Nanny Drama!!!

This Thursday evening, my good friend Jennifer, from St. Cloud, will be flying into visit us. We are thrilled about her visit. She will be staying until late Monday night. It's not a long visit, but just enough to get to spend some quality time with her and show her what we are doing here and also sight-see Lima a little bit. We cannot wait to hug her neck!!

On June 21, our first mission team of 5 will arrive. We have been searching for a reliable Peruvian woman to help watch our children (mostly Jaxson and Avery) while I help with the teams. Parker and Ally usually go with us and help translate and make friends with the teams. I am needed for guidance and translation. Plus, I love being around the teams. They are such a HUGE source of encouragement. Anyway, in the past 2 weeks we have tried 3 different "nineras" (nannies). The first one was wonderful. The kids loved her. She showed up on time. She did a great job. She is a relative of our maid. But at the end of the night she informed us she already had a full-time job and is only available for evenings. Huh? Somehow it wasn't relayed to her that we need someone during the days at certain times during June, July and August (and possibly September when we are packing and moving). So next, we scheduled a lady to come this past Sunday night. After an extensive phone conversation (she is a relative of another maid that works for our mission), things seemed organized and good to go. Well, she never showed up and did not return our phone calls. So that same night, we called a back-up we had been told about. She said she could be here in 2 hours. Her bus broke down and she never made it. It's not that we WANT to go out, we are just trying to find someone as the clock is ticking away. So last night, we tried again with a different lady. She was suppose to arrive at 6 p.m. and showed up at 7:40 p.m. (after I was in my pajamas and ready for bed). John paid her for her bus and sent her home. We can't have someone who arrives almost 2 hours late working for us. So 3 strikes and still no one!

So tonight....take a deep breath.....we are trying our maid's OTHER relative after I run with my friend Isabelle. We won't even be able to head out until after 7:30 p.m., but this is about the only time we have to try someone else because of our friend visiting. John told her if she doesn't show up on time that he will send her home. I'm wondering if she will show up at all. John has spent over 5 hours on the phone with these various women trying to coordinate, give directions, work out pay, etc... and NOTHING has worked out so far even though they seem kind and eager over the phone. Needless to say, he is a little frustrated and stressed.

Life is fun here. You never know what a day will bring forth. We are hoping for the right, temporary, nanny to help us for a little while. We are mainly trying to use women who are relatives of people we know and trust. Maybe today will be the day!!!

In case you are wondering, a nanny here gets paid between $10-$12 a day to work about 11-12 hours. That is the standard rate, even if you go through a fancy agency. Crazy, isn't it?!