Lima Trek 2008

Posts from the "Trek Journal"

2008-09-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

July 25, 2008

Throughout the summer, the Paz y Esperanza team served alongside churches in the slum areas.

While joining Ofelia (pastor's wife at a new church in Mariategui) in prayer for people in their homes, they not only saw how God was working in the community but also learned on a deeper level about the fundamental connections between our physical and spiritual beings.

When the team first prayed for Angelica – a young woman whose bones ached so much that she struggled to complete her chores and responsibilities at home – she was about to head to the doctor to see if she had osteoporosis. This is no small diagnosis for a woman already living in such tightened circumstances.

More than just with her physical pain, Angelica was struggling spiritually, feeling like the pain in her bones was a punishment for her sins, a reflection of her own spiritual inadequacy. So the team prayed for her, her whole body – physical and spiritual. Later on, when they went back, they found she learned she did not have osteoporosis but anemia. After taking iron pills, she was feeling healthier and more energetic.

Through meeting Angelica, one member of the team had a chance to ponder the connection between physical sickness and spiritual sickness. Brandon, who's considering work in medicine, wondered about the relationship between Angelica's bodily struggle with its impure, anemic blood and Angelica's spiritual struggle to understand that Jesus' blood had purified her from her sins.

Angelica had a very hard time accepting Jesus' blood as her own, accepting His forgiveness. Haven't we all had a similar struggle at times? But praise God that our Lord desires for us to be healthy, inside and out. The challenge now is: how do we, through Jesus, love and care for the whole body?

Our team was able to minister tangibly to the community by building a staircase on one of the steep hills in the area. Amy – or "Estrella" as she was nicknamed – was struck by how those building the staircase and doing the difficult manual labor alongside them were the directors of the community. These directors were very active in the community, often gathering people for meetings and then leading the meetings themselves. The directors chose to work on some of the most physically demanding jobs because they wanted to build credibility in the community, showing the other community members that their leaders were actively seeking the community’s growth and development.

Such an example is a powerful testimony among the poorest people of the slum areas, who often believe the lie that they cannot make a difference in the world. But, by God's grace, the people took note during the staircase building. May the Lord with His mercy and power break any feelings of helplessness or inevitability in Lima. And may He continue to build up the people who seek to lead through serving.

July 11, 2008

Meet Carmen.

Carmen lives with her husband and two young children in a two-room house that rests on top of one of Peru’s many ceros (steep, rocky hills). Thanks to a personal recommendation from a friend, Carmen applied for and received a government job. Now, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, Carmen cleans and cares for a school near her house. Her salary, 600 soles a month (approximately $200), seems generous when compared to that of her husband; he works 12 hours, six days a week and earns about 500 soles.

Carmen and her husband consider themselves to be in Peru’s lower middle-class. Their tiny house seems a mass of contradictions to my American eye: a television with cable in the living room, but an outhouse in their backyard – three walls and a flimsy tarp are all that separate the toilet from the chickens and bunnies they keep nesting there. Both Carmen and her husband are excited about the new water pipes coming into their area; though they’ve lived in their house for 16 years, this is the first time the state has attempted a project like this.

Amidst all the dirt and the difficulties, Carmen has managed to create a home full of love and warmth. Her children are well-fed and polite; books line the walls of her house; and she shows support for her community by volunteering with several non-profit organizations.

How did we meet Carmen? The Yaycuy Camuy team had the privilege of being hosted by volunteers from the local branch of World Vision in Carmen’s area. Carmen was one of five other volunteers who generously opened up their homes and lives so our team could get to know Peru on a deeper level.

For three and a half days, our team shadowed these women as they went about their daily lives, working alongside them when they worked, playing with their children, making chocolate (okay, that was just Sean – lucky dog!) and learning about the struggles and accomplishments they’ve experienced while volunteering in their communities.

Our visit culminated when our team assisted two churches, both of which were located in areas with some of the most intense poverty we’ve seen thus far, in a program for children from the community that celebrated the National Day of Prayer.

July 5, 2008

For the seven members of our team who have been living in the Yaycuy Camuy house, almost every day here has taught us about the high value of hospitality in Peruvian culture. Yaycuy Camuy is constantly opening its doors to welcome friends from the community and around the world. The Yaycuy volunteers are continually seeking fresh ways to form strong relationships with new people. Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been up to:

Recorridos:
You usually can’t wait for people to come to you – you need to take the first step. Through recorridos (journeys throughout the city) our team heads to parks or neighborhoods where children typically hang out to strike up friendships. During one of our recorridos, we played an impromptu game of soccer with a group of 10- to12-year-old boys. They creamed us, though we like to think it was just because we were outnumbered.

Educational Programs for Children:
Once Yaycuy has already formed relationships with local children, they take the friendships a little deeper and host fun, educational programs. Of course, Peruvian kids could learn about their country from books, but how much more meaningful would it be for them to learn through experience? Our team planned such an activity.

By building miniature houses, “harvesting” various crops, and playing homemade instruments, the children not only learned creativity and cooperation but also had the chance to develop more pride in their heritage. The latter is especially needed in a country that places so much value in being light-skinned and blonde.

Los Exploradores Guardaciudadanas:
The new Exploradores (Explorers) are really the epitome of what Yaycuy hopes to offer to the community. Made up of two small groups of twelve- to fifteen-year-olds the Explorers are kids from poor families who work on an intimate basis with Yaycuy. The seven of us on Global Urban Trek are very excited to deepen our relationships with these adolescents, especially the five older ones, whom we’ll mentor individually in a series called Amigos del Alma (Friends of the Soul).

Cooking and cleaning:
I don’t know if any of us realized before coming to Peru how much time it takes to maintain a constantly hospitable house. Meals can take hours to prepare and dishes at least an hour to wash afterward. Keeping floors and bathrooms clean is a never-ending task, especially when – how should I put this delicately? – proper functioning of your team’s digestive tracts is questionable thanks to the new environment (read: diarrhea – days and days of diarrhea). But, surprisingly or not, there’s a deep satisfaction in regularly participating in manual labor, as we work together and create an atmosphere of order and openness.

July 2, 2008

Imagine you are a parent of ten children, and your only available resource is a single sheet of paper. You need to create something of value with this paper to sell it and feed your children for the day, yet time is of the essence. In no more than fifteen minutes, could you make something with this paper and then sell it at the marketplace?

This was the challenge given to the Lima Trek team by our hosts during our first morning in Peru. Participating in this simulation gave us our first real glimpse of the despair and helplessness that many urban Peruvians face everyday. How could we convince someone to buy our products when they clearly had little monetary worth?

Some of us managed to sell what we had. A Peruvian took pity on us and bought our product. Others of us came away empty handed with the sinking feeling our stomachs that, had the situation been real, our children would have faced empty bellies that night.

Such is a day in the life of the Trek team in Lima, Peru. Our thirteen-person team made it here safely at 5 a.m. on Sunday, June 22, after completing an array of orientation activities in Miami the week before. On Sunday, feeling both excited and exhausted (after a six-hour flight delay the night before), we were welcomed warmly by our hosts at theYaycuy Camuy house and introduced to Lima through a variety of exercises.

Walking through through the Galeria Viva, a nine-room exhibit in the Yaycuy house, we got a brief glimpse of the struggles and ingenuity of the Limeñan poor and the ministries that the Yaycuy volunteers have created to come alongside them. Throughout Sunday night and Monday morning’s exercises, we pondered how best to serve the urban poor in a way that both affirms their dignity and acknowledges the harsh realities of their situations.

What situations do some Peruvians face everyday? For many of those we’ll work with (the poorest of the poor), water is a luxury. Others, like the displaced who have recently fled violent rural areas to move to the city's shantytowns, relive memories of the horrors caused by the terrorist group Shining Path or the Peruvian military.

For many Limeñans, going home requires a long climb up a steep, muddy hill. Though this hill, called El Cerro, is officially condemned by the government, many have no other option than to squat here for survival.

Our team is split into two groups to partner with two holistic-ministry organizations in Peru. At Paz y Esperanza, Gracie, Laura, Amy, Amy (yes, two!), Kelton, and Brandon work with community churches, make home visits and help with workshops addressing local problems like sexual abuse. Check out their progress at www.limatrek08.blogspot.com.

At Yaycuy Camuy (which, in Quechua means, “come in and make yourself at home for a while”), Sean, Sarah, Andy, Alicia, Walter, Jeff and I help plan and participate in programs to educate and serve local children.

More to come, though finding internet connection here is a challenge.

Update

2008-07-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been packed with activities. The Yaycuy team spent a few days in Ventanilla, an extremely marginalized area of the city, working in collaboration with World Vision on some seminars with "community promoters" who are leaders that are working to develop and improve their communities. The students helped with some workshops that focused on movement and dance which were designed to help people learn about self-awareness, self-esteem, and team-building. The students all had to learn about this before teaching it, and for many of them it was a very new and different experience, some students said they were skeptical at first about what they were doing, but as they continued, they realized the value of what they were learning and were excited to share it with the people of Ventanilla. They spent the rest of the week focusing on their mentoring relationships with the City Explorers program and also doing some sports and recreation outreach to kids in the neighborhood around the Yaycuy ministry house.

At Paz y Esperanza we had a week full of lots of different activities. On Monday through Wednesday we continued our regular activities of serving at the community kitchen and doing home visits with our friends Pastor Casio and Pastora Ofelia to visit the sick and pray with them. Then on Thursday through Sunday we spent our time in Bayobar, a nearby neighborhood, where we helped Paz y Esperanza with a community fair and also built a staircase with people from the community. This was hard physical labor without any fancy equipment, and gave us awesome insight into how hard the people of Peru work, especially the poor who build their homes and communities on the hills that surround Lima. The students really enjoyed it and expressed how they felt it taught them so much about how hard the people here work to survive.

Many students are still sick, so please pray for our team's health. The diahrea and colds have been lingering for several students. Please pray for complete health for the whole team in our last days here in Lima. Please also pray that we would continue to take advantage of every moment we have here in Peru to experience more of God's love for us and for the people of Lima and his power to transform this city through those who are willing to serve Him.

Pictures!

2008-07-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

We spent a day a few weeks ago seeing some of the crazy constrasts in this big city, the cemetery where the poor bury their dead, and the beautiful beach where the wealthy build their tall hotels and shopping malls. The Yaycuy team is mentoring a group of youth called the city explorers, and they were able to join us that day at the beach and get to know parts of the city that they rarely, if ever, get to enjoy, here's a picture of them skipping rocks:

(Praise God for many sunny days in Lima despite the fact that it's winter here)

At Paz y Esperanza we have been spending time serving at a "Comedor" or a community kitchen that serves lunch to 60 kids 3 times a week. Here are some of our friends at the comedor:

The Yaycuy team spent two days putting on a workship in Ventanilla in conjunction with World Vision. The workshop focused on dance and body movement and was a way to help people build creativity, self-awareness, and self esteem. Here are some pics of their time in Ventanilla:

Update

2008-07-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent 2 days at our mid-project retreat in an area just about an hour outside Lima where we were able to rest and enjoy the beauty of a relaxing retreat center and take time to process all that we have experienced over the last 2.5 weeks. We spent time in silence with God, time studying scripture and praying together as a team, and also time enjoying nature and climbing one of the mountains nearby. It was really great to get away from the hustle and bustle of Lima and re-center ourselves before heading back into the second half of the Trek.

Our team continues to grow together and build close bonds with one another, which was evident on the retreat as we all enjoyed being together as a whole team for a change instead of at our separate site teams. When we arrived at the retreat we spent some time sharing our highs and lows so far on the Trek. The students at the Yaycuy site had just returned from their week at their homestays with Peruvian host families. These homestays went really well and all the families that hosted our students were tearful when they had to say goodbye to the students. Last week the students at Yaycuy also started one-on-one mentoring with some of the adolescents that Yaycuy works with. This program is called "Amigos del Alma" (Friends of the Soul) and is a unique opportunity for our students to help mentor and encourage young Peruvians who come from really tough living situations and extreme poverty. Last week at Paz y Esperanza we continued our service at the community kitchen and our home visits in the community of Mariategui. The students have really enjoyed visiting people in their homes and praying for the sick, and the people we have been able to visit and pray with have been really encouraged by these times. Most of the students expressed that they feel like so much has already happened on the Trek that it's hard to believe we still have 2.5 weeks ahead of us, and they're not sure what God has in store for us, but they want to continue to stay open and engaged to following God with whatever He has in store for us here. On the low side, we have some upset digestive systems and diahrea and some students with colds, and have put a couple students on antibiotics for their diahrea. This kind of sickness tends to happen every year on the Trek as our bodies are just not used to Peruvian food and the environment of Lima. Our team is taking good care of one another and our Peruvian hosts at our ministry sites are also taking really good care of us, so please don't worry, but please do pray for quick healing so those who aren't feeling 100% can return to full health as soon as possible.

Here are a few more specific prayer requests:

For the students at the Yaycuy site team (Alicia, Andy, Jacque, Jeff, Walter, Sarah, Sean) to build deep relationships with the youth they are mentoring
For the Paz y Esperzana site team (Amy G, Amy L, Brandon, Kelton, Laura) to find new and creative ways to serve and go deeper in their relationships with the kids and staff at the community kitchen
For increasing sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to guide us in the remainder of our time here in Lima so we can fully experience all that God has for us here

Overdue Photos: Orientation night, a fiesta at Yaycuy!

2008-07-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Our first night in Peru was a night of celebration, our host ministry partners at Yaycuy Camuy threw a party for us to teach us about the beauty and diversity of Peruvian culture. It was an awesome way to start the Trek and to remember the importance of joy and celebration in the midst of the poverty and daily struggle of the slums of Lima.

Orientation Day, selling our wares

2008-07-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Shout out from the Paz y Esperanza Team!

2008-06-30T14:18:00.001-07:00

Praise the Lord! Today we had our first Peruvian protest experience. We marched along with some of the Paz y Esperanza staff in a peaceful demonstration to advocate for better educational and social services for the marginalized communities here in San Juan de Lurigancho.

On Friday we spent our second day at the lunch program at the Iglesia La Gracia de Dios (Grace of God church) which we will be serving at a couple times each week throughout the Trek. We helped the kids create their own rules for what makes a good program. The kids here not only get a nutritious meal that they otherwise would not have, they are also spiritually fed with God´s word and encouraging time in community. Some of our favorite rules that the kids came up with were:

Respecting adults and our brothers and sisters
Washing hands before eating
Brushing teeth after eating
Listening during the devotional
Not using dirty words

It´s cool to see the kids taking ownership for their own program.

Continuing with our list of our favorite things, our favorite things about Peru so far are:

The FOOD
potatoes at every meal
good warm beverages at every meal
getting lost (and found) on the crazy Peruvian bus system
Besitos (the kiss to greet)
black boogers (courtesy of Amy Gallagher)
Speaking (broken) Spanish
Our host families
Peruvian hospitality
Volleyball with the jovenes
Hearing people´s stories
What God is doing!!!

How you can be praying for us:

Health
Continuing to adjust to Peruvian culture, food, language, and relationships
Sensitivity to God´s voice and presence in our midst
Building relationships with the kids at the lunch program we are serving at a couple times a week
To encourage and be encouraged by the people we are working with at Paz y Esperanza, the churches, and our host families

With Love,
Amy ¨Eimi¨ Gallagher, Amy ¨Estrella¨ Lee, Brandon, Kelton, Laura, and Gracie

Prayer Calendar (Click for larger image)

2008-06-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2008 Lima Global Urban Trek

2008-04-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

This blog will be updated throughout the Trek to give parents, friends, and supporters an idea of what we are up to in Lima and how they can be praying for us.