Ale La (Go There)

This week we have a huge team here in Arequipa doing a surgical outreach at hospital Goyeneche where I work. It's weird because I'm working with Americans and Canadians, but sometimes I feel most comfortable siting down and chatting with my Peruvian friends in Spanish. It's very exciting to be a part of this project and see people come in for surgeries that they wouldn't be able to afford unless these surgeons volunteered their time. Here is some snazzy fun for those of you who are linguistically inclined. Can you match the Quechua word with it's English equivalent? There are tons of words in Quechua that start with the "ch" sound. See if you can mix and match them correctly. 1. Chancho                                                  ...

If you are a family from the church, and you are reading this with your kids. Please be advised that I sometimes use adult language when I write, just like I sometimes swear when I pray. So, if you are going to read me out loud to your kids, please edit where you think you need to edit in order to keep it age appropriate. Here is where this shit gets real. For the last couple of weeks I have been praying about what it means to write with integrity. When I say "praying" please don't picture me in a dark room, surrounded by candles, sitting criss-cross on my Bible, eyes closed, chanting and singing. Usually when I pray I am doing something like drinking tea, watering my plants, walking on a trail, throwing rocks, or driving and thinking crazy thoughts. For example, last Friday I was driving and praying, singing J-Bieber, and wondering what it would be like to live on a windmill farm in the California desert all at the same...

This is going to be a mish mash post. I apologize in advanced. I usually like to have my writing unfold into a thematic element and then fold back up into a recognizable theme (like an origami envelope that opens into a flower), but life has not been like that this week. So, here ya go! I had a garage sale last Saturday. It was crazy how much work went into it and I am so grateful for the people who helped me make it happen (you know who you are, and you are AWESOME). I sat there all day on Saturday and was amazed at how much STUFF we have. I mean seriously, who knew there were so many Foreman grills in the world??? I think that because I am getting ready to move, I am finally getting rid of a lot of the STUFF that I have kept over the years because I thought it would somehow make me comfortable. You know, like the Paul Frank monkey footie pajamas that you kept for your future children. I sold a lot of that kind of stuff. And I sold it for $5, which seemed WAY underpric...