26 weeks
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
I took these pictures in a rush. Buddy had the camera so I took advantage of the moment. I changed into a variety of shirts, but did not bother to fix my hair or re-apply make-up. I figured you all were more interested in seeing how big the belly is now, than in how well put together I look.
As you can see, I have outgrown most of my maternity clothes. Joseph weighs almost 2lbs and his mommy weighs 134 lbs. The doctor said that I have to watch my weight. Yep, he put me on a diet. I have to stay away from carbs and sweets. I am struggling with complete obedience.
24 weeks
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
I will post pictures of me and my great belly soon. Just been a bit busy. Ok…I also don’t really like how big I’m looking either.
How your baby’s growing:
Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.
life
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
The streets here are a little different than in the USA… Our truck had one of the wheels swallowed by a large ditch right in the middle of the street. Thank God for 4-wheel-drive, it climbed right out. You should’ve seen the other ditch though.
You’ll notice the cows conspicuous in the center of the photo: this is the plaza when we were getting ready to start our open air meeting.
These young people (myself included) are hiking up to see some ruins near Cusco, where I was supposed to give a short message. This was before the drizzle, or the rain, or the downpour, or the hail, which all came later, and made for some very damp dormitories, and a strange wet dog smell….
This is the typical dress you will see in Cusco, they were all waiting in line for something early in the morning…it’s hard to say exactly what.
More recently, both Loren and I are teaching courses in the Bible college here. Pray for us….and our students.
22 Weeks
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
I am sorry I haven’t posted anything in weeks. We know now that we are having a baby boy! The baby is strong and healthy.
How your baby’s growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you’d be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he’ll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.
A Cultural Moment
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
Technically, while it may only be a moment for you, the reader, the cultural moment here is now nearly two days and still running.
One thing which is common in foreign countries and uncommon in the United States is the “strike”. Here it is called a “paro” or “huelga” and usually they are carried out on a local basis. The cause is often the increase of prices on a common-commodity such as guinea pigs, but can also be related to something less important like gasoline.
This particular strike is going on because a group of people on the other side of the country are being denied their pensions. Can you imagine the implications for Detroit and the airlines if these ideas catch on in the U.S.? While few people here in Cusco know anyone directly affected by the retirement problems in Lima, they are striking with the best of them.
What exactly does a Peruvian strike involve, you may ask? Well, it usually means that people pile rocks and trees across the roads to paralyze all traffic. However, sometimes it is more severe.
Yesterday, I tried twice to take my pregnant little wife home where she could rest. After weaving through rocks, tires, trees, stumps, and car parts for about 20 minutes, we arrived at a point where a number of drunken men where physically enforcing the roadblock: not allowing anyone to pass, and throwing small stones at anyone who attempted to get by. We heard about cars with broken windshields, and they were even rumors of an overturned vehicle. We were forced to return to the seminary, or face the wrath of Huayllabamba. 
Yesterday our co-worker, Ken Loveall, picked up some guests from the airport in the morning, but was unable to travel all day. They decided to make a run for it at night, but were accosted by an angry rock-wielding mob. When the mob realized that he would not be easily deterred, they began hefting large rocks at the vehicle, and succeeded in breaking out the rear window of the truck. All we could say to our visitors was “welcome to Peru”.
Oh, by the way, if the violent village of Huayllabamba sounds familiar, it’s because that is the totally unevangelized town where we are trying to start a Bible-study.
July Fourth!
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
Loren did a lot of decorating
We also did some grilling…
but only after some very “redneck” adaptations involving a lot of duct-tape
We had a great time with the other American missionaries as we ate, sang the national anthem, and pledged to the flag!
What a great reminder of the freedoms and blessings that God has given to our country , which allow the USA to send missionaries all over the world where many such freedoms are not enjoyed. God bless America!
Marvelous May and Joyful June
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
The front bucket seat of a pickup truck is a surprisingly comfortable place to sleep, when need be. This was one of the first thoughts to amble through my brain at the early hour I awakened. Also coming to mind were the memories that I was high in the Peruvian Andes in a little town called Accha for the purpose of evangelism and edification, and a good sleeping bag is a necessity at these altitudes. It was an exciting morning. We were able to give a Bible to a man who literally wept upon receiving his and to his son who hugged his Bible to his chest in eager anticipation to begin training for the seminary where we occasionally teach. Please pray for these two to be faithful in ministry.May and June were incredibly busy months. We have had enough exciting news to fill a prayer letter every week, but unfortunately we are still experiencing the dreaded email woes. During the month of May, we were privileged to host five groups, including Dr. David Shumate, evangelists Brent and Scott Sivnksty, my parents and sister, the McLanahans (our field director), and evangelist Randy Chovan and family.
During June we kept quite busy ministering with brother Chovan. We were thrilled by the arrival of Rachel Tarvin, a new BMM missionary, dear friends Pat and Wendy Campbell who are teaching two classes in the seminary, and Julie Thompson, intern. Please pray for those who are ministering here and for permanent laborers for the fruitful harvest.
We logged many kilometers on the truck these months as we traveled through snow-covered mountain peaks and lush green jungle valleys, preaching the Gospel and passing out tracts all the way. We have been amazed at God’s grace in opening doors for numerous open-air gatherings, family conferences, youth rallies, sports outreaches, Bible-clubs, evangelistic meetings, and church revivals.
During a workshop on stress where I translated for brother Chovan in Calca, a town about 15 minutes from our village, we had about 15 professions of faith! Please pray for the follow-up work that has been started. The next day we presented microscopes to a private school, gave a gospel message, and were blessed to lead the director and his wife to the Lord! Please pray for Hector and Milagros to grow as they are being discipled. We have also been training the seminary students in evangelism and were thrilled as two seminary girls were able to lead two young monolingual Quechua ladies to the Lord in a mountain town called Huilloq about an hour away, where we were having a one day outreach. Please pray for the seminary students’ and new believers’ growth.
During one church revival in a mountain community called Surimana, we had five professions of faith. One young man and his wife are planning on coming to the seminary for Bible training. Please pray that their faith will not be choked by thorns or found depthless upon the rocks. June 24 is a famous day in Cusco known as Inti-Raymi. This is a day when the Inca nation gathered in the Cusco fortress called Sacsayhuaman in order to worship the sun-god. Up until about five years ago, they still physically sacrificed a llama to their false deity. We were able to give out well over 5,000 tracts to the vast throngs of people who gathered that day. Please pray that the Word will not return void and that all glory will go to the SON of God rather than the sun-god.We have been going roughly every other week to a neighboring village to have open-air meetings where, as far as we know, there has never been an evangelical work of any kind. We praise our great God for His marvelous work in saving a man named Victor Rodriguez. It was thrilling to meet for our first discipleship and find out that instead of reading the assigned first chapter of John, he had already read six chapters in the first 24 hours despite a heavy work schedule. Please pray for the continuing growth of Victor. Finally, we have numerous neighbors in the community to whom we have been witnessing. Please pray especially for Efrain, Primo, Hari, Fredy, Wilson, and Fredi to be saved.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Because of email problems, we have a new email which is: fitzgeralds2peru at gmail.com Please email us if possible.
In Christ alone, Buddy and Loren
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
See that “little tiny bit of snow on top of the mountain? That’s actually several huge ice fields.”
We loaded up on the trucks, and headed up as far as we could (which was definitely not far enough)
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On the way up, it looked so close!
Here’s the closest thing we could find to find a flat camping spot.
Here you get a better view of our knife-edge camping spot among the Andes peaks.
We took this trip in order to disciple the young people, and have a number of preaching opportunities while admiring God’s amazing handiwork.
15 week video of the baby
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
The baby seemed really squished. I guess the belly needs to grow. Even though the baby seemed so relaxed its heart beat was 155bpm. Thank you for those who prayed for the video. Yes, I finally got it to work. Praise the Lord! By the way, although the baby looks like it’s breathing He/she is really swallowing amniotic fluid. You can’t really see his/her legs or arms. Maybe next time. I will be getting a video every month. Next month Lord willing we will know if it’s a boy or a girl. We can’t wait!
Loren
4 months
Posted by Loren | Filed under General
Hey sisters…Jessie, Liz, & Edith,
These pictures are just for you since you have asked for them. Love you
Your pregnancy: 16 weeks
How your baby’s growing:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he’s about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren’t recognizable yet. He’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.