Running around the muddy yard, the 10 or so kids didn't seem to mind playing tag eternally, until one kid said, "This time you're 'La Llorona'!" I didn't understand what he meant and had never heard the term, so I asked him to explain it to me.
"While we are sleeping, the bad, old lady comes to steal us out of our beds!"
"She lives down there!" another one added, pointing to the basement, gated off with iron.
I'm really into in-the-moment teaching opportunities and realized this was one of them. I needed God's help. I looked into the wide eyes of the kids staring up at me, equally hopeful of and terrified at the prospect of me chasing them, pretending to be La Llorona.
"Is there anyone who can stop La Llorona? Anyone stronger?"
The kids were unanimous: "No way!"
I looked puzzled. "Are you sure?"
One sturdy, young kid with a penchant for biting me instead of hugging me shouted, "God is!!"
I looked up and out at the rest of the kids. "Really?" I asked. "Is God stronger than La Llorona?"
By this time they had caught on: "YES!!" They shouted in unison.
"If the bad, old lady shows up, do you know how to ask God to help you?" My eyes panned the small crowd.
No one had an answer.
I shouted mine: "En el nombre de Dios, vayase!"
Heads perked up.
"Say it together!"
"In the name of God, get out of here!", the kids shouted in unison. (Okay, I realized later I should have taught them "In the name of JESUS, get out of here!" so I'll make that adjustment the next time we play!)
We were ready to test it out. I backed into the far corner of the yard and waited. They scattered...a few brave ones tiptoeing as close as they dared in the few seconds just before I...started moving toward them...lifting my hands as if to grab someone...but before I could take more than two steps, the kids shouted, almost in unison:
"EN EL NOMBRE DE DIOS, VAYASE!"
I clapped my hands over my ears and shrank back in horror. I fled back to my corner and looked up, shocked, at the kids. "You stopped me! How did you do that??"
They were thrilled to explain that now they all knew how to stop La Llorona!
A few turns later (and no one got tired of this game!), someone said, "We should all be laying down, because she only comes at night, to grab us out of our beds." There was something awfully sweet and sad about how truly scared those kids were as they lay down on the ground and peeked up at me, probably wondering if their short prayer was really going to work when they were in a more vulnerable position. And it did! You should have seen their faces as they realized that calling on Jesus to save them could stop the scariest person they could think of.
I know kids all around the world have stories of the "bogeyman" who is coming to get them. How awesome to be reminded that it only takes a few words to banish the strongest negative force we might encounter.
One Halloween we had a all-night vigil at a liturgical church I was attending. (Basically, we prayed and sang all night.) I left my shift around 10.30pm and as I walked down the steps to a lower parking area, I looked up at the small but towering church. There were sparse, autumn-shorn branches breaking across the building's vertical lines. It was a cloudy night with an almost-full moon. The scene was painted with every shade of gray and black. At the top of the church, spike-like crosses soared, looking even more menacing than that imposing sky--but in a strong, True way. I wondered: Do we worship a more ominous Good?
Victoria, as you can tell from the photo above, is a power-house. She's been in ministry most of her life, currently serving in a church where her brother is the pastor. But she was in a slump spiritually when she heard about the training that was teaching Quechua women to teach the Bible to others. She attended the year-long course last year and credits it being a part of God's plan to equip her for an expanding ministry. This year she is part of the teaching team leading the workshops and giving the opportunity for growth in ministry to other Quechua women. 
Our teaching team makes these lessons as learner-centered as possible. Group work allows for a lot of interaction, often allowing members of different churches, denominations and towns to get to know each other. It's pretty exciting!
In a culture where you don't want to be the odd-person out, where community identity is infinitely more important than individuality, writing your answers to questions on paper to present to the larger group is a stretch for these ladies...and it's worth it. The workshop participants get to learn from each other as well as from the teachers, who are learning a new educational strategy: Make learning possible, instead of feeding answers to their students.
One of the biggest distractions in class can be kids, who tag along with mom if no one else can watch them for the two-day long workshops. On Friday there were 3 kids making enough fuss that I eventually realized I'd be more useful keeping them occupied outside the one-room church. By Saturday morning there were 7 kids waiting for me. And by the end of that day, the neighborhood kids had found out where the fun was! I counted 14 kids making up games with me, singing songs we could remember, and telling stories. The best part was that I got to share the reason for lasting joy as we laughed and played together: Jesus in our lives and hearts!
One of the most mind-blowing things to me is the variety of opportunities for service here. Did I miss all of them in the States? Is there something about being a "missionary" that leads people to tell you about their ministries and invite you to work with them? Am I just more attuned?
While we can't serve in every capacity, we are called to listen and follow. And we can be confident that He will lead. "The mind of a man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9
As you can imagine, we had a lot of fun together!
People who work with kids overseas will tell you that kids are the same everywhere. Same basic needs, same desire for your undivided attention. That was true of this bunch of kids...as well as the fact that a child's affection can melt your heart faster than anything. Kids don't seem to mind the occasional language barrier either.
Now we're traveling from up from about 6,000 to around 11,000 feet. The air is getting thinner and it's chilly all day long, unless you're standing directly in the sun. We slow down for herds of sheep and goats, as well as the occasional donkey. This one has an albino baby!
Now that we've reached Pachas, we're driving up to the church, unloading all of our stuff, and parking the truck down by one of the participants homes near the plaza. Every town in Peru has a central plaza, or town square, and this one happens to have a bell tower too.
We are staying the next few nights in these rooms on the church property. The trainers are getting together tonight to adjust their lesson plans, to account for the absence of their leader hasn't been able to make it due to her late-stage pregnancy.
I am having fun reconnecting with Kayla, my 8 year-old friend, whose mom is on the teaching team. We are playing with my camera and telling Bible stories. Her mom has done a great job training her, because when Í try and translate what Jesus says from English to Spanish, she always has a correction for me. She remembers the Bible verse and my translations aren't that great yet!
