Delays

Well, I was all emotionally adjustd to returning home. Was having breakfast with my hostess Irma when Sabina came over saying Abi  was on the phone - I suggested she tell her to wait a bit and call back. When I got back, I waited for her call, but the line was dead, so I e-mailed her, wondering if everything was okay - after all, I would be home the next afternoon, what couldn't wait? Later was at sister Nimia's house when the phone rang, Sabina's daughter Ruth, saying Abi called. and was told to call back in a bit. We finished our lunch and headed bck. The phone line went dead again, though, so I checked the email - and she had replid that my flights were cancelled due to a hurricane. SO. Had to reschedule. She tried calling from there while I tried, with a prepaid phone card, to call the office in Lima. We were both on hold for some time - no doubt oodles of other travellers trying to rearrang things - but I got through first. So...I will be on my way home WEDNESDAY night. There was a group of folks going to make a paseo of the trip to the airport - but instead they took me to a polleria, and wouldn't let me pay anything. Being low on funds, I didn't argue!

The days in Lima have been fairly uneventful - Friday night there was an "August Birthday" celebration after the service.(at which I was invited to share the message.)They served a big vat of "chaufa" - Chinese frid rice with chicken, egg, onions, and seasoning - and cake.When they started serving, the lights went out, and Jorge produced some flashlights so we could all finish up. I met an evangelist, pastor Pinedo - and I know some Utias are hooked up with Pinedos, so I asked him about it. He didn't know any Utias himself, but he was familiar with Pucallpa. We had  nice little chat.
  Saturday there was a united church effort to do some house-to-house evangelism. One group came in the morning, and I was recognizd by some members of Ps. Alberto Saens' church. In the afternoon there was another group. I stayed behind on the computer. Sabi served me a lunch of "carne de res" (beef) from our Papito Maximo in Chiclayo, with sauteed peppers and onions, and fries. The first crew had soup and leftover chaufa. Another group came which included my friends pastors Gregorio and Juanita, and they brought their granddaughter Gracia - I couldn't believe it was she, she had grown so much! Juanita stayed behind because the munchkin was too difficult to control, so we had some time to talk a bit - mostly about some problems they had on the home front. I know they have a lot of grief right now due to certain circumstances. A bit later, some of the boys were going to get bread, and I debatd going with them for the exercise, but didn't want to slow them down. But they insisted it was all right and were glad to have me walk along with them. Besides, that way they could ask me questions about the USA and NY. It was a good walk, and I workd up a sweat in my two sweaters.When the group returnd we had bread-n-butter and tea before they all went home.

There was  joint service in the evening, with the 5 other pastors who took part. I was asked just to greet people because Ps Pinedo gave a message (yay) They served bread-n-butter and tea afterwards and gave people opportunities to share songs. It was a pleasant time of fellowship.
The next morning I asked Irma if she could loan me soap and shampoo so I could bathe, and she heated up some water and obliged me. Lima's winter is such that while it isn't as cold as Rochester's, you don't sweat much - not like Pucallpa where you want to bathe twice or three times a day! But I will be glad when I can be home and fill the tub with warm water from the tap and maybe some bath salts and SOAK and scrub myself off and change into clean clothes,washing my well-travelled clothes in a machine. And have non-instant coffee!