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!