Team Report 2

GO TEAM PERU are really getting stuck into the work in Arequipa, not only have we become pro brickies but we have erected 3 concrete pillars which are supported by cleverly twisted wire frames done by 'the chicas'(girls) to perfection! Our maestro Fermin, who has now gained entrance into gag city because of his building site banter, is possibly the strongest, smiliest, Peruvian we know. He gave us a master class in brick laying, done at super speed and puts us to shame with his lack of fear when balancing on our very wobbly walls and hanging off the side of the already 2 story church.

Twice a week the boys get a great work out by carrying 45kg bags of cement up three flights of stairs, which are then expertly mixed with a careful proportion of water and sand mix by the whole team. This is where the girls come into their own and absolutely thrash out the mixing on the concrete floor. Having seen Steph's enthusiasm Fermin described her efforts as that of a man.
So far we have had two truck loads of 'King Kong' Peruvian bricks which we carried from bottom to top, this was superb for team building (done in conveyor belt stylie) and gave 'the chicas' a chance to practice their singing. They have now been asked to sing in church this Sunday.

The weekends are turning out to be jam-packed. On Saturdays the church have two youth groups, which we are getting really stuck into. Not only is it a great chance to get to know the youngsters but a chance to learn crazy, fun Peruvian games; involving dizziness, water, and running. On top of this they love to open up the bible and discuss different themes each week, also finishing with an extremely hard quiz.

Sundays start with church at 10 till whenever, with a youth meeting first and then a sermon and songs after. Last week Steve bravely gave his testimony in fluent Spanish, and Elaine took the stage to dazzle us with her recorder playing skills during worship!! Members of the church have also auctioned us off for lunch each Sunday.

In the afternoon the church tradition is to meet at the nearest football pitch and have a competitive 5 a side tournament. The whole team jumped in with both feet at the opportunity and gave a good demo of English football, until we started dying on the pitch from lack of oxygen! Most escaped without battle wounds, but the newly named Rambo (Jamie) has a slight graze the size of a tennis ball on his hip from a heroic slide tackle.

The other night we decided to swallow our pride and descend upon the houses in the surrounding area so that we could tell them who we are, what we are doing here and invite them to church. We could tell straight away from people's responses that God was totally helping us out especially with our Spanish - which was amazing.

The pastor Pablo yesterday celebrated his birthday and opened his house for Peruvian snacks and more Peruvian games this helped with even more team building! It was a heart-warming experience to see the true family atmosphere between the church members and to see a culturally different birthday bash.

Other highlights include a 3-course meal for 95p, two hours looking around a nunnery/convent, the bustling/vibrant market that has aisles and aisles of food, animals, cloths, and 20ft snakes. We have also sampled the local cuisine of Ceviche (raw fish) and Salchipapas which is delicious chips with frankfurter sausage, chicken, fried egg, bacon and every sauce under the sun (working wonders for the girls diets)!

Go Team Peru are now geared up for a heavy weekend and hoping to serve God even more and discover his will.

Adios amigos, el Senor es Todopoderoso.

Prayer points
Give thanks:
- That Steve now has two working ears
- Lisa's glandular fever isn't holding her back and she is talking as much as ever
- None of the rest of the team have been ill up to now and we pray this continues.

Please pray for:
- Continued improvement with our Spanish and regularly finding the time to do it
- Our personal prayer times. We are really enjoying our group devotions but because of our hectic routine it is hard to have our own personal time with God.
- The contact we have had with people in the area and that they would continue to show interest in the church.

(from the steps team website www.stepsteam.org)