Pictures!

Please excuse my tardiness….

They love her!

I'm as confused as you are man...

Expression he made at bubbles...

Braulio and his sister.

Home Again

So I just got home yesterday evening. It honestly feels like I never left. Everything is the same. Isn’t that weird?

I wish I could describe how I’m feeling at the moment. I feel sad. I feel happy. I feel lost. I feel confused. I feel useless.

Who knew those feelings could be felt at the same time? Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy to be home. But I just keep thinking about the kids I left. But tonight at church I realized something important. I can’t save these children and girls from their situations, and God doesn’t expect me to. He is their Savior. I realized that all I can do is pray. Prayer is powerful. I would love it if you would pray for them as well.

I want to thank you all for reading my blog, it means so much! I will be putting pictures up soon! I’d also love to talk to you guys! I will be keeping up with this blog hopefully on a regular basis, but unfortunately my day to day life is not as eventful as my experiences in Peru, but if you want to keep reading… go for it.

I love you all so much, each one of you mean so much to me. Thank you.

Ciao, Peru!

So today is our final day here in Lima. We leave tonight and will arrive home tomorrow. I thought I would try to squeeze one more blog in while we were still here, but I´m sure there will be many updates after I return home.

Today will be our final day in Santa Rosa. Teenage girls that have been involved in prostitution. I hope that through our testimonies we have showed them the hope and forgiveness that Christ gives us. After I said my testimony I got some difficult questions. These girls are so amazing and need hope, because they don´t think there is any for them, and there is… so much!

Today, on our last day, we will be doing the normal VBS program and finish up with the story of Joseph. Then we will have lunch, play with the babies and then do something I have been looking forward to all week. We are going to wash their feet. I am so excited about doing this! I can´t wait to tell all of you how it went!

All of us interns were talking about how we feel this is our life now here in Peru. Waking up, working in a home, and spending the evenings together. The five of us have spent 24 hours together for the past month, it will be so weird to be without them, I´ll miss them for sure! We have had sooo many laughs together and had so much fun all the time!

Well… that´s all I´ve got for right now. I´ll update things in a few days!

Forgiveness

We’re begining a new week at Santa Rosa! 40 teenage girls and 8 babies. In the morning we’ll be with the teenaged girls and then in the afternoon we’ll play/entertain the babies.

This week our VBS is based on forgiveness. We’re going to be talking about Joseph and all of the craziness he went through but how in the end, he forgave his brothers. Today I helped with the craft, which was a water color painting, whatever they wanted to paint. But (there’s a catch), when they were finished we took a paint brush and smeared black paint right in the middle of their painting. Oh man, the looks we got! I thought I was going to walk out of there with a black eye. I tried my best to do it with a straight face but I couldn’t. I felt awful! Here’s the method to our madness, and what we’re going to tell them on Friday. Sometimes things happen in our lives that aren’t fair and hard to deal with, but it’s how you deal with it that makes all the difference. On Friday they will be given their paintings back and told to make the ugly black line into something beautiful. Giuli, on the Buckner staff came up with the craft… genius.

This week we’re all going to give our testimony. I’m up tomorrow and I am so nervous. My first reaction to this was, I have nothing compared to what these girls have been though, but Guili reassured us that we all have a story and even though it won’t be extremely dramatic it can still relate to their problems. So after much thought and consideration I’m going to talk about the time I was a “kind of” Christian and pretty depressed and how I got closer to God and realized I couldn’t do it on my own and that like any relationship, a relationship with God takes time and effort and it doesn’t happen overnight. Our problems don’t disappear but they are minimized! Please pray for me!

I had a blast this afternoon with the babies. There’s something about a baby falling asleep in your arms that just feels so right. Man, I can’t wait to get me some kids! Ok… I’ll wait.

We’ve only got a few more days here in Peru. My experiences are unforgettable and I can’t wait to share some of my stories.

Braulio has still never left my mind, I cried last night thinking about him. I really think he changed my life. These kids are so amazing and so happy. I hope they know how special they are.

I also added some pictures into my gallery, so check them out!

Kids Having Kids

So first off, I´d like to thank all of you for reading my blog! I just figured out how to look at how many people have been reading my blog and I was amazed. So thanks, I love being able to share my experiences. What did people do before computers?

Anyway, these past few days we´ve been off. Monday was actually Peru´s Independence Day, which is exciting. Unfortunatly it seems like people don´t do too much on the occasion except fly their flags and a few parades, but other than that it just seems like it´s a day of rest. On our days off we didn´t really do too much and couldn´t wait to get back with kids!

This morning we went to Buckner´s shoe warehouse here in Peru, which is someone´s garage. Thousands of shoes (no exaggeration)! Yikes! I was pretty overwhelmed, I think we all were. We had to pull 2,000 pairs of shoes that they were going to give to the first lady of Peru. We got all the boxes out and started a system and then went to lunch and we were told we were done. We thought we were going to be there all day and night, but Claudia (one of the Buckner staff) insisted that she would finish it. Crazy, crazy woman! That was a lot of shoes.

In the afternoon we went to a mom and babies home. I´m glad I was warned of the ages of these girls, but even so it was so shocking. Twelve year olds… pregnet. Fourteen year olds changing their babies diapers. I think I started babysitting at fourteen. These girls are still kids. But it is nice to know that they are in this kind of environment.

We took the todlers accross the street to a park, which was certainly an adventure. I´ve decided that I can´t have kids too close together. I was carrying one and trying to hold the other two by the hand. Complete chaos. Kudos Mom. How´d you do it?

One little boy was sooo shy. He didn´t want anyone but his Mommy. And if she wasn´t there he would cry and cry and cry. A couple girls tried holding him but he still cried, and then he´d stop, and then he´d cry. So after awhile he was sitting by himself… all by himself. He looked pretty pathetic, no one within a 20 foot radius and with his big brown eyes wet with tears. I went over to him, and put my arms out, asking him if he wanted to be held. And… a miracle… he put his arms out! I seized the moment and picked him up and held him. No tears. I couldn´t believe it. I sat down with him and sang to him, and when I looked down, he was asleep. I took the opportunity to pray for him and his mom. His mom was such a sweetheart and one of the only mothers that seemed completely attached to their child. I prayed that that love would continue and that God would always provide for him and for her. I know He will. He is so good.

So I´ve realized that I haven´t talked about the girls I am with so here I go…

Kristi- She is our trip leader! She is so funny, her sarcasm has given us so many laughs. She is also so good with the kids. When she hugs the children it is so genuine and touching, she hugs are like no other. She has also traveled a lot, and was in the Marines for EIGHT years so we love hearing her stories.

Mariann- Oh Mariann… where do we begin. Well, she is from South Carolina, so she has the sweetest accent and the sweetest personality. Always so kind, and she always knows the right questions to ask. She should be a talk show host! She teaches 1st grade, and I´m sure she´s amazing at it.

Nydia- Nydia has the cutest laugh and has probably made me laugh the most out of any of them. She is so much fun to be around! She was an intern with Buckner last year so she knows the system pretty well, she also knows Spanish… which helps us so much! She was born in Mexico and speaks Spanish at home.

Amanda- She is shy sometimes, but has such a great sense of humor. She was born in Africa and lived there until she was eight or nine. Her parents were missionaries in Malawi. She knows a lot about the world… and I really respect her. So wise for her age.

We are all so different, but it´s amazing how well we all get along.

Well… that´s all I got. That was a lot to take in… sorry!

Collique

Hello from Lima!

This week we were at a community center called OSA (I don´t know what that stands for though) in Collique. Collique is about an hour and a half outside of Lima and a very bumpy taxi ride. The drive there is anything but picturesque. The smells of the town will probably stay with me forever.

I will try my best to describe Collique. The town is filled with wonderful people with smiling faces and big hearts but the poverty these people are facing is obvious and devastating. I keep thinking that this can´t be real. People can´t really live like this. But they do and they´re okay with it.

When we arrived we were told to not use a lot of water and to use the bathrooms for emergencies. A water truck had not come in five days and their water supply was scarce. They said they may not even have enough to give the kids in their program a meal that night. Luckily, they made it work and a day or two later water arrived. But… just the thought of not having water was crazy to me.

The kids we did VBS for in the morning were from the community but not part of the OSA program. I was in charge of crafts and had the pleasure of teaching them English while they worked on their projects. A couple of them remembered the English and were practicing on us, it was so cute!

The kids in the afternoon were part of the OSA program. The OSA program is trying to stop the cycle of poverty in these children. They select the children out of the community based on their situation. They try to help the children who need it the most. These kids were AMAZING. They are motivated and have so much energy it was so much fun to sing with them!

Today we had the opportunity to throw them a  little party. Of course it was nothing like the Red Dot carnival but we did our best! We had popcorn, pop, chips, games, music andface painting. They seemed to enjoy and we had a lot of fun with them. But, I must admit face painting was a little frustrating when I don´t speak spanish! While we were doing the carnival we could hear all through the mountains the echos of the Jehovah´s Witnesses worshipping and talking over a loud speaker.

Christina, one of the ladies who works at OSA just moved to Collique three years ago from the jungle! We got to hear some of her stories while we were popping popcorn. Totally amazing. She will be visited there this week for the first time since she left!

Christopher, Jessica and their son Joshua are missionaires staying at OSA for two years. They are from Texas and amazing people. I can tell they are so passionate about this and it was so encouraging to watch them.

This week was so much different than our time in Cusco, but I´m so glad we got this experience. I was telling my mom in an e-mail I wrote her. I believe that the kids in the orphanages may be better off than the kids living in these one room shacks. I cannot imagine what they see, hear and witness. So so sad. Please pray for them!

Braulio

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well!

Our time in Cusco has ended and for the rest of the month we will remain in Lima, the capital. Lima- home to over 9 million people and the craziest drivers. The Red Dot crew left last night, so it is now just the 5 of us interns and the Buckner Staff.

Leaving Cusco was very hard for all of us, but we are glad we were able to spend a good amount of time there. We got so attached to the kids and it was so hard to leave them. One,  in particular was especially hard to leave.

His name is Braulio, 9 years old, big  brown eyes and a beautiful smile. He never forgot my name and made me feel so special when he would run up to me and call me by name after greeting me with a hug. Every afternoon when we came to do the VBS I made sure I spent special time with him. We played catch, soccer and laughed together numerous times.

There´s so much more I can tell, but for the sake of time I´ll skip to the end. During the carnavil, I noticed he was ignoring me. I think he was starting to get upset that we´d be leaving soon. I decided I wouldn´t find him until it was really time to say our final goodbyes. But instead he seeked me out. I had gone to sit down to try and pull my emotions together when I looked up and saw Braulio standing before me with a concerned look on his face. He saw my tears and I saw his compassion. I stood up, went by him and kneeled down so we were face to face. I hugged him and said Goodbye. When I looked back at him there were tears in his eyes. I completely broke down. I don´t think I´ve cried that hard in a long time and I have a hard time believing he ever had either. I told him not to cry and that I loved him and so did God as best I could in Spanish.

I stood up and he kept his head down. I stood there for awhile gave him a hug, and walked to the bus. I cried all the way back to the hotel. I felt sadness and guilt. I gave all the love I could give to him and made him feel so special… and then just walked away. I hope that I planted a seed in him though. I know that I will be praying for him for many many many years to come.

I cannot get the memory of his teary big brown eyes out of my head. He´s an amazing kid, and I hope I can keep in touch with him.

Closing up the week…

Hi Everyone! This blog post will be pretty short.. I´m on a time limit!

I hope you are all doing well. I know I am! I have been so blessed to be able to work alongside an amazing group of people. Red Dot has been such a blessing to us and I´m not sure they even know it!

Today they put on a pizza party for the girls at Buen Pastor (the orphanage we´ve been working at all week) those girls had so much fun. Dancing, laughing, singing. So amazing. I even danced. Eek.

Tomorrow Red Dot will put on a carnvil for Buen Pastor and Jesus Mi Luz (the boys´home). This from what I hear is totally amazing! I´m in charge of the put-put station. There will also be a pie throwing station, face painting, bean bag toss, a bounce house, hot dogs, cotton candy and so much more! I cannot wait!

Red Dot has done something remarkable for the older girls at Buen Pastor. The 5 girls will live in a home near their university. This transitional home was beautiful, and we were able to walk in with the girls as they cut the ribbion and wandered around their new home! We prayed, danced, cried tears of joy and hugged the girls goodbye. All of the girls are amazing people, and will go far in life!

Alicia is much better, today we laughed together and played on the playground it was such a blessing to see a smile on her face.

God Bless,

Erika

P.S. We went to Machu Piccu yesterday… AMAZING. Pictures won´t be able to show the beauty. That´s really all I can say about it!

Much love.

VBS!

Hi everyone. I have a lot to share with you but I hope I am able to find the words to express myself.

I woke up so early this morning (people are up at like 4 to go to Manchu Piccu… tons of noise). The first thought that came to my mind:

I wish all of you could be able to share this experience with me. I feel like you are with me in a way though. Through your thoughts and prayers. So… muchos gracias.

This week, as I previously stated we are working with an organization called Red Dot. On Sunday we helped them paint a dorm at the girls’ home we will be working at all week doing a VBS. Later that evening we got to visit the Boys’ home. I was picturing these tough little boys. Oh no. These could be the sweetest boys I  have ever met. They put on a little show for us with dancing and acting. One boy danced to a Micheal Jackson song, it was hilarious. Probably one of my highlights so far I was laughing so hard.

I am really enjoying spending time with Red Dot. These people are all so amazing… but unfortunatly I’m already in a prank war with someone. This has invoved a whoppie coushin (that didn’t work gosh darnit) and a sandwhich in his bag. I have been warned that there are bad things to come for me… but I’m not worried.

Today, Monday, was our first day of VBS and was pretty interesting. The women from Red Dot are putting on the VBS and we are helping while the men tile the bathroom. These women are the most organized people ever! It was a lot of fun. We were at the girls’ home in the morning and the boys’ home in the afternoon. These girls are just like a family, always laughing together. One girl though didn’t let go of me the whole time. Her name is Alicia, she’s probably about 14 and extremely insecure. Rosanna one of the Buckner Staff tried to talk to her with me but we didn’t get very far. We decided when she’s ready to open up, she will. She was crying and made me cry. I did get her to smile once, but when I look at her all I see is pain and brokenness. Please pray for Alicia.

Thank you for your prayers… all of us are healthy and happy with the help of prayer, coca tea and oxygen. I can really feel the difference when walking or playing sports with the kids. We have all had to be careful with physical activity… their lungs must be amazing!

Tommorrow we will be in the same homes doing the VBS. Please pray for us!

Buenos Noches

Ciao from Cusco, Peru!

Wow. I’m totally excited about everything that’s going to happen this month. I can tell that this will be one of the most amazing experiences in my life. We flew into Cusco, Peru this morning and met up with a construction group from Athens, TX called Red Dot. Because of the high altitude we all felt a little woozy and were given coca tea, which helps apparently. When we arrived the airport the morning there was a band there playing traditional music, flutes, guitars and drums… it was beautiful. We walked outside and were swarmed with vendors. No, gracias… no gracias… NO… gracias. Yikes.

 This week that we’ll be in Cusco we’ll be in a girls’ home doing VBS with Red Dot while they tile the dorms. We got to visit it today after lunch. They were SO prepared, to say the least! They greeted us off the bus with hugs and kisses (handshakes don’t exsist) and many of them were dressed in traditional clothing, which was totally amazing. They were so excited and pulled us in and sat us down at a table to watch them dance. They probably performed dances for us for a half hour and then… it was our turn. OH MAN. The girls pulled me out of my seat and I attempted to dance like them, which I imagine looked pretty ridiculous. But then, a familiar tune. Bye, bye, bye! Yes, N’Sync, and they all knew the dance from the music video, so I gladly joined in on that one. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time we were there.

Cusco is so beautiful, walking through the town at night tonight was so pretty. You can see the lights from the houses on the mountains, beautiful churches, architecture and culture in general. I wish I could describe but I can’t. Beautiful.

Tomorrow we’re going to the girls’ home again and plan out the VBS and paint the dorms! I’m so excited to get to spend more time with these girls, they’re amazing. So happy!

I’ll write more later! Sorry for any errors! I’m typing fast!