I've peppered the blog with a few photos from the trip, but honestly, there's a whole lot more. I personally took over 1,300 photos and nearly 100 short videos. John and David Spidle took nearly 800 photos and their own share of videos. Mitch had a camera, Kristin had a camera, and Glen had two cameras, plus he had a couple disposables.
Trust me when I say we are not lacking in photos or video. I've tried to get all the links into this post, so everyone can access them in one place. Just point your browsers here:
Videos: I have started posting my videos and the Spidle's videos on YouTube (seems appropriate). You can find them here: http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=rogue0503&p=r
As of this writing, there are roughly 60 videos posted. It takes quite a bit of time to post each one. The good news is that my favorite one is are already there:
Who loves ya Mitch?
Pictures: There are several sites listed now to see the pictures.
Mitch and Anna Otto's Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchotto/
Roger, John, and David's photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/winkles
Kristin Shermer's Pix: http://s344.photobucket.com/albums/p355/kshermer/Peru%202008/
If Glen decides to post his online, I'll add his links here.
Blogs: I am not the only scribe for this trip. Mitch Otto, our team leader has also managed a blog. You can see his point of view here: http://mitchotto-peru.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The last day in the barrio
Well, the last day was definitely a difficult one. The heart of the people in the barrio is so incredibly great. It is hard not be completely humbled by it.
We came in our last day and were once again greeted by the kids. We continued to play with them and enjoy our last day. As I played with them, one little girl continued to follow me around, along with Anabel. Her name is Stefanie, and she is the quietest little girl. However, when she was with me, she would smile so much.
I would spin her, Anabel, and two other kids around in my arms, and they all just enjoyed it so much. However, Stefanie really took my heart. I still love Anabel (who called me Nuestra Padre, by the way), but Stefanie really seemed to need someone to love on her. Whenever I would sit down, there was always a race between her and Anabel as to who would sit on my lap. If Stefanie happened to be on my lap, Anabel would sit on Esaiah´s. Stefanie was funny too. She wouldn´t climb into my lap. She would just walk in front of me with her back toward me, waiting for me to pick her up. Whenever I did, she would grin ear to ear. She was not a girl to grin or even laugh, so making her laugh really made me happy.
For the morning, we setup actual carnival games for the kids to play. As the games were underway, I started to play with the volleyball with Yessina (the Down´s Syndrome girl), Stacy (Loys´daughter) and a couple other kids. We were just bumping the ball to one another. This was fun because I got to make Stacy smile. According to Mitch, she has really sprouted since the last year. She is very cute, and I think she was crushing on our son. Whenever she had her camera, it seemed to be pointed at Esaiah.
Speaking of Esaiah, he was running a game where the kids would throw a velcro ball at a target. If they hit it twice, they would win a prize.
He seemed to be having difficulty managing the game and the candy (either that or I was getting bored), so I went over to help him. I took the target and starting moving it all around. I would put it really, really high on the wall before the kids would shoot and they would just laugh at me. I would put it against the wall backwards and would look puzzled and act like I didn´t understand. I would put it over their heads, at their feet, short, long, angled, whatever. The target was never in the same place. For the very small kids, I would put the target right up next to them, so they were sure to win. As I did all the this, the kids would laugh. Before too long, I noticed our line was getting longer. I am learning that all the kids love a clown.
Unfortunately, my time doing that was short. Mitch called me, Esaiah, and David over to do another construction project while the rest of the team played with the kids. Too bad for us.
The construction project was to tear down the existing reed walls and reed roof of a Children´s Bible Study classroom and build a new one. We also had to clean out the classroom so it would have more room.
As we tore down the old materials, the dust and dirt on them got all over us. I think it caused my voice to go a little hoarse, but that´s okay. As we worked, I did my best to communicate with Ana, the lady who teaches the classes. Mitch´s wife Anna was commenting on how good I´ve gotten with my charades. I can usually figure most things out with hand guestures and pointing. It´s when they talk to me and ask me a question that I get confused.
We continued to build up the school, and by lunchtime had it completed.
I was joking with Mike that I have bragging rights now. I can tell people "I built an entire school before lunch. What did you do today?"
As we were eating lunch, I gave Danell $120 dollars (USD) to buy Anabel a bed. It was the money I had left over that wasn´t converted yet. They mentioned this program two days ago and I saw one of the beds that had been purchased with the money (it was really nice). Henry has this. I want our little girl to have this. I told Livonia I wouldn't buy any souvenirs in Lima; this seemed to be a better use of our money.
After lunch, we continued to play with the kids. I had so many kids hanging off me. It was great! We also played ping pong with Loys again. He takes that game seriously! Actually, he takes all sports seriously. We played volleyball with the barrio adults, and the team I was on was kicking some serious butt. I think the score was 40-5 when we finally stopped counting.
I ended the day playing volleyball with a bunch of kids. Esaiah and I were on a team together, and Loys´daughter Stacy was on the other side with her team. We have a running joke with her. Everytime I see her, I say "Hola Stacy" as loud as I can and it makes her laugh. During the game, Esaiah and I would say "Hola Stacy" everytime she served the ball. After awhile, the Peruvians were getting into it and would say it as well. She was getting pretty embarrassed, which made me laugh even more.
And then the van came to take us back to the hotel.
It was sooo hard to say goodbye! You know the typical hug and kiss they give for a greeting, right? This one was different. The hug was much stronger and much longer. The adults hugged us so tightly, and I got an especially long hug from Natalina, Anabel´s mom. She had so much joy in her eyes and continued to thank me. She has a gift for my wife that I'm taking back. Since it is for her, I didn't get to open, but I want to know what it is! She also had Anabel write a letter to us. It was very nice. We´ll need to get it translated though. Mike read it to me and kept going "Ahhh" as he read it. Anabel was very appreciative of everything she received. She especially liked the beaded purse we got for her.She wore it all over the barrio. A lot of the other girls were asking about it too, which I think made Anabel that much more proud of it.
For the kids, I would bend down to hug them and then I would pick them up and hug them tightly. Their hugs in return were equally tight. Several of them hugged me more than once. It was hard to leave! But, our trip had ended and we needed to get back to the hotel. As we all loaded up in the van for the final time, all the kids crowded around it, knocking on the windows and telling us goodbye. We opened the vents of the windows to get some air, and a few hands came through. As I looked through the hands, I spotted Stefanie. She had her hand reached out as far as she could, and I could see her eyes welling up. I grabbed her hand in mine and watched a tear fall from her dirty cheek. Mitch asked us a few times if we had our "moment" in the barrio. I had many; too numerous to count (he even said that himself). However, the image of Stefanie´s tear across her face as she held my hand one last time will be with me for a long time to come.
Mike and his family joined us in the hostal and at dinner last night. Last night was also my night for my testimony, so everyone got to hear how I came to Christ, including Mike, Danell, Nicole, and Skylar. I think it went well, as I only gave them my heart, with no reservations.
We ended the night drinking a few cervesas and playing various card games.The sunflower seeds came in handy that night; they were our poker chips. I went to bed with a mixed set of emotions. I am so happy to return home to my wife and the rest of my boys, but I also feel like I´m leaving family behind. I guess it is similar to leaving my family in the US. I want to take everyone with me, but I know I can´t.
One other thing I've learned from this trip is how much I really love my wife. Even moreso because she convinced me to take another step out on faith and come to Peru. This time here will become one of the best memories of my life, and to have shared it with Esaiah is something I will never forget.
We came in our last day and were once again greeted by the kids. We continued to play with them and enjoy our last day. As I played with them, one little girl continued to follow me around, along with Anabel. Her name is Stefanie, and she is the quietest little girl. However, when she was with me, she would smile so much.
I would spin her, Anabel, and two other kids around in my arms, and they all just enjoyed it so much. However, Stefanie really took my heart. I still love Anabel (who called me Nuestra Padre, by the way), but Stefanie really seemed to need someone to love on her. Whenever I would sit down, there was always a race between her and Anabel as to who would sit on my lap. If Stefanie happened to be on my lap, Anabel would sit on Esaiah´s. Stefanie was funny too. She wouldn´t climb into my lap. She would just walk in front of me with her back toward me, waiting for me to pick her up. Whenever I did, she would grin ear to ear. She was not a girl to grin or even laugh, so making her laugh really made me happy.For the morning, we setup actual carnival games for the kids to play. As the games were underway, I started to play with the volleyball with Yessina (the Down´s Syndrome girl), Stacy (Loys´daughter) and a couple other kids. We were just bumping the ball to one another. This was fun because I got to make Stacy smile. According to Mitch, she has really sprouted since the last year. She is very cute, and I think she was crushing on our son. Whenever she had her camera, it seemed to be pointed at Esaiah.
Speaking of Esaiah, he was running a game where the kids would throw a velcro ball at a target. If they hit it twice, they would win a prize.
He seemed to be having difficulty managing the game and the candy (either that or I was getting bored), so I went over to help him. I took the target and starting moving it all around. I would put it really, really high on the wall before the kids would shoot and they would just laugh at me. I would put it against the wall backwards and would look puzzled and act like I didn´t understand. I would put it over their heads, at their feet, short, long, angled, whatever. The target was never in the same place. For the very small kids, I would put the target right up next to them, so they were sure to win. As I did all the this, the kids would laugh. Before too long, I noticed our line was getting longer. I am learning that all the kids love a clown.Unfortunately, my time doing that was short. Mitch called me, Esaiah, and David over to do another construction project while the rest of the team played with the kids. Too bad for us.
The construction project was to tear down the existing reed walls and reed roof of a Children´s Bible Study classroom and build a new one. We also had to clean out the classroom so it would have more room.
As we tore down the old materials, the dust and dirt on them got all over us. I think it caused my voice to go a little hoarse, but that´s okay. As we worked, I did my best to communicate with Ana, the lady who teaches the classes. Mitch´s wife Anna was commenting on how good I´ve gotten with my charades. I can usually figure most things out with hand guestures and pointing. It´s when they talk to me and ask me a question that I get confused.We continued to build up the school, and by lunchtime had it completed.
I was joking with Mike that I have bragging rights now. I can tell people "I built an entire school before lunch. What did you do today?"
As we were eating lunch, I gave Danell $120 dollars (USD) to buy Anabel a bed. It was the money I had left over that wasn´t converted yet. They mentioned this program two days ago and I saw one of the beds that had been purchased with the money (it was really nice). Henry has this. I want our little girl to have this. I told Livonia I wouldn't buy any souvenirs in Lima; this seemed to be a better use of our money.
After lunch, we continued to play with the kids. I had so many kids hanging off me. It was great! We also played ping pong with Loys again. He takes that game seriously! Actually, he takes all sports seriously. We played volleyball with the barrio adults, and the team I was on was kicking some serious butt. I think the score was 40-5 when we finally stopped counting.
I ended the day playing volleyball with a bunch of kids. Esaiah and I were on a team together, and Loys´daughter Stacy was on the other side with her team. We have a running joke with her. Everytime I see her, I say "Hola Stacy" as loud as I can and it makes her laugh. During the game, Esaiah and I would say "Hola Stacy" everytime she served the ball. After awhile, the Peruvians were getting into it and would say it as well. She was getting pretty embarrassed, which made me laugh even more.
And then the van came to take us back to the hotel.
It was sooo hard to say goodbye! You know the typical hug and kiss they give for a greeting, right? This one was different. The hug was much stronger and much longer. The adults hugged us so tightly, and I got an especially long hug from Natalina, Anabel´s mom. She had so much joy in her eyes and continued to thank me. She has a gift for my wife that I'm taking back. Since it is for her, I didn't get to open, but I want to know what it is! She also had Anabel write a letter to us. It was very nice. We´ll need to get it translated though. Mike read it to me and kept going "Ahhh" as he read it. Anabel was very appreciative of everything she received. She especially liked the beaded purse we got for her.She wore it all over the barrio. A lot of the other girls were asking about it too, which I think made Anabel that much more proud of it.
For the kids, I would bend down to hug them and then I would pick them up and hug them tightly. Their hugs in return were equally tight. Several of them hugged me more than once. It was hard to leave! But, our trip had ended and we needed to get back to the hotel. As we all loaded up in the van for the final time, all the kids crowded around it, knocking on the windows and telling us goodbye. We opened the vents of the windows to get some air, and a few hands came through. As I looked through the hands, I spotted Stefanie. She had her hand reached out as far as she could, and I could see her eyes welling up. I grabbed her hand in mine and watched a tear fall from her dirty cheek. Mitch asked us a few times if we had our "moment" in the barrio. I had many; too numerous to count (he even said that himself). However, the image of Stefanie´s tear across her face as she held my hand one last time will be with me for a long time to come.
Mike and his family joined us in the hostal and at dinner last night. Last night was also my night for my testimony, so everyone got to hear how I came to Christ, including Mike, Danell, Nicole, and Skylar. I think it went well, as I only gave them my heart, with no reservations.
We ended the night drinking a few cervesas and playing various card games.The sunflower seeds came in handy that night; they were our poker chips. I went to bed with a mixed set of emotions. I am so happy to return home to my wife and the rest of my boys, but I also feel like I´m leaving family behind. I guess it is similar to leaving my family in the US. I want to take everyone with me, but I know I can´t.
One other thing I've learned from this trip is how much I really love my wife. Even moreso because she convinced me to take another step out on faith and come to Peru. This time here will become one of the best memories of my life, and to have shared it with Esaiah is something I will never forget.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Moses Skit, more teaching, and a few weddings
Friday was a pretty emotional day in the barrio. They finally managed to get me to shed a few tears. And just think; I was just talking about how we were not a crying team.
We entered the barrio late in the morning (around 10am), so we used the morning to have Glen do his devotion and his testimony. Glen had some pretty amazing things happen in his life. It is always a blessing when someone is willing to be as transparent as him when talking about their faith.
Anyway, we arrived at the barrio and got put to work setting up the sala for the wedding. As we were doing these preparations, I learned Kristin and I had to do another teaching (not on the schedule, but I´ve learned that´s okay). Kristin, Loys and I headed out. Glen followed because he wanted to see how we´ve been teaching. Shortly after him was Danell and Mitch. Seems we are developing a fan club. We were supposed to teach 8 women, but as usual, God had other plans. 15 women showed up, then 16... I'm actually not sure what the final number was.
Trouble was, we only had enough materials for 14 women to do the craft. Once again, God found a way. The women just shared what they had, and Mitch made more crosses out of the scrap materials we had left over.
This time, I also noticed that some of the women could not write. Part of the project was to write their sins on the terra cotta pots and the break the pots. What do you do if you cannot write? Simple enough: you hand your pot to your friend who can and confess your sins to that person. Amazing.
Prior to our lesson, the women put on a skit for us. They retold the story of Moses and how he killed the Egyptian soldier to rescue one of the workers. It was really cool to see them being so creative with Bible stories.
The funniest part was when Moses returned as a shepherd. The woman put shaving cream on her face to indicate a beard and was carrying a staff with her. As she walked toward the group, several dogs were walking with her. She had to keep pushing them around with the stick to get them out of her way. However, it looked like she was herding sheep and that this was all part of the skit. When Loys brought it up to her, everyone laughed.
The teaching went well again. I´m getting pretty used to this now! Again, the people who watched us teach said we did very well. It makes me happy to know that God is smiling right now. Afterward, we headed back to the sala. After helping out a little more, it was finally time to deliver the backpacks to Anabel and Henry. We stopped at Anabel´s house first. Annita took us there. When we got there, Ánabel´s mom Natalina was still getting things in order. She eventually let us in and we had to wait for Anabel to return from school. As I looked around the home I saw that Anabel´s family had chickens, ducks, an outhouse away from the house (keep those smells centralized) and a reasonably good adobe house. Of course, only a dirt floor and limited furniture.
Anabel shows up and we go inside to give her all the gifts. I sit her on my lap with Esaiah next to me. Natalina is standing to my right in the corner. With everything I pull out of the bag, Anabel gives me a kiss on the cheek and thanks me. Occassionally, she would get off my leg and kiss Eresmo (Esaiah) as well.
As I continued to pull the gifts out, Anna told me that Natalina was about to burst into tears. When we completed showing everything, I gave Anabel a big hug. After that, Natalina walked over to me, crying and thanking me over and over again. As she hugged me so tightly, the tears started to flow. She was so incredibly appreciative; it´s impossible not to absolutely love these people.
After Anabel´s, we went to Henry´s house to give him Debra´s gift. For this occassion, I recorded a video of it so Debra could see and hear the emotions. I didn´t know Henry´s smile could get any bigger than it already was. He was so happy. When he received all his gifts, he sang a song to all of us that was so sweet. Later that night, he sang it again in front of everyone that showed up for church.
I¨m leaving out a bunch, but it´s because I´ve only got so much time and so much more to talk about. After leaving Henry´s, we returned to the sala and continued our preparations for the wedding. I can´t wait to get the pictures posted onto my flickr account. They turned that sala into a beautiful room, perfect for the wedding. The wedding started at 3:30pm, and we packed the room. It was so nice to see all the couples from the barrio dressed so nicely in their best clothes. One couple even wore formal clothes. The husband wore a suit and the wife wore a formal purple dress with a black shawl. Muy Sexy!
We partied with everyone until 6:30pm, and then we had church. We did more singing and dancing. Danell got a picture of Esaiah and I singing Spanish praise and worship, swaying arm in arm. She said it was one of her favorite pictures. After church, we continued to play with the kids.
We didn´t leave the barrio until around 8:45pm. It was a long day, but it was full of fun. A few of us sat in the restaurant the hostal to have some dessert (I had a hot chocolate), but then I was the first to excuse myself and get to bed. I was pretty tired.
Today is our last day in the barrio. Anabel is going to draw me a picture, and Natalina is making something special for my wife. I am very curious to see what it is. Which reminds me; I bought a scarf for my wife a few days ago. It was made by Carmin. From what Mike tells me, Livonia got to know Carmen pretty well. I took a picture of her and her soon to be husband. Apparently, my wife knows both of them.
We entered the barrio late in the morning (around 10am), so we used the morning to have Glen do his devotion and his testimony. Glen had some pretty amazing things happen in his life. It is always a blessing when someone is willing to be as transparent as him when talking about their faith.
Anyway, we arrived at the barrio and got put to work setting up the sala for the wedding. As we were doing these preparations, I learned Kristin and I had to do another teaching (not on the schedule, but I´ve learned that´s okay). Kristin, Loys and I headed out. Glen followed because he wanted to see how we´ve been teaching. Shortly after him was Danell and Mitch. Seems we are developing a fan club. We were supposed to teach 8 women, but as usual, God had other plans. 15 women showed up, then 16... I'm actually not sure what the final number was.
Trouble was, we only had enough materials for 14 women to do the craft. Once again, God found a way. The women just shared what they had, and Mitch made more crosses out of the scrap materials we had left over.
This time, I also noticed that some of the women could not write. Part of the project was to write their sins on the terra cotta pots and the break the pots. What do you do if you cannot write? Simple enough: you hand your pot to your friend who can and confess your sins to that person. Amazing.
Prior to our lesson, the women put on a skit for us. They retold the story of Moses and how he killed the Egyptian soldier to rescue one of the workers. It was really cool to see them being so creative with Bible stories.
The funniest part was when Moses returned as a shepherd. The woman put shaving cream on her face to indicate a beard and was carrying a staff with her. As she walked toward the group, several dogs were walking with her. She had to keep pushing them around with the stick to get them out of her way. However, it looked like she was herding sheep and that this was all part of the skit. When Loys brought it up to her, everyone laughed.The teaching went well again. I´m getting pretty used to this now! Again, the people who watched us teach said we did very well. It makes me happy to know that God is smiling right now. Afterward, we headed back to the sala. After helping out a little more, it was finally time to deliver the backpacks to Anabel and Henry. We stopped at Anabel´s house first. Annita took us there. When we got there, Ánabel´s mom Natalina was still getting things in order. She eventually let us in and we had to wait for Anabel to return from school. As I looked around the home I saw that Anabel´s family had chickens, ducks, an outhouse away from the house (keep those smells centralized) and a reasonably good adobe house. Of course, only a dirt floor and limited furniture.
Anabel shows up and we go inside to give her all the gifts. I sit her on my lap with Esaiah next to me. Natalina is standing to my right in the corner. With everything I pull out of the bag, Anabel gives me a kiss on the cheek and thanks me. Occassionally, she would get off my leg and kiss Eresmo (Esaiah) as well.As I continued to pull the gifts out, Anna told me that Natalina was about to burst into tears. When we completed showing everything, I gave Anabel a big hug. After that, Natalina walked over to me, crying and thanking me over and over again. As she hugged me so tightly, the tears started to flow. She was so incredibly appreciative; it´s impossible not to absolutely love these people.
After Anabel´s, we went to Henry´s house to give him Debra´s gift. For this occassion, I recorded a video of it so Debra could see and hear the emotions. I didn´t know Henry´s smile could get any bigger than it already was. He was so happy. When he received all his gifts, he sang a song to all of us that was so sweet. Later that night, he sang it again in front of everyone that showed up for church.I¨m leaving out a bunch, but it´s because I´ve only got so much time and so much more to talk about. After leaving Henry´s, we returned to the sala and continued our preparations for the wedding. I can´t wait to get the pictures posted onto my flickr account. They turned that sala into a beautiful room, perfect for the wedding. The wedding started at 3:30pm, and we packed the room. It was so nice to see all the couples from the barrio dressed so nicely in their best clothes. One couple even wore formal clothes. The husband wore a suit and the wife wore a formal purple dress with a black shawl. Muy Sexy!
We partied with everyone until 6:30pm, and then we had church. We did more singing and dancing. Danell got a picture of Esaiah and I singing Spanish praise and worship, swaying arm in arm. She said it was one of her favorite pictures. After church, we continued to play with the kids.
We didn´t leave the barrio until around 8:45pm. It was a long day, but it was full of fun. A few of us sat in the restaurant the hostal to have some dessert (I had a hot chocolate), but then I was the first to excuse myself and get to bed. I was pretty tired.
Today is our last day in the barrio. Anabel is going to draw me a picture, and Natalina is making something special for my wife. I am very curious to see what it is. Which reminds me; I bought a scarf for my wife a few days ago. It was made by Carmin. From what Mike tells me, Livonia got to know Carmen pretty well. I took a picture of her and her soon to be husband. Apparently, my wife knows both of them.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Teaching, building, and moving concrete
We finished another day in the barrio. The days are getting harder because our time is getting shorter. All of us are becoming very aware of how short our time here is. I am so excited to come back home and be with my family (and especially my wife), but at the same time I am torn. It will be difficult to say goodbye to Loys and his beautiful little girls. It will be hard to tell Anabel I´m not coming back into the barrio after Saturday. It will be very hard to say goodbye.
Yesterday was a mixed bag of assignments. They sent me, Kristin, Glen, Skylar, and the interns (Joy from Georgia and Emily from ASU) to Jenny´s house to put up the roof. When we got there, I didn´t see any supplies, so I looked around her house. Rolled up on the outside of one wall were three bundles of reeds that looked like they had been VERY weathered. As we rolled them out, they kept falling apart. This is what we had to use for her roof. Plus, we only had three of these to work with, and completing her roof would have taken at least triple that amount. Again, we made the best of what we had and just covered the more important areas.
Yesterday was a mixed bag of assignments. They sent me, Kristin, Glen, Skylar, and the interns (Joy from Georgia and Emily from ASU) to Jenny´s house to put up the roof. When we got there, I didn´t see any supplies, so I looked around her house. Rolled up on the outside of one wall were three bundles of reeds that looked like they had been VERY weathered. As we rolled them out, they kept falling apart. This is what we had to use for her roof. Plus, we only had three of these to work with, and completing her roof would have taken at least triple that amount. Again, we made the best of what we had and just covered the more important areas.
The roof was not one of our greater accomplishments in the barrio. It was so hard to make it all work. We setup cross braces for the reeds, but even the cross braces were flimsy. The material we had to use was very thin bamboo shoots. When we set the roof on the walls, it bowed down. Oh well, what can you do, right? It´s all we had. I´m happy we thought to use cross braces though. Otherwise, it would have bowed down A LOT more. Glen came up with the cross brace idea. Not nearly as crafty as his idea of putting arches somewhere on the roof, but definitely more functional.
After we got the roof up, we asked for a saw so we could clean up the edges of bamboo. As I walked around the outside, I noticed the wall we put up on Tuesday looked like was bowing out. When I pushed it in, it caused the roof to fall down! We all laughed so hard. We fixed the roof again, took some pictures, and then headed out to the next assignment.The next assignment was a fun one: concrete. Talk about some back breaking work! Load sand into the buckets, pour the bucket into the mixer. Load rocks into the buckets, pour rocks into the bucket, load concrete mix into bigger buckets... you get the idea. After that, the mixer prepares the concrete and Loys poured it into buckets that we would carry over to Esaiah and David.
Esaiah was on the ladder and would deliver the concrete up to David, who was sitting on top of the wall.
David would pour the concrete into the forms that made up the support beams we were creating for the school Loys was building. It was impossible not to get dirty.When I got there, Everyone looked pretty messy, so I joined in the fun. I put my bucket underneath the mixer and the concrete came out. A little bit splashed onto my shirt, but not much. After the second run, the same thing happened. Just a small amount landed on my shirt.
And then I went for a third bucket.
When I put my bucket underneath, Loys turned the mixer at just the right moment. The concrete splashed down and popped out of the mixer... all over me. My hair, my face, my arms, my shirt, my pants... everything was splatted with concrete. So nice. Luckily, no one had a camera handy.
Anyway, we continued to build the support beams and that job lasted past lunch. I don´t think Annita was happy with us that we didn´t eat when the food was fresh. Oh, I forgot to mention that the barrio has a kitchen now! Annita and her team are a very good cooks, and made our meals each day. We ate a late lunch and then had a siesta. Lots of ping pong! They really like their ping pong here! Makes sense though; it´s a cheap sport. I think the next time we visit here, we need to bring them new paddles and maybe a couple balls.
After the siesta, I got my first opportunity to teach my new lesson. There was another individual in the barrio that day. His name was Richard, a 60yr old guy from the church in Fountain Hills. When I told him we were teaching, he said he wanted to sit in to see if he could do the same thing in his barrio (his church is part of barrio 4; ours is barrio 1). We also had one of the interns and Nicole join us. We were expecting 4 women in a small group environment, but we ended up with 8. The lesson turned out very good. I was pleased with it. Even better, when Richard returned to the community center, he gave us raving reviews. I guess we did things right, huh? I love seeing God moving. He has really taught me to lighten up and let Him lead.
After we got back from the teaching, we found everyone back in the community center. I guess we were done for the day, and it was only 4pm. Ping Pong again. Loys was the champion this time. He´s very good. We also taught the Peruvians a game called "around the world ping pong" and they were really getting into it. I also played with them. Just as the game was heating up, I learned that we had another small group to teach. We headed out again to another house to teach again. By now, I had gotten a relatively good groove going. This lesson went better than the last. Kristin and I got smarter this time and gave all the scripture reading to the two interns that came with us. Mitch sat in on that one as well. He seemed pleased. The only bad part about the teaching was that Anabel arrived just as I discovered I would be teaching. I didn´t get very much time to play with her. After the teaching, we had to leave.
Last night was Mitch´s testimony. He did a good job, and didn´t cry... much. I think he was worried that he would. This is not a crying team. Mitch is the only one who has shown any emotion so far. Maybe we're just slower than him at opening up. All of the rest just continue to work and have fun and not let things sink in too much. We´ll see how good we do that when Saturday comes.
Today we are going into the barrio at 10am. We are leaving late because we are staying late. We plan to be in the barrio until 9pm. I guess this is a first for the mission team. The teams in past years have all left at 5:30pm. Today is the wedding. I am also going to give Anabel her backpack with all the gifts. I´m so excited to see her face!
I´m glad I´m writing everyday because there´s so much occurring. I would hate to forget any of it. I feel like I need to thank my wife again for putting the thought of a Peru Mission Trip on my heart. The blessings I´ve received here are immeasureable. I love teaching more and more with God´s wonderful guidance everyday. To think I was so worried about how it would turn out, and now I look forward to the next time. I love our God. He is so wonderful, and so present in the barrio. His heart and his song are written on the hearts and souls of these beautiful people, as well as in each of us. And right now, I feel like singing his song.
And then I went for a third bucket.
When I put my bucket underneath, Loys turned the mixer at just the right moment. The concrete splashed down and popped out of the mixer... all over me. My hair, my face, my arms, my shirt, my pants... everything was splatted with concrete. So nice. Luckily, no one had a camera handy.
Anyway, we continued to build the support beams and that job lasted past lunch. I don´t think Annita was happy with us that we didn´t eat when the food was fresh. Oh, I forgot to mention that the barrio has a kitchen now! Annita and her team are a very good cooks, and made our meals each day. We ate a late lunch and then had a siesta. Lots of ping pong! They really like their ping pong here! Makes sense though; it´s a cheap sport. I think the next time we visit here, we need to bring them new paddles and maybe a couple balls.
After the siesta, I got my first opportunity to teach my new lesson. There was another individual in the barrio that day. His name was Richard, a 60yr old guy from the church in Fountain Hills. When I told him we were teaching, he said he wanted to sit in to see if he could do the same thing in his barrio (his church is part of barrio 4; ours is barrio 1). We also had one of the interns and Nicole join us. We were expecting 4 women in a small group environment, but we ended up with 8. The lesson turned out very good. I was pleased with it. Even better, when Richard returned to the community center, he gave us raving reviews. I guess we did things right, huh? I love seeing God moving. He has really taught me to lighten up and let Him lead.
After we got back from the teaching, we found everyone back in the community center. I guess we were done for the day, and it was only 4pm. Ping Pong again. Loys was the champion this time. He´s very good. We also taught the Peruvians a game called "around the world ping pong" and they were really getting into it. I also played with them. Just as the game was heating up, I learned that we had another small group to teach. We headed out again to another house to teach again. By now, I had gotten a relatively good groove going. This lesson went better than the last. Kristin and I got smarter this time and gave all the scripture reading to the two interns that came with us. Mitch sat in on that one as well. He seemed pleased. The only bad part about the teaching was that Anabel arrived just as I discovered I would be teaching. I didn´t get very much time to play with her. After the teaching, we had to leave.
Last night was Mitch´s testimony. He did a good job, and didn´t cry... much. I think he was worried that he would. This is not a crying team. Mitch is the only one who has shown any emotion so far. Maybe we're just slower than him at opening up. All of the rest just continue to work and have fun and not let things sink in too much. We´ll see how good we do that when Saturday comes.
Today we are going into the barrio at 10am. We are leaving late because we are staying late. We plan to be in the barrio until 9pm. I guess this is a first for the mission team. The teams in past years have all left at 5:30pm. Today is the wedding. I am also going to give Anabel her backpack with all the gifts. I´m so excited to see her face!
I´m glad I´m writing everyday because there´s so much occurring. I would hate to forget any of it. I feel like I need to thank my wife again for putting the thought of a Peru Mission Trip on my heart. The blessings I´ve received here are immeasureable. I love teaching more and more with God´s wonderful guidance everyday. To think I was so worried about how it would turn out, and now I look forward to the next time. I love our God. He is so wonderful, and so present in the barrio. His heart and his song are written on the hearts and souls of these beautiful people, as well as in each of us. And right now, I feel like singing his song.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Surfing in Peru
If there was a list of the top 100 things to do before you die, and surfing was one of them, I can check it off the list.
Surfing was hard.
There are a lot of things to think about as you´re trying to stand on a board moving through the water. We had an excellent teacher though, who taught us some great mechanics of surfing. We spent nearly an hour on the sand learning how to paddle, how to position your body on the board, where to put your shoulders, how to pop up, etc. I was doing really good at that... and then we went into the water.
The water was frigid. Very, VERY cold. However, it did not take long for me to get used to it. We paddled out to an area where our instructor was and he would guide us on when to pop up on the board and ride the wave in. The first time he sent me out, I rode the wave. It lasted about 4 seconds. :-) After that, I continued to fall. Over and over again. When I finally did get a wave and was riding it fine, another surfer came along and we crashed into each other. That was a bit of a bummer. She apologized many times, but I´m pretty sure it was me that ran into her.
Crashing seemed to be my specialty. I crashed one time and my board went completely vertical. It looked pretty funny.
Esaiah and David Spidle were an entirely different story. They seemed to be naturals at surfing. They found the waves very easy and could ride them all the way into the shore. It was pretty amazing to see. I have been wondering what sport Esaiah would excel at, and I think I´ve just found it. Maybe he needs to go to school at USC so he can surf everyday. What do you think?
We finished surfing, and I was completely exhausted. We waddled back to the hostal and then jumped in the pool. Once we got to the pool, we swam around for awhile and talked to Mitch, Glen and Kristin about our adventures in surfing. Kristin stayed at the hostal yesterday. She has been fighting a stomach ache since yesterday. I hope she gets over it, as it would bad to get sick here. She´s definitely moving a lot slower now. If you have extra time in your prayers, please pray for healing for her.
After dinner last night, Esaiah gave his devotion and his testimony. The devotion he picked out talked about a man who was preaching to a bunch of kids with Downs Syndrome. The guy was getting angry and distracted because the kids were making so much noise and he forgot that his lesson was not about him. It was a good reminder to all of us that we serve God by serving each other, not that we serve each other alone. Esaiah´s testimony was quick. He talked about how we started going to church in Phoenix because his parents said "this is what we´re gonna do," so that´s how he became a Christian. When he started going to Chandler Christian, he went to UCYC and said he got baptised a couple days after he returned. After he finished, I told the group about how different Esaiah is now that he has the Holy Spirit moving in his life. I talked about how he turns to God when things get tough and he looks to the Bible for answers when he´s struggling. When we got to the room and we started talking man to man again, he mentioned that he didn´t like the way he did his testimony. He said he "winged it" and wasn´t able to say what he wanted, but after talking to me, things were a lot more clear. He said he wanted to be able to do it again. I told him to stop worrying about what other people think. God rewards those who express their love for Him. He didn´t make everyone talented at everything, so we play to our strengths and be content with the gifts we were given. I think we are raising a perfectionist. He also told me he is going to try a lot harder in Spanish next year. He admitted that he wasn´t giving the class everything he should have, and now sees how much better it would have been if he had. Pretty cool, huh?
Sleep has become hard here. I find myself waking up throughout the night and my back is always very sore. I miss our bed back home. So far, it hasn´t affected my ability to work or teach. I pray it can continue to be like this.
Today, Kristin and I will teach two stories. The first story is about the paralytic man. This story can be found in Matthew 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5:
Matthew: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=9&version=31&context=chapter
Mark: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=48&chapter=2&version=31&context=chapter
Luke: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%205:17-26&version=31
We will use this to talk about the grace of God and power of friendships. The second story is the parable Jesus told of the Lost Son. This is found in Luke 15.
Luke: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32;&version=31;
The point of this message is to remind people that even when you walk away from God, He will still accept you if you return to Him. It also teaches an important lesson to people who see someone return (the older brother). We need to remember that it is always a joyous occassion when a lost sheep returns to the flock.
Anyway, I put the lesson together 20min before we went to dinner, and gave it to Kristin to translate after dinner. Her and I are getting better at learning to deal with each lesson as it comes up. God is truly stretching me in that regard. I am pretty far outside of my comfort zone, which means He needs to be in control. I´m learning He always seems to do a better job than me.
Okay, I need to get ready to start my day. Pray for me honey. It is my prayer that God will continue to use me in a mighty way and help me to truly connect with His children in the barrio.
Surfing was hard.
There are a lot of things to think about as you´re trying to stand on a board moving through the water. We had an excellent teacher though, who taught us some great mechanics of surfing. We spent nearly an hour on the sand learning how to paddle, how to position your body on the board, where to put your shoulders, how to pop up, etc. I was doing really good at that... and then we went into the water.
The water was frigid. Very, VERY cold. However, it did not take long for me to get used to it. We paddled out to an area where our instructor was and he would guide us on when to pop up on the board and ride the wave in. The first time he sent me out, I rode the wave. It lasted about 4 seconds. :-) After that, I continued to fall. Over and over again. When I finally did get a wave and was riding it fine, another surfer came along and we crashed into each other. That was a bit of a bummer. She apologized many times, but I´m pretty sure it was me that ran into her.
Crashing seemed to be my specialty. I crashed one time and my board went completely vertical. It looked pretty funny.
Esaiah and David Spidle were an entirely different story. They seemed to be naturals at surfing. They found the waves very easy and could ride them all the way into the shore. It was pretty amazing to see. I have been wondering what sport Esaiah would excel at, and I think I´ve just found it. Maybe he needs to go to school at USC so he can surf everyday. What do you think?
We finished surfing, and I was completely exhausted. We waddled back to the hostal and then jumped in the pool. Once we got to the pool, we swam around for awhile and talked to Mitch, Glen and Kristin about our adventures in surfing. Kristin stayed at the hostal yesterday. She has been fighting a stomach ache since yesterday. I hope she gets over it, as it would bad to get sick here. She´s definitely moving a lot slower now. If you have extra time in your prayers, please pray for healing for her.
After dinner last night, Esaiah gave his devotion and his testimony. The devotion he picked out talked about a man who was preaching to a bunch of kids with Downs Syndrome. The guy was getting angry and distracted because the kids were making so much noise and he forgot that his lesson was not about him. It was a good reminder to all of us that we serve God by serving each other, not that we serve each other alone. Esaiah´s testimony was quick. He talked about how we started going to church in Phoenix because his parents said "this is what we´re gonna do," so that´s how he became a Christian. When he started going to Chandler Christian, he went to UCYC and said he got baptised a couple days after he returned. After he finished, I told the group about how different Esaiah is now that he has the Holy Spirit moving in his life. I talked about how he turns to God when things get tough and he looks to the Bible for answers when he´s struggling. When we got to the room and we started talking man to man again, he mentioned that he didn´t like the way he did his testimony. He said he "winged it" and wasn´t able to say what he wanted, but after talking to me, things were a lot more clear. He said he wanted to be able to do it again. I told him to stop worrying about what other people think. God rewards those who express their love for Him. He didn´t make everyone talented at everything, so we play to our strengths and be content with the gifts we were given. I think we are raising a perfectionist. He also told me he is going to try a lot harder in Spanish next year. He admitted that he wasn´t giving the class everything he should have, and now sees how much better it would have been if he had. Pretty cool, huh?
Sleep has become hard here. I find myself waking up throughout the night and my back is always very sore. I miss our bed back home. So far, it hasn´t affected my ability to work or teach. I pray it can continue to be like this.
Today, Kristin and I will teach two stories. The first story is about the paralytic man. This story can be found in Matthew 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5:
Matthew: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=9&version=31&context=chapter
Mark: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=48&chapter=2&version=31&context=chapter
Luke: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%205:17-26&version=31
We will use this to talk about the grace of God and power of friendships. The second story is the parable Jesus told of the Lost Son. This is found in Luke 15.
Luke: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-32;&version=31;
The point of this message is to remind people that even when you walk away from God, He will still accept you if you return to Him. It also teaches an important lesson to people who see someone return (the older brother). We need to remember that it is always a joyous occassion when a lost sheep returns to the flock.
Anyway, I put the lesson together 20min before we went to dinner, and gave it to Kristin to translate after dinner. Her and I are getting better at learning to deal with each lesson as it comes up. God is truly stretching me in that regard. I am pretty far outside of my comfort zone, which means He needs to be in control. I´m learning He always seems to do a better job than me.
Okay, I need to get ready to start my day. Pray for me honey. It is my prayer that God will continue to use me in a mighty way and help me to truly connect with His children in the barrio.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Working in the barrio
Things are going well in the barrio. On Tuesday, we had our first real "work day." Esaiah, Kristin, Glen and I got tasked with building a larger room for a woman named Jenny. She is a single mother with a toddler. She might possibly have other kids, but I only saw her with the toddler. Anyway, she has an adobe room and then an external room made of thatched bamboo. It looks something like this:
Today is Wednesday, and the transportation strike is underway. We have heard it is also political, so it could get pretty violent. For our protection, we can only stay in the Huanchaco area. We were supposed to have a free day on Saturday, but that has now moved to today. That is good news for me and Kristin, since we have a new lesson to teach. Now, we are teaching on the story where the crippled man was lowered into the temple for Jesus to heal him. I have to figure out how to tie in this story of God´s grace into teachpoint on sin so we can do the cross activity again. Should be fun! I also have another lesson to teach on Saturday, but no one knows what the lesson will be. I guess I´ll find out Thursday or Friday. Again, God will provide. That is what I´m teaching, so I better believe what I preach, right?
That´s all for now. If I have time, I´ll write you again.
She had purchased enough materials to expand this room into an extended patio, so we built this for her. She needed a larger play area for her son. We were given some large bamboo poles to form the vertical beams and smaller bamboo to support the cross beams. The walls were made of the thatched bamboo. It was interesting digging the holes for the vertical poles. They had to be at least 18 inches deep, and we continually ran into large rocks. We also learned that we need to attach a door to the bamboo. That was also pretty interesting.
As we were getting ready to start the final wall, the interns came by and said it was time for lunch. I was so depressed, because I knew we would be teaching after lunch and would probably not be able to finish the project.
At lunch, Anabel made herself known, along with her cousin Juan. They wanted to play with me, but I had to teach my lesson and needed to prepare. I played as much as I could, but not to the extent that I played on Sunday.
After lunch, we learned that we had enough time to finish the project. They were giving us 10 minutes! Juan and Anabel came with us and we all worked as hard as we could. We finished it in about a half hour. As we walked back to the community center, I hoisted Anabel up to my shoulders and she really seemed to like that. I tickled her all the way back. As she laughed, her laugh sounded hoarse, so I think she might be a little sick. I hope whatever it is, it is not serious.
Teaching was interesting. Yes, I was very nervous. We were told we would be going house to house and teaching in groups of 4-6. This turned into one house that has a weekly Tuesday Bible Study. There were 20-25 women in the class, plus the interns, Loys and Theresa, and our entire team! No pressure!
It actually turned out quite well though, as I´m sure God intended. I love how He always makes up the difference in our fears and anxiety, if we put our trust in Him. Annita gave the opening prayer and one of her daughters closed us in prayer. The crosses with the broken pieces of the terra cotta pots turned out wonderful, and I took one of Annita. She told me to give that picture to my wife. Again, another person who really adores my wife. Whenever I heard her name in a conversation with Annita, she is always saying it with a smile. I´m starting to believe that "Livonia" is the Peruvian word for "smile," since everytime I say it, someone smiles. Even the owner of the hostal asked about her. She always makes a great impression on everyone.
After the teaching was complete, we played with the kids. I showed Anabel the pictures on my phone that I have of my wife and the rest of my family, and then showed her how she could write on my phone. She continually showed me how she could write her name, so I think I´ll try to find some notebooks with colored pencils to give to her. I´ll ask her to draw me a picture before we leave. I think it would be really cool to take the picture she draws and include her actual picture in a frame.
Today is Wednesday, and the transportation strike is underway. We have heard it is also political, so it could get pretty violent. For our protection, we can only stay in the Huanchaco area. We were supposed to have a free day on Saturday, but that has now moved to today. That is good news for me and Kristin, since we have a new lesson to teach. Now, we are teaching on the story where the crippled man was lowered into the temple for Jesus to heal him. I have to figure out how to tie in this story of God´s grace into teachpoint on sin so we can do the cross activity again. Should be fun! I also have another lesson to teach on Saturday, but no one knows what the lesson will be. I guess I´ll find out Thursday or Friday. Again, God will provide. That is what I´m teaching, so I better believe what I preach, right?
That´s all for now. If I have time, I´ll write you again.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tour of Duty
I would love to write more often, but the computer is pretty full. Most of the team likes to use the computer at night, and none of them appears interested in using it in the wee hours of the morning. I decided this was the best time to get uninterrupted computer time, and time to update all of you.
So yesterday was a "trip" day. We started the day by visiting the farms that Nester´s team has been working on: Cooie (guinea pigs that are used as food), dairy, and snail. The snail farm will be ready for production in two weeks, which is only one year from the time they started the project. They have many buyers in Europe, so they will get lots of sustained income. The cooie farm already has a major buyer who has contracted to buy 9,000 cooies a month (they currently have 940). They also have many other buyers that are trying to buy them, at even higher prices, but they are honoring their contract with the one individual since it´s good, sustained business. The dairy farm is currently producing 1,000 Soles of milk each day (around $300 USD), and it is only 70% production. They bought 50 cows at $3,000 each (US), and they were all pregnant. There are MANY baby calves running around! The farm looks very professional. It is hard to believe it has only been a year in the works.
After the tour, we had lunch at a restaurant that serves Canan ceviche, or lizard ceviche. No, I didn´t try that one. Unsure of how good a lizard would taste cooked in lime juice. Doesn´t sound too appealing to me.
After lunch, we visited Huaca de la Luna (not Walk-A-De Luna as I previously thought). Huaca means "temple," so this was the Temple of the Moon. On the other mountain is Huaca de la Sol, but they haven´t gotten very far with that excavation. It was very cool to listen to the guide talk about the ancient culture.
Uh oh, someone just showed up to use the internet. Let´s see how much longer I have before I get kicked off...
After the tour, we went to Mike and Danell´s house and then went into Trujillo to visit the town center and the market. I bought Anabel a jean outfit (pants and jacket) for 58 Soles, a purse, a mirror, a brush that has a mirror on the back, some hair adornments (a variety), and a small beaded purse. Oh, and some socks. I think I spent close to 100 Soles that day, as I only have about 70 Soles now. It should be enough for the rest of the trip. If not, Esaiah has money he hasn´t spent yet. I also have $100 I haven´t converted yet. We´ll see how much is left after I shop on Wednesday. I still would like to find a doll for Anabel.
When I talked to Danell, she said it is completely fine to do what Debra did. We just need to do it in private, in Anabel´s home. I plan to do this on Thursday or Friday.
After shopping, we went back to Mike´s house and Glen and I helped Mike fix his computer. Mike seemed happy about that. They also had Loys and Theresa over and few other guests. Later in the evening, Nester and his wife showed up. I was so happy to see him and finally get to meet him. It was wonderful to tell his wife (cannot remember her name), that I was Livonia's spouse. Her eyes lit up, much like everyone else´s eyes, when I mention her name. It still amazes me how much people adore my wife. I talked to Nester a lot about the work he´s doing at the farm and with the women on the needlework. I bought a genuine alpaca sweater for my wife that was only 90 Soles; much different than what she had to pay in Cusco last year. I hope she likes it. It is a lighter brown sweater, and she looks so good in brown. The ladies say it is nice.
Okay, I´m being asked to get off the computer, so I need to go. Please pray about my lesson today. I´m a little nervous, but I know God will make it exactly what it needs to be!
So yesterday was a "trip" day. We started the day by visiting the farms that Nester´s team has been working on: Cooie (guinea pigs that are used as food), dairy, and snail. The snail farm will be ready for production in two weeks, which is only one year from the time they started the project. They have many buyers in Europe, so they will get lots of sustained income. The cooie farm already has a major buyer who has contracted to buy 9,000 cooies a month (they currently have 940). They also have many other buyers that are trying to buy them, at even higher prices, but they are honoring their contract with the one individual since it´s good, sustained business. The dairy farm is currently producing 1,000 Soles of milk each day (around $300 USD), and it is only 70% production. They bought 50 cows at $3,000 each (US), and they were all pregnant. There are MANY baby calves running around! The farm looks very professional. It is hard to believe it has only been a year in the works.
After the tour, we had lunch at a restaurant that serves Canan ceviche, or lizard ceviche. No, I didn´t try that one. Unsure of how good a lizard would taste cooked in lime juice. Doesn´t sound too appealing to me.
After lunch, we visited Huaca de la Luna (not Walk-A-De Luna as I previously thought). Huaca means "temple," so this was the Temple of the Moon. On the other mountain is Huaca de la Sol, but they haven´t gotten very far with that excavation. It was very cool to listen to the guide talk about the ancient culture.
Uh oh, someone just showed up to use the internet. Let´s see how much longer I have before I get kicked off...
After the tour, we went to Mike and Danell´s house and then went into Trujillo to visit the town center and the market. I bought Anabel a jean outfit (pants and jacket) for 58 Soles, a purse, a mirror, a brush that has a mirror on the back, some hair adornments (a variety), and a small beaded purse. Oh, and some socks. I think I spent close to 100 Soles that day, as I only have about 70 Soles now. It should be enough for the rest of the trip. If not, Esaiah has money he hasn´t spent yet. I also have $100 I haven´t converted yet. We´ll see how much is left after I shop on Wednesday. I still would like to find a doll for Anabel.
When I talked to Danell, she said it is completely fine to do what Debra did. We just need to do it in private, in Anabel´s home. I plan to do this on Thursday or Friday.
After shopping, we went back to Mike´s house and Glen and I helped Mike fix his computer. Mike seemed happy about that. They also had Loys and Theresa over and few other guests. Later in the evening, Nester and his wife showed up. I was so happy to see him and finally get to meet him. It was wonderful to tell his wife (cannot remember her name), that I was Livonia's spouse. Her eyes lit up, much like everyone else´s eyes, when I mention her name. It still amazes me how much people adore my wife. I talked to Nester a lot about the work he´s doing at the farm and with the women on the needlework. I bought a genuine alpaca sweater for my wife that was only 90 Soles; much different than what she had to pay in Cusco last year. I hope she likes it. It is a lighter brown sweater, and she looks so good in brown. The ladies say it is nice.
Okay, I´m being asked to get off the computer, so I need to go. Please pray about my lesson today. I´m a little nervous, but I know God will make it exactly what it needs to be!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Our first full day in the barrio
Before I write anything, I need to thank my wife for the blessing of having me go on this trip. It seems like a cliche to say that "words cannot express my feelings," but it is very true here. When we arrived in the barrio yesterday, we had many people curious, but not as much as the children. When they showed up, they were all pretty shy and were trying to figure us all out. As I looked through all the kids, I finally spotted Anabel (our sponsor child). I walked over to her and gave her a hug and she hugged me so tight! That put a big smile on her face. Loys took us around and showed us the project we are working on, starting Tuesday. I guess we will be constructing a couple walls. that should prove to be interesting, considering we do not have any construction experience.
After about an hour, we had some free time, so I started to play with the kids. My wife was right; once I started, they ate it up. I played a game where I would sit on one side of the play area and act like I´m asleep. As they snuck up to me, I would scream and grab one of them and tickle them. When I was rested enough, I would grab one and carry them to the other side of the area and drop them into a chair. Or, I would open my eyes, look at one kid, point at them, and then chase after them. As I chased that child, all other kids would grab onto the back of my shirt, my arms, whatever... and try to stop me from catching that kid. I tickled so many kids, picked up so many kids...hugged many. We did this, off and on, throughout the day.
We also played more games. Anabel was on my team with Esaiah. I have to say, the Winkles family made a good showing. We won 6 of the games and gave all the prizes to Anabel. She was so excited. It was great to see her smile.
Even better news: Anabel´s parents were there! Both of them! That made me smile. I didn´t see too much interaction with the mother, and nothing with the father, but at least they were there.
I also discovered that Debra Courts sent a backpack full of supplies to her boy Henry. I didn´t know we could have done this for Anabel. I talked to Danell and she said we still can, so I´m going shopping today to get her a few things. I´m also leaving my backpack with her. Most of the stuff I took on the plane was food items and I didn´t eat half of it. I'm sure I can fit everything both Esaiah and I need in one bag.
Today, we get to visit the businesses and go on a tour of something called Walka-De-Luna. I know I´ve misspelled that, but oh well. We are also visiting the city, which will give me a chance to buy Anabel a few things. Kristin and Anna said they would help me find things for her since I´ve never shopped for a girl on my own. This is where I wish you were here.
Language was a barrier yesterday, but not too bad. I wish I could understand Anabel as she always seems to want to tell me something. She is also very generous. All the kids that particpated received a goodie bag at the end. Anabel took her goodie bag and attempted to share it with Esaiah, David Spidle and myself. We kept reminding her that the bag was meant for her and her alone. "No Gracias, No Gracias." I love her spirit.
Oh, I learned something else about Debra´s sponsor kid Henry. His mother has cancer and is not expected to live very long. Henry and his older sister Maria will soon be alone, since the father is not around. I hope the people in the barrio take these two children in and care for them. It was very hard to learn this.
I think the hardest thing for me to see, or not see, is the absent fathers. I felt sad for the kids, but even moreso for the fathers. Being a Dad has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible, and these Dads are missing that joy. Plus, these children are so hungry to share their love and affection. I never got tired of playing with them. Sure, my back is a bit sore today, but the pain is a reminder of the time I spent with them. It was all worth it and I´ll do it again the next time I see them. Leaving the barrio was very hard, as all the kids I played with came out to give me a hug, and then chased the van as we drove away.
My teaching has changed. Loys is doing an activity where the women will write their sins on a Terra Cotta pot, break the pot, and then glue the pieces to a cross. My lesson is now about laying your sins at the cross, so I need to figure out how to incorporate that. I´m not worried though as I know our God will help me say the right words. Today, I don´t worry about anything. I am anxiously awaiting to serve our Lord in however method he chooses to allow me. I see him in the barrio. He is crying out to these people and they are crying out to Him. I see Him so clearly because He continues to send His children into the area to provide the support this barrio needs. He gave the barrio Loys, and Loys has proven to be a wonderful influence on the people. He has given the barrio Project New Hope, and I see the results of their activities. He has given them so much, and I humbled by the work He is doing through Eresmo (Esaiah), David, John, Kristin, Mike and Anna, and the work He continues to do through me. There is so much of me that is not me right now. I know it is God. He is paving the way and it feels awesome!
As you know, things always change here and nothing seems to go as planned. We discovered on Saturday that there will be a strike amongst the taxi drivers. If you are going anywhere in a taxi, people will stone the vehicle. As such, we are not allowed to go to the barrio. Our day off on Saturday has turned into our day off on Wednesday. As I said, we all have learned to be flexible. Danell asked me what the plans were for the week, and I told her "I am going day by day with the schedule." I am treating the schedule like manna; I only need to know enough to support the next day. It is pretty far outside my comfort zone, but God is helping me to handle it. I think my attitude is also helping the others. I get the feeling no one is really worried about our plans changing (aside from Mitch, but only because he feels like he´s letting us and Loys down by not meeting expectations). I try to tell Mitch not to worry about the needs of men, and focus on meeting the needs of our Lord, which we already did by making this trip. He says he knows, but still he worries. I pray that he will learn to let it go as we continue through this trip.
On the health side of things, Esaiah and I are both feeling great with no ill effects from the food or the environment. When we went to the entertainment park on Saturday, I got quite a few bug bites (19 on one leg alone), but I haven´t gotten sick from them. Mike told me all the bites represent holes where the bugs burrow into your leg. He said that eventually the holes turn white and bugs fall out. I actually don´t know whether to believe him or not. When Kristin found out, it really freaked her out, as she has around a dozen bites herself. None have turned white yet, so we shall see, right?
Okay, enough for now. It is 7:23am and it is time for breakfast. By the way, you should be very happy to have punctuation in this email, as it is not located in the same places on the keyboard. I´m doing my best to make it work though. Looking forward to today!
After about an hour, we had some free time, so I started to play with the kids. My wife was right; once I started, they ate it up. I played a game where I would sit on one side of the play area and act like I´m asleep. As they snuck up to me, I would scream and grab one of them and tickle them. When I was rested enough, I would grab one and carry them to the other side of the area and drop them into a chair. Or, I would open my eyes, look at one kid, point at them, and then chase after them. As I chased that child, all other kids would grab onto the back of my shirt, my arms, whatever... and try to stop me from catching that kid. I tickled so many kids, picked up so many kids...hugged many. We did this, off and on, throughout the day.
We also played more games. Anabel was on my team with Esaiah. I have to say, the Winkles family made a good showing. We won 6 of the games and gave all the prizes to Anabel. She was so excited. It was great to see her smile.
Even better news: Anabel´s parents were there! Both of them! That made me smile. I didn´t see too much interaction with the mother, and nothing with the father, but at least they were there.
I also discovered that Debra Courts sent a backpack full of supplies to her boy Henry. I didn´t know we could have done this for Anabel. I talked to Danell and she said we still can, so I´m going shopping today to get her a few things. I´m also leaving my backpack with her. Most of the stuff I took on the plane was food items and I didn´t eat half of it. I'm sure I can fit everything both Esaiah and I need in one bag.
Today, we get to visit the businesses and go on a tour of something called Walka-De-Luna. I know I´ve misspelled that, but oh well. We are also visiting the city, which will give me a chance to buy Anabel a few things. Kristin and Anna said they would help me find things for her since I´ve never shopped for a girl on my own. This is where I wish you were here.
Language was a barrier yesterday, but not too bad. I wish I could understand Anabel as she always seems to want to tell me something. She is also very generous. All the kids that particpated received a goodie bag at the end. Anabel took her goodie bag and attempted to share it with Esaiah, David Spidle and myself. We kept reminding her that the bag was meant for her and her alone. "No Gracias, No Gracias." I love her spirit.
Oh, I learned something else about Debra´s sponsor kid Henry. His mother has cancer and is not expected to live very long. Henry and his older sister Maria will soon be alone, since the father is not around. I hope the people in the barrio take these two children in and care for them. It was very hard to learn this.
I think the hardest thing for me to see, or not see, is the absent fathers. I felt sad for the kids, but even moreso for the fathers. Being a Dad has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible, and these Dads are missing that joy. Plus, these children are so hungry to share their love and affection. I never got tired of playing with them. Sure, my back is a bit sore today, but the pain is a reminder of the time I spent with them. It was all worth it and I´ll do it again the next time I see them. Leaving the barrio was very hard, as all the kids I played with came out to give me a hug, and then chased the van as we drove away.
My teaching has changed. Loys is doing an activity where the women will write their sins on a Terra Cotta pot, break the pot, and then glue the pieces to a cross. My lesson is now about laying your sins at the cross, so I need to figure out how to incorporate that. I´m not worried though as I know our God will help me say the right words. Today, I don´t worry about anything. I am anxiously awaiting to serve our Lord in however method he chooses to allow me. I see him in the barrio. He is crying out to these people and they are crying out to Him. I see Him so clearly because He continues to send His children into the area to provide the support this barrio needs. He gave the barrio Loys, and Loys has proven to be a wonderful influence on the people. He has given the barrio Project New Hope, and I see the results of their activities. He has given them so much, and I humbled by the work He is doing through Eresmo (Esaiah), David, John, Kristin, Mike and Anna, and the work He continues to do through me. There is so much of me that is not me right now. I know it is God. He is paving the way and it feels awesome!
As you know, things always change here and nothing seems to go as planned. We discovered on Saturday that there will be a strike amongst the taxi drivers. If you are going anywhere in a taxi, people will stone the vehicle. As such, we are not allowed to go to the barrio. Our day off on Saturday has turned into our day off on Wednesday. As I said, we all have learned to be flexible. Danell asked me what the plans were for the week, and I told her "I am going day by day with the schedule." I am treating the schedule like manna; I only need to know enough to support the next day. It is pretty far outside my comfort zone, but God is helping me to handle it. I think my attitude is also helping the others. I get the feeling no one is really worried about our plans changing (aside from Mitch, but only because he feels like he´s letting us and Loys down by not meeting expectations). I try to tell Mitch not to worry about the needs of men, and focus on meeting the needs of our Lord, which we already did by making this trip. He says he knows, but still he worries. I pray that he will learn to let it go as we continue through this trip.
On the health side of things, Esaiah and I are both feeling great with no ill effects from the food or the environment. When we went to the entertainment park on Saturday, I got quite a few bug bites (19 on one leg alone), but I haven´t gotten sick from them. Mike told me all the bites represent holes where the bugs burrow into your leg. He said that eventually the holes turn white and bugs fall out. I actually don´t know whether to believe him or not. When Kristin found out, it really freaked her out, as she has around a dozen bites herself. None have turned white yet, so we shall see, right?
Okay, enough for now. It is 7:23am and it is time for breakfast. By the way, you should be very happy to have punctuation in this email, as it is not located in the same places on the keyboard. I´m doing my best to make it work though. Looking forward to today!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The morning after El Mirador
Our first day with the Peruvians was yesterday, and it was quite amazing. No tears yet, but I can say the barrio is quite an eye opener. I didn´t expect it to be as impoverished as it was, and no picture can truly convey what you see in person. I took a few shots as the van was driving in, and this picture will hopefully give you an idea: 
Most of the houses have dirt floors and I saw many without a roof overhead. Pretty humbling.
The amazing thing for me is the people. As poor as they are financially, I found them to be very wealthy in heart and spirit.
It didn´t take long to connect with the children, as I´m sure you know. We went to an entertainment area called El Mirador and played some games against the Peruvians. The first game involved eating some goopy purple thing off a plate and then running to another plate to sift through flour, find a cookie, and eat the cookie. Of course, you couldn´t use your hands to do this. I won! Mike took video of it using my camera, so checkout the video and see for yourself.
It didn´t take long to connect with the children, as I´m sure you know. We went to an entertainment area called El Mirador and played some games against the Peruvians. The first game involved eating some goopy purple thing off a plate and then running to another plate to sift through flour, find a cookie, and eat the cookie. Of course, you couldn´t use your hands to do this. I won! Mike took video of it using my camera, so checkout the video and see for yourself.
I think you´ll find it quite funny. After that, Esaiah and David competed in a race where they put an apple in between their head and tried to race down the field. They lost (couldn´t get it together). After that, we got absolutely slaughtered at soccer. However, I did manage to make one goal. As we continued to lose, I decided to cheat for my second goal. After they made their sixth goal, I grabbed the ball and ran to the other side of the field and pushed Mike out of the goal to "make" a goal. For some reason, they didn´t count that one. Not sure why...
After the games, we ate lunch and then Nicole (Colie) took us on a tour of a Micro Zoo. We saw lots of birds and a few farm animals. I got a few nice pictures of a rather large parrot. We walked around with Colie and the other kids (Skylar was there as well), and eventually met up with the group again. They were playing volleyball, so we got into game of that with them. We lost again. Ugh!
When we finished volleyball, we decided to play "murderball." It´s kind of like dodgeball, only the people are the middle and the people throw balls from the ends. That was a fun game. I think we should teach the kids that game so they can play it at recess. You only need one ball to play.
We finished out the day and Glen came to my room and talked to Esaiah and I. With him being my prayer partner, it gave me a chance to get to know him. He and I have a lot of things in common, which was nice. After John Spidle´s devotion, Glen returned to my room and we talked for another hour or so, and eventually he left and we all went to bed. It was a long day, but I am so fortunate to have experienced it.
Mitch still worries about getting everything done that needs to be done, so I keep reminding him to stop worrying about the "plans of men" and to let God speak through us. We don´t need to accomplish everything on the list; we just need to be the hands and feet of Jesus and let him lead. As long as we do that, we will accomplish everything He had planned for us. I am looking forward to teaching. I noticed the Peruvians focus a lot on Jesus being their King, their Lord, the Supreme Being. I want to focus more on the relationship and how Jesus needs to be more than a King; he also needs to be your friend and the one you turn to for guidance and strength.
Time on the computer is very precious. It is now 7:15am here, and breakfast will be starting soon.
After the games, we ate lunch and then Nicole (Colie) took us on a tour of a Micro Zoo. We saw lots of birds and a few farm animals. I got a few nice pictures of a rather large parrot. We walked around with Colie and the other kids (Skylar was there as well), and eventually met up with the group again. They were playing volleyball, so we got into game of that with them. We lost again. Ugh!
When we finished volleyball, we decided to play "murderball." It´s kind of like dodgeball, only the people are the middle and the people throw balls from the ends. That was a fun game. I think we should teach the kids that game so they can play it at recess. You only need one ball to play.
We finished out the day and Glen came to my room and talked to Esaiah and I. With him being my prayer partner, it gave me a chance to get to know him. He and I have a lot of things in common, which was nice. After John Spidle´s devotion, Glen returned to my room and we talked for another hour or so, and eventually he left and we all went to bed. It was a long day, but I am so fortunate to have experienced it.
Mitch still worries about getting everything done that needs to be done, so I keep reminding him to stop worrying about the "plans of men" and to let God speak through us. We don´t need to accomplish everything on the list; we just need to be the hands and feet of Jesus and let him lead. As long as we do that, we will accomplish everything He had planned for us. I am looking forward to teaching. I noticed the Peruvians focus a lot on Jesus being their King, their Lord, the Supreme Being. I want to focus more on the relationship and how Jesus needs to be more than a King; he also needs to be your friend and the one you turn to for guidance and strength.
Time on the computer is very precious. It is now 7:15am here, and breakfast will be starting soon.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
My first morning in Trujillo
So, we finished our first day here. So far, the trip has been okay. This morning was pretty funny. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to make a ¨"\" on this computer, and I needed it to login to my email account. I noticed the keyboard here is quite a bit different than our keyboards back home. It will take a little getting used to. Hope you don't mind the lack of punctuation. Hopefully, I will figure out how make an apostrophe before the end of the trip.
Today, we go into the barrio to pick up some of the leaders that we will be working with. After that, we are having a "fun" day, where we play sports with them and possibly go swimming/surfing. The water part should be interesting, considering that is currently about 60F here. I get the impression I did not pack correctly, since I only brought one sweatshirt. Everything else is short-sleeved shirts. Oh well, God will provide.
I´m off for now. Need to get ready to eat breakfast. Esaiah and I woke up today at 6:30am and is 7:20am now. Breakfast starts in 10 minutes and we need to leave our hostal by 8:30am. Time to move...
Today, we go into the barrio to pick up some of the leaders that we will be working with. After that, we are having a "fun" day, where we play sports with them and possibly go swimming/surfing. The water part should be interesting, considering that is currently about 60F here. I get the impression I did not pack correctly, since I only brought one sweatshirt. Everything else is short-sleeved shirts. Oh well, God will provide.
I´m off for now. Need to get ready to eat breakfast. Esaiah and I woke up today at 6:30am and is 7:20am now. Breakfast starts in 10 minutes and we need to leave our hostal by 8:30am. Time to move...
Friday, July 4, 2008
Making the trip to Trujillo
Travel to Peru was quite a journey. We started our journey with a trip from Phoenix to Houston, where we had a nice little layover while we waited for our flight to Lima. Mitch took this time to do the first devotion of the trip, which was much better than just sitting around doing nothing:
When we finally got onto our flight to Peru, I realized something. My company really spoils me when I travel! The flight to Peru was a loong flight, even though it was reallyonly about 6 hours long. It felt like a lifetime!
When we finally got to Lima, we had another wait in store for us. Our flight to Trujillo didn't leave until the following morning. We had to wait 10 hours, overnight, in the airport. Yeah!
Some of us were able to use the time to sleep. I wasn't so lucky. I just kept getting more and more exhausted, and would look at the others who were sleeping with envy:
Luckily, all things like this come to an end, and we finally got onto our plane for Trujillo. When we arrived at our hostal, the only thing we all wanted to do was SLEEP! Luckily for us, that's all we had to do. We got checked in, went to our rooms, and quickly fell asleep.
We ended the day having dinner with Mike and Danell (the missionaries who are here for our church). Tomorrow starts our first day with the people from the barrio.
When we finally got onto our flight to Peru, I realized something. My company really spoils me when I travel! The flight to Peru was a loong flight, even though it was reallyonly about 6 hours long. It felt like a lifetime!
When we finally got to Lima, we had another wait in store for us. Our flight to Trujillo didn't leave until the following morning. We had to wait 10 hours, overnight, in the airport. Yeah!
Some of us were able to use the time to sleep. I wasn't so lucky. I just kept getting more and more exhausted, and would look at the others who were sleeping with envy:
Luckily, all things like this come to an end, and we finally got onto our plane for Trujillo. When we arrived at our hostal, the only thing we all wanted to do was SLEEP! Luckily for us, that's all we had to do. We got checked in, went to our rooms, and quickly fell asleep.
We ended the day having dinner with Mike and Danell (the missionaries who are here for our church). Tomorrow starts our first day with the people from the barrio.
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