January:
Katie, Lindsay, and I brought in the new year together like big girls! We spent a good day down in Chicago doing all sorts of fun things. We went skating at Millennium Park, visited the Art Institute and ate some yummy Noodles and Company.
I went to PERU!! I got to spend 3 weeks of January with 15 members of the Taylor community in Ayacucho, Peru.
The primary focus of my
mission trip to Peru was to work with and love the kids of Hogar Casa Luz. A typical day would go like something like this: Each
morning we would walk down the block to the orphanage where we were greeted by
smiling faces and the Peruvian greeting of a hug and kiss in the air along the
right cheek. Although slightly uncomfortable with this greeting at first it has
become something to treasure now that I no longer encounter it everyday. After
this greeting we w ould gather everyone for some children’s songs. Such as, “Yo
tengo gozo, gozo, gozo, gozo en mi corazon!” and “Mi Dios es tan grande”.
Afterwards, we split the kids up by age for various activities. The teenagers
would head off for discussions on purity while the younger kids would
participate in VBS. After a few hours we would head back to the apartment for
lunch and a small siesta before heading back to play with the kids in the
afternoon.
I
personally connected with the younger kids, mostly because I helped with the
crafts portion of VBS. These kids loved their crafts. There were times where I
would leave the room and come back and thought the room had emptied out because
of the silence and high level of concentration of the kids. They could easily
spend all day crafting. One of my favorite things about watching them work on
crafts was watching their creativity run free. We would give them the
parameters of the craft but most of the time, if not all, they would reach
beyond the parameters and make something that we would have never thought to
make with the supplies given.
Below is a picture of my new friend
Mayli. She is very sassy, has quite the sense of humor, has a beautiful smile,
and has a great laugh. I had the wonderful privilege to nourish a friendship
with her and her younger brother Jose. One day Mayli came up to me and grabbed
me by the pointer finger and pulled me to the front steps of the orphanage
where I found myself looking at a woman in a red baseball cap with no teeth.
Mayli exclaims with a huge smile on her face, “Es mi Mama.” In the little
Spanish I knew I told the woman that I loved her kids and that I would pray
that she would someday be able to live with her two precious children again. I
left the situation angry with the mother for putting her innocent children into
an orphanage. Seconds later I was filled with joy as I looked through the
window and saw Mayli caught in the embrace of her mother, both with smiles that
covered their faces. This little girl touched my heart and it was very
difficult to say goodbye to her when she did not understand that I was not
returning the next day.
February:
Well not a whole lot happened during the month of February. I got back into the school routine of going to classes, writing papers, doing homework, attending meetings, and BASSYCS. Although there is not a day that goes by that I do not think about my time in Peru.
During the past month I filled out three applications, wrote three covers letters, and printed out three resumes. I had two phone interviews and one face to face interview. I feel like I became an adult. Doing all this grown up stuff.
March:
I know the month isn't over yet but I feel like I have been on a roller coaster this month. God has really made it clear to me that I am to fully rely on Him and the plan that He has made for me. I had heard from my top choice of internships that I did not get the position. I was devastated because at that point in time I knew that the other two I had applied for wouldn't work. Then this past Sunday, the March 10th, I had a meeting at Glen Ellyn Bible Church. To my amazement and because of the grace of God I can now say that I have an internship where I can live at home and be with my family for one last summer before I graduate. GOD IS SO GOOD! Because of this internship I will be able to go and volunteer at Village Creek this summer!
