Don't Come If You Can't Handle the Fun!

The last day of a mission is always bittersweet. You want to go home to your family, but you want to stay because the kids need you. You want to rest, but you want to go back and play. You want to sit and cry, but you want to laugh and sing. There are many emotions involved, but one was prevalent on Friday, our last day: LOVE. Hugs were shared, tender words were spoken, gentle actions were given. The wonderful part of Friday was that these and many other things were given by our team and the kids and moms. We received much more than we could imagine.

Our day started at Reina de la Paz, talking and hanging out with the girls and having them all sign our red Buckner t-shirts. Many of us bought some of their handicrafts that they make and sell: scarves, blankets, candles, etc. Afterwards we set up a small carnival for the girls with several fun games with cute, girly prizes; a "sock walk," clothespin drop, beanbag toss, ball kick, and face painting made our morning bright with their wide smiles. We got to eat our box lunches with them again and listened as they described the different Peruvian foods and chattered like the teenage girls that they are. This week is great for them because they can forget, if just for a few hours, the burdens they carry and act like kids!

Our time at Reina de la Paz ended with more dancing from the girls and their helpers, Miguel and Esteban. We then called each girl up to present them with a Bible and gift bag, made by the children of Sunrise.:) We ended our time together with a few photos and a hug line. Please keep praying for all of the girls at Reina de la Paz and their babies, that they will read their new Bibles daily and find true peace in Christ. (Please specifically pray also for Javier Francisco and his mother Viviana, who are both ill in the hospital and for Andrea, whose baby girl is due on Monday!)

San Ricardo also was amazing. Because we didn't have much time there, we decided we would "scrap" our VBS agenda and visit and say goodbye. We brought the crafts along with us and after singing time, we sat on the rotunda and helped them make bracelets. It was the quietest we saw those kids all week! We then handed out gift bags from the Sunrise kids which were a huge hit! They were so excited to have their own gum and bubbles. Another highlight was giving gift bags to the workers at San Ricardo. Those ladies work 6 days a week 24 hours a day! They were very appreciative that we had thought of them. There is one lady there with her 5 children. She is a single mom named Evelyn who had to work to support her kids and had to leave them alone to do this. She was reported to the authorities and her kids were going to be taken and she begged to be taken with them wherever they went. She has been at San Ricardo for almost a year and is leaving soon. We gave her a Bible and a gift bag and took a collection on the bus which we gave to Buckner so they can follow up with her and help with her needs.

From Sue: Giving Evelyn her Bible was one of the humbling experiences of my life. Through Guigli she wished God's blessing on my life. To me, she is a hero. Saying goodbye to the kids and teens is never easy. We need to remember that God is watching over them and that in Him they have can hope, love, joy and peace.

From Maggie: It was hard saying good-bye to every kid and teen and mom, but I remember that we aren't truly leaving them. God is watching over them much better than any earthly being could. Also, we are praying for them and keeping the orphans in our hearts. Sunrise will also continue to provide for Reina de la Paz and San Ricardo. The team leaves you with this verse- James 1:27- "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...."

Pizza Party Thursday!

Like usual we traveled first to Reina de la Paz. When we arrived, most of the team visited the baby nursery, what a sight--babies everywhere! We enjoyed playing with and holding the babies. Sally and Kay had the privilege of praying over each mom and her baby for our special today. At this time Rick also took pictures, while the moms filled out information for our prayer cards. At lunch time we had a pizza party with the moms, followed by a special dance performance done by a few of the moms and the twins, which we absolutely loved!!!!!!



Then there was San Ricardo…..it was another wonderful afternoon. We were greeted warmly by the children with delightful hugs and kisses. Singing with the kids was, as always, a treat. While there, we received some exciting news, there are four sisters living at San Ricardo who are being adopted by a husband and wife in New York. Today the girls received conformation of their visas that will enable them to travel to the USA, Praise the Lord!

Kay, Sally, Heather, and Lori had the task of crafts which involved weaving and decorating shirts with markers. This was a huge challenge for our translator, Carolina, who had the job of trying to help the kids and translate for all four ladies at the same time, and of course not in the same spot. :0)



We had our annual farewell dinner in the hotel. We ate with the Buckner staff, our translators, and interns. The interns have become very much a part of our team, and we have greatly appreciated their help and their friendships. Heather stood up and thanked the translators and staff for all they do for us and presented each of them with gifts. Side note- At dinner Kay was blessed to enjoy the presence of Giugliana’s sister, Lilliana, who was a translator the first year, Yea!



The team is at a bittersweet moment in the week. We are facing our last day with the moms and children, while looking forward to returning home to our families and friends. (and edible salads!!!!!) Well, it’s been a long day, so we say Buenos Noches!

What a Wonderful Wednesday!

Today we started once again at Reina de la Paz, only this time we got to see the "cuyes" (guinea pigs) before we started the VBS. The girls showed up this morning with their potholders, eager to finish sewing them, but we told them we would finish those tomorrow. Today's craft was t-shirts, and the girls enjoyed decorating them with markers. Kay and Rhonda led a parenting session, where the girls asked questions about their babies' health, nursing, and discipline. It was a very productive time and good to see how much they love and care for their babies. In Bible we discussed what it means to come to salvation, and after lunch a young woman named Monica asked Giuli what she needed to do to be saved. Giuli prayed with her, and Monica is now a sister in Christ with us! Praise God for that! All the girls ate lunch with us, and they even had pastries for sale for us. Overall, it was an awesome day at Reina de la Paz.

From there we headed off to San Ricardo to take 115 kids to the movies. Whew, let's see how this goes! :) Actually, it turned out wonderfully. We drove to San Ricardo and waited for all the kids to get back from school. Every one of them was wearing his or her best clothes and shoes, and many of them had even bathed for the occasion. We then loaded two buses to Planet Cine. We had kids on our laps, people standing in the aisles; it was quite crowded, but we made it with the help of the translators who sang songs with the kids. When we got inside, all the kids went to the theatre; and the adults bought many drinks and boxes of popcorn. The kids enjoyed the movie immensely, even though many of them had to go to the bathroom. :)

Erika says: I had the privilege of being in Bible again today at Reina de la Paz. I love listening to Mrs. Wetzel talk to the girls straight from her heart and the Scriptures. It is also a joy to listen to Giuli translate with so much emotion and put her own spin on the ideas that Mrs. Wetzel gives her. It was wonderful because the girls ask the deep questions that we discuss often in our own school and church classrooms at home. This is part of the biggest thing I have learned on this trip: everyone is the same, no matter where you go in the world and despite differences that seem to really complicate things. Four-year-olds are four-year-olds, no matter what country you're in :). When I talk to the girls at Reina de la Paz, the only difference between a conversation with a new acquaintance in Lafayette and with these girls is that we are speaking Spanish. These are sweet and wonderful girls, and I hope that they can see that God loves them and has a mind-blowing plan for each of their lives and the lives of their babies.

Sue says: Bible has been a incredible experience this year. Giuli takes my one phrase or sentence and turns it into a dramatic and beautiful explanation of how much God loves them and cares for them. We can see them pondering and thinking. When we explained the OT testament sacrifices and then watched them realize that Jesus is the Passover lamb-wow! We all broke out into applause on the bus when we found out Monica received Christ. Another cool thing was seeing all the kids at San Ricardo dressed in their best for the movie. One little boy had us smell his hair!

Bienvenidos a Tuesday!

Day five started out as usual with breakfast and our bus ride. Heather had her own unique "cultural experience" this morning; halfway to Reina de la Paz she realized she had forgotten the second sewing machine at the hotel. Giuli and Heather jumped off the bus, grabbed a small bus/van (and rode it standing up), walked two blocks to the hotel, and took a taxi to Reina de la Paz. After all that, they still arrived at the same time as the rest of the group!

We started off with singing at Reina de la Paz and broke into our three groups. The craft group had a wonderful time making flip-flops with fabric and watching Mark dance with several of the girls. Rhonda had noticed one girl in particular, Maricruz, was usually sad; but Mark got down on his knees and got her to dance, immediately putting a smile on her face. The sewing group was hard at work once again. Heather was impressed with the girls and their enthusiasm and quick learning ability.

The Bible study went very well today; the girls are very open to what we have to teach them. They have lots of questions, and we've found that many are struggling with being a full-time mother, student, and teenager. One girl in particular, Paola, said that she wasn't sure whether God is real and whether salvation is lasting. In response Sue felt led to give Paola her Spanish Bible, hopefully enabling her to find some answers. Please pray for Paola and all of the girls to grow in their relationships with the Lord.

After a wonderful lunch at Granja Azul (the chicken place, for those who have been to Peru before!), we were ready to once more tackle San Ricardo. To our joy and delight, we did not have to wear masks today! Thank God for answered prayers! We started out with singing; the kids really like when we sing in English. We sang "Joy," a Jr. Praise Team song for them, complete with dancing. (We're going to be selling tickets for our world tour when we get back. :D)

(From Emily:) Today at San Ricardo I was in the memory verse station. The kids really seemed to enjoy learning the verse (Philippians 4:4) and were very enthusiastic. I was really impressed to see almost no kids wandering around! In all of my three trips here in Peru, I have never seen the San Ricardo kids so occupied and calm. Praise the Lord, and thank you for your prayers!

The best thing that happened to me today was that one of the teenage girls gave me her picture of one of the Jonas Brothers. (We've found that the Jonas Brothers are very popular in Peru.) And after hearing that I've never been to one of their concerts, one little girl very animatedly replied, "Why?!?"

(From Heather:) Today at San Ricardo I was in craft with my mom and my grandma :0)!!!! We got the teenagers 1st.....plus a few stragglers under the age of 4........precious! The teenagers decorated journals with stickers and markers, to be used to take notes in Bible. The sweetest part of journal making was when one of the girls asked mom and I how to spell our names, so that she could write them on the front of her journal.

After the teens headed to Bible, we had the pleasure of face painting. With the help of one of the interns, we were able to have 3 stations; my mom, Jennifer, and me. When we finished each one, grandma Kay took their picture. It was a BLAST!!! I actually laughed out loud, when one young boy named Roberto, burst out in song while I drew a spider web on his cheek.....you guessed it,,,,,,,,,,the official "spider man song"! We were having so much fun, we had to be told more than once to pack up the paint and get on the bus! I can't wait to see what fun God has in store for us as we head to Reina de la Paz and then to the movie UP with the kids from San Ricardo.

Monday at the Orphanages!

Today we traveled first to Reina de la Paz, the home of about 25 teen mothers and their young children. We had several stations planned, including sewing, Bible lesson, and crafts. Each group had a translator and a number of team members participating. In the afternoon we traveled about 45 minutes to San Ricardo, the siblings orphanage with 100+ residents.

(From Sally) Each Mom picked out her own material to make a potholder,like the ones Heather sold for the trip. Each took a turn sewing parts of her own creation using one of the two new sewing machines we purchased here. All of the Moms really enjoyed the sewing project.

(From Rick) I floated among the stations at RDLP this morning and worked with sports at SR this afternoon. We were encouraged by the close attention that the Moms paid to all of the volunteer instructors. They seemed to enjoy and appreciate the learning and also the time spent together with volunteers from far away. In the Bible study, the leaders addressed a number of direct questions about Christianity and the girls learned how God made each of them as a unique creation, and that God has a purpose for each of their lives. Because most of these young girls (some as young as 11 years old) have been victims of abuse, this is hard truth.

At San Ricardo, after we waited for the children to return from school they greeted us warmly. Before we began the Bible School we were told that because of H1N1 we were required to wear surgical masks. This was an unexpected challenge, especially on a warm day. We also greatly enjoyed the singing time with all the kids led by Erika and Emily. Our team taught Bible lessons, Bible memory verses, crafts, and games. John and Rick participated in a very competitive game of futbol (soccer) with the teenagers on their concrete pitch (field). We experienced the frustration of losing control at times with some of the many young and active children, but we were amazed at the way some of the children already remembered our names and family relationships. One unexpected part of our being in the orphanages is simply to be who we are, members of families, an unfamiliar sight to most of these children.

Lima is a large city (about 15 million inhabitants) with areas of relative wealth and extreme poverty. Travelling from our hotel to the orphanages we see the very heavy traffic that Lima residents experience daily.

For our evening meal we walked to a nearby restaurant and ate outside along one of the busy avenues of Lima. The desserts were incredible!

Please pray for the attention span of the younger children of San Ricardo as we tell them about Jesus tomorrow and the rest of the week.




-Rick and Sally