Day 5 - Thursday

On the very last workday at Kusi, Kathy had a special job that she wanted completed. I, Anna Schuldt, was volunteered to help, and I gladly did. Three old, oil drums sat in the long grass, their lids coated with a thin layer of rust. Kathy wanted them to be repainted and decorated as a gift to Kusi and to the Girasoles boys. Primer and black paint were mixed with thinner to be enough to cover the entire outside of the drums. A group of girls and I sanded the tops of the drums to rid them of the rust then hauled the drums onto three, small plastic tarps and immediately began to paint the first and second layers. After applying the coat of black to the drums, they looked shiny and brand new. We took a break and went to help with the vacation Bible school going on in the school.

                After lunch Kathy walked into the center of Kusi with a huge smile on her face and a box in her arms. She unloaded the box displaying the new colors to decorate the black outside with. The bright yellow, green, and brown were the perfect colors to paint the design that Kathy wanted onto the sides. First I used chalk to write the words for the others to trace. I went back and used the special colors to paint girasoles, or sunflowers, onto the sides of the drum. While painting, I was able to spend time with some of the little boys, talking and joking with them. It was amazing to be able to leave something there that was a little more personal for the boys to be able to use.

----Anna Schuldt

                 Day 6 was definitely an eventful and enjoyable one. VBS continued their lessons on the Armor of God by focusing on the story of David and Goliath to teach the boys the importance of faith. After that, the Southlake boys went to lunch at a former Girasol boy’s restaurant (Sixto). Then we were in for a surprise. Billy took us on a walk and ended it at a basketball court in the heart of Yungay. There we played a semi-pro Peruvian team named Rosario. I’m not trying to make excuses, but we all were still in jeans and work boots. The score is not important because after all, we are on a missions trip.

                When we got back to Kusi, Katy commemorated our time working there by planting a small tree in the Main Square. It was special to see something in Kusi permanently placed to remember Southlake. Later that night, Rosa organized for a local dancing group to perform a very impressive 10 minute dance, and then they invited us to dance with them. We didn’t embarrass ourselves too much. Like the day already wasn’t cool enough, the boys and us gathered around a bonfire, and 3 of the Girasoles and 4 Southlake students shared their testimonies. I felt extremely grateful for the life we live in the States because some of the boys have gone through things in 6 years of their lives that most of us won’t experience in our entire lives. To end the night, we said goodnight to the boys, and then Bungalows 1-3 had their bungalow wars with bamboo sticks (coming to TV soon).

-Noah VanWingerden