Esperanza 11-12 / Part Four

My conclusion of our trip is going to fall very short of interesting, compared to the past three posts! I have little pictures to add and at this point, few words. Sorry, we did school this morning and our grocery shopping this afternoon/evening with all five....back to reality! ;) Needless to say, I'm done for the day, but wanted to finish this up before the weekend. It seems I need to have some words to share on Sunday at church! Ugh! Can I just take my blog along?!? ;) ...they told me no, so I better come up with something else! It was worth a try though! :D

Anyway, picking up where I left off in Part Three, New Year's Eve day, I believe we landed back in Lima around 3 something in the afternoon.

Pastor Luis and a young man from his church met us at the airport. We hopped in two taxis for about an hour ride to the other side of Lima where Pastor Luis's church and home was. We dropped our things off where we would be spending the night and then went out for some supper.

That night the church had a party for it's youth and other youth in the area. It was a good, clean party to ring in the New Year, filled with music, dancing, food and fireworks.....lot's and lot's and lot's of fireworks!!! I have never seen so many in my life, not even in all my 4th of July's put together! Jeanna took a video of it on her camera and it's over 5 minutes long and that still wasn't the half of it! We aren't even talking sporadic fireworks, it was like 10 minutes or more of continual grand finale!!! So cool!

When your on the third floor with a huge window, the view is amazing!!! I wish I could show you, but once again I left my camera behind and planned to get Jeanna's from her. So sorry, you'll just have to take my word for it! ;) It was a very memorable night and early morning!

Thankfully we were able to sleep in the next morning and had plenty of time to get around and pack up. Church had been canceled due to the holiday and so we had our own little service as we waited to be picked up.

The afternoon was spent eating a once again late meal (it had become rather normal by this point! ha!) and then going to the Inca Market for some shopping. Afterwords, Jeanna and I did a mini photo shoot for the pastor and his beautiful wife, Zorida. It was fun and Lima has so many amazing places to take pictures!!! Jeanna and I worked great together!

Ahhhhhh, GREEN!!!!

The evening went fast as we packed our last minute purchases for home and took of once again for the airport. As usual, the line was pathetically long and once we had our boarding passes we were off to find some supper. Till we inhaled it, said our last goodbyes, went through security, etc, etc, we made it just in time to be the last ones to board our plane! Whew!

It was almost midnight and we had a long flight ahead of us! Long enough that they showed three movies almost back to back! I fell asleep at the end of the first one, briefly woke at the beginning of the second and then was out till the end of the last one! I never dreamed I could sleep soundly in an airplane seat, but I was pretty oblivious for several hours! :)

We landed in Atlanta at almost 7 in the morning on Monday and had 3 hours to claim our baggage, re-check it, customs, security, find our gate, and then find some breakfast. Delta was so kind to feed us breakfast at 5 in the morning, but wow! Who can stomach it at that time?! I'm not even usually out of bed at that time on a normal day, let alone eating something!!! It was kind of them though! :)

By 11:00a.m. we were back in FREEZING Chicago waiting on our ride home.

This trip is one I will never forget! A mission trip is special, but a mission trip with just three other women is incomparable! We became very close.

We laughed together and we cried together. We made so many memories, even those kind that "what happened in Peru, stays in Peru!" LOL! Don't ask, cause I won't tell a soul! Ha! When you room together for a whole week and your walls are paper thin, well, let's just say you don't have too many secrets! LOL! You become pretty good friends.

Or you want to strangle each other! JK!

I am so honored and feel immeasurably blessed to have been called to be a part of the Esperanza 11-12 Peru mission trip!!! A HUGE "Thank You!" to everyone who prayed and/or gave in one form or another! I couldn't have went on my own, but with much support I was able to go and use my talents to bless others and glorify Him!!! "Thank you! Thank you!"

A special thanks to Italo, Rebecca, and David at the orphanage for having us for the week! All the miles and gas it took to go back and forth each day! Your sacrifice of your time and resources were a huge blessing! For having never met you before, I felt so welcomed and loved the moment I did! You opened up your lovely home and beautiful hearts and I am grateful! At this point it doesn't appear that I'll/we'll be coming back this summer, but I pray that somewhere in my future I will return to a place in the Amazon jungle that has an orphanage overflowing with happy children! God bless you for the work you are doing in that place!

I also want to thank Luis and Zorida, and his mother for opening up their homes and also making me feel so welcome! I had a great time on New Year's Eve and will never forget your mother's hospitality! She was so sorry for her tiny apartment and yet we fit perfectly! She gave all she had and it was a blessing! May the Lord continue to bless you as you reach out to those in your neighborhood!

Mission trips come and they go, but I don't think this will be one easily forgotten.

Many faces are etched in my mind and I wish that I could stop back in at the prison and sit a while, even if it means crying. Or go and sew with the young ladies at Casa Hogar and cuddle babies. Or even travel the long road to the Shipibi tribe and experience their daily life, but I am here. I'm a wife and a mother, these are my first callings. I can continue to pray for these women and help to send others, until my time is called again, if it is His will that there be another time! I am grateful to have experienced all He has had for me and have come away richly blessed. I am filled to overflowing and I pray that I was spilling over on all those lives around me last week! It always amazes me that God can use an ordinary person like me to complete His will! I LOVED being part of His perfect plan and so thankful He choose me this time! How can one go to bless others and yet come home feeling as I do now?! To God be the glory! Great things He hath done!!!!



***Just an FYI*** If you will be at our church this Sunday, I blog much better than I speak! And your prayers would be much appreciated. I much prefer to hid behind a computer screen.

***WARNING*** to those going on a small group mission trip, there is a good chance you'll get to speak up front once you get back! ;) Just thought you should be properly warned, since I was not! ha!

Esperanza 11-12 / Part Three

Friday, Dec. 30, our last full day in Puerto Malonado took us to a little church where we met with the Shipibi women, an indigenous tribe quite a ways out of town deep into the jungle. It was a group of about eight to ten or so women and some of their small children and a few husbands had come along.

Once again I have very few pictures of this group because I was busy teaching them to sew with their brand new sewing machine! (Thank you to all those in the Ministry of Outreach for your contribution!!! The women were very grateful!) I was again surprised to find that from this remote group a couple of them had once had the opportunity to use a sewing machine somewhere in their past. All of them were very eager to learn and try it out on their own! I have no doubt that they will take good care of the generous gift placed in their hands from people here in our little Indiana town. Before we left, one of the older ladies from the group spoke in their native tongue emphasizing the care they would need to take with the machine. Their gentle natures and cautious spirits spoke volumes while they were learning!

We also gave this group hygiene bags and purchased many of their handcrafts that they'd brought along to share with us. They also showered us with gifts for the sewing lessons.

See what I mean, we gave and gave and gave and just kept getting back without ever expecting it!

Afterwards we ate lunch....yep, more yummy food! ;)

Then off down the long, torturous road back to the orphanage. We made a quick stop at a road side clinic, literally, in the middle of nowhere!

With a school house next door that is partially usable and the other end houses "squatters".

A quick stop back in at Casa Hogar, to drop off additional sewing supplies, an iron, and a huge bag of cloth diapers!

But not so quick that we didn't have time to get in a little more baby lovin! ;)

Such a little cutie!

Then on to the orphanage for one last time. This is the sight we were greeted with....

It's been a long time since I've seen a double rainbow....sigh. Another very awesome thing about this shot, the building you see highlighted is the very building that the Esperanza 2012 team hopes to finish when they go next June! I don't claim to know what that means exactly or promises, but I can't wait to see what God has in store for that trip!!!

Our last evening at the orphanage was spent wading through those tall weeds (praying we didn't see any snakes!) to see what all needed to be done to finish the second house on the property. Back at the main house we visited, played Ninja with David, and discussed projects and details for next summer's mission group. It was another late night, but thankfully the next morning didn't have to be an early one. We would be packing up and heading to the airport once again.

Saturday morning, after we said our tearful goodbyes, prayed together, and boarded our plane and headed back across the jungle...

Over the now snowy Andes Mountains...if you can catch a glimpse of them between the clouds!...

With another touchdown in Cusco...

and off again towards Lima...

I thought of all the blessings, luxuries, convinces, whatever you want to call them, waiting for me at home and of the many precious memories I'll be taking with me.

No more crazy traffic weaving in and out with horns constantly beeping, at all hours mind you! (This picture doesn't even show the truth of it!)

I have an amazing bathroom! (I was soon to find out in Lima, they can be quite cozy!)

My refrigerator makes ice! I don't have to got to town everyday just so I can have an ice cold drink!!! (I know for most of us it's hard to imagine right now, but think dead of summer, blitzing hot with only lukewarm water to drink! You get the picture!)

I can wash my clothes in a machine, not by hand, with the water from our well...

and not have them coming out looking like they've been washed in this...

and speaking of that, everyday I can drive on a nicely paved road, instead of the dirt/mud, rutted, rough road we traveled everyday in Puerto Malonado.

I can live in a house without bars on my windows.

I can come and go as I please and I know right where my children are and who is taking care of their needs.

The list goes on and on...
I've got my own vehicle and don't have to depend on or pay someone else to take me anywhere.
In the heat of the day, I can go inside and get relief.
I have a huge freezer full of meat. I don't have to buy it daily from the market.
My water comes from a tap, not the stream down the road.
I can use my tp and flush it too!!!! :D

All the things I've grown up with that seem "normal" are really luxuries! They can be lived without and many people do! We are truly a rich nation and while in my nation I am not considered rich, the world over I am, and I will be held accountable for it. What am I doing on a daily basis, right here at home? How am I using my resources and time and talents? It was a huge eye opener! Something I've read about and heard about from others, but it means so much more when you can experience it firsthand! And yet all these things are temporary, what we carry in our hearts and in our actions will last beyond a lifetime! An acceptance of Jesus' precious gift and the hope of things to come are what really matters and I pray these are the things that we left behind! I pray we were lights where there was darkness and left esperanza/hope where all else was lost! To God be the glory!!!

Esperanza 11-12 / Part Two

Imagine for a moment what it must be like to grow up in a family that once you reach 12 or 13 your parents no longer feel that they need to take care of you or maybe they can't afford to. So you are put out on your own or forced to help support the family and earn your keep in less than desirable ways. You may find yourself alone and scared with no place to turn to. Or looking for love in all the wrong places and end up being pregnant without a caring and supportive spouse. It's a sad picture and one that can start too young.

Wednesday, Dec. 28, found us at Casa Hogar. A place of refuge and esperanza (hope) for such girls. It's located the next property back from the orphanage.

It's a home supported by a church in Canada and ran by an amazing Peruvian family, Joel and Patty and their three children. (Their other son wasn't able to be in this picture. And actually there was a third little boy running around there and I'm not sure where he belonged, so maybe he was part of this family too....?)

Not sure if this little guy belongs to them or not, but he sure is a cutie and was so shy at first!

Joel and Patty's love for each other, their children, and the girls living at the Casa Hogar just radiated!

They had little luxuries, if any, but yet were truly happy people!

They are making do with what they have and everyone works together to make the home run efficiently. We saw a few of the girls carrying HEAVY containers of water with smiles on their faces! No attitudes or complaints!

They each have their daily chores and work together to make meals and tend the flowerbeds and things like that. It's a place to call home!

This was truly a home of refuge and peace for girls who otherwise found themselves unwanted or potentially exploited for various reasons. There were six girls living there at the time we visited and all proclaimed to have accepted Jesus! They ranged from about 14 to 18 years old.

We did get a group picture, but I didn't get one on my camera, and I guess looking through them now, I don't even have pictures of all the girls. :( My camera battery died while we were there, so I missed quite a bit. Double :(

Here is Amisaday (aka Amy), Karen, and Juliana with her 8 month old baby boy, ?.

Two of them had babies of their own. Here is the other one, Rebeca and her 9 month old baby Benjamin. He was born a preemie and was definitely tiny!

We had fun loving on these girls and the babies too!

 We gave them all bags of hygiene items, an esperanza bracelet, and most importantly, a sewing machine with all the necessary supplies and patterns. A couple of them had previously had an opportunity to sew on a treadle sewing machine, but I spent the morning teaching them on the machine we brought and letting them all try it out. It was a great morning and at least four of them were very eager to have a sewing machine around!

While I was giving sewing lessons, Jeanna was having a great time playing with the little boys, and Sherry and Linda were purchasing handcrafts that some of the girls already make. Like these beautiful hammocks.

The plan was that we'd teach and equip these girls with a trade they can use now or fall back on if they need to in the future, along with their current crafts. Sherry purchased quite a few things from them and they will be available for purchase at her Freedom parties. Proceeds will be helping the girls out, supporting the orphanage, and you will have a lovely accessory from Peru! A win/win situation!

The girls made us lunch and it was another delicious authentic Peruvian meal! I could eat their food all the time! The spices and herbs they use are just yummy! As we were packing up to go another missionary couple stopped in and brought another sewing machine for the girls to use! They had had it in storage for about a year and "just happened" to drop it off the same day we were there! To add to the awesomeness of it, we'd brought two machines along to teach these girls on and one appeared to no longer be working after the long journey to South America, so we were no longer able to leave them with two machines. God's pretty awesome like that! ;)

After two days worth of traveling and a very unrestful first night in Puerto Maldonado we got to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening at our hotel taking naps, eating supper, and getting prepared for the next day. I was so grateful for this time to catch up and be fresh and ready for the next day when we went to the prison.

December 29th was an experience like no other. Words can't even adequately describe the things that took place there inside those prison walls that day. Everyone who prayed, was a part of this experience and I thank all of you for the time you committed to prayer! God definitely went before us and was with us and I pray we left Him in the hearts of those who didn't know Him!

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any cameras in, so all we can show you is the cold prison walls, but inside are 26 grieving, broken women. Many have children and don't know who is taking care of them or if they are even being taken care of at all. A few were from Columbia and Brazil and other surrounding areas. One of the older ladies had been there 7 years and was missing seeing her grandchildren grow. Another had only been there four days and could barely get the words out for the sobs in her throat and tears streaming down her cheeks. They were heartbroken and aching inside. Longing for deliverance.

You see, in Peru once your sentence is up, you aren't free to go until you've paid your fine, an amount that could take a lifetime to pay. You can pay in payments throughout your sentence, but you have to try and get your money to someone you trust on the outside to take it to where your fine can be paid on. Often times guards will help themselves to those funds passing through their hands and even if it makes it outside those walls, family and friends can't always be trusted. It's a heartbreaking thing!

I've never been inside an American prison, but for some reason I imagine hardened women with a chip on their shoulder and an attitude of "don't mess with me". I hope I'm wrong, but that is the vision I have in my head. (I'm sure they aren't all like that, but I wonder if it isn't the majority.) These women were not like that at all! Even their "leader" didn't walk around with an attitude of you better do as I say or else! They were kind and loving and approachable. Not one instant did any of us feel in danger. I don't know why any of them were in there, but I can't imagine any of them doing anything horrible, that's how soft they were. They loved us and we loved them.

First off, it was a surprise visit! The guards knew we were coming, but I guess none of the prisoners knew it. We sat in a big circle and introduced ourselves and then they did the same, with Rebecca as our translator. One mother even had her young baby in the prison with her. They can have them up to 3 years old with them. Another was 7 months pregnant. Almost all had at least one child somewhere on the other side of those walls. Sherry then gave her testimony and Linda shared some scriptures. The ladies wanted to sing and so we stood and held hands and sang praise songs in Spanish or some of us just hummed along. There wasn't a dry face in our circle of women!

Together we cried and together we laughed!

I wish I could go visit them everyday, the experience was that powerful! I had never expected to be moved to tears, to a place where I was sobbing for all the broken lives and hurt around me.

Later those who made handcrafts brought them out for Sherry and Linda to shop for Accessories for Hope, while Jeanna and I painted their fingernails. When we were done we sat around visiting with them and as we got ready to go, we formed a line and each one passed by us with a hug and some precious words in our ears. We had brought a message of hope with us and they were grateful! We had also taken along hygiene bags for them and inside each one was a Spanish New Testament. The girl who had been there only four days took it out and had it clutched in her hand like a lifeline. That picture is etched on my heart! The prison was definitely the highlight of our trip and none of us were truly ready to leave them!

After our time at the prison we went to eat with Italo, Rebecca, and David.

Then we went to meet Anthony and Marian, soon to be the orphanage's first two children! There mother has died and their father is in prison and their grandma can't afford to keep them any longer. We picked them up and one of their cousins and went for ice cream! A special treat! (Sorry, guess I didn't get any pictures of them either!)

After that Italo dropped us ladies off at the fabric "store", definitely not your everyday JoAnn Fabrics! Ha! We found what Sherry was looking for at the first one! So we walked down the row of stores to see what we could see.

It got late and we were rather drained so Rebecca put Sherry, Jeanna, and I in a motorcar taxi and we went back to our hotel for a late night snack and swim to cool off, while Linda and her spent some precious time together. The perfect ending to a wonderful day! I fell into bed that night thinking how blessed I'd been that day and I couldn't imagine it getting any better! How is it that we went to give and yet we all felt like we were receiving so much?!

***Stop by Jeanna's fb page if you'd like to see additional pictures from our trip. This first album has pictures from our trip, but also some from another trip she took so you kind have to figure it out. A second album has many more from just our trip. (I'm hoping that she has these albums set so that everyone can see them. If not, I'm so sorry I sent you over there!) And don't forget to check out Sherry's Accessories for Hope fb page for information about her freedom parties and how you can help support the abolition of modern day slavery!***

Esperanza 11-12 / Part One

"Hola!" Now imagine a hug, sometimes loosely and sometimes tightly, with either a kiss on the cheek or their cheek pressed next to yours with a kissing sound in your ear.

You have just received your first proper greeting to Peru, South America! And get used to it cause it's the first of many! :)

This trip marks my second official mission trip, but first one out of the country and I am hooked. I knew I would be! I could feel it in my bones. To experience another country firsthand is just amazing. The people, their culture, their food, their language, their lifestyles, all of it is fascinating! I loved sharing it with them, trying things out and just as much, they loved sharing it and laughing at/with me! LOL!

As some of you already know, my wonderful husband made it possible for me to go and not worry about our boys. He had enough vacation days left that he could take off all but one day and stay home and be Mr. Mom! He did a great job and I love him all the more for it!!! My in-laws kept them the day he had to work. They passed the time by splitting and stacking wood, laundry, washing dishes, cleaning and sweeping the house. They were well fed thanks to my dear bible study ladies, Jasmine, Kim, and Katie and some great friends too, Marletta and Van! They got to spend a day making pretzels and decorating cookies at their great-grandma's with cousins and Ethan got to go roller skating with his church youth group. Overall I think they had a good time and stayed busy. :) They were all very happy though to see me back home! Adin said he thought I'd got lost and wasn't coming back! What a little squirt!

This may come as a shock, but I left my "baby" at home. It's true, my camera didn't get to go along with me and I missed it EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!!! Had I known what I know now, I would've taken it and not thought twice, but that is the joy of hindsight! Andrew and I had decided that it'd be best if I took just a little point and shoot along instead of chancing my big camera getting lost, damaged, or stolen. So I purchased a Canon Powershot right before I left and sadly I hated it! I'm sure for a point and shoot they take great pictures, but they don't even compare to a SLR!!! It didn't help that my roommate had brought her big fancy camera along! Every time she got it out I had to fight the jealousy giant! On the flip side, I'm so excited that she'll share her pictures with me! There were many times I just put mine away and let her do the shooting.

So I'm going to share my trip with you through my pictures! You might want to grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a warm cozy blanket cause it's going to be a long picture post! ;) Imagine that! Ha!


Plane ride #1, December 26, at 10:45a.m. from Chicago O'hare to Atlanta, Georgia. We had to get up at 5:00 that morning in order to be in Chicago on time.

Plane ride #2, left Atlanta at 3:35p.m. bound for Lima, Peru. Sherry and I looking fresh and ready for the exciting journey ahead!

Linda and the fourth member of our team Jeanna, who conveniently forgot her team shirt at home on her bed! Tsk, tsk! We wouldn't let her forget it either! Ha! We're all ready to fly across the big puddle!



After a very long, almost 7 hour flight we were very glad to reach our hotel in Lima, just across the street from the airport. It cost us more to stay so close, but when your lugging around 100 pounds each of luggage, you don't want to go far! It was worth every penny! Our bodies thank those who helped monetarily supported us!!!

Here is the view the next morning from our hotel window. My first real look at Lima since it was dark when we flew in.

It just doesn't seem like Christmas was only two days ago! And even more weird, seeing Christmas decorations in 70 degree weather!!!

Plane ride #3 brought much excitement! We knew our plane left Lima at 10:00a.m., but didn't know what airline we were on. We thought we knew which one and stood in it's line for 45 minutes or so to find out at the counter that they didn't have any tickets for us. : / So we took off in a hurry to find out which other airlines were Puerto Maldonado bound. Once we found the correct one, waited in line again (thankfully a much shorter one this time!), and got checked in, we had 20 minutes to pay an overweight fee at another counter (of course!), get through security, and find our gate! It was a rather tense mission, but we got it accomplished and even had time to grab a bottle of water and use the restroom before getting on a little transport vehicle that took us out to our plane.

Here we are leaving Lima and headed back out over the ocean.

Into the foothills.

Over the Andes Mountains.



This ride was a killer on the ears!!!

I didn't know when I boarded this plane that we would be touching down one more time before our final destination. We landed right in the middle of the mountains in a little tourist town called Cusco. Most of the plane emptied there and only a few more people got on.

On our way again! No gentle rise out of the mountains! Wow, it was rough on those ears!!!

Up into the clouds and over the mountains!

To the flat jungle!

And Amazon River! So cool!

It was just so cloudy though that it was really hard to get a good view!

Finally! We're almost there!!! Looks like we're landing in the Amazon!

Right down in the middle of the Amazon jungle, literally!

To an itty bitty airport with a whole three airlines flying into it! :)

What a relief to finally be off a plane for a few days!!!

This wasn't our ride, but it was interesting to see how it could be done!

We didn't take one of these either, but we did get to ride in one later in the week after a late night fabric shopping adventure! It was really fun!

Italo picked us up in his truck and took us to our hotel. A beautiful building!

With a brand new front lobby, complete with it's seemingly out-of-place Christmas decorations!

Very nice! But looks can be deceiving!!! We have now entered the jungle with NO air conditioning ANYWHERE!!! We spent many days drenched in sweat! It was only about 80 some degrees most days, but the humidity is over the top! I had curly hair in Puerto Maldonado, imagine that!!!

This was the hotel's, lounge of sorts, complete with extremely slow internet, in Spanish (very helpful!). This area also had chairs and a couch to just hang out with the mosquitoes if you cared to. :)

The hotel also had a restaurant with an open air patio. 

It's where our breakfast was served every morning and we ate a few others meals there as well.

The "hallway" to our rooms. Located conveniently across from the maintenance room, that was occupied quite loudly every morning at 5:30!!! Seriously people, we needed our sleep!!!

Jeanna and I roomed together.

And it was a glorious moment when we discovered that they offered free wifi! She was so kind to let me use her computer. While still a slow connection, it was faster than the hotel computers and in English! :) ...see our window behind her, no glass just screens. Great for helping the airflow, but a bit shady on security, why bother even putting a lock on the door?! LOL!

Directly in front of our outside door, was our little modern bathroom, without the full conveniences. You were welcome to use it, but don't flush the tp, hence the covered trash can. Why didn't anyone warn me about this before now?! Yeah, kinda gross, but I survived and only forgot a few times after being informed.

After we got our things unloaded and somewhat settled in our rooms, Italo took us on the long bumpy, muddy, rutty road to the orphanage. There we met his wife Rebecca and their son David. Italo's cousin had made a wonderful and yummy meal for us using their first harvest of corn! She and Italo's brother joined us for supper. It was so good and the portions HUGE! Oh my goodness, I wasn't sure I could get it all down, but they had dished up our plates and I didn't want to be rude! So eat up I did! I was so thankful it was something I liked. :) We stayed and visited until we were sitting in the dark, as they don't have electricity yet. Then we went back to our hotel and had a little surprise birthday party for Sherry, our leader.

Only two days had past and we had already been blessed in so many ways, but we were to soon find out that the blessings were just beginning. We had went there to bless others, but somehow received so much in return! I can't wait to share in my next post! Good night for now!