Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions, that people have asked us in the past week:

1) How long have we been away from ministry in the Diocese of Albany? We have been away for over 1 year.

2) When are we returning to Peru? We are returning on the Tuesday after Diocesan Convention, June 15. We came up for Hannah's graduation and ordination and decided to stay through Diocesan Convention. Technically, we are on vacation. With the Bishop of Peru's permission, we hope to be at Hannah's ordination to the priesthood (could be in about 6 months) for a few days visit, and then, return to Peru again until perhaps 2012.

3) How long are we planning to be in Peru, overall? In April 2009, we planned to be in Peru for up to 10 years. That was a year ago. So, now, we are planning to be in Peru for up to 9 years more. SAMS has missionary terms of about 3 years each.

4) What do we do in Peru?
Several things. In short, we are helping to raise up local leaders in Peru. Primarily, we are faculty at Saints Augustine Anglican seminary in Lima. Julie also is coordinator of the Diocesan Ordination process, and we both help out in various other ways, such as helping with English or Spanish Sunday services.

5) Are you still members of the Diocese of Albany?
Yes. Foremost, we are canonical members of the Diocese of Albany, and so our primary allegiance is to Bishop Bill Love.
At the same time, we are employed as missionaries by SAMS (now: Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders). SAMS is our employer, though our compensation at SAMS is drawn from contributions from people like you.
Our SAMS placement is in the Diocese of Peru, which has been made possible by of a letter of invitation by Bp. Godfrey of Peru.
In Peru, in essence, we are guests of Bp. Godfrey, and he has asked us to serve in various capacities, as needs arise and circumstances warrant.

6) Is the Diocese of Peru growing?
The Diocese of Peru is emerging from a growth and consolidation phase, and now, the Diocese of Peru is in a good position to advance, with the right kind of leadership (we are there to help develop that leadership). The Diocese of Peru is meeting the need of people who are energized by a combination of Anglo-Catholicism, Evangelicalism, and Charismatic strands woven together in a Peruvian form. This is a unique combination in Peru.

7) What is Saints Augustine seminary like?
It has been said in the past two months, that Saints Augustine is the best and healthiest Anglican seminary in South America, at the moment, though at times, it seems to like we are building the ship while sailing it. But based on what I have heard about the condition of Episcopal seminaries US in that past two weeks (not including Trinity and Nashotah house which are in good condition), I would not be surprised if over the long-haul, Saints Augustine has more staying power than some of those seminaries in the US if it keeps developing the way it is currently developing.

I am impressed by the students and faculty, and their wisdom and their willingness to be guided by the Holy Spirit. The students are from a diverse background. While they may not all "get" Anglicanism yet, I have seen the Holy Spirit do great things through some of these students, already. Not every student has the goal of being ordained (some plan to be lay leaders), but they all have the potential to do great things for our Lord, no matter what they end up doing. All this is on a shoe string budget, made possible in part through the work of SAMS missionaries.

8) How is your Spanish?
Learning Spanish is a life-long endeavor. We are on target for what we need to do, now. We are about half-way where we would like to be, and that too, is a reasonable goal. We are learning the culture at the same time as we are learning Spanish, and learning the culture is a life-long goal, as well.

9) What is it like being a missionary in Peru?
Working as a missionary (who is part of a diocesan team) is a lot like working with any diocesan committee, seminary faculty, or a Vestry, anywhere. Some times, people hold to their guns with diverse opinions, and little movement seems possible, until God does something over the long-haul. At other times, the Holy Spirit moves quickly and swiftly, and the result is awesome in a short period of time. As a missionary, sometimes we seem to be like a consultant to a process on the outside looking in, and at other times, it seems like we are the process on the inside. It is an awesome combination, and it works.

10) What do we think of Fr. Mike Chapman (Bishop Sufragan-elect in Peru)?
We first met him in April 2008 when we were in Lima for a week to look at Peru as a potential place for us as missionaries. He was awesome and apostolic, then. I have not changed my mind since. And we like Linda, his beloved, too.

11) Do we like being in Peru?
Absolutely.

12) Do we like being in the Diocese of Albany?
Absolutely.

13) Do you have any difficulty adjusting to Peru?
Speaking just for myself: I love Peru. I like the people. The country and the people have their issues, but Peru is a place that I think that Jesus has been calling me to, all my life.

Our missionary training suggested that we would all go through a dramatic "chaos" phase as a normal part of settling in. As some of you may recall, I was trying to document the threshold in earlier prayer mails, but it has not come to me with an intensity that I was expecting. In fact, Lydia has told me that I have not had a chaos phase yet.

I would say that we have adjusted reasonably well as a family, though we all go through an adjustment process, especially when we go back and forth between cultures, simply because things are different in each culture. We like both the Diocese of Albany and Peru, and we do not like to leave either culture.

14) What is Lima, Peru like?
The city of Lima has almost 10 million people in it. It had 5 million people in it until the late 1980s or so, until terrorism caused people to flee to Lima from the countryside. At this time, almost overnight, it seemed to grow dramatically from 5 million up to about 9.5 million people.

Lima is a meeting of first and third world cultures in the same city.

Lima is on the coast of Peru at sea level, and is in a desert, one of the driest places on earth, though overcast much of the year. In winter it is like being on the coast of Maine in the fog without the cold and the wet. Because of my hair, I do not mind the overcast because the direct sun can be very hot, since we are closer to the equator than Albany. The most moisture that we seem to get is a light drizzle or a heavy mist. We had a 30 year rain fall last year (the most "rain" in 30 years), and during those three days, at the time when it was the most damp, I almost thought I was going to have to put on a jacket, in order to stay dry, but in the end, I did not have to put one on.

Although humid, Lima seems less humid than in some places that I know in the US. Temperatures in the winter can drop to the 50s F, and soar to the 90s in the summer.

I hope this is helpful.

Fr. Shaw