“look at all those chickens”
November 4th-11th
hey all! I know it has been a longgg time since I wrote a blog, life has been crazy!!
This week, we had the incredible opportunity to work with several ministries that work with special needs students. On Tuesday, we arrived at a ministry named La Mesa del Reino. (Table of the King). It is a ministry that works with all sorts of disabilities. They do PT, OT, and speech therapy with the kids!
On Tuesday however, some of us were in charge of cleaning out a closet in the back. We had to completely reorganize every item. It did take a while, however it was light and fun work.
On Wednesday, we rolled up our sleeves and did some manual labor. This time we were working with a ministry in La Punta, right on the ocean. We helped dig up rocks in the garden and others stained a metal fence. The founders of this ministry were extremely generous and loved on us so well. In the afternoon, we took a tour of La Punta, it was beautiful! It reminded me a lot of the Charleston Harbor.
On Thursday, we were back at La Mesa del Reino. Kelsey and I had the opportunity to work with the kids. Trying to figure each child out and how they function was so interesting. It is something I love to do, analyze their behaviors and try to figure out how to love on them well. Having Kelsey in there with me was a major plus, because she is so calm and has tons of experience working with the special needs community. It was a day that filled me up with an abundance of joy!
On Friday, we partnered with a ministry called Capacidos. They are a ministry that serves the disabled population in Callo. The founder Jose has dedicated his life to serving them. They teach them important life skills like carpentry and reading. They also have a soccer team & we were blessed to serve them! We played a few games, performed a skit, and finally played soccer!! Some of them are pretty good and the absolute funniest! It was an extremely fun day getting to connect with both the players as well as the director Jose. Him and I had a really great conversation about his passion for the disabled community. I respect him for our shared passion and he is definitely a hero of mine.
On Saturday, we were down in La Punta again. This time we were helping them host an event for the disabled population in the community. We were in charge of bringing a few games for them to play and a skit. Saturday morning I woke up and realized we hadn’t planned any games. I had to plan games that would allow all to play and include everyone. Welp, I put on my Sarah Beth hat and begun to think. My though process was, “what would Sarah Beth do?” I came up with three games, red light/green light, an obstacle course where they had to touch a part of there body, and an obstacle course where they shot a ball into a human hoop. It was an incredible day filled with tons and laughter and joy! Watching those on this squad work with the special needs for the first time made my heart smile.
Sarah Beth if you are reading this, thank you!! You have taught me how think outside the box in creating inclusive games for all to participate in!
On Sunday, we had the opportunity to go to a deaf church. It literally gave me chills, watching and hearing the languages in the room. From Peruvian sign to ASL to Spanish to English. It was incredible and a surreal moment in time. We also had the opportunity to witness two baptisms. Watching the body of believers grow by two is always something to celebrate! We got out of church around 2 and some of us decided that we wanted to go to the Zoo. There was a Zoo about halfway between church and our base. We decided to go straight there. We saw everything from Penguins, to Butterflies, to Zebras, to Llamas. It was large and such a unique adventure! The trooper of the the day goes to Megan. She walked around this Zoo for three hours without shoes. Since we came straight from church she had a not so comfortable pair of shoes on. She was a champ and didn’t complain once! In the Uber on the car ride home, I stupidly said I would love to go a day barefoot. Well, anna and I played a fun game of ‘What are the odds’. (If you don’t know what it is, google it) Well, I said 1-20 as the odds, she said 7 and I said 13!! We were both stuck in a bind, we had to go all day Monday with out shoes.
Monday, a day barefoot. In the morning i woke up and walked to the local coffee shop, yes barefoot. In the afternoon we went to the mall and then the movies…yes we did it barefoot. It was definitely the grossest and craziest what are the odds game I have ever played. Shout out to Anna for sticking it out with me all day!! Here’s to never playing ‘what are the odds’, again. lol.
Thank you for taking the time to read this! I ask for continued prayer for me, as I have to make decisions in the near future. I ask for prayer for each special needs ministry we worked in Lima! I ask for prayer as we continue to do ministry in Peru. I ask for prayer for the church in Ventanilla. I ask for continued prayer for the country of Ecuador, for God to restore the country. For God to bring his presence to the people! I ask for prayer for Dunamis and the girls they pour into daily. I ask for prayer for Gina, Dan, and Savannah that they continue to minister well to the girls as well as each team that comes to serve! I also ask for prayer for Camp Hope and that they continue to bless each child of God!! I also ask for continued prayer for Pan de Vida and the work they are doing there. Thank you and God Bless.
-Ben
