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!