Day 3. As I left last night from Nick and Margaret's, Sergio knew there might be a thunder storm. At around 5 am, we got a good one in Ottawa. Apparently, Sergio awoke from his sleep and thought the storm was cars travelling on the street. The sounds were the same as they were in the van as we were travelling home.
He soon realized that that was not the case, and that it was a thunder storm. The winds were fierce and the rain came down hard.
I picked up Nick, Sergio and Erin (sorry, I got it wrong yesterday when I put Pepe in the mix). We drove to Metcalfe to visit Community Christian School. On the way we noticed much flooding. We got allot of rain.
We arrived in Metcalfe about 15 minutes late. Here are Sergio and Nick standing outside the school building.
Here is Sergio meeting the principal of the school. She led him on a tour of the classrooms.
Sergio was very interested in the school, as he has started a Christian School in his own church. He peers tentatively into a classroom.
Eventually he entered into the classrooms and drank it all in once again. Erin found a book that talked about Llamas and she was impressed that they got it right. Llamas are not ridden, they are used for packing things on.
Sergio Noticed sinks in classrooms. He pondered the reasons behind them, and wondered if he could / should have them in his classrooms.
As we went through the school we were shown storage cupboards as well, with simple ideas like a scissor storage holder.
Sergio took lots of pictures for himself, and you'll notice that Erin is looking at something on the table........
You must know that Erin is super good with kids. If/when she becomes a mom she will be a super mom as I see it. She just loved this palm tree made out of old soup cans and fake leaves. Always looking for a new idea for things back in Peru.
She found another toy and just began playing with it. Maybe she should emigrate to Canada where all the good toys are : ).
We saw the computer lab being used. Sergio's dream is to have something like this in his school someday.
He liked the gym as well.
I found out that Nick actually designed the first phase of this school and sent his kids here. He was quite proud of being able to show Sergio this school. I was also impressed with how Sergio took all the information in. He had many question and engaged very well. We were at the school much longer than I though we would be.
Simple things like having kids come to school on time, or getting teachers to not be late. Sergio couldn't fathom how that could happen, as it doesn't happen in his school, or others in Peru. For us, it's pretty matter of fact. If a student is late, with no reason, they get a detention and parents get involved. If a teacher is late for no reason, they can eventually be fired.
The wheels were turning for Sergio.......
It was also neat to hear that the principal was interested in considering helping the teachers in Peru. She is retiring this June and wants to do this sort of thing in the future.....who knows where that will lead........
After the School we took a detour and made our way to John and Cora's chicken farm.
John and Cora's group from Kemptville CRC have gone twice now to Peru. They serve in a different place than we do, but the group did spend one day at Sergio's church doing some work. It was nice to be able to let them meet Sergio while he is here.
Here is a picture of the chicken barns housing the hens, and the egg production.
Sergio meeting Cora.
Pastor Ben, from Kemptville CRC came to visit as well.
Cora wanted T-shirts from Frontline Peru. Apparently they've never had them before, but had some made. I want one too Erin....XL please..... : )
We were treated to a wonderful lunch. Eggs being in the ingredients....of course!
We were also treated to a great crepe dessert.....almost rivaling yours John B........so close...... :)
Doesn't that look delicious....peaches and whipped creame and syrup right from the maple trees the day before....... Yummy.
Erin and Sergio received T-shirts from the company that John and Cora run. Sergio got a tie too. Nice.
After lunch it was time to visit the barn. Now, when I was in high school our school used to pick chickens as a fundraiser. I couldn't do it because I was allergic to them.....so I entered the barn hesitantly......
The smell can be powerful if you aren't used to it. Sergio just walked in and, again, drank it all in.....
Here they are explaining how the packaging of the eggs works. Very mechanized here.
All kinds of shining machinery.
The freezer is filled with eggs. Apparently in the heat of the summer, John and Cor decided to try sleeping in the freezer, complete with sleeping bags....they didn't last long....it was COLD in there..... : )
John and Sergio with the finished product.
A nice group shot.
You need to know that translating can be tiring....I know Erin is doing a marvelous job, but she took advantage of our drive back to Ottawa to rest her voice, and her eyes. I think she could fall asleep pretty much anywhere...and when you travel like she does, you get good at it I bet. : )
After visiting with John and Cor we took a tour of downtown Ottawa. We did a drive by of the Parliament buildings, saw 24 Sussex Drive, and drove past the Governor General's place. We drove along the Rideau Canal and past the Experimental farm, and then it was time to drop them off for a brief rest.
I got some desserts, went to the Chiropractor, set up the fellowship hall for this evenings meeting with our leadership, and then picked up people to go to Peter and Wilma's for dinner.
Here you see Rosalynn shaking hands with Sergio. She has been to Peru twice now.
We spent dinner time at Peter and Wilma's home. Peter speaks Spanish, as does Wilma. Anna was there too, and she speaks as good as Erin. For a bit, Nick and I were in the minority as those who spoke English. I was just fine with that. Letting Sergio talk to others in Spanish was GREAT!
We had the Peruvian staples for supper. Potatoes and rice. I don't even know if that was done intentionally. A good meal. We ate Canada goose in our soup tonight. It tasted pretty good.
After dinner it was time to travel to the church for a meeting with our church leadership. We ended up being 10 minutes late....but hey, we can operate on Peruvian time once in a while.
Pastor Sergio meeting Pastor Ken.
The group gathered together. We first heard a bit from John about Calvin's history. Some pretty cool pictures of the beginnings of Calvin CRC.
Then Sergio spend the next 1.5 hours sharing the history of Gamaliel church and hopes for the future. He is a visionary thinker who desires to serve God. He has accomplished much in the few years this church has been around (since 2003) and has wonderful dreams for the future. I'll share more of his talk in a later post.
We ended our evening holding hands with Pastor Ken leading us in prayer. I was thankful for those who came out to hear what Pastor Sergio had to say.
I came away from this day feeling good. I was glad that Sergio had a good day. I know this is allot for him to take in, but he is so thankful to be here in Canada. I also know that his time here will be a blessing to us.
I hope that people who hear him, and meet with him, will get a sense of his love for God and his genuine desire to serve Him through his church. I find that at times we in N.A. are lacking in the zeal, courage, and initiative that someone like Pastor Sergio has. He has been a huge refreshing person in my life so far and we have only a few more days left. I know they will go fast, but I've already come away from this time with Sergio different, humbled, and challenged.
I know that Cornwall was touched by Sergio being in their church and I hope our church will come away from Sergio's visit with that same sense of wonder, awe, and expectation of what God can do..... right here in Ottawa.....in Calvin's church community.....and the community around us. That is the true blessing of Sergio being able to visit us here in Canada.
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