Day 07: A Day with the Boys

At 11 o'clock, the bus pulled through the blue gates of the Girasoles home. Give or take 50 people packed into a small little bus piled out onto the green field in front of the outdoor chapel space. Field day was today. There was an abundance of games to be played and an abundance of fun to be had. The outgoing kids were having a blast instantly and within minutes those shy introverts were smiling from ear to ear as well. I was in charge of hopscotch with Kami, and let me just say I had no idea how many ways you could play a game that simply involves chalk squares. It brightened my soul to see how much fun these kids had by just jumping square to square. The groups of kids rotated through various game stations, and then they rounded up at the outside chapel. VBS consisted of skits, songs, dances, and prayers. Marcelino, a little boy from Chanchajalla, sat with Cayla and I. I have never seen someone open up and show so much love to a stranger from another country. He sat in my lap and held my hand. He even grabbed Cayla's hand so all three of us could hold hands. His tiny little fingers interlocked between ours. When Mr. Bas prayed in Spanish, I was more than lost with the words, but Marcelino prayed loud and proud for the world to hear. I have never heard anything so sweet. Multiple mom chaperones sitting to my left lifted their heads and dropped their jaws. After all of the activities with the people of Chanchajalla, the SouthLake crew played a little soccer and got ready for bible study and a surprise. We had no idea what was coming. We lined up in front of the entry way and waited in the dark. Billy, the leader of the trip, came out and told us the boys of the house would be escorting the ladies and the ladies would be escorting the boys to their seats. They were dressed in aprons and bowties which were handily made out of paper. Balloons decorated the ceiling, and a light hanging from the ceiling was exchanged for a disco ball light. I am not ashamed to say I, along with some unnamed people, cried. Tears flooded my eyes as the house father's words were translated into English. Earlier today I was talking to some people about missing American food. They made us fried chicken and French fries. I don't even need to go home. My heart is so full here. I could deal with cold showers every day. I have been so blessed to be able to get to know these wonderful boys. This week has gone by too fast, but tonight was a perfect last night with the house of Girasoles.

-Chloe

Day 06: Field Trip!

The contrast I have experienced between today and yesterday is astounding. Going into Chanchajalla and witnessing the poverty there really affected me and ultimately changed my outlook on the trip as a whole, but following it up with a day of sight-seeing and leisure definitely put the nail in the coffin. While I was eating Peruvian chocolate, soaking in the beauty of the Ballestas Islands, and climbing to the top of a sand dune, the thought of all those people served as a lens by which I viewed the events of the day. The sand dune excursion sticks out from the rest, however. As Ryan and I finally summited the top of the mountain, I was met with a view equally beautiful and magnificent. Before me lay the repeated word entire valley of Ica, bordered on one side by the Andes Mountains, and on the other a never ending desert. Right below us lay, however, the city of Chanchajalla. It had to take a day devoted to myself to ultimately realize that this trip was not about myself at all. While making bricks, I was concerned with how many I was making to impress my friends. Whenever I woke up in the morning, my first thought was to be the first in the shower and at breakfast. I wanted to be the first to reach the top of the sand dune, but once I did, I soon wanted to put myself last and the Girasoles boys first.

-Roman


Today was one of the most exciting days I've yet experienced. Starting with an extremely early morning with a wake up time of 5:30 and a late breakfast delivered by a taxi, moral was incredibly low at first. We traveled together to the Paracas port where we hopped on a two hour boat ride to tour the Ballestas islands. We heard riveting information about "guano" (aka a fancy word for bird poop). We learned of its importance as a fertilizer and an important part of the penguins food chain. My personal experience with it? It's NOT fun to get pooped on the head with guano. Though I felt nauseous for a bit, the view was incredible. We got to see baby seals playing in the water and adorable penguins waddle around on the rocks. After the boat ride, we drove to the Helena chocolate factory: the Peruvian Kilwins. Following our first shopping experience, we had our first taste of America...PIZZA! I can honestly say that Peruvian pizza far exceeded my expectations. With satisfied bellies, we took on the 450 ish feet of sand dunes in Huacachina. As we were scaling the side, I had one main thought running through my mind: no amount of track practice has prepared me for this. Yet, there was instant gratification as we summited the top and could see what beauty God had created. Achy muscles and winded lungs vanished at the sight of what we had just accomplished and the splendor that lay before us. I found myself never wanting to leave and I'm sure everyone else can relate. We ended our adventurous day with an incredible bible study taught by Mr. Bartel in which we grew even deeper in our faith but also bonded better as a class. Already I can say that this trip has been the trip of a lifetime, and I (as well as my classmates) will hold it my heart for the rest of my life.

-Victoria

Day 05: Living Water

Our fourth day here in Ica hit me like a ton of bricks, quite literally actually. The previous day's activities consisted of a lot of brick making, taking a toll on the entire group's bodies I imagine. I woke up to the smell of instant coffee and fresh dewy grass and promptly spent some quiet time alone reviewing Mr. Bartel's devotional packet. All around me the air felt energized, but my body was feeling something different. Despite the joyful faces in front of me I was sulky and unmotivated. It took me the entire day to realize that the reason for this trip was to not only push ourselves out of our comfort zone and witness to our new best friends, but also be the embodiment of Christ. I understood in that moment that in order to witness to others as a group, we must also be driven as a group. I had to decide that the intention of our trip here was more important than my attitude in that moment. Continuing to be around the boys as well as my peers taught me a significant lesson in that sacrificing my personal qualms in the interest of our mission here in Ica proves to bring me more joy in the end. On  a completely different and positive note, I made a new best friend. His name is Jesus Sanchez and I can honestly say I may flood Peru again with my tears when we leave this place. Please pray for strength not to shy away from relationships as we look to the future and our trip home from this wonderful place.
-Hailey

Hola, mis amigos it's Day 5, and I can tell you my 2 years of Spanish have been flawless so far. Yesterday, like this trip has been filled with many great memories from spending time with the Girasloes Boys, Bonding with my classmates, and doing a front flip into a giant mud pit ( I definitely stuck the landing don't listen to anyone else). Also, today I gave a devotion on forgiveness to the Girasloes Boys this morning. So yes I will begin seminary school next week. Anyways, today I helped deliver water to the Promise Land. No, I'm not kidding the village is actually called "The Promised Land." They drove a 1995 Dodge heavy duty truck with about a 300 gallon tank filled with water on the back of it. The delivery method was pretty simple. We would drive down the little dirt roads of the village and stop along the houses with the people waiting for their buckets to be filled. It was such an amazing experience to not only minister to the people of the village by spreading God's love, but to also put smiles on the villagers' faces. This sweet little old lady said "Thank You" to me after I dropped her water off about 100 times and gave me the biggest hug I've ever received in my life. She also insisted on baking me cookies... I was tempted to stay for dinner. So Luis (mi amigo) and our group delivered water for 3 hours to the people of the Promised Land. We eventually returned back home and I went straight to playing Uno with major amigo (my best friend) Jesus Sanchez. I tell you, this kid is really good at Uno, like Olympic team worthy. All in all this trip has touched me in so many different ways and its just over halfway done. I am excited for the days ahead.
-Hunter

Day 04: Making Bricks and Making Friends

After some of the best sleep of my life, we woke up to the wonderful sounds of boys laughing right down the hall at about 7:30. We promptly got up and played cards with the boys; they can't get enough cards. Keep in mind that every game we play is in spanish and we have to translate everything that is going on; not too easy. When we don't understand, they take their time to talk slowly so we understand fully which is very helpful. Now imagine them teaching us a game that we don't know; even harder. We ate a fresh breakfast of homemade biscuits and fried sweet potatoes, and it was delicious as expected. We continued to enjoy the company of the boy and started a soccer game; USA vs. Peru. The boys are incredible at soccer, and I mean INCREDIBLE. Our best players are made to look like fools against the boys and most are half our size. It was a blast and the weather was perfect to not get too hot before working. After, we split up into a few groups to work around the community; one to VBS, one to work in the village, and another to make adobe bricks next to the boys' home. I was with the final group and we made as many bricks as we could. We dug a massive hole the day before and mixed water with the loose dirt/sand inside the hole and with some experienced help, got it to the right consistence. It was very difficult making a paste for the brick molds, and it was even more messy. Everyone was covered in mud. After the mixing, we packed the paste into a brick mold that had been coated in sand to prevent sticking. Finally, we took the mold and flipped it over hopefully without messing up the previous brick we had made. After using all the paste, we would loosen more dirt/sand and start over with a slightly bigger hole. After repeating the process all afternoon, the hole became enormous, meaning the amount of paste we made increased as well. After making a couple hundred bricks, we took a lunch break and all the groups reconvened. For lunch we had rice, Peruvian mashed potatoes and chicken on top. Once again, it did not disappoint. After lunch, the entire group went to continue making brick and we knocked out many hundred more in less time. Not to mention, we had the entertainment of Hunter flipping into the mud pit and falling on his face. After finishing the bricks for the day, we had devotions with our group about having an active faith and taking initiative to do God's work. Now we are at dinner enjoying chicken fried rice and fellowship with the boy. This is the kind of meal where its so good, you want to get more, but you are too full to walk; my kind of meal. Another day in paradise, but one less day to be with the boys who have changed our lives. Pray that we make the most out of the rest of the time we have.
- Samuel

Day 03: VBS and Brick Making

Waking up to sunshine streaming through the windows was reflective of day three here in Lima. We had an awesome breakfast of rolls and eggs (which probably came from the live chickens that we walk past every morning). After a quick rehearsal for VBS, we boarded a bus and headed to a school in Chanchajalla. Although we saw pictures of the flooding before the trip, the devastation became a true reality on this ride. Large rivets were carved into the cracked dirt, evidence of the terrifying flood waters that had crashed through. According to our driver and a couple Girasoles boys, the community houses had been submerged for over a month! The weight of responsibility felt by these Chanchajalla families is unimaginable to me. Amidst the crumbling brick walls, tarp-laden shelters, and leaning clotheslines is a little jewel of joy: the school. Even watching the kids scramble around and wave to us through the windows while we prepared for VBS was a blessing. We showed them Bible verse motions, did a Creation skit, and danced to two songs that went with our theme: Observadores Galacticos (Galaxy Observers). Craft time was an absolute blast; getting to interact one-on-one with these precious faces was the coolest. Even though it mostly consisted of repeating colors back and forth and pointing out the "gatos y nubes" (cats and clouds) in the Days of Creation coloring page, there was a comradery present that is inexplicable. Returning to a delicious Peruvian meal, we eventually headed out to the worksite next door to our temporary home here in Ica. We primarily worked to smooth the ground so that we could have a place to lay dried adobe bricks tomorrow (the bricks will be used to build a new church!). We chopped at vegetation, broke up the hard ground with shovels, smoothed it with planks of wood, and finished it off with a layer of water and sand. Sweat soaked our shirts and dust clouded our eyes, but laughter still filled the air. A few attempted the brick-making process, but only a couple succeeded (hopefully we will master it this week). We returned to our bungalows to wash off the dirt "tans" before worship time. We focused on forgiveness (the "F" in our F.A.I.T.H. devotional) and took time in groups to reflect on people we have withheld forgiveness from in our own lives. It is crazy that we struggle to forgive when the One who demonstrated ultimate forgiveness toward us calls us to! Afterwards we enjoyed more yummy food and fellowship with the boys before heading to bed. It is sad to leave the smiling faces who make fun of our Spanish, sing Despacito, and beat us in Uno every night. It was another amazing day here in Ica, and we could not be more excited to see what the Lord has in store for the rest of our time here. Sending blessings!!
- Sydney

Day 02: Meeting the Boys

Our wake up call on day two came around 8:00, some earlier and some later than others. As we made our way out of our rooms we ascended to the third floor only to be greeted by a beautiful open air café on top of the Lima Wasi Hotel. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the busy Lima streets below and had a delicious breakfast of Peruvian favorites. The orange juice was arguably the best part, seeing that it was probably squeezed fresh an hour prior. Many pictures and full bellies later we headed back down to get packed up to prepare for the journey to Ica, our home for the next week. As we finished pulling all luggage to the front curb of the hotel, our bus arrived with a very impressive three-point turn. The bus was packed full with luggage and we got settled in for the 6.5 hour ride ahead of us. Along the way we saw incredible views of coastlines, sand dunes, and quaint seaside villas; but we also saw the poverty. We saw concrete villages with minimal shelter, garbage littering the landscape, and a small market every once in a while. A few hours into the ride, we ate bagged lunches full of Peruvian goodies, eagerly awaiting our destination. Soon enough, we arrived at the gates of the boys home in Ica around 3:30, greeted by smiling faces and good weather. We were shown to our bungalows to get settled in before we joined the festivities. After thirty minutes you would have thought we had been there for a month- a soccer tournament in full swing, spanglish conversations everywhere, laughter and smiles galore. The boys are absolutely incredible. They loved taking pictures with us, showing us the property (including the various fruit trees: mangoes, pecans, avocadoes, oranges, lemons, papayas, bananas, and strawberries!!), and teaching us new things. Once the sun set at 5:30, the boys went in to get washed up for dinner and the team met to talk about the days ahead of us. Dinner was served at 7:30 which consisted of Lomo Saltado (white rice and beef/onion/potato stirfry- YUM). After dinner we had game night in the open courtyard before it was back to the bungalows for all of us. It is starting to feel like home. The Lord is moving within these gates and we are so excited to live out the plan and purpose He has for us. Godspeed.

-Heather

Day 01: Bienvenidos a Peru

We made it, and all are present and accounted for!!!!!! We'll be getting a few hours of sleep before we head out on the road at 10. Continue to keep us in your prayers, and God bless.

We are on our way!

The beginning of our journey...

 

Please pray for us as we travel. May we be salt and light.

Peru Trip 2017

We're all packed! Thanks for all of your donations. We know the boys will be glad to get them.

Stay tuned for updates from the trip!