Our Peru Mission

I met Joann and Alice for the beginning of our Peru adventure. We left Spartanburg at 12:30 and arrived at CLT with 2 hours to spare. Mark met us and he and Greg helped us with all our bags.I personally will be glad to get rid of the 2 extra bags for the Church, I am checking. Not used to keeping up with extras. We got all checked in and had time to eat some lunch and walk a bit before we headed to the gate. We left at 4:30 and had an uneventful flight to Miami. Paul and Jane met their daughter and grandson for dinner but the rest of us went to TGI Fridays for dinner....yummy black bean burger and sweet potato fries. When we left the restaurant we discovered our flight had been delayed another 35 minutes. Our 6 hour layover was growing and we were getting tired and maybe a little cranky. We walked all the terminals in the airport that allowed us to stay inside security. Finally after midnight we started the 5 1/2 hour flight to Lima. We arrived at a little before 6 am and cleared immigration and then claimed all our heavy duffels and cleared customs. We then negotiated the line to recheck our bags and then headed to breakfast.We had another long layover and everyone was fading fast when we finally boarded our flight to Iquitos at 9:45. The flight took off on time and it was uneventful except for the gorgeous views we got of the Andes before the clouds took over. In Iquitos we de-planed and collected the bags and we were so blessed that we had some strong arms to help us.We were met by Juliet and our motorcars, aka tuk-tuks, were waiting. The bags were all piled and tied to the back of the scooters and we only had one mishap when a bag fell off and was dragged for a short distance. I rode with Alice and we made a quick trip to El Jardin.We unloaded the bags and found our rooms which were clearly marked. I took a little time to organize and then we met for lunch of pb&j's, fruit and chips. After lunch some of us walked to the Plaza de Armas and found that there was free internet in the square but only after we sat in a restaurant for a while and used theirs. The free was much faster but no one told us about it. I happened to see the banner advertising it and tried to connect and we were off and running. We walked back to El Jardin and I showered and then had some down time to blog and talk to Jane. The guys went shopping for a new larger generator for the church and made the purchase but found out delivery is not included. They spent some time working on that and we all took a day for delivery. Mine is Tuesday although some people think that is way optimistic even though they said Monday. Lovely afternoon but it will definitely be an early night for everyone. Shealy rested but everyone else stayed up. It started to rain hard before dinner and really cooled things off. It has been a long, long travel day and I was bone tired and fading fast before dinner and I was not the only one. We had a great dinner and Alice's devotion was terrific but all we could think about was bed. Washed my face and hit the pillow and did not wake until the clock went off.

Today I woke up early after a sound nights sleep and met everyone at 7 for breakfast. We had scrambled eggs and toast with jam and Paul and Jane share some of their Starbucks coffee. My caramel was terrific. We packed up as many duffels and water filters as the motorcars could carry and at 8 we left for our boat. The docking area was close to the boulevard where we walked last night and evidently much closer than the dock they used in the past which is under renovation. The boat ride out to the Amazon was relatively short but at the confluence we saw a dolphin or two, but they were not the famous pink dolphin which can be seen in this area.We made it to the village and started our trek up from the river. The first part was relatively dry but I had a foot slip in the mud on one of the areas where you have to balance on a log. Don't think this will be as big a problem when I am not carrying 6 water filters on my back.We were greeted warmly by everyone in the village but especially by the children. The village is small but the grass had just been cut and the church was in very good shape. At the beginning of Pastor German's sermon we were all introduced and Paul had a little thank you for prayers during his illness speech. Herve' and Edson (2 boys we have supported in their education) led the hymns and they had beautiful voices. Pastor German's sermon was interesting and will elicit a lot of discussion I suspect. After the service we saw the Pastor's home and had a chance to use the outhouse.We also saw the small store that he and his wife run which included home-made cookies and plantain chips. We then made the walk back to the boats. No slipping this time, and headed back to Iquitos; no dolphins but a very interesting parking job at the end. Our driver literally nosed our boat in between 2 other boats at a rather full speed. We were amazed no harsh words were exchanged and we gingerly made our way off by walking on balanced boards. We then met Juliet and got our motorcars back to El Jardin. We cleaned up for lunch and had delicious chicken and egg salad sandwiches as well as turkey and cheese. After lunch most people went for naps but Mark, Joann and I walked down to the Plaza so Mark could go to the ATM. We walked through the Anaconda Market and we tried to get wifi at the Plaza the same way we did yesterday, no luck. Even the wifi was taking a day of rest. Back at El Jardin Mark went to test drill holes in the water buckets for spigots, Joann went to rest, and I blogged and worked on a devotional for Thursday night. Paul, Jane, and Becky took a walk and I took the opportunity to take a shower. At 6 we gathered for dinner and Mark did his devotional in the maloca. Afterwards everyone but Alice walked into the Plaza and some people had ice cream but some of us were still filled from dinner. We took our time walking back and enjoyed the music and the people. So it was time to prepare for tomorrow and head to bed.

Today we were up and at breakfast at 7. It was our first day in the village other than for worship and we were all excited. We enjoyed scrambled eggs and toast and made plans as to what we would carry on the boats. Once the bags were packed we headed out to the motorcars (tuk tuks) and drove to the boat landing. It is a short trip and we could walk if we did not have large heavy bags to transport. Our boat drivers were waiting for us and we negotiated for them to carry the bags down and unload once we are in the village. We had a fast driver and the scenery flew by and we were in the village in record time. We unloaded and made the hazardous walk over the logs to the village. We gathered our supplies for the sewing project and headed to the church for our morning devotional. When we finished we headed to the maloca for sewing. The first women did not arrive immediately but soon we had 3-4 and more were watching. We ended up with 12 projects started and everyone was having a great time. Juliet, the intern we are working with, was so cute and she was afraid to sew on the machine. She would jump each time she pushed on the pedal. The generator did not arrive by 11 and at 11:30 we broke for lunch and took time to reorganize for tomorrow. I am betting we will have many more ladies in the am. We had our lunch in the church and then the people started arriving for Paul's teaching time. There were 10 people there for the lecture and one women had the cutest little boy. He had a head full of dark hair and fell asleep on Jane's shoulder. Mom came quickly to claim him and she was amazing at letting him sleep on her leg and taking notes. It was good participation and Alice did a great job at interpreting. At 2 it was Vacation Bible School and we had 44 children. They were very attentive for the bible story which Enith taught while holding Lucas and then chaos broke out with the craft project. We were able to recruit even the shy children that just sat outside the door for the story when it was time for crafts. A good time was had by all.Too soon it was time to clean up and say goodbye. We made the walk back to the boats and soon we were back in Iquitos. We beached at a very strange place and we had to climb up some slippery slopes to the side-walk. Not our favorite place and no one was sure why this occurred. Back on land we boarded our motorcars for El Jardin. We were met with cold bottles of water and everyone headed to the showers. After showering I sat in the dining area and journalled and listened to my story on my iPod. Soon it was time for dinner and everyone gathered. Meals are a lot of fun with everyone telling about their day. After dinner and clean-up we went to the maloca for Mark's devotional. We made some plans for the next day and then off to bed.

This morning I slept in until 6:20 and it felt great. Face washed, teeth brushed, and the coolest clothes I could fine finished off my prep for the day. We had the usual scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast and soon it was time to head for the motorcars. Juliet and Patricia secured us our rides and we were off. Alice and I had a driver that spoke some English and we thought we had it made until he missed a turn and had to go around a huge block with lots of traffic to get back to where we were supposed to be and then 2 blocks from the boats his motorcycle stopped. He gave us no break on the cost and we had to rush to get to the boat on time. Another new experience and boy, was I glad to be travelling with Alice. We made the slippery walk to the boat and off we went to the village. We arrived and made the trek up the hill and we were greeted by some of the ladies and children, everyone with big smiles. It is so amazing how easily they become attached to us and us to them. We started our day with Bible devotion and then today was fishing day. A new couple to the church invited us to their lake property to fish and all week they have been so excited for today to come; so have we. We were told by Pastor German that it was a 20 min. walk and we started off through the jungle with high hopes. After crossing many creeks and large puddles on very slippery logs and going up and down hills we were wondering about how wise this adventure was. After 45 min we began to wonder if we would get there before we needed to turn around and head back. When we arrived in about an hour we were so surprised at how lovely it was and how cleared the land was. There were hammocks to rest in and cane poles to fish with and they even had a small cayman for us to get pictures with. We had a great time and Shealy almost got a fish and Alice caught a good sized one. Before we were ready it was time to head back to the village, grab a quick lunch, and get to Paul's teaching time. Everything seemed rushed to us but not one villager seemed to mind and we had excellent attendance at all the afternoon activities. VBS has averaged well over 55 children and they are attentive to the story and very active and excited about Becky's crafts. This afternoon we had sewing because of the fishing and we had a great turnout. We decided to schedule two sessions tomorrow so everyone can finish their projects. During sewing we had a hard rain shower and we were amazed at how quickly Enith got her rainwater catching apparatus out and just how much water she collected. The rain subsided just as we were ready to leave but it left the path extra muddy and slippery; we all made it upright and that is close to a miracle. The boat ride back was uneventful until we got back to Iquitos. The rain did not get here and the boat had to beach even lower than yesterday but the helpful guys there found a concrete piece that made a step for us so we did not have to jump down so far. We caught our motorcars and all arrived safely back at El Jardin ready for showers and a minute of rest. I tried out the new shower Juliet showed me yesterday and it was nice having a plug in in the bath. Jane loaned me her hair dryer and I was able to see what I was doing which was nice. Don't know exactly why I bother as the humidity wrecks havoc on anything I do. I met with Becky to finalize our devotion for tomorrow evening and then a large part of the group headed to the market before we went out to pizza. I decided to sit for a bit and get my journal up to date and give my feet a break. The peace and quiet was very nice. Juliette arrived to escort Joann, Mark, and me to the pizza restaurant and everyone was waiting on us when we arrived. We ordered a lot of pizza and there was coke zero and a good time was had by all. We went back to El Jardin, put on our jammies, and Greg and Shealy did a great devotion in the maloca. Off to bed!!!

This morning everyone was sad as we gathered for breakfast. I have had no problem with the food but I had to skip the eggs this morning. I cannot eat eggs everyday for a week. Looking forward to my oatmeal!!!! We were out of El Jardin and in our motorcars to the landing. We made the trip to Santa Clara quickly and we were much quicker walking the logs than we were on Sunday. We were met by a lot of children and some of our sewing friends and it was hard to breakaway for devotion time. We had a nice devotion and when we broke up our sewing crew was waiting. Some of the ladies had to be reigned back as they wanted to do not one or two things but 4 or 5. With only one straight stitch and one serger taking turns is very important. We served as many people as we could and I don't think I have done that much hand sewing in a long while. While we were sewing we could hear the children practicing for their parade to celebrate their Independence Day. I even made pictures! At 11:40 we broke for lunch and we had our usual sandwiches and chips. The guys had finished the floor of the house and joined us. After lunch Cheryl and I decided to stay in the maloca and try to get a little ahead. We made shoulder straps, sashes, and even sewed side seams of the smaller bags. The generator stopped at 1:15 and we took a walk to see the house the guys and gals worked on. We had the village children parading behind us. We made it back to the church in time to hear the woman whose house we worked on thank everyone profusely and also get pictures with the couple who had the fish farm and also with Pastor German and Enith. The VBS children were waiting and all the ladies headed back to sew. We had new ladies this afternoon and had to start projects which we had hoped to avoid. We sewed like mad women and finished as many projects as we could. We appreciated Pilar and Enith's help immensely. Too soon it was time to leave and everyone was sad. A lot of the village came out to say goodbye. We made a group picture and then as a very large parade we made our way to the boats. Olga held my hand the whole way and most everyone walked the logs with us. We only had one accident and JoAnn took a step in some very deep mud in her new shoes. When we were ready to board we were hugged and kissed by everyone and they stood on the bank and waved as we pulled out. So sad and so sweet. We made it back to Iquitos and it was shower time and tonight we will have dinner at a restaurant serving Peruvian food. Looking forward to it. After my shower in my new room I read and put my feet up for a while and then packed. Everyone began to gather for dinner just as I closed up my last plastic bag filled with dirty clothes and put my sneakers out for the donation pile. We walked to dinner and we had chicken brochette and great potatoes. It was a fun meal and we took our time walking back. Becky and I had everyone meet in the maloca for our devotional and it went very well. God provided just what we needed. Then it was off to bed to prepare for our long day tomorrow.

Up at 5:20 and dressed to travel. Breakfast was at 6 and we were on the side walk packing the minibus for the airport before 7. It was an easy ride to the airport and we were checked in quickly. No one had very many bags so it was much easier than the trip down. We boarded our flight and we took off close to on time. The scenery over the Andes was beautiful and we let Becky sit next to the window so she got a good view. When we arrived in Lima we claimed our bags and met our guide Carlos. We had a hike to the bus lot with luggage but again only small bags. Our bus was large enough that we each had a window seat and once our luggage was stowed we started our Lima city tour. It was cold and damp and we were happy that someone else was driving as the traffic was constant. We got to see a lot of the city as we made our way to the Miraflores area. Shealy got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time and she got a promise that there would be time for her to put her toes in later. We stopped for lunch at an outdoor mall area near the sea and ate, guess what, no really guess, we had chicken!!!! The French fries with the hot dipping sauce were the best. After lunch we had a little time to shop and Joann did some major shopping in that short time. Me, not too much, actually none! From here we made our way to the Incan Market. We had lots of time to wander around and we had fun. I purchased a couple of things just for me, an alpaca blanket for snuggling and a Peruvian Nativity set. From the market we made a stop at the ocean for Shealy to dip her toes and a wave almost got all of her. From here we made it to the restaurant and they were able to take us a little early which allowed us to take our time. The meal had 4 courses beginning with Peruvian Pisco Sours. I had scallops for my appetizer and then fish, and I finished my meal with flan! From the restaurant it was an hour back to the airport. We checked in and had time to walk around and stretch before boarding. It was a 6 hour flight to Miami and I tried to sleep as much as I could. We arrived in Miami to heat and humidity. We cleared immigration which was automated and then claimed our bags, cleared customs, rechecked our bags, and had time for breakfast before we boarded our flight for Charlotte. As we were walking back to the gate Becky got some bad news, her grandmother had died. Our flight was on time and very easy, arriving in Charlotte at 10:48 am. We claimed our bags, said our goodbyes, and headed to Spartanburg. It was a wonderful trip with lots of new friends but home was a great place to be! /susan