April was a month of little tasks and unexpected challenges.
One of the bigger things we took care of was Glenda’s U.S. citizenship and passport process. It was a bit more complicated than usual this time around. The Consular who has served the Cusco region for years is no longer here, and the new administration hadn’t yet appointed a replacement. So the U.S. Embassy in Lima has been sending staff once a month to attend to the needs of Americans living in our area.
Thankfully, we were able to make an appointment, and everything went smoothly. Glenda now has her passport and U.S. residency documents. It’s a relief to have that taken care of.
Helping Alicia
Around the same time, Hermana Alicia injured her knee and could barely walk. We brought her cow over to our farm and took care of it for the month of April while she recovered, milking it here.
Honestly, we had hoped she might consider selling the cow as she’s reaching the stage where tending to larger animals is becoming too much. Her pasture is a couple of kilometers away, and she must walk the cow there every morning. Now, on top of everything, she has injured her foot as well.
For the past three weeks, she’s been unable to walk, and the condition has only worsened. The local clinics have been treating it as an infection, possibly a spider bite, though no one is sure. They’ve been regularly cutting away inflamed tissue, leaving her with a deep cavity in the top of her foot. Blood work hasn’t pointed to any clear health issue, but the healing isn’t happening the way we’d expect.
She was able to attend our revival services last night, but not tonight due to pain. Please pray for wisdom for her, and for us, as we try to help where we can. Her cow and calf are still with us, along with her three sheep. We’re glad we can care for them in the meantime.
Car Paperwork for Esmeralda
I also spent a good part of April helping Esmeralda with vehicle paperwork. The car is still in my name: we haven’t yet transferred ownership. The transportation ministry required a license plate renewal under a new regulation.
It took ten separate trips to Cusco (Have I come to love the city yet?) over the course of a few weeks to get all the documents submitted, inspections passed, and paperwork processed. But at long last, the car passed the required inspection, we received the new license plate, and everything is now in order. A simple sentence to write, but a huge relief!
Sometimes, a month like April doesn’t seem that monumental, but in its own way, it’s a testimony of the Lord’s help. He walked with us through passport paperwork, aches and pains, farm chores, and many trips to Cusco, and we’re grateful.
The entrance project will cost around $1,000; $625 has been given—thank you, friends! If you’d like to contribute to the entrance project, you can PayPal me with a note “Farm Entrance Project” (to help me track for taxes).
Juan David 