Sunday
We called in and listened to the Communion service in Virginia. That was special. We haven’t had Communion since the end of 2019.
Cristina called to say that public transportation was shut down due to a change in the curfew restrictions, so she was not able to come. That didn’t stop Rafael’s from coming. I never know whether or not to discourage them from coming to study the Bible if they are breaking rules to get here.
Rafael had questions about the end of time and if we are in the last days and what that means. Elisabet asked what will happen to all the people who were never baptized or confirmed, giving me another opportunity to explain that it is only an obedient relationship with Jesus that makes us safe from the Apocalypse.
I preached about Jesus cleansing the temple and made the connection between the temple building then and our bodies being the temple of God’s Spirit today. Jesus wants to cleanse our temple as well.
Monday
Percy had borrowed the truck Saturday but hadn’t brought it back Sunday. I called him to ask for it so Steph and I could leave at 6:30 for Curahuasi. He arrived in good time, and we were on our way, but not before we learned that Estrella had a bull calf.
China and the children did chores without me. Anne and Abbey did really well at milking, but they’re a fair bit slower than I am. The children can pretty well handle chores alone with the exception of milking the cow. Estrella gave 4.5 gallons of milk beyond what the calf drank on the first day, and her production has kept climbing since.
Thanks to everyone who prayed for Steph. She was not ill on the ride over the mountains or back again. That was a first. We enjoyed the time alone to talk about all sorts of things without interruption.
The Covid test was horrible as always, but we were glad to be Covid-free. Everything shows up great for the baby. The midwife wanted an ultrasound. It showed that the baby weighs more than seven pounds at this point. It’ll be interesting to see how accurate that is.
We are planning to head over to Curahuasi again next Monday, and we will stay until the baby comes. I am praying that she can be born next week if possible. I’d really like to not be away from home any longer than absolutely necessary. The due date is two weeks away.
Tuesday
At chore time, a tractor came to plow the upper field. We’re planning to reseed it with a hay grass mix when the rains come.
Christmas kidded with a doeling Tuesday morning. Ingrid kept acting like she was in labor, but she was not progressing. I decided to head to town to do grocery shopping. After I left, the kid came but was stuck. Steph pulled it, but it didn’t make it. We are thankful it was a buckling.
Seth went with me to town. I had quite a long list and was determined to get everything. I actually managed to almost mostly meet my goal, but I couldn’t find mint tea, of all things. It took several hours, but I got it done.
Chores are taking longer and longer now with fresh goats. Everyone has extra work, including hauling water to each goat because it is so dry now. The goats also have a tub of water in their pen, but they don’t like using it for some reason.
Estrella gave five gallons of milk Tuesday. My forearms were screaming by the time I was done milking. It’ll take me a few days to get into the rhythm again.
Walter and Evita stopped by for a short while in the afternoon. They were headed to the airport to pick up friends who were visiting them from the States. Steph sent along a thermos of coca tea and a container of cupcakes for the Americans. Hopefully, they adjusted to the elevation okay.
Juan David 