lost in a sea of faces

I have had the opportunity to shoot some photos of the people of Peru over the past couple days. Since they love to see the digital images on the back of my camera, I have never been hard up for obliging subjects. I spent a couple hours shooting in the city squre today until my camera battery ran out. I could have spent forever there...interacting with the people, meeting new faces, communing through smiles beyond language barriers. Some of the children have become familiar...calling out our names, and running over with hugs. I don't think they realize how much they have impacted my heart...and I often wonder what impression I have left behind. Here is a collection of all the faces that I have been privileged to capture in my memory, if only for a moment...

SPF 60 and counting...

So today was a wee bit on the warm side... 50 degrees and up warm side! Now to haul out the sunscreen and take defensive measures against sun and heat stroke. Aunt Marie - you'd be proud of me...I applied sunscreen! And not just SPF 4 as I am prone to do to enhance my pasty white skin colour... I went as high as 45! Hopefully I deferred the boot and glove tan lines in the process! One of the kids went as high as SPF60... I didn't know there was such a beast!
Despite our best efforts to do 15 minute rotations on the field work, we had a few students overworking themselves in the baking sun and, needless to say, our workforce slowly shrunk by the afternoon swing. There was newfound appreciation for siesta time when our water ran out and we had to go back to camp and spend some time in the hammocks. Twist my arm on that one! It brought lots of times for rest, relaxation, and always a laugh...

I have earned the nickname Grannylocks...or granny from some of the students! Nothing like dealing with the age gap! To be honest I find it humourous...and even play it up a bit. Age is just a number, right? When we were in line at the airport, one of our fellow passengers thought I was a jr. or sr. in highschool...I'm a young lookin' granny!
Whether we're on the field or at the base camp, our whole team has really been pulling together as a unit. Leaders are arising amongst the student body. The girls have been flexing their muscles on the work field. The guys have been showing their protective "softy" side!It's amazing to see the kids interacting with the children - a bunch of whom have come up from the village to see the crazy white people that have invaded their quiet mountain habitation!
Evan misplaced the balloon blower last nite, so I had to settle for the regular balloons today... the kids loved them just the same! It seems so simple... and I was touched to receive two ears of corn from one of the girls I had given one to. It was still warm - more than likely a gift from their own supper. I can't begin to tell you how humbling that is... here I was giving a balloon that had cost pennies, and in return they gave me from the little they had. I felt so rich in receiving from the hearts of these people...
I saw my first "jungle" turkey today... gobble gobble! Thank heavens I had my telephoto lens available! I also rode back to town in the back of a truck filled with dirt and Peruvean men... not by myself of course! I can honestly say it was a great way to experience the jungle roads - natural air conditioning! There's always some adventure to be had...
Tonite we hit the streets and I actually got to email peeps for the first time since being here. Nothing like a sketchy internet "cafe" to add to the new experiences this trip has afforded. I unfortunately could not update my blog, but managed to send a few emails and msn with Monica who was sitting 5' away from me!
I cannot begin to tell you how awesome it has been to see the kids stepping up on this trip. I saw two of the students, Rachel and Colin, give out food and drink to a couple homeless children that had come up to them in the street. They didn't do it because somebody was watching...they just did it to meet a need. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of the generosity and heart of the HD students. As a leader it is truly humbling to see...

From the jungles of Peru...

Today offered our first real view of the city we will be calling "home" over the next few days...definitely not a scene out of your average North American city.
I saw my first pineapple plant today... and banana tree! How surreal is that?! This morning we all crammed into little cabs(driving regulations are pretty much non-existent here!) and made our way to the camp. It's the beginnings of a retreat center up in the mountains. After having a small breakfast, we split our work forces - construction on the bathrooms, and excavating a soccer pitch into the side of a mountain.
It didn't help that it was pouring rain...which gave us a small break from our labour! We hiked down to the river for a bit of free time...which had me in my rubber boots giving piggy backs across for those who didn't want to get wet. Yeah...I kinda took a wipe out with Monica on my back...so much for protecting people's kids while I'm here! Despite the fact we were all soaked and had increased the likelihood of picking up a parasite from immersing ourselves in the water, we finished the afternoon with digging and picking before heading off to our nice cold showers!
Tonite we had our first real taste of Pichanaki. It is so different from anything I've ever experienced before. They currently have vendors lining the streets under tarps - a tradition over the Christmas/New Years week. At the place we exchanged our money, they had the new Hillsong United cd playing...IN SPANISH!
The exchange rate is really good - 1 US dollar equates to 3.16 sols in Peru...which makes us pretty wealthy in comparison to the locals. To give you an example, a quarter chicken dinner with fries will cost you 5 sols, which is less than a couple bucks US. Some of our kids picked up Peruvean blankets for 15 sols, which equates to 5 bucks US. CRAZY!
Tonite we had our first practice with our ministry groups. Due to the fact the drama team was using the cd player, the puppet team opted for balloon making. From my limited skills we managed to create things that looked somewhat like dogs! One of the girls, Leanna, who was staying in the hotel, received arm loads of our attempts! Mike T. connected with her - it was so cool to see his "sensitive" side.

We got the brainwave to take our newly acquired talents to the streets, and being well after 10 were wondering how many kids would actually still be out. As we turned the corner from our hotel, we were amazed to see kids still playing in the dark streets. It didn't take long before we drew a crowd... and were swarmed by kids amused by our balloons.
Some of the kids could manage some English... which made communication a little easier! Our two main phrases can get us their names and age. I loved sitting back and watching my team step up and connect with the Peruvean children.
The excitement that could be seen in their eyes in doing something so simple was priceless. That memory will be ingrained in my heart and mind forever.
Another memory will be a group of kids asking me to sing something in Spanish. After they filled the requirements of singing a song in English, I complied with the only song I knew in Spanish that I had learned in Ecuador 5 years ago. To my amazement (and relief!) they knew it and sang with me. Nothing has sounded so beautiful to me in my life.
What a great start to our stay here in Pichanaki!

The wheels on the bus go round and round...

We've finally arrived in Pichanaki...the town in the middle of the jungle we will be staying in for the next 6 days. We thought we'd never get there! Pastor Bruce was good at saying it was only a few more minutes...when it was really a couple hours! Here's a slide show of our trip from the desolate streets of Lima through the Andes mountains. How great is our God!!! My apologies to those NOT on high speed!

one hundred ways not to sleep on a bus...

It seems hard to believe that we are finally embarking on our Peru trip. Piled onto a school bus, expectations all over the map, we waved good-bye to our friends and family and entered into the world of the unknown. Two weeks lay before us...and the first 10 hours began on the bus to Newark, NJ. Talk about interesting! My friend Monica and I were sharing a seat. No matter which way we turned or cramped into, there couldn't be found a comfortable way to sleep on the bus. From extreme cold, to people stepping on you, to luggage handles jabbing into your back, we tossed and turned our way to the airport. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I was for a wide stretch of open carpet in the terminal!
We had six hours to kill before our flight to Lima. Bring on the Starbucks! The kids got stocked up on snacks, fast food, and sudoku before boarding our plane for the second leg of our journey...an 8 hour flight to Lima, Peru. Being spread out across the plane kept our noise level down somewhat! We got to enjoy "Airplane Chicken"... the first of what would more than likely be many interesting cuisine opportunities!
I ended up changing seats with Evan T., who was all by himself in the middle of the plane. Had an interesting chat with his seat partner, a Peruvean who was currently living in Holland... what are the odds! We had laughs over how disgusting dropjes were, places we had traveled, and what food to try in Peru. It helped make the time pass that much quicker.
We had no problems through customs and immigration... it's amazing who they'll let in their country! Although I did score on the random suitcase check! I started opening my bag with all the contents popping out... I think the guy felt sorry for me and just waved me through.
Upon landing we met up with Pastor Caleb and his wife... our contacts in Lima. They had prepared a dinner for us (by the time we reached their house it was already past one! We had our first introduction to fruits and vegetables we had never heard of before, and Inca Kola... a pop that looks like Mountain Dew but tastes like Cream Soda.
Needless to say we were all primed for sleep - whether it was on a floor, a couch or in one of the many beds throughout the house... definitely trying NOT to think of our 10 hour bus ride we will be taking tomorrow to Pichanaki! Regardless, my snowy white look has to go!

day one...

Well, I'm almost ready to leave...and as you can tell by the time of this posting, I'm cutting it close to the line! I'm packed with gravol and ready to take on whatever the next two weeks may hold...given that God is going before me! The next 30 plus hours will be spent travelling...I don't think Peru is ready for us!

Drumroll please...

What do you get when you cross a bunch of teenagers, too much sugar, a late nite and a few puppets?...
Now add a South American location, and you have our Peru puppet team! This is the group of kids and family of puppets I get to work with!
I can't believe there are only 11 days that seperate us from a lot of travel, manual labour in extremely hot conditions, and street ministry in city parks at nite. It seems to have crept us so quickly...and with the Christmas rush in full swing...it will be here before you know it! Please continue to keep our group in your prayers...and stay tuned to the rest of our adventures!

The countdown is on...

So Peru is only 11 days away...CRAZINESS! Thanx to everyone who made the auction a success - it raised over $700 so far! There are still a few items left for the bidding...
Photo Sessions - $100.00 per sitting
Landscaping - bidding starts @ $100.00
Prints - $20 each plus printing costs - see my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyespyphotography/
Party Planning/Catering - bidding starts @ $75
Dinner for Two - bidding starts @ $75
Pedicure for Two - $50 per package
Thanx again for supporting this ministry with your thoughts, prayers and small fortunes!