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!!!