This morning began very early for us. Although our final circle time last night didn't end until after 11, we were up and packed by 5:30am for breakfast. The kitchen staff at Santisimo Sacramento have prepared delicious and nutritious food for us all week and today was no exception. Rosa even had fried eggs ready and waiting. At 6 we were in a cicle praying the Lord's Prayer in the foyer of the church. Several vehicles stood ready to take us all to the airport. The drivers and ancillary staff were there to escort us. They had no complaints about having to be there at the crack of dawn. What beautiful spirits they have! Check-in was a long and convoluted process and John and I were the last 2 on the plane even though we arrived at the airport 2 hours and 15 minutes prior to the flight. At least the church staff now knows how to expedite the next big group- they need to take everyone's passport to the airport the day before the flight. Wow! Leigh had never been on a youth mission trip before and he was amazed that a group our size, especially a group of teens, could be up, packed and out the door so early. Way to go PV Youth! The staff told me on the way to the airport that they were impressed with how hard you all worked each day. Other groups of teens have been tired and beat after one day of building. They were especially amazed at the strength and toughness of the girls. Usually girls don't do the hard work and ours did. The flight to Lima was uneventful. I saw a lot of people sleeping. Once we arrived and had our bags, we talked with everyone who has been feeling under the weather in the past few days(about 14 of the group!) to decide who felt up to going on the city tour of Lima. Ron, Scott, Stu, Donna B and I walked across the street to the hotel and got a "Junior Suite", where the guys promptly got into bed and fell sound asleep. A while later Donna made a bed of pillows on the floor and also konked out. So after a super busy week in Piura, I have free time to blog! We're grateful for each of the 4 doctors in our group this week. Among all the chaperones we've done our best to care for your precious students. They have worked incredibly hard every day, been moved by the Peruvian people, and some have told me that the trip has been life changing, so be ready to listen to them. They'll probably need sleep first but they may talk your ear off when they get home. Be sure to ask about what impacted your student this week AND the mototaxi ride from the plaza back to the church. It was a blast to have about 20 in a row! As always, I feel blessed by the opportunity to serve alongside these wonderful young people. It's a privilege to know each and every one. They will change the world for God. See you soon! Mary mcGill

Last Night

Hey guys! Sitting here at dinner and I figured I would blog. A bunch of people haven’t felt well these past couple of days, me having some of the symptoms. This morning I went to hospice with Alec, Capri, and Dani Wiggs. We started out by washing the room windows, and one man liked his room full of Peruvian radio music. So Capri and I were dancing hardcore while we cleaned. Some of the volunteer nurses from Marquette called us all in to a room with a young adult patient that was unable to move from his bed. The nurses said that he loved to be sung to, so we sang a church choir song to him. I met a man named Felix who loved for his hand to be held while I talked to him. Alec tried out his rap music on Felix and he started to crack up laughing. I took him around the courtyard in his wheelchair and I started singing. I could see his head turn to face his ear towards my voice, so I started to sing louder. I asked him in Spanish, “Canta mas?” … which means sing more. He said, “Si!” I had such a good time with Felix, because even if we could not communicate, his smile showed us all how he felt. We currently are all in panic, scribbling on our Agape notes all over the facility. Agape notes are “touchy feelies,” quoted by Jackson. We all have 50 to write, I am 4 away from being finished, oh yeah. Just 5 minutes ago, about three quarters of the youth choir stood in front of the parish staff and the other guests to sing, “In My Own Little World”. George Heredia explained to the audience in Spanish what we were singing and why. IT WAS THE BEST THING YOU HAVE EVER HEARD. Shout out from Claire Gordon. Stu Smeck and Nate Bridge helped me a little to write this!   Love, Tess DeWulf

Getting to Peru

Okay, so I know that a lot of stuff has happened in the past few days that are a lot more significant than the actual flights here, but those were still pretty crazy. So I decided that I would like to write about those. So we left from Sky Harbor at around 7:30 despite being there for two hours prior. We basically all slept on that flight. We were in LAX for only a brief period, but it was still long enough for Sam to get yelled at by the old lady working at the airport’s Sushi Boy for something that he didn’t do. Then we got on the 9hr flight to Lima. And I don’t think anyone really slept, which made getting to Piura with a full day in front of us especially difficult. Even though it was a boring 9hrs, it was still 9hrs, and no other 9hr period on this trip has gotten away without being blogged about, so I’ll blog about that flight.
            Even though we’re not supposed to use technology on this trip, we were allowed to watch the movies provided for us on the flight. Nice thing about international flights is that they usually have little screens with like 50 movies on them and a bunch of TV shows. Even though I spent the majority of the trip watching my own screen, it’s really fun for me to see what everyone else is watching, so that’s what I did. I can tell you the fan favorite was This Means War, by a landslide. I don’t know why everyone decided to watch that, but they did. I’ve actually heard that movie is decent as far as chick-flicks go, but I still couldn’t help but stupidly believe that I was smarter than everyone for watching The King’s Speech instead. Not that there’s anything wrong with This Means War, I just don’t want to watch it. Tom Hardy is cool, but Chris Pine’s eyes have actually passed the threshold into the “Too-Doughy” area. But the real reason that I would never watch that movie is because of Chelsea Handler. There is no reason to like Chelsea Handler, but everyone loves her. It makes no sense. People like here because they feel like by listening to her “jokes,” they are validating the hours of reality TV which she speaks upon by making fun of it, and allowing her viewers to experience the cleansing humility for watching said programs. But liking Chelsea Handler doesn’t make it O.K. to watch reality television. By only talking about trashy TV, Chelsea Handler has made herself an amalgamation of everything that is terrible about that culture. She’s made herself perceived as the ideal television watcher. But why would anyone want to be that? So that’s what everyone did. They watched a movie with Chelsea Handler.

-Jackson Parker

A Fourth of July Speech

Monday morning I was one of the few people who didn't work on a construction site. I, along with Lauren Heath, Cailyn Tompa, Esteban Saathoff, Tristan Staley, and Donna went to a school called Madre del Buen Consejo. Lauren and I were sent to a second grade classroom to help teach some English to the kids. We walked into the room and were greeted by about 35 kids cheering and waving little American flags in the air. After all the ruckus finally died down a bit the teacher introduced us to the class. Pronouncing our names proved to be a difficult task but they got it eventually. As the kids copied the lyrics to an English counting song, the teacher pulled me aside and asked if I could help one of the students with a specific task. Juan Diego was going to read a speech in English on the Fourth of July and needed help learning the correct pronunciations. I taught him how to say words such as “independence,” “liberty,” “courage,” and “integrity.” He may not have understood exactly what he was saying, but I was still so moved by his determination and perseverance. Little did I know I would be returning to the school along with our entire Mission Trip group for a 4th of July celebration. As we filed into our seats I saw Juan Diego sitting by the side of the stage and realized his speech was not just for his class, but for the entire school and us as well. I began bouncing in my chair out of pure joy and as Juan Diego spoke I looked around to see tears in several people’s eyes. It was definitely one of the most meaningful experiences for me on this trip, and I know that a moment as pure and wonderful as that will never be forgotten.

- Allison Heredia   

                                                                                                                          

Pictures!

Check out our pictures on Smugmug! We are in the process of uploading pictures so check back because more may be added at any time.

http://pvyouth.smugmug.com/2012Photos/Peru2012

Best Day Ever

Can you imagine 40 high school kids telling you this was their best fourth of July ever - and they worked at manual labor for six hours in the sun? Well the hard work was sandwiched in between a morning visit to a school where they had a fourth of July celebration in our honor.  Our arrival was accentuated by a receiving line of several dozen 3 to 6 year olds that led us into an auditorium of older students.  We felt like rock stars as we entered to cheering and waiving of American flags.  Then there was a performance with a mixture of Peruvian songs as well as the Star Spangled Banner and Great to be an American. UNBELIEVABLE! Then after building a two houses and laying two cement floors we trucked (literally) to the beach for 90 minutes of fun in the surf and a beautiful sunset. When we returned to the parish house we quickly changed and ate dinner then headed to the neighborhood were we have been building houses where they had set up a Fiesta in our honor.  There were Peruvian dance performances, singing, including a great rendition of God Bless America and lots of dancing. Finally we stumbled back "home" to devour a huge chocolate cake decorated as the American flag. A glorious day for all! George Heredia

The Tower

Mom and dad, Dani and I were in our room getting ourselves situated for the week ahead of us when we heard Ashlee and Ashlyn call our names. We looked to the place where we heard the voices, they were at the top of a tower! I asked them to show me how to get up there because it looked like a cool place to be. They then showed us the way to the top of the tower. On my way up I tripped on the metal stairs; it was very funny. But when I was at the top my flip- flop felt weird... When I looked down I saw blood gushing from my big toe! It started hurting a lot and I could not walk down all of the flights of stairs. But don't worry I got help! Despite my injury, I perservered and I am enjoying every moment of my trip in Piura, Peru. Cailyn Tompa

Hola Mis Amigos!

Today is our third day in Piura and needless to say it was a tough building day. My group was assigned to laying cement in Luis' home. I built the home yesterday and I was one of the lucky few who got to complete an entire home. Therefore, when I arrived on the work site today I was greeted with familiar faces. Laying concrete is especially difficult compared to building the actual house. The lifting involved is back breaking. My group struggled to make it to lunch and had to take it one wheel barrel at a time. However, lunch rejuvenated our bodies and minds and we returned with much enthusiasm. We completed the flooring with the help of another group and rejoiced when it was finally completed! Although we spent the majority of the day working hard, we also had the opportunity to visit and play with the neighborhood children. I was lucky enough to be the translator for my team and I communicated effectively with most of the children. Their cute faces are so sincere and they truly appreciate our presence and work. One little boy followed me around for about an hour and continually handed me the tools I needed and helped me carry the buckets of water. Although he initially did not want to introduce himself he later told me his name was Javier. After he became comfortable around us, he would not let us go and it was a challenge to get him off the truck when we were trying to leave. The children in Peru are so appreciative and inspiring. They remind me to enjoy life and perservere when faced with challenges. Hasta Luego! Lauren Rimsza

Cailyn Tompa :)

Mom and dad I love and miss you. ~ Cailyn

Tuesday

Today we mixed and cemented a house. It's hard to believe that the floor went from dirt, gravel, and sand to cement. It was a slow start at the beginning, but once we got the fetish for cement we got the house done in no time. This was a medium sized house with only two rooms. With the help of the family we got the cement made house finished. All it has to do is dry and we can have a family living there in no time. The hours of work we have out in today will transcend into years of joy for the family that will make the building their home. Sincerely, Jamie LeMarr

First Full Day in Piura!

Hola everybody, this is Dani Brown and I'm ecstatic to share with you all the first day of activity I have spent here in Peru! David Fox and I had volunteered last night to deliver food to local homes. Well sounds exciting right?! I thought so as well...too bad that didn't happen. We were told to join the group of people traveling to the school and apparently they didn't know we were going to deliver food. You would think that now we would just go to the school with the others. Nope. We decided to accompany a girl from Tokoyo, Japan to the hospice close by the school. Tez (the girl) had been to the hospice earlier in the week and spoke enough Spanish to help poor David and I out. (David and I speak practically none). I was impressed given she is originally from Japan. After talking with her I discovered she attends boarding school in the east coast. Explains the fluency of English! We started clearing out a room filled with a bed, night stand, radio, chair and bathroom supplies. Then we swept out all the dirt and avoided all the mosquitoes flying about, hosed down the floor and added soap to clean. This continued for the next three bedrooms, then the real excitement began! David gave the first man a hair cut, Lez moisturized his feet and I shaved the second mans face. Felix (the second man) is disabled and in a wheel chair, he can not move his arms very well and his hands tend to stay almost always balled up. The excitement off of his face made my heart swell with love. He could speak only a little and with my knowledge of Spanish not much was said to begin with. But the kitten hanging around his room made him so happy that David and I put her on his lap. it was beyond obvious how greatly Felix enjoyed this. We continued to walk throughout the bedrooms and meet the residents. Some where more sad than others to witness. A 22 year old man I saw, Luis, has a brain illness and is short of death. I met a woman who is recovering from an accident or illness I can't remember. I also danced with a blind man who sang to us and was so full of life. That was just the morning.... We came back to the parish for lunch, and went out for round two! This afternoon I joined a group of people for the construction of the bamboo houses. I personally worked with Steven Henglefelt, and people from the other group staying with us, their names are;Lauren, Grace, Ryan, Molly, and Cat. Meeting people while you are climbing on ladders and wiring bambo mats together is not something I do every day! Our house was done before I knew it and I can't remember a single moment where I wished I were any where else. The children who lived in the house were helping us and one of the younge girls (maybe 4/5) braided my hair for me. She was so adorable and I loved it, I had braided hers and she turned me around and started doing mine. She spoke no English but smiled at me. "a smile is worth a thousand words." Tonight my room attended mass and I met one of the children I had met yesterday at the orphanage. She grabbed me by the hand and I copied everything she did. She introduced me to h friend and laughed at me when I tried speaking Spanish to them. I gave her my elephant leather bracelet and she put it on with so much excitement it made my day. That's all for now I have to leave for devotional!!

Monday, just after lunch

Today we all drove out to the little village where we were going to build and we A) counted 108 dogs roaming the streets B) played chicken with every single rickshaw thing we passed (just because it's a narrow two-way road doesn't mean you can't pass anytime you please apparently, also the giant van always wins.) and C) learned that the village used to be a military practice range. Once we got there the instructions were to first take a group picture, then proceed to tear down the old house and begin building the new one. My jobs were to dig the super deep holes where the new bamboo framework would be placed (¡No está en la línea! - the holes I was digging weren't quite on the dirt line that marked the corner of the room), and to translate for my mother. The most important words to know are "cuidado" and "mira," which mean "careful" and "look!" respectively. In between holes I kept trying to get the toddler Gabriel who was hanging around to talk to me but he preferred to bury the nails in the dirt. Also, shout out to my dad, whose profession is apparently useless in Peru. The plans for our house were sketched onto some old cardboard with charcoal and all measurements were approximated and eyeballed. "Más o menos seís metros, más arriba, un poco, un poco," etc. Whatever, it looks like we've got a pretty sound foundation in the works! This afternoon instead of construction I'll be delivering food, which, by the way, is prime. ¡Hasta luego! -Madeline Gordon

The first work day

Today was our first day working on the houses. There were four groups each group had a house to build. We will have two days to work on the houses. #Matt Murphy

Buenos Noches from Piura, Peru

After 28 hours worth of traveling, the end of our second day is coming to a close, and I have only had three hours of sleep. However, I am having the time of my life. Peruvians are some of the most welcoming and loving people I have ever met. When I first walked into Santisimo Sacrament, I was immediately embraced, kissed,and welcomed by everyone. This joyous greeting set the stage for a fantastic 2012 mission trip! This evening we went to the girls orphanage which houses girls who have been taken from dangerous or unhealthy homes. After pulling into the entrance, the girls swarmed the car with excitement to meet all of us. Each girl picked a youth member who they would spend the rest of the evening dancing and laughing with. Danielia chose me. Danielia showed me around the orphanage and even though she only spoke Spanish, we understood each other perfectly. A language barrier was not a hindrance to a new friendship. The girls then preceded to immerse us in the Peruvian culture by performing dances for us. There stamina was remarkable as they danced for minutes on end in bare feet. We thought the Macarena was long but not compared to their extraordinary dances. Between each performed dance, the youth group was invited to dance with their new friends and show our own unique moves. Our excursion to the orphanage is teaching me to cherish the luxuries that my family provides for me and I deeply wish I could share them with Danielia and the other girls. However, I am starting to learn that even small changes make a difference. The mission trip has only just begun, more memories and life changing experiences are still waiting to be discovered!

We Finally Here!!!!!!

This is Dani Brown coming at you all live from Piura Peru! As I speak I am sitting down in the kitchen with the bamboo tables! I don't believe I have stopped sleeping any chance I get so far. BUT let me tell you it is such an honor so be here and seeing the children with the light in their eyes to see us all is truly a blessing! All the girls hugged us upon arrival and made all those long hours in the airport worth it. (: My room has eight girls with three bunkbeds and two twin beds, we all share one bathroom with one toilet,one sink, and one shower. We had a wonderful breakfast after we where greeted and it was delicious!! (lots of bacon;) Well that's all folks! Enjoy for now until the next time! -Dani Brown