From Mexico to Lima (Peru) to Trujillo to Piura to Sullana back to Piura and back to Trujillo

Yep...that's the crazy ride I was on for 2 1/2 weeks as Jen and I travelled to Peru to help out with a discipleship school. The school is called "Desafio" which means "challenge"...which is pretty accurate (in a good way!). This was the very first program, so Jen and I were able to help out with leadership, support, and discipleship of the students.

There were 16 students, mostly university age...with a few older ones. My favorite was a man named Joel, who is 70 years old and within the last 5-10 years got a degree in Theology, has started on his Masters, studies Greek, lived in Canada for 3 years and now speaks English, and basically seeks every opportunity to learn and grow. I was very inspired! Some people call him "Papa Ghandi"...he's so cute!

Jen and I landed in Lima where we spent part of a day with the TREK team. Then we took the bus to Trujillo. The bus was really comfortable, and the scenery was awesome!

Once in Trujillo, we hung out with a couple of the Peruvian leaders of the program. Gladys is 20 and Carlos is 22- both young, but very gifted and passionate for this type of discipleship ministry, and missions!

While in Trujillo I connected with my friend Victor, who I met 11 years ago on my first missions trip to Peru. He's almost done his thesis and he will be a full-fledged doctor. What a crazy thought!

Together with 3 of the Peruvians we took a night bus to Piura. We spent a few very, very hot, mosquito-bitten nights in the church there! Got to know the city a bit, some of the pastors and leadership of Desafio, and just basically get a grasp on what we were there to do.

Then we all loaded on a bus, together with the Desafio participants, and headed out to Sullana...about an hour away...and much, much hotter!!!! In the middle of the night I was just lying there streaming with sweat!! We went to a camp, run by a nun, and we all called her "Super-Nun"...although she wasn't that super:( When we got to the camp, there was no running water for showers or toilets, and we had to wait at least 24 hours for it. Eventually they brought out a bin of water so some students took bucket baths, and we could "flush" the toilets. But the water was oily and full of dead bugs, etc. Not so great for bathing!

The electricity was a bit dodgy...and the food was even dodgier (is that a word?). When we sat down for the first meal my stomache kind of dropped, but I figured, I'm in a different country and I need to eat the food. As I started eating I looked around and noticed that even the Peruvians weren't eating. That's when I knew it was BAD!! To top it off, the "dining room" was situated right beside the barn...so the goats kept sticking their heads in to watch us, and the smell of...you know...was overpowering at times! (Sorry family, no pictures of the goats- but here's "chicken claw soup").

So, we had a few teaching times, team bonding times, etc. But the heat was so unbearable, that it was really hard to concentrate. Plus, everyone was nervous of drinking the water, and getting sick from the food.

After a couple of days, as leaders we decided we needed to change locations. So, we bussed back to Piura, and from there caught a night bus to Trujillo. What an adventure!!! And how exhausting!

In Trujillo we went out to this little camp, where we all set up tents, but we had running water, and the most amazing food! Plus, after Sullana, the heat was very bearable. It even got a bit cool at night (I had to actually use my sheet to cover up).

Through all these experiences, there were several challenges within the group, but we also bonded together very well. I absolutely fell in love with these youth, and I'm so excited about what God is teaching them, and how He will use them to reach many people in the future!

I especially connected with a girl named D'Angela, who is basically fluent in English, and feels like God is calling her into missions, and specifically into linguistics. She is such a beautiful girl, and although she has been through some rough times, continues seeking God and His will for her life. Jen and I really connected well with her and her two guy friends, Felix and Anthony. All of them are really feeling God calling them into ministry/missions, and it's exciting to see their openness.

We had several different speakers in throughout the 2 weeks. We went through several activities...like a missions supper, and a "missions trip" simulation. They also learned several dramas and dances (those were fun to watch!) for ministry. And I enjoyed the opportunity to get into their lives a little bit and disciple them in different areas of life and ministry. And, on our very last day, I taught a couple of sessions on "Spiritual Gifts". What a stretching experience!! I taught for about 4 hours...in Spanish! I definitely used a bunch of that time for group activities, and got them interacting.

Yah, I may have got roped in on the dramas they were learning...and then they attacked my face with a marker. I had the role of bad guy/robber!

We were very sad to say good-bye...and I felt like I left some very special friends behind. It was an honor to be a part of their first program, and to work with such a great leadership team. There were definitely challenges within this, but Jen and I felt like we were able to really help out! Here's our team of leaders...

Here are some random pictures of some of our new friends...

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day...here it's called "Day of Love and Friendship"!!