Lyn's Story

When I went to Peru, I thought it was to just rock babies; however after arriving, I soon learned God had a greater purpose in mind.

One of my special God moments was with one of our translators as God gave me a special relationship with Roxana, a young mother, during our week in Peru. This is a picture of a very special moment I had with Roxana one day after she had shared her personal story of how her husband had left her when she became pregnant with her two year twin daughters, leaving her to raise her girls without a father or financial support. God brought to my mind the verse, Jeremiah 29:11, as I told her this verse was special to me when I had been going through a difficult time in my life. I quoted the verse to her since I did not have my bible with me that day to show her where the verse is located, but she told me she had her Spanish bible and when she opened it, her bible fell open to Jeremiah 29. Only God could provide moments like these to encourage others and provide His hope to them. Roxana is a Christian; however, I believe God wanted her to be reassured how He is leading her in her journey to trust Him each day and to strengthen her faith. Also, God reminded me how important it is to hide His word in our hearts for us to be able to share scripture at those unexpected moments when we may not have a bible handy.

Susan happened to be walking behind us and caught the moment on camera. Susan posted the picture on Roxana’s Face Book and below is Roxana’s response:

That was really great! Lyn was telling me about a passage in Jeremiah that she likes a lot and I told her that I had my bible with me but in Spanish, then I just opened my Bible and I opened the book of Jeremiah, chapter and verse that she was talking about!!! I almost cried.

Teacher Training Report

This report is from Lori:

What a wonderful privilege it was to spend time with the teachers this past week!!! It was a tremendous blessing. Here is a list of the items we gave them and a brief run down on our discussions.


Items:
10 sets of Addition/Subtraction Quizmo (40 cards per set)
5 sets of Multiplication/Division Quizmo (40 cards per set)
5 sets of Fraction/Decimal Quizmo (34 cards per set)
10 sets of colored translucent chips (1000 chips per set)
1000 bathroom sized cups
5 sets of Pictures – Changes in Matter
5 sets of Pictures – Animals
6 sets of Pictures – Solar System
6 sets of Pictures – Ocean Life
6 sets of Pictures – Insects
6 sets of Pictures – Rocks and Minerals
6 sets of Pictures – Jungle Animals
Balance
Weighted Numbers to be used with the balance (2 and 3 weigh the same as 5)
Flashcards – color & shapes, counting 0-25, Go Fish – in English and Spanish
4 packages Vis a Vis markers (8 colors per set)
2 overhead projector caddies
2 overhead projectors
Transparencies
Overhead angle viewer
Overhead 100 chart and tiles
Overhead spinners and templates
2 sets Overhead dot dice
Overhead decimal tiles
2 sets Overhead fraction tiles
Overhead place value tiles
15 Pocket Charts (34” x 43”)
30 packages of Sentence Strips (100 per package)
2 sets of Unifix cubes (1000 cubes per set)
4 extra large stamp pads
Rubber stamp set of 3 clocks
2 rubber stamp sets of fractions
Rubber stamp of grid
6 rolls of cash register tape (to be used with the rubber stamps)
Picture set with 62 cards showing people in a variety of settings (for language development, discussion of feelings, etc)
4 hand pointers
4 2” foam cubes (numerals and operations)
Human heart model
Human body model
Metamorphic rock set
4 magnifying bug viewers
2 27” inflatable write-on Globes
1 2’ x 3’ floor puzzle of the Solar System
3 large boxes of geometric foam shapes
3 plastic placemats with Animals – English
3 plastic placemats with Colors – English
3 plastic placemats with Solar System – English
150 9” x 12” dual sided marker boards with markers
150 packs of Kleenex
2 sets of glow-in-the-dark solar system models

Carol talked to the teachers about Resiliency of the children and Learning Styles. This was similar to the FODA program that Peruvian teachers use with their students. The teachers were very open to this, felt encouraged by it and had great conversations between primary and secondary teachers.

I talked to them about:
Barna’s research on children
“Did They Get It?” – a variety of ways to test for comprehension
“Will They Remember It?” – a variety of ways to make learning fun and memorable
“Top 10 Things I Learned From My Students” – classroom management, discipline, rule setting, organization, etc.

On Monday, I asked for ideas on what they wanted to know more about, and that prompted a wonderful discussion!!!! I wrote down their questions and I used them to steer our time for the rest of the week.

I was impressed with their obvious love for each other and for the children. They are a friendly and optimistic group. They choose to be grateful for what they have rather than focus on what they don’t.

It would be a toss-up as to whether or not I taught them as much as they taught me!

Construction Update - Brian's Story

The following was written by Brian, after our return from the trip:

When the opportunity arose for a potential trip to Peru I told Lisa two things:

1. I will not be going.

2. Do not bring back an orphan.

When she wrote back about the need to complete the school, I was hooked. I immediately wrote back inquiring as to the type of construction, tools needed, etc. As I began to understand and see the big picture, I soon realized that a few men working 7-8 hours per day, on a "foreign" type of construction, would not go very far in completing the school by the deadline required for government funding. As the story continued to unfold we found out that tools would probably not make it through customs if they thought "non-Peruvians" planned on using them. We also found out that the government did not look favorably on outsiders doing work that could be completed by their own people. (foreign prisons have never appealed to me). It also made sense that in a country where a doctor earns $600 per month, that an army of construction workers could be purchased cheaply and they indeed could finish the work on time.

After the story was shared and the money began to be given towards the school, Lisa exchanged many e-mails with Miguel through an intermediary regarding how much money he needed, when he needed it, and exactly what it would be used for. I'm sure that many in the church and in your Bible Study classes will be asking about the school and if Miguel has been a good steward with the money that we sent him. I know this was important to me. Based on the following facts, I believe with full confidence and knowledge that Miguel is a man of integrity, and has indeed used every penny as he promised and is exactly on schedule as per the communications back and forth between he and Lisa. I will try to briefly summarize the communications below.

When Lisa was in Peru in October she asked Miguel how much money was needed to complete the school. He said $35k. In her pictures that she took on that trip the school minus the second floor can be seen. She spoke to the church on the morning of November 8th. 15K came in that day. It was wired and in Miguels possession on November 16th. One of Lisa's clients also sent 5k in this time frame. Southmont sent another $3650 in the first week of December. After the benefit concert, another $10,750 was sent on December 22nd. Another source sent $2600. This totals (if you are not adding) 37k. That is 2k more that he originally asked for. When we had figured out how foolish it would be for Miguel to wait on our men to work on the school in any major way Lisa had asked Miguel what it would cost to get laborors to accomplish the tasks that we would be unable to complete. He said 2k. ( I would charge more that 2k to move the sand moved by tres amigos gringos). They needed 37k and God led people to give 37k. Wow!

Was the money used wisely? In an e-mail from November 16th the following info is shared. "Preparation work is beginning today for installing columns and beams. He expects to complete the main construction work by late December." This was accomplished. Another e-mail on December 9th states the following: "Construcion progress. Miguel advised that all the framework is done, he will pour the roof this week and expects to be retrieving the forms by the time you arrive. Then he will work with the covering of walls and finish work." This also was accurate. The day we arrived they began removing forms from approximately 1/3 of the structure. They then used the sand we hauled and mixed it with concrete and finished the ceilings and finshed out the columns. We removed the forms from another 1/3 of the structure. I was concerned when the supervisor brought hard hats to us while we were removing the forms. I stood by the doorway so I could get help in the event the roof collapsed on Tony and Dick. (just kidding, but I did tell Dick that he had lived a long and good life) As I tried to determine why I travelled 3500 miles, paid for the trip, paid for additional help to cover my hours at work (yes, I actually do a little around there) and found myself moving 5 gallon buckets of sand (2.5 gallons by the end of the day) I realized several things. I was privileged to work beside two of the finest men I have ever known (fellowship).
I also realized that our willingness to do such a laborious, yet simple task would indeed earn the respect of the locals working on the job. They were not too excited to see us when we arrived and I think suggested that we move sand as a vehicle to run us off. (Tony and Dick would not allow me to leave). We also removed their subfloor used in concreting the ceilings and cleaned the forms for them. By this time they had warmed to us and we were able to share with them that our church had collected the money for the completion of the school. A young boy that we befriended on the site was actually the son of the owner of the construction company. He does not live at the orphanage, but does attend the school. This owner has a vested interest in completing the school. We asked them if they thought is was possible to complete the school by the end of January. They shared that this week and next will complete the concrete work. They will have 8 days to hang the lights (easy), install the doors (easy) lay ceramic tile and install handrails (not easy, but doable). Chino (supervisor) assured us that he will complete this job on time. Interesting note: Chino was at the fiesta celebration Friday afternoon and was all smiles towards us.

I am certain that the school will be finished on time and will pass inspection.


While my role in the school was ridiculously simple, I am so glad that God allowed me to go. We serve an awesome God! I will forever cherish the memories and the miracles of this trip.

New Friends

One of the unexpected blessings of this trip was the friendships we formed with our translators. Those of us on Facebook have become Facebook Friends with them; it has been so much fun to continue our communication with them, and to see the pictures that they took during the week and posted to Facebook. Here are a few pictures that Karina, one of the translators, posted:

Our translators with Lisa:

Shawn, Karina, Wendy, Heather, and Kathy:

Carol and Dutch blowing up balloons during one of our lunch breaks, to be used in the outdoor activities with the kids:

Chris with one of the "chicos":

(Chris joined our team sort of at the last minute. He is a good friend of Bruce and Donna - they've known him since he was five. He used to live in Lima, speaks fluent Spanish, and has a passion for sharing the gospel. He fit right in with our group and was an invaluable part of the team.)


Jeff with one of the "chicas":

Amy with some of the girls:

Lyn saying goodbye to one of the babies:

Michael saying goodbye:

Pray for Lauren

Lauren is staying in Peru for five more weeks. She leaves today for a two week backpacking trip with Miguel and the graduating seniors from the orphanage. At the end of the two weeks, she will stay at the orphanage three more weeks. Please pray for Lauren:

Pray for her physical stamina, as she will be hiking many miles with a very heavy backpack.

Pray for her physical health, that she will not be affected by altitude sickness, or suffer any intestinal problems from anything she eats or drinks.

Pray for her physical safety.

Pray for her spiritual and emotional stamina, that as she gives of herself to the kids, God will fill her back up as only He can.

Pray for the students on the trip, for relationship building and opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pray for Brian and Lisa; they are sure that Lauren is exactly where God wants her to be, but it is still difficult sending your child off into such an unknown situation. They will likely not hear from her for the two weeks she is on the backpacking trip. Pray for God's peace to overwhelm them.

We're Home!

As this is being written, we are on our final leg of this trip – flying from Houston to DFW. By the time this is posted, we will be safely home, carried every step of the way by God’s grace and favor. He has blessed so many, in so many ways this past week. We experienced an abundance of miracles.

On our last day in Peru, Saturday, we took a bus tour of Lima, stopping to see some of the sites and to do a little shopping for souvenirs. It was great to have the entire team together and have a chance to share stories from the week with each other. (Please continue to check the blog; we plan to share more stories as we have time to process our experience.)

Before leaving the hotel, we took time to sign a section of the wall. The walls in the hotel courtyard are full of signatures from previous guests. Shawn did a great job drawing the Southmont logo, and we all added our names.

We left our mark on Peru, and the people of Peru have left their mark on our hearts. This trip may be over, but the journey is just beginning!

Fiesta Friday!

We started our day today with Bible school activities for the children. Since they had a fiesta planned for us in the afternoon, we worked with all the children in the morning, instead of dividing them up as we did on other days. It was a little crazy, but in a wonderful way.

Crafts:

Volleyball:



Outdoor activities:

When we went to the bus for lunch, Mario (the religion teacher at the school) came on the bus to give us some parting words. He told of a man who heard from God and followed His directions, which led him to a house with some milk. The couple there gratefully took the milk and fed it to their crying infant. They had prayed for God to send them an angel. Mario told us that God had sent us as angels to the children. He said that when we did things for and with the children, we were doing them to Jesus. This week Jesus played with us and hugged us and learned from us. What a priviledge and blessing it has been to be a part of this week with these precious children!

Mario, with Rafael translating for him:

While the children were still at lunch, we filled cups with candy, pretzels, goldfish, and animal crackers:

What a joy it was to hand the kids their cups as they entered the chapel for the fiesta:

The children came into the chapel and sat down along the walls, boys on one side and girls on the other:

Some of the older children have a band and they played for us:

While the band played, others danced, and before long the children had us all on our feet and dancing with them:

When it was time for us to leave, the children lined up along the pathway to our bus. It was an emotionally overwhelming experience to walk along the line, saying goodbye to them.

Once we were all through the line and at the bus, the children came down the hill to wave goodbye:

Lisa said her goodbye to Miguel:

We drove away, all changed by the experience, filled with love for these children, and with a desire to come back to see them again.

p.s. Please say a prayer for Jeff. He has been ill with a fever and intestinal issues since yesterday evening.