June/July Happenings

It seems to be that we blog in waves; several back-to-back updates and then a month of silence.

To catch up on this wave: My (Angela's) parents sadly had to head back to Seattle in the middle of June. The kids and I really enjoyed their presence here with us and all the help with projects around the house. Ryan came home from Thailand, took one day off to sleep and then headed back into the office to take care of all the things he missed while being away.

FH Peru has been working hard over the past few months to discern God's call for the ministry and to align to FH's vision. Recently they hired an HR consultant to review its staffing structure and organizational procedures. Though only a few weeks in she has provided Ryan with some strong insights into how to organize better to achieve the results God revealed to them in their discernment process. Simultaneously the staff have slowed way down to analyze current programs in light of their call and information gathered from an extensive community diagnostic with over 200 community leaders, families and teens. All of this information will help FH to finish a strategic plan to guide their work over the next few years.

FH also sent down an IT team to train staff and assist with other computer concerns. This was a huge help. We're so thankful for their care, support and knowledge.

The last weekend in July, Ryan and Gabe accompanied a church team from Vancouver, Canada to the jungle city of Pucallpa. They were able to take many river boat trips and stay the night in a small jungle town. Gabe was extremely excited as he got to hold an ocelot, see pink bellied river dolphins, and purchased a necklace with the jaw of a pirahana. Ryan invited the team to Pucallpa to present the same 'colors' workshop that they had presented last year to the Lima staff. The colors workshop is a simple personality test designed to help working teams to better understand one another and work together.

July 28th is Peru's independence day and the kids celebrated at school with dances, concerts and parties. They got a couple of weeks of vacation in what is now the middle of winter. Ryan took off a week and we played tourists and got to know Lima and a few surrounding areas better, work on projects and enjoy some much needed family time.

The rest of August kids are back to school and starting swimming lessons. Ryan will continue to work with the consultant and strategic planning processes, and no trips are scheduled!