So we’ve been in Peru for almost two weeks and I haven’t said anything about it.
First it was hard to get to the internet, and then when I got to the internet, I forgot my computer, and when I had the time to go back to the internet, I was all kinds of sick.
Sick for four days actually. Salmonella or some nonsense like that. Fortunately I got better.
Other than the sickness and a couple other mishaps, this has been a great month so far.
Peru is a beautiful country with some really unique people, although the city we live in is kinda rough. It’s called Trujillo and about a million people live here. It’s dirty, dangerous, and full of sand.
This month our whole squad of sixty people is living together in a gated compound. (Anything less would be unsafe for gringos like us.) It’s crazy being around this many people every day, but there’s never a dull moment.
My team specifically has gotten to work at a massive garbage dump in the city. A dump that PEOPLE live in….
There has been a community there for a couple decades now. And when we got there we were absolutely amazed that these people are able to function so well despite the conditions they live in. We got to paint and play soccer with the kids, and they were no different than the ones we played with in Ecuador.
But it makes me sad to think of what their lives might look like if they can’t break out of the cycle their families have lived in for so long. Poverty normally begets more poverty. So we tried to spend time with them in hopes that the love of Jesus might shift something in their lives.
When we weren’t actually with the kids, we worked on leveling, cleaning, and marking a piece of land to make a soccer field for them. It took us a few days of pretty hard labor, but we were able to get it together and it actually turned out really well.
Going to the dump was pretty much offensive to all five senses. But after we got to know the kids, it was plain to see that the life in them stands in stark contrast to the death and ugliness of the dump. It’s really not what I expected and it’s very beautiful. I am actually given hope by this fact. It makes me want to find joy in everything I do and be a little more grateful.
For the rest of our time in Peru we will get to try different ministries each week. So we’ll see what’s in store.
