-- Post From My iPhone
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes- Acts 1:16
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
No place like home!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
a few words from kate and audrey:
we have had a pretty awesome time in Peru, but we are also looking forward to returning home to our families. speaking of families, dad: (this is audrey talking) this blog is specifically for you, and kate´s mom: don´t worry, I´ve been looking after your baby as promised :)
moving on... today we took a tour of a glacier lake. it was breathtaking (mainly because of the altitude haha). afterwards, we ate lunch with the Girasoles (the boys at the home in Kusi. The food we ate was cooked in their underground oven. then we went on a hike down the mountain and learned about the tragic earthquake which occured in 1970 and resulted in a landslide that caused the deaths of nearly an entire town.
we are eagerly anticipating shopping in the markets of Lima tomorrow, however the nine hour bus ride we could certainly live without. we have attained soooooo many memories from this trip. it´s almost weird that it´s close to the end.
alright, since audrey has been critizing my typing skills this entire blog(this is kate talking), i think we will bring it to an end and leave saying that we love and miss you all and will see you in three days :)
p.s. we love you mommies
Some of the boys in the shadow of Huascaran, The highest peak in Peru
moving on... today we took a tour of a glacier lake. it was breathtaking (mainly because of the altitude haha). afterwards, we ate lunch with the Girasoles (the boys at the home in Kusi. The food we ate was cooked in their underground oven. then we went on a hike down the mountain and learned about the tragic earthquake which occured in 1970 and resulted in a landslide that caused the deaths of nearly an entire town.
we are eagerly anticipating shopping in the markets of Lima tomorrow, however the nine hour bus ride we could certainly live without. we have attained soooooo many memories from this trip. it´s almost weird that it´s close to the end.
alright, since audrey has been critizing my typing skills this entire blog(this is kate talking), i think we will bring it to an end and leave saying that we love and miss you all and will see you in three days :)
p.s. we love you mommies
Some of the boys in the shadow of Huascaran, The highest peak in Peru
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thoughts from KBrown and JGary!
alrighty then. Kristi and I have been having an epic time here in Peru. The food here is amazing. We have had so many forms of chicken. I didn´t know you could prepare it so many ways, but we have also had beef stir fry and some really good pizza. One thing about Peru though is that you never have to wonder what is for breakfast. It will be bread and some form of eggs. Can´t wait to be home!
Jess Gary
mmmkayy. This trip has been so amazing thus far. I can´t believe how beautiful both the scenery and the children are. It is ironic to me that in a place so beautiful, there is so much poverty. However, amongst the poverty, there are people with faith much greater than that of those that seemingly have everything. This realization has undoubtedly changed the way I think and I know it will continue to impact me the rest of my life. This is one of those experiences that can be labled as a once in a lifetime oporotunity! I am so grateful that I have been able to come here and see this.
on a lighter note, I have also enjoyed the time with my fellow classmates, and seeing how they interact with the children, and how hard they work. We ended up making like a million bricks and shucking bambo, and on top of all that, our senior boys managed to squeeze in some foundational digging, as well as hauling logs to infinity and beyond. Basically, our senior class is beastly, and we get things done. I know our work here has impacted the lives of many, and it is truly a blessing that God has allowed us this amazing opporotunity to help so many people, as well as be changed ourselves.
I hope you enjoy our posts.
love,
Kristi Brown.
Jess Gary
mmmkayy. This trip has been so amazing thus far. I can´t believe how beautiful both the scenery and the children are. It is ironic to me that in a place so beautiful, there is so much poverty. However, amongst the poverty, there are people with faith much greater than that of those that seemingly have everything. This realization has undoubtedly changed the way I think and I know it will continue to impact me the rest of my life. This is one of those experiences that can be labled as a once in a lifetime oporotunity! I am so grateful that I have been able to come here and see this.
on a lighter note, I have also enjoyed the time with my fellow classmates, and seeing how they interact with the children, and how hard they work. We ended up making like a million bricks and shucking bambo, and on top of all that, our senior boys managed to squeeze in some foundational digging, as well as hauling logs to infinity and beyond. Basically, our senior class is beastly, and we get things done. I know our work here has impacted the lives of many, and it is truly a blessing that God has allowed us this amazing opporotunity to help so many people, as well as be changed ourselves.
I hope you enjoy our posts.
love,
Kristi Brown.
DAy 6
What an incredible last day of VBS! We talked about sharing the best treasure of all, Jesus, with others! We are so grateful to the Lord for how attentive the kids were today, especially at the end with Mrs. Smith told the story of a young girl we met here last year named Irma (see below) and then invited them to give their hearts to Christ.
We met Irma last year at the school. Her teacher called Mrs. Smith aside and showed her some sores on Irma´s skin...the sore were open wounds that went all the way to the bone! Mrs. Smith and Mr. Horton posed the challenge to the students of giving their own money for Irma to go to Lima to get the treatments that she needed. Last year´s students gave over 700 dollars! It was incredible to see their generosity. Irma began her treatments and improved a lot.
Right before we arrived in Peru this year we received an email that Irma had passed away. Her parents, who were very old, were unable to go with her to finish her treatments. They also were unable to provide her with the kind of diet that she needed. In the end it was determined that she had a very rare form of cancer.
This was very sad news for us. But then we received another email. Just after Irma had begun her treatments, Maria Antonietta, the director of the Scripture Union schools work, had spent time with her in the hospital and lead her to Christ. We know that Irma came to know the Lord through the gifts of SLCA students and the love of SUs workers.
So, Mrs. Smith told this story of how Irma, their former classmate had accepted Christ and invited the rest of the students to do the same. We all prayed together, and atleast two of the little girls responded in faith!The students share their art that says ¨Jesus is the best treasure¨
All the kids at the Kusi school
Evan writes on the board ¨Cristo es el mejor tesoro¨
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thoughts from Catherine...
It feels so good to be back in PerĂº, and I truly feel blessed to be able to share this experience with my classmates. One thing that has really stood out to me is how almost everyone is stepping up into leadership positions in various areas in order to better our group. Evan and Tyler have been doing an incredible job leading devotions in the evening, Czander, Josh and Evan have been leading us in worship, Jordan, Jessie and Lucas have been incredible with leading and organizing the different crafts that we have for the kids during VBS in the mornings, people have been taking leadership on the construction site, during VBS, and everyone is giving of their time to spend time with the kids we meet.
This morning during VBS, we talked about how Christ is the most valuable treasure that we could ever have. After enjoying a puppet show, singing songs, learning the Bible verse, and participating in a skit, the kids went back to their classrooms to decorate treasure box. When I found out that we would be giving glitter to all these little children I was definitely concerned. And while the glitter did end up all over the desks and floor, and all over their hands and in their hair, for many of them, it was the first time they had ever seen it, much less been able to use it. Their faces lit up, and they would come up to us time after time with a new design on their treasure boxes, most wanting to fit as much on there as possible! It is moving to see how such a simple thing can make a difference in the lives of these children. Please continue to pray with us that God will use what we do and say to reach the kids in the schools and that their hearts will be touched by what is being taught.
There is not a person on this trip who does not love the time we have spent with the boys. A couple of days ago we were in Ica. We didn’t have any work to do there so we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time just hanging out with the boys. Both SouthLake kids and Peruvian kids were gathered around playing instruments, some playing games and other just sitting and talking with the boys. Almost every guy had run around the center with at least one boy on his shoulders by the end of the night. The girasoles (the Scripture Union’s name for the street boys in their program) were laughing and playing with us all night and all the next morning. We have never seen such joyful kids. It is incomprehendable that children with so much joy have gone through so much. This trip has definitely opened up our eyes in a way no story ever could. We have met, played, and laughed with the very boys that had been in the streets not so long ago. It is not something that can be quickly forgotten and these boys will be in our heart and our prayers long after we have gone.
Our theme verse for VBS is Jeremiah 29:13 which says, ¨You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.¨ Not only are we trying to teach this to the kids, but it is something that we have been focusing on all week in our devotions. I personally have been challenged to seek God not only when I need him, but throughout the day. He is the vine and we are the branches. If I am not connected to my life source, the Bible says that I will be cut off and wither away and die. Our nightly devotions have really inspired me to really focus on my relationship with the Lord and make it a priority in my life. It is amazing at what a difference it makes.
Thank you to all who are praying for us and supporting us back home! We love you!
This morning during VBS, we talked about how Christ is the most valuable treasure that we could ever have. After enjoying a puppet show, singing songs, learning the Bible verse, and participating in a skit, the kids went back to their classrooms to decorate treasure box. When I found out that we would be giving glitter to all these little children I was definitely concerned. And while the glitter did end up all over the desks and floor, and all over their hands and in their hair, for many of them, it was the first time they had ever seen it, much less been able to use it. Their faces lit up, and they would come up to us time after time with a new design on their treasure boxes, most wanting to fit as much on there as possible! It is moving to see how such a simple thing can make a difference in the lives of these children. Please continue to pray with us that God will use what we do and say to reach the kids in the schools and that their hearts will be touched by what is being taught.
There is not a person on this trip who does not love the time we have spent with the boys. A couple of days ago we were in Ica. We didn’t have any work to do there so we had the opportunity to spend a lot of time just hanging out with the boys. Both SouthLake kids and Peruvian kids were gathered around playing instruments, some playing games and other just sitting and talking with the boys. Almost every guy had run around the center with at least one boy on his shoulders by the end of the night. The girasoles (the Scripture Union’s name for the street boys in their program) were laughing and playing with us all night and all the next morning. We have never seen such joyful kids. It is incomprehendable that children with so much joy have gone through so much. This trip has definitely opened up our eyes in a way no story ever could. We have met, played, and laughed with the very boys that had been in the streets not so long ago. It is not something that can be quickly forgotten and these boys will be in our heart and our prayers long after we have gone.
Our theme verse for VBS is Jeremiah 29:13 which says, ¨You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.¨ Not only are we trying to teach this to the kids, but it is something that we have been focusing on all week in our devotions. I personally have been challenged to seek God not only when I need him, but throughout the day. He is the vine and we are the branches. If I am not connected to my life source, the Bible says that I will be cut off and wither away and die. Our nightly devotions have really inspired me to really focus on my relationship with the Lord and make it a priority in my life. It is amazing at what a difference it makes.
Thank you to all who are praying for us and supporting us back home! We love you!
Days 4-5: Photos!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 3: The 11.5 hour bus ride!
We drove a reeeeeally long time from Kawai to Caraz. We came upon this view about 5 hours from our destination.
Day 2: Ica
Sunday was wonderful! We spent the morning with the boys at Casa Girasoles, Ica and then went to Peruvian church!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Safe in the Mountains
Hello all! We have arrived safely in Caraz! We got in a little late and have not been able to buy phone cards (!). The students will get them tomorrow afternoon and will ring home then :)
Tomorrow is our first day of VBS! Please pray for the Gospel message to be shared clearly as we teach about the lost sheep from Luke 15!
There have been a few upset tummies :( Please pray for health for all tomorrow!
Tomorrow is our first day of VBS! Please pray for the Gospel message to be shared clearly as we teach about the lost sheep from Luke 15!
There have been a few upset tummies :( Please pray for health for all tomorrow!
Peru 2010: Day 1
We arrived in Lima late Friday night, and after loading the bus, drove an hour and a half to the Scripture Union Boy's home in Kawai. Then, time for bed!
Saturday morning we awoke to the sounds and smells of the Pacific Ocean. Kawai is located right on the beach and is used as a summer camp where children are taught God's word!
After breakfast we drove...well, the "chofer" drove and we slept...for four hours to the southern city of Ica, a desert city partially devastated by the earthquake of 2007. For lunch we stopped by our favorite restaurant, Roky's, a place famous for its delicious rotisserie style chicken.
Ten minutes outside of Ica is a small squatter village where the people have not running water. Their only source of water is the government water trucks that come by once every two weeks. They fill up anything they can, buckets, pitchers, large trashcans, anything!
We bought a water truck for only 30$ and delivered free water to the residents of this area. The students were so diligent and caring. They carried VERY HEAVY buckets full of water to the homes in the dusty town. Some up to distances of an eighth of a mile.
We prayed that these people, mostly women and children, would know the living water found through Christ alone!
After emptying the water truck, we drove another 10 minutes to Huacachina, an area of the Atacama desert famous for "carros tubulares"- dune buggies! We are still cleaning the sand out of our ears :)
-Miss Jackson
Saturday morning we awoke to the sounds and smells of the Pacific Ocean. Kawai is located right on the beach and is used as a summer camp where children are taught God's word!
After breakfast we drove...well, the "chofer" drove and we slept...for four hours to the southern city of Ica, a desert city partially devastated by the earthquake of 2007. For lunch we stopped by our favorite restaurant, Roky's, a place famous for its delicious rotisserie style chicken.
Ten minutes outside of Ica is a small squatter village where the people have not running water. Their only source of water is the government water trucks that come by once every two weeks. They fill up anything they can, buckets, pitchers, large trashcans, anything!
We bought a water truck for only 30$ and delivered free water to the residents of this area. The students were so diligent and caring. They carried VERY HEAVY buckets full of water to the homes in the dusty town. Some up to distances of an eighth of a mile.
We prayed that these people, mostly women and children, would know the living water found through Christ alone!
After emptying the water truck, we drove another 10 minutes to Huacachina, an area of the Atacama desert famous for "carros tubulares"- dune buggies! We are still cleaning the sand out of our ears :)
-Miss Jackson
Friday, May 21, 2010
Leavin' on a jet plane!!
Friday, March 12, 2010
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