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Iquitos Pics

Our transportation up the river Nanay on our way to the schools. We did get to see a little bit of the Amazon river, but just where it connects with the Nanay.

We did a mini-VBS for the kids at the river schools. Scripture Union is going to begin working in these schools very soon. They are looking for volunteers who will be willing to go once a week to work with the kids.

Butterflies weren't the only things at the butterfly farm! We also saw a Jaguar (and heard him crunch on some meat) and a Tapir, which is an interesting pig-cow-small elephant looking creature.

Playing BINGO at the boys home in Puerto Alegria (on the River Itaya). Rodrigo kept the boys entertained with his funny game show host voice.

A piranha caught in the river....lunch anyone?

Juan and I at Centro Iquitos.

Coming to the End...

Well, we have just finished the last day of ministry that we will have here in Peru. It has been hard to get pictures uploaded at the internet cafe, so I will have to put them up when I get home. Here is a recap of the last few days (it will be quick because I dont have a lot of time)

Tuesday Afternoon and Evening: After the schools, we went to a butterfly farm where we saws lots of....you guessed it.....butterflies! We also got to see a monster of a jaguar and a tapir and some crazy monkeys that kept chasing us!

We did a training time for the Scripture Union volunteers who go to work in the public schools. It was a sweet time of fellowship. Christy Robb did an amazing lesson on how to teach to change hearts. They also surprised with some really yummy birthday cake and a little princess crown =) following by lots of Peruvian birthday songs. My heart was full when we left that night.

Wednesday: In the morning, we went back to Centro Iquitos to do our dramas for the boys there. Then we ate lunch with them and just spent some time hanging out.

In the evening, we did teacher training for public schools teachers. Misty, Jess and I got to teach our lesson on "How to tell Stories." It went really well! The whole training took about 3 and a half hours, but all of the participants were grateful.

Thursday: Around 9, we left our hotel and boarded a boat to go to Puerto Alegria on the Itaya river. It is on of Scripture Union´s homes for abandoned boys. The trip up the river was AMAZING! We spent the day with the boys just hanging out. Later in the afternoon, we went walking....through the JUNGLE....to go invite other people to come to a program we would do the next morning.

In the evening, we sat with the other team that was there from Alabama and the boys and shared music, and dancing, and a lot of laughing.

Friday: We did a mini-VBS similar to the one we did in Kusi. There were several kids that we had invited, in addition to the boys who already lived there!

Afterwards, we all ate lunch together and then head back down the river to Iquitos.

Sorry this is sooooo brief and not very detail-y, but there will be more to come when I get back....with pictures too! We are going back to Lima in the morning and then home on Sunday (YEAH!) So I wont be able to write again until then! Chau for Now.

River Schools

Finally!! The rest of our team arrived Tuesday morning. Elizabeth, Susan, Linda and I went early to meet them at the airport. The had about an 30 minutes to unload their things and change, and then we were off to a port on the river Nanay. We walked down to a boat that would take us to our day´s destination: 2 schools on the river Nanay. We got to see where the Amazon and the Nanay come together. There water was very turbelent there!

We drove about 20 minutes until we came to a little inlet. The driver ran the boat ashore, and then we all got out to walk up the hill to our first school. There were houses, but they were sort of run down. EVERYTHING was muddy. When we arrived to the school, all of the students came out to the central ¨cancha¨ and sat in the bleacher. Elizabeth did a brief lesson about how God has created each one of us uniquely, while I translated. All of the kids were really reserved, especially when we tried to teach them a song. Rodrigo wrapped up the presentation by sharing how Christ had worked in his life. It was hard to read if they understood or if they accepted what was being said, but I know that we are just the seed planters....it is God who makes things grow.

As we arrived, by boat again, at the second town, we saw a bunch of older boys taking baths by the river (in their shorts...don´t worry). It was funny to see them all lathered up in soap. The kids at this school were younger, and were ready to sing and dance. We shared with them the same message as before. Once, again, we were just the seed planters.

Very soon, Scripture Union will begin working in these schools. The Peruvian government allows them to go into the schools to teach ¨morals.¨ Later on, all of the students will be invited to summer camp, where they will have an opportunity to make a decision about the Gospel.

Centro Iquitos

Early this morning we learned why it is, in fact, called the RAINforest. About 3am, we were awakened by a downpour that would rival any of our southern summer storms (minus the thunder and lightening). Our breakfast included a thick juice made of papaya, banana, and grapefruit....I was a little wary (not a fan of papaya).....but it was way excelente!

Following breakfast, we all hopped in some MOTOCARROs and wound our way through the busy streets to the Centro Iquitos, but only after Elizabeth and I had to change drivers due to a flat tire.

Centro Iquitos is run by Scripture Union and seeks to help boys in poverty so that they do not end up in the streets. We were greeted with lots of hugs and kisses and kids that all seemed to be named Jhon, Juan, or Jony. One of the John´s and a cute little kid named Jony stole my heart (pictures coming soon).

As we set up our puppet stage, Paolo, a volunteer for Scripture Union got our his guitar and started to sing with the kids.....they sang SOOOOO LOUD and with really good tone =) They sang 2 or 3 songs (including Montaña and Abre los ojos) and then did 2 choreographies for us, with lots of dancing and more loud singing. Little Jony had a dance solo in the middle of the second song.

We did a little Bible club for the kid when they were finished. We talked about how God created the whole earth (and they acted out each part of creation)......we talked about how God made man special (and sang a song with more dancing)...and we talked about how God wants to make us His and give a new, clean heart. We also did a cute puppet show about the Sheep and the Goats (from Matthew 25).

The kids were so open and responsive....and VERY intelligent. A lot of them knew the answers to questions about the Bible. After that we learneda verse and made a craft.

I wish I could communicate better about these kids. They´re not just cute....there´s more....a depth..... a whole other life that in the US we know nothing about. Their eyes light up when they see you, but behind those same eyes it seems there is a searching for hope. It is so exciting to be a part of what God is doing in their lives. They are hungry for the life that Christ offers, and we get to parnter with SU in bringing that message. And yet there is s0 much more to be done.

The city of Iquitos is infamous for child prostitution...there are signs every where that say ¨say no to sexual tourism¨. They told us that a lot of Europeans come here just for that. One of the SU workers had a lady walk up to him with her daughter and offer her to him.

Please pray for the work here.....what we are doing is only a part.....there is so much more to be done.

Tomorrow we go up the river to schools to do a little Bible club. Then in the night we are going to be doing teacher training to help equip the teachers who go into the Peruvian schools.

Pictures to follow soon.....

Arrival In Iquitos

¡Hola from Iquitos Perú!

Yesterday, we flew from Lima to Iquitos, which is Perú´s Amazon Port. The view from the plane was amazing. At first everything was just gray clouds. But then we began to see rolling mountains, and then sharp, snow covered peaks. After that, we saw a carpet of trees...green in every direction....And then I saw it...that snakey shaped river, looking just like it does in all of the text books I have ever seen....The Amazon.

We landed in Iquitos, which is a city only accessable by boat or plane, and were greeted by the smell of green....a welcome smell after the gray pollution and exhaust of Lima. The air was very humid and warm, but there was an evening breeze that made it feel like they had fixed the weather just for us.

After we gathered all of our bags, we walked to the parking lot where there was a very colorful, open bus awaiting us. As we got closer, I could hear something like Caribbean music comig from it. We loaded all of our bags....through the windows.....and then headed out.
As we were driving through the city, I noticed that there weren´t really any cars, just a vehicle that they call a MOTOCARRO (or MOTOTAXI). There are so many of them!!!! I even saw the family of 4 vehicle: A motorcycle with baby,dad, baby, mom seated in that order.

Our hotel is right on the Amazon river. We took a walk after unloaded all of our things. There is a festival happening for the patron saint of the region: San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). They told that at this time of year you can order a meal representing the head of John the Baptist. It is rice, molded like a head with eggs and other items....yum?

There was a lot happening to celebrate the festival: clowns, fireworks, a girl dancing around some snakes, a parade, and a large statue of the Virgin Mary.

We ate dinner at a place called Ari´s burger....I had a super-delicious-cheese burger!!! My stomach was definitely happy.

Peru: June 18-19, 2006

Saturday: We arrived at Centro Girasoles at around 3am after a LOOOOOONNNGGGG bus ride back through the mountains. We ate breakfast with the boys at the Lima center, and then went for a city tour. After our tour, the boys did their choreography for us, and then we were off for some shopping in the Indian Market. Nick and Daniel bought some crazy fur hats that make them look like they have just done a time warp from the 70´s. (pictures to be added later for viewing enjoyment).

Following the shopping we went to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant (YUM). Then our group was separated....most of the people went to the airport, while Susan, Buzz, Elizabeth, Marsha and I went to the La Molina Hotel to await the rest of our team.

Sunday: OK, so last night I officially had the warmest and longest shower I have ever had in Peru. I feel so clean =) We are still waiting for the rest of our team. They are stuck in Houston because of storms last night. We are hoping that they will arrive tonight (they are on standby, so please pray that they make it today). Either way, the rest of us have to go on without them, and they will catch up with us in Iquitos.

I am going to eat some breakfast now! Our flight to Iquitos leaves at 5. We are off for another adventure! I think that this week will be harder than the last one. Iquitos is said to be very impoverished. Please pray for us and the work that God would have us do. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iquitos

Peru: June 17, 2006

Friday: This day probably the best day so far! Elizabeth did an amazing job of explaining to the kids how Jesus cleans our hearts when we believe in Him. She used the illustration of a clean and dirty shirt. Then our students presented the story of the sheep and the goats (and a very cute chipmunk) with puppets. Elizabeth then showed the kids how once Jesus has changed our hearts, our actions, thoughts, and desires will also be changed. She did a great job of explaining this and she had the kids sit close to us on the floor. You could tell that a lot of them were listening very carefully and that the message touched their hearts. Please continue to pray for the kids at the KUSI school, that God would keep all of these little seeds safe and water them and help them to grow.

After our craft, it was time to say goodbye to the teachers and the kids. So many hugs and kisses were given! After saying goodbye, we took a mile hike down to Yungay, accompanied by two teachers, Erik and Carmen, to see where a mudslide had wiped out an entire town in 1970. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Ancash_earthquake

The sweetness of this people has captured my heart. Especially those who are believers. It was hard to leave today.

Peru: June 15, 2006

Thursday: This morning began with the ¨Joy Stealer¨puppet skit, which is about a young girl who learns that she can only find true joy in Jesus. Then Marsha did a lesson on David and Goliath. IT WAS SO CUTE!! We had some helpers to act it out: Timothy was David, Buck was Goliath, and then we borrowed three little girls from the school to be the sheep that David tended and three little boys to be David´s three brothers who went off to war (These three boys also acted out the part of the scared Israelite army...they were so cute!!!!). After the lesson, we taught them a really fun song about David.

The craft for the day was a set of lunch bag puppets of David and Goliath. Some of the kids in the classroom that I was in were so concientious in their coloring! sooooo cute!!!!!

After wrapping up the VBS, we went out to work! Some of the boys, excuse me, men, carried the 50 pound adobes up to where they were completing a wall and others continued digging the foundation. Us girls spent the afternoon shoveling mud, carrying mud in a wheel barrow, and making mud into adobe bricks......yeah mud!!! Sarah and I also discovered and inventive way of using shovels as seats =) We will be back tomorrow mud!

Peru: June 14, 2006

Wednesday: We started out the day with a trek through the Indian Market in Yungay where Lauren chose a guinea pig to share with everyone for breakfast (called cuy in Peru). A lot of people watched this poor little one meet his fate. A lot of people on the team tried it, but in the end, the biggest portion was given to a dog outside, who was the only one brave enough to really eat it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig#Guinea_pigs_as_food

After breakfast, we began our ascent up to Portachuelo, the Continental divide. I actually was left at Lake Chinancocha, which the rest went up to the top (I have already been up twice before, and the crazy winding roads make freak me out...just a little). Everyone said that it was beautiful, not too scary, and they had a snowball fight, which is a rare thing these days in NC. Afterwards, once everyone got back to the lake, we had a picnic and then headed back down the mountain.

On the way back down the mountain, the team left Elizabeth, Susan, Sherry, and I at the Kusi school to do a ¨capacitacion¨ for the teachers of that school and the surrounding ones. We felt a little out of place when we arrived. First of all, we were late, because the bus driver had taken us on a detour, and then we were VERY underdressed. The area teachers had come dressed in ties and dresses, while we were just in jeans and t-shirts from having come from a long day of sightseeing. YIKES and que verguenza! The room was all set up with several tables in fronts with a funny little spot light (which plugged in by directly sticking the wires into the wall!) and the teachers were all waiting when we got there.

Johnson, the director of the school, introduced us to the teachers in his formal manner, and then an area director did another official welcome before the program began. Susan and Elizabeth began with a workshop on discipline similar to the one that Susan had done with the parents on Monday. I then followed with a workshop on how to tell good stories, which began with an interactive telling of the Tortoise and the Hare and the teachers pretending that they were in 1st grade. =) Afterwards, Susan finished with a discussion of how to ask good questions, while Elizabeth demonstrated the process by acting as a chef, complete with funky glasses and a great chef´s hat.

The training went so well! The teachers were sweet and receptive and asked us some great questions. Praise God for a great day!

Angel, one of the Scripture Union´s house parents, took us home after the training. As I was talking to him, he began to tell me about how he and his wife have started a Bible study in their home. It began with just his family and their cook, but now it has grown to 30 people!!! They have also started a Saturday morning Bible Club for the children in the surrounding area. I was so excited to hear this, because when we had been to Kusi before, and even while we were planning this trip with the teacher training and parent workshops, I was thinking about the fact that, yes, we are doing this now, but who is going to stay to train and disciple this people after we leave since there is no church. Yes, there is a school with some christian teachers, and Scripture Union is building this to get boys off the street and teach them about the Bible, but there was no actual church. God is so faithful and it is so evident that He is at work in what is happening in the Kusi-Ongo-Yungay area of Peru! Please pray for the work that Angel and Rosa and their children, Jusephi and Alexia, are doing!

Here is a link to the state we are staying in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancash

Peru: June 13, 2006

Tuesday´s VBS lesson was about the Potter and the Clay. It was such a fun lesson!!!! We began with the Frog Prince puppet skit, which tells the story of a frog who wants to be a prince because he doesnt like being green. But then he learns that God made him special and that he needs to change his insides, not his outsides, if he wants to be happy. I must say that Charliann showed off some pretty sweet skills with her frog puppet!

Afterwards, Elizabeth explained how God made us out of the dust of the ground and then we sang a song we had made up to go with the Bible verse. The song included a lot of dancing and at one point the kids made a blowing noise to show how God breathed into Adam to make him a living creature.

After the song we had a visit from a very special guest: Jeremiah, or rather, Susan dressed up in a really comical old prophet costume. She explained the passage out of Jeremiah 18 about God comparing his people to clay and He is the potter, and he has formed each one of us as He decided. Then, the kids were given a piece of clay and separated into their classrooms to make something. My class was great! The teacher, Erik, was very creative, and he showed the kids how to make lots of neat things with their clay. Some of the inventions included: a miniature cooking pot with lid, a basket with woven handles, a teapot, and a cup.

Peru: June 12, 2006

This was our very first day doing VBS and construction at KUSI (a quechua word that means happiness). The VBS at the school was very fun! We taught the children some songs, and then 3 ladies, Pat, Ann, and Beth taught the lesson about salvation. The children were very attentive and at the end we were able to pray with them. Afterwards, we helped the children make a bracelet that explains the life of Jesus and what he has done for us. It was great doing the craft because we were able to split up with the kids in their classrooms and get more one on one time with them.

God is so faithful! The three ladies that taught were a little nervous about teaching because they are not teachers, but God used them to communicate their message so clearly because they were humbly depending on Him and they were committed to making His message known!

Just after VBS, Susan and I talked with Johnson, Scripture Union´s director at the KUSI school about a parents meeting we were going to have in the late afternoon. It was a little comical. He had sent out an ¨official¨ notice to the parents to make them come to the meeting.... it turns out that in Peru, all you need to make something official is a stamp! Susan and I laughed to ourselves.

NOW TO WORK! Monday´s work consisted of peeling bamboo that they are going to use to make the roofs, digging the foundations of some of the buildings in the village, and making adobe bricks. My wheelbarrowing skills have not improved too much, but it was exciting to be a part of the process!

At 130, Angel took Susan and I back to the Hostal Oasis to pick up our puppet materials to share with the parents and to check on a team member who had stayed back with an upset stomach. As we drove down the mountain, we passed some of the students who were leaving the school. Angel, knowing they had a long way to walk, invited them in!!!!!! I think 5 students crammed into the front passenger seat, 1 was in the back seat with susan and I, and 5 more in the hatchback trunk!

About 3pm, Susan and I went to meet with parents. To keep the officialness of the meeting, Johnson had all of the parents sign in. He said that if some of them did not come, they would have to come and do work at the school.

There were probably about 40 people at the parent meeting. It was very obvious that there were many more mothers than fathers. Susan talked to them about discipline and I translated for her. It was exciting to be able to share her message with these parents, because it was a message about why we discipline and the foundation of disicpline. Discipline is to change hearts, and the only one who can truly change our hearts is Christ. The parents listened, and asked questions, and really seemed to be engaged in what Susan was saying.

During team time later that night, Buzz talked about Romans 12, about being a living sacrifice and about using our gifts that God has given us. I know that today the body of Christ was working as it should...everyone was using their gifts together, and because if that, God was glorified!

Some Peruvian Photos

Making Bracelets in VBS

Puppet Show for VBS

Miranda and I before the puppet show

Kids after making a craft out of clay. We taught them about how God is the potter and we are the clay.

The two ¨strongest men¨on the team trying to cut out a very big rock on the worksite.

World Cup: Some Girly Thoughts

Ok, so I just saw Mexico beat Iran in the first round
of the World Cup. GO MEXICO!!! Now, the dilemma is that I dont know who I want to win. So here are my favorites in now particular order.

1. Brazil: So, they are the best team ever (they have already won 5 World Cups, including the last one). Plus, I did my internship in Brazil. Plus, I picked them to win last time, and I was right.

2. Italy: I want to go there....enough said.

3. Mexico: My other homeland.

4. Spain: I just went there in October and I love the country and the people. And their uniforms are cute?

Ok.....so all my reasons are girly: I like the people, I like the country....what´s a girl to do?

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/

VIVA FUTBOL!!!

Peru: June 9-11

So, here we are in Peru again! There is not much to tell as we have mostly just been traveling so far. Our plane ride was pretty uneventful....that is until we hit some crazy turbelence...I must confess...I thought it was the end =) I was probably over reacting (as usual). We arrived in Lima about 10 and then went to Centro Girasoles (Sunflower Center) and slept on the floor in the auditorium.
After a quick breakfast the next morning, we began our 8 hour trip to the town of Caraz. I saw my first Peruvian lightening and heard my first Peruvian thunder. Hmmmm....looks and sounds just like it does at home...just more....what´s the word? Pervuian? ha ha..Actually, it does not rain much in Lima and the weather was a little unusual for this time of year.
Once we arrived at the lovely Hostal Oasis, and we assigned our rooms, we all went for a walk in the plaza. We met a little boy named Miguel who wanted us to buy something from him. He was only 12, but he was the size of a 7 year old. He challenged some of our boys to a race....of course, he won by cutting across the plaza =)
This morning, we went to an Assembly of God church for service. It was such a blessing to share in a time of worship with the people here!!!!!! Right now we have just finished lunch and we have an afternoon of rest before beginning work here.
I am looking forward to my next two weeks here in Peru. I want to be used by God, and I want to be pleasing to Him in my service. Please pray for us tomorrow as we begin VBS and construction.

glow bug, glow

I saw them tonight....it has been a while. At first I thought it was just moths flying in front of my headlights. I looked to the right and left trying to discover whether it was only a figment of my imagination or not. But I had not imagined it...in the field to my right, I saw one, and then several others, flashing their lights to let me know that it really was summer time!

For a while I thought they had disappeared altogether....I hadn't seen them in a while, but then I realized that I had just grown up, and I didn't know when or where to look for them. They may have been just in front of me and I missed them....too old to notice.

I am turning 26 in a few days....I hope that one more year does not keep me from my glowy friends. I have missed them!