My first few days here were a bit rocky as to be expected. I moved into my apartment where I was living alone, and tried to get a little settled. The bus ride to the church where I am working is 2-3 hours each way so my time at home was limited on Tuesday and Wednesday because of that. The combination of the very LONG bus rides and living alone in a foreign country was not a good fit for me initially. After Wednesday, it was decided that I would be better off living with a host family who lives closer to the church for a time. Thankfully, a woman in my office had an extra room (rare in Lima) because her daughter is out of the house for 6 months studying. I moved in here Thursday morning and it has made a WORLD of difference! Yay God! I am extremely humbled by the fact that people here every day spend 2-3 hours one way to get to their jobs. These buses are packed like sardines and you are lucky to get a seat. Some buses haggle prices and others don't always go where you want them to. No one complains, most people are nice, and it is just a way of life here. This is a simple example how blessed we are in the US to have cars and public transportation that is predictable, routine, and for the most part traffic isn't so bad that it takes 2-3 hours to get to your destination.
Last night, I was able to attend my first church service. While I don't yet understand much of what was said, it was just good to worship and praise our God. Today, I got to spend the day with my host family, Margot, Percy and Diana at a food festive. Not only did I get to try some delicious Peruvian cuisine, but also got in a lot of conversations with my host family that do not speak any English! I am encouraged by the amount of Spanish I can understand but still need them to talk slowly! Now I just need to work on the speaking part! The plan is to enroll in language school next week. I will keep you updated on how things are going with me. No therapy work yet as my first job is to adjust and learn the language, culture, and city. Please pray for these things as I continue walking with God during this time.