Settling In

Well, patience has definitely become our specialty as we continue to wait for things - tasks, schedules, routines - to develop... Meanwhile we're trying to be as proactive as possible without knowing the language well enough to really converse, or having a car to get around. We've been looking into getting motos, and have been spending some time each day to learn the language (actually the most simple to learn that i've encountered, its understanding them thats impossible), and i'm finding i'm getting a bit lazy as far as settling with the little english that they do know, and feeling good about 'helping them' learn english, when really I need to be making a strong effort to learn their language, so i can speak in their culture.

The past few days, while we haven't felt like we've got much done, it's been hardly uneventful. In our lack of assigned tasks, tyler and I have began to wander a bit more. This has led us to a few awesome places, one being Child Hope orphanage which is right down the stinking street from where we're living! Child Hope is the organization Tyler and I had been talking with for several weeks about coming and helping, until three days prior to our departure they said that 'they didn't need us'... enter esperanza, who on saturday, two days before we left, said we could come help. Anyway, I could literally throw a rock from our house to theirs its that close! We got to talking with some of the volunteers there, played some basketball with the boys, then went home all gitty at the prospect of being able to come and hang out with the kids when we have downtime. Sooooo I got an email that night saying they wanted to talk with us tomorrow about the possibility of teaching there on a temporary basis while they find more long term personell! Ha! So... tyler and I have a second get together with them today to discuss starting on monday. Hahaha.. and you should see these classrooms, with TINY teacher desks.. we decided we're going to go all out if they want us.. suits, pocket protectors, bi-focals.. Don't worry people... the highest grade we'd be teaching would be a 7th grade equivalent, and just reading, writing, arithmetic. CNN is at the orphanage for a few days as we speak gathering content for a documentary they're going to be airing on this place (it is really sooo cool.. www.childhope.org). I'll keep you posted here as we know it..

So then two days ago, a day after our Child Hope discovery, we decided to wander onto the UN headquarters and look for a meeting we were meant to attend for esperanza regarding the cooperated effort to distribute food packs. Anyway, what an experience! We pretty much walked right on in past security (apparently pasty white skin gets you places in this country), and were free to wander pretty much wherever we wanted.. i say pretty much because at one point we may have gone a bit too far, and an arab soldier made sure we understood this. Ha.. While this place seemed like chaos defined, it was pretty sweet being a bystander and just observing globalism at its finest.. ha. We probably saw at least a dozen nations represented on the base.. and the arab guy, not sure exactly where he was from, he just said in scratchy english that he was arab.. creepy. Anyway, if you haven't figured it by now, the meeting was cancelled, hence the reason we wandered around for what seemed like a few hours.

We tried to go back the next day for another meeting, but the traffic would have put la rush hour to shame as we turned what should have been a 7 minute drive into 45min, making us already 30 min late, so we decided to turn around. We TRIED to leave earlier, but again, communication is key and our driver doesn't speak but a lick of english.

Yesterday was pretty crazy as we've since turned our home into a hostel for NGO workers... we have two volunteers from Rainbow International (a team of surgeons that goes into diseaster areas after everyone has left and operates for free on anyone that needs it) who are evaluating hospitals for future involvement. Also late last night we had two guys from another water filter company come by and are going to be shacking it here for the next two weeks or so. This is so cool! One of the guys is the inventor of the technology (totally different from the other water purification i spoke about earlier). They brought 10 or so filters... now I only know a little about these systems, but they're large weighing 900lbs, and can provide 5,000 gallons of clean water down to .02 microbes, also cleaning viruses (key). Great stuff! I think he's working with GE on this project, or their funding it. I still have more to learn here (duh)... Excited to learn/help though.

In my down time I've also been working to understand the coordinated effort to begin excavation. I've talked with Catepillar logistics, as well as their philanthropic department, and then their head guy in Miami who is responsible for the efforts on the ground in Haiti, Juan. They've donated a butt-load of money, but only 5 pieces of equipment! And sure, they don't own the equipment being a manufacturer, but certainly have relationships with dealers to move equipment. They have one dealer in Haiti, and are running steep discounts on rentals, and then donated 5 pieces for two months at no charge. They're not interested in getting good press out of any efforts to help, they just want to help. They re-routed a shipment of loaders and excavators that was meant to unload in panama, to the DR, and trucked them to PAP. Since this they've been granted access to Seaboard, a port to the north, and will hope to get equipment in through there. As it seems, there isn't any sort of activity on the ground as far as excavating goes, and the purpose of my calling them was in imagining how powerful (from a hope standpoint, as well as marketing) it would be to run a fleet of 50 Cats through the streets of PAP making unbearable amounts of noise, clearing all the crap that right now is being broken and moved with nothing but hammers and shanty wheelbarrows. Long story short, this lead to a conversation with CHF (the largest NGO in haiti), who has a pretty close relationship with CAT and is currently occupying the majority of their equipment. The point in calling them is to figure a way to get my good ol' buddy Branton down here moving concrete around, and they might just have a spot for him! Ha.. oh man.. branton in a tractor powering through the streets of PAP.. thats hope if i've ever seen it!

So, as you can imagine, it seems that finally the storm is forming over the hills and we're about to see a load of work sent our way, whether its setting up water filtration systems and learning how to install them after the GE guys leave, teaching our classes of 6-7 each, continue to distribute the loads of food packs we have coming in soon, or just simply wander around UN headquarters, we're sure to moving! Whohoo! Oh, the storm i was speaking about metaphorically, but its also quite literal as the rains started up about two days ago, turning the tent cities into disease infested mud cities. With the rain came a whole new wave of desperation and helplessness... please pray the rain would hold off, and that the people in the areas most affected by the rain would use their resoursefulness to get out, make better tents, or something so they aren't sloshing in 3 inches of mud. Gahh..

Thats gotta be it for now...

More as it comes!

Shalom,

luke

The beginning...

It's now been just over a week since I last threw up a blog, and not sure how I'm going to, but I'd like to at least catch you up to speed with where we're at. So lets see, I arrived in santo domingo late the night of the 8th after all three of my American Airlines flights were delayed (whoohoo), as it turns out, if ALL your flights are delayed, it works quite nicely. haha. Tyler arrived tuesday, and we spend the next 24hrs getting ourselves acquainted with Esperanza, the organization we were to be working with... we also made some time to tour the city a bit, seeing the first church of the new world, as well as Columbus' house.. I also shared a few beers with a one legged jamaican man, would like to share that story later. ha. Thursday morning we were loaded onto a bus pointed towards the long awaited port-au-prince. Half of the 8 hour drive was on the dominican side, although it was 3/4 the total distance... arriving at the border, or should i say shanty gate, it was immediately clear the cultural disconnect. We waited at the border for just over an hour while they looked over our passports which they had taken at the bus station (i know, i broke the cardinal rule of traveling, to NEVER let go of your passport (sorry dad!)... i apparently had no choice. believe me, I asked around and wasn't happy about it). So as I said, crossing the border it was immediately obvious that we were in a 'different' place. The border areas were crowded as we'd expected, but they were also inhabited. The roads, not meant for the amount of traffic they'd been experiencing, were less than impressive even for a third world country. It took over 4 hrs to travel from the border to pap. The trip was never boring as the roads were scattered with groups of people, groups of the displaced most likely working their way toward the border, toward hope? We arrived in pap late, after passing by the US embassy, which let me just say how rediculous it was. Still standing (duh) this place was nothing short of an oasis... I had to blink several times as we'd gone from destruction, destruction, PARADISE, destruction etc.. It's all marble, palm trees everywhere, soldiers, hummers, and all sorts of other impressive military equipment littered throughout. The place cost 90 million to build.. seeing the embassy made me want to learn more about it and our involvement later.. oh, and puke.

Finally arriving we were met by our friend Joel who took us to the place we would be staying. It wasn't until the next day that it hit me... Driving around in the light, man (even re-living this day sucks)... We drove all over the city, visiting the most effected areas of Port-au-prince, carrefour, leogane, and jacmel... we drove up to the mountain sides to see it from another angle, we drove down to the port to see the military handing out food. This day, friday, marked the beginning of the three day fast for the people of haiti. See normally these three days were days of celebration, partying, and thanksgiving... instead, in light of the circumstances, as a nation they decided to fast for three days. Apparently to do this they need to block off the good majority of the streets, shut down the gas stations, eliminating any chance of our doing much of anything for this time. So we wait...

I'm glad I didn't blog friday night... I'm not sure I've ever felt such a deep depression in my gut as I did after driving around all day. It was like watching a real life slide show in fast mode showing nothing but depressing images. I was overwhelmed to say the least... SOO much NEEDS to be done it makes me sick to think about. Generously, I would estimate that maaaybe 5% of the damage has been cleared, and a lot of the times its not even cleared, just swept off into a less intrusive spot.. if the death count to date is 250,000, it'd be a safe bet to 'at least' double it.

I just don't know... I have such a 'macro' minded approach to things usually, that I couldn't possibly do anything but lose hope for these people. Lose hope for them because they don't seem to have any interest in helping themselves, instead taking the historical route and relying on international aid. Teach a man to fish people! And while it sounds bad, I fear that while our american efforts appear strong now, they just won't in the long run. And thats just it, they 'appear' strong, when in reality they're all just sitting in the port handing out food, addressing the immediate need sure, but attacking the 'big' needs.. no. I haven't seen a single piece of excavation equipment. Long story short, I lost hope, was depressed, and completely lost sight of 'why' i came, and that was for the person in front of me, the micro. A few timely reminders and words of encouragement from precious family and friends, and I was back in the game.

I'm sorry this seems so jumbled (as it usually does to me), I just wish i hadn't waited this long to update you guys. I need to go to blogging school...

Before I sign off, I'd like to share just a little about the organization we're with... they're doing some really great stuff! Esperanza (Hope.. in espanol) is a micro-finance plus organization that seeks to build sustainable lifestyles for the poorest of the poor. They're supporting over 15,000 families in the DR, and 4,000+ in Haiti. Since the quake, their efforts in Haiti have been focused more on the coastal/border towns. They are NOT a diseaster relief organization, but have in their own uniqe way stepped up to the plate in light of the circumstances. In PAP now, our main focus is working with the network of churches they've built relationships with. We place responsibility in the hands of the pastor, giving them the food packs and water filtering devices, and then keep them accountable as to their proper distribution. Tyler and I have been working with a water cleaning system (pure water foundation). Basically, its a device that turns salt water into concentrated chlorine by running electrical currents through it. A one liter bottle of chlorine (which takes about 7 minutes to make) can clean 500 gallons of water! So cool imagining the possibilities! And because we're giving them out to the churches, people have to come to the church (most are anyway) to get the water(life!). So cool. Empowering the haitian people to sustain themselves.

Prayers. Pray that we would be put to work, that we would be patient and flexible. That hope would be found in the most unlikely of places. Prayers also for safety (they've already got us driving in this crazy city! aaand there's talk of renting motorbikes for 'better mobility' ut-oh :)).

I better go... hope to dive into more detail later! Love to you all!

Shalom!

luke

~ Haiti Bound ~

Leaving in 12 hours for Haiti, what’s going through my head? People have been asking me this all day, and you'd think I would know. Not so much. It helped me to re-read my blog entry I wrote the night before I left for Peru... the condition of my heart is in a similar spot. I don’t know how to describe whats going on really, i DO know that I’m ready. If you’ve talked to me at all these past weeks, especially the past couple days, you would surely know how providential this whole journey has been, a journey that's led me to quit my job and buy a one way ticket to this beautiful place of suffering... He is so good, so present, so real! I’ll later share the story of how the holy spirit has had his finger slowly stirring the events of my life, all for His glory.

Fear... excitement... joy... anticipation... nervousness... uncertainty... all words I could use to describe how I feel. Some a bit contradictory i suppose, but there’s certainly an underlying confidence in it all, a confidence in His providential hand having a firm grip on my heart, my salvation, my life, wherever that may lead. None of this makes sense, i know... it just doesn’t. I might be a bit crazy... But for the glory of God...

As I said in my first ever blog before leaving for Peru..

“I’ve in sitting here decided that given the unknown audience, nothing would be more appropriate than to on this journey be completely transparent and real with you all along the way. If there’s one thing i can’t stand its writers block, a subject i’ve unleashed pages of disgruntlement towards. I want you to know what I see, but whats more I want you to know what I feel, and for this I need to let down my guard and just be...”

The hope would be to effectively bring you all, my family, my dear friends, into the experience... I want the raw nature of working with these people to drip down and touch each one of you. I pray that, while i’m not the best writer, my words might be more than just words, that they would maybe evoke in you something more, that they might cause you to really beg the holy spirit to speak to you as He has me... and that you might listen, and then act.

I have such a heavy heart right now, all good, just heavy. I hope to share in more detail with you all later the story of these past weeks... although i'm sure it will be outweighed by my experiences there. However, its a story worthy of nothing less than all my capacity to give praise and thanksgiving to Him who orchestrated it all. And every day, I need Him more than i did yesterday.. its lovely!

Its late... I’m exhausted... but ready.

I would ask for your prayers... I feel them. The prayer support I’ve felt here has been unlike anything... friends/family laying hands on me in prayer, over the phone, or even through email... they are felt.

As my eyes fight a lame fight to keep me awake, I would leave you with this... a verse a dear friend of mine shared with me, one she held close to her heart as she traveled to Uganda, a verse which helps me make sense of this all.. it reads

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem (haiti?), not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22-24

Shalom and love to you all!

luke

Colca Canyon... in Summary

It´s always so terribly intimidating beginning a blog when there´s no possible way I can even touch all thats happened since the last. Gosh, last time I wrote, journal.. blog.. anything.. was at the albergue, which was now almost a week ago. Ugh! I want to write about my leaving the orphanage, the kids, the clowns, the many tough goodbyes... later... I want to write about meeting with my new dear friend Heidi, how much a blessing she has been... later... I can´t wait to write about our many adventures, the 24+hrs spent on busses traveling to arequipa, sharing a local bottle during sunset on the roof of a neighboring church, gunshots in ica, crowded markets, fraudulant teas, discotec diaries... later. I will however share of my most recent misadventure, our dirt-bike trek to the Colca Canyon! Booya!

Oh wow...

Where do I start. Sunday. Heidi and I were walking around town looking for a way to effectively see the greater majority of this beautiful city... we thought it would be fun to take tour bus, maybe pay a taxi driver to take us around, walking would be the last option, still a good one. Then the suggestion of renting a motorbike for the day somehow came up... hmm. Both heidi and myself got very excited at the prospect, but both were imagining some sort of europeanesque, vespa through the countryside, type ride. Ha. Anyway, we find our way to the nearest tour office and of course they didn´t know of any companies that rented bikes... but wait.. she had a friend. Eddy, her friend, a motorbike enthusiast, was willing and able to take us (so random.. and what the heck, just cause i wear a bandana and am from washington doesn´t mean I ride.. crazy gamble). Gosh.. so we agree to a price, set a time, hailed a taxi, and it wasn´t more than 20 minutes til we arrived at his house, met eddy, his novia, mama, and 6 other friends... all who had plans for a mid afternoon stroll on their motos with eddy. So basically, we were grafted into their friend family for the day... it was great. I don´t even know how to describe it... easily the best way to experience a city, a country even.. bike through south america anyone?! So it took a few close encounters to shake off the nerves which have piled up for the last 5 or so years since my last wonderful experience on a bike (acl). Comfortable soon enough, we got through the thick of the busy city streets and were in no time village hopping, experiencing the vascular system of arequipa. Six hours later, arriving safely back at eddys home (amazingly), we were hooked. We told eddy we had plans to hike the colca canyon for three days starting tomorrow, and his response was.. ´hmm.. colca en motos?´ Umm.. YES PLEASE?!

Two mornings later we began our colca adventure... heidi, myself, our friend alina, eddy, and thhree other guys from holand, madrid, and arequipa. Where do I start? This time we were given the larger of his 6 bikes, a honda 400, it was greeeat. I guess I can´t really describe the ride, and I suppose I don´t really need to.. we had a group of 6 bikes, and it took 6 hrs to travel into the canyon to the small town of colca. We cleaned up, ate, and that night spent a few hours at what were apparently natural hot springs, although it just seemed like a large swimming pool with warm water. A good mix of locals and tourists... pretty good fun, minus the 9 soles i spent on a crappy warm arequepena beer. Whatever... That night we stayed at a hostel owned by a friend of eddys... it was loooovely, heidi and I opted out of going out that night because we were so tired, so we were asleep by nine in preperation for an early departure.

Timeout -- I´m realizing how terrible I am at describing larger experiences.. I would so much rather delve into the micro and describe the detail that lies between the lines... It´s frustrating trying to relay an accurate picture of how incredibly awesome this trip was, with so little time in a crowded hostel lobby, i´m just not feeling it. However, finishing up the trip story real quick, the next morning we took off at around 8ish, rode up hills, over streams, through tunnels an hour and a half to where we would sit for an hour, a mile above the river below, taking in a new nature, enjoying eachothers company. This place we stopped was the home to what seemed like about a dozen Condor birds... anyway, sticking to the macro, I move on. We left there, and basically re-traced our path back through the town of Colca, up and out of the canyon, heading towards our most recent home.. arequipa.

I´ve got to go pack, we´ve got to leave today for Puno (lake titicaca), there for a day, then Cusco, Maccupiccu, and after another 23hrs on a bus, its back in the air, nose pointed home.

So... if you want to know more about this trip, definitely ask.. it´s just hard for me to put into words what we saw and did, as it often is.

Gah! This blog sucks.. and I have to check out.. but I just wanted to share a bit about this rediculous trip, and am realizing how terrible it is. Ha! Ask me about it... like i said, so much between the lines!

Misadventuring,

Luke

$$ Money On The Mind $$

With this topic I've spent the last thirty minutes or so writing in my journal, and now decided to switch over to blog mode... and while its not near as nostalgic as meeting pen with parchment, writing on the computer for me is always much easier as it encourages a flow of writing that has my fingers keeping pace with my mind, soul, spirit etc... Anyway...

I've come these past few days to realize some pretty interesting things.. one of which seems the most obvious and consumes a great portion of my thought energy, is understanding our responsibilities with money (blogworthy? maybe) . I was reading the parable of the shrewd manager (luke 16) a few days ago, and I guess thats what kicked up some fresh ideas... I will say I still don't exactly get the parable (if anyone cares to share their insights, or maybe where I could find some, that'd be greeeeat), but the last seven verses were enough to pique my interest on the topic. For some time now, the idea of 'having' money has been an area of great resentment. I've resolved that staying away from seeking to inflate my bank account, was in my world of thought a way of pushing away from sin... I was scared of it maybe. That to pursue a high paying job was to turn my back on Jesus, and to ignore living a life following in his footsteps. Question upon question was slowly building up within... and in a timely answer to prayer, God revealed truth through his disciple John Piper. In a chapter titled 'money'... in a book titled 'desiring god'... in a land far far from home... God shed his light. John spoke very clearly early on to the dangers that come along with great wealth. He hammered home the point that money never equals happiness, and very very rarely in our lives do the things we purchase bring any significant amounts of joy. Early on in my youth, in an attempt to put my father on his heels during some sort of arguement (I can't really recall... dad?), I quoted the scripture from 1 timothy 6 that says 'money is the root of all kinds of evil.' He probably let me entertain my point for a bit i'm sure, but was soon to correct me and clarify that its not money, but the love of money thats the root of all kinds of evil. What a paradigm shift this brought about within... all of a sudden money wasn't bad (at that time i didn't truly believe this, most likely just trying to prove a point). This story stuck with me throughout the years, as well as this verse, and now as i recall all this, it affirms all i'm trying (and probably failing) to explain. Ugh... work with me people. So Piper relays scripture in warning against a lust for money, a lust from worldly pleasures that pull you away from a passionate relationship with Christ, his people... happiness. Happiness... americans definition of the word is silly to me. I love the question begged in this quote from Ralph Winter:

"America today is a 'save yourself' society if there ever was one. But does it really work? The underdeveloped societies suffer from one set of diseases: tubuerculosis, malnutrition, pneumonia, parasites, typhoid, cholera, typhys, etc. Affluent America has virtually invented a whole new set of diseases: obesity, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, venereal disease, cirrhosis of the liver, drug addiction, alcholism, divorce, battered children, suicide, murder. Take your choice. Labor-saving machines have turned out to be body-killing devices. Our affluence has allowed both mobility and isolation of the nuclear family, and as a result, our divorce courts, our prisons and our mental instititions are flooded. In saving ourselves we have nearly lost ourselves."

Can I get an Amen?!

Allora... Piper goes on to delve deepeer into the pretty pathetic nature of our giving as americans... and as is commonplace, he goes on to describe how simple it would be to solve this that and the other thing if we would all give the very nominal 10% (but not in a cheesy, pulpity sort of way). I think i heard somewhere that 1/3 of what we spend as americans on christmas gifts could rid the world of its need for drinkable water? hmm

The song 'Imagine' by lennon comes to mind...

Allora, piper brings his arguement full circle in calling those who have wealth to be generous.. that we must store up treasure for ourselves as a good foundation for the future, so that we may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 tim 6:7).

Money is not bad... but the love of money.. well. It is the magnet of pride that we gotta free ourselves from, 'setting our hope on god, and allowing the money to flow freely and multiply the many ministries of christ.'

SO!!! Sooomewhere in the midst of my own personal brain tornadoe made of piper, scripture, and introspection, something just clicked. 'go, earn as much as you can, for Me.' was the - at first unrecognized - pitch that soon echoed clearly in my busy skull. So when at one time I gave this idea of 'earning much' a direct stiff arm, now I welcome it, but in a severely different light.

Living in a nation where I laugh at the elasticity of the dollar, a nation where - as a man - taking home $8 a day to a house of six is acceptable and extremely common place, i've certainly gained a unique appreciation for the power of the dollar. An eye opening experience none-the-less, realizing how much good can be done, and with so little.

These thoughts brought about a fresh conviction... one that when boiled down says "it would be a sin to not realize your earning potential" Ahh! This sounds so weird and crazy to me! But in this new light it makes sense! It would be selfish! And I'm not saying that I have some incredibly unique characteristics that when monatized equal great riches.. no.. Buuut, I will recognize full and well that I've been blessed with an excellent education, a roladex, a firing brain and a sometimes unhealthy amount of charisma.

And thinking tangibly about the many I could help with the abundance of leftover wealth outside of my own basic wartime necessities, is certainly a cross to bear, a welcomed challenge. Piper says that 'God has made us to be conduits of His grace. The danger is thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn't. Copper will do.' ~~ A six figure salary doesn't need to equal a six figure lifestyle ~~

I think that among other things, this past year has taught me the sweetness of simplicity; how squeezing every last drop of marrow out of life can actually be accomplished while banking $8/hr (which maybe speaks more to the importance community). And although there have certainly been other valuable realizations in these last 12 months, this currently is themost obvious... and as I think about it now, it seems almost a culmination of many revelations. That slowly the individual blotches of truth i've come to envisage, as I step back from the canvas, reveal an even greater image... a blotch still indeed... but one I can't help but stare at.

It's almost as if the lord wanted me to hold stringent to my prior belief, so that I could experience what I have; living simply, and reaching out with hands eager to understand, to those who have been born into unfortunate situations...

So luke... continue seeking to understand and discover a tangible love for those who have been born with less. Full of grace and with humility, accept the gifts you've been blessed with, and allow that blessing to overflow to the world you've loved & grown conscience of. Earn as much as you can... really. Not in greed, but with the knowledge and excitement that a 10% raise or a christmas bonus may mean you can dig another well in africa... feed the orphanage for another 2 months (@ $200/week, not very hard), or maybe something as simple as a secret blessing for hard working couple in ministry.. who knows.. But challenge yourself luke to not see a large paycheck as an opportunity to get some new rims on your pimpin S4, but rather look at it as the currency of a christian hedonist... learn to see a dollar figure and think first of the exciting opportunity to help those who've been dealt a different hand. Seems like a fine investment to me, no? One that if we truly believe in this Jesus guy, will pay infinite dividends.

So while I'm certain my thoughts on this issue will significantly evolve, for now, at 2am, i'm encouraged (and falling asleep!!) Wow.. i'm tired. Goodnight.

luke

Pictures Anyone?!

Hello friends! I sit here just a bit frustrated (not gonna lie), because in trying to add photos, somehow the text I had written got deleted, apparently copy paste doesn't work on Blogger... and the auto save wasn't able to grab it. Anyway, it wasn't much, in fact I ended it by saying that I just wasn't really feeling in the writing mood right tonight, but felt strangely obligated to throw up a post since it's been just over a week. Allora... in short, life at the albergue continues to be sweet. Kids, kids, and more kids! This week is a vacation week for just over half of the ninos, so I've been given a group of 5, ages 5-7, to organize structured play time for about 5 hours a day. Anyway, its a wonderfully exhausting age!! I'm learning a great deal about myself through the process and my strengths with kids, but more realizing my weaknesses i guess. All good stuff... gets me real excited to have kids, and a bit scared as well i guess (in a good way).

So, i've attached some pics for y'all in the meantime... I hope you enjoy! Next post i'll delve a bit more into what the lords been doing here.. in me! Lots more to write for sure... just not tonight!

Enjoy!

Ariceli, Tracy & Eliza

Italo

Arnold & Junior

Abel (just a bit crazy! ha!)

Breeza

Luke at his best!

Jesslyn with her ninas

Sarah, amigos & I

Los bicicletas.. lovely

The orchard!

que carina!

Yo with zuzu & marycielo

Little Christopher... he's gone now :(

Jeannette

Annabelle

Life at the Albergue

Life at the albergue (orphanage). I've now been here for just over a week, more than enough time to feel an integral part of the albergue family. They've had me doing a myriad of different tasks since i've arrived. Starting out in the orchard, i was bent with the task of making fruit grow in a giant sand box(i'm speaking quite literally here fyi)... hmm. So after digging some trenches and laying pipe for the irrigation, we're now set to wait patiently for the arrival of a fruit! I figure i'll be gone before they get the news that fruit doesn't grow so well in sand... I tried to tell them, but my spanish has yet to venture beyond the superficial. Anyway, that was last week. This week they have me in the shop! Whohoo! My task this week is to fix - to the best of my ability - the 15+ bikes we have sitting in the shop (these bikes are beyond trashed... i can't even begin to describe them without getting a headache). They gave me a $200 budget for this, and another $200 for my other task which is to build (from scratch) 5 shelves/hanger racks for the volunteer rooms. Haha! So... today Alias and I ventured into Trujillo to get the appropriate materials for the bikes (for just under $100 we were able to get 15 tubes, 10 tires, 8 chains, lubricant, tools, 3 sets of pegs, 4 new seats, 7 pedal pairs and some other misc stuff... pretty incredible how far you can stretch the dollar here!) and then to the Madera where we got the wood, made the cuts, etc etc etc and then back to the albergue. However, not before Alias took me to his favorite hole in the wall cebicheria where we got a thick bowl of cebiche, corn, potatoes, a bowl of pasta, and a beverage for 8 soles total between the two of us!! In case you haven't gotten the point... it's cheap here... thats like $2.75.

Ha.

I'll have to say it is a bit overwhelming trying to lay out this past week in proper blog form... i'm caught in a struggle to harmonize my tangible experiences here with those moments that have truly touched my heart in a seemingly indescribable way... moments with the kids. I will simply lay out whats on my heart...

Being here has certainly broadened my perspective on people, culture, and most especially God. I have learned a new definition of the all loving God as my knowledge of the 'all' has grown immensely. Working with orphans, allowing myself to briefly sink into their situation, has in a way given me a new cross to bear, so to speak... because now i can't in good conscience ignore the reality of these people, these ninos, and also not wonder at the millions more across the globe who suffer from similar afflictions. Travel, while it shouldn't come with a guilt trip, has become more to me thanseeing the sights, more than enjoying a sunset and a glass of the house red... travel to me, at least in this chapter of life, has become an experience of broadening my global perspective and challenging the truths i was raised thinking were god-given and self-evident. And while not every crossroads in life has a biblical arrow pointing in the right direction, we can pray for wisdom, for discernment, for a deeper understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ in a hurting world. I can tell you, as can many of you i'm sure who have worked with young ones in poverty stricken nations, that the joy these kids have in their hearts is enough to make my heart smile everytime i'm with them. To the world, these kids have been dealt a hand thats worth nothing more than a quick muck... at least in the culture I was raised. Many of these kids abandoned as babies, some lived in dumps before arriving here, the majority having been physically and sexually abused before being forcefully removed and brought to the Hogar de Esperanza (house of hope). They're brought here and taught responsibility, accountability, and the good news of Jesus Christ. In the time i've been here there's been an unusual amount of moving going on... we recently welcomed 5 new kids, and are preparing to say goodbye to 3 (one of which is my favorite... see pic below!!). Needless to say its been pretty tough for all of the volunteers and staff, but fun to watch at the same time the immediate acceptance of the 5 newcomers!

I was asked a few days ago to lead the bible studies two times a week for all of the volunteers, our first one being tonight. The verses I referenced (in order) for those of you who are interested are: Acts 26:12-18 (paul's drastic change) Eph 5:8-10 (children of light) Mth 18:3 (unless you are like a child...) Col 2:2 (unity) and Eph 4:1-6 (more unity)... It was pretty special being asked to lead this, and it was a welcomed challenge and it definitely was a challenge as i still have yet to 'really' know these people i'm working with on a deeper level. So tonight i wanted to talk about the definition of a christian, the worlds versus Jesus' definition... Talk about being transformed in the holy spirit, being evidence of change, moving from dark to light, and being re-born... For the last two verses we shared some conversation on the importance of unity, being united in one god, with one purpose, encouraging eachother along the way... in love. It seemed to be received well, and it'll be interesting to see how it works out in the coming weeks, but i'm excited to see how this group grows beyond the superficial where it seems (sadly) they've made themselves comfortable. Anyway... something you all can pray for specifically..

Before I sign off, i've been thinking alot lately about suffering, not speaking to the kind of suffering i'm witnessing here, but as I think of the recession we're currently in, and how many have been deeply affected by it, I wonder what it looks like to suffer well in these times. I recently uncovered a quote by John Piper (one of my new favorite authors), he said that 'even the most holy, and sanctified, and pure man or pure woman, has a sediment of sin in the bottom of their beaker...' I work well with visuals, and this brought to life exactly what i've always believed. That the shaking of our environment (recession?) exposes and reveals hidden sin, in order to bring us to a place of deeper repentance and cleansing. For when all is controlled and things are going good, the sediment is all but invisible, but when things become uncomfortable, and we become shaken, sin in our life is revealed that otherwise went unnoticed. I mean look at the life of Job... He went from being completely blameless and upright, fearing the lord and shunning evil, then, after his beaker was bumped, falling on his face in dust and ashes and repenting of the sin that became evident in his life. THIS IS A GIFT PEOPLE! Recession is great at revealing the unseen sin of waste in us... abundance = waste... recession = awareness! And yet once we've repented and dealt with all the uncovered sin in our lives, there's no promise the suffering will end. Sometimes trusting God means you don't get to get off the cross...

I haven't experienced this kind of suffering... although i have saught to be stretched in ways uncomfortable and foreign to myself... i've learned the luxury of having less and the freedom of simplicity... i've during my travels learned much about myself and in my journeys with the lord have learned about some of my own 'sediment' and have grown from the 'shaking environment'... but i have yet to truly suffer, to be knocked, to be brought to the only place that makes sense, falling to my knees in the dust and the ashes . Hmm... Again, a gift it would be. Suffer well friends. Don't waste this recession... find out what he's doing in you, and do it.

I've truly outdone myself here... I'll let you go now! Sorry about the length of this really... i reached a point where i just let my fingers go, and that's dangerous for me!

Until next time!

luke (and christopher!!)