Alegre Woodside Happenings in Peru

Dear friends, family and supporters,

As always it seems that too many months have passed since I posted or sent an email update to our friends, family and supporters.  Back in August we were blessed to see many of you during our visit to WA.

During our visit to WA - Ballard Locks

Back in Peru, life has kept us busy running after a 1+ year old, and with our work, ministry, and service with our church.  Here are a few highlights from the past couple of months.

FH-Peru Ministry Update
As a part of my role as the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Technical Advisor for FH-Peru, I have also been participating in the FH International DRR Sector Team. This team of staff from all over the world (Nicaragua, Haiti, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines are just a few of the countries where team members work), meets virtually to work on creating and editing DRR materials that FH will use in all of its fields as part of the Child Focused Community Transformation Program.

Maybe some of you are wondering...What is DRR?  Check out this blog entry to learn more: http://www.lauren-peru.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-is-disaster-risk-reduction.html).

Since about June I have not only been participating as a member of this international team, but I was also asked to be the coordinator for this team. Recently that has meant many hours working on finalizing, editing, and soliciting feedback from the team for a Leadership Training Manual related to Disaster Risk Reduction and the creation of community DRR plans.  This Manual is part of a series of training manuals that FH has created for use in training community leaders (village chiefs, community presidents, pastors, and other formal and informal community leaders).

One thing I think is really interesting about this DRR Manual is that it will not only provide training to community leaders about how to conduct a community risk assessment and create a community DRR plan, but it also has several reflection sections that ask community leaders to think about what they believe about God and disasters.  Many people in communities where FH works believe that disasters happen as a punishment from God, or nature, and they do not think they can or should do anything to prevent those disasters.  Throughout the training manual, community leaders will be hearing about the biblical story of Joseph and how God used Joseph to prepare Egypt for the disaster of impending famine.  By reflection on different aspects of this story community leaders will have a opportunity to confront some of their deep understandings about God and his relationship to us, and how He can equip us to plan for our futures.

I hope and pray that God will use this training manual to not only prepare communities for disasters, but also touch and transform the hearts and minds of the community leaders.

FH/Peru Lima Region and Central Office Staff - October 2013

Family and Church Ministry Update
Caleb is growing so fast.  In August he turned one year old and we celebrated with a family get together complete with a cake just for Caleb (thank you Grammie).

During the last few months, Caleb and mommy have been participating in a special class for little ones.  Twice a week we meet with about 6 other one year olds and their mommies, grandmas or daddies, to sing songs, play games, and do other learning activities.  Caleb especially loves the gym time when he gets to climb over all kinds of stuff.

Caleb playing at his class at our church.

Cristian is busy as ever with work.  We are blessed though that he does not work on Saturdays (many people in Peru do), so we get to spend lots of time together as a family on the weekends.  On the weekends, and evenings, Caleb especially likes reading, listening to music, and dancing with his daddy.

Caleb reading with Daddy

Cristian and I are continuing to serve as leaders for our couples small group.  In November we had a holiday in Peru and enjoyed a day of barbecue and fellowship with our small group.  God continues to grow us and the other couples through our time together.

Small group friends - barbecuing during recent holiday.

Some of you have already heard this news, but in case you haven't - we are expecting a little girl/ baby sister in about three months.  I have been blessed with a good pregnancy so far, and we are so excited to meet little miss ??? in February.

We promise to keep you posted with further baby news.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support.  God is using you to make our work possible here in Peru.

Many blessings,
Lauren, Cristian, Caleb and Baby Girl

What is Disaster Risk Reduction?

A few months ago I wrote about the new program that Food for the Hungry is implementing world-wide, called Child Focused Community Transformation or CFCT. The  aim of CFCT is to equip community leaders and families with the skills and knowledge needed to transform their communities into places that nurture and contribute to children reaching their full potential.  The CFCT program is holistic, partnering with communities for 6-10 years to carry out  initiatives in four key sectors: health, livelihoods, education, and disaster risk reduction (DRR).  In my current role with FH/Peru, I am serving as the DRR Technical Advisor.  My job is to support the program manager and field staff by providing technical information and guidelines for implementing the DRR activities we will be carrying out with leaders and families.  So what is Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)?

Disaster risk reduction is an essential component to the development of any community.  Disasters can destroy communities and set back their development.  However, if communities include in their development plans initiatives to reduce disaster risks, then communities will be able to better protect not only lives but also progress they have worked so hard to achieve.   

When I first came to Peru in 2006, I was asked to help start a project related to helping churches be prepared for disasters and be prepared to serve others affected by disasters.  God, however had other plans for me, and that particular project did not go past the planning stages.  However, now I am glad to be able to return to working on DRR initiatives that include disaster preparedness activities. 

The overall goal of FH's DRR initiatives is to increase the capacity to reduce disaster risks in communities where FH serves.  In order to realize this goal, FH/Peru works alongside community leaders to facilitate the development of community DRR plans.  By working with community leaders to assess their disaster risk and develop and manage their own plans FH hopes to increase the resiliency of these vulnerable communities.  

One of the aspects of my work with FH DRR initiatives, has been to serve on an FH/International work group that has been developing the DRR training materials that fields are using to help leaders learn to identify threats to their community, and assess their vulnerability, capacity and risks so that they are able create community DRR plans.  This training material which was finalized last year is now being implemented in several communities in Peru and other countries. Through the training, communities develop plans for how to prepare and respond to disasters, and also how to mitigate their effects through initiatives like, building retaining walls in areas affected by earthquakes, or teaching children to swim in areas affected by flooding.  Each community plan is different taking in to consideration the risks each community faces, and building on the skills and capacity each community already has.  

(community members identifying some of the potential disasters that face their community)

Just as God used Joseph to warn Pharaoh about the impending 7 years of famine and also used him to help Egypt prepare in advance for that disaster.  FH hopes that God will use us to help communities identify, become prepared for and mitigate disasters that could potentially destroy lives and the development of their community.  

Please pray for FH as we walk with communities to help them prepare for disasters and reduce disaster risks, and for me as I continue to learn more about how I can support FH/Peru implement these activities.  

With patience comes clarity and now...sharing about ministry changes with FH/Peru

Since returning to serving with FH January this year after maternity leave, I entered the ministry in the midst of many changes.  I realize that I have not written a post in over four months, partly due to the busyness of life (ministry, church, being a mommy and wife), but mostly the delay was because I was so uncertain about what to share. Change is hard for me to process.   In the midst of big changes I am often so disoriented -- I don't know where to start in sharing with others.  Thanks to God for growing in me much patience over the last few months.  Finally, things have clarified enough for me that I am excited to share with you about these changes.

You might remember that only a couple of years ago  FH/Peru was in the midst of great change. At that time, after re-evaluating the needs of the communities where we work in Lima and Pucallpa, we began to design and implement a violence prevention project.  That project was just being  implemented when I took a break from ministry for maternity leave.  When I returned, FH/Peru was facing once again new changes coming from our local ministry and from FH International.  At home: a new country director, changes in staff, service in about 10 new communities.  Our parent ministry, FH International, began implementation  of a new program model  across the globe in all FH fields.  For me, change means a new role with FH/Peru as the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Technical Advisor.

This new global program model is called Child Focused Community Transformation or CFCT.  In an effort to be better stewards of the resources that God has given FH and to increase the impact of our interventions in the communities we serve, the FH International office created CFCT.  CFCT is a combination of some of FH's best practices around the world, and focuses on four key sectors that are critical to the development and transformation of vulnerable communities (health, education, disaster risk reduction, and  "livelihoods" which is economic development).

 A great benefit of this united global program (CFCT)  will be support from the international office. FH International will be able to provide much better technical support, and curriculum and materials that can be used to train leaders, churches and families around the world.  This is great for FH/Peru (a relatively small FH field) because often we have been restricted in ministry due to the cost (time and money) of developing new materials. For example when FH/Peru realized the great need to implement the violence prevention project, we did not have enough funding to continue certain health and education interventions already in place.  Now, with much of program design being centralized in the international office, FH/Peru staff are more available to implement the CFCT programs.  They are able to spend more time in the communities building relationships with leaders, churches and families rather than in the office, writing plans.

What does this mean for the violence prevention project?  Thanks to God, the majority of the materials for the violence prevention project were completed last year and are now being implemented in communities where FH has worked for many years.  Since the CFCT model is being implemented only in new communities, these violence prevention materials can still be used  in newer community ministries in the future.  In March, I had an opportunity to accompany my friend and FH staff, Wilda, during one of the lessons for children.  It was a blessing to see how the children were learning through games and songs about their own value as God's creations, about how special their bodies are, and that they should be protected from violence.

 Here is Wilda displaying the Violence Prevention Curriculum for Children that FH/Peru developed.

 Kids participating in violence prevention lesson.

 Kids coloring as part of the violence prevention lesson.

 Kids coloring as part of the violence prevention lesson.

Adjusting to change is hard for me, but I am really excited about how God is going to use the CFCT model in Peru to transform lives and communities so that children can grow and develop as God intended.  I am also grateful that the Lord continues to call me to service with FH/Peru, and that after several months of my searching for His direction, He is beginning to show me where my place is in the midst of a forever changing ministry.

In the next update (coming soon :) I will share more about how God is calling me to serve with FH/Peru and the new CFCT model.

Even When We Don't See

Several months ago, just before Caleb was born, I received an email from a girl who had visited one of the FH communities in Peru with her church.  I had the opportunity of helping receive and accompany her church's team to Chincha for a week.  Since then I really have not had any contact with her, but as she shares in her email below...God was at work:

Hi Lauren, 
I want to share some exciting news and how I believe you to have played a part in it!

I'm moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand this December to serve the Bang Pong community with my fiance. He's been over there since last December and we were recently approved to return as a married couple. Exciting news! And I've been asked many a time what the road looked like in coming to believe that God was preparing me to serve full-time as a missionary. It's always starts with Chincha ...and you. Truly! I remember watching you and wondering to myself if it (long-term missionary work) was something I could ever do. At the time it was so far-fetched but nonetheless you had an impact on me. I wish I could say it was this or that in particular, but I think it was just the seed of seeing a glimpse of your world. There's not much more to it than that, and I hope this is an encouragement to you. I'm seeing how powerful these messages and stories can be when you're on the front lines...I'm trusting it's coming at the right time though, and serves as a reminder of how God uses us in our obedience in so many ways beyond what we think of. :) 

I am always encouraged by how God works.  Sometimes I get trapped in thinking that being used by God depends on me - my decisions, my actions, and that it is limited to what I can see I am doing.  But this could not be farther from the truth.  God's plan for us is greater than we can imagine, and it depends on Him.  All we have to do is embrace where God has us today, and allow Him to work through our lives when and where ever we are, and he uses us even when we don't see it.  

Since moving to Peru, I thought God would use me to share his Love with Peruvians, but God is bigger than that.  God can use me her in Peru to touch the lives of someone in the US and even be part of His work on the other side of the world, in Thailand.  When I received this email, it was a reminder to me to trust Him.  As I reflect on all the changes in my life and ministry over the last year, I need to trust Him.  Thanks be to God that I don't have to understand or even see how He is using me to know that He is.  Thank you Lord.

May the Lord continue to use you and grow you right where He has you.

Lauren