The Peterson Family

Today was the 5^th Anniversary of the school at Hogar. They had a party where each class did a dance, complete with costumes. Peru has three distinct areas: the coast, the jungle, and the highlands. There was a song and dance to represent each of these areas. They finished off by singing Happy Birthday/Cumpleanos Feliz and giving out cake and sodas. We had a great time; the kids were so cute!

Here is a video of some of the dances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQcw7mNI2dY

Today we sat down with the family that is temporarily staying here and asked them what they had decided. They said they want to stay, yeah God! It will be difficult at times, but we are very excited and feel that this is God’s will, and we know that He will be here supporting us and guiding us through the process.

Today was another busy day. It seems most of our days lately are filled with meetings. There are many things happening, many things to discuss, and many things to learn.

Today, Silvia went to a city 1 ½ hours south of here to look around and to donate some items that were needed. We found out about this place from Pancho’s sister. She is very involved with community outreach and she visits this city every week. So far we have donated vitamins, baby food, and clothes. Sixty to seventy percent of the homes were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake last year, so many people are living in the temporary housing the government provided, which are like tents. This is a very poor area with many people and children needing help. Silvia plans on going back again, and we will be sending more clothing donations soon.

We spent the last few days praying and talking about the family that is temporarily staying here, trying to figure out God’s will for them and how we fit into the picture, if at all. It is easy to just give people handouts and help them, but that only makes them more dependent on you. We feel God is revealing His plan to us, and we are trying very hard to follow it. We feel that they need to learn how to become independent, that the siblings need to finish their schooling, and they need to find good jobs. The whole family has gone through some pretty bad stuff in the past and they all need alot of love and encouragement. They also need to learn how to be responsible, how to respect each other, and they could use a big dose of hope and self-worth. We feel God’s plan is to let them stay here for a few months, to take them in as our own family, as part of God’s family.  We feel it is actually an answer to prayer. This will give us a chance to figure out what rules we need, and will help us get Hannah’s Home in order so we are ready to accept the first “official” girls God will be sending here. Today we told them what we would like to do, and explained that it would be temporary, and that there would be rules to follow. We are going to give them a couple of days to think about it and tell us what they have decided.

We are praying hard for God’s will.

There are many youth in this area that don’t finish high school because they can’t afford it, or they have to drop out to get a job to help support their family. Right now there are two young adults from this community that are getting the opportunity to go back to school to finish their high school education through sponsors and ChildReach Ministries. These two young adults happen to be siblings. This particular family has had some rough times and has had trouble providing for themselves in the past. On November 29^th they were kicked out of the place where they were living. Their brother was hired to take care of the property and the owner didn’t like the fact that his Mom and two sisters were living there, so he told them they had to leave. They were able to find a place to stay the first night, but it was an old outbuilding with no roof that was on the property of the town drunk, not preferable. We spent some of today trying to find them a place to rent. It was getting late and we hadn’t found anything, so we told them they could stay with us for a few days.

Can’t wait to see what God has in store for us!

Wow, sorry I haven’t had a chance to write in awhile. We have been SO busy; it has been crazy, but good. Yesterday was an amazing day. Pastor Jorge’s church didn’t have the normal Sunday school service because they took a field trip to a little farm in Papa Leon, our neighborhood. We walked there with the kids from Hogar. It was fun. We played some volleyball with the youth from the church, and visited with people from the church. The place was kind of like a resort, they had a little pool, and the owner rents out rooms, like a Hostel. It was a very relaxing place, and I think everyone had a great time. After that, the kids came over for lunch. Silvia fixed a Peruvian lunch: spaghetti, chicken, potato with creme gravy, boiled eggs and a piece of lettuce. She also made homemade Chicha, the purple corn drink. For dessert we gave them watermelon. The kids loved it! This particular dish is served for special occasions, so it was a real treat. We’ve been told that the kids only eat meat and vegetables a couple of times a month. They generally eat lentils, beans, and rice, so any kind of meat is a treat to them.On the way to the field trip we met a lady who was walking down the street. Her name was Julia. I would guess she was in her 60’s. Felix had gone back to Hogar to change his shoes, so it was me, Lynn, and Dave trying to talk with her. We did our best to find out what was going on. She had a horrible infection on one of her feet. It was about the size of a dollar bill. It was the worst skin infection I have ever seen. I am no doctor, but it kind of looked like gangrene too. She said she needed 10 soles (about $3.00) to get some antibiotics for her foot, but she didn’t have any money to pay for it. She also needed 3 soles ($1.00) to pay for a moto-taxi to go to the market. We were very concerned for her and told her we would go back to Hannah’s Home to get some money for her. She said she would come by Hannah’s Home later in the day to get the money. We gave her 3 soles ($1.00) so she could get a moto-taxi and she left. She told us she was very poor, that she had no husband or children, and that she was staying with her brother. I didn’t understand everything, but I think she said she was praying to God because of her situation and she felt God had sent us to her. The really interesting thing is we were supposed to turn down a side street for the field trip, but since Felix had gone back and we didn’t know where we were going, we kept walking down the street. If we had turned, we wouldn’t have run into her.

Julia came to Hannah’s Home later. Luckily Silvia Agurto was home. I tried to tell her about what had happened in the morning, and told her about the infection. As soon as she saw it she asked Julia to come inside. She talked with her for a little bit, and then we brought out the first-aid kit and Silvia cleaned the infected area and put a bandage on it. She also gave her some penicillin and some ibuprofen and told her to stop by after the doctor and let us know what he said. Silvia prayed for her while she was cleaning her foot, and we prayed for her before she left. She was so thankful; it was incredible. She kept thanking us, telling us that God would greatly bless us, and that God had answered her prayers.

I think we lived out the following verses today:

James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Matthew 25:35,36, 40
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’… ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDcU876PTZA

Yesterday was the birthday of one of the children at Hogar, and we were thrilled to be able to go to the birthday party and celebrate with them. The party was supposed to start at 7pm. What time do you think it actually started? Around 8:30! It is so laid back here; it is actually kind of nice. People don’t get uptight about starting on time, they start when they’re ready. (Ok, some people probably do get uptight, especially the gringos or foreigners, who aren’t used to the lifestyle.) So we just hung out, talked, and helped them blow up balloons and decorate the room. They had a clown, and a person dressed up as Minnie Mouse. They did some dancing, and some games. The birthday girl/boy gets to choose the “players” of each game. Most of the games involved dancing, and the “crowd” would choose who they thought did the best job. It was fun to watch. Lynn was picked for one of the games, and he actually danced! He really doesn’t like to dance, but he did it anyway, what a trooper. I think that is the first time I’ve ever seen him dance in 19 years, and he did a great job. (I told him he would learn to dance when we came here.) Then we had snacks, chicha morada (which is a Peruvian drink made with purple corn, I think it’s good), and of course cake. Oh, and they had a piñata too. When they broke the piñata open, the clown was grabbing the candy and toys out of it and throwing them all around the room, so the kids were scrambling all over. After the cake, pictures and gifts were done, they just played music and some of us danced. I had the opportunity to try to learn a typical Peruvian dance; it was pretty cool. The party didn’t get over until about 11:30. Now take into consideration that this was a school night, and the ages of the kids at the party ranged from 2 or 3 to 12. Everyone had a great time. It was great to see the big smiles on the faces of all of the kids, and the adults too. I would bet that some of the kids were a little tired this morning for school, but I would guess they would say it was worth it.

Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like its heaven on earth. Mark Twain

Melissa

It is time for the ChildReach Ministries monthly newsletter, and I have been asked to write something about how our transition to life in Peru has been. So I’m sitting here, thinking about the last 5 weeks, trying to sum up what the transition has been like. I have to say it has been relatively easy. It has been relatively easy because a number of Peruvians have been called by God to join ChildReach in their endeavor to help the children of Peru. Without their assistance, this transition would have been much more difficult. Our new friends here in Peru have been so patient with us; they are trying to learn English while they are helping us learn Spanish. They have been teaching us about their culture, and have greatly blessed us with their friendship and their servant’s hearts. We are getting used to riding the buses, the lack of “personal” space, all the dirt and sand, and the Peruvian ways of doing things.

Last night we were talking about what we missed from back home, other than family and friends. Maybe it is just too early, but we couldn’t really think of anything major yet. Some things that were mentioned: rain, colorful Autumn leaves, and driving. They say the first wave of homesickness hits between week 6 and 8, so we’ll see what we say then.

We know that God has prepared us for this journey. Even before we knew anything about ChildReach and Peru, He was preparing the way. It is exciting to know that right now He is preparing the way for the future, for things we don’t even know about yet. God is awesome! We are so happy to be a part of His plan.

Bendiciones,
Melissa

Another great day today. We stopped by Hogar on the way to church, and were able to walk to church with Erika and the kids. The service on Sunday mornings is a praise and worship service, and Sunday school class for everyone. Every week there is a Bible verse we are supposed to memorize, and at the end of the service each class comes in front of the rest of the congregation, recites their memory verse, and sings a song. Our memory verse today was 1 John 1:9. (But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.) After church was over Erika and Felix had a meeting, so we brought the kids to Hogar de Hannah with us. It was fun to prepare lunch. The older kids came into the kitchen and just started helping us, and they helped watch the younger kids too. Erika and Felix came later, and Erika pitched in and helped. The kids cleaned their plates, and really seemed to enjoy themselves. We had a great time talking to Erika and Felix while we ate, and they were glad to have a little break. We are talking about doing this every other week, and next time we may do Turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes since it will be around Thanksgiving. (Of course they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here, but we thought it would be fun to share our traditional meal with them.)

After everything was cleaned up, Lynn, Aaron, Vicki, Dave, Maxx, and I took a walk around the Papa Leon neighborhood. There is a cow farm in the back of the neighborhood, and since Dave and his family raise cows, we walked by to take a look. We walked around for almost 2 hours. It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Hope you all are doing well.

Love,
Melissa