Por donde invertes tu amor, invertes tu vida

Peru 2013 scrapbook

 The last month obviously flew by, it was filled with trying to treasure and cherish everything for one last time. We spent time with friends, with my students, and eating all of our favorite Peruvian dishes. I turned 24 with a day filled of random awkward embarrassing dancing in front of my whole school in a sombrero, lots of birthday hugs, and the longest birthday song ever. Then before we knew it, it was time to start saying goodbyes. Which included my goodbye speech in front of my whole school. I made it all the way through without crying then saw Yenny's face and lost it. Friends were hard to say goodbye to but my students were my hardest goodbyes. They were who I saw everyday, who I got to know the best, they were my best friends in Peru, and the ones I am going to miss the most. You know you had a good year when fifteen students wait till right before you are leaving to show up at your house to say goodbye, and five friends make the hour trek to the airport to be the last ones we see as we board the plane.

I feel so blessed to have had this year with these people, to have been able to see just a glimpse of their lives and hopefully to have made some kind of difference in their lives. This year was challenging, my community challenged me, my patience were challenged, as well as my safety. But, we made it through, together, and for this I am so grateful.

4 students on a moto

my goodbye party

the final march

me and yenny

Things I won't miss:
~Walking down the street afraid of every dirty skinny abused dog I pass will bite me
~Hand washing clothes
~Losing water every evening for many reasons but the biggest is not being able to do dinner dishes then having double the dishes the next day for after lunch
~The awkward circle formation then the get up awkward dance sit down routine
~When the teachers waste hours of class time on the phone, talking to each other, or yelling at the kids
~The abuse: domestic, animal, psychological
~Creepy guys making hissing or kissing sounds at me

the last night out with the boys

~Not having the freedom to go where I wanted, when I wanted

my little brothers

 Things I will miss:
~The people and their genuine big welcoming hospitable hearts
~My students, their smiles, voice cracks, questions, laughter, and friendship
~Our friends, for they accepted us as who we are, our weirdness, our differences, and our language barriers, and made us part of their circle of guys and included us every weekend, were protective of us, and loving
~Hearing "profe" yelled from every other street corner as I walk home
~Running into 20 people in a 15 minute walk all equally as excited to see me
~The view of the Andes
~Sunrise over the city from the mirador
~The streets during the golden hour, glowing with richness
~Having to awkwardly dance at ever party
~How much people love to share in what they have with each other, especially food
~Drinking beer peruvian style
~Riding on motorcycles
~People not calling ahead but just showing up at our house hoping to play
~People stopping me dead in my tracks just to tell me how beautiful my eyes are
~Their faith, love, and trust in God

us and Juan

4B bonfire night

Favorite memories:
~Riding on top of a truck to get to Frias
~Hiking up the hill to give communion to the paralyzed man
~The view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate as the clouds burned off
~Holding a monkey in Iquitos
~Going Sand bugging in Paracas
~Spending the weekend with Cody in Lima
~Running around Conchaque with Italo
~Running with students at 5:30am on Saturdays to the Mirador
~Staying out till 6am on Saturday nights/ Sunday mornings
~Community time in my bed on Sunday mornings
~The long moto ride then hike to the waterfall at Carisol
~Meeting new people, making new friendships, and building bonds that will last a life time
~Teaching Peruvians to play flip cup and beer pong
~My after school program with all of them but especially the little ones of 1A and 1B
~Going to Trujillo with Murray and Patrice
~Host family Sundays
~The Malvern boys trip
~Watching a mother kiss her newborn for the first time
~Watching Profilio walk for the first time in years after his amputation
~Learning about Peru, its culture, customs, and its people

Sunrise 

 Things I've learned:
~I can't always just listen, in order to truly grow in love and friendship for one another, I too need to open up and be vulnerable
~Never forget that we all have a story and for this we cannot judge one another
~I have so much to be thankful for
~I can never be too patient
~I can do all things with Christ and his love
~It is okay to be dependent on other people
~It is okay to take time to myself, to give myself space, and be independent

 Thank you to all of you who have supported me this year through your prayers, your love, and your friendship. I couldn't have done it without you.

Tito and Marta

We are often afraid of solitude because of the emptiness we feel,
        Yet God is always there to fill us with power.
We are often afraid of death,
        Yet out of death good and life can come.
We are often afraid of being tested beyond our strength to endure,
        Yet God is always there to walk with us.
We are often afraid of trusting, of giving our lives over to God,
        Yet all we are and have, find its ground to grow in God.
We are often afraid to give away everything, all that we are and have,
        Yet that would fill us with wealth overflowing.
We are often afraid to give up our plans though they are always near-sighted and incomplete,
        Yet time and again God shows a willingness to protect us.
We are often afraid of others,
        Yet only they can mirror back our goodness and love us into life.
We are often afraid of the pain of loving, afraid of reaching out,
        Yet without this pain we die
We are often afraid to stop worrying about ourselves, about what we have and how important we are,
        Yet unless God can free us from the slavery of self-preoccupation, we will never really see the beauty that continually surrounds us.
We are often afraid to be with the violent, the confused, the ugly, the forgotten, the simple, the down-and-out,
        Yet they are a mirror of ourselves, the image of our situation before God in this world.
We find ourselves in a battle. We want to get off the front lines and go to a little beach somewhere and lie in the sun-warm sand and forget it all,
        Yet there is really no place out of this world.
And the one persistent question we are always asked inside will never go away,
        "Did you take care of my brothers and sister?"