August Newsletter

The Climate
Well, we've been in Lima since last Tuesday night (August 11th). It's been cold! That takes a little getting used to when you’ve lived in South Texas for the past eleven years. It averages around 65 during the day and around 60 at night. To me it can be quite comfortable during the day, but it does get a little nippy at night. Of course, you ought to see the locals; they are layered up like their in Alaska. The good news that I’ve been told is that it does not get any colder.

Sunshine
The other thing that is very different here is that the sun rarely shines during the winter. There is something that happens when the warm air from the pacific clashes with the cooler air from the Andes Mountains that creates a cloudy blanket over the country. I’ve been told that the sun will again begin to shine in December which will be Spring.

Settling In
I’m starting to settle into my new responsibilities here at the Bible College. My roles are twofold. First, is that of Bible Teacher. This semester I will be teaching the book of Matthew and the books of First and Second Peter. I am really looking forward to teaching through those books verse by verse with the students. My second role is that of Campus Pastor. In that role, I oversee the college grounds and the students making sure that all is moving along without any interruptions. The best part of that role is being there for the students and serving as their pastor while they are away from home. I’m already establishing some pretty sweet relationships.

God is Good
God has been so good to my family. He has made Himself so strong in not only our fundraising efforts, but in also giving us total peace in our new calling. I just want to thank all of the churches and individuals who answered God's call to be a part of our ministry here in Lima. “Que chevere!” (Awesome!)

Funny Story
We figured out after our first couple of days that more than half of the cars that we saw on the road were taxis. There are probably more than that. Anyway, the way that you call them is to simply extend your arm. Well, we didn’t know that. So, we’re walking down the street just a pointing at all of the beautiful buildings and stores, etc… and I noticed that every time one of us pointed, the taxis would all scramble in our direction. Once we realized what was happening, it was hilarious. I’m not sure the taxi drivers felt the same way though!

Driving and Teaching

Today was my first day driving in Lima. It was my turn to pick up incoming students at the airport. It went fine. Of course, I've driven everywhere from Mexico all the way down to Costa Rica before. I actually enjoyed seeing the city.

Students will continue to arrive all this week. Orientation will be Saturday and classes will start Monday. They will start out with Church History which will be taught by John and followed by Matthew and then 1 and 2 Peter. I will be teaching both of those classes. Pray that I will get everything together and that I will share what the Lord wants me to and nothing more. It usually takes me about a year to get through Matthew verse by verse. Now, I must do it in three weeks! The class runs every morning, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It should be no problem if I cover about two chapters per day. Easy!

Responsibilities

Well, we've been here since Tuesday night. It's been cold! It averages around 65 during the day and around 60 at night. However, I've been told that it does not get any colder. That sounds good to me.

My official responsibilities at the Bible College is twofold. First, is that of Bible Teacher. This semester I will be teaching the book of Matthew and possibly another. Second, is that of Campus Pastor. In that role, I just love on the students and make sure that all goes well on campus. I am really looking forward to what the Lord is doing. The students have already begun to arrive.

God has been so good to my family. He has made Himself so strong in not only our fundraising efforts, but in also giving us total peace in our new calling. Praise His Name!

Dwayne

We Have Arrived

We arrived in Lima last night around 11:00pm. We are so excited to finally be here. It's all we've talked and prayed about for the last two years. I just want to thank every one who prayed for us, talked with us, encouraged and gave financially to us to make this happen. You guys are just as much a part of this ministry as we are. We love all of you.

Dwayne

Packing Woes

Packing is proving to be a challenge to say the least! The first let-down came when the airline told us that we could not carry our guitars on-board the plane because of a permanent embargo on extra luggage for all flights to Peru. Instead, we would have to check them on the plane and they would count as one of our two check-on bags. Well, that can't happen because we have clothes, books, bibles, homeschooling curriculim, etc... that must take priority. We will just have to find a team or person who can bring them down later. Let me know if you're coming to visit and I'll have them mailed to you to bring.

Also, each check-on bag can not weigh more than 50 pounds. That's a tall order. So, we have eight bags and we've been shifting things between those bags to get them as close to 50 as possible without going over. Hope our scales are accurate!

We were also told that we can take a personal item (I.e. purse, laptop, etc...) and a carry-on that can't weight more than 40 pounds. We are currently maxing them out as well.

Other than packing, we are very excited about waking up in Lima, Peru next Wednesday morning. Oh, the weather there is just the opposite of here. It was 104 degrees here in West Texas yesterday and it was 65 degrees there. We are going to have bundle up just a bit. Being in South Texas for so long, that's freezing weather!

The Truck

Well, we were able to get the trucks unloaded yesterday. It sure did come out a whole lot quicker and easier than it went in! My son Dane said that putting all of the stuff in the vans was like playing "Tetris" and pulling it out was like playing "Jenga".

One of them was so full that I thought we were going to have to take it out on the highway and slam on the brakes just to get everything off the door so that it would open! Didn't have to do that in the end though. Had some great friends help us out and it went quickly.

That part of the move is over. Thanks for all of your prayers.

Dwayne

Andrews, TX

We arrived in Andrews, TX last night about 2:00am. Boy, it sure was a long drive. We had some friends drive down and met us in Sonoma to drive the last four hours which was a huge blessing after about eleven hours on the road in a U-Haul! Those big things are hard to drive.

Today has been a day of rest at the Armstrong home here in Andrews. Tomorrow we are getting up to unload the trucks. Hopefully, it will come out a whole lot easier than it went in. Going in is like playing Tetris. The more you get in, the harder it becomes.

I want to thank everyone who has helped us make this happen. Your prayers and support are truly appreciated.

Dwayne