Well, it's been a while since I've written (about a month!!!). Yay for Robin's updates... Anyways, a lot has been going on. I (Tracy) got really sick (like in bed for 5 days) and then one by one all the rest of the family got sick. However, it was all from different things. Thanksgiving fell right in the middle of all of this. But, I was able to make a sweet potato pie (there's no pumpkins here...) The kids both missed a week of school. After a mountain of medicine, shots, the whole 9 yards, we are finally doing better. So, in the middle of all that, the kids had a dance the school was doing and they needed to attend. Whew!
Liam and Kilaine did peruvian dances with their classes that they have been practicing during the school year. Liam is in the 2nd row, the 2nd from the right, waiting for the dances to begin.
And Kilaine is right in the middle, to the right of the teacher, waiting with her class.
The pictures didn't turn out that great of the dances, I'll try to get a video up soon. But there is Kilaine right in the front and middle of the picture.
Later, Kilaine's class played a song on xilophone (I can't remember how to spell that in English...), then they sang some songs. It was really cute.
Robin went to Arequipa and was going to go to Puno, too, but the plans got changed. He passed out in the airport before leaving Lima. The airport doctors said the medicine he took lowered his blood pressure and that was all, so he could still go. But once they got to Arequipa, he started having problems again. So, the next day, after the service, he & Brian got a flight back to Lima instead of going on to Puno. We were praying about Puno if it was the place for us. the doctor in Arequipa told Robin he should probably never go there in his life, because of the altitude and the way it affects his heart. I guess we got our answer on that one! Anyways, here's Brian in Arequipa talking with Shane Treadway at the Cafe Berea in Arequipa. That's a coffee shop that is an extension of the church.
Beautiful building in Arequipa.
Shane at the church Sunday in Arequipa.
Brian got to teach there.
Robin found some branches out in the street and gathered them up so we could make a christmas tree. We spray painted it white on the roof and sprinkled glitter on it (we borrowed the rocks from the roof, too!). We got the idea from Ana Licea last year (that's a close friend of ours back in Florida at our church). Thanks, Ana.
We had lots of snowflakes from the young adults back in Florida to decorate our tree with. Plus, I can never resist making new ones! I am looking forward to Christmas. Thanksgiving was kind of hard, that's only a holiday in the states, so the world continues on without skipping a beat. But, at least we aren't the only ones celebrating Christmas. The church is going to have a chocolatada in Canete and Santa Rosa de Villa. That's where they make and share peruvian style hot chocolate and give out a slice of paneton, a special bread that has pieces of dried fruit in it (it's way better than a fruitcake) and is a traditional thing to eat for Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
We've been thinking a lot about the wise men this Christmas. We've been talking a lot with the kids about them and the gifts they brought to Jesus. They were all symbolic. We were talking about what kind of gift each of us would bring if we could go and worship Jesus at His birth. Kilaine chose a box of baby things, and a cookie. Liam would give Him a baby duck. (my son is weird) But we talked about giving Him our gifts. Not presents, but the talents that He has given us. Maybe I could sing for Him, Robin said he might build a crib for Him, giving the son of God a place to lie His head. I think the best thing we can give to Him is our lives. I saw the movie, "The Nativity Story." My favorite part was when the wise men and the shepherds came to see Jesus and to worship Him. That's what I want to do this Christmas. 
Merry Christmas, from the Shelleys
