Stateside - I want to hide

I found this snake in the woods behind a nearby mall. Hah I'm lying...there are no woods in Southern California!

Encontre esta boa en el bosque atras de las tiendas. Jaja, estoy mentiendo...no hay bosques en California del Sur.

The natives of California are very fat, but they do like to swim.

Los de California son gordasos, pero les gusta nadar.

The uninterested one on the left is my sister in law Karis, the fake peppy one second from the left is my sister Deanna, the intense one about to kill me with that green ball is my brother Bryan (Karis' husband), and the one with the ungly beard is me.

La que parace desinteresada al lado izquierdo es mi cunada Karis, la tiene la sonrisa forsada la segunda del lado izqiuerdo es mi hermana Deanna, el que parace muy intenso (demasiado) y es al punto de matarme a mi con ese pelotita verde es mi hermano Bryan (esposo de Karis), y la barba fea soy yo.

Recognize some of these guys? Friends from the many different Peru semesters. I have been blessed by the multitude of different friends that I have found here, some stretching way back, and some newly made. They have made transitioning a bit easier.

Reconocen estes chicas? Amigas del multitud de semestres que he tenido en Peru. He estado muy bendecido por los muchos diferentes amigos que he encontrado aqui, algunos bien antiguos, y algunos nuevos. Me han ayudado mucho con la transicion.

Roomates - If you don't regognize them, it's ok...you don't want to meet them. Just jokes. That's Mike Booth on the left and Jake Cure in the back. Both were in Peru at different times and both have been a super big blessing since I got back.

Companeros de cuarto - Si no les reconoces, esta bien...no les quieren conocer. Ja...chiste. Tenemos aqui, en la esquina izquerda Mike Booth, y en la esquina izquierda Jake Cure. Los dos estuvieron en peru en diferentes tiempos y los dos han sido una bendicion grande desde que he regresado.

This is a newly aquired friend. Her name is Goldilocks, she's a stallion...wild and aggressive and roars like a lion. The only problem is that I can't seem to drive wild and aggressive here in California like I use to in Peru...one of my saddest discoveries.

Este es una nueva amiga. Se llama Goldilox, es un caballo...silvaje y aggressivo, y ruge como leon. El unico problema es que no puedo manejar silvajemente y aggressivemente aqui en California como en Peru...una de mis discubrimientos mas tristes.

The beach is right behind me...Oh did I mention I live a block from the beach?

La playa esta a mi espalda...oh mencione que vivo una cuadra de la playa?

These lovely people accompanied me to a certain lovely Catalina Island for a visit to a certain freind for a very certain reason. The reason is described in the next two pictures.

Esta gente hermosa me acompano a un cierto lugar muy hermosa para celebrar algo muy hermosa con un amigo no tan hermoso pero chevere. La razon se encuentra los proximos dos fotos.

None of you know this young lady but she belongs to this man... (see below).

Ninguno de ustedes conocen a esta jovensita pero se pertenece a este chico (abajo).

This is Tobey Hancock on his wedding day. It was such a blessing to see him, Jewish beard and all, smiling and happy. I asked him after the wedding how he felt and all he could say was... "I'm a husband."

Tobey Hancock en el dia de su boda. Fue una grand bendicion verle, con barba de Judio, sonriendo y feliz. Le pregunte despues de la boda como se sentia, y todo lo que podia decir era... "Soy esposo."

This is one of the sadder pictures. It's my sad junior college, in the sad rain (which actually very exciting because I finally got to experience for the first time really in three years). I took it in the rain to emphasize the sadness. However, happy days are coming when I graduate in about 2 months.

Esta es una de las fotos mas tristes. Mi universidad triste, en la lluvia triste (la cual realmente era bacan porque hace tres anos que he experimentado la lluvia como esta). La tome en la lluvia triste para emfatizar la tristeza. Sin embargo, los dias felices se acercan cuando me graduare en 2 meses.

This is my home/church. The title in the top right corner says "Calvary Chapel Living Hope." It is a wonderful little church/home, complete with a drumset to play late at night, a kitchen which is presently loaded up with chocolate from my mother, and a backyard where I can hang my jungle made hammock and eat coconut cut open by my machete...life is good.

Esta es mi casa/iglesia. El tituolo en el lado derecho de la foto dice "Calvary Chapel Living Hope." Es una maravillosa casa/iglesia, y viene con una bateria para tocar en la madrugada, una cocina en la cual aurita esta guardado chocolate de mi mama, y un patio atras donde puedo colocar mi hammaca (hecha en la selva) y comer cocos abiertos por machete...que buena la vida.

It's all about the children.

Here we are the very last week at Ventanilla, the outreach I go to. The guy in the red shirt with the baby is Raul, the pastor of the church that is being planted in Ventanilla. This was the last week of over a year of work in Ventanilla.

Aqui estamos para la ultima semana en Ventanilla, el alcance a que voy normalmente. El con su polo rojo y el bebesito es Raul, el pastor de la iglesia que estamos estableciendo en Ventanilla. Esto era la ultima semana mia despues de mas de un ano en Ventanilla.

We are an intertangled web aren't we. My last night in Peru we danced the night away.

Somos una gente bien enredados no es cierto? Mi ultima noche en Peru bailabamos hasta la madrugada.

This little guy's name is Adrian. I wanted to show you a picture becuase this may be the toughest little kid you ever meet. He always hangs out with the bigger kids, he always gets hurt, and never cries, and he cut his gums (cause I banged his head against the cement accidently) and he never cried, drank some water, spit it out, and kept going.

Este chicito se llama Adrian. Quieria ensenarles su foto porque quizas esto es el nino mas fuerte y valiente que vas a ver en tu vida. Siempre para con los mas mayores, siempre se cae y nunca llora, y una semana se corto su boca (porque yo por accidente le chanke la cabaza contra el piso) y nunca lloro, bebio agua, lo escupio, y sigio.

This is us dancing to the DC Reto song "vida" a dance we'd spent many days (2 hours) preparing. Call if you want a show. We don't take credit cards, only cash and travelers checks.

Una foto de todos nosotros bailando a la cancion "vida" por DC Reto, un baile que pasomos muchos dias (2 horas) aprendiendo. Llamanos a 555-VIDA si quieres un showcito. No recibimos tarjetas, effectivo no mas.

The kids at the park play this game with me. It's really not a game, it's pretty much just destroy whoever they can time. So they try to take me and the other guys to the ground, and never (hardly ever) can.

Los ninos del parque simpre juegan este juego con nosotros. Realmente no es un juego, es "destruir a qualquier persona que podemos". Asi que tratan de tumbarnos al piso, y nunca (casi nunca) pueden.

As a last surprise for the girl, we did a special Italian dinner for them. The guy in the back with the bow tie, we ordered him for the occasion (John Gunderson). The girls were extremely blessed.

Como una ultima sorpresa para las chicas del Instito, preparamos una cena Itiliana especial para ellas. El que esta atras con su pajarita teniamos que ordenar para la ocasion (John Gunderson). Las chicas fueron muy bendecidas.

The last day of the other ministry I work at (Patchecutek), we had so many kids we could not fit them all. They all got a little check up from the doctor and got to hear a Christmas story, and each one got a gift. The Lord be praised that he blessed us with so many open doors on our outreaches.

El ultimo dia del otro ministerio a que trabajo (Pachecutec), tenemos tantos ninos que no podiamos meter a todos en el edificio. Todos recibieron una visita chicita con un doctor, escuchaban la historia de la navidad segun la biblia, y recibieron un regalo. Que Dios sea glorificado por habernos bendicido tanto con tantas puertas abiertas en nustros alcances.

Merry Christmas

Feliz Navidad

All the kids want to learn guitar. I'm just blessed that I'm now able to play the part of teacher, although I will always be a student first.

Todos quierian aprender la guitarra. Estoy bendicido de que ahora puedo llenar el papel de maestro, sin embargo siempre sere primeramente un estudiante de la guitarra.

Believe it or not, this picture is not edited. Starting from the right: Jingle Bell Jason, Crackin us up Candy, vibrantly vertical Vanessa, and Meticulously mismatched Mateo. Good friends, the kind who will be friends for the rest of my life. I've made a lot of those kind of friends in the last few years.

No hemos editado esta foto. Empazando a la deracha: Jingle Bell Jason, causando risas Candy, Vanessa Vertical, y Mateo que no se puede vestir bien. Buenos amigos son, el tipo que siempre seran mis amigos. He encontrado muchos amigos asi los ultimos 3 anos en Peru.

Iquitos, friends from the past, and a bit of silliness

This is a house in the floating city of belen (which actually means bethlehem in English). Belen is a poor city where people to go build their houses over the river because if they build over the river they don't need to pay for the property. So they build their houses with the ability to float, and then for 5 months out of the year they have a floating house. The water over which the house floats gets very dirty as well. The missionaries in Iquitos often go into the city to do ministery with the kids.

That's right guys, friends change when they go to the jungle. This is actually Jeremy, after one too many visits to the zoo.

This is the church in Iquitos in El Terminal. The one on the right is Garrett, and I think he's just itching his nose.

We got the opportunity to lead worship at the church in El Terminal for 3 services.

One sunday about 3 weeks ago the country of Peru took a census, which meant that nobody could leave their homes that sunday. Therefore church was cancelled and we were all stuck inside the college, so we went ahead and had our own church and prayed for each other.

Every body know who that goofball is. That's right, that's my family. I was blessed when my uncle Rod came out along with my cousin Cambrielle and many other very good friends from Calvary Chapel Coastlands.

While the team was here from Calvary of the Coastlands we had a huge outreach in a place called San Juan de Lurigancho. A bunch of bible college students teamed up with the team to throw a huge kids club, and to have a woman's dinner. These are the kids that came for the kids club getting ready to do a craft.

I love my family

A little costume party. It's obvious what Garrett is, don't ask me what I am. I was merciful to you all and didn't show you in the picture how short those shorts really were.

Rumble Rumble

On a bright note, my family and I saw the great capital of the Inca Nation Cusco. While we were there the Inca people actually chose my sister and I to be judges over them. We definately condemned them for being nature worshippers and not serving the true God.

Here at the Central Plaza of Canete many were coming from all over to ask the government for help. Here, we began to hand out bibles and a crowd gathered around us, which we took advantage of and preached to.

I am not sure why this guy was building this, but I imagine that it was a shelter out in front of his house in which to sleep

These are only some of the kids that we shared with as we went out to help whoever we could find in the small community of "Las Vinas".

This is an example of some of the worst destruction that I saw. These were houses here at one time, and they are completely taken apart.

Two of the walls of this guy's house had fallen down, and we just stopped for a while to help him clean up the mess.

This is a bedroom. The wall of the bedroom fell inward.

Here is my roomate Brian with a bit of the desctruction in the more central parts of Canete.

Weddings and Weddings.

Jeremy and I, the coolest guys in the world. Jeremy leaves for the jungle in a few days and I am leaving for the mountains. It has been quite a legacy living with Jeremy for the past few years. Im going to miss him.
Jeremias y yo, los mas cheveres en todo el mundo. Jeremias se va a la selva mientras yo me voy a las montanas. Ha sido bien chevere viviendo con una leyenda como Jeremias los ultimos 3 anos. Lo voy a extranar.

Reval with his best men. (You may ask, if they are the best men, why are they not married yet? That's a very good question)
Reval con sus hombres mejores. (Quizas te quieres preguntar, si son los hombres mejores, porque no estan casados todavia. Es una buena pregunta.)

Isn't he beautiful guys. This is John Bonner, the pastor of our beloved church, doing a bit of remodeling on campus.
No es tan bonito? Esto es John Bonner, el pastor de nuestra iglesia querida, pintando nuestro campus.

The poor guy on with confetti on his head is Reval at his bachelor party. Spiderman masks, silly string, and a capturing and carrying to McDonalds for a little late night snack.
El pobresito con cosas en su cabello es Reval a la fiest de la ultima semana de solteria. Con mascaras del hombre de arena, le soquestramos (?) y le llevamos a McDondalds.

This is my good friend Reval right before went to get married.
Te presento mi amigo Reval justo antes de que se caso.

This is my friend Reval just after he got married.
Te presento mi amigo Reval justo despues de que se caso.

Take a look. These are some of my best friends here. All members of the church. The old man in the middle is Hugo, who was actually my student in Isaiah, along with Darwin on the far right and Johnathan the guy with the huge hair.
Miren. Estos son algunos de mis mejores amigos de Peru. Todos les conoci en la iglesia. El viejito en el medio se llama Hugo, lo cual fue mi estudiante en la clase de Isaias, justo con Darwin al lado derecho, y Johnathan, el que tiene cabello grande.

We've had a lot of weddings lately. This is Mike Steiner, my good friend from bible college, who has just joined us as an intern this last semester, y su esposa Alinn. He's now loving married life.
Hemos tenido muchas bodas recentamente. Les presento Mike Steiner, mi buen amigo del Instituo Biblico Murrietta, lo cual estaba con nosotros el semestre pasado como interno, y su nueva esposa Alinn. Ahora esta disfrutando mucho la vida casada.

Our stairs - the morning of the great prank. We could not get down the stairs.
Nuestras escelaras - la manana del gran truco. No podiamos bajar las escaleras.

The crew of Ventanilla, our outreach every weekend. Im going to miss these guys. The one in the middle with the blue shirt is Raul, he has become one of my best friends here in Peru.
Esto es el grupo que va a ventanilla nuestro alcance. Voy a extranar a ellos. El en el medio con el polo azul es Raul. Ha llegado a ser uno de mis mejores amigos aqui en Peru.

There they went, my glasses, and my flesh, but I did make a new friend. Isn't he adorable. His name is Ramos.