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)