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!

Day 10: Mama We Made It

Unfortunately, on our very last day in Peru we had to wake up very early. But, we got to do one final VBS in the inner city of Lima, a very poor area. The air had a rancid smell and smog was visible in the sky. It was clear that we were no longer in Yungay or Miraflores. However, there was a school amidst all of this – a school full of happy and eager children ready to learn about Jesus. Once we made it through the two security gates at the school, we congregated in a long rectangular room with speakers and a computer without a monitor. Without a monitor, we could not navigate the CD to “Sumergido” and “Burbujea” thankfully, my laptop had the videos already downloaded on it, so with a quick trip down to the stairs and past the gates, Mr. Bas and I returned to the bus were I quickly grabbed the laptop and returned to the VBS room. (On a side note, quickly going to fix something brought me back fond memories of SouthLake – I even ended up running the sound system there, which Mr. Bas described as “straight out of the 80s.”) The rest of the VBS went off without a hitch – we didn’t miss (more than) a beat when performing the songs, a skit performed with(out) Blumey Award winning skill, and the close to 200 hundred 3^rd and 4^th graders actively participated throughout the entire program.

After we finished, we returned to our bus and made our way over to Scripture Union Peru’s HQ. Besides being the place of Billy and Kate’s offices, it is also the home to the deaf school that Scripture Union runs. We had the opportunity to meet 6 of the 8 deaf students today. The students were between the ages of 13 and 23, and prior to their time at the school here this year, no one had ever taught them how sign language. They each introduced themselves and showed us their unique sign (I learned that rather than spelling out their name every time, deaf people will make a unique sign usually involving one or two letters of their name and then a specific trait about them. For example, one of the girl’s name was Catherina and she had long, wavy hair, so her sign was a “C” that she made while moving her hand in a wavy motion down her hair.)  Once we were all properly introduced, we played various games that went beyond our language barrier – including Jenga, charades, and ring toss. Then we all had lunch (chicken, rice, and potatoes – per usual) together, which was when I learned a few signs (like how to sign “me gusta” and “pollo”). We ended our visit at the deaf school by performing our Zacchaeus skit for them, which of course was translated into Peruvian Sign Language (at some points during the day, we had to people translate from Peruvian Sign Language to Spanish and then to English!).

               - Danny

Now Speaking Preston Smith:

I honestly think I would enjoy the monastic life for an extended period of time. Especially, if I had a cool library. It is very interesting how revered St. Francis Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, was and if I can make the judgement maybe followed/worshiped a little too dogmatically for my reformed taste. Anyways, the monastery was incredible! In fact, it is no longer a monastery but was converted into catacombs for many of the people who were killed by the Spanish inquisition in Peru. There were thousands upon thousands of bones that lent it to a very somber and sobering atmosphere when we ventured under the earth to see them (at 6’4 I found myself ducking more often than not…). Another side note, while they said no pictures I am very proud of the 46 shots I sneaked when the tour guide was not looking… yes, I know that may not have been the honorable thing to do, but it was too cool not to capture and nearly everyone was doing it, so she kind of gave up. The monastery may have been my favorite part of our time as tourists (although the waterpark I’m about to tell you about rivals it intensely) because of the history we learned about and witnessed. The Peruvian culture is steeped in Catholicism and take pride in the monastery and catacombs. They still hold a daily mass in the sanctuary of the monastery.

The waterpark was insanely fun! I think Billy mentioned something about it being like the largest public waterpark display in the world. Regardless, it was impressive. It is not a waterpark like you’d picture at Carowinds, but rather, countless fountains with only two of them having any level of interaction. As breathtaking as the fountains were, we spent half our time at the food carts J. Many of us ate some hamburgers that couldn’t have been good for our blood pressure and washing it down with some chocolate cake (back at it again with the healthy food choices). When the sun started to go down the waterpark only got more spectacular, enhanced with awesome lights!

-        -  Preston

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  After exiting the Water Park, we said our good-byes to Bill, Kate, and Mrs. Smith (who stayed behind to work on the scholarship program for the boys in Kusi) and made our way back onto the bus. About forty minutes later through Lima traffic, we arrived at the airport, checked our bags (mine was 10 pounds lighter), had dinner (McDonald’s and Papa John’s were popular choices), went through security (painlessly, except for Mrs. Carter’s Peruvian sauce was confiscated), and through Peruvian customs (which also went painlessly). We were all a little disappointed when our water purchased past security was confiscated at the gate - apparently it is not legal to bring water outside of the US into the US.

This trip has truly been life changing. It has been my pleasure to share this journey along with you all at home. As much as I look forward to returning to Yunguy and saying “Hola” to all my new friends, I am very thankful to be back en los Estados Unidos.

-       -  Danny

Day 9: Tourism at Its Finest (Preston's Perspective)

It was a miracle from the Lord to be able to sleep in past 6:30 this morning – for the first time all week it felt like I wasn’t waking up for a school day J. Not only were we able to sleep in but when I flicked on the TV I was joyfully greeted by the French Open (I had been very sport deprived and love watching all of the tennis majors)! The hotel rooms were pretty impressive and we were also greeted by a wonderful breakfast buffet on a beautiful third floor terrace. The spread was great and having Wi-Fi while eating breakfast was something I never thought I’d see again.

After our wonderful daily devotion delivered by the great Reverend Eric Bartel, we set off on foot through the hectic streets of well-advertised Lima. After a quaint yet noisy and hustled hike, we made it to Pardos Chicken where we had lunch. It is Billy’s favorite chicken chain and they did have some pretty good rotisserie chicken. After that we had free roam around the mall! We had an hour and a half and I was convinced that Starbucks would make my slightly upset stomach feel better! Much to Danny and Joshua’s surprise, the Starbucks did a miracle (which I knew it would and was not mental) and I was back on my feet running! The rest of the time we spent window shopping in ridiculously expensive American-style stores (because the prices were even more intimidating in Soles). After regrouping - and ensuring that we hadn’t lost Jared - we were on our way to market!

The market was fascinating! However, it contained about 500 repeat items… After a lot of haggling, finagling, and jinangaling some of us worked our way down to comfortable prices J. Scouring row after row to find gifts for family, and in many cases ourselves, we stumbled upon many Alpaca products, extensive silver jewelry, and - in Hamilton Rothwell’s case - a hammock… which ended up taking the entire space of his suitcase.

Next, after a quick pit stop by the hotel to drop off our goods, we were on to the top of a double-decker bus for a tour around Lima. First, I have to mention that there was much ducking beneath telephone wires which became a fun game in and of itselfJ. It was very difficult to hear the man over the old, crackling speaker (not to mention his broken English) so it became more of a sightseeing tour as I grilled Billy on the economic position of Peru and its stake in equities. We saw some old Incan ruins, awesome clay tennis courts (which made Lauren Greene and I both jealous and salty that we did not bring our tennis rackets), and several people attempting to hang-glide off the cliffs that bordered the ocean. Also on the trip we passed by numerous public parks which are well maintained in Lima. A fun fact Billy told us was that since Lima is in a desert region in the country every single green thing in the city is watered by water trucks every day! It really was a gorgeous tour and gave us a cool appreciation for the quarters of Lima.

Our final stop was dinner and a show! The buffet was… interesting and definitely Peruvian… but good none the less. David and I both battled upset stomachs, something I have been all too familiar with on this trip, but we survived. Once, settled in we were treated to about six different styles of Peruvian dance, many of which became interactive! Besides this wonderful spectacle, the other highlight of dinner was Andrew Bansek and Thomas Carter getting turned away from an “all you can eat” dessert spread after taking about 30 of the miniature brownies each! And I must say the brownies helped my stomach too… once again proving to myself that sugar works very medicinally.

Peru has been a phenomenal experience, yet spiritually and physically draining, and I can’t wait to get back to tell you all more about it in person!

     ~ Preston Smith

 The view from the mall court.

 Our tour bus.

Day 08: Maddie and Lauren’s Perspective

Hola amigos!!!!!! Today we woke up insanely sad, because we knew it was our last day in Kusi. We got to eat breakfast with the boys and spend one last morning with them. After breakfast, we walked to the café we had lunch at on Thursday and Friday for church. Not going to lie, the walk was a lot longer than expected. We struggled with some lumpy hills and rocks. We (Maddie Frazier and Lauren Greene) both hurt our ankles on Saturday. Maddie twisted her ankle during the walk at glacier lake. I accidently kicked a boy’s knee cap with my ankle while playing soccer, so walking to church was not our best idea.

               From first glance the café is unusually small - we did not know how everyone would fit in. It was a bit cramped, but the love of God overpowered our physical needs. One song that we sang throughout the week was “Todo Poderoso.” The cool thing about this song is that when we were in 10^Th grade Mr. Molina taught it to us, so we were all able to sing along. Mr. Bas preached a powerful sermon from the book of Philemon, talking about how the love of Jesus conquers the language barrier. Overall, it was amazing to see the love of God that was felt in that small café despite the close quarters and heat.

               Thankfully, on the way back to Kusi we got to ride in taxis. Our last meal with the boys was lunch. We ate this delicious rice and chicken. (On a side note, the food in Peru is amazing! They have this genius concept of carbs on carbs. We ate this one meal that was French fries on rice PURE GENIUS!!! One boy that Maddie and I became extremely close to was Jose. Jose was a little, lovable boy who ate everything. During this specific meal he made this French fry and rice sandwich which we found very funny. He also ate our left overs at every meal.) It was a very sad lunch, because it was our last time with the boys.

               After lunch, we had about two hours to get our stuff together and say our final goodbyes to the boys. It was a sad time because as each day went on, we became closer to the boys. Everyone was hanging out in the plaza together, avoiding the fact that in a couple hours we would not be seeing each other again. Out of denial, Maddie and I avoided packing. Eventually we broke down and got our bags (against our will). The boys sweetly offered to carry our bags for us. Richard carried Maddie’s and Josmel carried mine. Before we left, Cayla Metzger and Madi Black presented portraits of the boys that they drew. This was special to them because a lot of them do not have many pictures of themselves.

               The saddest hour was before us as we gave our last hugs to the boys. It literally took everything within us to keep from crying. It was an emotional time because we can confidently say that those boys changed all of our lives. The love we felt from boys who do not know us, live completely different from us, and speak a different language than us, was absolutely amazing. Words cannot describe how much love overflowed from their hearts into ours. It is awesome to see the love in Kusi and how amazing God is as we saw Him working there. I personally have never felt the presence of God this close to me during the time we spent there. We all grew close to different boys and each had an inseparable bond. Basically, the parents dragged us into the vans to leave. At least we gave the boys a good laugh when Avery Bolen tripped on the curb on the way to the vans. As we drove up the large hill Kusi sits on, one of the Kusi boys, Richard, climbed to the top to wave goodbye once more. It was both awesome and sad at the same time. This is when Maddie started crying a lot.

               The vans took us to a bus that would take us back to Lima. It was about a 7 hour trip down the mountain. Honestly, the trip down was a blur because we were too sad and we slept most the time (once again, everyone took Dramamine). Although we did see a full double rainbow over a sunset that was awesome. Another side note- the land in Peru is AMAZING!!! We saw a rainbow about everyday which in a way made us feel closer to God. Here is a quote from Maddie, “God’s promise was a rainbow so this rainbow is my promise that I will come back to Kusi.” After a long nap, we woke at the hotel around 11:30 and went straight to bed.

               From reading this, I hope you realize how much we love Peru and the love we have for Kusi boys. We thank all of you who have contributed to this mission. It was amazing to see what your contributions went to and how they changed so many lives. Gracias, ciao, y adios amigos!

-Tus Amigas, Lauren Greene and Maddie Frazier

PS. A shout out to Avery Bolen who was in almost all of these situations. 

Day 07: Glacier Lake and Dancing Through the Night

After a quick breakfast we all piled in the bus and made our way further up the mountain to Glacier Lake. The change in altitude was definitely noticeable as we were then 12500 feet above sea level. I would try to describe the way the lake looked, but a picture is worth a hundred words (so see the attached pictures). After some of the boys (and two women’s rights fighters) jumped into the very cold lake, we all proceeded to hike down the mountain. It was a very beautiful hike with rivers, creeks, mountain views, and a creepy forest – it legitimately could have been a drawing from a Grimm Fairy Tale book. Once we made it down the mountain, we proceeded to take an hour drive back to the boy’s home.

We all had a special lunch with boys upon our arrival. Pachamanca is a BBQ type deal, except better and not really like a BBQ at all. It begins by digging a large pit in the ground, filling it with food wrapped in leaves, and then buried and left to cook for a while. The meal consisted of beef, chicken, pork, potatoes, sweet bread, and corn. We all ate it with our hands with the boys and enjoyed getting a little bit messy. In fact, a pregnant pig was next to us squealing throughout the whole meal – it was pretty comical for me, but most people were annoyed and were about to shoot it. 

Some people went to play soccer with the boys while the rest of began to pack. I was told that the gringos lost 5 to 2, as to be expected. Later after a light dinner of chicken soup, we all went to have a final celebration with the boys. The celebration kicked off with a game of hot potato with one major modification – the loser had to dance in the middle of the group. Mrs. Bas and Mrs. Carter were the first to be sent in the middle and dance to “Cotton Eye Joe.” Mrs. Bas later said that if they had played Latin music she would have danced a lot better, regardless I think they did a pretty good job and provided a lot of laughter for everyone else (at their expense, but I’d like to think we were laughing with them, not at them). Later, Angel and Rosa’s oldest son’s dance group performed a dance local to the region and then taught us how to do it as well. We danced for another half hour and finished dancing to a song about how we would all see each other again one day, whether in person or in heaven.  The night was finished by Angel (the house father) praying over all of us and saying “Buenos noches” and hugging each boy before going to bed.

 Aerial view of Kusi