Christmas

I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas yesterday. I passed it in here in Peru, and thankfully I was surrounded by many friends and lots of good fellowship. It was difficult to be away from my family for Christmas for the first time in my life, but having friends here was a huge blessing yesterday. I actually got to celebrate Christmas twice!

My first celebration was a more traditional Peruvian celebration with all of the boys in Scripture Union's Casa Girasoles. Augusto and Nancy spent most of the day of Christmas Eve out an about buying presents and preparing the turkeys. The kids were excited all day long anticipating the Christmas celebration. For many of them, this was their first Christmas at the boys' home. A number had never even tasted a turkey.

In Peru, most people celebrate Christmas right when the clock strikes midnight.We were no exception. It was a struggle for some of the littler kids to stay awake, but they were not about to miss out on the Christmas celebration. It was really a beautiful time together. Around 11:00pm Augusto assembled all of the boys in the dining room, and we had a time of praise and worship. We sang together; we thanked God for the gift of sending his son to save us; we prayed that God would renew our spirits. Augusto also reminded the boys that while we celebrate Jesus' physical birth on Christmas, that alone is not enough to save us. He reminded them that Jesus must also be born in each of their hearts.

When the clock struck twelve, two huge turkeys came out of the kitchen, and the celebrations began. Augusto really went all out--there was probably about 50 pounds of turkey to feed about 45 people! I was served an entire turkey leg. I have never eaten so much turkey in my entire life. The traditional Peruvian turkey dinner consists of the turkey, paneton (fruitcake), and home made hot chocolate made from scratch. It was delicious.

The Girasoles before Christmas dinner in Ica

Cristian ready for his first ever bite of turkey!

After dinner, it was not yet bedtime--it was time to open all of the presents. The boys were excited for the presents. Brittney and her family had brought a ton of presents for the boys on Thanksgiving, and they were dying to open them all! In addition to that, God really blessed Scripture Union with specific donations for the boys' Christmas celebrations in all of our different Girasoles homes. Augusto and Nancy bought new shoes and new clothes for the boys. The kids were overjoyed to open their gifts, and it was such a blessing for me to see all of this. I have heard the specific stories of many of these children. They come from the streets, from gangs, from abusive families, and from lives full of pain and rejection. Yesterday in the early hours of Christmas morning they had the opportunity to just be normal kids. For them their gifts are not just another toy in their overflowing toy box. They are a rare luxury, and even more importantly, they are a symbol to remind them that they are loved and not forgotten. It was a beautiful night, and it was a great privilege for me to share in the celebration with the boys.

Ready to open the gifts!

 

Sanchez, our youngest boy in Ica

Miguel Angel with his new toy!

As we began to wrap up the party in Ica around 2:30am on Christmas morning, I realized that it was about time for me to leave. Paul and Marty Clark, the directors of Scripture Union Peru, had invited me to their house in Lima for an American Christmas dinner! I was on a bus by 4:00am for my five hour journey back to Lima. I arrived, rested for a couple of hours, and headed out to Paul and Marty's house. Every year, they have a tradition of inviting missionaries and other foreigners into their home to celebrate for Christmas. Being away from my home, it was a real blessing to be invited to their home. We had yet another huge turkey dinner, and it was great to meet other experienced missionaries here in Peru.

Nothing can replace being home with my family for Christmas. It was hard to be away. But in the midst of the sadness of being far from them, God provided for my needs. I got to experience the day with other people who were also missing their families or wishing they they had a family, and we were blessings to each other!

Can you say Huacachina?

On Saturday afternoon, we had the opportunity to take the Girasoles to a place called Huacachina. It is literally an oasis in the middle of the desert. Legend has it that a mermaid lives in the oasis, but I'm a skeptic. Anyways, there was a wedding taking place here on Scripture Union's property, so we decided that it would be fun to take the boys elsewhere for the day. We packed lunch and headed out. It was a great afternoon. We got to swim, fish, boat, and sandboard! For those of you who don't know what sandboarding is, I will leave you with some pictures and videos! It is basically snowboarding in the sand. Instead of eating snow when you fall down, you eat sand. Not necessarily the most pleasant experience when you fall, but it is fun none the less.

Abel with his first catch of the day (Banana was the bait of choice!)

In the boats at Huacachina

Alex sandboarding

Huacachina

Miguel Angel Sandboarding

Roberto Sandboarding

Glory to God!

So as I woke up this morning, I was still feeling burdened by the pain that the boys in the home feel on a daily basis--especially as we get closer and closer to Christmas. Augusto began giving the morning devotions as usual, but it was obvious that many of the kids in the room were not feeling into it. Augusto was talking about the fact that we can have confidence in ourselves because God is with us. We can be confident because God is bigger than all of our problems and pain, and he is always at our side. It seemed like the words were falling onto deaf ears. Some of the kids were sleeping, some of the kids were bothering each other, and others were working on last minute homework. But Augusto pressed on.

What happened next was interesting. Augusto asked about five of the older boys if they had confidence in themselves one by one, and one by one, they all gave the same answer. They frowned, looked at the ground, and timidly answered, "No." At that point, Augusto dropped the devotion and announced that he really felt that he needed to pray for the boys individually. He asked us to stand in a circle, and he explained that he was going to come around the circle, and he was going to pray for each of the boys privately. He asked the the boys share the burdens on their heart in confidence so that he could specifically intercede on their behalf.

What happened next surprised me the most. Augusto announced that I would also be going around the circle, and praying with some of the boys. The first thoughts that came to my mind as Augusto explained this were thoughts of fear. What if I messed up the words in Spanish? I felt partially unequipped because I didn't know the specific backgrounds of most of the boys. But just as these thoughts and fears began to run through my mind, I was reminded of Augusto's devotion topic--I can be confident because I know that God is at my side. I barely had enough time to say a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to use me before it was time to start praying with the boys.

What a beautiful time in the presence of God. The words came to my mouth, and I had to opportunity to connect with and pray for many of the boys here in Ica. Some of them sincerely opened up to me. One boy asked me to pray that God would help him to find forgiveness for his family. Another asked that I pray for him to be able to resist the temptation of returning to the streets and doing a number of bad things. What a blessing to pray with these kids! What a blessing to be able to remind them that God does love them, that God is with them, and that God has created them with a purpose! It is an incredible feeling to know that you are being used by God to help build his kingdom. It is almost hard to explain, but there is really nothing like it.

The kids in the room changed from being weary and disengaged to a point of vulnerability and fervent prayer in the blink of an eye. The Holy Spirit showed up, and it was awesome! I continue to feel deeply burdened for these kids, but at the same time I feel renewed and full of joy because I know that God is visibly at work in their lives. Glory to God!

A Call to Prayer

A few years ago Paul Clark, Scripture Union Peru's director, shared with me that the two most difficult times of the year for the children in our homes are Mother's Day and Christmas. Tonight I was reminded of this fact by one of the older, tougher looking boys here in Ica as I sat with him and watched him cry in the arms of Augusto, the house father. Respecting his privacy, I will call him Jose.

Jose is one of of the oldest boys at our home in Ica--16 years old. He first arrived at the home close to a year ago. His mother had abandoned him as a child, and he had never met his father. For the years leading up to his entrance into our girasoles program he lived with a few of his relatives in the area, but spent more time out in the streets. He was quite involved with some local gangs, and he has the tough appearance of someone who is in a gang. He is probably the tallest, strongest kid here at the home, and he has a number of scars on his body. He showed me a scar on his leg from an instance where he was stabbed with a metal fingernail file. Jose was also involved with drugs, sex, and many other bad things that come with a life on the streets.

Augusto tells me that when Jose first arrived at the home, he was very hard to work with. He didn't want to listen to anybody, and he was disruptive around the other boys. Little by little he began to change, and eventually he built a fairly good relationship with Augusto. But one day Jose received a visit from his grandma, and she told him that his father was now living in Arequipa (a city about 10 hours south of Ica) wanted to meet him. Jose talked with Augusto, thanked him for his help, and said goodbye. He had to take this opportunity to meet his dad.

Well, he traveled alone to the city of Arequipa and made his way to the address that his grandma had given to him. Before he quite arrived at the address, he walked by a dirty, drunk man who was laying practically in his own vomit. He walked past the man and knocked on the door. His grandmother answered the door and told him that his father was outside just around the corner. He followed her, and she led him right to the drunk man laying in the streets. When Jose's grandma presented the father to his son who he had never met, the father stood up and sobered up a little bit. He said hello, they talked for a few minutes, and then the father left and walked away.

Jose was crushed. Everything that he had hoped to find in his father wasn't there. He came back to Ica angry. He left school and began to work in a local mine. He did not come back to our girasoles home, and he began to fall back in to a life on the streets. When Augusto learned that he was back in Ica, he went out, found Jose, and brought him back to the home. He was sad and hardened, but in the weeks just before I arrived in November, he began to change. He has made a commitment to follow Christ, and he is one of the best behaved kids in the entire home--not to mention, he has some of the highest grades in his classes.

Today was one of the other boy's birthdays. This particular boy does have a father who lives locally in Ica, but he is unfit to take care of his son. The father did decide to come an visit his son on his birthday, and he even brought him a birthday cake. Seeing all of this really struck a chord in Jose's heart tonight. As he watched it all happen, he was reminded that he will never have a mom or a dad to celebrate with on his birthday, on Christmas, or on any other day of the year. I watched this tough 16 year-old kid hardened by the streets break down into tears and bury himself into Augusto's arms tonight.

So I ask you to pray. Pray for Jose, and all of the other kids at our homes who miss their families. Pray that they would come to a relationship with our Father in heaven who can satisfy all of our needs. Pray for Augusto and all of our other house parents--that they would be able to share fatherly love to the kids in these homes. Pray that the kids would find comfort and stability at our homes, and pray that they will have a great Christmas here at the home with their new family. Thanks for remembering these kids as Christmas approaches.

Cookies, Guitars, and Bibles

Last week was very busy, but very good. I just want to share a few highlights with you...

Christmas Cookies
Paul and Marty Clark, the directors of Scripture Union Peru, invited me to their church in Lima for Thanksgiving dinner, and I happily accepted. Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in Peru, so a good Thanksgiving dinner is hard to come by. The plan was to leave Ica on Thursday (Thanksgiving), arrive for dinner, and then spend a day to relax in Lima before returning to Ica on Saturday. I really enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at church, but there were no Christmas cookies; having homemade cookies is on of my favorite parts. When I shared this with my family, they suggested that I make some cookies for myself, and perhaps for the boys back in Ica. For anyone who knows me, I am not a chef or a baker by any means. Apart from scrambling eggs, I am practically useless in the kitchen. I wanted cookies so badly that I mustered up the strength to try making some cookies. They actually turned out alright, and I shared them with everyone here at the home when I returned last Saturday. They were such a hit that Nancy, the house mother, made me teach her how to make them, and we had more cookies on Thursday. Making cookies was quite a personal accomplishment for me...even if I didn't have to bake them.

My Christmas wreath cookies!

New Guitars
After learning about the music program that Augusto has put together for the boys here in Ica, a group of people from Scotland decided that they wanted to support the work, so they sent a donation to purchase some musical instruments for the home. The catch is that it is impossible to buy any quality musical instruments in Ica; you have to go to Lima. Last Wednesday, Augusto and I did just that. We woke up at 3:30am so that we could be on the bus by 4:30am. After 5 hours on the bus we arrived in Lima and headed straight to the music store. We spent about 3 hours shopping around and purchasing instruments, and then we headed back to the bus station to take another 5 hour bus ride back down to Ica. We got back around 6:00pm When all was said and done, we were able to arrive and present the new electric guitar and the new base guitar to the boys at dinner time. It was a long day, but the guitars will be a great addition for the band. The kids here are all lining up to learn to play guitar!

With the new guitars!

Pampachay band

Handing out Bibles
Augusto's church received a number of Bibles from the local chapter of the Gideons to pass out to people who needed them, so on Friday morning, Augusto and I were invited to enter into some of the schools and pass out the Bibles. We really didn't have a ton of time to talk with the children, and they were public schools, so we were fairly limited as to what we could say in the classroom. But I trust in God's promise that his Word never returns void. By the end of the morning we handed out nearly 200 Bibles to kids and teachers at two different schools!

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth:   
It will not return to me empty,   
but will accomplish what I desire   
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." 
Isaiah 55:11

Handing out the Bibles