We showed up to a bust terminal in Peru. From there our teams separated and our team got in a few taxis to head to our new ministry site.
We were in the desert for sure but when we showed up to our home for the next month I knew it was going to take a piece of my heart.
Like I said in other post, we work with children during the day, see the same crowd at church 2x a week and play volleyball with the same women plus Edgardo (our friend Fernanda’s brother) and Joel (our ministry host).
This has definitely been a month of relationship building.
I love the terrain, the culture and the ministry but most of all, I fell in love with the people.
THE CHILDREN:
Thinking of them now makes me want to cry because of how much I love them.
Every day when they come into the school, the teachers welcome their kids with hugs and kisses.
Because I can’t contain myself, I adopted this greeting as well. I either greet them when they come in or go around to each of the students that are sitting in a circle.
The kids at this point know that I do this so they either sit there, adorably, waiting for me OR come up to me so I could kiss them hello.
During the day, we are in the classes to help the teachers. The teachers are amazing so it leaves us room to just love the kids.
I feel like I am constantly giving hugs, kisses, holding their hands, comforting them, squeezing them etc. It is the best!
You can say I have it bad! Even when I am not with the kids, I am thinking about them! They are just too cute.
I love their smiles, laughs, kisses, hugs, little personalities and when they grab for my hand to hold.
AHHHH I am in LOVE!!
VOLLEYBALL FRIENDS WHO BECAME FAMILY:
It felt like we were playing volleyball every single night this month. This was part of our ministry which was super awesome.
There is large plaza of sand right near the school that we would meet to play volleyball with the women in the community. Almost every time we played, it was Team Valor, Joel, Grettel, Daysi, Fernanda and Edgardo.
It didn’t take long for us to all be laughing and joking around even with the language barrier.
Grettel’s and Daysi’s kids both come to the school. With few conversations where we actually understood each other, we became friends. The passion for volleyball brought us together and we were able to show them we care and that we love them by showing up and just being present with them.
Daysi <3
Then there is Fernanda and her family. Fernanda became like a sister to us. She understands and speaks English so we were able to get to know her a little more. We adopted her into our pack and invited her to some outings like the Zoo, fishing and church.
Yesterday March 28 was her 18th Birthday! We were going to have her at our place but then her family invited us over to their house! I was super excited. I just love being a part of the lives of the people we are ministering to. This was definitely a highlight of Peru. She has such a beautiful family where you can just feel the love inside their home. We had fun and got to enjoy some yummy Peruvian food and chocolate cake!
I love them!
We are trying to ignore the fact that we are leaving in less than a week.
THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY:
We have met some really special people here.
I have loved walking around the area and smiling, waving and saying hi to the people we pass by.
Today three adorable old women walked by while we were playing volleyball. My team gets me and kept telling me “it’s ok, you can go over there.” I stopped playing volleyball to just say hi and hug these women. Their genuine love just warms my heart. They made me think of my sisters and I and how we will be when we get old.
I have loved evangelizing and doing prayer walks around the school and church. God has led us to some people who just needed to be seen or heard.
So many people and families welcomed us with open arms and told us that it is good that we are going around praying for people. That they believed God sent us. The people in this community can at times be forgotten but we were able to take the time to stop and just love them in the simplest ways.
God opened my eyes up to his people. To every person we passed. I fell in love with the people here in Trujillo, Peru.
We may have touched the hearts here but the people here in Trujillo have captured a piece of my heart. God is so good and truly puts us in places where we are meant to be.
This month has been so special. Not the easiest but I have loved it and I am sad to have to say my goodbyes soon. God is soooo good and continues to work in the hearts of his children! It has been great to witness and experience.
Thank you so much for your support!
Next Stop India!
Love you all <3
