First of all, I want to thank God for allowing me to bring joy to my childhood community this Christmas season in Acobamba, Huancavelica (Huancavelica is a farming region that is considered the most impoverished area in Peru where the majority of residents are indigenous and speak the native language of Quechua. It is a 15 hours drive from Lima with windy roads that are in terrible condition). Being there overflowed my heart with joy and made me recall my days as a kid.

If you’ve ever been to San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru, you probably noticed the huge issue that we have with stray dogs and cats roaming the streets. As someone who lives here and as an animal lover, it’s hard to not bring every single one back to my two bedroom apartment. This was particularly true for a dog I met while building our Wellness Center in San Antonio de Padua.

Right now I would like to brag about my middle daughter, Rachel Canouse. Rachel went to South Africa on a team trip when she was 12 years old. She absolutely fell in love with mission work. The next year I decided to try out mission work as well, and joined a trip to Peru with my 3 daughters, Casey, Rachel and Elise. It was much closer than South Africa and also more affordable.