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...

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.

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...

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.

He also made his own adobe oven to cook things like panchamanka. It even has a shelter to keep the spare wood dry.

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.