Settling In

After two weeks in my new home in Haiti, there is much to talk about and even more to personally process. From the moment I found myself here I felt at home and that sense of home is only getting stronger as I find my place here.

We have finally been getting into the school more and have started the process of getting our rooms ready for the students. With only a week before school starts, there are plenty of obstacles to overcome. Slowly, my books and supplies are making their way to my classroom along with plenty of dust and mess. There are still several key elements to my curriculum that need to surface from the many boxes that were packed from the earthquake but I have high hopes that they are just around the corner. Please keep me in your prayers as I have my first day of class next week and for the students who will be coming back for the first time since the earthquake.

Other than being busy with school, we have found ourselves very well taken care of by our friends here. The hospitality shown to us by some of our friends from the school has been unbelievable. Last week we took a trip out to the beach and had a wonderful time enjoying not only the amazing beach, but the great company as well. This weekend we found ourselves at the receiving end of more hospitality again when a fellow teacher took us all to her family's place up in the mountains surrounded by a breath-taking view, delicious food, and overall just a time to unwind and enjoy each others' company.

This weekend also brought about the opportunity I had been praying about long before I ever stepped foot in Haiti. My friends Steve (a former teacher at Union) and Michele (a current teacher) have started a non-profit called H.E.R.O. (Housing Education and Rehabilitation of Orphans) and have asked for my assistance with what they are doing. I am excited for what lies ahead and how we can reach out to a country in tremendous need. Please take the time to visit the website and see how you can get involved as well (http://www.haitihero.org/index.html).

Continue to pray for Haiti and all that continues to go on here. There is more need and devastation than I can even begin to describe through text or photo. Every rattle of a window or the sound of a large truck driving by puts people on edge as they worry another earthquake could tear apart their lives again. Every rain brings fear as a large portion of people are living in tents and the Haitian rain never falls lightly. As the elections draw nearer, so does the anticipation of not knowing if a worthy leader will be stepping into office or not. These are just a few of the many examples of the state of Haiti right now and your prayers and support are very much in need.

Thank you all for the support you have given me and will continue to give me as I live my new life here in Haiti. I thank the Lord for you and I hope I can do my best to keep you informed on on what is going on here. Also, some long over due photos are here and can be found at the following link.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044091&id=67600728&l=2e89a5e39c

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

I have finally arrived in Haiti and I have been blown away by everything. I am not sure even where to begin when talking about Haiti. Every story I hear from the people here puts every news cast to shame on the intensity of the situation and how much farther we have to go. Just taking a walk down the street can be emotionally draining. Even though the hardships that the Haitian people have been through over their entire history are worn on every person, a deeper joy and sense of hope pour through each of them as well.

Today I had my first meeting with all the teachers at the school and I instantly felt a part of the family. Haitians are wonderful to work with and are very warm people. There are still three weeks before school starts, but there is a lot to get ready for and we have some amazing opportunities being given to us right now. My classroom is still not ready to be used because of the damage from the earthquake, but it should be ready to go sometime this semester. It will be a different year compared to my time in Chicago and I know a lot of flexibility will be required, but I am ready for the challenge.

Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers as they go through challenge after challenge. Their stories are too much to even try to put in writing and the sorrow is too deep to try to comprehend. The elections are coming up and we are desperate for a leader who has what it takes. The political situation here has never been one to look up to and a change is in desperate need. Pray for me as I find the balance of living a city in so much pain and finding my place here where I can be of service. I feel more blessed every day I am alive and please never stop counting your blessings no matter how hard things of this world may seem at time.

I invite you to check out this photo journal I found that I feel captures the hearts of the people here and the vibe that is so alive.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Voices-of-Haiti/628958

Chicago.

After a lot of traveling by bus, plane, car, shuttle and walking, I am finally back in Chicago for a short time. My travels began on Tuesday night last week with an overnight bus to Lima. I was able to spend the day in Lima with my friends Juan Diego and Rafael before my overnight plane to Boston. It was great to finally make it to New Hampshire for my friend Buck's wedding and find myself surrounded by my closest friends in a beautiful lake house. The wedding was a great time and I also got to enjoy New England a lot by hiking, swimming, and just relaxing. I will admit though, I was going through a bit of culture shock and am still missing my home in Peru greatly. The only chance I had to get back to Boston was on Monday, but my flight was on Tuesday and I was left in Boston without any connections. Of course the Lord provided and I found myself staying with a friend of a friend I had never met before in an apartment overlooking the Boston Harbor and cruising around in his boat for the evening. I was also able to see a lot of the sights around the city during the day and really enjoyed the time just to take it in without an agenda of any kind.

Returning to the States is always a challenge for me, but it is very exciting at the same time to be home again. Most days I wish I could be in two or twelve places at once. I have a little over a week here in Chicago before I board another plane to Haiti. As the excitement builds, so does the reality of getting everything together and preparing myself for this next major step in my life. Now I must find the balance of seeing friends and family, preparing for Haiti, and still continuing everything that is going on in Peru. Good thing the Lord is on my side.

From One Home to the Next

These past few weeks in Peru have been incredible and I am by no means ready to leave this place that has become my home. I am still teaching at the high school and enjoying that age more than I thought I ever would. Our last day before winter vacation is Tuesday and that night I will be getting on a bus to Lima to begin my travels home.

This week was full of excitement in so many ways. I somehow found myself in our school play dressed as a typical Peruvian from Cusco and was the only Gringo in the whole production. It was a total riot and and really enjoyed seeing my students display their culture.

Another surprise of this week was a new ministry opportunity that has come up. I have been doing after-school tutoring for a college-aged student this summer and through the mother of the student I found out about the mines here in Trujillo. I was able to go out and visit the families that live out in a very poor neighborhood near the strip mines. The majority of the children I met have no education or opportunity for it. They work in people's homes from age eight and by age thirteen they go to work out in the rock mines. The kids are known as the 'Children of the Salt' because of the rock dust they are always covered in. Very little has been done for these people and few people even know these families live like this. IncaLink has been able to donate some warm clothes to these children who live in a very cold area up in the mountains. I was able to make some connections and hopefully in the future we can have clean water, a Bible study, more clothes, and food provided for these people and eventually a way for them to attend school and not work!

Last week we were able to throw a birthday part for our friend Ruth who just turned thirteen and works in the garbage dump. The party was a blast and it was great to give them a rest from their hard work and share a beautiful experience with them. It broke my heart when she had to leave her own party to sort through more trash. It blows my mind to think how much we believe we are entitled to for our birthdays even if it is just a day off.

Every day I see how the Lord is at work here and I feel his presents everywhere I go. It is not easy working among situations like these, but I see the joy of the Lord in the people here. Like I said before, I am not ready to leave this home, but I know I have great things ahead of me. I am beyond blessed to have my family that I live with here and I will miss them greatly.

Now I must prepare for my next few weeks of travel. I leave here Tuesday for Lima and by Thursday I will be in New Hampshire for my friend's wedding then off to Chicago for ten short days. On August 13th I will be moving to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to teach second grade and really can't answer the question if I am ready or not, but I know that I am in the good hands of the Lord no matter where I go.

Peru '10

First off, I apologize for the delay on the blog post. I have been very busy since finishing up teaching in Chicago and coming back here to Trujillo, Peru but am throughly enjoying everything!

My time here started off with my mom and aunt joining me and getting an inside view into my life here. They both enjoyed their time and it was great to finally have them see my other home. My days here are occupied with teaching English at a high school, working with the teams, and working with the ministries of the churches and garbage dump. My days start early and end late but I feel more connected than ever here and feel very much at home. I am living with a Peruvian family this summer and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. My Spanish improves daily and I get a deeper insight and connection to the culture here in Peru. I love how my relationships have strengthen over the years with the people here and being able to see the ministries progress is such a blessing.

Teaching here is a world away from my teaching experiences in Chicago. The age difference, resources, and classroom setting are among some of the vast differences that have presented both challenges and rewarding experiences. The students are energetic about learning English but have a very different classroom structure that I am adjusting to.

My heart is still right here where I left it in the poor areas of Trujillo where people live and work in the garbage dumps. At times it feels like there is no hope left for the situation that these people live in, but after every visit I am left with just a bit more hope as I see the joy of the Lord shine through the people there. My friends there show the greatest extent of love I have ever found and I feel that the toothbrush and fruit I provide for them does not compare. Please keep these people in your prayers as they bring up families in the midst of garbage and rejection.

I get up in the mornings at 6am and still need to iron my clothes for tomorrow so for now here are some pictures I was able to take with someones camera after mine was stolen in Lima. I hope you enjoy them and please know that my prayers are with you. Thank you for all of your support and I promise to write again soon.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042787&id=67600728&l=4664127fd3

My Last Team, a Broken Bus, and the Circus!

Since the last time I posted, there have been many eventful days here in Peru.  My last team was here for the past week and a half and left this weekend.  They were an incredible team and all aspects of the trip were great from relationships, to time spent with the ministries.  The team was from Pennsylvania and consisted of 26 members.  There were several families on the team which added a great aspect and even though the group was made of two churches, they worked together as one.  We were able to make some great progress on the construction site and the soccer field should be done before the summer is over.  

Thank God for the flexibility of the team especially in a couple situations.  The first problem we ran into was with another strike.  This time it was nation-wide strike and we were not able to go anywhere beyond walking distance.  We were able to improvise by having a VBS program for the children of the neighborhood that we have come to know and it was a great success.  Another issue we ran into was on the return trip to Lima when our bus broke down in the middle of the desert with time running down on their flight home.  After waiting several hours for another bus and rearranging some other plans, the plane waited 17 minutes just in time for the team to board and for me to get back on my return bus to Trujillo.

The past several days in Trujillo have been some of the most fun we have had all summer as interns.  Yesterday was the Independence Day of Peru and we got to enjoy some of the festivities here.  On Monday we all went to the circus which was beyond entertaining.  Somehow I found myself pretending to be some Peruvian boy's father to enter a dance competition in front of everyone and ended up winning first place and a poster for my 'son'! Yesterday we went to a bull fight which was my first and most likely my last.  It was exciting and very interesting to go to, but I wouldn't say watching a bull die in front of me is something I want to see on a regular basis.

Last night was our site-leader, Jeff's, birthday.  We surprised him by inviting his friends from all over the city and even bringing a friend from the Garbage Dump out here.  To add to the celebration we invited our friend who is a churro vendor to come and make 100 churros for us.  By the end of the night we were all sick on sugar and very emotional from the great turn out and meaningful relationships we have here in Trujillo.

This week I started to teach English classes in the cafeteria at our house.  Today was my second day and I have gone from three students to six with the talk of more to come.  As limited as my supplies are the kids are having a lot of fun and really are doing well learning some English.  It makes me miss teaching in Chicago and I am excited to be able to teach these kids here right now.  

Please pray for the rest of our summer here as we have our last team this weekend that some other interns will be working with.  Also pray for my English classes and as I keep working with the different ministries here.  Thank you for all your support and I look forward to seeing you all soon!

P.S. I wish I had pictures to share, but my camera is being fixed right now....

Photos from the jungle!!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033476&id=67600728&l=2c50b5f419

ENJOY!