Thanks for all the birthday wishes on Facebook and in my email inbox!

I'm 28 today, which didn't seem weird until it occurred to me that I graduated from high school TEN YEARS ago. Impossible! Tim fixed me the most delicious birthday lunch ever (with a little help on the menu selection). I couldn't think of one way to improve it. Next time you want to treat someone-- and without a lot of work I might add-- try this.

We met with our boss on Friday to discuss what we'll be doing here and specifically in the next few weeks. Our July goals are:

1. Begin researching existing university ministries with experience in Latin America (like maybe Campus Crusade or something).
2. Identify existing ministries in Pucallpa geared toward university students (we think there's one that's sort of a club for Christians-- different than what we're hoping to do).
3. Explore options for teaching or taking a class at a local university.
4. Continue SAM staff website maintenance.
5. Find out if any of the Pucallpa ministries want help with designing websites or print materials.
6. Visit a new church every Sunday (scouting out a permanent church for our time here).
7. Explore options for involvement at the SAM missionary kid school, either special projects or teaching.
8. Explore options for involvement at the new Crisis Pregnancy Center (and sign up for the upcoming counselor training).
9. Meet with pastors to gauge their interest in establishing a university ministry at their church and/or running the Alpha Course as part of their outreach.
10. Stay healthy-- physically, spiritually, emotionally (really, that's on our list). 

Those are a lot of items, but it's actually a reasonable list of things to do before the end of the month. We're excited about having such clear expectations!

On Sunday we visited a church called Divino Redentor and Tim scheduled meetings with the pastor and the youth pastor (youth meaning under 35). It's been kind of fun for me to watch him get his "work clothes" on and go be serious.

In the meantime, we're trying to wrap up all our home improvement projects so that we can be 100% focused on our work here and not on buying shelves and hanging curtains.

I wish I could also insert my new favorite sound, which accompanied us along the way: wind in the trees. I didn't realize until yesterday that I hadn't heard it in who knows how long. No trees in the desert really. Last night I just had to close my eyes and soak it in. Lovely.

1. Taza went bolting through the grass in a yet unknown area of our complex and accidently ended up swimming in a lily pond. Somehow she managed to scramble out of there. Wish I had a video of the moment she realized that the grass ended and the pond began (but couldn't stop her forward momentum). Yes, this is her third water crisis, following a pool dive at age 10 weeks and the giant wave and rocks last December.

2. This guy is cutting the grass of our whole complex (large) with a weed-eater and making quite a racket. So much for peace and quiet. As he got closer to our house, we had to put in ear plugs. Remember that we live in a glorified gazebo. The ear plugs certainly didn't block out the sound, but now it's more like the neighbors are using a weed-eater and I'm inside an insulated, glassed-in house.

3. We finally made it out this morning to look at a table and chairs (no space for the 12-seater we had in Puerto). The chairs were the real problem, all astonishingly uncomfortable here. Someone needs to tell the carpenters that two flat surfaces at 90 degrees are not the best option.

We happened to find 2 folding wooden chairs that looked better than the rest and were decently comfortable on top of that. We've ordered 6 (the other 2 were already sold) and are supposed to pick them up Friday. Tim offered the guy a tip if we actually can pick them up Friday. Unlikely. The table is being lacquered and we're picking it up this afternoon. We think.

The best neighbor prize definitely goes to Dave and Rachael. They live right across the street from us and are SAM missionaries. The first two days we were here, they fed us (and it was tasty). When our SAM prayer meeting on Wednesday was cancelled due to the strike (no one could get to the location), they invited us over for a 4-person prayer meeting at their house. Today Rachael took us shopping with her so that we could see all the best places in town.

Besides the fact that we just like them, Dave and Rachael are a fantastic resource for us. They have been missionaries since the year we were born and have lots to say about the job, Pucallpa, etc. I'm super grateful to have them across the way.

The laundry dries a lot slower here, no surprise. Just as in Puerto Supe, we need to iron the clothes (and sheets... and towels...) to keep them from being stiff and uncomfortable. That's a hot task in the jungle. We also seem to be going through clothes quicker because of the heat and sweat.

Oh, there's so much to learn about Pucallpa....

Today there is a strike and we're advised not to leave our community. We hear this is common for June and July.  All kinds of groups organize and strike, and when the mototaxi drivers get involved, it can get violent. This morning they were patrolling the streets to slash the tires of anyone daring to defy the strike and leave home. Most stores are closed to avoid potential looting.

We are stocked up with all kinds of non-perishables and for today and probably tomorrow have enough veggies besides. I'm not worried, but I feel like I'm living in the wild, wild west for sure.

When they said "dry season," they didn't mean exactly what I was expecting. I think I've seen some form of rain every day since I've been here, and for the last hour, I've been surrounded by a deafening downpour.

One year in the desert leaves me loving everything about this (from inside my house at least).

Is it transition or am I just crabby? It seems like everything has gone wrong today. It started yesterday, actually, when we locked ourselves out of the house not once but two times. This morning the dogs' whining and my bug bites woke me up before it was light outside (something like 5:30 am I think).

I'm sure a few other things were off today, but the main problem was that the power went out at our house (but no one else's) while we were shopping this morning. As I may have mentioned before, it's hot here. Not having a fan all day was a real pain. Good thing we have neighbor friends and Tim could go plug our blender in for a second over there. We had another friend over for lunch and managed to proceed as normal (except for that blender).

I'm so tired of not knowing where anything is, and I'm tired of everything breaking. I don't want to live in a house where things are rigged to work in inventive ways. I miss my home in Charlotte today.

It seems like I've been fighting all day not to break down in tears or lash out in insults. I spend half an hour regaining my composure only to lose it again in 5 minutes. How many times have I been through that cycle today? At least 4. Am I going through culture shock all over again?

The power is back on after 7-8 hours. I'd better go start the laundry over again. It turned off in the middle of some cycle and has been sitting wet all day. Please pray that God would give me freedom from this irritability and doomsday disease.

A couple of days ago Tim came across this recipe for a tasty and refreshing non-alcoholic drink. Just what we need for our first week in the jungle! We made the lemon juice/ watermelon puree/ syrup part and are keeping it in a pitcher in the fridge. Then when we need a special treat, we can pour equal parts of that and sparkling water in a glass (so that the sparkle is fresh). So tasty.

The recipe (copied below) and photo come from one of Tim's favorite cooking blogs, Smitten Kitchen.