Please Pray for Martine

Martine is a 5 year old new missionary kid who along with her parents and younger brothers moved from Denmark to Peru 2 months ago. We met them all at our language school and have formed a close bond with the families whom we study with . She was ill in Peru and 2 weeks ago in hospital with vomiting was found to have a brain tumour. The family all returned home to Denmark for brain surgery on 26th Dec and we have just learnt that she has an aggressive malignant brain tumour ,starting radiotherapy today 31st Dec .
Please pray that the treatment will be successful and for her parents and family as they support her. Please pray too for the missionary community left behind in Peru so saddened at this news.
Thankyou for upholding them all in prayer .

First Christmas in Peru

For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given and the government will be upon his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9 v 6)
Williamson Christmas Photo 2008 complete with Toy weasel and cool shades.


Our friends Paul and Rachel Elliston, staying with us for Christmas


Rudolf and Santa by the tree



new flashing toothbrush

sparkly Christmas outfit

homemade Christmas Crackers

went for a walk after Christmas dinner to see the lamas




Well the Williamsons have spent their first Christmas in Peru. It is very different here with much less hype and build up and the hot weather also feels very odd but the message of Christmas is the same everywhere in the world and as we have missed loved ones and reflected on what it really is all about it has been a good reminder to us that it is all about Jesus. We enjoyed singing happy birthday to Jesus and the children have been busy acting out the nativity story.
On Christmas eve we attended a lovely church service after which there was a chocolotada, the traditional serving of hot chocolate and paneton. At midnight on Christmas eve fireworks and firecrackers were let off and the neighbours all greeted each other in the street. Dec 24th is the day when Peruvians celebrate Christmas, but being typically British we actually celebrated on the 25th. We have our friends Paul and Rachel staying with is for a couple of weeks they are midtermers with BMS World Mission and are working in Chincha helping people rebuild their homes after the Earthquake last year. We missed not having a Christmas morning church service but Paul and Scott went to church in the evening at 6pm and Rachel and Anjanette stayed with the children and read the Christmas story at home.
We have received loads of cards greetings and presents thankyou everyone!!!! Despite us not having a chimney Father Christmas did manage to visit and after a lovely Christmas meal we went out in the afternoon to show Paul and Rachel Cayma Mirador. On Boxing day we had a picnic and Sabadia Mill and then later we were guests at a Barbeque hosted by some of our friends from Latin link. Thankyou for praying for us , although feeling homesick we feel upheld in prayer and have been so touched and blessed by the effort many people have made to show God's love to us this Christmas time.

Didache school Nacamiento

Today was the big day, Jessica was Maria and Samuel was one of the Angels in the school nativity play which was performed as part of the Sunday morning church service .
The teachers worked so hard and all the children were brilliant they had lots of words to memorise, the youngest member of the preschool fell asleep before the play started and so when the time came for Jesus to be born the sleeping toddler was placed at Mary and Joseph's feet! Other slightly different aspects of the play were Mary wearing a pink and blue outfit and the shepherds in very regal shiny outfits .We were surprised to see a Snowman placed above the Cross as part of the church decorations and we were shocked this week on Wednesday afternoon to be told that the school term had finished (we expected there to be 2 more days!) A phrase another missionary has taught us that we are started to use quite a lot is T.I.P This is Peru! Things are very different here and yet in some ways since we have found good friends to celebrate Christmas with we feel quite at home.
After the nativity play the children went downstairs for a "Chocolatada" a Peruvian Christmas tradition where they enjoy paneton and hot chocolate . The adults stayed in church and the pastor preached a moving message after which a number of visitors expressed an interest in knowing more about the wonderful Christ who we celebrate this Christmas.

Christmas Greeting Video

Peru Christmas Dinner

This week we had a taste of Christmas in Peru.
At language school we all spoke in spanish about Christmas traditions in our own countries and we shared food from our countries followed by a traditional Peruvian Christmas dinner (normally eaten in Peru on the evening of the 24th December).
Turkey or chicken cooked in gravy,served with apple sauce and lots of delicious salads. Avocado salad, cooked carrot salad, beetrood salad, bean salad , potato and quinoa leaf salad.
We also enjoyed singing Christmas carols in spanish and are grateful that we can celebrate the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ with our friends from all over the world.

Jessica's Graduation

Today was a historic day for the Williamsons.Complete with Cap and Gown Jessica graduated from her preschool Didache.All of the children in the school dressed up; the boys in suits , the girls in frilly white dresses . The ceremony started with us all singing the Peruvian national anthem and the children marching with the Peru flag. Samuel also received a certificate for his work this year and to our great surprise they both joined in the ballroom dancing with partners! Jessica and 5 others graduated , similar to a beauty pageant she was introduced and the MC told us her favourite colour food school subjects and her wish to be a doctor when she grows up. Each child who was graduating recited a bible verse or short poem then the whole class recited a poem and vote of thanks followed by a cocoa cola toast propsed by Pastor Ricardo to the children who were graduating. Each child graduating needed padrinos (godparents) who were involved in the festivities; had their photos taken , put the cap on Jess, gave her gifts and made a speech. We are so grateful to our friends from language school Libby and Emma who are working with Latin Link, they were wonderful madrinos and also are great story tellers baby sitters and friends. Today was quite an experience and an eye opener to see how much importance Peruvians place on the transition from preschool to school.However we are so thrilled that after only 3 months here at their new school Jess and Sam have made friends (even if such friends encouraged Sam to cut his hair with the paper scissors )and are happily chatting away to their friends and teachers in spanish.We suspect that less fuss will be made of Jess when she graduates from secondary school or University than was made today, fortunately she enjoyed all the fuss immensely!


video clip of Jessica reciting a bible verse in spanish

Peru hats and Panpipes

As you can see jess and Sam are having a lot of fun in Peru. We are so grateful to God for the answered prayers for their adjustment, they have got used to a new language country and culture really quickly.

Our Peruvian Nativity set

The build up to Christmas is very different here in Peru. A few shops have Christmas decorations and one or two play Christmas music but with the hot weather and most people going about their business as normal it is easy to forget that we are
only 2 weeks away from Christmas.
We couldn't resist this Peruvian nativity scene with Maria y Jose complete with their sombreros.

Back from the beach

We have spent an enjoyable bank holiday weekend at the beach, 2 hrs drive from Arequipa. It was good to have a break from the city and we hired a beach house which belongs to the Norwegian Mission. Apart from the flies and the insect bites we had a lovely relaxing time with no TV telephones or internet. The house is on a hill overlooking fields and countryside and at the bottom of the hill you can watch the waves crashing on the shore. And the waves certainly do crash, the water is so rough that many of the beaches have red flags; only in Peru do you go to the beach and as well as hiring deckchairs and an umbrella you can hire a paddling pool for the children to play in safely. Jess had great fun collecting shells, Samuel was not very impressed by the dancing crabs on the beach. Scott and Anjanette loved watching the birds of prey flying overhead. We are awed at the beauty of God's marvelous creation and so thankful that we are able to share in it and enjoy it too.

Christmas Poem

A THOUGHT AT CHRISTMAS

When the song of the angels is still
When the star in the sky is gone,
When kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their sheep,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoners
To rebuild the nations
To bring peace among people
To make music in the heart
In the Saviour’s name.

Anon


We love receiving news from home and one of our link churches from Leicester regularly emails us their church magazine, that is where we found this poem which we found challenging.

birthday banner from KMFC

The children from Kirby Muxloe Free Church sent Samuel this wonderful birthday banner how thoughtful and kind thankyou everyone!!!