Hello friends and family!
The last two days have been very long and tiring.
Yesterday we went to church at CEMY in the morning. Their praise and worship is some of the most genuine I have ever seen. Marilyn and I left the service a few minutes early to pick up Alysse from the airport. After she had gotten settled in the hotel room, we went to Ruth's house for lunch. She made us hamburgers, salad, ice cream, and cake.
Craig, Drake, Ben, and I went to CEMY after lunch. Honestly, I still have no idea why, but I took a nap on the stage and the guys played the drums. We are reminded frequently to just "hang loose" and go with the flow. After a couple of hours, we rode in the back of a motocar truck to the town square in Yarinacocha.
We ate dinner after meeting up with the rest of our team, then the worship team from CEMY put on a program for the kids. Our dear, dear friend Azaky was there. The program consisted of lots of music, dancing, and a message from Jovenes con Vision (Youth with a Vision.)
By the time we got back to our hotel, it was almost 11:00. We collapsed into bed without even doing team devotions.
This morning, the construction team went to work, and we (the village team) got on the bus to go to Zapotillo. The bus ride is about 2-2.5 hours long, on very bumpy, gravel, jungle roads. Once we got to the village, we did our program. My mom told her story, and we had quite a while to play with the kids. We also had the opportunity to use a "squatty potty." :)
From Zapotillo, we rode the bus to Panaillo, for another program. Here, I told my story. We handed out hot chocolate and rolls.
In Panaillo, I met a little boy who has AIDS. Both of his parents died when he was a baby, and now he suffers every day. Please keep little Oscar in your prayers, as he is not expected to make it for very long. He was such a sweet, joyful little boy. This is one of those things that haunts you for a long time.
Thank you all for your prayers!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Day Three
¡Hola Famila y Amigos!
Today was a long, tiring, wonderful day in Peru. After breakfast, we went to the town of Teodoro Binder, where we ministered at Luz Del Mundo Iglesia (Light of the World Church).
Our program was as follows:
Introduction of the team
Spanish songs by the ladies of CEMY
Story from our team (We each have one- Marilyn gave hers this morning and I gave mine in the afternoon)
Another song
Craig's Rubik's cube presentation (He can solve a Cube in under a minute, so we have come up with a presentation about how our lives do not make sense, but God has a plan to solve them... This integrates Craig's unique talent while giving the niños something to watch)
Hot chocolate and rolls for the kids
Play with the kids
This is our program in every village we will visit, only the story changes. After we had given out the hot chocolate in Teodoro Binder, we got to play with the kids. We played lots of volleyball, catch, soccer, etc. I took over 150 pictures... once the children found out that they could see themselves on the camera, they all wanted me to take their pictures.
We went back to CEMY for a delicious lunch (They feed us well here). Today we had sliced boiled potatoes with chicken gravy, boiled egg, olives, and rice. After we had eaten all we could hold, a few of us took siestas on the pews at the church. (My mom...). Craig used the opportunity to build a relationship with one of the construction workers, and I tried to help him with some translation. Craig and I both feel like our Spanish has improved a lot since coming here.
We went to Aldea Infantil San Juan in the afternoon. This is the ophanage we visited last year. My mom and I were sad to see that most of our "friends" from last year were not there, however, this is a blessing as they have been adopted! One girl that my mom had befriended last year was still there, and was very glad to see us again. We gave our program again, then had gifts from the church for all of the children. They all received a pair of flip flops, wrapped and with their names on the packages. We also took them ice cream, cookies, and candy.
One little girl followed me around the whole time, hugging me and babbling in Spanish. I played "volleyball" with a circle of kids for a long time, and took a lot of pictures. This orphanage has several kids who are severely special needs, and I sat by their wheelchairs for a while, rambling in Spanish to them, telling them that Jesus loved them, that they were beautiful. One little boy just laughed and laughed and laughed the whole time.
We had quite the adventure tonight! Our group decided to go to a new restaurant tonight, for pizza. We loaded into the motocarros (Motorcars- motorcycle on the front, rickshaw-like passenger seat in back) and took off. My mom, Drake, and I were in one car. After we had been driving for a while, our driver turned around and rattled off something in Spanish that none of us understood. He drove a while longer, then it became apparent that he did not know where he was going. We told him the name of the restaurant, he had not heard of it. He stopped to ask someone for directions, and they told him how to get to two OTHER pizza places in the city-NOT the ones where our team was! Finally, we told him to take us back to the hotel. We were just dialing the cell phone number of one of our translators when Ricardo, the transportation director for our team walked in, rambled something in Spanish (Do you sense a pattern here?), and motioned for us to follow him. A few minutes later, we walked into the restaurant- just as the pizza arrived!
A couple of prayer requests:
-Ben (The Peruvian boy who is officially a member of our team, our good friend from last year) was sick today. He said he feels better now, but pray that he (and all of us) stay healthy for the rest of the time.
-Alysse, Doug and Marilyn's daughter, joins our team tomorrow. Pray that her flight from Lima to Pucallpa will go well, and that our team will embrace her with open arms
-continued nice weather. It has been unseasonably cool here (70's-ish...) for the last few days. It's not supposed to hold, but it would be amazing if it did.
Thank you for your prayers! We love you!
Today was a long, tiring, wonderful day in Peru. After breakfast, we went to the town of Teodoro Binder, where we ministered at Luz Del Mundo Iglesia (Light of the World Church).
Our program was as follows:
Introduction of the team
Spanish songs by the ladies of CEMY
Story from our team (We each have one- Marilyn gave hers this morning and I gave mine in the afternoon)
Another song
Craig's Rubik's cube presentation (He can solve a Cube in under a minute, so we have come up with a presentation about how our lives do not make sense, but God has a plan to solve them... This integrates Craig's unique talent while giving the niños something to watch)
Hot chocolate and rolls for the kids
Play with the kids
This is our program in every village we will visit, only the story changes. After we had given out the hot chocolate in Teodoro Binder, we got to play with the kids. We played lots of volleyball, catch, soccer, etc. I took over 150 pictures... once the children found out that they could see themselves on the camera, they all wanted me to take their pictures.
We went back to CEMY for a delicious lunch (They feed us well here). Today we had sliced boiled potatoes with chicken gravy, boiled egg, olives, and rice. After we had eaten all we could hold, a few of us took siestas on the pews at the church. (My mom...). Craig used the opportunity to build a relationship with one of the construction workers, and I tried to help him with some translation. Craig and I both feel like our Spanish has improved a lot since coming here.
We went to Aldea Infantil San Juan in the afternoon. This is the ophanage we visited last year. My mom and I were sad to see that most of our "friends" from last year were not there, however, this is a blessing as they have been adopted! One girl that my mom had befriended last year was still there, and was very glad to see us again. We gave our program again, then had gifts from the church for all of the children. They all received a pair of flip flops, wrapped and with their names on the packages. We also took them ice cream, cookies, and candy.
One little girl followed me around the whole time, hugging me and babbling in Spanish. I played "volleyball" with a circle of kids for a long time, and took a lot of pictures. This orphanage has several kids who are severely special needs, and I sat by their wheelchairs for a while, rambling in Spanish to them, telling them that Jesus loved them, that they were beautiful. One little boy just laughed and laughed and laughed the whole time.
We had quite the adventure tonight! Our group decided to go to a new restaurant tonight, for pizza. We loaded into the motocarros (Motorcars- motorcycle on the front, rickshaw-like passenger seat in back) and took off. My mom, Drake, and I were in one car. After we had been driving for a while, our driver turned around and rattled off something in Spanish that none of us understood. He drove a while longer, then it became apparent that he did not know where he was going. We told him the name of the restaurant, he had not heard of it. He stopped to ask someone for directions, and they told him how to get to two OTHER pizza places in the city-NOT the ones where our team was! Finally, we told him to take us back to the hotel. We were just dialing the cell phone number of one of our translators when Ricardo, the transportation director for our team walked in, rambled something in Spanish (Do you sense a pattern here?), and motioned for us to follow him. A few minutes later, we walked into the restaurant- just as the pizza arrived!
A couple of prayer requests:
-Ben (The Peruvian boy who is officially a member of our team, our good friend from last year) was sick today. He said he feels better now, but pray that he (and all of us) stay healthy for the rest of the time.
-Alysse, Doug and Marilyn's daughter, joins our team tomorrow. Pray that her flight from Lima to Pucallpa will go well, and that our team will embrace her with open arms
-continued nice weather. It has been unseasonably cool here (70's-ish...) for the last few days. It's not supposed to hold, but it would be amazing if it did.
Thank you for your prayers! We love you!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Update Two
Hola Amigos y Familia!
We are back in the Hostal Arequipa after a long day. We had breakfast at 6:30 this morning, in the hotel.
After breakfast, we boarded the motorcars for the first time this trip! We were at CEMY all day today. CEMY stands for Central Evangelico Missionario de Yarinacocha (Central Evangelical Missionary of Yarinacocha), and is the church we are working with for this trip. All morning, the guys worked on construction. My mom and I had the chance to help out in some of the classrooms at the school attached to the church. We helped with art projects and teaching English.
The ladies of the church made us a delicious lunch- Fried fish, rice, and yuka. (Yuka is the heart of a palm tree)
Today was Pastor Doug's birthday, so the children at the school sang him songs and made him cards.
In the afternoon, we played with some of the kids during recess. The children here are intrigued by our digital cameras, because they can immediately see themselves. I spent quite some time taking picture of kids, then saying "Mira! Es tu" (look! it's you!) and showing them.
There was a group of 5 or 6 girls who followed my mom and I everywhere, asking questions and learning English.
After most of the kids had gone home, we did some work. (Yes, you read that correctly. I, Alyssa, DID, in fact, do manual labor.) We moved a large pile of tiles from a puddle of mud to the pavement. It sounds really wimpy when I say it, but it DID take some work :)
We have been blessed with unseasonably cool weather, and a few rain showers throughout the day. Normally the weather is nearly unbearably hot, but it has been extremely pleasant.
Thank you for your prayers, we will continue to keep you updated.
We are back in the Hostal Arequipa after a long day. We had breakfast at 6:30 this morning, in the hotel.
After breakfast, we boarded the motorcars for the first time this trip! We were at CEMY all day today. CEMY stands for Central Evangelico Missionario de Yarinacocha (Central Evangelical Missionary of Yarinacocha), and is the church we are working with for this trip. All morning, the guys worked on construction. My mom and I had the chance to help out in some of the classrooms at the school attached to the church. We helped with art projects and teaching English.
The ladies of the church made us a delicious lunch- Fried fish, rice, and yuka. (Yuka is the heart of a palm tree)
Today was Pastor Doug's birthday, so the children at the school sang him songs and made him cards.
In the afternoon, we played with some of the kids during recess. The children here are intrigued by our digital cameras, because they can immediately see themselves. I spent quite some time taking picture of kids, then saying "Mira! Es tu" (look! it's you!) and showing them.
There was a group of 5 or 6 girls who followed my mom and I everywhere, asking questions and learning English.
After most of the kids had gone home, we did some work. (Yes, you read that correctly. I, Alyssa, DID, in fact, do manual labor.) We moved a large pile of tiles from a puddle of mud to the pavement. It sounds really wimpy when I say it, but it DID take some work :)
We have been blessed with unseasonably cool weather, and a few rain showers throughout the day. Normally the weather is nearly unbearably hot, but it has been extremely pleasant.
Thank you for your prayers, we will continue to keep you updated.
update one
Hello dear friends and family! We have made it to Pucallpa, Peru, safe and sound.
We flew from Detroit to Atlanta on Wednesday morning, then had lunch and a team meeting in Atlanta. After an hour long weather delay, we flew to Lima, Peru. Exhausted, we sqeezed in just three hours of sleep at the Hostal Happy before heading back to the Lima Airport.
Ben, a young man who we befriended on our last trip (and who has since moved to Lima), met us at the airport with his parents. Words cannot describe the joy we felt upon seeing this dear family again. After bidding Ben's parents "Adios!" we flew from Lima to Pucallpa. This is a beautiful flight, as we fly over top of the Andes Mountains.
Landing in Pucallpa was an experience which, again, words cannot describe. I don't know if I have ever been happier than I was today. As we walked into the airport, we were greeted by several of our dear, dear friends from last year. Abrozos y besas (hugs and kisses) were exchanged all around. We were given a few minutes to get settled in to our hotel, then we went to lunch.
Lunch was at Orlando's, a restaurant we all remembered fondly from last year. Fried bananas, potatoes, and yuca were brought to the table, followed by platters piled with grilled meat. We met our translators for this trip: Betsy, Monica, and Job, and caught up with more old friends.
Lunch was followed by meetings at CEMY church to plan out the rest of this week. Several school children were still at the school, and came quickly to greet us.
Now we have a few minutes to just rest at the hotel before dinner at C'est si Bon.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. We will continue to keep you updated :)
-Alyssa and Ellen
We flew from Detroit to Atlanta on Wednesday morning, then had lunch and a team meeting in Atlanta. After an hour long weather delay, we flew to Lima, Peru. Exhausted, we sqeezed in just three hours of sleep at the Hostal Happy before heading back to the Lima Airport.
Ben, a young man who we befriended on our last trip (and who has since moved to Lima), met us at the airport with his parents. Words cannot describe the joy we felt upon seeing this dear family again. After bidding Ben's parents "Adios!" we flew from Lima to Pucallpa. This is a beautiful flight, as we fly over top of the Andes Mountains.
Landing in Pucallpa was an experience which, again, words cannot describe. I don't know if I have ever been happier than I was today. As we walked into the airport, we were greeted by several of our dear, dear friends from last year. Abrozos y besas (hugs and kisses) were exchanged all around. We were given a few minutes to get settled in to our hotel, then we went to lunch.
Lunch was at Orlando's, a restaurant we all remembered fondly from last year. Fried bananas, potatoes, and yuca were brought to the table, followed by platters piled with grilled meat. We met our translators for this trip: Betsy, Monica, and Job, and caught up with more old friends.
Lunch was followed by meetings at CEMY church to plan out the rest of this week. Several school children were still at the school, and came quickly to greet us.
Now we have a few minutes to just rest at the hotel before dinner at C'est si Bon.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. We will continue to keep you updated :)
-Alyssa and Ellen
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Overwhelming Excitement
In less than 24 hours, my mom and I will be boarding a plane ultimately bound for Pucallpa, Peru. We will fly from Detroit to Atlanta, Atlanta to Lima. After spending a night at the Hostal Happy in Lima, we will fly on Star Peru Airline to Pucallpa.
Last year, everything was so new, so unfamiliar. I felt culture-shocked and stunned as I stepped out of customs in Lima, into the room FULL of people. I stood by shyly in Pucallpa while Doug and Marilyn hugged the many people who had come to greet us.
By the end of the week, though, I was less than shy. These people were my dear friends. The strings of my heart had been tied to Pucallpa, and I wept as I hugged them goodbye.
"I'll see you in Heaven someday," I repeated over and over through my tears. "When Jesus comes back, we will be reunited."
Now, a year later, I'm preparing to see my dear friends again. Ben will join us in Lima, and be a part of our team for the duration of the trip. In Pucallpa, we will be greeted by Ruth, Pastor Carlos, Daniel, and Zaida. Last year, I had only read these names in emails. This year, I can picture each person as I write about them. I can hear their voices, see their smiles.
I told Kelly, "I have to go back to Peru. I left a piece of my heart there, I have to go get it." He laughed and told me that he didn't think I'd be bringing it back with me. He figures I'll leave some more there, and have to go back again and again.
For now, though, I'm going back this year. I didn't think I would see my dear friends until Heaven, and I'll see them in just a couple of days.
Thank you for your prayers. We will keep you updated throughout the trip!
Last year, everything was so new, so unfamiliar. I felt culture-shocked and stunned as I stepped out of customs in Lima, into the room FULL of people. I stood by shyly in Pucallpa while Doug and Marilyn hugged the many people who had come to greet us.
By the end of the week, though, I was less than shy. These people were my dear friends. The strings of my heart had been tied to Pucallpa, and I wept as I hugged them goodbye.
"I'll see you in Heaven someday," I repeated over and over through my tears. "When Jesus comes back, we will be reunited."
Now, a year later, I'm preparing to see my dear friends again. Ben will join us in Lima, and be a part of our team for the duration of the trip. In Pucallpa, we will be greeted by Ruth, Pastor Carlos, Daniel, and Zaida. Last year, I had only read these names in emails. This year, I can picture each person as I write about them. I can hear their voices, see their smiles.
I told Kelly, "I have to go back to Peru. I left a piece of my heart there, I have to go get it." He laughed and told me that he didn't think I'd be bringing it back with me. He figures I'll leave some more there, and have to go back again and again.
For now, though, I'm going back this year. I didn't think I would see my dear friends until Heaven, and I'll see them in just a couple of days.
Thank you for your prayers. We will keep you updated throughout the trip!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
This summer is going to be huge and busy for me. In nine days, the Sister Lakes team (including my mom and I) leaves for Pucallpa, Peru. We will be there June 10-20. While in Pucallpa, my mom and I will be ministering as part of a village team. We'll go to villages near Pucallpa and tell Bible stories and sing songs with the kids. We'll also be helping the construction team at least one day.
This trip costs us about $2000 each, and we currently have only around half of our support. Please pray with us that it comes in. My mom has been blessed with a teaching job this year that will cover what support we don't raise, but we would love to raise as much of our core support as possible. IF you are interested in helping us with this, you can make out a check to "Sister Lakes Community Church," with "Ellen and Alyssa Hobson- Peru Trip" in the memo line. Then, send said check to:
Sister Lakes Community Church
67119 State Route 152
Dowagiac, MI 49047
But even more importantly, we need your prayer. Please consider praying for us while we are on this trip. I know God is going to move in HUGE ways, and our prayer team is a huge part of that.
If you want to get email updates from us while we're in Peru, feel free to leave your email address as a comment on this note. Updates will also be posted on a blog: www.alyssaperu2009.blogspot.com
This brings me to PART TWO of my huge and busy summer! For the first time, I will be serving on staff at Hiawatha Youth Camp. I will be there from June 24-August 8. I am incredibly, incredibly excited for this. For years, the Hiawatha staff has ministered to me each summer and helped to make me who I am. The fact that I get to be a part of that is absolutely mind-blowing to me.
I would absolutely LOVE it if you would write me letters while I'm at Hiawatha! Letters, packages, pictures, cookies, etc... all are welcomed with open arms :D. Aaandd, I WILL write back!
The address is:
Alyssa Hobson
c/o Hiawatha Youth Camp
Piatt Lake
Eckerman, MI 49728
In closing (I'm a debater, what can I say?), I'd like to please ask you to pray for me this summer.
Pray specifically for:
This trip costs us about $2000 each, and we currently have only around half of our support. Please pray with us that it comes in. My mom has been blessed with a teaching job this year that will cover what support we don't raise, but we would love to raise as much of our core support as possible. IF you are interested in helping us with this, you can make out a check to "Sister Lakes Community Church," with "Ellen and Alyssa Hobson- Peru Trip" in the memo line. Then, send said check to:
Sister Lakes Community Church
67119 State Route 152
Dowagiac, MI 49047
But even more importantly, we need your prayer. Please consider praying for us while we are on this trip. I know God is going to move in HUGE ways, and our prayer team is a huge part of that.
If you want to get email updates from us while we're in Peru, feel free to leave your email address as a comment on this note. Updates will also be posted on a blog: www.alyssaperu2009.blogspo
This brings me to PART TWO of my huge and busy summer! For the first time, I will be serving on staff at Hiawatha Youth Camp. I will be there from June 24-August 8. I am incredibly, incredibly excited for this. For years, the Hiawatha staff has ministered to me each summer and helped to make me who I am. The fact that I get to be a part of that is absolutely mind-blowing to me.
I would absolutely LOVE it if you would write me letters while I'm at Hiawatha! Letters, packages, pictures, cookies, etc... all are welcomed with open arms :D. Aaandd, I WILL write back!
The address is:
Alyssa Hobson
c/o Hiawatha Youth Camp
Piatt Lake
Eckerman, MI 49728
In closing (I'm a debater, what can I say?), I'd like to please ask you to pray for me this summer.
Pray specifically for:
- Unity amongst our Peru team
- Safe travel to, from, and in Peru
- A smooth transition from Peru to Hiawatha- I'll have 3 days to repack
- Good dynamics between the staff; that we would remember that we are FIRST and FOREMOST there to serve God and the campers.
- The campers who will be attending Hiawatha
An adorable boy in the Peruvian village of Zapotillo.
Summer Scenes from Hiawatha :)
Monday, May 25, 2009
15 Days and Counting
At this time in fifteen days, I will be in an airplane on the way to Peru.
We're meeting Ben in Lima (!!!) and getting on another plane to Pucallpa.
I'll be updating daily from said Pucallpa- we have internet in our hostal. (La Hostal Arequipa)
We're meeting Ben in Lima (!!!) and getting on another plane to Pucallpa.
I'll be updating daily from said Pucallpa- we have internet in our hostal. (La Hostal Arequipa)
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