So Much to Say

I am not sure how to begin this blog post because there really is so much I can say.  Much has happened in Peru in the short 10 days or so since my last post, and while I don’t want to right a novel with this entry, there is a lot to convey. 

Today has been a difficult day for much of the orphanage.  A short term mission trip sent from Windsor Road Church in Champaign, Illinois arrived a little over a week ago and shared their lives and efforts with us here.  They took on the task of building a garage for the bus, organized a VBS and a carnival, and most importantly bonded with and loved the kids.  So, for many of the children here who so long for a family life outside these walls, it’s tough to see them go.  Anthony, a fellow volunteer, opened my eyes to a reason why some of them cry.  This week was a chance for the kids to show these Americans that they belong in their family.  They want to get on the bus and head “home” as a new son or daughter.  Some of the visitors really formed a connection with the kids, and as Stephen Schwartz wrote for the musical Children of Eden, “…the hardest part of love is the letting go.”  However, the pain upon departure is as a result of the preceding joy, and I know that both the kids and visitors have a lot of beautiful remembrances in their hearts and minds. 

Turning a slight corner to a different topic, have I said that I have really felt peace here?  Especially through my time as a student, I tended to get quite stressed out.  I definitely had chill out moments, but life sometimes felt like a wrestling match.  While I know that my personality lends itself to this kind of approach to life, and I am still a goal-oriented, go-getter person, I have had moments of peace here that surpass what I have felt in recent memory.  In these times, I sense balance and order within me, and feel no sense of rush or lethargy, but rather an even pace.  I know that God put me here and that where I am is right where I need to be.  It brings to mind what the author of Hebrews means when he says “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God,” (Hebrews 4: 9).

If would indulge me, I have one more story I’d like to share.  This past Sunday Anthony and I went to the church of one of the workers here, a cheerful fellow named Alberto.  Before church while I was praying at breakfast time, I prayed that God would speak through me that day.  I didn’t really know why I prayed that, and I felt like it didn’t come from me.  Alberto’s church was a small, Assemblies of God gathering with about 25-30 people.  Alberto had notified the pastor we were coming, so that when we got there there were two seats up front for us.  This already made us a bit unconfortable because we didn’t want any special attention.  The service began and eventually the pastor got up front.  In Spanish he told the congregation that “We’re going to hear from the word of God, and then we are going to hear from our missionary brothers.”  I felt my heart plop.  I hadn’t prepared anything, didn’t know what to say, and was to do it all in Spanish in front of a congregation!  Now, I can speak Spanish, but speaking in front of a group of people in a non-native language is a big step, one for which I did not feel ready!  I definitely was taken by surprise, but praise God, it went so well as He spoke through me as I gave a testimony and read a bit from the book of James.  Mere hours after that prayer by the Holy Spirit in the morning, it was answered!  Once again, another way that God has showed He is prevalent here!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and please enjoy some pictures of the not yet finished garage as well as from the day we had Fiestas Patrias here!

 

You can see the Guinea Pig!

What is the Real Cost of Living?

“There is enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
          -Mahatma Gandhi

 “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”
          -Mother Teresa

Poverty.  For most of us this concept is quite remote.  I mean, we hear it, many of us empathize with it, and some of us may even begin to conceive the statistical detail of it, but still, it is doesn’t affect us much and we really don’t understand it. 

I want to share two things that have opened my eyes a bit and expanded my view of poverty.  One involves the work I’ve been doing.  An important part of what I do here is in regards to the orphanage’s water project.  There are still some parts of Peru that do not readily have access to water.  In these pueblos, they have to buy it, either from a store or from someone who bought it at a store.  In theory, the government will extend its own water initiative and reach these towns, but as of now they are in a rather tough spot. 

At the orphanage we have our own water system, and put in place is a program to reach a nearby town called Alto Salaverry.  This pueblo is an example of poverty that we as westerners do not know. There are homes made out of adobe bricks, desert “trails” for most of the roads, trash strewn here and there, and a multitude of dogs slumbering about wherever.  We expanded the project to reach another part of the town and had to briefly use the house of one of the villagers.  It appeared that the whole place had one light bulb.  There was no TV, no washing machine, I don’t even know if there was a couch.  A rooster roamed the premises out back, and a hen poked her head in.  Yet the people in this village were kind and seemingly happy people, content in the simplicity.    

Of course there are people in Peru that live more towards the semblance of what we are used to, though internet is not as prevalent and it seems almost none have more than one TV.  And it really means something if you have a car.  But let’s look closer.  I have a friend here that told me that the pay for a job he either had or currently has (I can’t remember which) is 27 Nuevo Soles a day.  This seems to be decent here for someone his age, and he doesn’t seem to be in money trouble.  However, one U.S. dollar is approximately 3 soles.  So he makes about 9 dollars…a day.  The realization hit me that in the past I have made more than that in an hour. 

So we have the poverty that is right before our eyes, but we also have the poverty that comes from the stark disparity cross-country.  The key is relativity; it’s not so much as someone having so little, but someone having too much.  It really is a messed up situation where someone can make more money in a day than a family makes in a lifetime. 

I don’t want to call people into guilt.  Let’s face it, there is more than meets the eye.  The cost of living is much more difficult in the States, and there are a lot more bills.  But when poverty is in the village your standing, your paradigm has to be shaken.  And look, Peru is a developing country, but there are many more countries in much lower categories. 

There is so much to say on this topic.  The above quotes from two of recent history’s most prominent figures add some practicality to this discussion.  The world has enough resources, but it’s the distribution that’s off.  However, if change is to come, it has to come from Love.  Without Love, money will not really change anything.  We can make a difference, bit by bit, if we truly care.  You have to ask yourself, do you care?

Some sites I recommend in regards to this topic:  http://www.charitywater.org, www.worldvision.org, and www.kiva.org.           

Below are some photos from a day I worked in Alto Salaverry, plus some interesting pics from an animal refuge center I visited!

15 Candles or The Education of the Gringo

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.  -Henry L. Doherty

“I’ve heard that it’s possible to grow up – I’ve just never met anyone who’s actually done it.  Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves.  We throw tantrums when things don’t go our way, we whisper secrets with our best friends in the dark, we look for comfort where we can find it, and we hope – against all logic, against all experience.  Like children, we never give up hope…” – Meredith Grey

 

Whew, much has happened since my last post on here.  My time hear simultaneously feels like a whirlwind, swirling by with a ton of activity, and a lulling wave, drifting by at its own slow pace.  I have scratched the surface of Peru, and though there is a lot more, I like what I have tasted. 

The first weekend here I went salsa and merengue dancing, and that was a fun time.  Some of the volunteers and myself went with some Peruvians, and we danced the night away to Latin rhythms.  Now, I consider myself a pretty good dancer, but when it comes to this dance floor I felt lost.  The songs themselves are not all too difficult, and I really enjoy the music, yet it seems like something you have to feel inside of you, and I haven’t found that particular inner groove yet, the one that the Peruvians so naturally grew up with.  Oh well, I got plenty of time to practice! 

Then the next day with another volunteer I went surfing.  Before this time I had surfed one time in my life, in Rhode Island, with relatively teensy waves.  Yet Peruvian waves pack a punch, and once again I was in for a learning experience. 

Yes indeed, this is a learning experience and a half.  Some of my other subjects include such numerous things as monitoring the water of a community that don’t readily have access to it, tending to fresh lettuce from our garden, learning how to attack the oh so splendid exotic fruit granadilla, and playing fútbol in a South American field.  Oh, and attending a Quinceañero…

There are a lot of important days in a woman’s life:  her marriage, birth of her children, graduation.  In Latin-American culture, the turning of 15  years old is one of the prime days in a girl’s life.  It’s her rite of passage into becoming a señorita, and it’s a big deal.  On Friday night, we had a very nice ceremony for one of the girls here, celebrating her 15th birthday.  It was complete with various speakers, some music, and excellent food.  I leave you with some pictures of the party, as well as some pictures of me at work.  Hasta pronto!

Acclimation and Inspiration

“A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer.”  ~Author Unknown

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million.”  ~Walt Streightiff

Well, believe it or not, but I am here.  I am actually in the beautiful, majestic and to me largely unknown country of Peru.  After about ten hours of travel I reached Lima, and then after about eight hours in a bus I reached my new home for the next eight months:  Hogar de Esperanza. 

Hogar de Esperanza, or Home of Hope for the Spanishly challenged, is an orphanage in Trujillo, Peru.  Trujillo is the third most populous city in Peru, and though it has some modernization, it is still very much a developing area.  The orphanage is on the outskirts of the city, and it is a remarkable place. 

I arrived at the orphanage at night, met some of the other volunteers, and got acquainted with my room.  Yet the highlight of the night was my first interaction with some of the kids.  The U.S. administrator and her husband after volunteering for a year are going to be adopting five of the children from the orphanage (what a testimony!).  She arrived at the orphanage when I did, and so her soon to be kids were all abuzz when she got there.  One of the boys came over and hugged me.  I tell ya, in a moment like that, life just makes a lot more sense.   This little boy just wants to love and be loved, and in some ways has been sadly denied that, but despite his youth and what he lacks, he seems to understand what the capitalism of western society can’t grasp, what the dog eat dog life style in our American cities can’t give.  Jesus said it best when he said “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25).  Love is where it is at my friends, and it is such a joy that this boy will be adopted. 

I’ve already spent a lot of time with the children, and again, this is what life is about!  Some of these kids have had harder lives than you and I might ever have, yet they look in the eyes and into your soul and love you for being there.  They are taken care of so well here at the orphanage, and it truly is a blessing for me to be able to be a part of this mission.

Many of the kids got a kick out of the yo-yoing I brought with me, and who knows?, it might be the next big thing here! 

I’ll leave you with some photos of the kids at the orphanage (the gringo is me), as well as a shot of part of the Andes.  Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. 

Hasta pronto!