Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Yesterday I (Cindy) had my Thanksgiving day festivities in part with Kindergarten. Here are a few pictures....

....The first is of the entire group. We started in the morning cutting up apples (all 40 kids) with plastic knives. They did a FANTASTIC job! Then we did our own thing as seperate classes and came together again near the end of the day. We had decided that Kinder would be Indians and that P-4 would be the Pilgrims. So we wanted a group shot of our little Indians and Pilgrims coming together in peace...well mostly...they ARE 5 and 6 year olds so there can never be total peace. Grin. The second picture is at the end of the apple cobbler making time. I had a "cooking class" to make the crumb part of the cobbler. They had fun (I hope.) I did even if they didn't. At the end of the day we ate the apple cobbler, then we went into the Kindergarten room to read The Very Hungry Catipillar. This is a picture from Katy Mejia's (the kinder teacher) point of view as she read the book. We had a great time and they did a great job throughout the day, but MAN and I glad it is over. 40 small children in one room with knives (even if they are plastic) is reather stress inducing. Emily is having her feista on Friday I will make sure we get some pictures of her class on here as well. (Even if mine are cuter!)

I promise we will post a blog soon about our trip to Paracas. We need to upload the pictures onto the computer first.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Cindy and Emily Leinbach

update, long overdue...

Hello all! Today I will be sharing with you some pictures from the last couple of semesters and telling you about them.

This first picture is of my (Cindy's) classroom. We did Noah's Ark for Bible time. We started by putting up the ark part. Then the next day we talked about and added the 'water'. Then on Wednesday we talked about the dove being sent out, and we made our own doves and added them. Then on Thursday we colored and added the rainbow and talked about what the rainbow means. In the States when you see a rainbow flag it is a symbol of the Gay and Lesbian movement, here in Peru when you see it, it is the flag of the Inca Empire. But we Christians know what it REALLY means! God is faithful and merciful.

The next several pictures are from Family Day at MCS. We had a lot of fun. There were games, prizes, inflatables, a trampoline, bowling, and lots of yummy food. We had a great time. The idea behind Family Day is that the parents take control of the event and plan and execute it. All the teachers were given jobs to do throughout out the day but that was it. I had three hours of supervisory duty at the trampoline. It was actualy a lot of fun. Here is a picture from the trampoline on Family Day...this group happens to all be my P-4's. From left to right we have: Daniela in the pink, Ximena (Pronouned He-mana) in yellow, Luciana in white and blue, and Samara in Pink facing the camera. I think that head in the foreground is Carla. They had such fun jumping together. Most of the time we had a mix of grades in together but it just happened that the next seven people (that was my limit 7 in at a time) were all P-4's so they were happy to be jumping with their friends.

While at Family Day I finally found a clown that I am not afraid of! His name is Caleb and he is the youngest child of Kristie and Ivan Ashby. Ivan is the Elemetary Principal, and has four kids, three gilrs and then Caleb (no he isn't doted upon at all). Not only that but he is also the cute little blonde haired blue eyed fair skinned baby that is so revered and loved here in Peru. Sometimes the poor kid can't even walk across the patio without being accosted by a mob of students wanting to fawn over him. He was so cute that day that both Emily and I posed with him. Here is Emilys... Aren't they cute????

Okay so here are just some other pictures of the day for you to enjoy I am not going to detail these so just enjoy as is...

Hello from kinda sunny Lima...

Hello from Lima.

With just a little over a month left of out first year here life is going fairly well.

I am feeling pretty good. I have my good days and my bad days, I am having more good days than bad days so that is good. I continue to work through finding the right meds in the right dosages with my doctor (Dr. Harrison) but I feel good about things. I am able to teach my class and do most of what I plan. Whereas three months ago I had so much I wanted to do but was unable to physically move enough to do those things. I also feel that I need to receive some positive affirmation that I have less than 30 days of school left and ALL my children are alive and I have not even maimed any of them! (Some days this is a major miracle...sigh)

We are gearing up for the Christmas program...here in Peru there are two big things each school year that have to be BIG. They are: Mother's Day, and Christmas. It should be fun.

Well I need to go and cash a check so I can go replenish my meds for the next month.

Hope all of those who read this are well and that God blesses you.

Fiestas Patrias (aka Independence Day Festival!)

The last day of first semester was Friday, July 18. We then have our Winter Break for two weeks, not returning to school until August 4. BUT, Peruvian Independence Day is on July 28. So, Monterrico Christian School put on a Independence Day Program on the last day before break.

so, all afternoon on the 18th, we had our Fiestas Patrias, and what an event it was! All of Peru seems to start decorating for 28 de julio as soon as julio (July) starts, and the red and white satin decorations, banners, bunting, and flags go up EVERYWHERE. The people in the grocery stores have special outfits, red and white and more traditional, and everywhere you see 'Vive el Peru' and red and white and red and white and red and white!

We had no idea what this program was going to be; we knew that each class was a different part or group of people in Peru's history, but we didn't truly know hwat to expect. We were told that all of our kids would dress up as the people their class was assigned. Okay, great. What I didn't realize until about a week before, is that dressing up means going and renting costumes. This is just expected by the parents and children. After seeing all of the costumes, I've gotta say, I would have loved to get dressed up this way!

The program was a success and exactly what all the Peruvian parents were expecting and wanting; I was glad when it was over! It was a long afternoon with lots of waiting as each class walked to the program site only when it was their turn to perform. So, until it was our turn, everyone was waiting in the Temple (church sanctuary) until we were called out into the bright sunshine (unusual for this time of year) to walk about fifty yards across two patios to the lower patio where the awnings and seating were set up. It was interesting. Especially for Cindy, who was in a wheelchair and without her wonderful Peruvian assistant, Carmen. (Carmen's father was admitted to hospital that morning.) But we survived, and have 200 pictures to show it!

Here is a link to some of them. (Just the best ones)

Fiestas Patrias: Independence Day Celebration!

Here are some more pictures!

Emily here: Please see my blog for a brief written update on the weather here in Lima.
www.leinbacker.com

here is a link to some recent pics:

Hello all this is Cindy

Hello all!

This is Cindy as you prolly figured by the title...you guys are SO smart! Good Job! Good English words! Er...sorry. For a minute I thought I was in my P-4 Class.

I have been having a lot of pain. From head to toe my muscles have been on fire, my joints ache, and my foot has been so painfully I can hardly walk. Thursday I broke down in morning devotions and just cried telling everyone how much pain I have been living in over the past three weeks especially. I was gently sent home to rest. That evening Ivan called and asked if I wanted to go to the Chiropractor. I said "heck yeah when!" So we went that night, Emily came along as well to get a massage. I got a massage, it hurt really badly, but I knew that it was needed. Same with the adjustment, it hurt and he hardly did much because it hurt me so badly. Friday was NOT fun. I hurt so much I didn't even want to get out of bed. I got up and took a muscle relaxer and went back to bed (after calling Nancy and telling her I could not come in.) Moving hurt so intensely. So I slept a LOT because of the meds.

This morning I woke up and glory be it didn't hurt to open my eyes! I could get up and walk to the bathroom and not want to cry!!!! It was amazing! I could raise my hands up over my head and not cry out in pain. I could bend down and touch my toes and not want to crumple into a ball and cry. It has been wonderful to feel like myself for the first time in weeks! So I am going back to the Chiropractor on Monday and I know that it will be little steps forward but I again have hope that I will be able to live my life with out constant pain, and being on constant meds everyday all day.

So I am very relieved. I am very happy that I have a faithful God. I will try to writ emore later this week.

Cindy

Hello, we're still here.

Hello everyone. Just a quick note to say we're still alive and kicking.

School is going pretty well, and last week we both survivied our first ever experience with parent-teacher conferences. cindy's were definately much harder than mine, due to an ongoing behavioral issue is one of her boys that adversely affects a great deal of the rest of the class. It wasn't easy, but we got through. The week before that we were trying to get through our first-ever experience with report cards. wow. what an experience. but we survived that too!

i've been encouraged recently by the occurrance of several conversations during the day in class that have been true spiritual moments of revelation of the gospel. it's pretty cool to (right in the middle of math or science or english or reading) be able to explain the Book of Life and Christ's blood covering all our sin when God judges us. it's also cool to be able to ask every morning and afternoon "would anyone like to pray or shall i?" sigh. prayer in school. neat. and i've had four different kids volunteer to pray so far. and offer prayer requests.

on friday, i shared a prayer request with them, and we talked about death, and salvation and how people grieve and say goodbye. my prayer request was for my family, and for me, because my dad's cousin (Mike Ramer) died unexpectedly this week. they had sort of "met" Mike because they'd seen a picture he'd taken of me and cindy and Dad outside of Soldier Field in Chicago. Mike came with us last November to the Bears/Broncos game. It helped me get through the day, being able to share about my feelings of sadness and anger and feeling like i can't be there to be with the family, and then having an eight-year-old pray for our class, for us to have a good day, and for God to "protect Miss Leinbach's family and also Mike who died and believed in you". For the full story of my thoughts on the day of Mike's death being discovered, please read my last blog entry at http://www.linebacker.com/ or click on the link to "Life of Leinbacker" on the right.

Please pray for the Leinbach and Ramer families, especially Mike's siblings: Janet, Doris, and Jim and his nieces and nephews and their children. also for my grandparents, who have lost a niece or nephew to death for the first time. The younger generation is not supposed to die before their elders, ya know?

Thanks for all your prayers. we love and miss you all. a lot. God bless.

Even the moon looks different!?!

The moon is different. Well, it looks different. It's, like, sorta sideways. There's no man in the moon unless you tilt your head sidways. (we tried it...) why? well, last friday night i woke up at 1:23 and was up until 5 a.m. due to intestinal unrest. So, i logged on and did a search for Southern Hemisphere star charts and why the moon looks different. Below is a link that shows the differences in what the moon looks like very well. You should click on the minus sign under the "speed" button on the bottom because it loads with the sun and the moon just whizzing by...

http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/applets/equatorialmoon/equatorialmoon.html

make sure you change the location to the equator and then to about 13 degrees south, because that's where Lima's at...

it's all about location location location!
Here's an even simpler picture, and it uses happy little moose to show you!
http://www.wundermoosen.com/WunderMoosenWeb-why-southern-hemiphere-moon-phases-are-different.aspx

now that our astronomy lesson is over, please pray this week for both cindy and i in our mental and physical health. the seasons are changing (winter has started, meaning it's not warm anymore, it's acutally chilly all day) and colds are going around. and, as i noted in teh first paragraph, i've been dealing iwth intestinal unease since early Saturday morning, continuing to today. Cindy was feeling better after a virus last monday and tuesday, but then this afternoon suddenly (and i mean SUDDENLY) became violently ill at school, vomiting and running to the bathroom. This is the last week of the first quarter, so student evaluations and report card grades are due, and this is the first time either of us have ever done anything like this, so it's a tad bit stressful to begin with, not to mention when you feel so horrible. When we were finally able to walk the three blocks home from school (it took about and hour and a half after her initial attack before she was NOT in so much pain and could walk home), cindy went straight to bed. i went straight to the restroom myself. ah, the loveliness of new and exotic bugs.

We are realizing more and more each day that this really is a case of "I can't do this, but God in me can." Our prayer is that we can stay connected to God and allow his spirit to do that work and give us strength and discipline.

Speaking of discipline, i've got lesson plans to finish! see you later! love you all!
-emily

Pictures here!

Go to www.picasaweb.google.com/leinbacker for some great pics of our new life in Peru. Also, a few notes have been added to the individual blogs we both have; see the links at right or click on http://www.leinbacker.com/ and http://www.zeeblebop.com/ for the scoop.

We miss you all and know that we will only start missing you more as time continues and it sinks in that we're not going to see you all for many more months. So far, it doesn't feel much different than the longer stretches of living in Chicago without a visit to Indiana. As the weeks continue here in Lima, we know we will start to actually feel the separation in a very keen way.

We're still working on the Vonage phone. Please pray about that. BUT you can call and leave messages. Email one of us for the number(s) if you don't have them. We LOVE getting the messages!!!

I have added my own blogger account name as an author to this blog, so you should see that this was posted by "mle" down at the bottom. Anytime you see that, it means that I am posting. (Oh, in case you couldn't tell, "I" am Emily.)

It's 8:10 and I haven't been home from school yet, so i'm going to pack up and go home now.

With much thanks for your prayers and much love to you all,
mle

Technical Difficulties...

We are experiencing them. Normally, we'd have blogged much much more in the past week. And normally, we'd have been emailing people a lot. but instead, we ask for your prayers regarding the realm of the technological. Our computer doesn't seem to really *like* the internet very much, especially wireless systems, and cindy and i know just enough to be frustrated with our uselessness. We also thought we'd have a telephone in a week, max. Again, technical difficulties.

Apart from causing us frustration and inconvenience, without the internet and the Vonage phone, we are also entirely cut off from our friends and family in the states. This has been very very hard the last couple of days.

So, for no reason that we can see, our computer connected this evening (while we weren't doing anything internet related...) and so while i can, i'm just letting everyone know that we ARE still here, we HAVE survived our first week of teaching, and are somewhat prepared for our second week. God really helped each of us this weekend in that respect. if you'd asked us Friday afternoon how we'd be feeling Sunday night, it wouldn't have been "somewhat positive". it would have been something like "running screaming in stress and overwhelmed shock".

So please, continue praying for both of us, mentally and physically (we had the "runs" this morning and couldn't go to church or to the beach afterwards...) and please pray specifically that God would provide for us regarding our technology problems. (as Cindy says, we are SCREAMING for help but Kris, Roger, and Kevin can't help us now!)

I have so many cool pics and things to share with you all- hopefully, our connection will also work tomorrow, and i'll be able to post some of them here.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. We love you all.

Emily

Pictures vs. video

Okay so I got a youtube account to upload video to share with you all but am currently having...how shall we say it...problems...difficulties...frustrations...actually uploading video. I really want our Vonage up and running so I can call Kevin for some tech support! :) So plain old pictures will have to do.
This is the view after we took off from FLL on the way to LIM. It was cool because this was the first time we had ever flown over the ocean. So it looked the same as looking at the sky...white puffy clouds with bright blue 'sky' behind them. No wonder pilots in WWII got so disoriented! It was really beautiful. We have an INCREDIBLE video of take-off: seeing the water, going through clouds and seeing the ocean below them. That will have to wait until later when I have reached my tech support!

Okay so I finally got smart and noticed a little icon up at the top of the blogging space that looked like a little film strip...go figure Blogger has it's own video up loader! how exciting. Now all I have to do is get the silly sight to upload my video. I am coming to the conclusion that I need to make smaller videos, or change the resolution on my videos...I wonder if I can do that on my camera...I will have to go and see. I will be right back.


Of course, Cindy didn't actually go and get the camera to see if she could do that- Seeing as how the camera was in my room and she hasn't come in to get it or asked me for it. She must have gotten distracted. Big surprise there. When I (Emily) came out into the room to ask to log on, she was watching an episode of X-Files. hee hee. I love my sister.

I don't know what she wrote about up there- all i read was the last paragraph right before the video (which is still loading... 24 of 31 somethings), and i'm sure she already mentioned it, but i will again anyway: i have now experienced the phenomenon of earthquakes. These were merely called tremors, but to wake up at 1:44 a.m. to movement and sound that you KNOW shouldn't be happening is pretty earth-moving to uninitiated me. The sound is what got me- the rattling of the windows but also another sound underlying everything else. For a person raised in Denver and then Indiana, even "tremors" are unsettling. no pun intended.

Then we woke up at just before 7:00 to another "tremor"- this time bigger. I think the internet said 5.4 for this one. Katie taught us a lot about how earthquake damage truly occurs and the best way to survive. (which is NOT getting under anything or standing in doorways or running out of the building.)

Well, the video is almost done, and Kristy is here with her van to pick up me and Cindy and Katie to go shopping at a "Wal-Martish" store to get what we need. So I am going to go.

Well hello again it is Cindy. We went to the store bought stuff we needed, and actually nothing we did not need (go us!) It was interesting. It was like a mix of IKEA, Walmart, Loews, and Dominicks. This silly video is still processing....it was uploaded and now it is "Processing" what does that even mean???? I think that it is not doing anything and just WANTS me to think it is doing something! Sigh if it takes too much longer I am going to give up and post this without the video.


So I hadn't mentioned the earthquakes. For those of you who know me you know that I can sleep through nearly anything. The one at
1:4o-something a.m. did actually wake me up but only for long enough to hear Katie (our third roomie who has been here for two years) say that it was just a tremor and that it shouldn't happen again. I thought "Alright then I will go back to sleep." The one this morning really annoyed me. See while unpacking I discovered that some of my knick-knacks had been damaged by the evil TSA employees. They are no longer my friends and they will NOT be getting a Christmas card from me. Anyway I woke up to things moving and one of my picture frames falling. It did not break and by-golly nothing else was going to either! So while Emily and Katie sat in the living room telling me to come out and join them I took time to lay all my frames flat and move a few elephants to safer ground. THEN I went out and joined them. I am more concerned that I am not concerned about the earthquakes than anything else. Katie had already told us about the possibility of quakes and told us what to do so I was not fearful, just annoyed. Apparently every thirty years or so they have a "big one" and we shouldn't worry because that happened November of last year! Now we want tremors because they help reduce the pressure building in the plates and will help make the time between "big ones" longer. So that was how our third morning in Lima started out. Okay I am just plain tired of this...I am going to save this blog and come back and see if the video is good or not. It will be posted this evening with or without the video!

Okay so it didn't happen last night but it is happening this morning...without the video. Sorry all I will try to figure things out and get back to y'all.

Wow.

Today we were asked to come to devotions in the morning to meet all the staff and then stay for an hour or two to see how things work and to meet the students. That is fine and good, however it turned into staying all day. I am at the apartment (a three minute walk from school) to grab a bite to eat then go back for the last part of class.

That is not the "wow" part. Before I left I wanted to let Em know that I was leaving so if she wanted to come eat as well she could. So I walk upstairs and as I am approaching her classroom I think to myself.."Huh, that sounds like Emily's voice...not just her voice but her teaching voice..." I come within sight of the room and YUP Emily is at the front of the classroom smiling and writing spelling words up on the board as the kids take turns telling her what they are how they are spelled. She looked completely at ease and relaxed. THAT is the "wow" part.

All this time I have been telling everyone that I have the easy class and Emily has the hard class...I was SO wrong. My kids know NO English, this is the first year that they are learning English...sigh...a lot of 'sign language' is being used by myself and the other teachers. This is going to be a trip!

I will post another blog tomorrow. This evening there is a welcome potluck at the Ashby's (Ivan and Kristie) and then something else I can't remember....OH yeah the young adult group at church would like to welcome us at a place near the beach...or is that tomorrow night??? I can't recall, I think it is the heat!

It is currently 77.9 F but out in the sun it gets hot quick because of the humidity! :)

Much love to all I have to get back to the school now.

Cindy

Lima, Peru

Hello all!

After all the stress packing and constant moving, I woke up in Lima, Peru this morning.

Travel went very well there was no problem in customs or finding Ivan and Kristie (Our new boss and his wife) who came to pick us up at the airport. Let me tell you that was the weirdest thing about the trip. The airport up to that point was any normal airport, get off go through immigration get your baggage and go to customs then...you turn the corner and BAM! There is this MASS of people many holding signs. It was weird. Anyway Ivan and Kristie got us to the van and to our new apartment.

The apartment is great, very very great! It is much better than many of the apartments we were looking at in Chicago. Lots of windows (Mom how I long for my plants so much great light for them here) and we both have amazing views from our windows. (Which will be posted on the blog a bit later.) Now all we have to do is unpack and learn spanish and we are good to go! :)

Thank you all for the massive amounts of prayer I know have been said on our behalf. God has answered them and I know He will continue to do so.

More later.

Cindy

Florida

Well, here we are in Florida. The flight was fine and our time here has been nice. We ate we relaxed and then we got very upset at our new laptop. Technology does not seem to be our friend. We leave here at 5:15 p.m. for Lima, Peru and many new adventures (we hope.) Thanks for all your prayers and we will update soon on our first reflections, but prolly not until Saturday.

Weary

Please click here. This takes you to Cindy's Blog, the post has the same title as this one and I am too tried to write anything else.

http://www.zeeblebop.com/

thanks

Prayer is good

We need prayer. We are stressed, and unsure how we are going to be ready to start loading a moving truck by Saturday @ 8:30 a.m. We know it will happen (mainly because we have no other choice) but it is daunting. Please pray that we have the focus, the energy and positive attitudes while we are in this last leg of our packing/moving journey. Blessings to you all.

P.s. do you like the countdown clock I put on the Blog?

Our Daddy

Today is Saturday. (Seven days and counting...)

Yesterday was Friday, and my last day at RELC. I was sad and happy to be leaving. The job was mind numbing but the people were great and I will miss them greatly. I will also miss the children as well. That said, MAN AM I GLAD TO BE DONE! Now I can focus on what lies ahead.

Today that is massive amounts of sorting, rearranging and culling. Now I know that so far this has nothing to do with our father. I am getting to that.

Dad come up last night to switch cars with us. Our car need a little work done before we can sell it to a guy in our church. So dad offered to drive the van up and take the car back with him so that saves us A LOT of time. He also is giving us a large part of his day today helping us. Mom would have loved to come too but seeing as how she is recovering from knee replacement surgery that isn't happening! Dad has been wonderful! He is giving us support, encouragement and hope. He is also giving us manual labor! Mom told us yesterday that he was coming to do whatever we told him to do. My first thought was "Great! I need a hug!" I got my hug. :)

Last night after we talked to mom and she told us when Dad had left and when we could expect him, Emily and I were talking. I told her I have come to the realization that no matter how old you get your daddy is still the rock when life gets chaotic. You never out grow your Daddy. Emily smiled and agreed. I can't imagine not having a good relationship with my Papa, and I hurt for those who don't have a daddy to come back too in hard times. I thank God for both my parents, I could not have done much without their support. We love you both. (And yes mom I know you are crying right now...even without the medications messing with your system I think you may have cried!) :)

I guess I will now go back to culling, and moving crap! Wish me luck!

~Cindy

Overwhelming...

First off, we went on Monday to apply for passports and are picking them up tomorrow (Wednesday) Praise the Lord!

It also does not look like we need a tourist visa to go but we will have to apply for a religious visa once we are down there.

Now for the Overwhelming part...packing, moving, not killing each other during this time. I (Cindy) am a morning person. I like getting up eating and then getting down to business, I expire for useful work around 8 p.m. It is just how I am wired.

Emily...sigh...Emily is NOT a morning person and comes alive for useful work around 7 p.m. Does anyone else see the problem here...yeah so do we. Please pray that we are able to get what we need to get done done. Huh that sounded odd, please pray that we are able to get everything done that we need to do, there that sounds better.

We have a week and 1/2 to have all of our belongings packed and outta the apartment, and I am panicking. I know it will all come right, it always does with God. I gotta go now. I love you all and am so thankful I have you all out there to pray for us.

~Cindy

Welcome!

Welcome to the Leinbach Sisters Adventures in Peru!We actually aren't in Peru yet so I guess this is the prequel! :) We will be using this space to keep in contact with you all and give you regular updates about our time in South America. Well I have to go fiddle with the html of the template now see ya later!
~Cindy (and Emily by proxy)