Extreme Makeover Peruvian Style

The first night that we lived here.
Chili's after the surprise for Nancy!
Nicchola's first time at Chili's!
Woo Hoo Extreme Makeover!
I came back to Peru after furlough towards the middle end of March. When we came back, we did not know where we would be living. I stayed with Amanda and Shaun Wissmann for about 4 days while I was working on my residency. Then I moved in with a sweet family for about a week and a half. Nancy and I love this family, but the main problem is they lived too far away from where we needed to work. It was too dangerous to work late at night and get back to their house. So one night, Nancy and I went with the Ventanillan police to look for places to stay to rent that would be closer to where we needed to work. Each place that we went in was super shady and looked like the second you left your room all the other people that were renting rooms would steal your stuff. I was honestly pretty discouraged at the situation, living in a place that was way out where we did not know anyone, but then at the same time not being able to find a safe place to live. The next day, I called one of my closest Peruvian friends Nichola to come pick me up because he is a taxi driver and to see what we could find. He went to a pharmacy on the corner to ask about places that were for rent. The pharmacist sent us down the street. We did not know exactly where she was talking about, so we decided to ask some ladies that were on the porch, and they said they were renting the second floor of their house. Wow, it was a miracle. Nichola and I went in and looked and I knew right then that was the place that God had provided for us. At the time the electricity was not installed and there was not a level floor, but the owner did that for us the following week. God honestly completed all the desires of our heart for where we wanted to live:
A safe place, a place where we could host company, running water, and electricity
He even provided more than just that, amazing neighbors that literally watch out for us all the time. The lady that we are renting from just lost her 25 year old daughter 2 months ago due to a brain aneurism. She is in a time of despair right now, and God has provided us the opportunity being 2 girls that are in our twenties to be able to get to minister to a hurting mom. They are always checking on us and are honestly the friendliest people we could ever live by. Her sister is also our next door neighbor.
When we moved in the house, there was absolutely nothing in there. There was one utility sink, a toilet, a shower, and the day before they had put in a bathroom sink. Everything else was just cement walls. I am not complaining at all, I just wanted to describe how the house was when we found it. Nancy and I then spent the next week going to markets and stores trying to buy Peruvian furniture. It was a little difficult trying to buy things that were Peruvian and to make sure that we were not putting too much of our American culture into it. Before Nancy left for her trip to Germany, we had bought the majority of things for the house. Another miracle, while I was home in the states, people from all over Texas gave financially to our work in Peru and with that money we were able to move and furnish our house. God is so good, he always provides.

Anyway, one of the biggest tasks of all this move was all the materials that Southmont Baptist Church had left with us over all the times they had come to Peru in this last year. They always left with us all of their left over supplies. We had used almost all of them this year, but then they came again at the end of January and left a TON of stuff, all of which we are very grateful for….but the question is where to put it? Also, I wanted to count all the materials to be ready for whatever project God would call us to next. Anyway, I say all of this to say that when Nancy left for Germany the house was an absolute wreck. It was not from a lack of not working very hard on it together, it was just because there was more than we get done in one week. I was very discouraged as she was leaving for the airport because basically all we had time to do together was put together the beds, and buy the majority of the stuff for the house, and nothing else. We had spent the whole time shopping for the furniture for the house but not unpacking, organizing the materials, or constructing the other furniture. You would think by now that I would have learned this lesson that God always provides and to not have a bad attitude about things.
As I was driving with Nancy to the airport, I was letting myself get bitter about how much I had left to do. Then my mom encouraged me that God was providing great help for me and that I needed to change my attitude because my good friend Amanda Wissmann (a fellow missionary that lives in Lima) was going to come spend a week with me while Nancy was gone. Amanda Wissmann is a gift from God in every way. She is the one who helped me move in January before going back to the states, and once again she was willing to help. She is one of the hardest workers I have ever met, she works circles around me, and she is the queen at organizing!
Within 11 days of Nancy being gone, God did a huge miracle and expanded our time. We were able to go and pick out doors, get four doors installed, find a kitchen sink install it, construct cabinents, finish the upholstery for the couches, put curtains up, paint our bedroom, paint 2 verses on the columns, paint all the columns, count and organize ALL the materials Southmont had left, unpack everything, wash all the dishes, clean, install everything in the kitchen, make a library of books to check out for the people we minister to, and do a huge surprise for Nancy all at the same time. We had been “joking” with Nancy and had convinced her that we had not had time to do anything on the house, and it was just like she had left it. She believed it. I have never had to lie so much in my life, but in the end I was going to tell her the truth. I am not promoting lying! 
Anyway, we decided to call this Peruvian extreme makeover! Almost every day, Nicchola, our dear friend, came over to install and construct all kinds of things. We had so much fun! Everyday, we would get up and work all day and sometimes until the next morning until we would finish a certain project. We honestly finished everything 10 minutes before Nancy came home. Amanda had made cookies and cake. We had a big banner that said “You have been chosen for Extreme Make Over Nancy Lane.” She was so surpised! We had pulled it off only with God’s strength and grace, the biggest surprise that I have ever been a part of. What in the beginning, I thought was going to be a burden, turned out to be an amazing time with 2 of my dearest friends Amanda and Nicchola! I got to see team work play out at its finest! All three of us had different things to offer to finish the project and with God’s strength we finished! It was a beautiful 11 days and such a blessing to be a part of it. We did little fun things all throughout the 11 days, like drink coke floats (it was Nicchola's first time), play phase 10, watch movies at the end of the day, and just a lot of laughing! After Nancy arrived and we gave a tour, we all went to Chilis! It was Nicchola's first time, and he LOVED it! What a blessing! If you would like to see pictures, I can e-mail them to you.