Camping was a blast! I posted some pictures below. Right before going I thought it was going to rain all weekend, but it ended up being fairly nice. We only had one night of rain and with that night came lots of adventure. We got into the tent and laid down just about the time it started to rain. It began to rain harder and harder. I was so fearful that our tent tarp would not work and that we would end up soaked. While lying there we heard the sound of our trash can being tipped over. It did not sound good. Something was definitely out there! We had been warned we were in bear country, so you can imagine what I was thinking. Chris decided to be brave and go see what it was. He went out in his undies with a lantern in hand to see what we might be up against. He came back explaining that the trash can was completely tipped over and that from what he could see, there was no remnants of our garbage. Chris thought it would be good for the both of us to go into the car and turn on the lights to scare whatever it was away. So, once again Chris is in his undies, this time with lantern, me and a hammer in hand! He explained that he would use the hammer to hit the bear over the head when I asked. I was feeling very reassured and safe, wink, wink. Now we are in the car, lights on, trash can tipped over, chris with the hammer in his hand and ready to take on the bear. A short video clip as proof and ten minutes later we lay back in our tent, listening to the sound of the rain and whatever else might be out there. The next day we got up to try to find the trash and it was nowhere to be found. I still think it was a bear and although it would have been more entertaining, I am glad to say it never came to get us. I guess Chris might have saved the night after all with the car lights, even if he didn’t have to use the hammer.
School is going well. My hands seem to be a little more full than last year in some areas, but we are moving along and attempting to learn the little lessons. As a class my students are close to mastering the unpacking of a backpack and our morning routine. I say close because today a student came back in the classroom with nothing in hand. No folders, no snack, not a thing. :) I laughed it off and blamed it on Monday, hoping Thursday will bring back the student’s memory magically! They are adorable and I am looking forward to moving from the skill of unpacking a backpack toward reading and writing! :) I will end here for now and hopefully be back with some more stories. Thanks to those of you who are reading.
1. He watches any and every sport imaginable and knows something about any well known player (tennis, golf, football, baseball, basketball and the most shocking....POKER) :)
2. Make plans elsewhere when a Lakers game is on.
3. Get your own snack or wait until after Chris is done with the snack you want...by no means place your hand in his snack bag! :)
I must give him credit on the latter though since he has shared twice with me in the past week (a definite sign of growth).
I would not be surprised if in a few days you can get "Megan's Odd Habits" on Christopher's blog.
The most important thing I came to know this year,despite my previous teasing, is that I am blessed to be married to a man who is dedicated to encouraging us in ways we can grow in our love for one another as a couple, while also having high regard for individual growth and self awareness. Thank you Christopher! :)
I left the anniversary planning up to Chris and he exceeded my expectations! On Tuesday night we ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I felt like we were on our honeymoon again, eating such delicious food at such a romantic restaurant. Chris finished his CPE Friday so on Saturday we celebrated the end of CPE and our anniversary with a day by the pool, more delicious food and a stay at the Hyatt here in Princeton.
Now Chris is studying for the Ordination exams that will take place on August 23rd. After taking 3 on the 23rd he will be given a take home exam to be completed by the following Thursday. He is definitely feeling it as a crunch time being that CPE was all summer and he wasn't able to dedicate the amount of time he would have to studying otherwise.
After all that is done though I am excited to say we have more celebrating to do for the end of Ords and of course my birthday on the 31st. :)
It is difficult for me to remember how old I exactly was when I first met Pastor Fabion, Cecilia and their family, however, I believe I was about 16. Little did I know the impact one family would have on my faith, my worldview and my life in general. If any of you have spent considerable time with me, somewhere along the line I have mentioned the faith and fervor of Pastor Fabion and his family. They live in Lima, Peru in an area called Marques. It is an area close to the water and runs along what has become a large dump for the people. The first time I met this family I knew they were special. They lived in an area connected to the church made up of dirt floors,a thatched tarp roof over the two tiny rooms and a hole in the ground as a bathroom. Walking through their home the first time, I could not help but be drawn to tears to see the way they were living. Here was a family of four living in a “home” that was smaller than my bedroom. Later I found out that the family had taken on a ministry in Pachacutec, an area on the outskirts of Lima that is made up of thousands of people and is as poor as it gets. There they took part in developing a feeding center and church that held services throughout the week.
You can see that this family has no lack of vision. Nothing has stopped them from doing what they felt called to do. But do not worry, the story of this family does not end there and I do not think it will really ever end until they leave this Earth.
About 3 years after I met this family, Pastor Fabion approached me with some manila envelopes, one addressed to me and one to my parents. Pastor Fabion often discussed matters with me to then share with my father, as my dad was still working on his Spanish. Sitting in the church with the thatched roof above us and dirt floor below us he began to share with me a vision. His vision was to create a Bible School that could also be used as a church facility and possibly a feeding center as well. As I pulled out the drawings he created of this, I could tell this was not just a thought he had, he was very serious and did not seem to have a fear that God would not allow this come to pass.
At 19 years old, I was not negative about the vision, but thought more that it just may not happen. Call me faithless but I was in one of the poorest churches I had ever been in and the ministry was starting to support a lot of things. A building such as this would entail quite a bit! After returning from Peru, I would come across the envelope from time to time and take out the picture and be reminded of the faith of Fabion and his family, unaware if this vision would ever come to pass.
Time passed and I began to receive updates from my father. He himself was referring to this Bible School now and how he was working to raise support for it. Visionary meets visionary and this picture may actually come to life after all, I thought. As my dad received enough money to begin building, our missionary Hector began to hire workers and building supplies to start the groundwork. Each trip they went on I would get a new report of how things were coming along. The picture I held in my hands years earlier was coming to life! You might guess I had a very strong desire to see this vision that had in fact become reality, but circumstances over the past 3 years had not allowed me to do so.
However, this summer at 23 I found myself outside of the picture on the paper, in awe that our God can do anything. To see the congregation worship with cement beneath their feet and a real roof above their heads was a magnificent experience. It only got better as I walked up the stairs to the new home of Pastor Fabion and Cecilia. Cecilia saw me, dropped what she was doing and embraced me so closely and we both began to cry. We were happy to see each other, as we both consider each other family (they named there daughter after me), however I feel like we both knew how beautiful it was to see a dream come true and a house for them on top of it all! I remembered Cecilia with a heavy heart and now it seemed her whole appearance had changed. She seemed so much happier and like a burden had been taken off her shoulders. Each of her children has their own room, there is a living room, a kitchen and even a bathroom as we think of it in the U.S.
Later in the week, I got a complete tour of the building, you can find many of the pictures down below. It was a faith building experience to be there and see this for me. I somehow feel part of the whole process, thinking back to the day he first handed me that envelope. I am thankful to God for that blessing. The building itself is amazing, but the best part for me is that I know and trust that God will use this church and Bible School as a place to grow and send out disciples. It is called Hearts On Fire Bible School and Training. We are still working to complete a fourth floor and as the school gets up and running it will need the financial and prayerful support of those who know the story. I would be telling the story in vain if I did not share that you can be a part of it as well. Please pray for Pastor Fabion, Cecilia, Cecia, Leo and Hannah Megan and the congregations of Pachacutec and Marques. :) You can visit message ministries online to see all the other wonderful things going on throughout Peru!