meeting, we’d trekked off to an internet café to wait it out. When we finally got the meeting started, we actually didn’t get anything planned for the rest of the month, just confirmed what our daily routine is.

Saturday night, Katrina and I prepared to teach our first bible study class, but unfortunately nobody showed up. A few times since coming to Callao we’ve had the predicament of—if nobody outside of the family shows up to church, should you still have the activity? Or just go home? There’s a scripture in Matthew that says wherever two or more people are gathered, Christ is there—and that would incline me to say we should go ahead and have church—but sometimes, it’s hard. When everyone in the family has spent their entire day working, I know they don’t necessarily want to jump straight into a bible study, especially if they’re the only one there. It’s an issue Katrina and I will continue to experiment around with.

The backyard at Orlando´s--dogs and chickens not included.

Sunday was my first time preaching in Huanuco. I was hoping to have a little more time before I had to preach here, but mid-way through the week Katrina and I realized nobody had planned anything for the weekend’s church activities and stepped up to the plate. Preaching here is a unique experience. Because church is held in Orlando’s living room people get a bit comfy—and there was at least two people sleeping during my sermon. There were about 15 people in the room, and at least four of them were children, which meant there was also a healthy amount of whispering and side conversation. While all of this could have been upsetting, there was one person in the room who was continually making eye contact, nodding their head and listening—and for this, it’s all worth it. I know preaching isn’t about ME and if I feel satisfied with it—but it still feels nice to know that one person was listening to you. Katrina presided Sunday and had a few struggles of her own; presiding means your basically the ring leader, and I was like the main attraction (I’d like to think of myself as the lion); however more than a few times there as a—for lack of a better description—power struggle during the service. While Katrina had her plans for events, more than once someone stepped in and tried to lead the service in a different direction.

Looking ahead—I’m presiding this weekend, and that does give me a bit of anxiety for what may be in store for me; however, like I said, leadership in the church isn’t about me—it’s about the church and finding a way to help everyone get what they need from the church activities. With that on my plate, a concert coming up this week, and a few Halloween plans, it looks to be another busy week. Until then, saludos from Huanuco!