A Trip to the Ocean with Girasoels Ica!

Earlier this week I had the joy of going to the beach with all of the boys from the Casa Girasoles in Ica! I was incredibly surprised to learn that even though Ica is just a short drive from the beach, many of the boys had never actually gone to the beach. It was a beautiful day, the swimming was great, and we enjoyed spending the time together.

It was also a great way for me to say goodbye to the boys in Ica. My time working in Ica has officially come to an end. From the end of this month through the end of February I will have another month full of work teams who are coming to support us here at Scripture Union Peru. After two and a half months working with the boys in Ica, it was hard to say goodbye. It was such a privilege to work with these kids, get to know them, and share God's love. I was blessed by the kids, and I was happy to help at the home and share some of the kids' burdens as some of them began to open up to me. They remain in my prayers, and I look forward to a number of opportunities that I will have to visit them in the year to come.

Here are some pictures from the beach:

In the bus excited for the beach

Augusto and I on the way to the beach

At the beach with the boys

Some short videos from Kate

This Christmas, my friend Kate Bruder, her mom, and her brother all came down to visit some of Scripture Union's different street boys' homes. They arrived in Peru on Christmas evening, spent a few days in Ica where I got to see them, and then they traveled to Kusi to bring in the new year. It was a blessing to be able to see some friends from back home, and it gave my family a chance to send some cookies and other Christmas gifts from home!

Kate is a great photographer, but this year she spent more time taking video shots of they boys at the different homes. She posted them on Vimeo, and I thought that I would pass some of them on to you guys!



Sleeping from Kate Bruder on Vimeo.
After a long day of adventures, these boys from Girasoles Ica were exhausted and ended up falling asleep at the dinner table.



Playing from Kate Bruder on Vimeo.
Juan Carlos and Sanchez playing with Billy in the courtyard of the Girasoles Ica home.



Sanchez and Pampachay from Kate Bruder on Vimeo.
Sanchez being silly with Billy while Pampachay practices in the background.



Sanchez Greetings from Kate Bruder on Vimeo.
Sanchez, from the Casa Girasoles Ica home.

Happy New Year and a Million Thanks!

Happy New Year to everyone reading this blog. I pray that 2010 will be even better than 2009, and I pray that God would continue to do great works this year. Here in Peru I spent New Year's at Scripture Union's Casa Girasoles in Ica. We had a really fun time with all of the kids. Augusto hired a clown, and he did a great job with the kids. We set off a bunch of fireworks as did the rest of the country of Peru. Right when the clock hit midnight the whole city of Ica was filled with the booms of fireworks. It almost sounded like we were in a war zone. After the fireworks and the clown show Augusto opened 2010 with a short Bible study. He talked to the kids about the importance of loving each other, helping each other, and encouraging each other as a family. One other tradition here in Peru is that they make a big doll out of old clothes that represent the old year gone by. Sometimes they decorate the doll with symbols that represent the old year, but our doll was simple. He didn't even have a head! As we begun to burn it, though, the boys had the perfect idea for burning a symbol of the old year gone by. All at once they ran and got all of their old homework and notebooks and set them ablaze on top of the doll. It was a huge fire! To finish the night we sang a few praise songs together, and then it kind of turned into open karaoke. I lasted until about 3:30am, but some of the kids stayed up singing until 6:00am! I have posted a few pictures below, but I encourage you to take a look at my entire photo gallery on Flickr by clicking here.

Clowning around for New Year's

Lighting the doll on fire

Goodbye 2009!

I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to think of me this holiday season. I arrived back at my apartment yesterday for the first time since Christmas, and the doorman greeted me and said, "Billy, thank goodness you're back. Your mailbox is overflowing and we don't know what to do with it all." In total I received more than 40 Christmas cards from the USA, Canada, and Scotland! My mom reminded me the other day that I have now spent pretty much all of the big holidays away from home this year for the first time. It wasn't easy, and I missed friends and family. But what a blessing to have friends here in Peru to celebrate with and to have friends from home constantly encouraging me with cards and notes! I was really overwhelmed as I stayed up until 1:00am last night opening and reading all of my Christmas cards. Thank you so much!

I also have to give props to my mom and sister for sending me the most creative Christmas greeting of the year. They sent me shortbread Christmas cookies, and each cookie had a letter on it made out of sprinkles. I had to promise not to eat any of the cookies until I decoded the message. My sister didn't trust me, though, so she sent on blank cookie to eat while I was working on the message. You can see what it says below!

Thanks Mandy and Mom!

Prayer Request
As I reflect over the Christmas season and the great encouragement that I have received from friends and family, I cannot help but think of the kids in Scripture Union's homes throughout Peru. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this time of the year is particularly difficult for the Girasoles because as everyone begins to focus on family, the boys are constantly reminded that they don't have a regular family. For me it was difficult to spend Christmas away from family, but I can't imagine the heartache of having to spend Christmas knowing that you really don't have a family that loves you. Some of the boys have been noticeably depressed over the last month, and I know that a few of the boys in our homes have chosen to leave the program over the past month--at least in part, due to the depression that comes with the season for them.

Pray that God would give the children strength to continue to move forward this year, and pray that God would work in mighty ways in the lives of these kids--even the ones who have chosen to leave to program to go back into the streets. Pray for me and even more so for all of the full time staff at our boys' homes. Pray that God would use us to speak truth into the lives of these kids as the world around them fills them with the same old lies-- "You don't matter to anyone;" "You are worthless trash;" "No one cares about you or about what happens to you." Pray that God would break these lies in the lives of the children, and they they would be filled with His unending love. Pray that they would find true healing in the only possible place--a personal relationship with Jesus. 

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

A Reason to Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who live in the States! Right now I am here in my room at the boys' home in Ica, and I am definitely spending some time giving thanks! While Thanksgiving is not an official holiday down here in Peru, we certainly have reason to give thanks here in Ica. The Lord has really blessed us here today, and I just wanted to share what He is doing.

A couple of weeks ago a girl from Pennsylvania named Brittney had the opportunity to come and visit our boys' home in Ica. She has been living in Ica for the past few months working as a volunteer for the church where Augusto and Nancy (the house parents) attend, and the church's youth group had a big event here that Brittany was a part of. She really didn't know anything about our program for abandoned boys, and because she was so busy with the event that the church was holding on our property, she really didn't have the chance to get to know us very well. But that didn't stop the Lord from touching her heart.

Now fast forward a couple of weeks to this past Sunday. Augusto, Nancy, and I saw Brittany at church. She had just arrived from Lima because she had gone to pick up some of her family and friends who were here to visit. She told us that she was really impacted when she saw and heard about our program for abandoned boys, and she wanted to do something to bless them. She talked with her family, and they decided that they were going to buy Christmas gifts for each of the boys. We were all excited at the idea, so they asked us to come to the pastor's house where they were staying around 5:00pm last night to help organize the gifts. We had no idea what we were in for!

Augusto and I arrived last night at exactly 5:00pm...Peruvian time! For those of you who aren't acquainted with Latin American time, that means that we arrived at the pastor's house just after 6:00pm :-) Personally I was expecting something small for each boy (perhaps a Hot Wheels car or a frisbee). And something small would have been a huge blessing, but they decided that they wanted to buy a nice toy or game for each kid at the home. We walked into the living room, and were blown away by what Brittany and her family had done for us! There were action figures, and firetrucks that had lights and sounds. There were board games and soccer balls. Apart from all of that, Brittany's 5 year-old brother also sent a number of his personal toys with the family to give to the boys because he wanted to donate in some way as well. The other huge blessing was that Brittany's mom brought an entire suitcase full of clothes that no longer fit the little brother. The clothes are just the right size for our two smallest boys here at the home. One is five years old, and the other is six years old, but they are both the size of a kid who is 4 years old. Augusto was sharing with me that when clothes donations are made to the homes, very rarely does anything come that fits these two smallest boys.

All of the presents!

This morning Brittany and her family came to the home with all of the gifts wrapped and ready for Christmas. They played American football with the boys, we went for a swim in the pool, and then they presented the gifts. What a huge blessing for the boys here. I was at the point of tears when I saw all of the presents and the joy on the boys' faces. Really, we all know that Christmas is not all about material gifts or possessions, but to be able to hand one of these kids a present on Christmas morning is doing so much more than just giving him a new toy to play with. When he is given that gift, the message is that yes, his life does matter, and yes, he really is loved by us--and more importantly, by Christ.

 Wrapped and ready to go

The boys with their presents!

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him, and praise His name." Psalm 100:4

A Song/Story from the Boys in Ica...

Below are the translated lyrics of one of the songs that some of the boys here in Ica have written to record onto the CD that they are making. The song is reggaton (the Latin American version of rap). Make sure to read all of the way to the end of the song. What a testimony to what God is doing in their lives!

This is my story. This is my reality.

Often times I am tormented in my dark loneliness.

Although I want to remember my family, it is too late

To recover my past happiness.

I was happy as a baby, but that didn’t last for long.

It turned into a dream—not a reality.

As I got older,

Everything began to change.

Day after day my parents argued.

The would fight, and they would shout.

But I never understood,

The cause of all the problems in my house.

Years have passed since then, and I am not a little kid anymore.

Now I am a boy with regret and anger.

I have passed through 1000 problems with my family,

And into the streets I went.

Gangs and evildoers look for me, they pursue me,

And they want to finish me.

But I continue to survive in this city.

I run many risks.

I don’t know what will become of me.

I have bad friends, and they tempt me to rob.

I lose control of my hands; I can’t stop them.

Daily I have to flee from my sad reality.

I can’t accept it; I can’t understand it.

Help me Lord—this could be the end of me.

Only You can work miracles. That is why I believe in you.

Sadly this is my life. I don’t know how to change it.

My only refuge is drugs and alcohol.

I take refuge in these things to forget,

The problems that I carry on my heart.

Standing on a street corner all alone,

People look at me and wonder why I even exist.

And they judge me without knowing the true reality.

Lord, You exist. Please remember me.

I didn’t realize that there was another unexplainable love.

I was lacking it; I needed it; I searched for it.

I had never found it, but I know that You will give it to me Lord.

Lord, Your love will fill the emptiness that my heart has had for so long.

They talked to me; they told me about how Your love exists.

My Father, I ask you to give me new life.

I thought that this life was only full of sadness,

But now Your love has grown in me.

For this reason, Lord, I give thanks only to You

Because in spite of all my errors, you took care of me.

Translation

Things are coming along well here in Ica. I am really enjoying getting to know the boys and the house parents. They are also coming along with all of their music rehearsals. Yesterday Nancy, the house mother told me that she loves the song "Amazing Grace" and she wants the kids to learn it for the CD. I have the privilege of teaching 15 boys all of which are under 12 years old and speak no English four verses of the song. Below is my solution: Spanish phonetics... Can you make it out? :-)

A – me – sin Gres, jau swit da saund

Dat sevd a retch layk mi.

Ay uans uas lost bat nau aym faund,

Uas blaynd bat nau ay si

Tuas Gres dat tot may jart tu fir,

End  Gres may firs ri – livd

Jau pre – shous did dat Gres apir

Di our ay ferst bilivd

Thru men – y den – llirs, toilds, end sneers

Ay jav al – redi com;

Tiz Gres dat brot mi sef das far

End Gres wil lid mi jom.

Wen wiv ben der ten thou – send yirs

Brayt shayning as da sun,

Wiv no les des tu sing Gods pres

Dan wen wi ferst bigan.

What's Next?

Well work team season is over, and the summer season is about to start here in Peru. So what comes next now that I have no international teams to work with? I am glad you asked! After talking with Billy Clark, my supervisor here in Peru, we decided that my next area of ministry would be down in Ica (about 4 hours south of the city of Lima in the middle of the desert). In Ica Scripture Union operates another home for abandoned children, and I am excited to go and work with Augusto and Nancy, the two house parents at Ica.

 In the desert just outside the city of Ica

Looking toward Ica from the desert

I am excited to go to Ica for a number of reasons. First off, I have spent less time in Ica than I have at any of the other boys' homes. I am really excited to build new relationships and to get to know the children and the staff. Second of all, these next two months are particularly exciting down in Ica. Read this report below that Scripture Union sent out a couple of months ago to find out why:

In May a group of volunteers from Telefonica, the Peruvian Telephone Company, asked Girasoles Ica to submit a socially relevant project to their first ever “Contest of Original Social Projects”.

Interestingly, Augusto, house parent to the boys already had an idea in mind; having the boys use recycled materials as instruments. The concept was eagerly accepted and once the telephone company signed on to help fund the project, Augusto and the boys began “band practice”. Old plastic buckets, tins, metal pipes, bottles, cardboard and wooden boxes would do just fine!

All 40 boys participated in the project led by Augusto – even down to the youngest, Sanchez, who is only 5 years old. The group successfully won the Ica area contest and went on to place among the top nine contestants nationwide, which qualified them for further funding and grants.

Thanks to the boys success and unprecedented corporate support, Girasoles Ica will now have a music teacher who will help them record “Pampachay” (Quechua for “overcoming difficulty”) a full length CD of their creative music! A first lot of 1000 CDs will be sold at S/10 each and the proceeds will be used to improve the boys’ educational experience in Ica.

I am excited to help out however I can with this big project that the boys in Ica have taken on. Below is a picture of the CD cover that they are producing during this month. It depicts a person out in a field with a large city in the background. It represents the lives of the boys in Ica--the difficulty that they have overcome is life out on the streets of the cities. 

Work Team Season is Officially Over

Wow...it is hard to believe that I have been busy working with foreign work teams down here for six straight months. As I look back over the last half of a year I really cannot say that I have any regrets. It is such a joy to share this ministry with so many people from all over the world. This year I have had team members from the United States, Scotland, England, Canada, South Africa, Germany, France, and Peru. My teams' ages ranged anywhere between the 9 year old girl who came to Peru with her dad and the 72 year old lady who hiked the Inca Trail with us. I have hosted high school groups, college groups, church groups, business groups, medical groups, and other groups that were a mixture of a little bit of everything.

Sometimes people ask me if I enjoy working with so many different groups. When my mom saw how much work it was for me to host my family down here, she asked me if all of the groups were such work loads. I told my mom that every group was different, but no group came without its challenges. The truth is that if I didn't enjoy what I do, and if I didn't have a passion to see God work through this ministry, then I would definitely be burnt out by now. On the contrary, though, I DO enjoy this work. What a blessing to share my passions with people who are experiencing this type of ministry for the first time! It is a privilege to be able to get others excited about the same things that excite me. I love seeing people begin to fall in love with Scripture Union's work here in Peru--with God's work here in Peru!

I apologize once more for not keeping a more up to date blog over the past couple of months, but when I am with teams, my time on the internet is limited. Now that the season is over, I hope to have a little bit more time to catch up on communicating with you all. I have a lot to talk about...my last group was a medical team, and we were able to touch many lives during that week. Now that work team season is over I will soon be heading down to Ica for a couple of months to work with the boys' home there. Beyond that, I will also be working with Scripture Union's campsite programs in the summer (winter for all of you up in North America). I also have some other random, funny, and exciting stories to share. I don't want to bore you with a never-ending, 20 page blog post, so I will break it up into a few smaller posts. Keep me accountable, and check back to make sure I follow up on those stories.

I really want to continue to be faithful about praying for those who are praying for and supporting me in this ministry. Please feel free to let me know if you have any specific requests.

Also, be sure to check out my newly posted pictures from my family's visit to Peru and from the Inca Trail.