Mission Peru

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)