Holiday, Celebrate

So this is about 2 months a little late but I'm going to update everyone on my Peruvian Christmas experience. Since I already wrote a bit about the holiday season about sharing my traditions and learning new ones, I'm just going to update you all a little bit on my actual Christmas Eve/Day celebrations and my vacation time with the other YAVs.

For most Peruvians the Christmas tradition to celebrate more Christmas Eve night and leave Christmas day as a day to sleep in and rest, that means no presents from Santa to wake up to. So the day of Christmas Eve I spent talking people back home on skype, hearing about and seeing via webcam all the crazy snow they were getting back home while I was sitting in a short sleeve shirt, a skirt, and my chacos. I think there was mutual jealously going on. I'm not a huge fan of the cold and snow, but I do miss it sometimes, epecially around Christmas when the hot weather was not helping me get in the "Christmas spirit."

That day I went to the mercado with my host mom and sister to buy stuff to make our dinner that night (more on that later). There were so many people out doing the traditional last minute Christmas shopping, except in this case I have a feeling the items being bought were more out of necessity because most of the shops would be closed for the next couple of days. That evening I went back out to the centro to run some more errands, mainly to get some cash for my upcoming travels, and when I rejoined my host dad and sister I saw that Pastor Abdon was just now buying his Christmas presents for the family. I hate to stereotype men, but all I can say is typical! We then grabbed a quick little bite to eat since our dinner wouldn't be served until about 10:30 that night, so we needed something to tide us over until then. That evening out in the centro, I was finally feeling the excited buzz of anticipation that comes with Christmas. Seeing everyone else out and about with family and friends, you could just see and feel the joy of that evening.

That night we had the traditional Peruvian Christmas dish of .... chinese food! Ok so it wasn't really a typical Peruvian dish, but the chinese fusion food here called Chifa is everywhere and really popular so it might as well be traditional food. So we had a delicious spread of Chicken and pinapple with rice and wantons. And of course to top things off Paneton and hot chocolate!

After we finished dinner it was close to midnight so we opened up our presents as per tradition here. The presents were simple and sweet, not the usual crazy spread as it is at my house, but it was nice to celebrate a little more simply. Then, right at midnight, we started hearing fireworks going off all around the neighborhood. So we went out to join them with our sparklers. Everywhere around me people were out in the streets celebrating the joyous arrival of our Savior! And in that moment of pure joy and excitement I forgot that I was thousands of miles away from home, in a foreign country, speaking (well trying to speak) a foreign tongue, and adjusting to foreign customs, I was celebrating with my fellow brothers and sisters and giving thanks to God for gifts of love and grace that was given on that night and every single moment since then.

Christmas day was quite the lazy affair. I parcipated in the great American tradition of watching A Christmas Story, except this year I watched it on my laptop instead of the the TV, and other than packing for my vacation, and skyping the family I didn't do anything! I was back to being a bit homesick and missing everyone, so needless to say I was so ready to get this vacation started!!

The next day I left on my bus to Lima to meet up with Sarah "Alta," Ginna, and Anna. We left the day after that with a friend of Joe's to spend some time in a beautiful city called Arequipa. There we met up with Joe and his girlfriend. Alissa, the remaining YAV, couldn't join us on this leg of the trip because she was traveling with her family. I don't have much to say about my vacation other than you should just look at the pictures, because they tell the stories so much better than I do.

I do have just a couple of short stories that I want to share from this vacation.

The first one involves traveling woes. No vacation would be complete with out a bit of complications involving transportation especially when we are talking about the Peruvian bussing system. As we learned some agencies (Cruz del Sur) are reliable and nice, others (*ahem* Ormeno) are not. We had planned on visiting a small coastal town called Paracas and seeing some rare wildlife, but our bus from Arequipa never arrived! After a few minutes of trying to figure out what to do we decided to go on a different bus that was going all the way to Lima. So we got like the last 4 seats on this bus, on the top floor, which if you don't know is where the smaller, less comfortable seats are. But we were finally on our way and settling in for a 15 hour bus ride. Well apparently our travel woes weren't over after that. While I was sleeping (I heard about all of this after the fact) our bus swerved to miss a semi-truck coming at us and ended up hitting the guard rail on the side of the road. I was told that we were stopped for quite a while and that most of the people where out of their seats looking out the window to see what was going on - and I slept through the whole thing! So my first and hopefully only Peruvian bus crash I slept through!

The second story I will end this blog with goes along with the theme of holidays and celebrating. We spent New Years Eve in Lima, and after a wonderful meal of sea food in Barranco (a very hip, kinda bohemian part of town) we headed back to our Hostel, Loki to bring in the New Year at the bar there. That night was about our 3rd night there so we had already made friends with some of the people who were staying there as well. We had met and made (at least temporarily) friends with people from Ireland, the U.S., Israel, Lima, Arequipa, England, and Denmark. At midnight we all toasted and gave hugs and cheek kisses and shouted and sang, celebrating a New Year, a new day to be alive. For me it was what I call a little "Kingdom moment," times when I experience what I think the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. And it might seem rediculous but I felt that in a bar in a hostel in Lima. Here we all were, a bunch of strangers really, from all different parts of the world, different religions, beliefs, cultures, etc., and yet for this one night we were all friends, together we were singularly celebrating an event that proclaims new beginnings and celebrates life!

So I end this blog hoping that you all experience a "Kingdom Moment" today in your life! More blogs to come, I'm really trying to play catch up here, so I hope that you enjoy them!!

In Her Shoes

I thought that I would change things up a bit and add a new voice to this blog by having my mom write an entry reflecting on her time in Peru and especially in Huanuco since she is the only one from my family who got to really experience what my life is like.

I had a really great time with my family while they were visiting Peru and I was so glad that I could share this country that I've fallen in love with with the people that I love.

And now without further adieu... My mother -

Hello to everyone who visits Sarah's blog. I'm Renee, Sarah's mom and Sarah has asked me to write about my experience in Peru. So now after a good bit of time to reflect on my time in Peru, I am finally getting some of my thoughts and feelings put together in this writing.

We(myself, Sarah's dad Larry, and sister Jill, as well as Jill's friend Melissa) arrived in Lima late the night of January 1st and began our journey in this unfamiliar country. From the time we left the arirport we were totally in Sarah's hands to communicate for us for all our needs including negotiating prices for taxis ordering our food, and of course shopping. It was a new experience to suddenly be almost completely dependent upon your child for everything. She took the responsibility firmly in her hands and was a very competent guide during our entire trip.

We as a family (plus an "adopted" daughter) had a wonderful trip to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. We moved from one amazing incredible place to another each with their own uniqueness. When in Cuzco area our guide Juan Carols had an extensive knowledge but more importantly an intense passion for the ruins near Cuzco. He spoke of the spiritual aspect of how the now ruins of Ollantaytambo and Saqsaywaman were built. The Incans truly had a great reverence and respect for the earth and what the Creator provided for them through this earth.

After a couple of days in the Cuzco area we moved on to Machu Picchu. As I walked through the ruins of Machu Picchu I had such a respect of how the Incans built on and among those mountains with such thorough planning and execution of those plans that the buildings looked as if they were a part of the mountains. While standing hte midst of this rightly titled Wonder of the World, the beloved hym How Great Thou Art, frequently flowed through my mind. "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made"... Machu Picchu and the people who built and inhabited thouse mountains are certainly God's creation.

I could spend pages on the amazing and interesting sites in those aboce placdes but I think I want to spend more time writing on my time with Sarah in Huanuco. She and I said good-bye to the rest of the family as they returned to the U.S., then we took the 9 hour bus ride from Lima to Huanuco. Huanuco is a very unassuming community without the spoils of tourism, but a busy small city nonetheless. It also was surrounded by small mountains with lovely scenery in all directions. I now was going to see how Sarah is living. Upon arriving in the Camarena's home I was welcomed with the traditional kiss on the cheek and shown to Sarah's room where they had arranged a bed and space for me. With a true sense of hospitality they reconized our need to rest for the remainder of the morning and gave us time together much as tehy did most of my visit there. Any concerns I might have had regarding the people Sarah was living with were quickly eliminating in meeting this welcoming family.

After Sarah and I had rested and were rejuvenated we took off to see the town. As I walked down the streets and along the park, I could hardly recognize anything that seemed in any way familiar. The sites, sounds, and smells were very different from Jenks/Tulsa, Oklahoma. But Sarah moved through this environment with an ease and comfort, and if she was nervous she never showed it. She made me feel comfortable as she lead me though her new home community. We experienced The Market, the place where most all groceries and others items of necessity are purchased. This place certainly took an opening up of preconceived notions of marketing and overall sanitation expecations. There were no refrigerated cases holding the meats, no sealed bins holding bulk food items, and certainly no obvious rhyme or reason asto where items were located. We wove through this market that offered items from frest meats, vegetables and other food stuffs to clothing and even toys. We came across some booths offering the unusual items we saw was a type of fermented potato [Sarah's note: This is a traditional delicacy in this region called takosh. It smells horrible, I always have to hold my breath when while passing by it, but I've been told by people here that it tastes good. I haven't gotten up the courage or the stomach to try it yet.] Our response was "yuck" but it was an obviously popular food item for many in the area.

We returned home that evening to a wonderful meal of Aji de Gallina [Sarah's note: my favorite Peruvian dish!]. Aji de Gallina is a common meal consisting of yellow potatoes, some shredded chicken, with a spicy cheese sauce served over rice. It was very tasty and satisfying after a busy day. It felt pretty uncomfortable having to sit as an outsider as I cound not understand the dinner conversation. But I did love the meal blessing at the beginning of the meal as I understood, "Gracias Senor." In understanding only the thank you Lord part of the prayer, I could share in that thankfulness for so much.

The next day Sarah tooke to the Paz y Esperanza office and I met many of her co-workers was introduced to much of what the organization does. Each person had a quite unassuming approach to their part of the mission of the organization. Later that day we were able to go out to farm, la granja. The farm is a fully operating farm with milk, cattle, cuy (guinea pigs), chickens, and small gardens that produce many fruits and vegetables. We walked down to the area wher the new shelter was being built. The complex is to have housing for women and children, mostly adolescent girls, who need a temporary place to stay while their abusers face prosecution and Paz y Esperanza is working to find them a permanent placement. It was this trip that I got to experience "Peruvian time." We rode to the farm with the director of Paz y Esperanza with the expectation that we would be there 2-3 hours. About 8 hours later we were back in truck finally making our way back to Huanuco. While spending time more time at the farm than we expected kept us from doing some other things in Huanuco it gave Sarah and me some time to simply hang out and be together with specific expectations or plans. I enjoyed this quiet time together.

With that evening being our last one together we found a movie to watch on her computer and laughed during this odd event of watching a movie with Spanish subtitles and poor video quality. I will remember that evening as one fo the best moments we spent together.

The next morning we spent a short time in the city and Sarah took me to the bus station for me to return to Lima. I'm sure the sight of thse two Anglo women hugging and crying during our goodbyes was an interesting sight for the locals, but I think they understood. I left Sarah knowing she was well incorporated into her new family and work community. I know she feels she is still in the early stages of her ability to communicate and in many ways she is, but she has certainly grown and developed in that area since leaving the U.S.

I want to end my part of this blog with a note of admiration and respect for the passion all of these young adults serving the Presbyterian Church as YAVs. They are committed, enthusiastic, and bring pure motives in working to bring the love of Christ to their brothers and sisters in this far away country. I pray for each of them as they countinue their journey and wish them well as they grow in faith and compassion for the world beyond their own backyards.

I close now with the English.... Peace and Hope.

Love and blessings to you Sarah and all the YAVs in Peru, other countries, and in the U.S.

Links to entertain you while I think of something good to write

Buenos Dias!!! Hello all! So I have to confess that I can't think of anything good to write about right now, so while I wait for inspiration to hit I thought I would share with you all a few links of interest.


This first one is a music video of a song called The Price of Silence, which commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The artists featured in the video are from all around the world and sing in many different languages, but the message is the same from each one - Now is the time to take action and make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a reality for all people, in all nations, of all religions, genders, and races.


Now here are the links to some of the groups/organizations that I work for and with
The Joining Hands Network - Paz y Esperanza is one of the socios in the network and all the YAVs are placed within the Joining Hands Network. Check out the newsletter, the Podcast, and just catch up all the happenings and news in Peru.
Bridge of Hope - Fair Trade branch of the JHN. I know Christmas is over, but still take some time to browse the really beautiful high quality products made by small groups of artisans right here in Peru who rely on the sale of these products.
Paz Y Esperanza - Web site for the organization I work for.


Now here's some websites that keep me entertained and really have nothing to do with Peru or what I'm doing here. Enjoy the pure fun and silliness.
Average Wizard - You've heard of My Life is Average, now enjoy Average Wizard!
Post Secret - I'm just obsessed with this website and the books. If you don't know what this is, just click on the link, because I can not even describe it's awesomeness.
Skype - If you don't already have a skype account and you want to talk to me, this is the best way through Skype, basically an internet phone service, where you can place calls from your computer for free!


Ok so I'm going to go brainstorm things I can write for my next post. Enjoy these links and I hope everyone is doing well!!

Making Cookies, Sharing Cultures

The Christmas season is finally upon us! Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. There's the lights, decorations, trees, the music, tons of parties, amazingly delicious food!, the friends and family you haven't seen in awhile, the 24 hour A Christmas Story marathon, and of course the joy and the mystery of that night long ago in Bethlehem. As I'm not spending Christmas this year with my family and friends back home, I find myself trying to recognize similar traditions here or I'm trying to bring in traditions of my own to share with my new friends. So far I've found many similarities between Christmas in Huanuco and Christmas in Oklahoma. There are still lights, trees, decorations on almost every stationary surface, lots of parties, presents, Christmas songs, nativity scenes, and the joy of season. But there are still a few things I miss: radio stations playing non-stop Christmas music, cold weather (we've been switching back and forth between it being hot or it being rainy and just a little bit cooler), Dad's cinnamon rolls, really any delicious Christmas homemade treat (and this does include Aunt Carmen's woopie pies), Advent Wreaths, The Crismon Tree, Christmas pajamas, Christmas Eve Candlelight service, and of course all those who are near and dear to me. But missing out on these things is a necessary sacrifice for the chance to learn and share in new traditions.

 

One tradition of my own that I recently had the chance to share with my new Peruvian friends was making sugar cookies with the group of girls I work with at Paz y Esperanza. For the past few years my contribution to many holiday gatherings was frosted sugar cookies. Now I think it should be common knowledge that one of my weaknesses is pretty much anything sweet, doughy, or with frosting. As the Christmas season draws closer I think my body has become accustomed to the influx of sweets and around Thanksgiving begins to crave these delicious treats that are usually only indulged in during the holidays. So when I was in Lima celebrating our day of thanks, I found a rare piece of American contraband – Betty Crocker vanilla frosting! I, of course had to buy it, and I decided that I would try to find some way to make sugar cookies to go with this icing and share them with my new Peruvian friends.

The Chicas Tamar is a group that I work with on Saturday afternoons making art projects as part of their therapy and this particular Saturday we were working on a Nativity play and as a special treat I decided to make the cookies for the girls and have them decorate them. The night before my host sister, Carla, and I went out to the Mercado in search of all the ingredients we would need. The task was easier said than done. Apparently people in Huanuco don't just bake for fun. Really only the Panadarias (bakeries) make things like cookies and breads, and when you don't have a stove and there is a Panadaria on every street corner why would ever need to bake things for yourself. So we finally acquired all the ingredients necessary after a bit of a hunt, and I prepared the dough that night so it could chill in the fridge until morning.

The next day I went to help out with the girls with their play, in which I was given the role of Mustafar, an innkeeper who turns away Mary and Joseph. They girls all clapped for me when I got my lines right, haha. Then while they were rehearsing I baked the cookies with my co-worker, Beky, and I had one of those rare moments where my Spanish was just clicking and she and I had some nice bonding time. When the cookies were all cut and baked, over 150 of them actually, the girls gathered around the table in the kitchen to decorate them. At first they weren't really sure what was going, in fact they asked me if we were selling the cookies, but when I told them they were for eating and for sharing with their families their shy caution turned into joyous fervor as they frosted each of their cookies and liberally added sprinkles and colored sugar. For me it was a wonderful experience to see these girls get wrapped up in the joy of making these sweet treats and I hope that it was for them as it was for me a temporary escape from the stresses and frustrations and pressures of life.

 

Well I was hoping to share a bit more about the holiday traditions here and what I've been up to the past few weeks, but like always I've procrastinated. I promise I will add more to this post later and tell you all about Paneton, hot chocolate, late Christmas dinner, and no Christmas Eve service. I'm off on vacation tomorrow, first to Arequipa with the other YAVs, and then to Cuzco and Machu Picchu with my family! I hope that everyone had a most wonderful holiday season! I miss you all, especially at this time of year, but I'll be back home before I know it, missing everyone in Peru. Until then I will leave you with this, Feliz Navidad a todos mis cariños y un Prospero Año!!!

Truely Thankful

Our Thanksgiving Day Spread!!

With Thanksgiving just behind us and Christmas fast approaching I thought I would get into the spirit of the season and share with you some of the things I'm thankful for in my life.

Servings for everyone

First of all ** BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!** I've reached my fundraising goal!!! So that is the first thing I am grateful. All the overwhelmingly humbling financial support I've recieved. I'm astonished that people have given so freely from their hearts and I'm truely thankful!

Harry, expertly carving our beautifully cooked turkey

Now on to my thankful list:

*The weather in Huanuco. The sunshine and warm breezes that acompany me on my daily walks have helped me more than I can say in adjusting to life here and helping to stave off the loneliness, blues, and homesickness, that comes from living so far away from everything I've ever known.

* Cold Coca-Colas. Even though they apparently give you the gripe (a cold), there is still something satisfying about the familiar taste and refreshment of a good old Coke (even if it's not diet)!

*My host family. I could not have asked for a nicer, more understanding, more chill, more patient family than the Camarenas. I'm lucky to have a host dad who is always willing to help me out, whether it's telling me safe routes to and from work or coming with me to a visit a new church because I had never been there before. My host mom, not only prepares delicious peruvian dishes every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she does so usually after spending all day either volunteering at Paz y Esperanza or the church. And my host sister is my guide to Peruvian culture, my spanish language teacher, and my newest friend. Everyday I thank God that they've been put in my life and I know that they are big reason I'm adjusting to and loving my life here in Huanuco.

*The people at Paz y Eperanza. As I'm slowing making relationships with the people I work with I am realizing what truely amazing people they all are. Just the fact that they at Paz y Esperanza, working to educate and save women and children from truly horrifying situations, working tirelessly to give voices to those who in their society have none, says so much about their characters. And everyday they inspire me; inspire me to work on my spanish so I can better communicate, inspire me to listen and to educate myself, and inspire me to do whatever I can to contribute to the work at Paz, even if that means handing out refreshments or dressing up in a guinea pig costume.

*Nap time at lunch. Maybe because my mind get such a work out from listening to and trying to speak spanish but still having to translate in my head, but every week day after lunch I get a chance to take about 45 min to an hour nap before I have to head back to work (lunch break is from 1 until 3 in the afternoon). It's become such a relaxing little ritual for me to just shut down for a good hour and let my body and my mind take a break so I can get through the rest of the day.

*Skype. Definitely one of the better inventions in recent years. Being so far away from has been made that much better by the fact that I still get to regularly communicate and even see my family and friends. I even think it's made some of my relationships stronger by the fact that since I am so far and am making an intention effort to communicate as a result we not only talk about what's going on in our everyday lives but we have meaningful conversations as well, and that's definitely a wonderful and unexpected blessing.

*My YAV friends and our fearless Coordinator. Sarah, Anna, Joe, Ginna, and Alissa, as well as Debbie and Harry. So many words, only so much blog space. In such a short amount of time these people have really become my second family here. From the silly text messages to the long rambling emails to the nights in Lima partaking in a indulgence or two or three or "floor".... ;) the support, solidarity, and love that I've recieved from you all is more than I can possibly repay, so THANK YOU!!!!

Good food, good friends, and good times!

*My experience here. Everyday that I'm here I'm realizing more and more, how lucky and blessed I am that I even get to be here and see the things I'm seeing and do the things that I am doing. I mean how many other people get to travel and try and live out their dreams or even figure out what those dreams are and do so in such a beautiful country. Some times I can barely believe I've been here for over 3 months and I can't wait to see what the rest of year has in store for me.

*Of course I am so greatful to all the congregations, family, and friends back home who have been following me and supporting me with your kind words and prayers. Keep them coming guys and THANKS!!!

*There are so many other things, back in the states that I'm greatful for, everything that I've been blessed with. But that's not what this year is about. Seeing what I have and what others have not, it's about learning and experiencing so that we can all live free and dignified lives, lives we were intended by our Heavenly Father to live.

Sorry I've been a bit neglectful with my posts. I'm going to try and get another one out this week. And as always please leave comments. What would you like me to write about? What are the kinds of things about Peru you would like to know about?

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

You totally have that TLC song in your head now don't you? Hahahaha....

Alright well I didn't title this post "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls" just to torture you with 90's hip hop music. I'm going to be discussing, among other things, my recent trip to the selva (jungle) about 3 hours north of Huanuco, near a city called Tingo Maria with the other YAVs to climb waterfalls!! But before I get into all of that and what I've been up to lately I wanted to introduce to all of you out there reading my blog, if you don't already know them, the other YAVs. They are super cool people and one of the bigger support systems for me here. I'm including links to their blogs, because they have really interesting things to say, and usually express our mutual experiences better than I can. So please check them out to so you can get the full Peruvian YAV experience.

Debbie and Harry Horne: Debbie is our fearless site coordinator and surrogate Mama. Her husband Harry is a seminary professor and they live in Lima. Debbie laughs more than almost anybody I know (yes more than me) and is always there with a smile and a comforting embrace. Harry is broading our theological horizons by serving as our Bible study facilitator for our retreats and has assigned us Binding the Strong Man by Chet Meyers to read (really amazing book that looks at the Gospel of Mark from a socio-political stance). In a couple short months they have pretty much become two of my favorite people!

Sarah "Alta" Terpstra: She is the "other" Sarah, and thus to differentiate between the two of us, she has been dubbed "Alta," meaning tall, and I have been dubbed "Baja," meaning short, for the obvious reasons that I am short and she is tall. It's funnier, I promise, when we're being introduced to new people here and we tell them our little joke. Sarah is from Tennesse, loves alvacados, has a very musically talented family, and used to be a park ranger. She is serving her year high in the "harsh beauty," as she puts it, of Huancavelica, over 11,000 ft above sea level, working with agricultural development. She is also a very talented photographer and you should at least check out her photos.

Ginna Irby: Here is Ginna, from Virginia, with one of the only llamas I've seen up close since I've been here. She is probably one of the funniest people I have ever met. We bonded way back at the YAV placement event over our mutual love of The Office, so that automatically gave her like 1000 cool points from me. She works with the Fraternidad de Cristiano, a collection of churches in Lima, where she works with Youth and Children, among many other things. She is our resident guitar guru and is helping me to expand my music palet by making awesome mixes for us YAVs.

Alissa King: My southern neighbor, Alissa is from Texas and is a proud Roo and graduate from Austin College in good old Sherman. Since Alissa was not at the Placement Event, I only just met her in August at orientation, but I heard it from several AC authorities that she was good people. She is living in Huanta and is working for Radio Amata. Alissa has taught me the subtle joys that come from a cheesy romance novel and the two of us share a mutual guilty pleasure in our enjoyment of the Twilight Series.

Anna Gray: Alaskan native Anna, who also happens to be part bear, probably has the best stories from her childhood in Alaska, usually beginning with "One time when I was a kid, my mom..." She's a great sport when we make fun of her accent and a great friend. Anna is working in Huancayo, also with Agricultural development. She adds the cool west coast bohemian element to our group (along with Joe) and once had dread locks in college.

Joe Tobiason: Our other west coast "hippie," but he's too cool for labels. Joe is from Washington state and is living and working Lima for the Red Unidos Manos and CENCA. Joe is the most laid back person you will ever meet, but he probably needs that attitude to be able deal with the 5 of us girls. Joe does a lot of good work with The Red's newsletter La Retama (check out the latest issue with an article by yours truly) and the podcast Kuska, both of which are great places to keep with with what's going on here in Peru and the work of the various organizations that we are working with during this year. Joe is our other photographer in residence and has a wonderful artistic eye!

So there you go - the Peru YAV class of 2009-2010. One of the perks of being a YAV is that every 6 to 8 weeks or so we have retreats in different parts of the country together to catch up and debrief our experiences thus far. Our first retreat was in my home sweet home of Huanuco. I had so much fun hosting my friends and I'm so glad that I could share with them life and work. We stayed at the organic farm just outside of town run by Paz y Esperanza that also serves as a shelter for sexually abused children. We spent the weekend talking, laughing, eating way too many fresh dairy products (so worth the extra poundage), getting eaten by bugs, and sharing with one another our struggles and triumphs over the past month and a half.

On Friday of our retreat weekend we traveled to a part of the jungle just outside of Tingo Maria. We got up before the crack of dawn, and drove almost 4 hours to our destination, all the while trying to sleep on the bumpy twisty roads. Once we got there we met our guide, Guiermo, and sat down for a quick breakfast before hiking up to the waterfalls. We got to our first waterfall and strapped into harnesses and began climbing one by one up the waterfalls. In total we climbed 12 waterfalls, and it was one of the most difficult and exhilarating things I've ever done. Just being in the middle of the beauty of the jungle was breath-taking. And at one point in the day someone (sorry I don't remember who) made the comment that life just wants to live here. On every space there were green and growing things, insects moving, butterflys fluttering around in slivers of sunlight that managed to pass through the trees, just a complete abundance of life. And then we started talking about how the jungle was a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. That this is what it's supposed to be like, full of beauty and diversity, of life - life abundant! Being in Peru has already taught me so much about seeing God in everything around me, and it has allowed me the quiet time that I think I've been needing in my life to just sit with myself and God and spend some good one on one time. It's definitely been one of the more unexpected gifts about living here.

I'm going to stop now since this post is pretty long already. Next blog topic - Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading and feel free to leave any comments, questions, reactions in the comments section.

Some Light Reading

Since I tend to have a bit of free time on my hands these days I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately. So I thought I would share with you all a few things that I've been reading lately that have really touched me and will help explain to you better what I can not express in this blog.


This is from a blog by Dennis Smith and was shared at World Mission Connection 2009 recently. He does a very good job of succinctly describing the state of things here in Latin America and the role that mission work is playing to accompany our brothers and sisters here.

A Day in the Life of Latin América(a contribution to the Latin America plenary, World Mission Celebration 2009)
The day begins with a memory of what might have been. Memories that go back centuries. Memories of dignity and autonomy. Memories that nourish identity.
For some, it's the memory of la Patria Grande, the great Latin American nation dreamed by Bolivar and San Martin. For some, the memory of great civilizations centered in Cuzco or Teotihuacán or Tikal. For some, the memory of proud cities carved out of the Brazilian hinterlands by the sons and daughters of Africa.
But borders came to define our lives. Our differences became more important that that which we have in common: city folks vs rural folks, men vs women, indigenous vs mestizo vs african, landless vs landlords, powerful elites vs excluded majorities. We found that our divisions are not just personal; they are built into the structures, into the very fabric of society.
Centuries of injustice, exclusion, dependence; centuries of hard work, entrepreneurial spirit, profound creative impulse.
God is here. Here are untold millions whose first waking thought each morning is: “Thank you, God, for this day. Thank you, God, for the gift of life!”
Here are millions of peasant farmers. Existence itself determined by the cycles of planting and harvest, sun and rain. Armies of day laborers cutting sugar cane, picking coffee and bananas.
Here are giant agribusiness enterprises whose fields of soybeans and wheat are larger than some small countries.
Here are extractive industries processing oil, copper, nickel, gold. Is the profit worth the poisoned lives?
This small rural town has no full-time doctor. The school only goes through sixth grade. But they do have radio – their own local radio in their mother tongue – and television and an internet café. They understand that their lives are somehow intertwined with yours.
There is no employment for the children born here. They will leave for the city. Or cross borders – at great risk – in pursuit of a dream.
Then there is life in the city. Most Latin Americans now live in cities. How can one touch so many people? How can one hear so many stories? An endless sea of stories – such longing, such energy.
Here are those who can take refuge from the raw energy of the city by living in secure enclaves. Those who can't, learn to adapt somehow – learning to see without seeing, learning to embrace numbness.Here – in the city, in the countryside - is where people committed to the common good organize to challenge corruption and abuse of power, to challenge destruction of the environment.
Here is where God's people proclaim that violence in their midst – especially violence against women and children - is violence against God's own self.
Here is where people respectfully celebrate the presence of God in the other person, working ecumenically to build the common good.
Here is where our brothers and sisters offer the gift of wholeness in Jesus Christ.
When you come home in the evening you reflect, perhaps, on what you chose not to see that day. “Have I lost the ability to engage in random acts of kindness? Have I remained silent in the face of pettiness or injustice? Have I lost the ability to be shocked by cruelty or indifference?”
Your soul aches. You seek solace in your community of faith. There you have a voice. There you can testify to God's benevolence. “Today I was not alone. Today we are not alone.”
The Spirit is poured out; hope is nourished. Here ordinary people reflect on being the people of God. . .
These are stories from Latin America and the Caribbean. Presbyterian stories. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear. . .
- Dennis A. Smith 23 oct 2009 densmithfam@gmail.com

This next bit of reading is an article from the New York Times. I already posted it on my facebook page, but I want to make sure that you all who are following me read it, so I'm posting it again. It explains a lot of my passion for working with women and children and I agree with a lot of what the article has to say about giving aid to women and elevating the status of women in many areas around the world will help alliviate many of the world's problems. It's kinda long, but totally worth the time it takes to get through it. Especially enjoy the little Oklahoma connection on the last page, it made me smile and almost cry. Saving the World's Women.

Finally, please post comments!!! I would love to hear what you think about these articles. We can start discussions. And if just a few people start posting then it helps others post too. Also tell me what you think about the blog in general. Tell me what you want to hear about my life here. Everyday life stuff? or Stories and anecdotes? more MLIA? what? Ok well I hope everyone is doing well. I'm probably going to post again soon about my recent YAV retreat here in Huanuco and about all the fun times that were had.