Girasoles Christmas Request

As we enter into the Christmas season, I am thinking of the street boys living in our homes across the country. We love these children, and we do everything that we can to show them how much God loves them. Christmas is a difficult time of the year for the boys in our homes. It is a holiday centered around celebrating the birth of Christ and sharing among family. Many of you have heard the stories about the backgrounds of our boys. Most of them come from broken, abusive backgrounds, and obviously this is a time of year when many of them are constantly being reminded that they don't have a family with which to share the holiday.

We take our responsibility for these children very seriously. We are their family. This Christmas season we have an excellent opportunity to share the message of Christ coming to earth as a man. We will share how we can be redeemed from our sins and from our brokenness through the gift of salvation that God freely extends to each of us.

We also want to show the kids that we love them and we value them. I ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with us to make this happen. A gift and a Christmas dinner for these kids is so much more than the material aspect. It is a tangible way that we can show them how much we love and value each of them--more importantly how much Christ values them. Across the country of Peru we currently have more than 200 boys in our care. If you want to help make this Christmas season something special for these children, then I encourage you to open the following letter from my friend, Billy Clark.

Click here to read the letter. (You will need Adobe Reader to view the document.)

You will find all of the information that you need to send your donation. If you have any questions, feel free to email me (bgreenman@latinamericamission.org). Also, after making the donation please send an email to me and Billy Clark (peruworkteams@gmail.com) to confirm that the money has been received.

Thanks so much for your continued partnership in this ministry. Thanks for your continued prayers. Please remember to keep all of these boys in your prayers this Christmas season.

Christmas 2009 at Girasoles Ica

 

Something Different--A Trip Down the Amazon

Wow, it is amazing how time flys! It seems like just yesterday I was flying home for my sister's wedding. But that was in April. Since then I have spent a few months in the Chanchamayo valley (Peru's high jungle) hosting work teams that came to help finish construction on what will soon become our newest home for abandoned boys. I have also re-traveled to many of Scripture Union's campsites and boys' homes with other work teams. A few weeks ago I had the privilege to work alongside our staff at Kawai, helping to care for the 45 boys there. It has been a great season of doing God's work and sharing his love.

Most recently, I had the opportunity to do something that I have never done before. Ten days ago I boarded the Amazon Hope, one of Scripture Union Peru's two medical boats, and set sail on the Amazon River together with doctors, nurses, dentists, and the ship's crew to provide medical care to the remote villages in the Peruvian jungle. I was asked to travel as a translator on the boat as 1 doctor and 4 nurses joined us from the United Kingdom. What a great experience!

 The Amazon Hope

 Translating for Dr. Jenkins

 Sailing at sunset

 The team from the UK

Our boats set out on the Amazon an average of twice per month. The trips last anywhere between 10 and 14 days. The best part is that this is an ongoing ministry. Our boats are on a rotation so that they can visit each community approximately once every three months. We are able to provide some follow up care as well as build lasting relationships with the local communities.

It is amazing what a great variety of cases we were able to attend to on the boat. Last week we were able to partner with some nurses that work with Peru's ministry of health. The government is supposed to provide vaccines for children, but they are unable to complete that promise because of the inaccessibility of many of the villages. We offered them a ride on our boat, and they brought the vaccines! We also had two Peruvian doctors, one British doctor, and two Peruvian dentists who attended to the needs of the communities--everything from minor headaches and back pain to tooth extractions, prenatal care, dressing infected wounds, and a few minor operations. We also provided vitamins for infants and young children, fluoride treatments to all of the children and Abendazol anti-parasite tablets to all of our patients. Apart from the medical work that we do attending to patients on the boat. We also do work in the local schools. Pepe, a friend who also works with Scripture Union spends his days in the local schools giving practical health education. All in all, we had a record 10 days providing 3286 individual attentions!

Dental work

The medical work is really only one facet of this ministry though. Most evenings we invited everyone in the community to our boat for a special program. We shared the gospel to the children through a clown/puppet show. We are also able to show Christian cartoons and videos each time we visit the community. For most people TV and constant electricity is a rare treat. Everyone was eager to watch.

The evening Bible program

Praise God for the work the Scripture Union is doing here in Peru's jungle. Please take time to pray for these communities and people who have so little access to health care, and in many cases very little access to the Gospel. Pray that God would continue to use our boats for his glory. Pray that these communities' needs would be met both physically and spiritually!

My First Year (Plus One Month) in Review

Wow! It is hard to believe that it has been 13 months since I arrived here in Peru. It probably would have made more sense to write this post in March after the one year mark, but I missed that chance. I have been in a reflective mood again this week as I celebrated my 24th birthday. This is just a post to help me look back over the last year. Enjoy!

March 2009

-- I moved to Peru on March 18, 2009, and I found my first apartment in Miraflores, Lima shortly thereafter.

My first apartment

-- I also had a chance to meet up with some old friends from our Lima center and go to the Peru vs. Chile World Cup qualifying game. Sadly, Peru lost.

Johnny and I at the game

April 2009

-- I began to get connected with my new home church in Lima--Camino de Vida.

Getting ready for a service project with church

-- I also began working full time with Scripture Union's school ministry. It was a great chance for me to get to know a part of the Scripture Union family and to learn more about the ministry that we have here in Peru. I celebrated my 23rd birthday by going out to a Peruvian Chinese restaurant with the schools workers one evening after finishing a training session for the Lima volunteers.

Chifa (Peruvian Chinese food) for my 23rd birthday!

May 2009

-- I spent the first weekend in May volunteering at on of Scripture Union's camps that was done in conjunction with a Christian high school here in Lima. It was a great time of fellowship and sharing with some of the youth here in Lima!

With some of the guys from the camp/retreat

-- Mothers' Day is also in May, and it is even bigger here in Peru than it is in the States. I was across the world from my mother, but I didn't forget about her. I sent her some Peruvian lilies!

My mom

Her Peruvian lilies

-- The end of May also marked the beginning of the 2009 work team season. I had the opportunity to host the senior class trip of South Lake Christian School, and we went to Ica and to Kusi. I look forward to hosting their senior class trip yet again this coming May!

South Lake's graduating class of 2009

June 2009

-- I temporarily moved from Lima to Cusco's Sacred Valley to begin hosting all of the 2009 work teams that came to work at our Casa Girasoles and visit with the boys there.

The Girasoles from the Sacred Valley

-- Kate also came down to Cusco for a week with her church's work team. We spent one day in Cusco and saw lots of crazy parades, processions, and protests!

Gorilla boy in one of Cusco's parades

July 2009

-- I continued to host teams at our Sacred Valley boys' home in Cusco. It was a real privilege to build a relationship with Hector and Maritza (the house parents) and with the entire family there at the home.

With Hector, Maritza, and their two children

-- I also had the chance to so some tourism around Cusco. One of the highlights was the day that Hector and I jumped off a mountain at the top of the Sacred Valley and parachuted all of the way down to the bottom of the valley!

Hanging from my parachute over the Sacred Valley

August 2009

-- The big event in August was my family's Peru trip. I was so excited that my entire family (mom, dad, brother, and sister) could come and visit me. I got to show them all around the country, introducing them to my friends, our ministry, and Peru's culture. They were here for less than two weeks, but they were able to visit four of the six boys' homes that we operate in the country. They also got to see my church and my dad, brother, and I went to Machu Picchu. Sadly mom and Mandy were feeling sick, and they had to miss out--there's always next year!

My family at Lake Llanganuco near our Kusi boys' home

-- August also marked the beginning of the demolition of our old center in downtown Lima.

Standing in Billy Clark's old office

-- I also moved to my new (and current) apartment.

My apartment

September 2009

-- This month was a busy one. I was no longer based in Cusco. Instead I traveled from place to place with a number of different work teams. It was great to see the progress that different teams made at some of our other sites. For instance, they basically built two new buildings during the course of the summer at Kusi!

The administrator's house at Kusi (built over the Summer of 2009)

October 2009

-- October was my last big month of work teams for 2009. I had the unique opportunity to join one of the teams on the world famous Inca Trail! They invited me, and I wasn't about to pass them up on the offer. For me it was physically trying but well worth the effort. I had already been to Machu Picchu eight or nine times, so I was there more for the journey rather than the destination. What a beautiful creation God has blessed us with!

At Warmiwañusca (the highest pass on the Inca Trail)

-- My last team in October was an HBI medical team that came to Kusi to preform a free medical campaign for the people who lived near our home at Kusi as well as to perform a survey to determine the needs of the community as we begin to look towards constructing a permanent medical clinic for the community.

Dr. Wayne and Karen working hard at our free clinic

November 2009

-- The first part of November was a chance for me to sit back and take a deep breath now that the work team season had officially come to an end. I had a chance to reconnect with friends in Lima as well as spend some time back at my church. I also got to see two concerts: first a Hillsong United concert (a popular worship band from Austrailia) and then a Juan Diego Florez concert (one of Peru's most famous classical singers).

Worshiping with 1000's of Peruvians at Hillsong's concert

-- In the middle of the month I hit the road again. I moved to our boys' home in Ica to spend two and a half months living and working at our Casa Girasoles.

My first days in Ica as the boys were practicing their music

December 2009

-- I continued with my time at Girasoles Ica. I had a number of opportunities to share with the boys at the home and build relationships. Augusto and Nancy (Ica's house parents) were a huge blessing in my life. It was incredibly refreshing to see their faith in action, and they were a blessing to me as I dealt with the homesickness of being far from my family over Christmas.

Augusto, Nancy, and their two children

-- It was difficult to be away from home over Christmas, but the celebration in Ica was unforgettable. We had a beautiful time of praise and worship with the boys, and then as the clock struck 12:00 midnight on Christmas morning we burst out with a big turkey dinner and gifts for the entire family! After celebrating Christmas until three in the morning, I jumped on a bus for four hours to go up to Paul and Marty Clark's house in Lima to have another Christmas celebration at their home during the day!

Excited in Ica for a great Christmas dinner

-- Right after Christmas, Kate Bruder along with her mom, Ann, and her brother, Randy, came down to Ica to visit. Everyone was excited to have them around for a few days! (Sorry, I didn't have my camera out much during their visit.)

January 2010

-- Again, I was still living down in Ica on New Year's Day. We brought in 2010 with a big clown show that all of the boys enjoyed.

Clowing around at Ica for the new year

-- On my last day in Ica we took a day trip to the beach with all of the boys from our home. What a great way to be able to say goodbye! I would see everyone again soon, but January marked the end of my two and a half month stay at the home.

On the way to the beach with Girasoles Ica

-- On a more somber note, we received news that our Sacred Valley home had been completely destroyed due to the wide spread flooding that affected the entire valley after record levels of rainfall. Praise God that all of our boys from Cusco were on vacation that week far from the dangers of the floods.

Hector and some of his boys on vacation far from the flooding in Cusco!

February 2010

-- In February I was back on the road receiving small groups who came to visit our ministry in Peru. They were different from the regular work teams. Instead, they were vision trips for people who were interested either supporting our ministry in the future or for people who were interested in possibly putting a work team together and coming back to Peru. It was one of my busiest months of traveling yet. I had 12 flights and a number of bus rides and boat rides during February. In my last small group of the month, I had the pleasure of hosting Steve Johnson, the president of LAM, and showing him around some of Scripture Union Peru's different ministries.

In the air for one of my many flights in February (overlooking Huascarán, Peru's tallest mountain)

-- During my travels I also got to take some of the groups to visit our medical ship that travels up and down the Amazon River providing free medical service for the indigenous communities in Peru's Amazon basin. It was my first trip to our boat, and I was very excited to meet the doctors and the staff that work in this ministry.

The Amazon Hope 2

Driving the boat after having my face decorated by some of the indigenous ladies in the town where we were serving.

March 2010

-- In March, I again had a chance to catch my breath and settle down in Lima for a little while. For this month, I was assigned to work in yet another one of Scripture Union Peru's ministries--the ministry for the deaf. I had a great time volunteering at the deaf center. I even had a chance to begin taking Peruvian sign language classes. I promise to get some pictures soon, but I keep forgetting to take my camera to the deaf center.

-- I also spent one week in March at Kawai for the annual schools ministry conference. My job was to translate from English to Spanish for one of the speakers. It was an excellent week of community building between all of the different schools workers as well as a chance to become better equipped for the ministry which God has called them to.

With the crew in Kawai

April 2010

-- Finally, we make it back to the present! This month has been full of excitement. I began the month back in Ica with a high school Spring Break trip from Parrott Academy, North Carolina. We spent Easter Sunday in Ica, and I had the privilege of translating a wonderful Easter sermon to the group. Pastor Martin Laos preached beautifully about the power of the resurrection of Jesus!

-- Right after the high school trip, I headed down to Cusco to spend a long weekend with the Hector, Maritza, and the boys at the home. It was my first trip since the home was destroyed by the flooding. It was sad to see the old home gone, but I remain excited to see what God has in their future. God is at work with our boys in the Sacred Valley!

The bridge that we used to cross on the way to the Sacred Valley home (washed out by the floods)

The ruins of the home now that the floods have subsided

-- Just a couple of days ago, I celebrated my 24th birthday by attending the wedding of one of our girls from the Scripture Union office. After the wedding I went out with some friends to celebrate over dessert at TGI Friday's. Thankfully, they were too busy to sing for me and make me dance with the waitress. God was watching out for me--I know that if I would have been asked to dance yet another embarrassing video of me would have gone out on YouTube.

-- This event is yet to come, but I want to get the news out there. ON APRIL 28TH I AM COMING HOME for a few weeks. My sister is graduating from Indiana Wesleyan on May 1st, and she will be getting married on May 14th. I would love to see as many people as I can. If you are going to be around Michigan or Indiana between April 28 and May 18, please let me know. It would be great to see you and catch up.

It is amazing to look back and reflect on this journey that God had brought me through. I look forward to seeing what He has in store for the next year! Please remember to keep me and Peru in your prayers. I have seen God work in mighty ways through His peoples' prayers!

Turning the Page in Cusco

This weekend I had the opportunity to go and visit our boys' home in Cusco. It was my first trip down there since the heavy rains and floods destroyed the home in January. I went down to visit friends, but I also was anxious to help Hector and Maritza (the house parents) look for new land for their new home. The boys are currently staying in an old hotel complex that we are renting out until we can build a new home on a new piece of land. I was really struck by the anxiety of the boys to know where their next house will be. Every time the subject came up, they asked lots of questions and listened intently. Each time that Hector, Maritza, and I came back after looking at a possible piece of land the boys didn't waste a moment to ask us about our trip.

I didn't plan it this way, but my visit just happened to coincide with the second anniversary of our Girasoles program in Cusco's Sacred Valley. I found it quite ironic that we were out searching for land for the new home on the very anniversary of the opening of the first home that no longer exists. Sunday afternoon, we went out and purchased cookies and soda to have a small anniversary celebration with the boys that evening. We all sat down in a circle outside, and Hector shared his memories of the first days of the home two years ago. He talked to the kids about how far they have come and how proud he is to be their father. When he finished speaking, he put me on the spot--asking me if I had any words to share with the boys.

After seeing the anxiety that the boys had to know where their new home will be, I really just wanted to remind them that God is in control, and He definitely has a plan for them. I reminded them of the many ways that God has provided for their needs in the last two years. He has given them loving house parents; He has changed many of their lives through the Good News found in the Gospel; He protected them by keeping them far away from the floods in January due to a perfectly timed vacation to the beach; and He provided them with a quick temporary residence while we look for a new permanent solution. I know that we are not at the end of the story. God continues to be in control, and I know that He will provide for His children.

After I shared, Hector opened the floor up to any of the boys who would like to say anything. A couple of the boys blew me away with their words. In tears, one of the boys shared his memories of being abandoned when he was five years old. He was so thankful to have found house parents who cared for him, but when the house came down he was afraid that he would be left homeless again (probably why many of the older boys are so anxious to know about their next permanent home). He shared how thankful he was to be reassured that we will rebuild and that he will not have to leave the program. Then one of the older boys stood up--again in tears--as he began to talk about his memories of his family. He shared how thankful he was to now have parents like Hector and Maritza. He shared that when he grows up he wants to be just like them. As he reflected over his past two years in the program, he proceeded to confess that he had been a little rebellious and quite difficult to work with. He asked for forgiveness and promised to be more cooperative.

I find it hard to adequately describe with words what it was like to sit and listen to these two testimonies. Sitting there I could sense God's presence, and I could see the Holy Spirit working in the lives of these boys. What a beautiful time of sharing, fellowship, reconciliation, and restoration! What a blessing to see God at work in the midst of the tragic loss of their old home.

God provided for Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, and so many other people. There is no doubt in my mind that He will continue to provide for the Girasoles in Cusco. Life is like a big book, and God is the author. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for these children as we get ready to turn to the next page!

Training in Kawai

Before I start this post, I have to take a minute to laugh at myself. I am just now realizing that I made a mistake in the title of my previous post about Scripture Union's ministry to the deaf. I titled it "Learning to See with My Eyes." Well actually, I already know how to see with my eyes. I intended to write "Learning to Listen with My Eyes." I just now fixed the problem :-)

Anyways, last week I had the opportunity to attend a week long conference in Kawai with all 16 of Scripture Union's full time schools and campsite workers from all over the country. Once a year the entire group gets together for a week of reporting successes and failures, encouraging each other, and training to become equipped with more skills to enable them in their ministry. I really enjoyed the week! I learned so much about the schools ministry. Did you know that on a weekly basis during the height of the school year we are reaching more than 35,000 students in 14 provinces of Peru? It is very exciting to see how God is at work and to see how he is raising up volunteers within His church to minister to the children of Peru!

I was brought to Kawai for the week because Betty Purchase, a member of the regional council for the Americas region of Scripture Union, was presenting a few devotionals and training sessions. She does not speak Spanish, so I had the privilege of translating for her. I arrived in Peru just over a year ago, and it is exciting for me to see how faithful God is and how my Spanish continues to improve. A year ago, I would definitely not have been comfortable translating such a formal event into Spanish. There were still some bumps in the road--most notably when Betty pulled out a very old hymn to quote. I didn't even completely understand the hymn in English. The group was very graceful as I struggled through the translation of the hymn. Betty spoke about the importance of following Jesus' model of leadership in her first session, and in her second session she gave us some new ideas about how to dynamically share the history and the stories in the Bible with children and youth.

While at Kawai, we also had a number of workshops led by Katherine Urbano of Christian Camping International. She gave us many, many ideas for future camp programs, and she really bonded with the group during the week. For me, it was an opportunity to regress back to my childhood a little bit--especially during the session where she taught us some new games to play with our campers. We learned water games, parachute games, awkward dances, and much more. Katherine really had a gift for taking a fun game and tying it into a life lesson or Biblical value. It was definitely time well spent.

Apart from the business of all of the meetings and training, last week was also a great opportunity for me to get to know the schools and campsite workers better. I knew some of them, but I had never even met almost half of them. Most of the year they are spread all throughout Peru's provinces. As I continue to get to know more people who are involved with Scripture Union, I begin to feel more a part of the organization. I have said it before, but it is so exciting for me to be a part of this great work that God is doing in Peru!

I leave you with a few pictures of the week at Kawai. To see all of my pictures, visit my Flickr page: www.flickr.com/billygreenman.

 Hanging out at a shopping center near Kawai

David, Pepe, and I at the beach of Kawai

 The group!

 God's undeniable beauty!

Learning to Listen with My Eyes

Well, as happens sometimes, things have gotten busy down here, and I have gotten behind in my blogging. I have a few posts that I want to sit down and write, so this is the first of a few to catch you all up on the month of March here in Peru.

For the month of March I have had the opportunity to work in Scripture Union´s program for the deaf here in Lima. Of all of the ministries the Scripture Union has down here I have had the least amount of contact with our deaf program--mainly because I don´t know how to sign. I really wanted to have the chance to meet the people who were involved in this ministry, though. I have learned a lot about another entire aspect of Scripture Union´s work here.

Our program for the deaf was actually born at the same time as our program for street children. In the 1980´s, a Peruvian man on our staff named Ernesto was very interested in helping Peru´s deaf population. He heard that there were many deaf children living on the streets, so he went out looking for them. He did, indeed, find a number of deaf children, but he also found a number of hearing children living on the streets. Hence the beginning of these two ministries.

Our ministry for the deaf has grown immensly since then, and we have gained recognition at a national level. We employ deaf teachers to transmit the language of signs to the children so that they learn the language as a child naturally would. We also have after school classes for the children in our program. After the leave public school, they come straight to our center where we reinforce what is being taught in their classroom and help them to understand their homework. In the last few years, the Peruvian government has passed legislation to mainstream all handicapped children into the regular public school system. This in its own right is not a bad thing, but the problem is that the children are placed in a classroom where no one can interpret for them. They end up sitting isolated in a corner all day long not knowing what is going on. The government does not recognize signs as an official language which means that it doesn´t recognize the profession of an interpreter and will provide no salary to anyone who wants to interpret in the public school classrooms. We do our best to provide interpreters to our students, but we are spread quite thin, and the need is on the rise.

That brings me to the next facet of the deaf ministry. Scripture Union has been very active working with the government to propose new legislation to protect the rights of the deaf community. To give you an idea of the situation in Peru, until 1989 it was actually illegal for a deaf person to get married. Today there are many deaf people sitting in prison who have no idea why they are there. They were never able to testify nor understand what was going on during their trial. The unemployment rate for the deaf sector of Peruvian society is virtually 100%. Our work with the government is sometimes an uphill battle. There are a few key congressmen who are very committed to proving that their legislation of mainstreaming is working. Because of pride and an unwillingness to admit a mistake, they prefer to cover the problem up rather than deal with it.

Lastly, we offer signing classes to parents so that they can communicate with their children. I am no parent, but I have decided to give learning Peruvian signs a go. It can be difficult at times. My teacher is deaf, so I am forced to speak with my actions and listen with my eyes. Paul Clark, the director of Scripture Union Peru, said to me once, "One of the key ways of showing a person that he or she has value is to value and respect his language." I couldn´t agree with him more, and I am excited to learn a little bit of signs to better communicate God´s love to the deaf here.

God´s love is at the center of this ministry. Apart from teaching about His love and His Gospel in the classrooms, we have the opportunity to live it out by showing these children that they are not worthless or incapable. I believe that God created each of them with a specific plan and a specific purpose. What a privalege I have to work with a ministry that believes that too! Not only does our work here help to keep more children out of the street, but we are also able to encourage them and show them that they are capable of doing far more and learning far more than they probably ever imagined!

Please continue to pray for this ministry. Below are some prayer requests:

-- We have more demand than capacity. We have a very long waiting list, but there is just no space for kids at our current location. We are praying for a new piece of land close to the center of Lima where we can build the construction of a building that better suits our needs. We already have donors who are interested in helping with the construction, but we are still praying for a suitable piece of land.

-- For our work with the government. That God would allow politicians to lay their pride aside and do what is right for the children here in Peru.

-- For more volunteers and staff. As the program grows, we have and increased demand for interpreters, teachers, and other volunteers. Pray that God would raise up more people to become a part of this ministry.

Goodbye Catherine

A couple of days ago Catherine Alexander, a friend from Scotland who has been sent from the Vine Trust to volunteer here with Scripture Union, came to her last day here in Peru. For the last eight months she has been working in our schools program and at our boys' home at Kusi. She is a teacher by profession, so she spent all of last year teaching English classes in the schools as well as working with and tutoring our Girasoles. Everyone who I talked with at Kusi had only great things to say about her. She gave up a year of work and job interviews to sacrifice her time down here in Peru. She loves God, and she loved her work with the kids. She will be missed down here, but I know that God will continue to use her back in Scotland. Please join me in praying for her and in praying that God will provide a solid job for her as she begins the search.

 Saying goodbye to Catherine at the airport

Jesús and Ronald Move On!

Last week I had the pleasure of returning one more time to the Peruvian Amazon with a small group from Boston. The group came to see the different construction projects as they try to seek God's will for a possible short term trip from their church. On the day that we planned to go and visit Puerto Alegria (Scripture Union's Girasoles boys' home near Iquitos) we got to see a whole lot more than construction!

It just happened to be the day that two of the boys, Jesús and Ronald, were graduating from the program and moving back to Iquitos. We had the pleasure of attending the goodbye party for the two guys. They both graduated from high school last December, and now they are moving back to Iquitos--about a 20 minute boat ride down the river--so that they can continue onto technical school. The party was a blast. Gene, the house father, went and bought cakes and a bunch of other special treats for everyone to share. We played games, sang songs, and just had fun. We also had a time of prayer for the two boys, asking God to guide them and protect them as they move back to the big city. It was really great to see and reflect on how far God has brought them from the streets of Iquitos. Only He is responsible for the changes in their lives!

The goodbye party for Jesús and Ronald

Jesús will be studying computer systems while Ronald will be studying industrial welding. Ronald also has a paid internship that goes hand in hand with his industrial welding courses! Their move back to Iquitos marks another important point in Scripture Union's ministry in the jungle. The two boys will not just be back on their own. Instead, they will be moving into our Casa de los Tigres, meaning "House of Tigers." In their culture, calling a man a tiger is a high compliment. It means they are strong and able people. Scripture Union owns a house that eventually will have a capacity to house up to 20 young men as they graduate from our boys' program and move on to higher studies. They will be given significantly more freedom at the Casa de los Tigres, but the house will still have a Scripture Union staff worker to supervise them and to maintain a Christ-centered atmosphere. This is an exciting time for us because Jesús and Ronald are the first two people who have graduated from Puerto Alegria to Casa de los Tigres!

Please keep the two of them in your prayers as they begin their classes this week. They have both already given their lives to Christ. Pray that God would protect them as they take this big step back into the city. Pray for good friends and good community to surround them. They are both excited to begin their new life in the city, but at the same time it was difficult for them to say goodbye to the life that they have gotten used to in our Girasoles home in Puerto Alegria. Jesús has lived there for nine years and Ronald has lived there for 4 years. Pray for their adjustment, and pray that they would apply themselves as they study. These are exciting times for these two boys, and I can't wait to see how God continues to work in their lives!

Jesús and Ronald taking the boat ride to move into Iquitos for good!

Bethlehem in the Jungle

Twice so far this month (soon to be three times) I have had to opportunity to travel to Peru's largest city in the jungle--Iquitos. With a population somewhere between 350,000 and 400,000 Iquitos is also the largest city in the world that is inaccessible by road. It is so isolated that the only way to reach the city is by air or by a VERY long boat ride down the Amazon River. The city is completely different from the rest of Peru. The people are different, the culture is different, the Spanish accent is different, and there are many other indigenous languages spoken in and around Iquitos as well. Rather than the usual taxis that one expects to see on the streets, the town of Iquitos is dominated by three wheeled moto-taxis and motorcycles. Cars are much heavier and more expensive to ship into such an isolated place. Even I found myself buzzing around the city on the back of a friend's motorcycle (I will save the story of getting stopped by the police for another time)!

Traffic in Iquitos

Scripture Union Peru also has many different ministries in and around Iquitos. I have mentioned some of them in my previous blog posts. We operate a Casa Girasoles for abandoned boys on the Itaya River just 20 minutes by boat from the city. We have a number of programs for children at risk or in the streets of Iquitos including a night shelter. We also have two medical ships the move up and down the Amazon River providing medical care to local indigenous communities that have little or no access to standard government health care. What I really want to focus on, though, is the ministry that Scripture Union has in a small neighborhood of Iquitos called Belen.

If you translate the word "Belen" into English, then you get "Bethlehem." Obviously it is far from the Bethlehem that you had in your mind. This neighborhood is actually one of the poorest neighborhoods among all of the urban centers in Peru. It sits right at the edge of the river, and during rainy season most of the area floods. Some of the homes and businesses are built on stilts in order to stay above the flood waters, but many of the houses just float. They are called balsas because they are built on top of large buoyant logs. The river in this area is used for everything--swimming, fishing, defecating, washing clothes, showering, and dumping garbage. Belen actually lies right in the area where one of Iquitos' main sewage drains empties out into the river. When the river is low, the sewage runs through the muddy streets of the town, and when the river is high, it empties directly into the water that the community depends on. The community is constantly dealing with many different infirmities including malaria and constant infections from different parasites. There are many single parent homes and many other cases of domestic violence and child abuse. No wonder that about half of all of the boys that end up in our home have come from this one specific neighborhood.

At one point the government of Peru tried to create a program that would help the people of Belen relocate so that they wouldn't have to deal with the filth and sewage any longer. The problem, though, is that many of the people in the community decided to stay. A great number of people make a living by rowing people around the town in small dugout canoes. If they were relocated away from the river, then they would have no income.

 Overlooking the town of Belen

On my way into Belen

 The sewage and garbage that pours into the water

Children walking through the river

Scripture Union's work in Belen is mainly preventative. We work with children in the local schools and their families to educate them, provide for their basic needs, and share the Gospel with them. We actually own and operate a medical clinic in the town. The idea is not to compete with the government health system, but to help provide care to the community where the government programs fall short--especially right now in the area of dentistry. We work hard to use the clinic as a home base for community education programs. Many people do not know the importance of drinking clean, potable water. Mothers don't know how or why they should brush their babies' teeth. Malaria, Dengue Fever, and other diseases are existent in part because of a lack of education. I have enjoyed becoming familiar with a different aspect of Scripture Union's ministry here that I had never gotten to see before. This ministry is growing in exciting ways. Scripture Union has just hired new directors of the medical programs in Iquitos. Oscar and his wife Rosana are both great people who love God. They are well qualified doctors, and I wait anxiously to see what God will do through them. Pray for them as they adjust to life in Iquitos, and as they seek God's will for the ministry there.

 Scripture Union's clinic in Belen (The yellow building in the center)