Living on the Edge

Two Seasons!

2012-04-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

The windows in our 3rd floor apartment during a steady rain fall!

Here in Arequipa, Peru we have two seasons, Rainy season and Awesome! We have just made it through the rainy season. Many weeks during the rainy season it rains everyday. The total amount of rain isn't more than what we are used to in Ohio. The part that makes rainy season here so different than what we are used to is the fact that nothing here is made for rain.

You would think after one bus gets stuck the other drivers
would learn!

Most of the buildings here are not made to keep out the water. But even worse is the fact that there is not a storm-drain system. A light rain can quickly cause the streets to fill up. Some of them quickly become impassible. The photos to the right I was able to take because the bus I was on for my ride home from work got stuck giving me a close up angle to take these shots. You might notice the smaller white van is up against the concrete median. Originally it was stopped about 3 ft from the concrete, then one of the larger buses came and weaved between the two buses. As the bus came through the force of the water displaced slammed the van in to the concrete.

Not 10 minutes after our bus stalled out there was a group of people that took off their shoes rolled up their pants and walked through the knee-deep water and up the hill to get on another bus. I chose to wait it out and see what would happen. After about 45 minutes a dump truck backed down in front of us and puled us out with a long cable. After I got off I ended up walking home because all of the buses that were coming by were quite full.

I bet you are wondering why I didn't just roll up my pants and stroll through the water like some of the others. Well the picture to the left was taken on a side street about 50 yards up the hill from where my bus got stuck. This is another big problem. The water in the streets is not just rain water. Many of the drains on top of the buildings run into the sewer system and cause them to overflow. The best part is when you are in a taxi with the windows down because that is the only way for the driver to keep the windows from fogging up and you get splashed by a passing car. A little something I like to call a "Peruvian Swirly"!

Now here in Arequipa it is pretty much back to blue skies and Awesomeness for the next 9 months!

2011-08-16T17:05:00.001-07:00

Extreme Peru 2 - Arequipa Momentum (August 2011) from Extreme Nazarene Ministries on Vimeo.

First Foam Build

2011-08-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Arequipa Momentum/Foam Team - June 2011 from Extreme Nazarene Ministries on Vimeo.

2011-07-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

We have a few busy weeks ahead of us. We have finished Spanish classes so this will Becky's first full week in the office. I will attempt to be a translator for the medical team arriving the end of this week. With both of us working, we will need to have full time childcare. Well we almost have it all figured out. Alexis will be starting at a preschool near by, half-days. There is one more week of winter break and then she will start on August 8th. Hailey is the one we are not sure about just yet. We have a sitter for the afternoons which leaves Hailey in the mornings that we still need to figure out. One thing we have learned is that God provides for all our needs.

The pictures above are from the start and finish of the first Foam Block Church built by Extreme Nazarene Ministries. The Foam Block system provides a quick and easy way to construct the four walls of a church. The Foam Blocks are stacked to form the walls. After the walls are formed with the blocks, they are then filled with concrete creating many columns and a tie beam at 4 feet and a 9 feet. The foam is then covered with concrete stucco. The finished building looks like a traditional concrete building. This system allows us to construct a small church building in a little over 2 weeks at about the same price as a regular concrete building.

See photos here

Just this past week Extreme finished our 2nd Foam Block Church. Here are some photos from the Puerto Maldonado Construction/Momentum Team.

I will try to keep you updated on the Medical team that will be here for the next 2 weeks. In the mean time we would love to hear from you. We would love to be able to answer some of your questions. You can Email us at:

Extreme Web Page -www.extremenazarene.org/jasonkuhn

Jason- jkuhn@extremenazarene.org

Becky- bkuhn@extremenazarene.org

Extreme Peru 2

2011-06-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

All of our work here at Extreme starts with the 40/40s. 40/40s are pairs of young missionaries (Each pair consist of 1 Peruvian and 1 non-Peruvian) that go out in their assigned locations with the goal of planting churches. If I have my stats correct, by the end of this year Extreme will have deployed 40 pairs into the mission field.

Many times we have short term groups come down to help reach the community. We call these groups "Momentum Teams". These teams do all kinds of things to assist the 40/40s in reaching the locals in the community. Just a few short weeks ago we had a team (20+) right here in Arequipa for 2 weeks. They did everything from painting to festivals to soccer (futbol) and volleyball tournaments. Here are a few stats from those weeks that show the momentum and the contacts that we received for the the 40/40s to follow up on.

1812 came to our events and heard the gospel message and met our 40/40s in their town.
282 people accepted Christ, almost all in and around the 40/40 church plant areas. Most of these people already know our 40/40s
365 more people have requested a visit by our missionaries in their home, also in and around the church plant sites.

On top of all the lives that have and will be changed as a result of the hard work from this past momentum team many of the team members left transformed as well. A number of those team members showed interest in some of our long term opportunities both here on the field and in the US.

Here is a link to some of the photos from the Momentum Team in Arequipa: https://picasaweb.google.com/extremenazarene/ExtremePeru2ArequipaMomentum1#

Once there is a group of people with their own pastor that meets regularly and has a steady income and meets all the requirements set by Extreme, the next step is to build a building. A place for the Church to Meet, to Worship God and to Grow! This brings us to our "Construction Team". Like the momentum teams, these teams come down for 2 weeks, only their focus is to build a structure that is needed for a place to gather.

This week we will be breaking ground and pouring the foundation for a Foam Block Church right here in Arequipa. This if the first of many foam block churches to be built in and around Peru. I personally am excited to get to help with the construction of this building (and not just because I get to skip class).

More on the foam block church to come.

Go to www.extremenazarene.org and see how you can be a part of this extreme ministry.

Check back there will be much more to come. Because when it comes to Winning Lives for Christ, "There is no Off-Season".

Lexi's 4th Birthday Party

2011-06-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Never on schedule but always on time!

2011-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over 2 months now and we are getting along pretty well. Many times satan tries to make us believe that we are not getting anywhere and there are many times it seems that we are just doing the same things over and over again and not getting anything accomplished. Learning a second language is not an easy task especially with two kids. It is very difficult to find the needed time to study. Becky works in the office every morning. They are making a lot of changes in the office so it has been difficult for Becky to keep up with the limited time she has. While Becky is at the office I stay home with the girls and usually don't get much studying done. Although Satan is always trying to push us into a rut we are able to look back and see what we have accomplished in this short time. We are also able to look forward to a more predictable schedule after our Spanish classes are over.

As of last week Becky and I both are officially certified in "Pre-Basic Spanish". Becky has had to take 3 weeks off from classes so that she could get her training done in the office and since we are the only two in the class I took off this time as well. We have also had to take off for a return trip to Lima to finish our residency and to start the process for the girls. Even with all our setbacks we now know 2 present tenses, 1 future tense and 3 past tenses. The problem is you have to know the verb in order to conjugate it. Sooner or later we will get there.

We are adjusting quite well. There are a lot of things that we have to do differently than what we are used to but nothing really to unusual. The three things that we don't have here that we are used to having are a car, a dish washer and a dryer for our clothes. We are learning more and more of the bus routes which is how we get to most places because it is the cheapest but when we are short on time or have a lot of groceries with us it is easy to get a cab and not really that much more expensive than the buses. Washing the dishes and hanging our clothes to dry are just things that we have gotten used to. We have two drying racks for our clothes (we are on the 3rd floor and do not have space for clothes lines). We haven't had to make too many changes to our eating habits. We have had to cut out a few things because the price is too high, but for the most part we have added a lot of bread, rice and potatoes to help meals stretch a little farther. It's not a meal unless there is rice or potatoes or both. We don't have car seats for the girls when we are in a taxi and when we are on a bus we may not even get a seat. And finally bringing up the rear and wrapping up this addition of "what's different in Peru" the plumbing and sewer system here will not support paper products so all the TP goes in the trash. More to come.........

The girls are doing great. Coming home from church a week ago we had just gotten off of one bus and saw our next bus coming around the corner. Alexis started yelling "para, para". which of course means stop. There was a line of people waiting to get on that bus so we did make it in time. Alexis is ready for her 4th birthday this Thursday, June 2nd. I think Hailey has accomplished the most out of the four of us. Since we have been here she has gotten 4 new teeth, learned to walk and had her first birthday and I am sure it won't be long till she starts talking (we just aren't sure what language she will speak in).

Update on what's happening with Extreme Nazarene coming soon.

Getting settled in, poco a poco

2011-03-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

We have been in Peru now for 2 full weeks and in our new apartment for a week and a half. We are beginning to get settled here in our new Home.
As settled as one could be while hardly being able to communicate. We are able to get to school and to the store on our own, but have had help getting to church on Sundays. "Poco a poco" or "little by little" has become our theme.

Becky and I have had a week of classes now. Pride went out the window on the first day. It makes you feel really good when the professor has to correct you when spelling your own name (I didn't even get the first letter right). " Poco a poco". We are starting to make a little progress. I think we have our ABC's and 123's down. Today we learned how to tell time and I know how to say I eat and I run and Becky knows how to answer the question "Tu tienes un novio?". Try Google Translate you will have a laugh. It took her awhile to answer. Sitting in class the other day I was reminded of the song I used to sing as a child. It says, "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be". Two years from now He will still be sharpening my ability to communicate and molding me into the servant that He needs me to be. I hope you too will allow God to form you as you press on in your journey wherever that may be.

The girls are doing great. Alexis loves going to church and comes home talking about her friends at church. It doesn't seem to bother Lexi that she can't communicate with words. The girls love their new baby sitter, Karla. Karla comes from 12:30 to 5:30 to watch the girls while we are in class. She knows a few words in English but for the most part she speaks in Spanish. Alexis has learned the word "cuidado" from Karla. I think for some reason she hears that word alot. I don't know if it has something to do with the altitude or what, but Hailey got her first two teeth the week before we traveled here and now has decided to cut four more teeth all on the top all at once. Three of them have cut through in the last few days and the next one is about to surface. Despite her new crop of teeth she has been a pretty good kid and even sleeps through the night most nights in her new bed. She can now crawl with the best of them. She hasn't shown much interest in walking; though I don't think it will be long before she realizes that it is a much better form of transportation.

All in all we are doing great, but we have a long way to go. We thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray as we submerse ourselves more and more into a new culture so that we can better understand the people that we are here to serve.

That is all for now.

Adios mis amigos.

Our New Home

2011-03-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

11 0'clock local time (12 am eastern standard time) we set foot for the first time in Peru. After a short nights sleep we were up and off to do some paper work (with the help of Edwin) to start our residency process. After lunch we were able to sit and relax and the girls were able to catch up on some much needed sleep. We are staying at the Nazarene Office in Lima. The main floor has a small apartment for us to stay in. In the morning we will pick up some of our paperwork across town before heading back to the airport for our final flight to Arequipa. Tomorrow we should get to see our new apartment that will be our home for the next 2 years, but it is without furniture so we will be staying in a hotel for a few nights.

The girls are doing well. Alexis is out playing with one of the little girls who's father works here at the office. And Becky is in heaven the neighbors are ordering pizza and have invited us to join them for dinner.

More updates coming soon as we continue our journey to our new home.

Set for departure!

2011-03-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

Just last week we received final approval and were able to set a date for departure. We will be flying out of Columbus Monday morning March 14th. That night we will arrive in Lima, Peru, There we will stay for two nights so that we can begin our residency paper work. Wednesday afternoon we will then be on our way to our final destination in Arequipa, Peru. At this point we are not to 100% of our goal needed to cover expenses for a family of 4 for 2 years. We are ready to go do God's work and we have faith that God will provide. He has already shown His mighty power. In just 2 short months we have received over $50,000.00 in pledges to be given over the next 2 years. Without these pledges our involvement in the Extreme Peru Project would not be possible. Thank you very much to those who have given. Please be in prayer for the remainder of what is needed.

Living Extreme

Almost to the Starting Line!

2011-02-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to fall in place. Any day now we should receive a deposit and signed lease agreement from our new renters. Two different storage places have donated small storage units to store our stuff at no cost for the full 2 years. And our fundraising is going well. We were originally hoping to leave early February but had to move our departure date back to Mid to late March. As soon as we get pledges to cover our living expenses for the full 2 years we will be ready to go. We have raised over 75% of the money we need in only a month and a half and we are trusting God that the rest will come in at just the right time. Thank you for all your prayers and support. If you have not yet signed up to be a prayer partner (there is a link on the right hand side of the page), please do so as this well help us stay better connected with you. This could not be possible without the support and prayers that we have received from so many people. And for this I would like to say "Thank You".

Getting Closer

2011-01-26T21:04:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of October 2010 Becky came to me and asked if I ever saw us (our family) doing some kind of long term missions. I don't remember my actual response, but I do remember thinking "why is she asking me this?". You see my wife is not exactly the most adventuresome person in the world and although the idea of working on the mission field has always been in the back of my head I just never thought that she would be comfortable with the idea of being submerged in a new culture with so many things unknown. Anyhow, the next day she asks "so have you thought about the long term missions thing". Again I am thinking "where is she going with this?". So she goes over to the computer and pulls up the web page for Extreme Nazarene Ministries and shows me a job posting for Finance Coordinator in Arequipa, Peru. This whole time she has had a position already picked out. I am still not sure if I believe what I am seeing and hearing, but at least now I actually have something to think about.

By the end of that week we both felt that this was something that we needed to look into. Two weeks from this point Becky and I were in Columbus for 3 days of training concluding Sunday afternoon with our interview. Later that week we received a phone call that we had been approved. Since this time we have been slowly but surely checking things off the list of things to be done before we set off for our journey. Most of the little things have been taken care of, but two of our main obstacles remain, renting our house and raising the funds needed to support our work in Peru. Please join us in prayer for these two things. We have had many people come through our house, but we have not found the right fit just yet. Our other task is not so much raising the money but doing it in such a short amount of time. Becky is needed in Arequipa as soon as possible so that she can get some training before the current Finance Coordinator leaves on the 18th of February.

It is very hard for me to admit but some things we just can't do on our own. We are excited about this mission that God has called us to. I know that He has placed a similar call to some that are not able to go, but can partner with us through giving. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us by committing to give $30, $50, or $75 (or "Whatever" God lays on your heart) each month for the next 24 months. God was able to touch the lives of many because of the willingness of one little boy who gave up his lunch. Your support will help change the lives of those all across Peru, but beware, your life may also be changed as a result.

God Bless,

MVNU Blast 2010

2011-01-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

"Whatever"

2011-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

This past summer at MVNU the Theme for BLAST was simply the phrase "Whatever". This phrase so commonly used by our teens doesn't typically have much of a spiritual ring to it, however as the week went on this phrase quickly took on a whole new meaning.

The speaker Thursday night was a 3 time World Champion Boomerang Thrower. After demonstrating some of his talents (pretty much just showing off), he gave us examples of how we could use our talents for God. Even talents that are not spiritual in of themselves can be used as a tool, a key that can open a door for a seed to be planted. It was encouraging to be reassured that God can and wants to get us involved in his ministry and He can use "Whatever" talents we have to bring.

Friday night Shane Hostutler (my roommate from MVNU) shared a very powerful message. He talked about living on the edge and pointed out how we as Christians can quickly become too comfortable where we stand. Sure there are things that we say we would like to do or wish we could do, but in the end it comes down to the fact that we just get too comfortable where we are. We come up with every excuse in the world to talk ourselves out of the things we think we should do because we get a little uncomfortable on the Edge. We don't want to get out too far on the Edge and lose control. Sure we say we Trust God to take care of us, but instead we we stay on the path that the world has paved before us.

The past few months God has been pushing Becky and I closer and closer to the Edge- untill we got to a point that we had nowhere to go- no safety net to fall into. Our only response was to lift our hands to Him and speak the word "Whatever". Whatever You have for our lives, wherever You would have us go, whatever You want us to do, we will obey.