We arrived at the same night and from the very start I began to be amazed by you! I was impressed by your positive attitudes and willingness to work. I did not see one “slacker” among you. You embraced every project as though you’d see it through to the very end! (with no complaint or drama)

In Lima, we were a loud group moving through the streets (and catacombs) and people stopped and stared. But you were always polite and friendly to all.

When the Florida team arrived they became my first group to “host”; we were assigned to dig the trench for the opposing wall at the entrance. We worked steadily for four hours, and when we quit to have lunch and go to the dump, I knew your team would take over and would finish what we started and would do the awesome job that you do every time.

So, not to get to sappy, but I so appreciated your maturity and the enthusiasm that you put into every situation—from loading sand (did you see the soccer court now?) and carting wheel barrows, faking Spanish with me in the small group J, to making cement, hauling rocks, making bricks and playing with kids at the Day Care Centre.

Your worship was authentic; you embraced each other and your faith to get some serious things accomplished. I think what I appreciated the most was seeing selfless behavior. I see many groups of teenagers come through our camp and I can genuinely say you are an extraordinary group!

I’m thankful to have met (most of) you and to have worked with you. Your leaders are fun and faith—filled people who have prepared you well for this trip. Just think, because of your work, the Albergue is one or two steps closer to being utilized for its purpose; Joca’s dream of doing God’s work in camping is on its way as well.

Bless you, Oh Canada, I’ll miss you!

Lynn Fish (aka, Abby’s Mom) 

Stephany (Inca Link) Talks About Ministry

Kerry Meets Anna (July 2, 2012)

Video Blog: Aaron Hesman

We Made it to Lima! (June 30, 2012)

Cribs: Albergue (July 7, 2012)

Karaoke and Dancing at the Restaurant (July 1, 2012)

Corban Concert (June 30, 2012)

The Mission Peru Song: Live Version (July 7, 2012)

The Mission Peru Song: Pre-Concert Version (July 6, 2012)

Worship and O'Canada: America Sur Alliance Church (July 1, 2012)

Worship in the Cafeteria (July 2, 2012)

Morning Worship (July 5, 2012)

Worship at the Daycare (July 5, 2012)

Worship and Sermon on the Mountain (July 6, 2012)

by Kyle McKelvey, Intern at Inca Link

“God bless you, Kyle.” These are the words that ring in my ears even now, and I still see vividly the tear-filled eyes of my brother who spoke them over me. It’s not every day that God chooses to break us, but I don’t remember a time when I’ve wept like I did last night after that big double-decker bus pulled away. “God bless you, Kyle…”

Right now I’m sitting all alone in an empty house, beds made, a bare floor swept of obvious traces of life, and I can easily hear the birds outside the window, unchallenged by the squeak of a wheel barrow or the roar of a concrete mixer. Life goes on at the Albergue – this looks like the continued faithfulness of a few nationals to be in the garbage dump week after week, with snack and craft in hand; it may look like the celebrated presence of puppies that, granted, won’t be puppies for long; or it may just be the steady creeping progress of a wall that will one day (sooner than later) stand high and strong in a world marked by rubble. The fact is this: that God is as he was and always will be, and he will continue to do the work he started at the foundation of the universe. But me? I cannot stand on what I was a week ago – half-hearted, discontented, and most importantly, something less than what I’m called to be. When God does a sanctifying work on your life, you cannot, must not turn again to what you were. This week, by his ever-sufficient grace, I experienced yet another chapter of God’s faithful intervention to steer me truer, straighter, stronger in pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven, and in intimacy with The Holy Spirit and his people, I won’t look back.

I don’t know what Canada was to me before this week, but in all honesty it

probably wasn’t a second thought, good or bad. But today when I think of Canada, I think of 42 self-sacrificing gringos, 42 blessings, and 42 instruments of God in my life and in the world here and at home. I think of community as it ought to be, I hear the powerful words of three mentors, and I think of what it means to be unified in spirit. I smile at the images of sprained fingers, scorpion stings, late night scrambled eggs, passionate fútbol, and an amazingly hot pepper, and I try my best to retain the faces that became dear to me so quickly. At first glance I saw a boy carrying a bag of concrete, a lady with a bad knee, and girls praying in the garbage; when I looked again, I saw Jesus carrying his cross, giving glory to The Father on top of the mountain, and washing the feet of those he loved most.

I think of the words in Phillippians (1:3-11) and certainly echo Paul’s sentiment in my heart. You are my partners in the Gospel. He has started a good work in you and will certainly bring it to completion. You have my affection. And this is my prayer: that you would be able to love better. That you would be made holy. And that you would continue to be filled with the Fruit of righteousness that you’ve had a taste of, to the glory and praise of God forever and ever.

Friends, I’m proud of you. Don’t look back! Pursue Him fervently. Run with perseverance. Don’t settle for complacency. Serve bigger. Pray for one another! Fix your eyes on Jesus. Endure hardship as discipline and embrace times of encouragement. Have faith. Keep hope. And may you always, always be the love of Jesus in a world dark with doubt and thirsty for something real. Go.  

“God bless you, Kyle.” He has. He answered about 10 days in advance and I am forever thankful. I love you all. Go with Him, eh?

With peace,

Kyle McKelvey

P.S. Graham, pretty sure that God’s already booked Consuelo for the first couple days in heaven, just FYI.

by Laurel Gardiner

It's twelve am, Monday July 9th, and I find myself standing at the exact same place I was eleven days prior. It seems so long, and yet painfully short. Something has changed.

This week has been a whirlwind of emotion, from crying at the garbage dump, to laughing with friends. From getting sick and missing worship, to writing worship songs of own, there was so much to write about. But as I look back on the week, and I think about what Jeff Enns would describe as a "high" and a "low" of the week, there's one thing that made the trip what it was: the people.  People who were placed, individually, in circumstances that God used to bring together a group of the most special people I have ever met.  Over the course of this week I had the privilege of meeting these people, of talking to them, laughing, crying, hugging, and at the end of the week, even leaving. I believe it was Winnie the Pooh who said "I'm lucky to know someone so hard to say goodbye to". If that's so, I'm the luckiest person in the world, because these beautiful people were so hard to part with.

When we first arrived, I hoped that I would see the raw sovereignty of God in Peru, I just didn't know where. I looked for clues, and things that would bring me closer to the plans God has for me.  Now, I realize, I was looking in the wrong places. I was forgetting the power of a simple "I'll pray for you", or working in the trenches beside someone who was never supposed to come, but who God had directed in another path, and straight into my life, and even meeting an intern from the States who, over the course of an hour, changed my views on worship, one who showed such selfless kindness, and even people I had grown up with who showed wisdom, and strength beyond their years. I had been looking so desperately for an experience from God, that I stopped realizing that most of his grace was living, and breathing, and had come with me from North America.  

Leaving was undoubtedly the hardest part. I was aware of this from the beginning, but I had not idea what this felt like. As I sat, with tears wet on my face, memories filling my mind, and a tugging on my heart, I understood why people did this year after year. The construction will go on. The buildings will eventually get finished. And in the grand scheme of things, we didn't do a lot in regards to the compound. It was in the hearts where we did miracles. Where God used us to do miracles. Where God did miracles in us.

So, as I write this, leaving the place where everything started, I still feel a stab on my heart. When I left Peru, I left, what feels like, a big part of my heart. And though it's painful, God is filling that hole. He's filling it with the jokes, and the conversations. He's filling it with the songs we sang, and the memories we made. He's filling it with his hope, and grace. He's filling it with the realization that though we won't ever be together in body the way we were in Peru; we will be together in spirit. In His spirit. In His love. In His promise. In His plan.

All of creation is screaming his name. Our very existence should be enough to spark yearning to adore Him every day of our lives. I found the raw sovereignty of God, not in the experiences He presented me, or the challenges He put in front of me, but the people he used to impact my life. And I can honestly say they have. 

Yes, something has changed: We have.

by Calvin DeLancey

Hello Canada! I feel it's appropriate that I share the struggles and joys God has put in my life here in Peru. On June 30th, our first morning in Lima, the boys and were enjoying a game of soccer in preparation for the nights matchup against the local youth group. The game was going fine; my team was losing, however! We were on the brink of catching up. As goaltender, I reared back into a position that I might jump up to catch a lobbed ball that was seemingly hanging in the air above my head. So I jumped, but I didn't go as high as I anticipated because in my way was the crossbar of the soccer goal. To my dismay, I wound up suffering a minor concussion. This at first appeared to me to be a devastating end to my mission in Peru. I knew that I would be unable to do the heavy construction, I would be unable to travel around Trujillo and I would spend the rest of my time in bed, counting down the days the days till the chemicals in my brain returned to their original locations.

I knew this because last September, I retained a concussion from playing football that would take me six weeks to recover from. The first two weeks of my recovery I spent in my bedroom in complete darkness with no forms of cognitive stimulation; no reading, no TV, no cell phone and no music. Those whole six weeks put me in near danger of losing my high school credits for that semester, which would have meant that I would not have graduated last week (June 28th). But God prevailed and not only healed me but He also miraculously allowed me to maintain and keep my credits. The Lord further blessed me when I was accepted into Western University this semester, something my teachers and doctors had completely written off. So having God work in my life very recently (I certainly wasn't fully prepared for this concussion) rather, I had the hope of healing and I knew that I was going to have to rely on my team members and leaders to help me get through this through prayerful, emotional and physical support. In spite of the discouraging truth that I would be unable to do much of the physical labour, many people took the time to be an encouragement to me by sharing with me the their stories of when God challenged them with circumstance and direction that was beyond their control.

First off, my leader Graham has been an encouragement and also a counselor during a time in which I have had a difficulty in making the best decisions. His wise instruction, prayers and loving support have really helped stay grounded through this challenging trip. Graham told me the story of his first month at Bible college. An accomplished basketball player, he was fired up, ready to play. However, instead of playing basketball, Graham had to spend a month recovering from mono, unable to aid his team on the court. But God had willed this, in Graham's words; He really spoke to Graham and challenged him during his time of rest. Taking his story into account, I began working through what God was saying to me during my time of rest. Other leaders have taken the initiative to encourage me with conversations and prayers as well. Luke shared with me how God challenged him with sickness when he was 16 and that he came very close to dying. So his church congregation gathered together, earnestly praying to God to make him well. One week later, Luke remarkably, no, miraculously, was in attendance at the church service Sunday morning. His story spoke to me about God's awesome power in His Sovereignty and the astounding work of prayer.

Ryan of Chatham also encouraged me when he told me that he had sent word back home to Canada about my injury and that people who don't even know me where praying that Jesus would make me well. All of my fellow youth were huge inspirations to me with their collective joyful states of being throughout the entire trip. They truly acted as the hands and feet of God, doing His work with great joy. The Nationals' smiles and embraces have given great joy to not only myself but the entire team. They have shown us continually that Jesus' love is unconditional and knows no boarders, whether they be geographic, cultural or language barriers.

But if it had not been for my concussion, I would not have had the chance to hear how God has shaped the lives of the Inca Link Interns. On Tuesday, everyone had left to go the day care from West London Alliance. The bus ride and all the excitement that occurs while playing with energetic children were two factors that prevented me, with a concussion, from attending the home with them. So I found a quiet spot and set about journaling about what God had challenged me with. Just when I had finished, one of the interns Brent came up to me to give me an orange that a lady from the kitchen had given him to give to me. That clementine was the gateway for Brent to start an inspiring, thought provoking conversation. Brent told me about his past two years in the mission field. His work for the Lord took him from going on the World Race, which is a missionary trip with 11 countries in 11 months, to working in Peru for Inca Link at the children’s home. Instead of becoming a gym teacher and making lots of money after college and then going into missions, Brent felt God's call to start missions work right after graduation (he spent weeks praying and much of that time fasting as well). Brent's story really challenged me to think not about my will for my life, rather what God has willed for me in life in accordance to His story.

Other encouraging conversations took place on several occasions with Kyle and Christy when we shared late night crackers and eggs because I had been unable to go out with the team for dinner (they told me that crackers and eggs is a "missionaries' dinner"). They helped me work through the experience that I had at the dump, helping me to recognize that God's work is accomplished when we set out to love the as Christ loved, not just physical needs. Our human interaction needs to be made up of words and physical embraces because God created us to be in community, so by greeting the people in the dump with a smile and a hug, we truly spread the love of Jesus.

I have titled this entry, "Stories of Sovereignty" because this week, for my part, has looked a whole lot different than what I anticipated it would look like a week ago. Prevented from working, I was in possession of more time for listening and sharing with others. Throughout this week here in Peru, I have both heard and experienced the divine an sovereign will of God working in the lives of His children. Although circumstances may be rough, and yes, the going gets tough, God has a plan and a love for every one of His sheep that is beyond   our human comprehensions and carefully calculated plans.

On Thursday this week, I woke up without a headache for the first time since Saturday. To my great joy I was able to go to the daycare with the second group that day and amazingly I returned to camp without a headache. The next I participated in the hike up the mountain, mixing cement and even the final soccer game against the Nationals. God has His perfect timeline, independent of ours, and he answers the prayers of his children, all praise for Jesus! For anyone who is experiencing a tough circumstance you should know that what ever your situation may be it, God is using it for a reason. I challenge you to take the time to listen; listen to those who have had had difficult trials, draw inspiration from their stories, and listen for what God may be trying to say to you, take heart that He has a plan for you. Sometimes, it takes a twist in the plot before it becomes a good story, and knows one is a better author than our Great God.

God bless you in all your circumstances, Calvin.

by Evan Mix

This week really changed my life in so many different ways. God really showed his love for me this week by getting through difficult situations and tasks I couldn't think I could do.

This week there were so many high points, but I would say the highest point for me would be the daycare. The daycare was my favorite because even though we could not speak the same language as the kids you could really just see the excitement and happiness in the kid’s faces.

One little boy that I met named Jair was so happy we were there and that we could play soccer with him, he was just smiling the whole time and it really showed how much it meant to the kids that we were there. Leaving the daycare that day was really hard because in such a little time we all had a bond with one or more kids.

I will never forget that day at the daycare those kids really did change my life!

by Jeff Enns

We have now finished up our time in Trujillo, with our 5th year of consecutive trips with high school students.  It's official, more than 200 of us have followed in obedience to the call that was asked of us. I couldn't be more proud and honored to see these short term trips fulfill long term vision that enhances a deeper partnership between our CCD Youth an the Peruvian Alliance Churches. I still can't believe the progress that has been made at the children's home and campground. This is our first year actually staying where we work. I believe that this is truly indicative of how close we are to seeing children living here in their new home.

Seeing students experience the Garbage Dump for the 5th year in a row still impacts me. We continue to pray as leaders, "Break their hearts for what breaks God's heart." We visited on Monday, but I knew I would be back in a few days to helps with some food for the community, and to begin investigation into water solutions for them. Yesterday, I returned with Graham and a few of the Inca Link Peru Staff (please continue to pray for Violeta, Stephany, Denice, Yackory, and Brenda and stay tuned for more details on the water investigation). This time, I had to say good-bye to my good friend Chi-Chi and his family and I shed tears, quite a few actually!  I had to ask myself a question over and over again over these past 24 hours. Here's the question: "Were my tears actually selfish tears?" So here is what I've been processing until now: I am selfish to want to stay in Peru. The Inca Link Staff that I continue to meet over the years not only have the vision; they pursue fulfilling this vision daily and faithfully. They do not need my presence here; they simply ask for our prayer and support. Their daily work in support of the vision to reach the poor among them is an inspiration to me. So in some ways my tears were selfish. But in other ways my tears were merely indicative to the depth of relationship that has developed over these past five years. 

Therefore, I boast for my Peruvian brothers and sisters because of their steadfast commitment to Christ and to reaching the poor among them. I applaud our students for their hard work on this specific trip, and in the 4 years prior.

May we all continue to humbly accept opportunities for our hearts to break for what breaks God's heart, even if it takes the tears of a grown man.

by Michael Whynot

So far, amidst construction, we have visited a local garbage dump (also a place of daily occupation for some locals), a daycare (mostly for sponsored kids who are children of the families in the garbage dump) and a small soccer pitch close by where we were able to play, sing, and dance with some of the kids and teach/show them more of God's love.  

We don't speak much Spanish, so the interns and the few fluent do most of the talking, but we know the basic phrases to start a small conversation. All around me, all I hear is "Como estas" over and over (which means "how are you" in English).  As funny as it is to think of thirty-something Latinos asking me how my day was, even more fascinating is their responses. I've never heard one person, playing soccer or scrounging for "valuables" admits trash, say they are having a bad day.  At first I was confounded.  These people, living inn barely nothing surrounded by fifth, are having a good day? How is that possible? What does that say about how I live; how we all live? These questions have been circling my brain these past few days.  I've had a lot of time, in work and in rest, to spend time with God and reflect on these experiences, and my life.  I'm so happy that I have been given this amazing opportunity to serve and do God's work, and I know my presence here will have a positive impact on Trujillo, my growth in my faith, my relationship with God, and the way I live, missionally, wherever I am.  

Christ is all we need; all we will need. I'm so thankful for all the gifts I've been given, and I realize now more than ever, that God needs to be the center of my life.  His will and his direction should be my guiding cloud in the sky.  He has blessed me in so many ways and I hope to use his blessings he has given for His will, in all that I do. I am so very thankful. My eyes have been opened.  This verse was given to me by my Dad a long time ago, but I've never really taken it to heart until now. Philipians 4:19, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." I would like to thank everyone for the prayer and support. It is really appreciated and is doing amazing things.  Thanks.

In other news, I'm also growing a mustache.

by Nikki Phelps

Now that we're in our last few days of Peru, I've been reflecting a lot on the experiences we've had. Countless memories have been made here, but the most encouraging moment for me happened at the day care. I was looking forward to it all day, but when we were finally on our way, I started to worry about the language barrier. I kept asking myself how I could possibly connect with these kids when we don't speak the same language, but the moment we got there I realized that all my worrying was for nothing. It became clear to me that God's love didn't need to be spoken, it could simply be shared.

God's love truly knows no bounds. I met a little girl named Andrea there, and her precious smile was the highlight of my week. The moment she jumped into my arms, I could see joy warm her beautiful face, and in return felt deeply humbled. To see this little girl so happy when she had so little really impacted how I look at my own life and made me realize how much I take for granted. It was so encouraging to see the excitement on all the kids faces just from a group of "'gringo's" (as the Peruvians would say).

This experience really taught me to be joyful in all situations as the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I will forever be thankful for this amazing experience, and will never forget the power of wordless love.

by William Bain

God is good. That is one of those lines heard repeatedly within our churches.  I have always blindly agreed with that statement but not until I have come here have I truly believed those words. Sometimes it has been difficult to see that this is true, whether because I have seen children and adults living in complete poverty or whether it is because human beings are being thrown out of society and being forced into dumps. But - God is good.  God is good because he has placed these people in his hands and has chosen the most capable people to lead them.  Whether within the dumps where ministries have been formed to minister to the children, teens and adults or in a daycare where Inca-link is providing a safe environment for children to grow and learn about Christ, God is watching and in control.

I think that God is amazing to have broken my heart and the heart of many others on this trip. Seeing people living in a garbage dump has formed many questions in my mind. However, each person in that dump has hope.  Perhaps they will never be completely healed from their physical poverty, but through people and organizations like Inca-link they can be reached and healed spiritually.  As it is written in Psalms 113:7, "He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump".  

I have found it amazing to see the work being accomplished by God while bringing just a few of his children to serve here in Peru. Whether national, American or Canadian, God's presence is felt and has been guiding each of us individually and as a group. While working with some of the nationals, it has been obvious that God has chosen these men and women as part of his eternal plan. Each have their own testimony and any are trying to do more for God.

Because of the commitment God has made to us, he has been good to bring us close to the Peruvians despite our differences. Last night I was blessed to take part in an in-home church in Por Venir.  We did have a translator, one of our interns, but we were struggling to have simple conversations with the others.  As the night went on, we sang, prayed and listened to a sermon on John 3:16.  In reality, we did everything described in 1 Corinthians 14:26, "Well brothers and sisters, let's summarize.  When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is said must strengthen all one you."

As the week closes, it is my prayer that each of people on this trip may go home and continue the good work of God that they may go home and work to glorify God and Him alone.  

by Josh Seabrook

On Wednesday I got the opportunity to be invited into a complete strangers house and participate in their cell group. I was nervous at first especially with the language barrier, however once I started to feel comfortable I started to realize how cool it was that half way around the world adults and teens alike were doing the same thing my parents do on a weekly basis.

This was really amazing and emphasized how God works through everyone no matter what the culture or how different.

Terri-Ann Wilson, HPAC

Calvin Delancey, WLA

Emily Cipkar, HPAC

Jon Magwood, WLA

by Jessica Guichelaar

First I would like to thank you for your prayers and support for our team and the people we have had the blessing of serving in Peru. God has certainly heard and has been answering... He is doing powerful things here in Trujillo. So please continue to pray and lift up the families and children here that they may come to know the love of Christ through the ministry of Inca Link and their partnerships with the local churches.  

Yesterday, we had the privilege of coming together with a church in Alto Trujillo and participate in their small group ministry.  The pastor met us at their church and we took the bus to a small building (really just a room) that a group of them use to gather together for fellowship and prayer every Wednesday night. 

We were greeted warmly and the pastor began in prayer and thanksgiving for bringing two groups of people together who are separated by geography, but unified in their faith in Christ. Abby, one of the Inca Link interns provided the translation and really helped make the experience more meaningful.

The pastor preached on Philipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". While our struggles may be different from theirs...I'm pretty sure we don't tend to worry about where our next meal will come from or whether or not our children will be able to get basic medical care...we must all look to God as our source of strength to make it through any hardships that come our way. He asked specifically for prayer for the most pressing needs in their community -- to change the cycle of violence, gangs, corrupt police, and poverty.

To be honest, being here and witnessing the immense poverty, it seems like an insurmountable task to accomplish this goal. However, this dedicated church family has made it their mission to create a community of believers who place their hope in Jesus' saving grace.  They have a vision of planting more and more churches where they can share the love of Christ with and serve the lost of Alto Trujillo. 

We also had the opportunity to worship God together through singing. They taught us a number of hymns in Spanish and we sang a few to them in English as well. What was incredibly powerful for me was when we sang the same song together but in different languages. It was a beautiful display of the fact that although we may not understand each other in conversation, the unity we have in Chirst transcends any language barriers.

It is amazing and incredible to know that in heaven, we will all have complete understanding and communication with each other and that our praises to God will be in perfect union. That there will be no distinctions between rich and poor, but that all believers will experience the richness of being in the presence of the Lord, magnifying His name as one body. What an awesome God we have! It is evident that He is actively working in Trujillo in ways we cannot even imagine.  

Please pray specifically for Alto Trujillo -- that God will lift up the local church to persevere in their striving for a community that is overcome by the love and hope only Christ can provide. That they will continue to find strength in their Maker who is powerful and faithful to make all things possible.

Please know, too, that the work being done here is making an eternal difference...it is truly a blessing and privilege to play even a very small part in the grand story God is writing in this place. Thank you again for your thoughts, prayers and support. Be blessed!

By Nikki Schalk

He sat at the airport just as I was heading onto the plane. I sat and looked out the window that would take me back to my comfortable home and comfortable life. He looked at me with sad eyes, ragged clothes and a dirty face and said, "Nikki, are you really going to leave me here?"

This is the scene that repeatedly crept its way into my dreams the weeks before I got here. I, along with all of our leaders, prayed for God to break our hearts for what breaks His. After the first night of dreaming this I almost regretted this prayer. "Wait God, don't break me that much! Don't cause me so much pain that the hurt and guilt consumes my every thought!"

I have now spent the last four days surrounded by the child in my dreams. Surrounded by the painful truth of poverty that consumes the lives of millions of children here in Peru: Reality of ragged clothes and a painful cycle of hopelessness. Suffering beyond what I could have ever imagined and beyond anything I thought a loving God above handed out to any child of His.

When writing this, I think specifically of my friend Fernando in the dump. The boy who was so proud to show Lauren and I his single mattress and sheet that covered it, that he called home. In the midst of garbage, smell, disease, sickness, bugs, smoke and dirt he slept each night and played each day.

Why does such suffering exist in the life of a child? Why me, born into luxuries, and Fernando born literally into nothing? Where is the hope? Where is my God here?

My head still spins at what my eyes have seen, but despite the chaos, God lead me to 1 Peter 1: 6-9. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

For the first time in my life this week I can finally understand "Blessed are the weak", "Blessed are the poor", "Blessed are you when you suffer grief’s in all kinds of trials." In the midst of the broken, Gods face was right before me. The kingdom of heaven is for these. The sufferings of these people is short, but the salvation of souls for their faith is forever; it is eternal.

There is a reason God allows us to suffer. There's a reason He knocks us on our knees. As hard as it was, there is a reason I forced myself to walk away from Fernando after chasing him around the dump for an hour. Because my God is Sovereign. Because I have a purpose in London, Ontario.  And because Fernando has a purpose in the dumps of Trujillo, Peru.

Jeremiah 29:11

By Aaron Watson

Hey mom, dad, family and church family -- I am doing well and I am still in one piece. I had a little bit of trouble with my knee but I am ok now. The worst, but the best day, was definitely the third day in Peru.

The team was able to go to the dump in the afternoon; it was very satisfying to understand that I should be more grateful for what I have in life. We had the chance to hand out fruit to the workers at the dump and I had a small chat with two girls; they are mother and daughter. The mom has been in the dump for more then 15 years; I am not to sure about the daughter but I am sure she has been there for along time. I was not able to have a long talk because my Spanish is not very good, but I was still able to understand a bit.

It was time to say our goodbyes and I was moved by their story. I had some fruit left in my bag so I gave the rest of it to them and face lit up like the sun. When I gave them the fruit I felt heartbroken. I know that I can't do any thing more to help; before I got on the bus to go back, I broke down and cried for a good few minutes.

The things I saw in the dump where very overwhelming. I just wish I spent more time taking it in. So that was the worst part of the day, but it was also the best.

I just want to finish with some Bible verses: Psalm 103:1 says, "Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. Matthew 5:3-10 reads, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are thousand in pure heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Best hope and prayers back home :)

Ray Jones, HPAC

Niccky Phelps / Sarah Wright / Leah Garnaitis, WLA

Bonus Footage: In-Town Children's Ministry

by Elisha Suderman

Yesterday was an amazing day as WLA went to the children's daycare. We were able to have 2-3hr to play with the kids. There was one little girl in particular who was 6 years old who was by my side the entire time holding my hand not wanting to let go, you could tell all she wanted was love and to be cared for. 

Even though there was the huge language barrier, we didn't really need to talk as we were just able to laugh, play, smile, hug and just by looking at one another enjoying each others presence which was an awesome experience to have had. Just to have spent a few hours together and already blowing kisses to each other. 

It was crazy to see how even though the kids don't have much and the meal they get at the daycare is usually the only meal they receive for the day, they are so filled with joy and happiness just by little things like us "gringos" showing up for the afternoon with crafts and games and just love and care for these kids. Yesterday was a very humbling day and really opened my eyes on how lucky we all are and how we take so much for granted. 

I just want to thank everyone who is praying for all of us we appreciate it so much, and for those who are reading the blogs and sending different verses it is very encouraging to knno all of the support we have. I love you all!

by Leah Garnaitis

Yesterday was a really special day and one that I had been looking forward to ever since the trip started. Our group (WLA) headed over there and got to spend about 2 hours with the kids. The time flew by so fast.

At the beginning I was talking to a few girls, trying to get to know them, asking their ages, names, and what they like to do. They looked so young but were 10~15 years old. We started up a game of duck duck goose and it was just so great to see the joy and laughter on their faces! They loved running around and seemed to never get tired.

After this game, everyone headed outside, and Laurel and I had the chance to connect with the older girls again, and it was so cool because they started to ask us questions back. They asked what we were doing here, what we do in Canada, do we know Justin Bieber, etc. They loved to hear us sing and dance,  and loved spending time with everyone.

I feel so blessed by these kids, because they gave me more joy than they could ever know. Their smiles were encouraging, and it was a good reminder of being grateful for what we have, and all the small things. For the kids, this was probably the most love they have received in a while, and to think that I got los each day from my family and get lots of attention and support,  it is a good reminder of things I tend to take for granted. It was just an awesome day being able to do such little acts of love and seeing the impact we had.

And I just want to say thank you to all the people who read the blogs and for all those praying for all we do down here. Your support is so encouraging to read! Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and I love you all ! :)

by Tony Ammoun

Poverty: lack of the basic physical resources , opportunities, and support to discover one's true potential. I've definitely seen people in poverty since I've been in Peru. The people here don't have the resources we do, but their hard work, perseverance, and appreciation are admirable. Life is different here, things are simpler. Building something from scratch has been an amazing experience! Mostly because of the team work and relationships that are being built as well. There is something amazing that happens when your working side by side with people in order to attain the same goal!

Today I spent the morning hauling wheel barrels full of sand, dirt, and rocks. Yesterday we dug a trench along the outer perimeter. Oddly enough, I am really enjoying the hard labour, and feeling a great joy in working here. My motivation hasn't come from just anywhere. Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to the dump, and meet many of the people that worked there and lived just outside the dump. Seeing the unity and perseverance in their efforts, despite the garbage, truly humbled me. Today when I was hauling those wheel barrels, all I could see were the faces of the people in the dump. There were children who were running around, bare feet, in fields of used medical syringes. These people are no different from us. They desire what we desire, relationship, a sense of purpose, and most of all love.

Given the same chances and opportunities that we have received, I am confident that the people here would flourish and truly experience life to the fullest, just as God intended for them. As Jesus said in John 13:35, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Love is not something that is limited to physical resources. Thankfully, love is something that breaks through social economic boundaries, where both the richest of the rich, and the poorest of the poor may experience the depth of God's love demonstrated in the lives of God's people.

As I say this, I am reminded that we would not be here as the hands and feet of Jesus if it were not for all of you back home. You have sacrificially given much of your resources , time, and prayer to partner with the vision of Mission Peru and make a Kingdom impact! On behalf of myself and the entire team here in Peru, Thank You!!!!!

Nicky Phelps / Matt McDonald / Lauren Gardner / Nicky Shalk, WLA

Amy Gordon / Tony Ammoun / Ashlyn June, HPAC

Matt McDonald, WLA

Tanner Shantz, WLA

Chris Blackwell, WLA

by Kerry Provost

Two years ago my trip to Peru was defined by brokenness. I prayed for God to break my heart for what breaks his and He did... I met Anna.  Many of you have heard me talk about Anna and almost as many have seen me cry about Anna.  She is the disabled daughter of one of the families in the dump.  I loved her immediately but couldn't bear to think of her.  I am not proud of my inability to control my emotions so before leaving this time I spent a lot of time praying for emotional appropriateness.

I had the opportunity to meet Anna again this year and she is still severely disabled and in many ways seems worse. But God answered my prayers by showing me that there is great joy in being aligned with him in brokenness.  It is the way we are supposed to be and being aligned with Christ is what we strive for.

As the youth on our awesome team cry about what they have seen at the dump or discover the pain of meeting a fatherless child who is lucky to get one meal a day, I can't help but smile in the knowledge that their brokenness, my brokenness is making us more Christ like.  

Don't get me wrong, when I lay down with Anna whose bottom half was wrapped in a garbage bag and her mother told me that she is struggling with more and more seizures, I was holding back some serious tears.  But in that moment I mostly laughed with Anna and marveled at the opportunity to see her brain on an X-ray.  It was abundantly clear to me that God wanted me to love her and laugh with her thereby glorifying Him. 

In John 11 we learn that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  The way it was written it seems clear to me that He did this to bring glory to God and so that his disciples would believe.  Ultimately we have to assume that Lazarus still dies.  Anna will also die as will the people in the dump and in the community adjacent to the dump, regardless of what we bring them or what we do for them.  And so I am reminded that we are not here to save people, we are here to love people.

I assure you that your kids have been doing a phenomenal job in this, through their prayers over people, their laughter with kids and their overall love and caring.  When I had the opportunity to meet Anna again I know that I also had the opportunity to glorify God and that makes me say that I for one choose joy.

by Lauren Gardner

I would like to share an inspiring passage with you that comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9.

But He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made in weakness".  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak then I am strong.  

Not only have these words given me encouragement, but they have also given me an amazing reminder of the fulfillment of Christ’s love for us.

The other day our team was given the opportunity to visit an enormous dump site where many people live and work every day.  They work hard all day gathering trash that has been picked through many times prior to them receiving it.  They work hard to find anything that can be recycled and weekly the government will come around to collect what the have and exchange that for about 10 sols a day, which for us as Canadians is only about 3 dollars.  Though it is not much it is all they have to get by.  Though they have so little the joy they have is incredible.

God’s great power is so evident in a place like the dump because once people come to know him they are so focused on him.  In the same way it is in my brokenness that Gods transforming power is shown.  If I was perfect I wouldn't need God and in the same way Gods power was made perfectly clear to me in the dump.  It's amazing to me that the love that God has for them makes them so joyful when they have so little.  It has shown me that if you have Gods love that is enough.   

The few days that we have been here have really opened my eyes to the wonders of Gods love.  Everyday I am here I have been faced with challenges that have allowed me to strengthen and test my faith.  Your prayers and words of encouragement have been great.  I feel very loved and prayed for.  Thank you for all the support from my friends and family and know that I love you and think about you every day.

By Joanna Wilkins

Today was a day I will never forget. I had the opportunity to meet my 7 year old compassion child Dayana and it was an incredible experience! I feel more changed and impacted by today than I could have ever anticipated.

I set off this morning accompanied by Clara, a wonderful translator with Compassion International. We drove in a taxi for about forty minutes and then took a smaller 3 wheeled taxi up the side of the mountain. I got to see the Compassion project that Dayana attends and I’m glad I can now picture it. We travelled further up the mountain and eventually had to go on foot because it was too steep to drive up. Dayana came running out of her house with a big smile lighting up her beautiful face. Her Mom and older sister welcomed us as well. Dayana’s home would be considered a fairly comfortable and nice house by the standards here in Peru. It was built into the side of the mountain and was small with simple furniture. I immediately felt very humbled that what little they had in my eyes represented so much comfort and security to their family, while I often am thinking of the next thing I can buy or save up for and I already have so much.

Dayana and I sat in her house smiling at each other as she opened the backpack I brought her. I will not forget the pure delight on her face by such little things like stickers and toys. We visited for a while and she asked me to come see her room that she shares with her sister. The room was painted pink which is her favourite colour. She showed me the doll that my Mom had given to her for me when she got to visit Dayana when she was only 3 years old. She had the doll set carefully on display on her bed. She then showed me a decorated shoe box filled with the letters and pictures I had sent. It was so meaningful for me to be there with Dayana in her bedroom, seeing where she lives and keeps her favourite things, and to see how she values the things I have sent. It makes me want to be much more intentional and regular in my correspondence with her.

Dayana’s Mom told me that Dayana prays for me often and asks God to bless me. Her Mom also thanked me with such sincerity for giving to Dayana every year for her Birthday. I honestly forgot that I do that since it is such a small amount and I don’t even notice it coming out of my bank account. Again I was so humbled that an insignificant amount of money to me can have such a big impact. I am feeling so convicted about how wasteful and unintentional I often am with my finances and how I should be more purposeful with what I have been blessed with.

Dayana and I walked hand in hand down the mountainside with her Mom, sister and Clara and took the taxis back into the town nearby. We went to a mini amusement park and rode the merry-go-round as well as an alarmingly fast and tiny roller coaster. As Dayana was jumping on the trampoline she said “I am so happy! This is the best day of my life! I will never ever forget this!” It was so moving! My translator Clara said that kids speak the truth without reservation. And as I stood in line with Clara talking about the day and waiting for the McDonald’s meal which was such a treat for Dayana and her family, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I kept picturing the joy on Dayana’s face throughout the day and felt so grateful to get to be there.

I am excited that I get to continue to be a part of Dayana’s life and that I have her as a part of mine. As I was saying goodbye to Dayana she said “please will you send more stickers?” :)

I feel so thankful for the blessing it is to be a Compassion sponsor, and to see how much of an impact it has on a child’s life as well as their family. I am thankful I got to meet, hug and laugh with beautiful Dayana, and to see where she lives and how I can be praying for her more personally.  I have a much greater appreciation for the work that Compassion International does for Dayana and I’m glad I got to see in person how happy and healthy Dayana is and most importantly to know that she loves Jesus.

By Ray Majoran

Welcome to the first official Mission Peru 2012 blog post!

Over the next 10 days, I’ll be doing my best to document the work that the Lord is doing in Trujillo and Lima, Peru. As the appointed media guy on the trip, here’s what you can expect:

1. Blog Posts (Journal Entries): Each day, a different person from the Mission Peru team will be writing a blog post. So in total, you’ll see (at least) 10 blog posts over the course of our trip. (Today just happens to be my day for posting.)
2. Lots of photos.
3. Lots of videos.

If you’re on Facebook, you can also keep track of us on our Mission Peru page located here

And if you’re on Twitter, you can follow us @MissionPeru. Note that the Twitter feed is also streamed through the homepage of the Mission Peru website.

I would encourage you to write comments on the blog posts and/or our Facebook page. Each day, I will take the opportunity to read a number of them to the group during our devotional time in the morning. Note that when I’m reading the comments, I’ll often refrain from using names so that the entire team can be encouraged, instead of just one individual. If there’s something *extremely important* that you want me to specifically relay to someone here on the ground, send me a private Facebook message.

As far as “when” I’ll be posting stuff, it will vary. Based on my experience from the last trip, it will probably be either very late at night, or in the wee hours of the morning. Remember that Peru is in the Central Time Zone (CST), meaning that we are 1 hour behind EST. Most blog entries, videos and photos for the day will be posted by 2am CST / 3am EST. Therefore, I’d suggest that instead of waiting up at night hoping to see the daily updates, that you get a good night’s rest and visit the website over a cup of coffee (or two) in the morning.  The other unknown is Internet. If we go a couple of days where you haven’t seen any updates, don’t worry about it! The Internet is very touch-and-go in Peru, so “no updates” simply means “no Internet”. I will do my absolute best to try and get something new up every day (even if it’s just a message in the Twitter feed saying, “Internet sketchy. Things are going great.”)

The schedule over the next couple of days is as follows: 

• Right now, our group of 42 is hanging out at the Panama City airport. Our flight to Lima, Peru will leave in about an hour.
• Tonight we will arrive in Lima and spend the night there.
• Tomorrow (Saturday) we will tour Lima and help out with a concert. The concert will be featuring CORBAN, a South-American Christian music group featuring Elisa and Rich Brown, founders of Inca Link.
• On Saturday night, we will hop on a bus that will take us to Trujillo, our final destination for the trip. The bus ride usually takes around 8 hours.
• When we get off the bus, it will be Sunday. Since we’ll all have had a great night’s rest on the bus (sarcasm intended), we’ll hit the ground running. :)

Important Note: Jeff Enns has requested prayer for Sunday night; he has been asked to speak at a church service (in Spanish). Jeff says, “It’s not as easy or fun as it sounds.” Thank you!

The rest of the week will consist of many things like: prayer, worship, lots of construction at the children’s home, visiting people at the local garbage dump, visiting the day care (sponsored by Inca Link and Compassion), small groups, and on rare occasions, sleep.

Thanks for following along! Please continue to pray for us as God uses us for His glory.

We have arrived home! The teams have headed there respective ways for the night.

God Bless,

Peter

Hey Everyone,

We're about to get on the bus back to Lima.  Please pray for safety and the ride will be shorter than last time.

In Him,

Peter

Hola! Wow, I can’t even begin to explain to you how amazing it feels to be typing on a laptop right now. Being unplugged has been pretty tough, but definitely worth it. I have been very focused on the task at hand… lol.

This trip has been unbelievable so far. The things I’ve seen have changed my perspective on how I live my life, and more is yet to come. Tomorrow we head to the community in the garbage dump here in Trujillo.

This morning we woke up at 7 for breaky, and had devotionals after. Jaccy lead the devotion today, yay good job jaccy! Everybody go read Isaiah 41: 9-10! After deviotionals we went to the construction site. In the morning I made bricks, it’s a very dirty job. We make the bricks out of a mixture of sand, dirt and water, which I happily mixed together by jumping around in it in my bare feet. Zoey helped of course. At about 12:30 we washed up and went to lunch at the church.  We ate chicken, rice and potatoes. Surprising... haha, no, its not actually surprising. That is what we have everyday, and its always super delicious. Thanks to the locals at the churches for cooking us lunch and dinner everyday! When we went back to the site after lunch I levelled sand with pansy and the T-Bay boys. We found a sheep skull. It was gross.

We had…. Chicken, rice and potatoes for dinner, and then we came back to Helping Hands (the name of the guest house) for a worship session on the rooftop. Soooooo much fun.

I’ve been having an amaizng time so far and have made so many new friends from the mission peru team. I miss everyone, especially my mommy and daddy and KB. Thank-you to all the people who supported us so that we could come on this trip, it truly has been life changing. Can’t wait to see you all!

Lots of love,

Melissa Van Andel

P.S. Love you mom, good luck tomorrow, were all praying for you! I miss you tons.

Well before I start to talk about our day today I just want to send a message to Mr.Housh: Jeff will not stop using your line! his response to everything is either "there's a high" or "there's a low". Everyone was really confused about it at first but now they are all used to it and starting to say it too! Anyways back to the point. 

Today was a  very tiring day. We worked both in the morning and in the afternoon for the first time. Also it wasn't just the usual day, it was Sean's birthday! We celebrated with cake and the Sauga girls made him a top hat (he has wanted one for very long). The day started early in the morning and everyone was exhausted especially me. We had the ususal buns for breakfest along with bacon and eggs. I wasn't too hungry probably because I was so exhauasted.Jaccy did an awesome devotional for our group today about a memory verse that gave her confidence and encouragment for the physical labour (which she was worried about). We then headed out to the construction site to begin our full day of hard work. My job the entire day was making bricks which is my favourite job since it does not involve carrying very heavy buckets of cement. Today I got to stomp in the mud to mix it all up to make the bricks. It was quite fun! Ifelt we all worked very hard today especiallly considering how exhausted we all were in the morning. My brick making group had a great time making bricks and chatting together! The amount of talking we all do makes the day go by so much faster. For lunch we had chicken and rice... of course. But it was still great! I am so thankful for the church taking the time to makes us lunch everyday and also for the church that gives us dinner. After lunch we got back to work for about 2 1/2 hours then we were off to the guest house to get ready for dinner. After dinner we had a another emotional and awesome worship service on the roof led by Paul. I really enjoy the worship, I think that it'sthe fact we are actually in Peru singing as a team all together on a rooftop.... how awesome does that sound? 

Well I don't even have words to describe how incredible this experience has been for me so far, from daycares and dumps to cell groups and spanish church services. I know that this  trip has and will change my life and my walk with God has already grown stronger. Thanks so much to all the people praying for us at home and supporting us. We love you! Looking forward to coming home to share all the stories. 

-Victoria Mortimer

p.s. Love you mom, dad and brent! See you all soon!

So today, my new friend Sean dropped his communion bread on the floor. He lent down, picked it up, blew it off, and put it in his mouth. This all happened this morning at church after we had been greeted at the door and done some worship that was epically awesome and lively which everyone liked. After church we went back to Helping Hands(the guest house we’re staying in), packed lunch and piled on to the bus, on route to the beach. When we got the beach most of the boys went to try out the waves on some boards and the rest went shopping for a while. Bargaining with the people for souvenirs was very fun, especially when I personally know as much Spanish as the flowers in the somewhat green grass. After shopping we went to the beach and some went in the indefinitely cold water while a group of us went to the chocolate shop. I took Carson, the 8 year old that absolutely adores me,  to get brownies to share but both decided they were not to our liking. Carson decided while we were there that breaking glasses with smoothies in them was entertaining, as well as flashing the 6 of us with him. Then back at the beach I took Cassidy, Carson’s sister, to go and get braids in our hair which was very colourful and fun to spend time with another of the Kimbros family. Then to dinner it was where we ate some great fries and chicken and where I was swarmed with more love from Carson. Last but definitely not least, we played soccer at a local soccer pitch, well I personally was not a player but personal cheerleader for Pansey was more like it. Here I also got to get to know Luke, another of the awesome Kimbros fam jam. Overall the day was great and I have had a fabulous time in Peru so far, getting to know my team and people who are part of helping Inka-link. P.S The work isn’t so bad when you had awesome people to work with J

 -Love Always Zoey p.

Today was a great day; I did not get defecated on by a pigeon. For those who don’t know the whole story, here’s where your imagination comes into play. The Thunder Bay team was standing on the roof having a discussion about the occurring day, as we were coming to a conclusion, Paul asked the cliché “Any more questions?” At that moment, an airborne pigeon decided to poop on my forehead. The fecal matter landed in mid forehead, and dripped down into my eyes, and even my mouth. My immediate response was to ask what was on my face, although I clearly knew that it was what it was. As the whole team was laughing at my misfortune, I ran to Paul thinking that his “Degree In Nursing” brain could aid me in the situation. He apparently didn’t want to, because he just took a picture of it. I then repeatedly asked “What do I do? What do I do?” No one had sufficient advice, so I ran downstairs and scrubbed my face in the shower. It’s only been brought up about 40 times since.

Now onto my experience so far. This trip has truly been a life changer for me. Seeing the poverty stricken Lima and Trujillo has really opened up my eyes. I see so many pictures of countries like this, but until you’re actually there with all your senses do you consider the reality of it. There are actually families with children living in dumps here. I feel ‘inconsiderate’ and almost ‘arrogant’, if you may. I take so much stuff for granted, such as water, and even life, while children here are living off literally nothing. But they still manage to stay happy and optimistic. I pondered and pondered last night just deeply saddened by the poverty paradigm. God has really blessed us all. We haven’t really spent much on construction yet but I do believe that it will be a blessing to the city. God has really worked through me, and I am giving 110% towards Him. Today, we went to Huanchaco beach and I went surfing kinda. We spent 4 hours there, and we shopped the market, and bought a bunch of useless stuff. Paul bought a ginormous turtle shell for his office? We then had a delicious dinner and played more soccer with the locals. It’s really a challenge, and I’ve learned how bad my reaction time really is. It’s been a really, really great trip so far and I’m looking forward to doing more work on the site, and seeing God work through the team. To my famjam and friends, miss you all.

John

P.S. Thunder Bay, step it up with the comments! All the comments are from the other teams parents, none from Tbay. Come on guys

Hey everyone! It’s the 6^th day and we’re having so much fun in Trujillo! Who knew making bricks would bring so much joy? Haha. The process is a bit messy but it definitely is a great experience and I really enjoy it! It’s all for the glory of God!

Although we’ve only been in Trujillo for two days, we’ve experienced and learned a lot. Today after lunch, we visited the outside of the local dump where hundreds of kids/their families live and work. They’re living in this condition, yet they’re super excited and filled with joy and happiness. I think it’s a great reminder for everyone. We shouldn’t take what we have for granted and just be thankful for everything God has given us. When the kids were doing a “Sunday school”, they were all so into it and just really involved and happy.

Even though we didn’t actually VISIT the local dump, it still broke my heart seeing 3 little girls huddle together with frightened faces. I went to go talk to them, but they were so shy and they just looked so scared and helpless. One of the girls cried if you tried to pick her up, the other moves away from you if you come close to her and the other slaps you multiple times if you touch her. We all tried so hard to try to get them to join the Sunday school, but they refused to go. When I saw those kids, it really just touched me. I can’t really describe it, but seeing them sad and afraid, made me feel the same way.

I pray that God will keep us all strong yet at the same time break our hearts for what breaks His. He truly is working miracles at the dump and at the daycare and just everywhere else in Peru.

Later on in the day we had cell groups with members of a local church. Even though we have a language barrier, we were able to connect and just get to know them. We worshipped, did devotions and just praised God for everything He has given us. Everything was in Spanish, but luckily we had Ben to translate for us! Common songs such as “Open the eyes of my heart Lord” and “Hosanna” still have a great impact on me, even though it’s in Spanish. I really learned a lot during that time and I just thank God for that!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. For our unity and just be able to learn more through this trip and expand our God view! God bless~! ^^

Much love,

Rebecca Ye.

PS. This is to my brothers! Every day I find something new to tell you! I have a ton of stories for you! I really miss and love you all! I’ll be home soon! <3

PPS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOSH NG’S SISTER! J

Hey all, 1^st time blogging =O

So its really late and we gotta follow the curfew, so a short form is all I have to give for tonight. There is just so much to talk about. Can’t believe it’s Saturday already, day 6 and already halfway through the entire trip! What to say…for now I guess I'll just have to name /list the topics.

It was during our traveling moments, on the busses, on the plane, where the team had the chance to bond, whether it was inter-church relations or just within our own churches. Bonding is such a big part of this trip with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, gonna have to elaborate more tomorrow.

Another thing is the experiences and sites we encounter. I know, it’s such a broad topic, there’s just wayyyy to much to mention. I’ll say this I guess, every encounter we have with children is one that does the most impact on me and I think many of the group. The time’s we share with the local Peruvians at the churches were also memorable, just seeing how different our culture is but how similar at the same time our faith is in Christ.

Kay really should go now, already passed the mentioned curfew =S

One last thing, the reason that I just HAD to send at least part of the blog tonight is for this:

~HAPPY 9^TH B-DAY GLORIA ^_^~

Sorry I can’t be there for the real day )= Hope you’re not having TOO much fun without your brother there =P LOL

I’ve met so many kids that are the same age as my sister, and each time I see them, something just relates. When I see their similarities, a warm happiness just flows through cuz even though they’re from such different situations and circumstances they can live like a child should, at least in part. However, the differences are hard to look at, to see what children my own sister’s age have to go through and to think of how many kids in this age group have to go through all the hardships, like living at a garbage dump. Its also scary to think how easily my sister could have had to live like that too.

Sigh I’ve said too much =/ already passed the curfew Dx Better end here for tonight, gonna write so much more tomorrow! ~_^ teehee

God Bless!

Josh Ng ^^D

p.s. ……I think I wrote too much for a “prologue” >_>’’

Helloooo everyyoonneeeee!!!! It’s the fifth night here in Peru and it is 12:00 yet everyone is still awake and walking about (11:00 is supposed to be bedtime… so… whoops)! So much has happened in the five days that has passed which I am sure you all have read from all the other blogs.

Highlights:

-Lima’s freezing showers. Due to such conditions not many people showered at all… imagine the wondrous smells that filled the air each and every day (especially emanating from the boys who played soccer all day long).

-Then the amazing race to catch the bus to Trujillo: this consisted of me changing my soaking wet pants during bus transit using 10 people to build a wall around me. Then imagine 31 teenagers running through the malls of Peru as fast as we could led by Tucker and his half dancing-half running ready to pee into his pants any second moves, and then finally getting to the bus early and ready for Lima.

-Then the 9hr bus ride… that turned into an 18hr bus ride… this one… is self-explanatory T_T

And now we are here in Trujillo! This morning was our first time at the construction site. I currently find myself struggling to simply type on this computer due to the pain in my arms. Conclusion: I will go home with beast arms. For those who don’t know me… I am a very short and tiny Asian that… really doesn’t ever work out. So try imagining me with beast arms :D. Anyways, I find the most meaningful thing that happened today to me occurred when we went to the daycare centre with the little children. For a while now, I have wanted to become a doctor. I wanted to do missionarying, volunteer in tiny clinic in an undeveloped country. Today was able to give me that small taste of what I want in my future. I was playing with a little boy named Julio. We were playing with the sand until another boy accidentally kicked him in the face. As he began to cry, I quickly carried him all the way back to the day care centre. When the daycare workers saw him they took him the medicine room and went through a giant case. I looked at his eyes and realized that sand was deeply lodged inside of his eyes. The volunteers seemed to be very scared and didn’t know what to do. Not to get into the details on how I got the stuff out of his eyes (because apparently it’s too grotesque to describe) but I did. Although it wasn’t some crazy medical surgery but it meant a lot to me. A simple smile from the children we were with today was able to warm my heart and make me happier than I could ever be. I can only pray that God will continue to bless them. 

Thank you God for such a wonderful experience so far!

A little side note to my little brother:  I MISS YOU!!! And I found a lego store in a Peru mall… took a picture for you. 

Hola amigos from Canada!

Our team has been in Trujillo, Peru for approx. 30 hours. Its amazing to realize how much has happened in so little time, and how fast time flies when you're experiencing things you've never done before, and spending valuable time with people you will never see again.

We started the day off at the construction site where some of us had our first encounter with the cement mixer: a friend/foe for the T-Bay boys and Chris. Friend because we don't have to hand mix the gloopy stuff; foe because... you should have seen their faces. And clothes. Imagine a paintbrush loaded with bird poo (see PSS) being flicked on canvas men.  

Peruvian-Style Cement Recipe

Ingredients:

6 pails of sand
3 pails of water
1 cement mixer
1 really heavy bag of cement mix
3 pails of assorted rocks and pebbles
1 baus Peruvian man for lifting emergencies

Directions:

Add sand, water, cement mix, and rocks into the cement mixer. Consult baus Peruvian man for further instruction. 

After an intense workout at the site, we ate lunch at the church, and hopped back onto the bus to visit the children's home. I was super nervous, just because I didn't know what to expect from the kids; or from myself and how I would feel or act around them. 

I crawled through the little blue door. And walked into... a mass mayhem of screaming Spanish-speaking kids. Je no comprendo. However, a little girl in a white dress came up to me and gave me a hug. She gave me the brightest smile, hopped onto my lap, and spoke to me in espanol. After a dangerous game of tag with the other girls and (very dangerous) spinning around in circles, I found out that her name was Arlise. At that moment I realized that even from spending a short time with the Peruvian kids here, miles away from home, we can still distinctly see the difference between our cultures. These kids are happy with practically nothing, and we grew up with practically everything. So why are we so spoiled? Why are we still less grateful for what we have? EH? I'm praying that all of us on this trip and all of us reading this blog will take some time to thank our Gracious God for giving us all that he has given us, and not ever taking it for granted. Please pray for the kids in the children's home: for their safety, health, and happiness.

Sincerely with Love,

Pansy. [aka. Pangee @Jackie]

PS: Missing you mom and dad! Missing [M.A] boys and Team H.I.T; see you guys for our last game on the 13th! 
PSS: John got pooed on by a bird.  START----> forehead -----> dripped down his nose -----> into his mouth. FINISH bullseye!!!

While in Lima we had many opportunities to become cultured. We appreciate Sean's willingness to share from his journal a part of the day's events.

We had to get back from the Park of water in Lima… this place was beautiful… fountains everywhere and a great light show to top of a sweet day… all was well… we were on time and in control.. but not for long!

As we boarded the bus to get back for our long haul trip to Trujillo, little did we know what would unfold in the next few hours… THE RACE BEGAN!  After 35 mins we realised we had jumped on the wrong bus and instead of going south… we went north… Time was ticking and the departure time from Lima to Trujillo was fast approaching as we changed buses and started to back track and then head south back to the Church to grab our bags!

So as we eventually made it back to our proper stop we had to take off and run back to the church! We ran for about 15mins and the time was ticking away… departure time to Trujillo was now about 1hour 15mins away! We made it back to the church and with the help of the student ministry team from the church in Lima we got our bags of our connection bus to the big bus station! We were off… We had missed supper but all was not lost… the guys arranged for papa Johns pizza joint to chase us down Indiana jones style on their motorbikes to give us our grub! Pizza ordered and delivered bus side and we were eating and the bus was racing to get us to the station on time!

With some prayer from Elaine and Liz we made the approx. 1 hour trip to the main bus station in around 20mins… we were super thankful for that little miracle!

This was not the end of the drama for us though!

We got the bus, which was awesome and had super comfortable chairs that reclined a lot… the movies were all in Spanish with Spanish sub titles which made for and interesting entertainment experience for all of us who only know English… we shoulda studied Spanish harder…oops

The 9 hour bus journey took in the end 18 hours because of a terrible accident on the main road… but it brought us closer together as a team as we learned patience and learned to be joyful even in the rough patches! Robby continued to remind us at every opportunity that ‘it could always be worse’ thanks Robby!

We arrived safe and sound to Trujillo and are excited for a great nights sleep!

After our 9 (read 18) hour bus ride we have finally arrived in Trujillo.  We're about to go out for dinner, we'll explain later!

Peter

Good morning from Peru!  Today is our last day in Lima,  I know I have had a fantasic time here with the local youth learning more about them, their language and their culture.  Tonight we'll going on an 8 hour bus ride to Trujillo,  and if the local roads are anything to go by prayer for safety (I'm not sure if turn signals don't exsist here, or if they choose not to use them). The bus ride means that this will probably be the last post on the website until tomorrow morning. 

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers,

Peter

As a leader of one of the Mississauga Chinese Alliance Church, I was lucky enough to be invited to a pastoral meeting held by the local alliance church.  As I walked under a sign that said ZONA RESTRINGIDA I entered into a room full of pastors and leaders.  After some brief introductions on our part in Spanglish, the pastor was gracious enough to breakdown the strategy of his church while Jeff was gracious enough to translate.

The statistics:

• Seven years ago, there were 40 cell groups in this church.  Today there are 720 cell groups (no, I did not accidentally add an extra 0 to that number)
• 40, the number of people who come to Christ every Sunday
• Six years ago, there were 1300 adults in the church.  Today there are over 3000 adults.
• 350 students enrolled in the Christian school, of which 40% are Christians
• Five services every Sunday
• Sister churches located around the area

The main church will plant sister churches but the sister churches do not act independently from the main church.  The pastors of the sister churches are paid by the main church.  What they discovered in Peru was that if a sister church runs independently too soon, they tend to die quickly.

Now onto strategy.  I wish Pastor John was here to sit in on this meeting.  

How Do We Win People for Christ?

As attractive as the numbers are, I want to concentrate on how this particular church does not simply abandon people once they know Christ, but takes the time to really develop these new brothers and sisters into full blown spiritual leaders.  The Head Pastor said that the key to growth, and the foundation of this Peruvian church, was the cell groups.  As I write the next few lines, I want you to keep in mind the Great Commission:

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

For the Peruvian Alliance church, they place emphasis on edification and evangelism while covering topics such as doctrine, marriage...etc.  Flyers are given out for people to invite their neighbours, friends, and family to themed events, cell groups or church services.  In Peruvian culture, people tend to come to these events as long as someone will invite them.  Once people are saved, they attend a cell group.  They take a course called "My New Alliance With Jesus" (clever name!) for four months and then they get baptized. In one year, they become leaders of a small group.

The Christian brothers and sisters receive training at different camps or retreats for women, men, evangelism, edification.  There is a leadership retreat for the cell group leaders and leaders of the church.

In addition, the church places heavy emphasis on missions, whether it is planting a sister church or supporting their members on mission trips. 

The church also runs a Christian school for Junior, Primary and High school students. 60% of the students are non Christians which means that one of the main objectives is to win these students over to Christ.

In addition, the church also runs a "school for dads",  teaching them how to be good fathers, but with the intention to win them over to Christ - notice the running theme?

At the meeting, Jeff shared with the pastoral team that in North America, people are less receptive to invitations to church events and asked the Peruvian church to continue to pray for their Canadian brothers and sisters, as we promised to pray for our Peruvian church family. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to ask any questions given the time constraints.

As I exited the pastoral meeting, I wondered to myself, is it possible for us to duplicate the successful model of the Peruvian Alliance church? Would this model, or a modified version, even work in Canada given our cultural differences? Or is there something else going on behind the scenes (right now I'm thinking of the Holy Spirit  in the the growth of the early church)?

On a side note, one of the cell group leaders was amazed that we have fellowships in our public schools and universities. As she put it, it was very hard for her to find fellow Christians when she was in school.  How lucky we are in Canada!

That's all from me.

Elaine (from MCAC) 

So, yesterday was the day that the team met all together for the first time at Pearson airport at 6:30 in the morning! Tired and excited, we arrived at the airport. We all got our tickets and sent away our luggage (most of us had one team bag and one personal bag, plus our carry on, so it was kind of a challenge for the less muscularly endowed people...like me) and we said goodbye to our families for the last time for 2 weeks (Jeff gave us about 2 and a half minutes) Getting onto the plane we discovered that the individual teams (Missisauga, Bolton and Thunder Bay) were basically split up throughout and put with people from other teams, and although it was nerve wracking (well it was for me, anyways) it ended up being a blessing in disguise! There isn't a much better way to get to know each other than sitting next to each other on a 5 hour plane ride!

The first flight was great, and smooth, although it might have been a little scary for people who were first flying! Once we arrived in San Salvador the fact that most of us had gotten way less sleep than we were supposed to the night before started kicking in! We waited in the airport for our flight to Lima to get here, and once it did we packed ourselves up and boarded.

The plane ride to Lima was not as smooth as the one to San Salvador! There was a lot of turbulance and a lot more Gravol taken! Thankfully after much praying and clinging to our armrests we landed safely and walked out into Peru, anxious as the fact that we were finally there was kicking in. We waited a while for our luggage, which for first time flyers (well maybe not all of them, but I know for Victoria!) was scary, because we were nervous our luggage might not arrive! Again, after praying and patience it all arrive and we left the airport.

Landing in Peru for me was an experience that made me feel a mixture of emotions, I was excited, yes because we'd finally made it through all the flights and into Peru, but at the same time it was all so new and so scary, there were so few people that spoke English and the culture was so different! Jeff's friend who is a pastor at a huge Alliance church here in Lima and his family picked us up from the airport (thank goodness for that, because we would not have been able to get our luggage out alone!)

We all boarded a big bus and started to drive. Once we got on the bus Jeff came to the front and told us that instead of staying in a hotel like what was planned, we were going to stay in the quarters that the Alliance church had set up for us! On the bus we even got to sit with a few of the people who attend the church, and although their English (much like our Spanish) is broken, we managed to make great friends, they're so nice!

We dropped off the luggage at the Alliance church and all the  girls were told to stay on the bus while the guys unpacked the suitcases (I don't think any of the girls minded this at all, I know I didn't) and then we were told by our new friends that we were going to have "a real Peruvian feast!". So the boys boarded the bus again and we drove to a restaurant, the name of which..I think was called Bigui. But we ate some of the best chicken, fries and salad I have ever tasted, we also got to try Inka Cola (which Jeff never stops talking about) and I really liked it (I can't describe the taste, but if I could I would say it's a mix of Cream Soda and Bubble Gum). By this time it was about midnight, our time (in Peru) so most of us were falling asleep. So we packed up and walked back to the Alliance church.

While walking I noticed just how different Peru is from Canada, the houses are so open and close together (if that makes any sense). And the traffic is INSANE!  Cars everywhere, and all you could hear was people honking! When we got to the Alliance church we got to talk to the Peruvians more, I honestly can't even find words to describe how generous and kind they are! The girls got lead down to where we were sleeping and we settled in (we slept in 2 seperate rooms and the boys all had their own room) when we walked into the room we saw a bare floor, we were so tired and greatful for the hospitality of the church that we were totally willing to grab some clothes and use those for beds and pillows. But once we put our suitcases down, our new friends arrived with mattresses for all of us! It was so nice! I loved my room of girls, and we quickly adjusted and got into our pj's, went to our bathroom, wrote in our journals, found our light switch (after about 15 minutes of looking) and talked until the early hours of the morning, because no matter how hard we tried we couldn't fall asleep!

Our first day was a tiring one, that's for sure, but it was also really exciting, it really set a good tone for the trip and I'm super excited to see how the rest of it goes! We made lots of new friends and lots of new memories and that was after flying all day! So I can only imagine what it's going to be like when we're out and about! 

Hasta luego!

Jacqueline :)  

by Ray Majoran, West London Alliance Church

It's been just over a week now since we arrived back in Canada, and its just come to my attention that I missed posting five testimonials. Sorry about that! (Thanks to Jake Worrad for pointing it out.) :)

Without further delay, I invite you to watch each of them, below:

Chris Lewis, Midland

Marie Vetro, Alliston

Cherie Wartman, Glengate

Christine Walton, Alliston

Nigel Garnaitis, West London

by Adam Beswick, West London Alliance Church

Not more than two weeks ago, a cluster of assorted high school students from all over Ontario, clogged up the baggage check-in lines of Pearson International Airport. They wore matching T-shirts and all had suitcases packed mostly by their respective mothers. We had clean socks, pressed shirts, and had absolutely no idea what to expect.

Yesterday, a cluster of unified high school students clogged up the customs lines at Pearson International Airport. They wore matching T-shirts and all had suitcases which they had managed to pack by themselves. But if you were a parent who watched both of these events occur (or a particularly observant airport employee), you might have noticed something different about us.

Because this group saw God in the city of Trujillo, Peru. As many of you know, we experienced overwhelming joy and paralyzing sadness. We shoveled like nobody's business. We sang enough camp songs to make a person lose his mind. We learned what it is like to feel loss when the last churro is sold to the person standing in front of you in line.

And through this trip, we are a living testament to the fact that prayers are answered. We called for safety, and it was granted. We asked for opportunity and it saturated our trip from day one. We asked to be broken, and this trip rocked many of us to the point of feeling shattered. Through this trip we have proven that miracles exist beyond gringos actually managing to uphold some resemblance of dignity when playing the beautiful game with Peruvian Nationals. God literally moved mountains through our blistered hands. Nobody can look at what just happened in Peru and claim that they cannot see God in the world.

It is important to remember that miracles do not happen only when we find ourselves in a foreign land. Miracles occur every single day of our lives, it just so happens that we manage to find them more easily when we are not distracted by so much of the nonsense fed to us by our own culture.

Admittedly, nobody could have prepared themselves for the stench of the garbage dump, or the faces of children realizing that you have to leave them. But it was things that I would never have expected to hit me which were the most moving. The love in these people is overwhelming. I was bracing myself so much against the sorts of suffering I was about to see on this trip that my world was thrown for a loop when I saw the happiness, the community and the love displayed through these beautiful people. The poor in Peru acting with mentalities of things like : love thy neighbour, the willingness to share with strangers, the hope placed on God in darkness that I witnessed in Peru brought up huge, uncomfortable questions not only about how we need to help the people of Peru, but also about how the people of Peru can help us.

Our God does not see borders. Our God sees people in need and calls for action, and this is not strictly limited to the need for material possessions, but also for spiritual richness.

One day after a very tough afternoon at the worksite, I read a verse which particularly impacted me which I will not soon forget.

Psalm 127 says :

"Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor in vain."

Thank you for your outpouring of support through the blog and through your prayers both before and during our mission. This work needs to continue well after we get back to figuring out how to live our lives differently after seeing what we have been able to see in Peru.

And of course,

Que Dios le bendiga. 

by Ray Majoran, West London Alliance Church

As we prepare to board a bus for Lima this morning, I want to leave you with this video. This was taken last night at America Sur Church in Trujillo. Some of our group were downstairs discussing the week and praying, while the others sang this song upstairs. Our prayer would be the God to reign in the city of Trujillo and pour out His spirit on it.

May the Lord be with us as we travel for the next few days. God bless!

by Ray Majoran, West London Alliance Church

The final day of work has now come and gone. As the team prepares to go home, I'd like to leave you with these testimonials. God bless!

Tracy Phelps, Glengate

Gregg Wartman, Glengate

Eric Provost, West London Alliance

Cody Neale-Horner, Glengate

Chris Schmitt, Midland Alliance

Jake Worrad, West London Alliance

Jamie-Lynn Chaisson, Glengate

Cory Acri, Intern for IncaLink

Jordan Duke, Intern for IncaLink

Amber Kasnick, Intern for IncaLink

Samantha, Intern for IncaLink

by Chris Schmitt, Jackie Moreau, Taylor Haveman & Michael Farquhar, Midland Alliance Church

Mike - The construction sight is very amazing! To see how far it has come in just this short period of time is crazy. After only a few days we have been able to level and concrete an entire cafeteria floor among other things. We have done so much. It is a great feeling to see the amount we have done and also the fact that the kids will be living in there soon. This mission trip has shown me so much.

We went to a house for a small group. It was sweet! There were 9 of us and we managed to fit in one cab, 4 in the front and 5 in the back. We started the night with worship and then had a message so powerful. I have learned that these are the most loving people. After the message they gave us a cup of tea and bun and we got back into a cab and went home. I am loving this trip and don't want to leave.

Taylor - Today we visited the Daycare Centre. The instant we stepped into the little blue building we were swarmed by the children. We were there for about three hours, much of which was helping get the kids to eat. I met two boys named Antonio, a shy little boy that another kid told me was named Avi and a girl named Arrice who is the most affectionate and adorable little child I have ever met. I spent the most time trying to get a boy named Julio to eat his beans and rice. After they all finished their food we went outside and played on a small Soccer/Basketball court. Soon after I went outside my new amigo Arrice came over and asked to be spun around. She worked me like crazy and I was constantly running, spinning, lifting, twirling, twisting and hugging her over and over. Once in a while we had shoulder races where we would run across the court. Thinking back on all the kisses I got from her, it almost makes me cry when I realize I may never see her again. Two years from now I plan on coming back and if she is still there I don't think I could withhold the tears (tears of joy) that I am just holding back as I write this now. Listening to them go on in Spanish is so fun and enjoyable because, even though we don't understand eachother, we still understand the basic feeling of love they are trying to relay to us. After all the time we spent with those kids playing and just absolutely loving on them I was totally heart broken and emotional when leaving. It took all I had to hold back the hurricane of tears that I knew too well would come out if I let them. On top of that Trina started balling her eyes out which brought me that much closer to loosing my ability to hold them at bay. All in all the Daycare visit was an emotional roller coaster, some points high and some points low. People were laughing, crying, smiling, screaming and being just so absolutely crazy with joy. Seeing these kids so happy in these circumstances is a real testament to the work that Inca Link is doing here in Peru. I love every one of those kids and it nearly killed me to drive away. I thank God for the many people who sponser these amazing children and I look forward to maybe sponsoring one myself. Today was definitely one of the best days of my entire life.

Chris - My most eye opening thing this week has been the garbage dump which I talked about in my video blog as well. In this blog I am going to talk about the worship. I always thought Canada was the centre of the universe but I no longer think that. Even though the music was in a different language I knew the songs by the melodies being played. God is everywhere and this mission has re-lit my fire for God. The sad thing is leaving. I have made many friends within the team and when we leave I'll probably never see them again. Everyday we worked I had a vision of what the final result would be.

Jackie - One evening we were blessed with an opportunity to connect with the local community. Families invited us into their homes for worship and prayer. These families were so humble and loving. They had no judgment about culture differences and they wanted to hear our testimonies. Our family lived up the mountain in a small home made of homemade clay bricks. They used string and sheets as their doors. Their floors were dirt and most of their chairs were makeshift probably for our visit. Although they have very little and live in what we would call poor conditions they are richer than we are because of their loving nature, humbleness and their love for the Lord. We talked about Genesis 6:9 and how Noah was a righteous man and built an Ark for God. Jesus Christ is our Ark into heaven because we believe and love him. To sing and pray with this family was so powerful and I was blessed to have met them during this mission to Peru. I thank God everyday for all the blessing he has poured upon me and all the things I have learned while staying in Trujillo Peru. 72 of us were sent here by God and we are all apart of his plan. We know that the work in Trujillo is far from over but we trust that greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city. We also know that our work at home lies ahead and pray for strength and courage to find our own paths and missions in Canada. Our hearts will be touched forever.

by Matt Stranks, West London Alliance Church

Well today I got to meet my Compassion child. Her name is Nayelli Fernandez and she is one of the cutest and sweetest girls you will ever meet. We met this morning in a local church called Por Venir and she was really shy at first, but with a little love and some high fives she started to warm up to me.

I had brought a backpack down full of everyday supplies she could use from pencils and pens to clothes and a frisbee that she could call her own. As she began to unpack these things from her backpack her smile kept getting bigger and bigger! It was the most beautiful thing ever! What really touched me in that moment though was when her mom broke down in front of us and wept! The words she kept saying are ones I will never forget. They are..."God Bless you, you are a gift from God and a prayer that has been answered". All I could do was give her the biggest hug I could while trying to fight back tears. For a long time I just sat there and hugged her while I prayed to God and thanked him for bringing them into my life!

After we had finished unpacking and I sat there looking at everything on the table I realized that these things are so basic to us; like pencils, pens, crayons, colouring books, some toys, finger nail polish, hair elastics. They are all so basic to us yet to Nayelli and her mom they were so precious that it brought her mom to tears. The different perspectives at that moment was a slap in the face for me as I realized how fortunate we really are in North America to think that we have it rough is something I am now ashamed to even think about because in all honesty we don't. We just live at the absolute maximum that we can afford, while people down here live on the bare minimum so that they can afford to eat, send kids to school, buy clothes, and still have enough to faithfully tithe. The passion and faith these people have for Christ is something I have never seen but something I want to be able to say I have...it is unreal! After we had gone through what is now Nayelli's she decided we would play some frisbee, which she actually really loved and became very good at very quickly. We did some colouring in her new books she got and to finish the days activities off I was very happy to get to paint her nails before taking A LOT of pictures with her and Nigel's and Andrew's Compassion Children. By far this is and will be the highlight of my trip. To God be the Glory and may God continue to do his Will in Peru; and with the help and support of your prayers plus the never wavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, Anything is possible!

by Gregg Wartman, Glengate Alliance Church

I met an old woman in the garbage dump today. Well, at least she appeared old to me. I wonder how this place might age a person beyond their years. Chi Chi, a man who lives in the dump, appears to be in his late 30's early 40's, but he is only 28. Imagine a life spent on a pile of trash, living in the refuse of people who don't even know that you exist. Image the years of worry, fear, anger, and desperation that have been added to these people's lives.

I don't speak Spanish; I only know a few simple phrases. I needed something to say to these people as I handed them a fruit. Dios Le Bendiga - Glob Bless You. I think I said it about a 100 times in my head on the bus to make sure I had it down. I probably asked about 3 times to make sure I had it right. Dios Le Bandiga. I said it to that old woman as I handed her a tangerine and she repeated it back to me. She had more to say but I could only catch a few words. She pointed skyward and I heard the word Padre, which I knew meant Father. Her eyes began to water slightly as she spoke in Spanish about her Father in the sky. I also think she was talking about how much she appreciated us being there, thanking us for the gift of a simple fruit - the best thing she probably had had to eat all day, maybe all week. Her Father in the sky. I said Cristo Lama, the other phase I had learned and practiced on the bus, Christ's Love. She understood. We started to move on and I pointed skyward and said "See you again in Heaven". I don't think she understood me, but maybe something deep inside her did. We left her to move to other parts of the dump, to see other people, listen to other stories.

It was soon time to leave the dump but I was still thinking about that old woman. I asked Amber, who could speak Spanish, if she could help me say goodbye, well at least goodbye for now. I asked her to tell her "I will see you again in Heaven". I gave her another tangerine, a hug, and a cheek to cheek kiss which is customary.

We left her again but she did not leave my mind, I will always carry the memory of her with me. Maybe I will be back here some day and I will see her again. Maybe she will die before that happens. But I am confident that I will see her again, whether it be on this Earth or someday in Heaven with our Father in the sky.

by Haley Welch, Gregory Drive Alliance Church

Well, to start off I'd just like to say hello from Trujillo, Peru! And also a big thank you to all of you who are following the blog and praying for us. We appreciate your love, support and prayers. This trip has been life-changing and thank you for supporting us along the way. So, I'll just tell you a little bit about our day today.

We started the day by waking up and having a delicious breakfast of French toast and fresh fruit juice. Then we drove over to the construction site for our final morning of work. It's so cool to see how much work we've done in only a few days of working. We've moved a lot of sand, dug some trenches, leveled sand, tied grass and made the cement floor in the dining hall. The work is hard and physically demanding. And honestly, physical labour is not my favourite thing to do, but God has given me strength to keep going despite the difficulties. God is so amazing. Another thing that's so cool is that we can all work together towards the common goal of serving God. I didn't know most of the team before this trip, yet we can all work as team to finish the work.

When it was almost lunchtime, we cleaned up our tools and gathered in the dining hall to pray one final time before leaving. Graham explained to us that our extra money (thank you everyone for donating money!) is buying beds, dressers, laundry facilities, and kitchen supplies for the children's home. It's so cool to know that we can help both with building and with material necessities. Another thing that we want to do is to buy a bus for the children who will be living there. This bus will provide safe transportation for the kids. All of our churches want to work together to buy this bus. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this soon, but please consider donating money for this bus. It's awesome to know that we're all a small part of something that feels so big.

After the work site we went to one of the local churches, Por Venir, for lunch. We had...chicken and rice!!(which we eat every single day, but surprisingly I'm not tired of it yet). For the afternoon, my group went to the market to do a little shopping. And for my family who is reading, I did get you gifts. The market was fun, and bartering in Spanish was a challenge for some, but overall I think we did pretty well. Of course, to the Peruvians we probably sounded crazy! From the market we went to the guesthouse and then to dinner at another church, America Sur. And we had...chicken and rice!

When dinner was done the saddest part of the day came. We got to meet the Inca Link Peru Board and they gave us each a gift, and also a gift for each church. We all sang praise to God and then went into our smaller groups for debrief. This was the sad part. It was our last debrief and so we all wrestled with some hard questions about why we came to Peru and what God has taught us here. Please pray for us all as we try to process everything and apply everything to our life.

In conclusion, thank you again. The next two days hold many hours of travelling for us, but we'll be home soon. Be ready to hear many stories and to see many pictures, and thank you again for all of you support. See you soon!

by Long Dinh, Freedom in Christ Church

Mark 10:31

One of my favorite verses reads, "But many who are first will be last and the last first", from the passage of the rich young man. This verse stuck with me for years; through both major and minor struggles Mark 10:31 is what I would look back upon. It's the verse that lead me here to Mission Peru and to who I am today. I came to Peru with many distractions, like a jigsaw puzzle unscrambled, all throughout my mind. It was too overwhelming, so I decided to come with a purpose. My purpose was to see the other problems people overseas face; the real problems that make mine seem so childish, problems that just minimize mine. My blog should've been done a few days ago but I am glad I didn't complete it then but rather now, due to what I saw at the garbage dump. It was a tragic but warm feeling at the same time; never could I imagine working there. My goodness, homeless people desperately searching for food, hours a day. Only question that pops through my mind is "are they happy?" A couple of days before we went to a daycare, these poor kids as well. All I could ask myself is "are they happy?" They have nothing but really their smiles, their joy is huge and it shows that they are happy. Much happier than we would be. I picked this verse because it shows that even though they may be thought of last here, in the Kingdom Heaven, in God's eyes they are first. For God is fair and he is a God of justice as our Lord has his plans in store for us.

Amen

by Graham Farquhar, Midland Alliance

There is so much that I could write about my experiences and my feelings, it is unbelievable. God has really been teaching me the importance of people and reminding me of the importance of constant love and encouragement. The team of 72 is now more like a family of 72 and it has been amazing to see just how unified this team has become.

Another thing that God is teaching me is to fully and completely surrender all of my thoughts and emotions to him and to allow God to be the Lord of my everything. True surrender only happens after an experience where one can slightly grasp the amazing power of our Lord Jesus Christ. I know that through this trip, through these people and through my experiences, I truly have a better grasp to how Awesome my God is. Continue to keep us in your prayers as we complete our last few days and pray for greater things to happen in the city of Trujillo and that revival dominates these amazing people!

by Chelsea Chen, Glengate Alliance Church

Today was a full work day for Team J. After lunch, the other team went to the day care. During the entire day, there was a great spirit of team work at the construction site. In the morning, I worked with the cement team to fill buckets with dirt. In the afternoon I continued to fill buckets and also wheelbarrows full of cement. By the end of the day we were able to finish most of the areas that needed to be topped with cement in the cafeteria. All that there's left to do is the stage. Everyone worked very hard. We played with the kids when we were waiting for work. While working we sang songs, made cheers, and conversed. It was a good day.

After supper we encouraged each other by giving each other beads. Each colour meant something different. I fell like it brought us closer together. For me the best thing about being here is the unity amongst the people.

by Ray Majoran, West London Alliance Church

We've already had 34 people share their testimonies through previous blog posts. Well here's five more that you'll want to watch! Thursday will be the last opportunity for anyone that wants to share something on video. Stay tuned for more... Enjoy these five videos!

Katelyn MacLeod, West London Alliance

Jessica Thompson, Glengate

Cassie Morris, Glengate

Colin Beswick, West London Alliance

Lauren Suggs, Intern for IncaLink

Stay tuned for more videos.

by Ray Majoran, West London Alliance Church

As I mentioned in my last post entitled "21 Examples of How God is Working in Peru", we are going to be recording videos throughout the week of anyone that wants to stand in front of a video camera and share their story. Below are 13 more stories on how God is making a difference here. God bless and enjoy!

Hayley Powling, Alliston Alliance

Katrina Alblas, Alliston

Joey Li, Mississauga Alliance

Jenna Graham & Maddy Haveman, Midland

Sydney Collins, Alliston

Kieran Ingram, Alliston

Anthony Lau, Mississauga Alliance

Chelsea Chen, Glengate

Maggy Renaud, Heritage Park

Kerry Provost, West London Alliance

Kirstie Hayhoe, Alliston

Marcus Wybrow, Glengate

Andrew Latham, Midland Alliance

Stay tuned for more videos throughout the week.

by Bethany Parr, Gregory Drive Alliance Church

Hello everybody! It's hard to believe that we only have 2 more days in Trujillo and only 3 more days in Peru! I am very excited to share everything about my trip, here has been a lot to see, think about, experience, and remember. The garbage dump wasn't as emotional as I expected, but then again, I tried not to think about it before hand because I wanted it to be what it was, not what I wanted it to be. I don't think what has happened has hit me yet.

There is a small community outside the dump named Miracle where we had the opportunity to hand out some donations. After the initial mad dash and all my balloons were gone I went over to a group of children. In the group there was a little girl about 2-3 years old. She had hair in her eyes, her face was dirty, her clothes were filthy and she had no shoes on her feet. The fact that she had no shoes on her feet hit me the hardest. I went and asked around if we had some more shoes for this little girl but to my dismay we had none. Disappointed I returned and just picked her up and held her. As I held her I thought about how sad she looked, there was no hope in her eyes as she stood in the midst of the children. After a few minutes I was told that we were leaving. I put her down after one last squeeze and walked back to the bus. I knew that if I turned around and looked back I wouldn't be able to handle it. From the time I first saw her to the time I saw her last she didn't smile, not once. I am very used to children smiling and laughing so it was a very different experience for me. That little girl will stay in my heart forever. I still have to process the whole thing and figure out what I am supposed to learn from it so please pray for me as I wrestle with some very deep questions.

Please pray that I keep thinking about all of these things for a long time after I return. The days go by so fast, just like a blur!

One of the things that the interns and Inca Link have shared with us is the contract. The contract has 4 components: a hundred and ten percent, choose your challenge, choose joy and be here now. The one I find the most challenging is the last one. The purpose behind Be Here Now is to help us to remember that even though we may miss our families, friends and Canada we have to remember that right now we are here in Peru, and thinking about home won't change the fact that we are here. The reason I have trouble with this one is that when I am tired I it is hard to remember not to think about things that make me miss home. So, when I am tired I get sad and home sick. Please pray that I get enough rest. I need to focus on Peru, right now.

Thank you all for praying, there are times when I just feel myself being lifted up in prayer. There are also times when I miss family friends so much that it is physical pain. There is an old saying that I think applies to how I feel right now, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." This is certainly true for me as I didn't know how much my family and friends meant to me until I had to function without them.

Love you guys, see you in four days! ;p (HEART)

by Eric Provost, West London Alliance Church

This afternoon we did a local church tour. We eat each day at America Sur and Pourvenier. The third church that is part of the local group is Larco. Larco is the parent church that planted America Sur in 2000 and Pourvenir in 2008. Larco was built by short-term missions groups and now plants churches, runs a school and a seminary out of the facility. It was great to see what the end result of hard work can be.

America Sur is an amazing place as well. We went to church there on Sunday. The service was great and the worship was so inspiring. Even thought we were singing in 2 languages, we were singing as one group the God we all love and are here to serve.

Now for Pourveneir; what to say? Listening to Pastor Juan's vision for the church and how God has blessed their efforts was phenomenally humbling. The community around them is one of the poorest in Trujillo and their vision is to send out the youth that attend the youth group on missions like ours in 8 countries. Just listening to how the community around them pledges money and then works to pay the pledge debt was amazing. They have nothing (in our eyes) and commit everything to the work of the church, to breaking the cycle of poverty and letting everyone know that God loves them and wants to see Trujillo be a community that honors His work.

In the midst of unreal poverty, we saw Gods beauty, people serving people with honest intentions.

by Jessie Chin Ching Ho, Mississauga Alliance Church

El Milagro...the Miracle. This is the name of one of three garbage dumps in the city of Trujillo, Peru. Today, Day 6 of Mission Peru, we visited the garbage dump. When I first heard the name, I thought, "how ironic". Really, a garbage dump, a miracle? But when I went in, after I experienced it all...er, not even "all of it" -but from the bit that I saw, heard, smelled, and felt, I feel like El Milagro, the garbage dump, was really in its own way, a miracle of God. Not the dump itself though, but rather, the people in it.

It's a miracle that the people can work so hard, still with smiles on their grimy, weary faces.

It's a miracle that they are able to laugh with such joy, when they have practically nothing.

The joy that I have seen from the Peruvian people in such desperate situation continues to amaze me.

Today, when I walked in, I walked in, expecting what I saw, but at the same time still shocked. Flies were everywhere, clustered, buzzing over bags of garbage, flying around us. We walked up the path to the dump, the smell of garbage and animals in our noses. As we got closer, more and more garbage littered the ground. Dogs wandered around everywhere. We saw mounds and mounds of garbage. Some were heaped into hills, taller than 6 feet, and had to be climbed. Other piles were scattered haphazardly around. Amidst the trash were motos (basically a sort of bench-seat with wheels driven by a motorcycle in front) and donkey-drawn carts used for carrying garbage away.

Basically what people's job is, is to go through the piles of garbage, looking for recyclable materials to sell. They get 80 centimos per kilo (for the most valuable product which is plastic bottles). Eighty centimos. Not even 1 sole. And 1 USD is a little less than 3 soles. They take nothing for granted. Absolutely nothing. They work so hard for so little, just to be able to put food on the table for their families? They work to survive. Nothing is taken for granted.

This, personally, was something that hit me. Back in North America, we take everything for granted! Everything...even God. Here in Peru, their faith is stronger than many people's. They have so little, but yet, they have so much of something. That is infinitely more valuable. "Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God." I saw the truth of this today.

We also visited the residents' homes; they live right outside the dump. Their houses are basically hovels, rough walls, with a metal or straw roof. Yet the children greeted us with such happiness. Quite heedless of their destitute surrounding, the children were skipping, running around, smiling. Just like at the daycare, their smiles were so pure. I found myself thinking 'These children are precious.' And they really are. They're not delicate; their circumstances are completely different, but they have something special.

Today, more than I've ever experienced before, I felt the joy of giving. The people at the dump received the fruits we gave them (fruits we bought at a market previously- hooray for first time bargaining!) and when I saw them, peeling the oranges or bananas or eating the apples, I felt so happy. Likewise with the little gifts of beaded figures and key chains. The children were overjoyed with so many gifts. I was glad to bless them, in fact, and to even be able to bless them. It was a huge blessing in itself to be able to give.

Afterward, we went back and just "wrestled with questions". Like the big one: Why has God brought me here? Why has he let us see this? I'm still struggling with these (and more) questions. What can I do in this situation? But, at the same time, I don't pity them. I feel the injustice of it all, but I see that they are content.

They are just the same as us, except in different circumstances I could have been born as one of them, and they could have been born as one of me. God loves us all, and that was really encouraging.

On the other hand, before we visited the dump, we went to 2 places. First construction in the morning (as usual), and then the local marketplace! With our limited Spanish, we bartered for toothpaste, toothbrushes, apples, bananas, and oranges. (Later we found out the lady ripped us off, but it's okay...haha)

Peru is really an amazing place. All these new experiences-four days left! Let's make the most of it!

Peruuu!

by Ray Majoran, West London Alliance Church

As the media guy for this trip, it's been absolutely unbelievable to see what God is doing here in Peru; it gives me chills just thinking about it. Today I'd like to share 21 "real-life" examples of how God is working in this country for His glory. Watch and enjoy. Perhaps you might know someone. :)

Tracy Phelps, Glengate

Lydia Hauer, Glengate & Madison O'Leary, Alliston

Kyle Graham, Midland Alliance

Josh Schmitt, Midland Alliance

Josh Robinson, Heritage Park

John Mah, Mississauga Alliance

Jen Lenhart, Heritage Park

Jarrod McCourt, Glengate

Jamie-Lyn Chaisson, Glengate

Jake Worrad, West London Alliance Church

Jackie Moreau, Midland

Ian Irong, Freedom in Christ

Hugo Po Fung, Mississauga Alliance

Bethany Baker, Gregory Drive

Eliza Argall, West London Alliance Church

Cody Neale-Horner, Glengate

Brett Worrad, West London Alliance Church

Beverly Stone, Freedom in Christ

Austin Mix, West London Alliance Church

Auedrah Hummelen, Gregory Drive

Andrew Gaunt, West London Alliance Church

These are just some of the examples of the work that God is doing here. Stay tuned for more throughout the week!

by Jenna Graham, Midland Alliance Church

Today we prepared ourselves for the dump. We had debrief with Sam. She talked to us about what we were going to see and what to expect. Then we took the bus to the market to buy fruit for the people in the dump and the people living outside the dump. Then we made our way to the dump, nothing could prepare us for what we saw.

There's no way to describe the smell these people are living in. we started handing out the fruit, and as we were walking I happened to see a middle-age girl sitting in the trash sorting out garbage. So I went over to her to give her a fruit and tried to talk to her. And as I got closer I realized she was pregnant. This girl who lives in the dump all by herself, with no family, is going to have a baby. I don't know why, but this was the most shocking thing that I saw. I was expecting people, I was expecting sadness, but I was not expecting that.

As we got on the bus to leave the dump and started to drive, Sam pointed out that there was a jail on the left. The people in that jail we better off than the people in the dump. It is heartbreaking to think that I only have five more days here and that we will be leaving these people.
That night we had debrief. Were Sam asked us to choose one word to describe your experience at the dump. I said hope. I said this because even though they are digging through trash for the means to feed their family, when I said "Hola" and gave them a piece of fruit, you can see the hope in their eyes. And I know God has a plan for everyone of those people.

They are in the worst circumstances possible and for them to even have a smile on their face is indescribable.

I just want to leave you with a quote "the simplest of life allows people to live."

by Kerry Provost, West London Alliance Church

I want to tell you how I feel about a particular experience I have had but I also want to tell you about how your kids and your representatives have impressed me with their ability to tackle the emotional and physical challenge of the day. So here is a small portion of my journal entry pertaining to our visit to the city dump on July 3.

Today was the day we went to the city dump. I thought I was prepared for the dump, knowing that we would see people living and working amongst the trash. We had purchased fruit (lots of fruit) as well as rice, beans and carrots to distribute and we also had shoes, shirts and various other items. There are no words to describe how it felt to walk ankle deep in smoldering trash to hand an orange to a man with 1 leg who is digging through garbage for recyclables to sell. Garbage is picked through 4 times here before it gets to the dump in Peru so little more than the toilet paper I am not allowed to flush is left. We all prayed that we would not be paralyzed by awkwardness and fear going into the dump and I must say, as a leader of 12 of the youth, that I did not see one paralyzed with fear. Each on did a phenomenal job "serving the least of these" Mathew 25: 31 - 40, and I myself struggled to reach the standard that they had set for serving God's people. They played soccer in the trash as if they were playing soccer with Jesus, they handed out oranges while shaking hands and smiling as if they were handing oranges to Jesus. Most impressively some even helped load a cart with bags of trash as if they were helping Jesus.

For those who know about my personal cry count....I have decided to count today as one since I have been crying on and off all day and by God's Grace I must say only at appropriate moments.

It is not hard to question why we are so blessed with stuff and they are not but I have learned today that our stuff is not our blessing. It might even be that those we served today are more blessed than we are. I can't believe that God blesses me more than he blesses them, instead I choose to change my perspective. Blessings are not clothing or steak dinners, brick houses or nice cars, rather blessings are God's grace and love and the joy that comes from hope in Christ and the salvation he has given us. We must rest on these facts not only because they are the truth but also because it is these truths that allow us to see the people we served yesterday as equals. I choose not to be afraid of head lice or dirt, smell and disease but to shake hands and hug and share reminders with each other (this was not one way) of God's true blessings and assurances that this pain is temporary. I kneeled in the back of a car speaking with a young girl lying motionless with spinabifida, rubbing her leg and telling her she was beautiful. In this moment my tears flowed freely between her mother and myself and I needed to be reminded of how to choose joy in a moment like that.

We all need to process what we have seen a little more but I am sure that many share my sentiment that my heart is now broken for what breaks my Lord's.

by Trina Siimes, Heritage Park Alliance Church

Today we had our first experience with the construction that will be a major part of the work we'll be doing in the next several days. We all split up into groups, some of us pouring mixing concrete, some of us leveling dirt, and others sweeping out and scraping excess mortar off the floors of the dormitory for the orphanage that is under construction. As today was our first taste of this, it didn't seem so bad, it might hurt a bit in the morning, but it felt nice to be productive after so many days of travel.

The next event however, definitely overshadows the construction of the morning. In the afternoon we stopped by the market to pick up some fruit, and proceeded to the dump on the outskirts of Trujillo, whose name in English ironically translates to "The Miracle." This was a place where some Peruvians worked long hours sorting through piles upon piles of waste and garbage, to get by. Many of them lived and slept in the dump, and it was all they had ever known. Children were recently banned from going to the dump with their parents, to prevent the spread of disease to the children, but some managed to sneak in and were up to their knees in garbage along with the others. No words, and no pictures could ever fully describe what was seen today. The smell was awful, and the sights were upsetting. It leaves a kind of sick feeling in your stomach, just seeing with your own eyes what they struggle through daily. And yet, you see so much hope in these people. Something that sticks out from our experiences and encounters of the day is, while we were walking amongst the massive piles of garbage, and choking back the fumes of the burning garbage. These two girls drive up in this cart, laughing hysterically, and appearing to have the time of their lives. It seemed so out of place in the setting we were in, and I know it caught me off guard. Coming from a North American culture where "ignorance is bliss" and consumerism is force-fed to us daily, there in that moment, they put it all to shame. They literally make do with the small amount that they have, and yet I know that we can't seem to get enough. They find joy and hope in a hopeless situation, and that is so inspiring to me. I know that none of us will ever forget what we saw today, the images are burned into my brain and I hope that they'll inspire changes in all of our lives. I know that I'm still processing things, and I'm still unsure of what to feel and how I feel, and I'm just taking in everything that happened.

by Noreen Lardizabal, Freedom in Christ Church

We were attacked as soon as we stepped out of the bus.

About twenty little beings surrounded us, generously greeting us with hugs and kisses, even though we had never met them before.

We played a huge game of soccer first. It was pretty crazy! Adults and children alike scrambled for the ball--but age didn't stop us from having fun. Then we moved on to play tug-a-war, use the parachute, and take tons of pictures.

It was an amazing experience, seeing their smiles and big hearts...why can't we be like that?

by Adam Beswick, West London Alliance Church

Today was not a day that any of us will soon forget. From the moment our cramped feet finally reached South American soil, we were on the move, travelling, talking, and visiting our new temporary home.

One thing that we immediately noticed about Lima was the number of people on the streets, lingering around shops or selling food / merchandise to whoever would be walking by. The buildings are generally small, and many of them are old and obviously worse for wear. As well, it is clear that where London has squirrels, Lima has more stray dogs than any of us had ever seen.

We had the chance to visit St. Francisco's Cathedral today which was beautifully historic. Our group got to see inside of the catacombs underneath the cathedral, and we saw several chambers filled with countless dusty bones. The Cathedral had the added bonus of being home to hundreds of doves. This of course resulted in the unleashing of a cloud of feathery flappers about our heads whenever someone made a sudden movement in their direction (which was more often than could be called merely coincidental). It is also worth mentioning that our group fulfilled our patriotic duties by singing a very loud, very spontaneous rendition of our national anthem downtown today to anybody and everybody who would listen.

We also went to the city square this afternoon where we were met by a class of Peruvian school kids. Both groups were equally excited about meeting the other, and it didn't take long before cultural and language barriers were broken down by high fives and the help of a few key questions with which we could engage the children in their own language.

Oh, I almost forgot! Here is what I learned today about Peruvian road traffic : I spend so much time being baffled as to how it is physically possible to fit so many road violations into a single outing, that I actually forget to fear for my life.

I don't think our trip could have started any better.

Cristo nos da fuerza.