For anyone who has been giving to Scripture Union Peru through Latin America Mission (Billy and Yashmin Clark), I've just discovered that it's very easy to give online, and you can even use a credit card. Just follow this link:
http://shop3.gospelcom.net/epages/lam.storefront/4739b65a02df8cc4271d45579e7b06bf/Product/View/749810&2D1
Sorry I haven't had lots of interesting stuff to post recently, but I promise more to come, as I'm just beginning to get involved in some ministries here in D.C.
God bless,
Jared
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Go Buy Four Boards and Take Him Away
Here is another story from my Scripture Union packet.
The nightmare started ten years ago for Luis. He was then seven and already lived in the streets of the jungle town of Pucallpa. Hungry and fearful, he strayed further and further from home.
By helping load river boats, he was able to go from village to village, always moving on when he wore out his welcome. His only beds were the dusty streets, as close as possible to the market stalls where he often found women who would give him bread, or the root of the yuca, or hopefully a piece of fish, usually the head.
He eventually hit the big river, the mighty Amazon itself. This led to life in the city. Whatever innocence he had had as a child was now gone. Whatever dreams he had dared to dream had long since been shattered. Haunted by old fears, by hunger and pain, he sank deeper and deeper into the darkest side of Iquitos.
There it was in early December that Scripture Union staff worker, Juan Davila, lifted Luis off a filthy pavement surrounded by garbage. His body was consumed and he could no longer eat the scraps which people dropped as they passed by.
"Don't pick me up. Don't help me. I want to die," the boy pleaded. But Juan and one of our other kids who himself had been rescued from these very same streets, lifted him up and brought him to our Center.
Two days later, gasping for breath, Luis was taken to the hospital. The facilities there were very basic, but the doctor was agreeable and gave the boy oxygen while Juan went out to look for blood.
The following morning, pointing to Luis, who looked more lke a skeleton than anything else, the doctor said, "The boy's lungs are completely gone. He is in the very last stage of tuberculosis. I can do absolutely nothing for him. I suggest you go buy four boards and take him away. He is dying."
Luis heard this and now cried out, "Please help me. I want to live."
"Doctor," said Juan, "I don't plan to nail together a coffin. The boy has to live. May I make a deal with you?" He hesitated, and then continued, "You, as a man of science do your part, and I as a Christian will do mine." Dr. Jimenez agreed and treatment continued.
Other boys from our center offered to help. Tito slept beside Luis on a cot to let him know that someone cared. Pancho looked for the Pastor of the church he now attends, and this man of God led Luis to saving faith in Jesus.
Three weeks later, Dr. Jimenez called Juan to the side, introduced him to four young interns and asked, "Would you please tell me and my students what it was you did to make this boy live?"
"Well, doctor," said Juan, "you were able to..."
"No, Juan," interrupted the doctor, "That is precisely the point. What I did could not have ever brought Luis back from the door of death." Juan was able to testify to the power of God and of believing prayer.
A week later, the hospital went on strike. The doctor waived his fees and all hospital charges, and Luis was brought 'home' to us in an ambulance.
I talked to him last night. He is still weak. He can, however, stand up and take some steps. He is still skin and bones, but I have seen him smile.
"Do you feel a little better?" I inquired.
"Yes, Jesus is making me well."
Pancho's grandmother burned the soles of his feet so that he couldn't run.
Juancho was used as a soccer ball by police until his forehead was disfigured.
Chiqui's father beat him with rebar before tossing him into the streets.
Wilmer was abandoned in a city of 8 million at age 4.
Paco was too small to steal and get away, so instead he exchanged sexual favors for food.
Luis lived in fear that his father would use him as live bait for piranhas.
Smoking the fungus that grows on human excrement will usually put Carlos to sleep.
Alex is 8. His mom works the streets and he was getting in the way.
The nightmare started ten years ago for Luis. He was then seven and already lived in the streets of the jungle town of Pucallpa. Hungry and fearful, he strayed further and further from home.
By helping load river boats, he was able to go from village to village, always moving on when he wore out his welcome. His only beds were the dusty streets, as close as possible to the market stalls where he often found women who would give him bread, or the root of the yuca, or hopefully a piece of fish, usually the head.
He eventually hit the big river, the mighty Amazon itself. This led to life in the city. Whatever innocence he had had as a child was now gone. Whatever dreams he had dared to dream had long since been shattered. Haunted by old fears, by hunger and pain, he sank deeper and deeper into the darkest side of Iquitos.
There it was in early December that Scripture Union staff worker, Juan Davila, lifted Luis off a filthy pavement surrounded by garbage. His body was consumed and he could no longer eat the scraps which people dropped as they passed by.
"Don't pick me up. Don't help me. I want to die," the boy pleaded. But Juan and one of our other kids who himself had been rescued from these very same streets, lifted him up and brought him to our Center.
Two days later, gasping for breath, Luis was taken to the hospital. The facilities there were very basic, but the doctor was agreeable and gave the boy oxygen while Juan went out to look for blood.
The following morning, pointing to Luis, who looked more lke a skeleton than anything else, the doctor said, "The boy's lungs are completely gone. He is in the very last stage of tuberculosis. I can do absolutely nothing for him. I suggest you go buy four boards and take him away. He is dying."
Luis heard this and now cried out, "Please help me. I want to live."
"Doctor," said Juan, "I don't plan to nail together a coffin. The boy has to live. May I make a deal with you?" He hesitated, and then continued, "You, as a man of science do your part, and I as a Christian will do mine." Dr. Jimenez agreed and treatment continued.
Other boys from our center offered to help. Tito slept beside Luis on a cot to let him know that someone cared. Pancho looked for the Pastor of the church he now attends, and this man of God led Luis to saving faith in Jesus.
Three weeks later, Dr. Jimenez called Juan to the side, introduced him to four young interns and asked, "Would you please tell me and my students what it was you did to make this boy live?"
"Well, doctor," said Juan, "you were able to..."
"No, Juan," interrupted the doctor, "That is precisely the point. What I did could not have ever brought Luis back from the door of death." Juan was able to testify to the power of God and of believing prayer.
A week later, the hospital went on strike. The doctor waived his fees and all hospital charges, and Luis was brought 'home' to us in an ambulance.
I talked to him last night. He is still weak. He can, however, stand up and take some steps. He is still skin and bones, but I have seen him smile.
"Do you feel a little better?" I inquired.
"Yes, Jesus is making me well."
Pancho's grandmother burned the soles of his feet so that he couldn't run.
Juancho was used as a soccer ball by police until his forehead was disfigured.
Chiqui's father beat him with rebar before tossing him into the streets.
Wilmer was abandoned in a city of 8 million at age 4.
Paco was too small to steal and get away, so instead he exchanged sexual favors for food.
Luis lived in fear that his father would use him as live bait for piranhas.
Smoking the fungus that grows on human excrement will usually put Carlos to sleep.
Alex is 8. His mom works the streets and he was getting in the way.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Quemadito / Deaf / Americo
This is series of stories about Scripture Union that was included in the intern packet they gave me when I arrived in Peru. It will help you understand what the life of a streetboy is like, and what Scripture Union does to help them.
Prostitution or stealing - that was his only choice. He was only ten, yet had no other way to survive. People called him Quemadito, "little burnt one", because he was small for his age and dark skinned. He snatched a watch on a busy street, hoping to trade it for food, for he was very hungry. But Qeumadito was never to eat again. The man from whom he stole chased him. One and another and another joined in the chase. The crowd finally caught up with him, beat him to death, crushed his skull, and left his little body beside the road. Sadly, Scripture Union had not reached him in time.
Hospitals have emergency rooms, but they also sponsor programs for disease prevention. Similarly, Scripture Union staff and volunteers pick abandoned boys up off the streets, but are also developing work in the schools across the country in order to reach kids for Christ before they are abandoned. Parents in Peru are made to go to their child's school a couple of times a month to receive whatever instruction the teachers with to give them. Often our S.U. staff are invited to do this. What an opportunity!
Behind a street boy there is a woman who is a victim - a victim of one and then another good-for-nothing man that leaves her with yet another child before moving on. In a world of poverty and mass unemployment, a woman needs a man to bring in at least a bit of food for her and her growing number of children. So we teach boys and girls and their parents God's better way. The boys must grow to be responsible adults and the girls must be taught that they too are valuable and need not be bullied the rest of their lives. As their parents encounter God, they too will change, and there will be less children put out into the streets to live on their own.
S.U. also works with the deaf, who are widely believed to be God's punishment on the family. Senora Amelia recently came into our office - she was beaming. "Last night," she said, "was the first time in my thirteen year old daughter's life that I said something to her and she answered me!" Both she and Juanita had been taking signing lessons from an S.U. volunteer.
It was years ago now that a boy led S.U.'s Ernesto Zavala to his hiding place. He was not only deaf, but he had been abandoned. Full of confusion and fear, he lived alone in the cold streets of Lima, always just one step ahead of adults, many of whom would like to see all street boys dead. Ernesto prayed to God, asking him to exchange this little fellow's nightmare for a dream. Our Lord answereed the prayer by using the incident to open the door for a new ministry - a ministry to the growing number of street boys in the cities of Peru.
A policewoman came into my office not long ago. "I have four boys in the back of my van," she announced. "I would be very grateful if you would take them in. I understand that this is a place for street boys."
"Yes," I said, "but this is not a prison. These boys will come in this door and walk right out through another. Our doors are all open to the street, and although we do all we can to encourage them to stay, we do not take away from them the freedom God gave them to choose."
"I do understand," she said, "but I really want to leave them here. You see, I have a problem. I am a policewoman, and I know what it is to obey orders. However, this time I have been given an order which I cannot obey." She hesitated, then continued, "You see, aside from being a policewoman, I am also a mother."
I asked what she had been ordered to do.
"Take these boys and 'disappear' them."
"I understand," I replied. "We'll take them."
They came in our front door and ran out the back. We never saw them again.
Since our street boy center in Lima opened, four of our boys have been killed. The others have all been brutally treated and most of them tortured - water poured over their naked bodies and electric wires applied to them, put in closed rooms where hungry police dogs are let loose, forced to drink their own urine, or made to sit naked on red hot bricks. Small wonder they find it hard to believe that God loves them. And yet he does. And it is our task to show these dear boys that the unconditional love of Jesus - the love of one who knows what it is to suffer, to be misunderstood, and finally, to be abandoned. The one who was tortured and left to die that we might be set free. Far from seeing themselves as victims, street boys feel profoundly guilty and believe that they are wicked and deserving of all that comes their way.
A sixteen year old recently came into one of our centers with a very small street boy. "Would you keep him?" he asked, pushing the little fellow forward. "I found him just last night. I can tell that he has not been on the street long. I feel sorry for him, for I know what waits him.
"Of course we will keep him," Carlos, one of our staff workers, responded. "You come in too. There is room here for both of you."
"No," said the older boy. "I am bad. If you knew me you wouldn't want me."
"Please stay," insisted Carlos. "This place is for boys like you, and bigger people like me. We are all bad, and unworthy of God's love."
"You don't know who you are talking to," interrupted the boy. Then looking over his shoulder as he walked out onto the street, "for me it is too late."
Carlos took the younger boy by the hand and walked towards the dining room with a very heavy heart.
Americo's story is different. His conversion was marvelous. With not enough food to go around, his mother put him out when he was seven years old. He was picked up off the streets of Iquitos, a city on the Amazon, and taken to a government institution from which, shortly afterwards, he escaped. He got himself up to neighboring Colombia. There he lived the life of a street boy and was eventually jailed. Years later, he escaped from prison, got back to the river, and eventually once again to Iquitos. When we picked Americo off the streets we estimated him to be about twelve. He was deeply scarred and found it hard to trust anyone. Over the next few years he heard the Gospel many times, yet believed it was for others - certainly not for him.
Then just recently, one of our staff took him to his church's camp. At the campfire , the group of mostly Christian teenagers were invited to take a piece of wood off the wood pile, and prayerfully put it into the fire, mentioning a sin in their lives that needed forgiving. Then after a long pause, Americo stood up and walked over to the wood pile. He leaned over, picked up a huge armful of wood, and stood there, tears streaming down his face. That night there was rejoicing in heaven as yet another sinner was saved by God's amazing grace. Some time later I saw Americo. He came to me with a big smile I had never seen before. "Dios me cambio," he said. "God has changed me."
And that, dear friends, is what S.U. is all about.
Prostitution or stealing - that was his only choice. He was only ten, yet had no other way to survive. People called him Quemadito, "little burnt one", because he was small for his age and dark skinned. He snatched a watch on a busy street, hoping to trade it for food, for he was very hungry. But Qeumadito was never to eat again. The man from whom he stole chased him. One and another and another joined in the chase. The crowd finally caught up with him, beat him to death, crushed his skull, and left his little body beside the road. Sadly, Scripture Union had not reached him in time.
Hospitals have emergency rooms, but they also sponsor programs for disease prevention. Similarly, Scripture Union staff and volunteers pick abandoned boys up off the streets, but are also developing work in the schools across the country in order to reach kids for Christ before they are abandoned. Parents in Peru are made to go to their child's school a couple of times a month to receive whatever instruction the teachers with to give them. Often our S.U. staff are invited to do this. What an opportunity!
Behind a street boy there is a woman who is a victim - a victim of one and then another good-for-nothing man that leaves her with yet another child before moving on. In a world of poverty and mass unemployment, a woman needs a man to bring in at least a bit of food for her and her growing number of children. So we teach boys and girls and their parents God's better way. The boys must grow to be responsible adults and the girls must be taught that they too are valuable and need not be bullied the rest of their lives. As their parents encounter God, they too will change, and there will be less children put out into the streets to live on their own.
S.U. also works with the deaf, who are widely believed to be God's punishment on the family. Senora Amelia recently came into our office - she was beaming. "Last night," she said, "was the first time in my thirteen year old daughter's life that I said something to her and she answered me!" Both she and Juanita had been taking signing lessons from an S.U. volunteer.
It was years ago now that a boy led S.U.'s Ernesto Zavala to his hiding place. He was not only deaf, but he had been abandoned. Full of confusion and fear, he lived alone in the cold streets of Lima, always just one step ahead of adults, many of whom would like to see all street boys dead. Ernesto prayed to God, asking him to exchange this little fellow's nightmare for a dream. Our Lord answereed the prayer by using the incident to open the door for a new ministry - a ministry to the growing number of street boys in the cities of Peru.
A policewoman came into my office not long ago. "I have four boys in the back of my van," she announced. "I would be very grateful if you would take them in. I understand that this is a place for street boys."
"Yes," I said, "but this is not a prison. These boys will come in this door and walk right out through another. Our doors are all open to the street, and although we do all we can to encourage them to stay, we do not take away from them the freedom God gave them to choose."
"I do understand," she said, "but I really want to leave them here. You see, I have a problem. I am a policewoman, and I know what it is to obey orders. However, this time I have been given an order which I cannot obey." She hesitated, then continued, "You see, aside from being a policewoman, I am also a mother."
I asked what she had been ordered to do.
"Take these boys and 'disappear' them."
"I understand," I replied. "We'll take them."
They came in our front door and ran out the back. We never saw them again.
Since our street boy center in Lima opened, four of our boys have been killed. The others have all been brutally treated and most of them tortured - water poured over their naked bodies and electric wires applied to them, put in closed rooms where hungry police dogs are let loose, forced to drink their own urine, or made to sit naked on red hot bricks. Small wonder they find it hard to believe that God loves them. And yet he does. And it is our task to show these dear boys that the unconditional love of Jesus - the love of one who knows what it is to suffer, to be misunderstood, and finally, to be abandoned. The one who was tortured and left to die that we might be set free. Far from seeing themselves as victims, street boys feel profoundly guilty and believe that they are wicked and deserving of all that comes their way.
A sixteen year old recently came into one of our centers with a very small street boy. "Would you keep him?" he asked, pushing the little fellow forward. "I found him just last night. I can tell that he has not been on the street long. I feel sorry for him, for I know what waits him.
"Of course we will keep him," Carlos, one of our staff workers, responded. "You come in too. There is room here for both of you."
"No," said the older boy. "I am bad. If you knew me you wouldn't want me."
"Please stay," insisted Carlos. "This place is for boys like you, and bigger people like me. We are all bad, and unworthy of God's love."
"You don't know who you are talking to," interrupted the boy. Then looking over his shoulder as he walked out onto the street, "for me it is too late."
Carlos took the younger boy by the hand and walked towards the dining room with a very heavy heart.
Americo's story is different. His conversion was marvelous. With not enough food to go around, his mother put him out when he was seven years old. He was picked up off the streets of Iquitos, a city on the Amazon, and taken to a government institution from which, shortly afterwards, he escaped. He got himself up to neighboring Colombia. There he lived the life of a street boy and was eventually jailed. Years later, he escaped from prison, got back to the river, and eventually once again to Iquitos. When we picked Americo off the streets we estimated him to be about twelve. He was deeply scarred and found it hard to trust anyone. Over the next few years he heard the Gospel many times, yet believed it was for others - certainly not for him.
Then just recently, one of our staff took him to his church's camp. At the campfire , the group of mostly Christian teenagers were invited to take a piece of wood off the wood pile, and prayerfully put it into the fire, mentioning a sin in their lives that needed forgiving. Then after a long pause, Americo stood up and walked over to the wood pile. He leaned over, picked up a huge armful of wood, and stood there, tears streaming down his face. That night there was rejoicing in heaven as yet another sinner was saved by God's amazing grace. Some time later I saw Americo. He came to me with a big smile I had never seen before. "Dios me cambio," he said. "God has changed me."
And that, dear friends, is what S.U. is all about.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Back in the States
Hello everyone.
I've been back in the states for 3 weeks and I've been completely silent in the blog, mostly because I haven't been doing anything but hiding myself away in my parents home. I've been unsure of what I'll do for the future of my blog, since my life is probably going to be a bit more mundane in the near future. However, I still have some stories about the boys in an intern packet that I haven't posted to the blog, so expect to see those, and I've just recently planned my next trip to Peru around New Year's. So I won't be totally devoid of interesting material after I move back to Northern VA this Saturday (if anyone wants to help!) and return to IBM to do the consulting thing.
How am I adjusting to life in the states? That's the big question. In a way, I hope I never really adjust. I learned what abundant luxury we have in the U.S.: clean water out of the faucet, hot showers, quality meat in our food. Most of us don't have to worry about crime every time we leave our house, and pedestrians have the right of way... If I haven't mentioned this before, you don't walk across the street in Lima, you run across the street.
A couple good things that I'm enjoying about the states - people don't yell at you to buy things everywhere you go, and young couples aren't making out in public everywhere you go. That seemed to be popular for Lima...
One thing that I've become increasingly aware of from my trip to Peru is how I spend my money. Every time I spend money on something unessential, I think about the fact that I am spending frivolously on myself, at the expense of the people I could be helping with that same money. It's hard to live with the simple luxuries of American life when you have friends that don't have those luxuries. I sometimes wonder if the boys would be disappointed if they saw the huge gap between the way I live and the way they live.
As for my future in Peru, I've come to the realization that my money can probably help a great deal more than my visits to Peru, because the work at Scripture Union Peru will best be managed by native Peruvians. However, I have lots of friends in Peru, most of whom are between the ages of 8 and 19. Because of my new friends, I've already planned my next trip for the end of December. I'll be visiting Puerto Alegria for 2 weeks.
As for longer term plans, I would like to improve my Spanish so that I'm fully fluent, and possibly translate for American and British mission teams. I'm also interested in finding a full time Christian ministry in the states where I could support international missions or evangelism.
So make sure you check back to the blog every now and then. I'll be posting some stories about the boys in Peru. Thanks to everyone that supported me and SUP on my trip this summer. I hope to see you in person soon.
I've been back in the states for 3 weeks and I've been completely silent in the blog, mostly because I haven't been doing anything but hiding myself away in my parents home. I've been unsure of what I'll do for the future of my blog, since my life is probably going to be a bit more mundane in the near future. However, I still have some stories about the boys in an intern packet that I haven't posted to the blog, so expect to see those, and I've just recently planned my next trip to Peru around New Year's. So I won't be totally devoid of interesting material after I move back to Northern VA this Saturday (if anyone wants to help!) and return to IBM to do the consulting thing.
How am I adjusting to life in the states? That's the big question. In a way, I hope I never really adjust. I learned what abundant luxury we have in the U.S.: clean water out of the faucet, hot showers, quality meat in our food. Most of us don't have to worry about crime every time we leave our house, and pedestrians have the right of way... If I haven't mentioned this before, you don't walk across the street in Lima, you run across the street.
A couple good things that I'm enjoying about the states - people don't yell at you to buy things everywhere you go, and young couples aren't making out in public everywhere you go. That seemed to be popular for Lima...
One thing that I've become increasingly aware of from my trip to Peru is how I spend my money. Every time I spend money on something unessential, I think about the fact that I am spending frivolously on myself, at the expense of the people I could be helping with that same money. It's hard to live with the simple luxuries of American life when you have friends that don't have those luxuries. I sometimes wonder if the boys would be disappointed if they saw the huge gap between the way I live and the way they live.
As for my future in Peru, I've come to the realization that my money can probably help a great deal more than my visits to Peru, because the work at Scripture Union Peru will best be managed by native Peruvians. However, I have lots of friends in Peru, most of whom are between the ages of 8 and 19. Because of my new friends, I've already planned my next trip for the end of December. I'll be visiting Puerto Alegria for 2 weeks.
As for longer term plans, I would like to improve my Spanish so that I'm fully fluent, and possibly translate for American and British mission teams. I'm also interested in finding a full time Christian ministry in the states where I could support international missions or evangelism.
So make sure you check back to the blog every now and then. I'll be posting some stories about the boys in Peru. Thanks to everyone that supported me and SUP on my trip this summer. I hope to see you in person soon.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Back from the Jungle
This past week was pretty special because I got the opportunity to visit some friends that I didn't think I'd see again this summer. I went to Puerto Alegria to visit the boys living in the Amazon near Iquitos.
When I got off the boat, the boys immediately recognized me, even though I no longer had the giant beard. Another thing that made returning special is that I can speak and understand a great deal more Spanish now, which lets me get to know the boys better. I was able to tell the boys about my family, and my life in the states, and most importantly, about all my favorite delicious foods. I recently added pollo a la braza can aji to that list (roasted chicken with chili sauce).
One interesting thing that I heard from Gabino, one of the older boys, is that he thought they only had crime, alcoholics, drugs, and sexual immorality in Peru. He was surprised to hear that we have those in the states. After thinking about it, I realized that the only Americans he's met are folks on mission teams, so his impression of Americans is completely based on folks that travel halfway around the world to help people.
Speaking of the Americans, I went to Puerto Alegria with a group from Nashville, Tennessee, and a couple folks from Alabama. We were a small group of 13, so we didn't do the major construction stuff. Instead we fixed up the boys dorm and the dining hall - we replaced mosquito nets, sanded, and lacquered. I was really excited that we would be doing light work, until I became the "sanding expert" and spent hours scraping doors. I felt like the karate kid, painting Mr. Miagi's fence.
The work wasn't too tough in the end because we actually only did a half day of labor each day. Each afternoon the group did a vacation Bible school with the boys and with the other kids from the town of Puerto Alegria. They told Bible stories, did crafts, and played games with the kids.
I came out of dodgball retirement this week after a 15 year hiatus, and I'm happy to report that I'm AWESOME. The best part of playing dodgeball in Peru is that the name of the game is mata gente. This translates literally to "kill people." Every time I told Elvis how much I liked mata gente, he'd said "Mata gente - knife, machete, pistol. Let's play!"
On Sunday we went to a little church in Belen, the slums of Iquitos. It was a wooden house on stilts and looked no different from the other houses. I'm convinced this is the greatest church in the history of mankind. The people greeted us with such joy, and we ended up dancing and singing with the kids in front of everyone before the service was over. It was amazing to be so foreign and so welcomed at the same time. The most encouraging part was seeing how many young kids were in the church, and how they were so joyful to be at church and have us there.
We made our regular tour of Belen, which is a city where the streets are essentially sewers. Be happy I don't have my camera to take pictures of Belen. While we were there I saw a soccer ball roll into a sewage ditch. A 10 year old boy picked it up with his hands, threw it back on the field and continued playing. Belen ("Bethlehem" in English) is where most of the boys in Puerto Alegria came from.
Of course the highlight of the trip was spending time with the boys. Played some good volleyball, played some bad soccer, swam in the river, sang songs, played games, and jumped on the trampoline in the rain. The rain is absolutely beautiful in the jungle. It feels wonderful to play outside in the rain and even shower under the rain spouts. The advantage of showering like that is that you don't smell like the river afterwards!
We also watched a movie every night with the boys while the generator was running and we had electricity. They love professional wrestling apparently. I can't say the same for myself, but I stuck around and watched with them since they were enthralled by it. The first night I was exstatic to see they were going to watch Thundercats on DVD, which gave me a great excuse to change into my newly purchased Thundercats t-shirt (bought it in Lima). We also watch Terminator 4... For those of you who will make accusations that there is no Terminator 4, I tell you that you are wrong. I think it was some kind of ridiculous cancelled TV show pilot. If you haven't already guessed from the last 3 sentences, "The Sarah Conner Chronicles" were indeed horrendous. Please ask me, and I will tell you much more about this ridiculous film/show.
There was also an adorable little kitty in Puerto Alegria. It was amazingly resilient to the harsh treatment of 26 little boys. It also caught a mouse and ate it in front of me, which caused me to perceive kitty as slightly less adorable, although still cute.
Our last night with the boys was by far the most fun. They performed 4 choreographies for us, and following their last one, they told us that we had to do something too. This was hilarious because we had to make up a choreography on the spot. I made sure to throw in the robot, and some handstands, and that move where you grab someone's hand and make a ripple effect with your arms (sorry - I have no other way to describe this move). The kids and the gringos had a blast, and I got to set loose my passion for dancing.
Of course the best part of my time in the jungle was the boys themselves. I got to play vball with Elvis, who I got close to last time. Steven is still brilliant, and joyful, and infinitely patient. Steven is going to do great things for the Lord some day. Gabino is a comedian and a great example for the younger boys. Junior is the littlest, the cutest, and an total terror.
The last day the house father, Gene, set aside some time to tell us the stories of some of the boys. The were all very tough to hear, but they also showed us how God was working through Scripture Union in Puerto Alegria. As an example, there was one boy who was thrown in the garbage dump because his father thought he had beaten the boy to death. For years after he arrived in Puerto Alegria, he would hide in his room instead of spending time with the other boys, and would not participate socially. Gene told us this boy has touched his heart much more than the others because, as we could see ourselves, this boy was laughing and playing games and joking around with the other boys. This is a life that was literally pulled from the garbage, literally saved from death. He now has a family that loves him and a hope for a future.
Now that I'm looking at the clock, I realize that I still have to say goodbye to the boys here in Lima and get ready for my flight tomorrow. I'm making an executive decision to not proofread this post, which I already know is completely discontinuous. So you're just going to have to deal with it, and give me a call tomorrow to find out about Puerto Alegria directly from me!
I have a ton on my mind right now and I'm a bit upset because several boys left the center here in Lima this week, some of which I was pretty close to. Pray for all the boys here. I have no idea what my future in Peru looks like, although I want to return for a month or two next year and lead teams. I also want to bring YOU with me next year, because I want my friends in Peru to meet my friends from the US.
I'm seriously questioning what God has planned for me next. I anticipate a horrible time returning to life in the US, seeing all the waste and greed and selfishness in the US. I hope to never become indifferent to these things. I hope I never stop suffering as I witness these things, and I hope God can use what I've learned in Peru to change lives in the US. I'm especially interested in getting involved with kids back in the states, specifically teenagers, maybe playing basketball with them or something...
I'm also feeling very guilty, knowing that I'm returning to a life of luxury compared to my life here. I feel that there's a huge irreconcilable gap between my life here with the boys, and my life at home, enjoying pleasures that these boys will never have. I'm anticipating a rough time dealing with this, so please send a prayer my way as well.
Sorry again for any unproofread nonsense above. Love you, Mom. See you soon.
When I got off the boat, the boys immediately recognized me, even though I no longer had the giant beard. Another thing that made returning special is that I can speak and understand a great deal more Spanish now, which lets me get to know the boys better. I was able to tell the boys about my family, and my life in the states, and most importantly, about all my favorite delicious foods. I recently added pollo a la braza can aji to that list (roasted chicken with chili sauce).
One interesting thing that I heard from Gabino, one of the older boys, is that he thought they only had crime, alcoholics, drugs, and sexual immorality in Peru. He was surprised to hear that we have those in the states. After thinking about it, I realized that the only Americans he's met are folks on mission teams, so his impression of Americans is completely based on folks that travel halfway around the world to help people.
Speaking of the Americans, I went to Puerto Alegria with a group from Nashville, Tennessee, and a couple folks from Alabama. We were a small group of 13, so we didn't do the major construction stuff. Instead we fixed up the boys dorm and the dining hall - we replaced mosquito nets, sanded, and lacquered. I was really excited that we would be doing light work, until I became the "sanding expert" and spent hours scraping doors. I felt like the karate kid, painting Mr. Miagi's fence.
The work wasn't too tough in the end because we actually only did a half day of labor each day. Each afternoon the group did a vacation Bible school with the boys and with the other kids from the town of Puerto Alegria. They told Bible stories, did crafts, and played games with the kids.
I came out of dodgball retirement this week after a 15 year hiatus, and I'm happy to report that I'm AWESOME. The best part of playing dodgeball in Peru is that the name of the game is mata gente. This translates literally to "kill people." Every time I told Elvis how much I liked mata gente, he'd said "Mata gente - knife, machete, pistol. Let's play!"
On Sunday we went to a little church in Belen, the slums of Iquitos. It was a wooden house on stilts and looked no different from the other houses. I'm convinced this is the greatest church in the history of mankind. The people greeted us with such joy, and we ended up dancing and singing with the kids in front of everyone before the service was over. It was amazing to be so foreign and so welcomed at the same time. The most encouraging part was seeing how many young kids were in the church, and how they were so joyful to be at church and have us there.
We made our regular tour of Belen, which is a city where the streets are essentially sewers. Be happy I don't have my camera to take pictures of Belen. While we were there I saw a soccer ball roll into a sewage ditch. A 10 year old boy picked it up with his hands, threw it back on the field and continued playing. Belen ("Bethlehem" in English) is where most of the boys in Puerto Alegria came from.
Of course the highlight of the trip was spending time with the boys. Played some good volleyball, played some bad soccer, swam in the river, sang songs, played games, and jumped on the trampoline in the rain. The rain is absolutely beautiful in the jungle. It feels wonderful to play outside in the rain and even shower under the rain spouts. The advantage of showering like that is that you don't smell like the river afterwards!
We also watched a movie every night with the boys while the generator was running and we had electricity. They love professional wrestling apparently. I can't say the same for myself, but I stuck around and watched with them since they were enthralled by it. The first night I was exstatic to see they were going to watch Thundercats on DVD, which gave me a great excuse to change into my newly purchased Thundercats t-shirt (bought it in Lima). We also watch Terminator 4... For those of you who will make accusations that there is no Terminator 4, I tell you that you are wrong. I think it was some kind of ridiculous cancelled TV show pilot. If you haven't already guessed from the last 3 sentences, "The Sarah Conner Chronicles" were indeed horrendous. Please ask me, and I will tell you much more about this ridiculous film/show.
There was also an adorable little kitty in Puerto Alegria. It was amazingly resilient to the harsh treatment of 26 little boys. It also caught a mouse and ate it in front of me, which caused me to perceive kitty as slightly less adorable, although still cute.
Our last night with the boys was by far the most fun. They performed 4 choreographies for us, and following their last one, they told us that we had to do something too. This was hilarious because we had to make up a choreography on the spot. I made sure to throw in the robot, and some handstands, and that move where you grab someone's hand and make a ripple effect with your arms (sorry - I have no other way to describe this move). The kids and the gringos had a blast, and I got to set loose my passion for dancing.
Of course the best part of my time in the jungle was the boys themselves. I got to play vball with Elvis, who I got close to last time. Steven is still brilliant, and joyful, and infinitely patient. Steven is going to do great things for the Lord some day. Gabino is a comedian and a great example for the younger boys. Junior is the littlest, the cutest, and an total terror.
The last day the house father, Gene, set aside some time to tell us the stories of some of the boys. The were all very tough to hear, but they also showed us how God was working through Scripture Union in Puerto Alegria. As an example, there was one boy who was thrown in the garbage dump because his father thought he had beaten the boy to death. For years after he arrived in Puerto Alegria, he would hide in his room instead of spending time with the other boys, and would not participate socially. Gene told us this boy has touched his heart much more than the others because, as we could see ourselves, this boy was laughing and playing games and joking around with the other boys. This is a life that was literally pulled from the garbage, literally saved from death. He now has a family that loves him and a hope for a future.
Now that I'm looking at the clock, I realize that I still have to say goodbye to the boys here in Lima and get ready for my flight tomorrow. I'm making an executive decision to not proofread this post, which I already know is completely discontinuous. So you're just going to have to deal with it, and give me a call tomorrow to find out about Puerto Alegria directly from me!
I have a ton on my mind right now and I'm a bit upset because several boys left the center here in Lima this week, some of which I was pretty close to. Pray for all the boys here. I have no idea what my future in Peru looks like, although I want to return for a month or two next year and lead teams. I also want to bring YOU with me next year, because I want my friends in Peru to meet my friends from the US.
I'm seriously questioning what God has planned for me next. I anticipate a horrible time returning to life in the US, seeing all the waste and greed and selfishness in the US. I hope to never become indifferent to these things. I hope I never stop suffering as I witness these things, and I hope God can use what I've learned in Peru to change lives in the US. I'm especially interested in getting involved with kids back in the states, specifically teenagers, maybe playing basketball with them or something...
I'm also feeling very guilty, knowing that I'm returning to a life of luxury compared to my life here. I feel that there's a huge irreconcilable gap between my life here with the boys, and my life at home, enjoying pleasures that these boys will never have. I'm anticipating a rough time dealing with this, so please send a prayer my way as well.
Sorry again for any unproofread nonsense above. Love you, Mom. See you soon.
Friday, August 31, 2007
The Boys in Lima
Although I haven't written about them much in my blog, the boys here in the center in Lima are the boys with whom I've spent the most time. By being part of their lives over the past several months, I've been able to experience something really special. I recently began to notice the changes in the newer boys that have only been in the center for a month or two, and it's incredible to see God working in there lives.
I've witnessed one boy go from being very wary, detracted, and temperamental to being very open, curious, and friendly. Yesterday I had a conversation with this particular boy about some simple things - favorite foods and sodas. To see him laugh and smile as he talks about delicious food and soda, and have a genuine curiosity about what I like, I can see that he's free from something that had previously bound him. Yesterday I witnessed the same boy correct another newer boy for asking me for one of my bracelets.
I remember when another boy named Victor first came. He was full of energy and totally crazy. He would latch onto me and hug me and tickle me at every opportunity. He was sweet, but a total terror, because he demanded constant attention. This past week, I saw him with a schoolbag for the first time, which made me very happy to know he was attending school now. I've also seen him doing some of the chores reserved for older boys, and in general, he's much calmer. Yesterday he ran up behind me and latched onto me in the the middle of the street, which made me laugh. He's still a little nuts, which I think is good...
This past week I've met a couple new boys in the center. There's one that has partially bleached hair and doesn't quite know all the rules. There's another that has a giant scar down his entire face and is a big loud-mouth but is very friendly as well. Having seen the changes in the other boys, I'm excited to know that the lives of these boys will probably change as well.
Another boy that stands out in my mind was a sweet little guy of about 11 named Davíd. I actually wrote about him previously because he was one of the guys in the choreography who in the end, was taken by the demons to the back of the room. He was supposed to go to Kawai so that he could live in a safer environment, but instead he left the center to go back to the streets. It's tough to see that happen, but I feel comfort in the fact that I can still pray for him. I've heard several stories of boys who left the center in the worst of conditions, only to come back years later as strong Christian men, ready to serve. None of that could have happened if the seed of God's love hadn't been planted here at Girasoles.
I've experienced so much by becoming friends with some of these boys, that I'm just going to write about how a few of them have touched my lives.
I've already written about Carlos. I had a couple opportunities to walk around town with Carlos and another older boy, Henri. It's special because they always look out for you, whether crossing the road or walking through a market. They're very sharp and aware of everything around them because of the their tough pasts, and it's touching to see them care for me like I'm a little brother (who's 7 years older than them).
Another boy named Daniel is about 18 or so. He's studying for one more year before he'll learn some kind of trade - which one, he's not so sure yet. He's friendly and quiet, and he helped me buy my sneakers that cost $24. I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase, considering my old ones were disintegrating.
Gerardo is about 20 and he seems very smart. He knows a bit of English and seems very wise for his age.
Moisés is about 15. He loves kung fu, and actually is lightning fast when he messes around, pretending to fight me. He's very laid back and made me my first bracelet - it's got my name on it!
Eliazar is probably the meanest kid here. Every time I see him he wants to fight me, and I don't know when to take him seriously, because he's always pretending to be mad. A couple weeks ago I let him borrow my gloves for a day, and I had to fight him for 20 minutes to reclaim them. After I stole them back, we put our arms on each other's shoulders and sat down, exhausted. It was a great chance to bond with him, but he's still always being a jerk. I gave him one of the gloves yesterday to keep, since I bought some nicer ones for when I get back to the states.
Jaime probably holds the most dear place in my heart. He's about 12, is extremely loving, protective, and energetic, and occasionally has a bad temper with the other kids. He made me two bracelets that are on my right wrist. Yesterday, Eliazar broke one of the bracelets from Puerta Alegria that was on my other wrist. I thought the thing was done for, but Jaime miraculously repaired it, and surgically burned the knot closed while it was on my wrist. I gave Jaime my other glove. In the choreography, Jaime still plays one the boys who leaves with the demons at the end.
There are also some amazing men who grew up in the center and are now working for Scripture Union, as well as some amazing volunteers who work with the boys. Juan is a volunteer and really commands respect from the boys, while still being their friend. Rambo (real name Julio) has the most awesome scratchy voice. Rambo goes out with Juan and others on Tuesday and Thursday nights to give bread and milk to people on the street. They tell the kids about Girasoles and encourage them to come stay there. Elton Jhon (no lie - it's on his ID) works with a night shelter that provides beds for kids who are too scared to come into a nice clean place like Girasoles. It's used as a stepping stone to get kids to come to the boys' home. Jhon's story is really so incredible that I can't even describe it here in my blog. Ask me about it when you see me back home.
Well these are my friends here in Lima. They've touched my lives, and I just wanted to share a little about them since they've somehow gone unrecognized through all my blog posts. Please pray for the boys here, the boys like Davíd that have gone back to the street, and all the men and women of God that work with the boys here.
I've witnessed one boy go from being very wary, detracted, and temperamental to being very open, curious, and friendly. Yesterday I had a conversation with this particular boy about some simple things - favorite foods and sodas. To see him laugh and smile as he talks about delicious food and soda, and have a genuine curiosity about what I like, I can see that he's free from something that had previously bound him. Yesterday I witnessed the same boy correct another newer boy for asking me for one of my bracelets.
I remember when another boy named Victor first came. He was full of energy and totally crazy. He would latch onto me and hug me and tickle me at every opportunity. He was sweet, but a total terror, because he demanded constant attention. This past week, I saw him with a schoolbag for the first time, which made me very happy to know he was attending school now. I've also seen him doing some of the chores reserved for older boys, and in general, he's much calmer. Yesterday he ran up behind me and latched onto me in the the middle of the street, which made me laugh. He's still a little nuts, which I think is good...
This past week I've met a couple new boys in the center. There's one that has partially bleached hair and doesn't quite know all the rules. There's another that has a giant scar down his entire face and is a big loud-mouth but is very friendly as well. Having seen the changes in the other boys, I'm excited to know that the lives of these boys will probably change as well.
Another boy that stands out in my mind was a sweet little guy of about 11 named Davíd. I actually wrote about him previously because he was one of the guys in the choreography who in the end, was taken by the demons to the back of the room. He was supposed to go to Kawai so that he could live in a safer environment, but instead he left the center to go back to the streets. It's tough to see that happen, but I feel comfort in the fact that I can still pray for him. I've heard several stories of boys who left the center in the worst of conditions, only to come back years later as strong Christian men, ready to serve. None of that could have happened if the seed of God's love hadn't been planted here at Girasoles.
I've experienced so much by becoming friends with some of these boys, that I'm just going to write about how a few of them have touched my lives.
I've already written about Carlos. I had a couple opportunities to walk around town with Carlos and another older boy, Henri. It's special because they always look out for you, whether crossing the road or walking through a market. They're very sharp and aware of everything around them because of the their tough pasts, and it's touching to see them care for me like I'm a little brother (who's 7 years older than them).
Another boy named Daniel is about 18 or so. He's studying for one more year before he'll learn some kind of trade - which one, he's not so sure yet. He's friendly and quiet, and he helped me buy my sneakers that cost $24. I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase, considering my old ones were disintegrating.
Gerardo is about 20 and he seems very smart. He knows a bit of English and seems very wise for his age.
Moisés is about 15. He loves kung fu, and actually is lightning fast when he messes around, pretending to fight me. He's very laid back and made me my first bracelet - it's got my name on it!
Eliazar is probably the meanest kid here. Every time I see him he wants to fight me, and I don't know when to take him seriously, because he's always pretending to be mad. A couple weeks ago I let him borrow my gloves for a day, and I had to fight him for 20 minutes to reclaim them. After I stole them back, we put our arms on each other's shoulders and sat down, exhausted. It was a great chance to bond with him, but he's still always being a jerk. I gave him one of the gloves yesterday to keep, since I bought some nicer ones for when I get back to the states.
Jaime probably holds the most dear place in my heart. He's about 12, is extremely loving, protective, and energetic, and occasionally has a bad temper with the other kids. He made me two bracelets that are on my right wrist. Yesterday, Eliazar broke one of the bracelets from Puerta Alegria that was on my other wrist. I thought the thing was done for, but Jaime miraculously repaired it, and surgically burned the knot closed while it was on my wrist. I gave Jaime my other glove. In the choreography, Jaime still plays one the boys who leaves with the demons at the end.
There are also some amazing men who grew up in the center and are now working for Scripture Union, as well as some amazing volunteers who work with the boys. Juan is a volunteer and really commands respect from the boys, while still being their friend. Rambo (real name Julio) has the most awesome scratchy voice. Rambo goes out with Juan and others on Tuesday and Thursday nights to give bread and milk to people on the street. They tell the kids about Girasoles and encourage them to come stay there. Elton Jhon (no lie - it's on his ID) works with a night shelter that provides beds for kids who are too scared to come into a nice clean place like Girasoles. It's used as a stepping stone to get kids to come to the boys' home. Jhon's story is really so incredible that I can't even describe it here in my blog. Ask me about it when you see me back home.
Well these are my friends here in Lima. They've touched my lives, and I just wanted to share a little about them since they've somehow gone unrecognized through all my blog posts. Please pray for the boys here, the boys like Davíd that have gone back to the street, and all the men and women of God that work with the boys here.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Long Lost Kusi Pics
Finally some new pictures for everyone. Kari from the New Life in Christ Church group sent me a few pictures from our trip to Kusi. Here's Kari and I. She actually goes to my church (Frontline), which is crazy.
This is what I did all week - haulin' bricks. And that's Hunter in the background.
Here's the amazing family that runs Kusi - Jusepi, Rosa, Angel, and Alexia.
And finally, here's a shot of my favorite part of being at Kusi, the choreographies. That's my buddy Jesús across from me. I would usually watch him or Jonathan Sixto to make sure I do all the dance moves right.
This is what I did all week - haulin' bricks. And that's Hunter in the background.Here's the amazing family that runs Kusi - Jusepi, Rosa, Angel, and Alexia.And finally, here's a shot of my favorite part of being at Kusi, the choreographies. That's my buddy Jesús across from me. I would usually watch him or Jonathan Sixto to make sure I do all the dance moves right.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Boo to Tourism
Last week I got to see my dad, which was pretty special. He came down to Peru to give me a little vacation visiting Machu Pichu. Mom was supposed to come too, but our dog, who's dying at home, can't walk and requires a great deal of attention. So mom stayed home to take care of the dog.
Our first day I got to introduce dad to some of my friends at Scripture Union. We went stopped by the center, took a little walking tour, and went to dinner with a small group. The following couple of days are a haze of tourist torture that I don't particularly want to recall. We did a lot of walking around and looking at old, broken buildings. They were old and made of stone and in all cases, no longer functional for any purpose other than to be the subject of a photograph. We also walked through Catholic churches, containing towers of gold and silver idols and ornamentation.
Going to these churches really made me upset. After witnessing the poverty in Peru, to see an organization that claims to follow Jesus and the Bible so obscenely ignore the teachings of both is crushing. It makes absolutely no sense to me how a "Christian" church can horde massive amounts of wealth when the people of the country need food, water, jobs, homes. I chose not to go into the last church on the tour.
Seeing Machu Pichu was very impressive. I was probably more impressed by the natural landscape than the ruins themselves, but it was amazing to witness the broken city at the top of the mountains. I actually had just as much fun hiking a small trail with my dad, mostly because there weren't mobs of tourists everywhere, taking pictures. The mobs of tourists kinda brought me down.
[Missing photo of Machu Pichu]
My dad actually has some photos of the ruins, so I'll probably get to post them in a couple weeks when I make it back home.
For once, I was actually happy to return to Lima and escape all the tourism. On our last day in Lima, my dad and I got to spend some time hanging out with the boys in Lima, shooting some hoops. My dad enjoyed goofing around with Carlos, who is probably my favorite boy here. Carlos is 19, awesome at soccer, and he helps the SU staff a lot when he's not working at the SU bakery. I think the initial impression of Carlos exudes when you meet him is, "This kid is nuts!" But once you get to know him, you find out that he's really smart, he looks out for his friends, and that he loves acting like a goofball. He's especially funny trying to replicate the crazy tricks I do with the basketball and pretending to hurt himself in the process.
[Missing photo of Carlos - he's awesome]
So I learned during my vacation to Machu Pichu that I don't like being a tourist, and I don't like looking at things because somebody else says that they are important. I learned that the most important buildings in this world are made out of materials that cost nothing, and that those buildings may last only 25 years, rather than 2000 years. I also learned that I'm much happier when I'm working to help people, studying the Bible with the mission teams, and spending time with the Girasoles boys. My next vacation will probably be to Kusi...
However I did take in many guilty pleasures during our trip.
Our first day I got to introduce dad to some of my friends at Scripture Union. We went stopped by the center, took a little walking tour, and went to dinner with a small group. The following couple of days are a haze of tourist torture that I don't particularly want to recall. We did a lot of walking around and looking at old, broken buildings. They were old and made of stone and in all cases, no longer functional for any purpose other than to be the subject of a photograph. We also walked through Catholic churches, containing towers of gold and silver idols and ornamentation.
Going to these churches really made me upset. After witnessing the poverty in Peru, to see an organization that claims to follow Jesus and the Bible so obscenely ignore the teachings of both is crushing. It makes absolutely no sense to me how a "Christian" church can horde massive amounts of wealth when the people of the country need food, water, jobs, homes. I chose not to go into the last church on the tour.
Seeing Machu Pichu was very impressive. I was probably more impressed by the natural landscape than the ruins themselves, but it was amazing to witness the broken city at the top of the mountains. I actually had just as much fun hiking a small trail with my dad, mostly because there weren't mobs of tourists everywhere, taking pictures. The mobs of tourists kinda brought me down.
[Missing photo of Machu Pichu]
My dad actually has some photos of the ruins, so I'll probably get to post them in a couple weeks when I make it back home.
For once, I was actually happy to return to Lima and escape all the tourism. On our last day in Lima, my dad and I got to spend some time hanging out with the boys in Lima, shooting some hoops. My dad enjoyed goofing around with Carlos, who is probably my favorite boy here. Carlos is 19, awesome at soccer, and he helps the SU staff a lot when he's not working at the SU bakery. I think the initial impression of Carlos exudes when you meet him is, "This kid is nuts!" But once you get to know him, you find out that he's really smart, he looks out for his friends, and that he loves acting like a goofball. He's especially funny trying to replicate the crazy tricks I do with the basketball and pretending to hurt himself in the process.
[Missing photo of Carlos - he's awesome]
So I learned during my vacation to Machu Pichu that I don't like being a tourist, and I don't like looking at things because somebody else says that they are important. I learned that the most important buildings in this world are made out of materials that cost nothing, and that those buildings may last only 25 years, rather than 2000 years. I also learned that I'm much happier when I'm working to help people, studying the Bible with the mission teams, and spending time with the Girasoles boys. My next vacation will probably be to Kusi...
However I did take in many guilty pleasures during our trip.
- A hot shower every day!
- A hot shower with lots of water pressure!
- American music on my iPod!
- Clean clothes, washed by the hotel
- Slim Jims
- Pizza every day for lunch...
- Reading Harry Potter
- Spending time with dad
[Missing photo of Jared and Dad]
So since dad left I've been hanging out in Lima, without much work to do. I'm killing time until I make my triumphant return to Puerto Alegria (the Amazon) on Friday. I'm hanging out with the boys in the Lima center and catching up on all the podcasts I have missed over the last 5 months.
And in case you didn't know, I return to the states in about a week and a half on September 10. I'll have about a month to rest and take a road trip down the east coast before moving back to VA and starting up again with IBM. I really would like to work full time in a Christian ministry, but I think that staying with IBM for now may allow me to go back to Peru for an extended visit again next summer... after I take some classes to improve my Spanish...
Stay tuned for when I'll be passing through your town if you live on the east coast. I should have enough bracelets for everybody that wants one.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Kawai Reunion
Last week I returned to the place where I spent my very first week in Peru - Kawai. I was excited to meet up with some friends that I haven't seen in months - the boys in Kawai and a couple of Scripture Union interns as well.
On the down side, after I posted my pics of Kusi, the memory card in my camera died. Apparently it's not initialized or something... Anyway, I can't fix it, so you'll be very sad to hear that the rest of my time in Peru will probably be a little less interesting since I won't be able to post my pictures. I'll try to get my hands on some photos taken by the other folks in my groups if it's possible.
When I hopped on the bus from Lima to Kawai, I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple interns that I hadn't seen for a while, Ms. Kate Hambley from Sherwood Forest in England and Ms. Christina Jennings from Fredericksburg, VA. We were joined by a mixed group, including a group from Scripture Union England, another from Minnesota, and lonely Ms. Kelly Maconahay from Alabama. I spent my first two weeks in Peru with Kelly's church, so we're continuing the trend of everybody knowing everybody when you come to Peru...
I'm sure everyone remembers the bearded gentlemen in the top right hand corner of this webpage. This was the guy that the kids met in June. They surprised me by recognizing me almost immediately. One boy said he knew me by the way I walked and the way I talked... which would probably be really creepy in any other circumstance...
So the week set out with lots of concrete mixing and shoveling. My body was only conditioned for adobe brick carrying when I arrived, and my concrete mixing muscles were a bit out of shape, so it was bit painful to get back into the work cycle at Kawai. After a couple days of struggling, I got back into the flow and the work was only moderately painful. And now if my camera worked you all could see just how far along the bungalow in Kawai has come since we started it in June.
Here's a missing photo of the worksite. The bungalow has brick walls, concrete supports and concrete floors that we poured. Isn't it fantastic how far we've come!
[Missing worksite photo]
Of course everyone knows that mid-week when we had our Lima day, there was the massive earthquake in Pisco. We were on a bus going to dinner in Lima and couldn't really feel the impact - the bus shook for a couple minutes, but that was all. We didn't know it was so deadly until the next day. When we returned to Kawai that night, we were rudely awakened by many aftershocks, and they continued over the next couple days. Kawai is only a few hours from Pisco. Fortunately for the folks in Kawai, there wasn't any serious damage. It will cost them some money to fix up a number of things, but the structures are built to withstand earthquakes, so all but the oldest building are in good shape.
After we got back from our Lima day, I got my first taste of real responsibility. For the first time I was the intern in charge with the group. It wasn't too tough. I can pretty much understand what the Kawai folks are telling me with a small to moderate amount of frustration on their parts, but thanks to their patience, everything turned out pretty well. Everyone that arrived in Kawai left with all their limbs - success.
As far as hanging out with the kids, I made the huge mistake of doing some crazy dances, including the robot, as well as some dumb magic tricks early in the week that I didn't expect to be tremendously popular. So for the rest of the week I got to deal with the boys demanding that I entertain them.
Here's a missing photo of me doing the robot.
[Missing robot photo]
The time spent with the kids in Kawai is a bit different than it is in the other sites. You don't exactly live and eat among them, so you only get to see them for a couple hours at the end of each day. It's more difficult to get to know them like I got to know the kids at Kusi. Even so, I managed to spend some time with boys that I didn't get to know well in June.
I spent lots of time fighting and throwing the boys around. The little ones are pretty demanding in that arena...
Julio and I tried to turn some Psalms in Spanish into songs. I think we failed terribly, but it was fun anyway.
The highlight for me came the night after the earthquake when we didn't have any power. It was really dark when we went to visit the boys. Junior laid out a blanket and we sat in the grass with Kelly and Juan Carlos, teasing them about their girlfriends and just being ridiculous in general. I really enjoyed talking to Junior. He was mellow and goofy and reminded me a lot of Rusbel from Kusi
Oh, and I have to mention that there was the most adorable little puppy - probably no more than a month old. It was the cutest thing ever, and it was impossible to walk by him without playing. So I'm pleased to show you this missing photo of the new cutest dog ever.
[Missing puppy photo]
So while Kawai was a bit disappointing because I didn't get as much time with the boys, I got to see some old friends again, I got to make some great new friends from the states and the UK, and I got to wield the full breadth of my intern power.
My next post should be coming soon and will be regarding Jared's disdain for tourism. Thanks, God bless, and sorry for the missingness of my photos.
On the down side, after I posted my pics of Kusi, the memory card in my camera died. Apparently it's not initialized or something... Anyway, I can't fix it, so you'll be very sad to hear that the rest of my time in Peru will probably be a little less interesting since I won't be able to post my pictures. I'll try to get my hands on some photos taken by the other folks in my groups if it's possible.
When I hopped on the bus from Lima to Kawai, I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple interns that I hadn't seen for a while, Ms. Kate Hambley from Sherwood Forest in England and Ms. Christina Jennings from Fredericksburg, VA. We were joined by a mixed group, including a group from Scripture Union England, another from Minnesota, and lonely Ms. Kelly Maconahay from Alabama. I spent my first two weeks in Peru with Kelly's church, so we're continuing the trend of everybody knowing everybody when you come to Peru...
I'm sure everyone remembers the bearded gentlemen in the top right hand corner of this webpage. This was the guy that the kids met in June. They surprised me by recognizing me almost immediately. One boy said he knew me by the way I walked and the way I talked... which would probably be really creepy in any other circumstance...
So the week set out with lots of concrete mixing and shoveling. My body was only conditioned for adobe brick carrying when I arrived, and my concrete mixing muscles were a bit out of shape, so it was bit painful to get back into the work cycle at Kawai. After a couple days of struggling, I got back into the flow and the work was only moderately painful. And now if my camera worked you all could see just how far along the bungalow in Kawai has come since we started it in June.
Here's a missing photo of the worksite. The bungalow has brick walls, concrete supports and concrete floors that we poured. Isn't it fantastic how far we've come!
[Missing worksite photo]
Of course everyone knows that mid-week when we had our Lima day, there was the massive earthquake in Pisco. We were on a bus going to dinner in Lima and couldn't really feel the impact - the bus shook for a couple minutes, but that was all. We didn't know it was so deadly until the next day. When we returned to Kawai that night, we were rudely awakened by many aftershocks, and they continued over the next couple days. Kawai is only a few hours from Pisco. Fortunately for the folks in Kawai, there wasn't any serious damage. It will cost them some money to fix up a number of things, but the structures are built to withstand earthquakes, so all but the oldest building are in good shape.
After we got back from our Lima day, I got my first taste of real responsibility. For the first time I was the intern in charge with the group. It wasn't too tough. I can pretty much understand what the Kawai folks are telling me with a small to moderate amount of frustration on their parts, but thanks to their patience, everything turned out pretty well. Everyone that arrived in Kawai left with all their limbs - success.
As far as hanging out with the kids, I made the huge mistake of doing some crazy dances, including the robot, as well as some dumb magic tricks early in the week that I didn't expect to be tremendously popular. So for the rest of the week I got to deal with the boys demanding that I entertain them.
Here's a missing photo of me doing the robot.
[Missing robot photo]
The time spent with the kids in Kawai is a bit different than it is in the other sites. You don't exactly live and eat among them, so you only get to see them for a couple hours at the end of each day. It's more difficult to get to know them like I got to know the kids at Kusi. Even so, I managed to spend some time with boys that I didn't get to know well in June.
I spent lots of time fighting and throwing the boys around. The little ones are pretty demanding in that arena...
Julio and I tried to turn some Psalms in Spanish into songs. I think we failed terribly, but it was fun anyway.
The highlight for me came the night after the earthquake when we didn't have any power. It was really dark when we went to visit the boys. Junior laid out a blanket and we sat in the grass with Kelly and Juan Carlos, teasing them about their girlfriends and just being ridiculous in general. I really enjoyed talking to Junior. He was mellow and goofy and reminded me a lot of Rusbel from Kusi
Oh, and I have to mention that there was the most adorable little puppy - probably no more than a month old. It was the cutest thing ever, and it was impossible to walk by him without playing. So I'm pleased to show you this missing photo of the new cutest dog ever.
[Missing puppy photo]
So while Kawai was a bit disappointing because I didn't get as much time with the boys, I got to see some old friends again, I got to make some great new friends from the states and the UK, and I got to wield the full breadth of my intern power.
My next post should be coming soon and will be regarding Jared's disdain for tourism. Thanks, God bless, and sorry for the missingness of my photos.
Literature Update
Before I catch up on my trip to Kawai and my vacation week in Machu Pichu, I'll fill everyone in on a couple good books I've finished recently.
Saddam's Secrets by Georges Strada is a book written by a Christian Iraqi Air Force General who served under Saddam Hussein. As much as I dislike politics, the book was pretty interesting. It gives a good perspective of what it was like to live under Saddam's regime, and the story it tells is different from what is shown on the media. I definitely recommend this one - I read it in about 3 days, so that has to say something...
And along the same serious political lines, I just finished the latest Harry Potter. It was a little slow and frustrating in the beginning as all Harry Potter books are, but it was very entertaining. I was surprised to be quite satisfied in how the series was wrapped up.
Saddam's Secrets by Georges Strada is a book written by a Christian Iraqi Air Force General who served under Saddam Hussein. As much as I dislike politics, the book was pretty interesting. It gives a good perspective of what it was like to live under Saddam's regime, and the story it tells is different from what is shown on the media. I definitely recommend this one - I read it in about 3 days, so that has to say something...
And along the same serious political lines, I just finished the latest Harry Potter. It was a little slow and frustrating in the beginning as all Harry Potter books are, but it was very entertaining. I was surprised to be quite satisfied in how the series was wrapped up.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
I'm Alive!
Sorry for being out of touch during a natural disaster. I'm ok. I was in Lima on a bus when the big quake hit, and it just kinda felt like there were some people rocking the bus. When we got back to Kawai where we were staying, we got to feel a lot of aftershocks... being woken in the middle of the night and such. We got to run out of a couple of buildings in fear. Kawai is a few hours from Pisco, the epicenter, but Kawai has been built almost completely with brick and concrete buildings, so the damage wasn't too serious. Nobody was hurt there.
I just wanted to post this quick update since I'm back in civilization and seeing my inbox flooded with "Are you alive?" emails. Thanks everyone for your concern. I'm currently in absolutely ecstacy with my dad visiting Lima, bringing my iPod (American music!), Slim Jims (delicious), the latest Harry Potter (mediocre), and the perspective of my first hot shower in a week looming on the horizon (warm). Expect another post soon on my latest week in Kawai. Send out a prayer for the folks who have suffered in Pisco. God Bless.
And as for the rumors about me returning to states soon, don't believe everything you hear. Although that rumor is true...
I just wanted to post this quick update since I'm back in civilization and seeing my inbox flooded with "Are you alive?" emails. Thanks everyone for your concern. I'm currently in absolutely ecstacy with my dad visiting Lima, bringing my iPod (American music!), Slim Jims (delicious), the latest Harry Potter (mediocre), and the perspective of my first hot shower in a week looming on the horizon (warm). Expect another post soon on my latest week in Kawai. Send out a prayer for the folks who have suffered in Pisco. God Bless.
And as for the rumors about me returning to states soon, don't believe everything you hear. Although that rumor is true...
Friday, August 10, 2007
I Miss Kusi
Here's a typical shot of an afternoon with the kids playing some instruments. Jusepi is particularly good on the guitar. He's not actually one of the Girasoles boys - he's the son of Rosa and Angel, but he considers all the boys here his brothers.
You may notice Elber on the bike with the big smile on his face. He's always got a huge smile on his face, and he's a joy to be around.
Here's Jonathan Sixto playing the recorder. He's one of the older boys. Jonathan has had a really tough life, but he's a great leader and role model for the younger boys. He wants to go to seminary and become a pastor when he's finished with school. I'm gonna miss this guy.
Here's Raul with Rosa and Kari behind. Raul and his brother Jorge came to Kusi on their own a couple months ago. Jorge is very shy and sweet, while he's younger brother is full of energy and hungry for affection. Raul is still adjusting to the life and rules in Kusi. He sometimes doesn't eat, and sometimes gets upset when his brothers ask him to do something simple. Because he's still new to the environment, Rosa and Angel are just trying to show Raul love, something he probably hasn't had much of in his life. Please say a prayer for Raul and Jorge as they adjust to life in Kusi.
Here's a shot of (left to right) Miguel, Ronaldo, Henri, and Agosto. Ronaldo is probably the class clown of the group. One night I was eating dinner across from him and Raul. Raul didn't want to eat, and Ronaldo was trying to entice him to eat with some overacting concerning the deliciousness of the bread and jelly. It's really encouraging when you can see how the older boys work hard to make the younger ones fit in and learn the rules. It's encouraging to see how God is working in the lives of these older boys.
Here's Alexia, Rosa and Angel's daughter. She's excellent at hiding her face from cameras, but I caught her... and now she's on the internet...
This is Henri, aka el maestro. He's 16 years old, even though he looks smaller. When asked what he likes most about Kusi, he replied that he liked the food, the sleep, and the school where he gets to go. Three simple things that most people in the states easily take for granted. Another thing that says a great deal about the lives these boys have had is their favorite Bible verses. I was surprised by the number of boys who showed me verses about how God's blessings allow one to sleep in peace.
Here's Martín. He's the smallest at 8 years old and he gets lots and lots of attention for being adorable. He is adorable. I get a big hug every time I pass him. I'm surprised he sat still by himself long enough to take this picture...
Here's Hunter, aka Antonio, aka the Ox. He moved a LOT of adobe bricks. Great man of God, and he's hardcore - he reads the King James Bible.
How bout a sun rising over Huascarán? There are a bunch more of these on my Flickr page by the way...
Here's my best friend in Kusi, Rusbel. The name Rusbel is pronounced like the ex-president... hope you all can figure that one out...
He also made his own adobe oven to cook things like panchamanka. It even has a shelter to keep the spare wood dry.
You may notice Elber on the bike with the big smile on his face. He's always got a huge smile on his face, and he's a joy to be around.Here's Jonathan Sixto playing the recorder. He's one of the older boys. Jonathan has had a really tough life, but he's a great leader and role model for the younger boys. He wants to go to seminary and become a pastor when he's finished with school. I'm gonna miss this guy. Here's Raul with Rosa and Kari behind. Raul and his brother Jorge came to Kusi on their own a couple months ago. Jorge is very shy and sweet, while he's younger brother is full of energy and hungry for affection. Raul is still adjusting to the life and rules in Kusi. He sometimes doesn't eat, and sometimes gets upset when his brothers ask him to do something simple. Because he's still new to the environment, Rosa and Angel are just trying to show Raul love, something he probably hasn't had much of in his life. Please say a prayer for Raul and Jorge as they adjust to life in Kusi.Here's a shot of (left to right) Miguel, Ronaldo, Henri, and Agosto. Ronaldo is probably the class clown of the group. One night I was eating dinner across from him and Raul. Raul didn't want to eat, and Ronaldo was trying to entice him to eat with some overacting concerning the deliciousness of the bread and jelly. It's really encouraging when you can see how the older boys work hard to make the younger ones fit in and learn the rules. It's encouraging to see how God is working in the lives of these older boys. Here's Alexia, Rosa and Angel's daughter. She's excellent at hiding her face from cameras, but I caught her... and now she's on the internet... And of course my true loves of Kusi, Regina, Alejandra, and Miriam - the cooks. Every meal was delicious, especially panchamanka, which is a meal that's cooked under the ground. I ate like a pig to make up for the previous week where I was sick and couldn't eat much.
Here are Gabriel, Rachel, and Roger looking up some Bible verses. Gabriel is the oldest boy at Kusi, and Angel told us that Gabriel has been an enormous help to him in managing the 21 other boys. Roger wants to learn English. Today I'm going to pick up a CD that teaches English and have it sent to Kusi with the next group.
Here are Gabriel, Rachel, and Roger looking up some Bible verses. Gabriel is the oldest boy at Kusi, and Angel told us that Gabriel has been an enormous help to him in managing the 21 other boys. Roger wants to learn English. Today I'm going to pick up a CD that teaches English and have it sent to Kusi with the next group.Rusbel is so sweet, so loving, and so goofy that it's hard to imagine him by himself, without a family. He's 15 and crazy about girls, especially the American girls that came from Virginia. It's funny to watch him tease the girls - "Chica mala!"
Rusbel wants to be either a chef or a doctor. On the chef path, he's got his own small garden with onions and some other vegetables that I'm not familiar with. He was ecstatic to see that his plants had begun to grow out of the ground. I think he hadn't checked on them for a while.
Rusbel said he was going to miss me a lot. I'm going to miss him too. I feel horrible that I have to leave these guys for so long.
Goodbye, Kusi. I want to come back soon. I will miss you, friends.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Back in Kusi
My latest trip to Kusi was by far my best week in Peru, and certainly one of the best weeks of my life. But before I dive in, I have to link you to some videos taken by my buddy Neal during my second week in Peru, in the Amazon. I haven't watched them all yet, but there's definitely one of me, looking like Jesus and chopping down the jungle. There's also another of John Hinshaw eating a live grub. I ate a deliciously dead one, but this one was squirming.
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=butkus777+peru
On to Kusi.
I know there's no way I can capture my experience in this blog, but I'll give it a shot and tell some of the stories behind the photos. I think what I'm really going to have to do is convince each and every one of you to come back to Kusi next year... or earlier if possible...
The week started with meeting the team from Fredericksburg, Virginia at the airport. Amazingly, these folks live only an hour from my previous home in Arlington, and one actually attends the same church as me in VA. These folks from New Life in Christ Church were a wonderful blessing. We had a Bible study every night and met with small groups every morning. It was a wonderful thing to study the Bible in English for the first time in months. The group also has a special relationship with the folks at Kusi, because they've been coming for 5 years, since Kusi was a barren piece of land.
Our first stop was actually in Caraz.
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=butkus777+peru
On to Kusi.
I know there's no way I can capture my experience in this blog, but I'll give it a shot and tell some of the stories behind the photos. I think what I'm really going to have to do is convince each and every one of you to come back to Kusi next year... or earlier if possible...
The week started with meeting the team from Fredericksburg, Virginia at the airport. Amazingly, these folks live only an hour from my previous home in Arlington, and one actually attends the same church as me in VA. These folks from New Life in Christ Church were a wonderful blessing. We had a Bible study every night and met with small groups every morning. It was a wonderful thing to study the Bible in English for the first time in months. The group also has a special relationship with the folks at Kusi, because they've been coming for 5 years, since Kusi was a barren piece of land.
Our first stop was actually in Caraz.
When we got to Kusi, I remember having a conversation with someone about how everything in the distance looks like a scenic movie backdrop. Everything over a couple miles away looks almost fake... photoshopped in...
And now that I'm realizing just how much I want to share about the people at Kusi, I'm going to break up this post into two. In my next post I'll throw up some photos of the boys and workers and tell a bit about them.
Friday, July 27, 2007
No Parasites
Turns out it was just a bacterial infection that had me out of commission during my entire stay in Kusi. I was disappointed that I don't get to have parasites. Last Saturday after returning to Lima, I got sick again. Isabel took me to the clinic, and they patched me up nicely with some antibiotics. I'm back to strength now, and I'm just trying to eat as much as possible to gain back the weight I lost.
I've been extra busy this week in Lima, because I decided to try to put together the website for Scripture Union. They've been wanting to start up their website again, but don't have anyone with the expertise. Well I don't have any expertise, but I spent about 4 days studying online. I'm not sure if I'll be able to put together something professional looking, but I'm going to give it a shot, and in the worst case I'll be a little smarter in the ways of web design.
Tomorrow I leave for Kusi again for 2 weeks, so I'll be out of touch again. I'm very excited to spend some time in Kusi working and playing and NOT being sick.
By the way, there's a radio station in Lima that plays all American 80's music. I think it's the greatest thing ever...
Here are some of the Lima kids. I don't think I've put up any pictures of them yet, and I've spent the most time with them. This is Michel.
I've been extra busy this week in Lima, because I decided to try to put together the website for Scripture Union. They've been wanting to start up their website again, but don't have anyone with the expertise. Well I don't have any expertise, but I spent about 4 days studying online. I'm not sure if I'll be able to put together something professional looking, but I'm going to give it a shot, and in the worst case I'll be a little smarter in the ways of web design.
Tomorrow I leave for Kusi again for 2 weeks, so I'll be out of touch again. I'm very excited to spend some time in Kusi working and playing and NOT being sick.
By the way, there's a radio station in Lima that plays all American 80's music. I think it's the greatest thing ever...
Here are some of the Lima kids. I don't think I've put up any pictures of them yet, and I've spent the most time with them. This is Michel.
This is Victor. He's nuts. I think he's fairly new to the center and he gives me a giant running hug every time he sees me. He then proceeds to tickle-attack me, which can sometimes be painful. He also sings beautifully in Quechua.
Here are some other boys. The one with the white bandana is Raul. He plays the main role of the streetboy in the choreography I wrote about earlier. He's also the head boy in his class at school - I think that's like class president or something.
Oh, I'll also mention that I've done lots of reading. I dropped a couple bad books mid-way through, and I finished Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick, which was an excellent light read.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Kusi
The first thing you'll notice when you get to Kusi is that it's absolutely beautiful.
Kusi is a Scripture Union boys' home in the Andes, near the town of Yungay, which is not too far from the larger city of Huaraz. However, Kusi is more than just a boys' home, it's planned to be a small town to itself, with a main square, a hotel for tourists and mountain climbers, a small shoe factory, a bakery, a school, and I'm probably not remembering everything...
Back to the kids. The first night there I had more fun than I've had in a long time. They do choreographies, which are pretty much dancing and singing as a group to some different songs. I have no idea why the choreographies are so much fun, but they are. And every night it was a joy to get carried away with the boys and dance like a fool.
Here's Yosepe and his girlfriend doing a different dance, which was quite impressive. A bunch of the boys are great dancers and can do crazy flips and stuff.
Sorry that these pictures stink - I cleaned the lense of my camera that night.
AND as a spur of the moment thing, they bought them 6 bicicles in town. The kids went nuts.
With our last full day in Kusi, we traveled up to a lake near the mountain in the previous pictures. It was one of those trips where you had to stop yourself from taking a photo of every mountain and vista along the way.
On our way out, we hiked down this valley for about an hour.
And on the path there are these creepy looking trees that look like something evil out of The Lord of the Rings. The look like they're made of red tissue paper...
On our way back we stopped for some great shots of Kusi from above. Kusi is the cluster of white houses in the middle-left of this picture.
Here are some of the boys - Royer on the left, I think Raul in the middle, and I'm not sure of the boy on the right...
And last of all we say goodbye to interns who are leaving.
Goodbye adorable and dirty Tati.
Goodbye Kusi - seeya in a week... ;-)
Kusi is a Scripture Union boys' home in the Andes, near the town of Yungay, which is not too far from the larger city of Huaraz. However, Kusi is more than just a boys' home, it's planned to be a small town to itself, with a main square, a hotel for tourists and mountain climbers, a small shoe factory, a bakery, a school, and I'm probably not remembering everything...Today, Kusi has about 25 boys living there with the house parents, Angel and Rosa. Angel and Rosa also have two children of their own that live with them, Yosepe (sp?) and Alexia. The school at Kusi is fully functional, although they're working to expand it so that they can accept more students. The school is open to the boys that live in Kusi, as well as the children of Yungay, especially those children that cannot afford the school supplies required to attend regular gov't schools.
Technically, the school at Kusi is a government school, like all schools in Peru, except that the gov't has given administration of the school to Scripture Union. This is a pretty big deal - I'm told the school in Kusi was the first public, Protestant school in Peru. All Peruvian schools were previously Catholic.
Here's a random shot of some of the buildings in Kusi.
Hence most of the week was spent digging mud, mixing mud with straw, and making bricks in molds. Oh yeah, we moved the bricks too - they weigh about 90 lbs. Luckily, I got to be sick half of the week and was unable to work (I'll get back to that later), but here's the fruit of a week's worth of work - about 1200 adobe bricks.
So Gillian grabs a chunk of hair, and cuts it in no way parallel to the side of my head, down to the scalp. I was a bit shocked, and wished that I had given the scissors to one of the 5 year old boys, because each and every boy in Kusi could have surely given me a better haircut than intern Gillian. So in great disappointment, not so much in anger, I took the scissors from Gillian, threw them aside and walked into my room to get my clippers.
The rest of the afternoon, I had a team of Scots taking turns with the clippers on the back of my head, trying to give me a decent trim and repair the damage done by Gillian. The Scots did a decent job, but I was surprised that they still left me a bit shaggy and uneven in parts. I don't know how you do that when cutting someone's hair with clippers. So after a bit of time in the mirror I managed to give myself the haircut seen in my pictures on flickr. Gillian's missing chunk was visible when I cut my hair, but I think it's grown inconspicuous by now..
Here's me and the butcher herself. She's on her way back to Scotland by now. Bye-bye Gillian. Her Zoolander is good, but needs a bit of work.
Back to the kids. The first night there I had more fun than I've had in a long time. They do choreographies, which are pretty much dancing and singing as a group to some different songs. I have no idea why the choreographies are so much fun, but they are. And every night it was a joy to get carried away with the boys and dance like a fool.Our second night there, we had a bonfire where some of the kids told there testimonies. One of the standout testimonies was Jhonatan, who is 18 and has had a tough life. He grew up homeless, doing small jobs on the street to survive. He told how through Kusi he found a family, and a place for God in his life. Jhonatan wants to go to seminary and become a pastor. He really is an exceptional guy when you meet him because he's very responsible, sets a good example, and is a leader among his brothers. The last few days of the trip he spent a ton of time with the Scots trying to learn as much English as possible. His determination and quickness to learn was impressive.
The greater highlight of the bonfire night was Yosepe's testimony. Yosepe is the biological son of Angel and Rosa. He lived with his folks in Lima before they decided to go to Kusi. Yosepe was in high school and had lots of friends in Lima. He was determined to stay with his grandparents and not go out into the country with his parents. He said that he spoke with his father about the importance of staying together as a family, and decided to go to Kusi. He said it was the most rewarding thing he's done in his life because now instead of having one sister, he has a sister and 23 brothers. He has a passion for the life they lead in Kusi and has really accepted all the boys as brothers.
This is the thing that everyone who goes to Kusi immediately sees as something so special. The boys call Rosa and Angel, Mami and Papi. Yosepe and Alexia treat the boys as brothers, literally. The boys in Kusi are a real family, and being there to help them and spend time with them is something really special.
Other fun activities at Kusi:
Traditional Andean dances in costumes. Jhonatan is on the right and NOT in traditional wear.
Here's Yosepe and his girlfriend doing a different dance, which was quite impressive. A bunch of the boys are great dancers and can do crazy flips and stuff.Sorry that these pictures stink - I cleaned the lense of my camera that night.
How generous were the Scots... They bought all the kids jerseys, either rugby or soccer.
AND as a spur of the moment thing, they bought them 6 bicicles in town. The kids went nuts.
With our last full day in Kusi, we traveled up to a lake near the mountain in the previous pictures. It was one of those trips where you had to stop yourself from taking a photo of every mountain and vista along the way.On our way out, we hiked down this valley for about an hour.And on the path there are these creepy looking trees that look like something evil out of The Lord of the Rings. The look like they're made of red tissue paper...On our way back we stopped for some great shots of Kusi from above. Kusi is the cluster of white houses in the middle-left of this picture.Here are some of the boys - Royer on the left, I think Raul in the middle, and I'm not sure of the boy on the right...
And last of all we say goodbye to interns who are leaving.Goodbye intern Christy from Charlotte, NC. Christy is returning to teach 2nd grade.
Goodbye translator-extraordinaire and intern Billy Greenman from Michigan. Billy is returning to finish his senior year of school.
Goodbye adorable and dirty Tati.Ok, I already said last of all, but here's a funny shot - this guy posed for this mugshot himself. He's in his snazzy church attire.
Goodbye Kusi - seeya in a week... ;-)Stayed tuned for the next episode entitled, "Parasites!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
