We have been blessed since December to have a number of visitors starting with the Knepp family and most recently we hosted Chris' mom and cousin Coleen and her husband Ed. We have thoroughly enjoyed each visit and savored our time with these friends and family. Each visit has been an encouragement and blessing to our family. God is so good and faithful to us!
We welcomed our friends Bryant and Lyndsay Knepp and their three girls over Christmas. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and their girls playing with our girls. We loved having them here especially to celebrate Christmas with us. They brought down school supplies and Bibles amongst many other things for us and the ministry here.
The girls spent one morning working in the school's library.
Bryant accompanied Chris in taking a pastor from the US out to the mountains to do a teaching. The winding, one-lane, mountainous, gravel roads made quite an impression on Bryant.
Then, in mid-January we were happy to host our pastor Kevin and his wife Amanda and their children. They stayed for five days and so we packed as much in that time as possible. We even got to go to Machu Picchu which was an exciting time for our girls since this was their first trip there.
Kevin was able to preach and Chris translated.
We enjoyed our day at Machu Picchu even though it was rainy and slightly overcast. We were blessed to have the Swartzentruber family come all the way to Cusco to represent our church family and shower us with love and a few things we miss from the states such as pepperoni, instant chocolate pudding and peanut butter to name a few. We also realized why they don't import marshmallow cream to Cusco after we found the jars Amanda had brought exploded in her suitcase :)
Occasionally we even get to visit with old friends who are just passing through Cusco. This was the case with a friend of mine, Brett Etienne. Chris and I were excited to eat lunch one afternoon with him downtown. Here is our picture in the Plaza de Armas.
Then, in February my family came down. My sister Joanna and her husband Carmen and their two youngest boys along with my sister Theresa arrived on Adeline's first birthday. Although they were jet lagged and tired, we enjoyed celebrating this special milestone with family.
Carmen and Isaac coming out of the airport with a saw for the wood shop's owners that Chris works with. They also brought a cooler full of frozen meat from the Odon Locker and colby jack cheese from Rosie's! We were amazed that the cooler made it through customs, but praise the Lord that it did! We have enjoyed this taste of home tremendously!
Everyone, minus Carmen since he took the picture, posing in front of one of the massive doors of the Cathedral by the Plaza de Armas in downtown Cusco.
Carmen and the kids were busy one day picking a fruit called "capuli". Somehow this picture reminds me of the movie The Sound of Music since Katie is hanging like a monkey from the tree.
Our last meal together shared at Pastor Roberto's house. Our time certainly flew by!
And last but not least Chris' mom Jeanie and his cousin Coleen and her husband Ed just came to visit us for a week. We enjoyed being "tourists" for a bit and did some sight-seeing and shopping.
We love alpacas!
As I have mentioned before, we have been blessed by everyone who has come down to see us. And remember you are invited too! We'd love to host you too :)
