More Reflections

Now that I have been home for a few days, I have been thinking about the people of Peru quite often. I am so glad that God guided me there for our mission.

The best part of the trip for me was the opportunity to get to know some very special people, Betty, Pepe, Florella, Marilena, Emilia, Chelsea and many more. We were able to share love through God’s guidance even in the midst of a lot of poverty and devastation for many of these families. As I have reflected these past few days, I see their smiling faces and their tears. But most of all, I remember the hope that was in their eyes. The people of Peru are filled with love and my heart ached when I had to say good bye to many new friends.

This is Jason, his brother and him were fascinated with digital cameras. Every time we took a photo, they would rush to see the actual photo! I think they could have done this all day!


Having fun with the families was just as important as sharing God's word and building the homes. I played English School Teacher and taught English to many of the children and they were teaching me Spanish. Florella, was just a wonderful little chatter box who I became so fond of! She was so eager to learn, she is a bright young girl with happy spirits regardless of their situation. This is a hand puppet we just made together, who she just so happened to name, "Colleen."



This is a photo of a young boy named, Jaime. He was a child of some workers nearby. He was a young boy with few words. He was so quiet, he did not respond to any of my questions. I brought over some scrap wood and attempted to build a block building with him. But he just sat there and stared at me. After a minute, I pushed it down and went back to work. After a few minutes, I looked back to Jaime and there he was rebuilding his own block house.



This photo is of me in front of some neighboring homes. You will see how the earthquake just easily brought the adobe bricks down. They have cleaned up this area, but you can see, the ceiling and doors are non-existent.

I want to thank everyone again for participating in this trip with me. We touched many lives thanks to each and every one of you. I am forever grateful as I will cherish the memories I have from Peru, forever.

Ciao y Muchas Gracias, Colleen