Has it really been that long? ? ?

Seems "flojo" would be an appropriate way to describe me when it comes to keeping this blog up to date (that's Spanish for "lazy, by the way), but the truth (most of it) of it is I've just been really busy.

On the upside, while I've slacked off on the web YoungLife Arequipa has grown into a being all its own!! Every Friday we have between 20 & 30 kids in our home, plus a few parents from time to time. While our club started out as kids from our school the population is now about 50/50, with a few from our very own neighborhood even. The popularity of YL is evident in our school. Not a day goes by that kids don't mention it to me, talk about the skits, or tell their friends why they should be coming!! I couldn't be happier with the success we've realized- some people find the YL mentality a little weird (improper, etc. . .), but it seems God is on our side. . .and those of us who know YL know we're doing the right thing.

During the past 8 months we've seen YoungLife Arequipa become a possibility to a reality, a fixture in the lives of many kids and a source of interest and inspiration for us all. We don't know how God got us to this point, but here we are, and we're just getting started!!

Tomorrow Jorge (our leader), Christian and Victor (our two interns), and myself (and hopefully a few others) are headed to a new school in which we've been given the go-ahead to start working there. We'll be starting club next week, and tomorrow we'll be introducing ourselves and what we're all about. Here's the best part (and scariest, perhaps)- we'll be having club at the school during an hour when all sophomores and juniors are free. What this means is that starting next week our first club will host 150 kids!! Yeah, and I thought our hands were full with the 30 we already have.

Pray for us, as this exciting opportunity will also include plenty of new work.

We are also preparing for summer camp next February. We're getting ready to design t-shirts, bracelets, pins, hats, etc. to raise funds for our campers. In the next few weeks Jorge, Manolo (another committee member), and myself will be traveling to a few possible camp locations to do a little recon work. If any of you are interested in helping out in the fund-raising dept. please let me know. I can easiliy have shirts, bracelets, etc. made for individuals or groups in the U.S.

As this amazing ministry we call YoungLife Arequipa continues to grow I promise to make a greater effort in keeping you all up to date. In the meantime, enjoy the photos and keep in touch.