I got back yesterday from Peru! It was amazing trip, and I'm going to tell you exactly what happened to make it so amazing.

Friday, July 20th:
We left for Peru. Our flight left at around 10am. Oh, the joy of security and bag checking (for a group of 26 people). It seemed to take us forever, but it was only 2 hours until we got to our gate. We finally got on our plane and flew to Atlanta, Georgia. Once we arrived at the Atlanta airport the group ate lunch, played cards, made friendship bracelets, and the cast members of the "Everything" skit watched it on YouTube and started brainstorming. We boarded on our plane that would be taking us to Lima, Peru. After settling in on our 6-7 hour flight, we watched some movies, talked, slept, read, etc. Finally, we arrived in Lima. It was a very different feeling walking into the Lima airport. The first major different thing was not being able to flush toilet paper. TMI? Well, it's the little things.
We got through security and retrieved our bags, and then stepped out into Lima, Peru. Some of the San Juan boys came to help us with luggage and bring us to our hotel (I'll explain about the San Juan house later). We arrived at Hotel Senorial and went to bed. The time was approximately 2am.

On Saturday morning we woke up at around 7:30 and ate breakfast. After we had a meeting with Gina and David Stavros (the missionaries that have been working in Flores de Villa for 25 years). They explained the history of Flores de Villa. How it was a garbage dump where people established their houses. They'd have to watch their little plot constantly to protect it. Since then, they have created real houses, roads,  and indoor plumbing. It was great to get more of a background on the village that we would be working in for the next week. We took the bus into Flores de Villa. On the way we saw the Pacific Ocean. The thing that struck home was seeing the great hotels on the beginning of the drive and then while entering Flores de Villa the shacks, and for one woman, the pile of garbage she lived in. The difference was huge, and humbling.

We arrived in Flores de Villa to an amazing welcoming committee! The village had choreographed a skit and several dances. From the school children to the teenagers to the old women of the village, everyone participated. At the end, even the Americans did! We attempted to dance but mostly just had fun and laughed. It was a great time.



                                                      After this, we went on our home visits. My group went to Rosa's house. She four children of her own (Rosa, Ruth, Janina, and a little boy), a sister that lived with her (Cynthia), and Ethalo, her sisters son. I loved playing with the little kids. They showed us their house, held our hands, and took our cameras and went on mini photoshoots, proudly coming back and showing us their pictures. After hearing the stories of how Rosa's brothers were alcoholics and how many of Rosa's husbands friends went out drinking so often, it was heartwarming to see how Rosa and her husband stayed so strong for their children. Her husband would soon be leaving for the Highlands to make some money for the family. Rosa was very nervous to be left alone here with the children.



We ate lunch at the San Juan house. The San Juan house is a place that was set up for young men whose home situations weren't good. Maybe there was abuse or gang related problems, but wherever they came from, these young men were being taught to live like Christ's disciples. They have a schedule set up for them and they each have certain chores to do. They get up early each morning to play soccer. They're extremely hard workers and they each are going to school. They each have dreams and the San Juan house is helping them come true. For some they're learning Accounting or some other profession, but since they weren't born in a place where opportunity is easily obtained, the San Juan is helping them get that opportunity and grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

After lunch the women went back to the Children's Club and set up the journal making activity for the Peruvian women. While this was going on the men started to set up for the carnival that we would be doing on Sunday. The journal making was stressful (especially since we started to run out of glue) but in the end the women had fun and we got to know the women better.



Soon after we ate dinner (Pardo's Chicken) and then the youth of the trip went to Youth Group at the San Juan house. We sang both Spanish and English songs, and played some games. The Peruvians bleached some shirts that we had brought (kind of like tie dying). It was a great time!

On Sunday morning, we got up, got dressed, ate, and were all on the bus heading to Flores de Villa. We made a pit stop at the Metro to get water and cookies for the day. :) We got to Flores de Villa and started working on getting the carnival set up and practicing the skit. The carnival soon started and Ali and I face painted. We also did the skit and it ended out being pretty good! :) The carnival was so much fun, hanging out with little kids and painting their faces, taking pictures of them and showing to them and making them smile. It was a great, but tiring day.
After the carnival we went to Larcomar and ate dinner. Ali and I ate at Chili's. Yum! There's nothing like eating American food while in Peru.




On Monday morning we started on projects. I helped paint a preschool with white primer. That took all morning, and then we headed to lunch at one of the Peruvians house. The meals there were so amazing! That afternoon I went to Rosa's house with the Devine's to help them build a room. I ended up watching the kids and trying to prevent the little boy from running into the street (since cars down there don't yield to people, people yield to cars). We ate dinner at the Darling house which is basically a San Juan house for girls. About 1/2 of the girls have been abused and they all have extremely hard pasts. It was amazing to hear their testimonies and see how much joy they have even though they've had such a hard past. I shared my testimony as well. After that we got a tour of the Darling House and then everyone left besides the High School girls. We stayed and made journals with the DH Girls and then spent the night.

At 6am the next morning we got up and ate breakfast. We walked to the San Juan house to get our assignments for the day. I went with the Devine's to visit a different Rosa's house. She had been abused by her husband and her children were so downcast, it was heartwrenching. Ali and I tried to comfort the little kids, but we could hardly get a smile from them. It was horrible seeing these little children have to go through that horrible experience.

That night we went to a restaurant by the Pacific Ocean with the Stavros'. It was very fun, and the food was great.

On wednesday morning I helped paint the mural on the preschool outside wall. After that we went to the San Juan house and sanded the walls to prep the walls being painted. After we ate at Pardo's Chicken. That night we organized the toiletries we had picked up for the San Juan House Boys and the Darling House Girls.

On Thursday we painted the San Juan House. The colors were bright orange for the main eating and living area, bright green for the courtyard, and a more calming blue for the study. We would finish it on Saturday. That night we went to eat at Larcomar again.


Friday morning we got up and toured a chuch and saw catacombs. We also visited an inquisition building. Then we went and ate at Chinatown and then headed to the Indian Market. After we headed back to the hotel, we ate pizza and talked about the week.


On Saturday morning we talked about our experience in Peru, both Peruvians and Americans did. We handed out the gifts of toiletries we had put together for the DH girls and the SJ boys. We took group photos and said goodbye to the Darling House girls, who had to leave. We finished painting the San Juan house. Finally, we said goodbye to the San Juan house boys and went back to the Children's Club or Community Center to eat lunch. After, the Devines and I visited Rosa's family one last time. Only a few of the kids were there but it was good to say goodbye and take a few more pictures to remember them by. Finally, we all got into the bus and waved goodbye as we headed to the Hotel. It was so hard to say goodbye to all of the amazing friends we had made. We'll definitely be staying in touch though! :)

On Saturday night we left for the airport from the Hotel at 8:30. We arrived, checked our bags and went through security and boarded our flight. Most of us were able to sleep at least for a little bit on the 6 1/2 hour flight. We arrived in Atlanta, Georgia at 7:30am or so. Ali and I ate lunch since it felt more like noon than early morning, and we all just relaxed and talked about our trip before boarding the flight to Minnesota at noon. We made it back to Minneapolis at 2:45 and took the church bus back to the church where we said our final goodbyes. 

Peru was such an amazing experience. Being in a different culture, eating Peruvian food, helping the Peruvian people....it's all been such an amazing experience. God has taught me a lot through these people.
1. Don't measure your joy by your belongings.
The girls in the Darling House don't have that much. However, they're filled with joy. I was so humbled hearing what they had gone through. I've had a pretty easy life...my parents have always been there for me, protected me, and provided for me. But I still get grumpy. I still get upset. I still complain. The Darling House girls were a great example of being joyful even though you've had it rough.
2. Knowing God isn't about knowing everything.
I've known God almost my entire life. However, some of the girls in the Darling House have known Him for such a short while and seem to understand Him better than I do. I could feel God's love through them and it made me want to be used by God even more.

Going to Peru was such an amazing journey, one that I hope to have an opportunity to take again. Thank you for all of your prayers. I thank you for reading this whole thing (it was rather long). Hopefully it gives you a glimpse of what I was able to experience and what God did for me on my 2012 Journey to Peru.