Every day is a new day, filled with something new to see. The Photo365 Project is a fun way to challenge myself into seeing the ordinary and mundane things of life in a new way. I am challenging myself creatively and will be sharing my results on a daily (or semi-daily) basis. (Don’t worry, if I miss a few updates to the site, it does not mean I have forgotten to take a photo for that day!)

But more importantly, the Photo365 Project is a way to get into the habit of carrying my camera with me everywhere.

To see photos from the Photo365 Project, follow them on Flickr or in Photo365.

Make sure you see the last three minutes of the video…

Thanks to Billy and Hector, the house father for Girasoles Valle Sagrado for this video.

Please keep these boys and family in your prayers.

I am an official Latin America Mission missionary appointee to work with Scripture Union in Peru!

This means that I will be moving to Peru to work with Scripture Union full time. This means leading and translating for work teams from the US and UK, teaching English at one of the Casa Girasoles homes, working with the deaf program in Lima, and being the entire communications department for the organization (think website, communication with supporters, photographs, etc). Of course, all of this is just an example of what I will be doing and I expect that this job description will change frequently… It is a Latin culture after all!

You might be wondering why I am involved with the Latin America Mission? Answer is simple, the LAM will be my “sending mission” to work with an already formed partnership between the LAM and Scripture Union Peru. There are already three others involved with the LAM and SU (Billy and Yashmin Clark, Pablo and Bertha Lavado and my friend, Billy Greenman). When I expressed interest in working with SU full time, both Billys recommended the LAM for their excellent support and philosophies. But from becoming more familiar with the LAM over the past few months, I am finding my own reasons for appreciating the organization. One unique thing about the LAM is that its partner ministries are run by nationals in the country – not North Americans coming in to “fix” everything, rather working alongside Latin Americans (and in my case peruanos) to help them in what they are already doing.

Being accepted as a LAM missionary appointee and before I am able to move to Peru to work with Scripture Union, I need to raise monthly support to assist me in this ministry. I need to raise $3,500 a month, which includes things like housing, food, administrative costs, and insurance. In addition to financial support, I am also looking for prayer partners who will commit pray for my ministry, health, and any other needs I will have over the next few years. I will be updating this site with specific prayer requests and updates about my work.

So over the next few months I will be visiting different groups and churches, sharing what I will be doing (and what is already happening in Peru) with Scripture Union. If you are interested in hearing about this exciting new opportunity I will be undertaking, let me know! Give me a call or send an email and I am more than happy to share more about what I will be doing with you, your small group, or congregation.

Searching on the internet, one will find plenty of information about the stranded American, Argentine, Chilean and European tourists that were stuck in Aguas Calientes when the rain washed out the train tracks, the only access to the city. You can read about tourists being evacuated in helicopters and presidential planes, the extreme inflation of goods such as bottled water and crackers, and how bad this disaster is for the tourism and agricultural economy of the region. It takes a deeper look, and more thoughtful search to find out how the Peruvians living in this area were affected.

I have found a few different sites or posts (in English) that covered how the nationals are dealing with this disaster and have shared them here.

Two posts from the “…En Perú” blog that show pictures of the region, photos of houses being washed away, flooded farming fields, and what is being done in the area. The first, Humanitarian disaster in Cusco includes the best photos of the current situation and an updated time line of what has been happening over the past week. The second, Emergency declared in Cusco, includes video from the last train leaving Aguas Calientes and returning back to Cusco.

Finally, here is a video from CNN that shows some of the damage that has happened in the Cusco-Aguas Calientes region.

As many of you know, Scripture Union operates one of its homes for abandoned boys in the area, the Casa Girasoles Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley Home). There are approximately 40 boys living in this home, with house parents Héctor and Maritza, and their two children. Unfortunately due to the flooding of the Urubamba River, which runs along the back of the property, the home has sustained very serious structural damage, but thankfully no one was in the home at the time.

Hector and Maritza had decided to take the boys and staff of the home away for a vacation during the summer holiday, a trip that would be make memories for a lifetime for their 40 boys. Throughout the past year, Hector and Maritza have been very resourceful with supplies and funds and were able to make the 24+ hour trip to Kawai, another home operated by Scripture Union, which is located on the Pacific Ocean one hour south of Lima.

Upon their arrival to Kawai, they learned of the news of the flooding in Cusco. Hector has since returned to the home to assess the damage and salvage whatever can be used. From reports, it appears that the home has suffered major damage and will need to be completely re-built. It is unclear as of right now where the boys from the Sacred Valley home will be living while renovations and construction occurs on their home. Please keep each one of those boys, staff members, Hector, Maritza and SU workers in your prayers.

For some more information about Scripture Union’s abandoned boys home in the region, the Casa Girasoles Valle Sagrado, I refer to Billy’s website about his time in Peru.

Billy writes:

A Big Prayer Request and a Huge Praise

Please join me in praying for the situation at the boys’ home. It is a difficult situation, but what an awesome testimony to these boys of how God’s hand is protecting them! Pray for wisdom as we begin to plan for the work team season in Cusco. Pray for everyone who is involved in deciding how and where to reconstruct our home. Most importantly pray for the lives of these boys who are temporarily without a home (they are currently staying at our campsite on the ocean where they came for a vacation). Also join me in praising God for His faithfulness, his provision, and his protection!”

I can only agree with what Billy has written, thanks be to God for His protecting hand, provision and for the lives of these boys. Many things will be changing for them in the future, and I ask for your continued support and prayers as they continue on.

Psalm 25
A Psalm of David.

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!
Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
NIV.

For many people, their twenties are exciting and life-changing times. Amidst the big life changes, it can be a time when some of the most crucial life decisions are made, many of which often set the path for the future. It is a time of self-discovery, new found independence found during the college years, a time of crucial decisions like what career path to follow or with whom you fall in love, and an entry into the “real world.”

As I find myself at 23 facing some of the big life decisions – what I want to pursue, where I want to live, who I want to spend my life with. When I am weighed down with these complex decisions and so many choices, I find comfort in verse 5 (“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” NIV). Like so many other verses from the Psalms, this verse reminds us of a promise we share with God: if we do our part, God will do His.

We are constantly reminded that if we walk in step with the Lord, He will show us the life He has in store for us. Because of this covenant, we no longer have to worry, be confused, or try to figure it out on our own, all we have to do is trust, believe and obey. He is not a God of uncertainty; He doesn’t want for us to walk through our life trying to worry about our future. He wants to reveal to us the path that is chosen for us, but sometimes like with the beam of a flashlight we can only see so far and have to trust that as we keep going, we have to trust that He will continue to light the path. By slowly revealing each part of our life, it is His way of motivating us to keep going, trusting and seeking. We should not give up and forget that the promise is not a matter of if it will happen, but only a matter of when.

It is especially during these current times of economic strife, growing unemployment, and international conflict that we should not look to man for a solution to our problems. But rather, confide and trust in God, and we will persevere.

While in Kusi, we spent one of our days at the local pool. Everybody loaded up in a bus with swim gear, sunscreen, soccer balls and of course, lunch (which no surprise was rice, potatoes and chicken) to enjoy the beautiful sunny day at the pool.

Here’s a video of the boys going down (and back up) the slide.

More videos from Kusi are on Vimeo.

Here are three of my favorite videos, two from Ica and the third from Kusi.

After a long day of adventures, these boys from Girasoles Ica were exhausted and ended up falling asleep at the dinner table. Those that didn’t wake up on their own, were carried to bed by Julio, the educator of the home. Notice the boy seen at 23 seconds into the clip that is asleep and still eating!

Anything with Sanchez makes my top ten, and as you can see in this video, he is quite a busy and energetic kid. If he stops running around for just 2 minutes, he quickly falls asleep (as seen by the previous video). Here you can see Sanchez being silly and sharing a little love with Billy while Pampachay practices in the background.

And finally, Kusi. One of the things we brought down to play with the boys was the game, Rummikub. We first introduced this game to the boys in Ica when we were there in June, but I think the meaning and rules of the game were lost on many of the boys. Nevertheless, it was included in our suitcases for Kusi. Maybe instructions were more clear this time, or they just understood better. In this video, Eloy, Cococho and Eli are playing together. Cococho (in the blue shirt) somewhat understood, Eloy (in orange) was getting the hang of it, but Eli (in the blue Southlake sweatshirt), was an expert! If this was chess, he would be in candidate master territory.

(More videos will be posted soon.)

If that was my “best gift ever, ” this would be a short post and most likely not named “Peruvian Christmas.” If you haven’t figured it out, I was given a plane ticket to return to Peru for the holidays, 12 days with good friends, the Girasoles and the beautiful sunny countryside – all accompanied by my mother and brother.

We leave tomorrow morning, yes on Christmas Day, and will spend 5 days in Ica, 4 days in Kusi (including New Years Eve) and the final day in Lima.

So as of tomorrow night, I’ll be back in one of my favorite places.

(Videos, photos and stories will be posted upon my return.)

Tis the season of preparation and waiting – one thing I’m good at, another I sometimes find very hard.