Bye, Bye Arequipa!!

Saturday, March 12, 2016

It has been a wonderful time spent in Arequipa, Peru with the Messiah Track & Field group.  During our week away, we had the wonderful opportunity to form great relationships and many new friendships with people there.  Spending time throughout the week to engage in many hands-on projects, such as construction work projects at El Camino church and New Hope Children's Home has been a fun way to learn and work together.  Additionally, the group helped to run a track & field clinic for the children in the orphanage home, as well as the children in the local community.  Teaching them about some of the basics of our sport was another way that we could connect with the little ones and share the Love of God with them.

[Saturday morning | 4:00am]

It was very early in the morning, and our group had been going on very little sleep for the past few days.  Still tired from last night's bonfire and other activities, it was quite difficult to get ourselves out of bed and already packed for departure.  We sure were going to miss this place at New Hope Children's Home, where we had been staying for the past week.  Although the darkness of the night was still upon us, a group of little boys were waiting outside for us, ready to give hugs and say goodbye. We all agreed that this gesture of love was so sweet, as it was still the middle of the night and they had woken up specifically for us.

Going back to America was going to be a long couple of flights home, and we were all reminiscing about the week we had just experienced.  Although it was extremely hard to say goodbye and hug those children one last time, we knew that our time there had made a difference.  As much as we had hoped coming into the trip that we would make an impact on these children, they too, had changed our lives.

We want to extend our gracious thanks to all of our supporters and donors.  For those who have partnered with us for the week, we thank you for all your care, love, and generous hospitality.  We want to send our our appreciation to all those, who had so willingly contributed to our experiences through the powerful act of prayer.  All of these gifts -- both materially and spiritually -- that you had given to us made a real difference on our time away, and even now as we continue to process our experiences and reflections of the trip.

We are happy to say that the group has safely arrived back in the United States, ready and eager to share about our time in Arequipa, Peru with all who express an interest.  We are continuously thankful for the mighty ways that God uses His People to love, learn, grow, and serve... and together, we were able to do just that!

Friday, March 11, 2016

Where did this week go? It feels like just yesterday we were traveling through the night and jetting off to church on 4 or less hours of sleep. It feels like we have just made ourselves comfortable and at home at New Hope and made our relationships with the kids there. Nonetheless, this was our last day so we made the most of it!

We started off the morning with some lomo saltado (again) on fresh baked bread and fruit salad. We then lathered up with sunscreen and went outside to meet the kids at the gate to load on to a bus for our day trip to El Gran Parque (the park). We packed like sardines into this bus; some of us were standing in the middle holding on to the rails and others with children stacked on their laps.

When we arrived we came upon a park like none any of us had ever seen in the United States. There were mini playgrounds for every age group, trampolines, a soccer pitch, basketball court, skateboard ramp, and numerous fields of grass to play in. The kids sprinted in all directions when we unloaded, but it took us a minute to take it all in. After hours of play, we met by the soccer pitch where some people were playing soccer while others were watching and having lunch (chicken sandwiches with green oranges). When the time had come to head back, we loaded the buses again and headed back in the direction of New Hope. Before the bus got back, it dropped the Messiah team off at the Historical Center of Arequipa where we spent a few hours shopping for souvenirs for family, friends, ourselves, and the people who helped make this trip possible. When we went into various tourist shops, it seemed as though all of us were on the hunt for the perfect alpaca sweater. Some of us were able to bargain the prices down while others (like myself) failed miserably. We also made sure to get some Queso Helado again

because it’s the most refreshing and delicious ice cream this side of the equator. We split up to grab another snack because it would be a while before dinner (I went to a Greek restaurant). When we arrived back near the Catholic church in the center to meet up, some of went in to the church and others fed the pigeons by the fountain. As the sun began to set, the center’s lights lit up and the sunset of orange and red casted itself over Arequipa. It was a beautiful way to end a relaxing day. On the way back home, we were able to witness some non-violent protests for the presidential election that was happening in the streets.

When we got back to New Hope, we were bombarded with hugs from the kids as we gathered around the camp fire to celebrate a wonderful week. Some Messiah kids gave testimonies, Emily Harpold gave a powerful devotion on love, we sang songs like “Sí Senior”, and numerous kids came up and told us what we meant to them. It weakened our hearts when they spoke of how thankful they were for us, how we had shown them so much love, how they enjoyed eating meals with us and playing games, and, lastly, how the “gate to New Hope will always be open for us to come back”.

After the camp fire we split up into our house families and ate the much anticipated SALCHIPAPAS!! We hung around with our kids to say goodbye, exchange emails and Facebooks, and talk about when we would see each other again. One boy came up to me and asked “We will see you tomorrow?” and I sadly had to say no. He then asked, “In a year?” and all I could say was “I hope so.” It was now almost 11 and we had to wake up at 4 the next morning to catch our plane so we went upstairs, packed our suitcases, and tried to sleep with so many emotions. We seemed to have just fallen asleep when our alarms went off for our early morning departure. The best part was walking outside into the darkness of the still night and seeing some of the kids outside in their pajamas waiting to say goodbye one last time.