Mission Peru

by Renee Phinnemore, Bramalea Alliance Church

Happy Canada Day.

 Yesterday was a day full of fun for me and I think the rest of the team enjoyed it as well. We started our day with breakfast and devotionals and then we went and did construction. Our goal was to lay the foundation of the security house at the front gate of the compound by the end of the morning. I started the project using a machete to cut down all of the plants in the way and to remove the stumps of some of the small trees and bushes. During that time I disturbed a nest of crickets. They were huge! We also found a small lizard in the pile of sand. The lizard was very colourful and it reminded me that God is a great artist who took the time to paint the stripes on the lizard. Since he has put so much detail in such a small animal and cares for it then he must care even more for us.

After all of that excitement I was put on shovel duty. I was helping shovel the sand for the foundation of the house into people’s wheelbarrows. I believe that without God’s help I wouldn’t have been able to do as much shoveling as I did. It was funny because I was working so hard that people were telling me to slow down. It got to the point when one of the leaders came over to me and took the shovel away from me in an attempt to force me to take a rest, but as soon as he turned his back I grabbed another shovel and kept on working.

In the afternoon we went to a church called Santa. The kids there were so cute and I loved playing with them. I also enjoyed giving out some of the bracelets that I made for them. I met one little girl who was so shy that she just followed me around and didn’t ask me for a bracelet. I guess she was just hoping that I would notice her and give her one. When I gave her a bracelet she was so happy. At the end of the visit the kids all hugged us goodbye and I was the only person she hugged before she ran away. It was really funny when we were trying to get on the bus because the kids latched onto us and wouldn’t let go. It was just as hard for us to say goodbye to them as it was for them to say goodbye to us.