Treats..Peruvian-Style!

This week we decided to try Maracuya, a Peruvian fruit. You may know it as Passion Fruit. As you can see from Noah's expression, it was a bit sour! We are proud of the kids and their willingness to try new foods.

Speaking of new foods~ This week our friend made Ceviche for our family. Ceviche is special dish of fish marinated in lime juice and spices. The adventureous part of eating ceviche (or "cebiche" as it is called in Peru) is that it isn't cooked. We all enjoyed the yummy treat.

However, we bought more fish than we could eat, so we needed an idea of what to do with the leftovers. Ceviche is one of those meals you can't eat as leftovers. What to do with all the ceviche!? We decided to bless the security guards who work in our little neighbourhood. The kids thought this was a great idea and had fun running plates of ceviche to the guards. After the first guard received his plate, he started radioing the other guards. Soon we had guards running down the street to collect the delicacy! What fun we had blessing the men who happily guard our neighbourhood!

Our American friends, who work at the US embassy in Peru, made a quick trip back to the states this past week. They brought a huge treat back for us ~ peanut butter and red lentils! Those of you who know us well, know that red lentils are a staple in the Bensler diet. I didn't realize that lentejas rojas would be difficult to come by here in Peru. We'll be bringing some back with us after our trip to Canada in June. As for tonight ~ the kids can't wait for the Mexican Bean Soup!

This week our jefe (boss), Pastor John Bonner strongly encouraged all of the foreign Calvary Chapel missionaries to speak ONLY Spanish when in the company of Peruvians. What a challenge this is to those of us who are just learning! We are secretly grateful for the push, knowing that as we try to use our limited words, we will learn and become more comfortable. Please pray for our understanding and ability to speak Spanish. It is coming, but never quickly enough! Another prayer request- I have noticed over the past few weeks that my back and neck are starting to bother me again. The kids and I were in a car accident this past fall that wrecked our van. Although we all suffered whiplash, the kids healed remarkably quickly. I began feeling significantly better after getting settled here in Peru, but now I am starting to have a reoccurance of the pain. I appreciate your prayers in this area.

P.S. Late edition on the food theme - We just returned from spending time with our peruvian friend, Jose Lois. He introduced us to Antecuchos, BBQ beef heart, from a great little street vender in Lima. Tasty and enjoyed by all! Please pray for Jose Lois as he looks for work. He desires to serve full time in children's ministry, but needs to have work to support himself. He is currently finishing his chef training. Jose Louis grew up in Iquitos and came to know Jesus through Albert Smith's ministry.