I have many
places that I would call my home.
Of course, there is no home like Dothan, AL with family or up north a
little in Slapout/Wetumpka area.
Still, I am blessed to have homes in many places, with many people. Alabama, Illinois, Minnesota, Costa
Rica, Tennessee, Peru. Small
groups, friends, church groups, teams.
These homes and the people in them are all unique and special to
me. Why? Because these are places and people that I feel comfortable
with, accepted by, welcomed in, known, and loved. In all of these “homes”, I have spent meaningful time with
lovely people. Home is where the
heart is, as the phrase goes. When
I return to these homes after a while away, I am full of excitement and nervous
anticipation. What will it be like
to see the people waiting for me?
I’ve changed since I was last here; how will I fit in? Will home be the same as I remember?
For the
rest of this long (and overdue!) blog post, I want to tell about my homecoming
to Peru…
Welcome to Peru
Late on
Wednesday, January 16th, I arrived in Lima after a 6-hour flight
from Atlanta. The same
driver—Alvaro—picked me up from the airport. Good to see a familiar face on a semi-familiar drive through
Lima. The following day was an
orientation day, as well as good conversation with my friend Fiorella :) On Friday, I got on the bus for
Huáunco. We left the coast of
Lima, zigzagged up and down the mountains, and then sped into Huánuco, a city
located right between the sierra (mountainous area) and selva (jungle) of
Peru.
Bienvendidos a Huánuco
It is good
to be back here. In 2011, when I
came to Peru the first time, I didn’t spend a lot of time in the city of
Huánuco. Still, I recognized many
of the plazas and signs (“Huánuco- The World’s Best Climate”). The smell of the city, the loco driving
that I’ll never understand, and the rainy season also greeted me :). A homecoming of sorts.
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| With the family I lived with at first- a friend of Doris' from England (Rosemary) came to have dinner with us one Saturday night! Rosemary brought some of her friends/mission team too. I enjoyed talking to them :) |
After the
first week or so, I moved in with another family, with whom I will live for the
rest of my time here. I live with
a woman around my parents’ age, her 19 year-old daughter, and the other
volunteer, Ashley (who will be here until April). Here’s a picture of Señora Jesús (our ‘mom’), Ashley, and me
:)
We live in
a very central part of the city, so I am able to walk to church, to the office,
to the main plaza, and to the market in less than 5 minutes. Señora Jesús cooks some amazing meals
for us, such as ají de gallena, lomo saltado, and pachamanca. This is a picture of ají de gallena
(chicken). It may not look that
tasty, but if you could taste a picture, you’d know it is so yummy :)
I feel
rested and at home here. Thank you
Lord for another wonderful host family!
My schedule
thus far is four days (Monday-Thursday) at the shelter, Friday at the Paz y
Esperanza office in Huánuco, and the weekends here with my family (going to the
market, resting, going to church, washing my clothes, writing emails, reading,
etc.)
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| Hanging my clothes (at the left corner) out to dry |
At the office, I have a few
projects that I am working on.
First, I am tutoring a girl from the sierra with math and
communications. She is very behind
in her schooling (12 years old but only in 2nd grade), but she is a
quick learner and hard worker!
Second, Ashley and I are getting all the materials together for a school
and church campaign Paz is doing in April. The work is a little tedious, but I like seeing another side
of the fight for justice, in which education and awareness is critical to
prevention of violence against the teenagers and children in Huánuco and
beyond. Third, I am developing a
therapy program for some of the children that come to Paz. I’m not sure what that will look like
or what topic I will focus on (e.g., self-esteem, prevention of further abuse, self-care,
relationships, etc.), so right now I am just researching when I have time. I’ll keep you posted ;). The Paz y Esperanza staff at the office
is great to work with too. They
are supportive, patient, and funny.
Many of them I knew from 2011, which is a good relational foundation to
have. Working at the office is a
good change of pace and focus after four days at the shelter. I am grateful for the experience to
work in the office, even though it is only one day a week.
Bienvenida a La Casa de Buen
Trato-Hovde
If I made a
list of my favorite homecomings, this one would be way up on that list! I was excited and nervous as we drove
to the shelter, trying to have low expectations because I know I’ve built it up
and thought about my time there so much since leaving.
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| On the drive over- about 30 minutes from the city of Huanuco |
What a wonderful homecoming it was! I loved the welcome hugs from new faces
and the “SO good to see you again” hugs from the handful of kids I knew from 2011. Thank you Lord for those sweet
gifts! Like any return “home”,
there are some aspects that are exactly the same as they’ve always been, but,
as well, there are changes, growth, and improvements. The buildings are still in the same places, though now they
have beautiful gardens around them that were not there before. Though I already knew some of the staff
and the adolescent girls still at the shelter, there are a lot of new people
that I am getting to know. I still struggle
to drink the “chicha” (one of the drinks we have at a lot of meals), though I’m
growing to like it ;). They
have relatively the same schedule, though they have created further structure
and planned activities, such as choreography and aerobics that I will be
helping with :). I cannot post any pictures of the residents of the shelter, so I'll just post one of me and another volunteer teaching the first choreography class.
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| Not super exciting but it'll do! I made a mix CD of lots of different music, and they had to dance to each of the different types of music. Pretty hilarious ;) |
One of the
most beautiful changes I have seen is in the handful of girls I knew from
almost two years ago. If I only
came back to see these girls again, that in and of itself would have been worth
it! I praise the Lord as I notice
the growth and healing that has occurred in the lives of the young girls—now
young women—I knew from the last time I was here. For example, an adolescent girl, who is still at the
shelter, arrived towards the end of my six weeks at the shelter. When I think about this girl in 2011, I
remember she was self-centered, immature, and difficult to be around. She was not confident in herself, even
though she tried to put on a mask of confidence and riskiness to everyone. Now, as I’ve returned to the shelter, I
find that she is calm and focused on what is important. She is sensitive to others and kind to
all. Already she is a leader among
the adolescents, and I do not doubt that she will continue to be a leader in
the hands of God. I thank the Lord
for his work in her life.
After only
3 weeks back at the shelter, I feel deeply connected to the women, children,
adolescents, and staff of La Casa de Buen Trato-Hovde. The shelter is unlike any other place I
have been, where such immense pain meets contagious joy. Being at the shelter is at the same
time one of the hardest and the best places for me to be. One day, I am hugging a girl and
struggling to find the words to comfort her while she cries about missing home
and wondering why this has happened to her. The next day, I’m dancing for over two hours with the same
girl at the quinceañera of one of the girls. I have been so grateful for the
opportunity to Jesús Te Lllama (Jesus Calling in Spanish) with some of
the girls. I’ve read from the
devotional book a few times when I have led the nightly devotionals, and a lot
of the adolescent girls have asked to borrow the book, so that they can read
the devotional of the day. Thank
you Lord! Another gift has been
sweet times of prayer with the other members of our team at the shelter. We try to pray daily for strength, for
grace, for love. Only God can
provide the true healing and hope that the residents of the shelter need. None of us can do this work by
ourselves. In Christ alone.
I could go
on and on about the work at the shelter, my ups and downs each day, and what
I’m learning, but I will save that for another day :). I’ve finally finished up my first post
about my time here, so I can build a little more easily on that
foundation. I would greatly appreciate
your prayers in the following ways specifically:
- - Vision, courage, patience, energy,
wisdom as I seek out where to invest, what to focus on, priorities, what God
has called me to
- - Grace to love, be with, serve, and
lead in the shelter
- - Unity as a team, honesty, prayer
- - That the women, adolescents, and
children at the shelter will heal—body, soul, mind, and most of all spirit
(hope of Christ!)
Home with the Lord
I want to
end this post on homecomings with the following thought. I am so blessed by the many wonderful
homecomings and homes I have in this world, but God alone is my home. My soul finds rest in Christ
alone. In the midst of so many
demands, needs, and activity, I cannot neglect time in the Word and in prayer! Help me Lord! Accountability!
I listened to a sermon about George Mueller (thank you Robert and Kim
Jones!) last weekend, and I was encouraged and challenged once again to put
time with God above any programs, persons, or concerns. Mueller once wrote, “The secret of all
true, effectual service is joy in God, experimental acquaintance and fellowship
with God Himself.” Thank you for
reading and for your prayers! ¡Nos
hablamos pronto!
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| After a night of dancing at the shelter with some of my favorite people :) |