Word on The Streets

It's a Boy!

2009-06-30T13:56:00.002-06:00

After over 48 hours of labor, Yoly gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this morning. We’re excited to get back to Yurimaguas and see him. She had a couple of rough days and they eventually delivered him by C section. We praise God for a safe delivery and that they are both healthy.

July 2 Update - At birth Jhon Alexander was 53 cm (20.8 inches) and weighed 3.45 kilos (7.6 pounds)

Integrity Fellowship Team

2009-06-30T13:54:00.000-06:00

We have just finished with another great team here in Yurimaguas. Chad Fife and Brad Scott from Integrity Fellowship Church in Wayne, Michigan led a team of 10 youth and young adults who are youth camp leaders. They have been “doing” youth camps in Michigan for 20 years and have it down to a science. Chad and Brad have been coordinating with Susan over the past several months to bring the camp experience to the farm with the idea of introducing it to some of the Chayahuita youth. The mere idea is pretty radical, because they are not only introducing something completely different than the Chayahuita (as well as the mestizo Peruvians) have ever experienced, but to do so also requires crossing over not just one, but two cultural barriers.

There was some concern initially that the Chayahuita tend to be a bit stoic and stand-offish. Nobody was sure how they would react to situations where they would be asked to step out of their comfort zone and interact with others in close quarters. After all of the smoke cleared, I think that everybody involved agreed that the week was an incredible success. The Chayahuita youth participated beyond anyone’s expectation and really seemed to enjoy every part of the experience.

It is the hope of us all that the Chayahuita youth will take this idea and incorporate it into the local churches in their communities. Chad, Brad and their whole team are already planning for a follow-up trip in the future.

Thanks much to the Integrity Fellowship Team for blessing us with your presence!

Congratulations, Mariliana!

2009-06-20T13:29:00.000-06:00

We were pleasantly surprised this week to receive an e-mail (several actually) from Rahab Foundation in Costa Rica. As many will remember, we volunteered some time with them during our time in Costa Rica, and became friends with the founder and director Mariliana Morales, and her family. Well, this week Mariliana was one of seven people worldwide who were recognized by the Obama administration for their work against human trafficking. Mariliana was invited to Washington, where she met with Secretary of State Clinton, and was able to address the audience. Go to http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/06/124872.htm for a transcript of the presentation, as well as to view a video, that reportedly has Mariliana speaking (we wouldn’t know, because we are still in the land of dialup internet access).
Congratulations to Mariliana and the entire Rahab Team!

End of the Strike

2009-06-19T17:34:00.000-06:00

Praise God! It looks like it is a done deal finally. Yesterday the Peruvian Congress voted to overturn the laws that were being used to take away land and water rights from the Indians. Today at noon the strike was lifted and the roads were reopened. The natives are planning to head back to their villages tomorrow, but not until they have a big party in the square tonight. It may be a sleepless one for us!

We are going forward with our plans to bring in the team next week. Susan leaves early tomorrow morning for Lima, and Ginnie is busy on a shopping spree, buying food for them.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers over this situation – Once again, God has opened the doors for the faithful!

A Trip to the Picket Line

2009-06-18T14:52:00.002-06:00

Today we were offered a different view of the strike – From inside the picket line. Last night Susan called to say that the pastor of a local church has been given permission to come in and pass out Bibles to the strikers just outside the city and wanted to use her truck to move them. Another of the pastors in the church is a member of the Gideon Society, and has 30,000 bibles in a storeroom of the church. Then Susan got the idea to hold a campaign in conjunction, to pass out pills to fight intestinal parasites. These campaigns are an integral part of most of the teams that come here and are welcome in the communities, as many of the children (and adults) are infested with parasites.

So we loaded up the truck with boxes of bibles and pills, and headed toward the picket line. It was a bit hairy getting through, as there were lines of vehicles (mostly 18 wheelers) waiting to move people and cargo in both directions. There was a very strong police presence, but everybody was in good humor and welcomed us warmly. There was evidence of a lot of people temporarily living along the road (estimates have gone as high as 8,000 people from the Indian villages are in the area).

After unloading and getting set up, Pastor Isael preached a short message and prayed, then the folks from the church passed out about 5,500 Bibles and the medical folks did the pill campaign. Additionally, there were more medical folks with the Ministry of Health (who have been working here through the strike) who came and did a basic health clinic.

The ironic part of this is that Susan said during the first strike in April, that she would like to go out and do a pill campaign at the picket line. She saw it is an opportunity to minister to people from the communities, without traveling up river. She was told that the Ministry of Health was out here doing their thing and that it really wasn’t needed. Today she realized that, although the folks from the Ministry of Health have been out here, they haven’t had any medicines to give to the people – Medicines that are available at the Hogar from previous teams, that could have been used with the people who need them. Lesson learned!

Preparing for Another Team

2009-06-16T14:50:00.000-06:00

In the past few weeks we have been making preparations for another team here in Yurimaguas. They will arrive on the 24th and we will be taking them to the finca – at least that is the plan! We are still in the midst of the strike (for over a month now) and have been struggling with the decision whether to bring them in or not. Although the demonstrations haven’t been violent, and we have not felt the least bit threatened, to bring in a large group of gringos just makes us a bit uneasy.

The team consists of a group of 12 adults and teens, who have a lot of experience running youth camps in Michigan. The plan is that they are going to come in and present a three-day camp for about 30 Christian Chayahuita youth, who are coming in from the surrounding communities. The farm will be the perfect setting, as it allows that the space to live, eat and worship together in a wonderful, natural setting while giving the team an introduction to the work and the ministry of the farm.

The team has scheduled a variety of activities throughout each day, and at night there will be preaching and teaching by Pastor Alex Cotrina from Lima. Pastor Alex is a Peruvian pastor who we met on our first trip here last year. He is a dynamic and energetic pastor who Susan has been working with since she has been in Peru. He is pretty much the face of MV in Lima and oversees many of the ministries there. He pastors numerous churches and has a passion for young people.

We are praying for a fun-filled, Spirit-filled three days for the youth and a great jungle experience for the team from Michigan. And we continue to pray for a peaceful, equitable end to the strike …

Comida Típica

2009-06-13T19:51:00.001-06:00

This week Hugo (the agronomist at the farm) and I were talking about the food of the region, or “comida típica. (See our post of March 15 for a description of some regional cuisine.) He was asking if I had tried several different things. He asked me if I would like to try 2 dishes – Juane and Tacacho. Having had his wife’s cooking before, I jumped at the chance to try some more. A couple of weeks ago, Hugo and Betsy held a fundraiser for their house. Their’s, along with those of seven neighbors burned down a little over a year ago. At the fundraiser, Betsy had prepared ceviche and chicharrón, both of which were to die for. Ceviche must be the national dish of Peru. It is fish and seafood “cooked” in lime juice. Really it isn’t cooked at all, but the acid in the juice naturally “cooks” the meat. Chicharrón is fried meat – in this case fish. Both were delicious. So, when I was offered the opportunity to try something else, I jumped at the chance.
The Juane, is a combination of chicken, rice, hard-boiled egg and an olive. It is all cooked and then formed into a ball the size of a baseball, wrapped in large leaves and then cooked (I think probably placed in a pan of boiling water and covered). The other dish was tacacho, which is seasoned plantain, formed into a ball and grilled. Both were awesome! Now I’m waiting for the next meal!

Surrender?

2009-06-07T10:24:00.001-06:00

Today marks the 26th day of the labor strike here in Yurimaguas. Each day brings a new set of rumors about how long it will last, and the next day the rumors change. We were saddened this week to hear that the strike has escalated in some parts of the country. Friday there was a clash between protesters and police, resulting in deaths on both sides. We pray that this won’t increase, but will be a wakeup call to all those involved that it has gone too far.

For the most part, we have been unaffected, except for the shortages of fresh fruits and vegetables in the market, and some foodstuffs in the grocery stores. We can still get the things that are grown locally, but anything that comes by river or road, is unavailable, as both those means of transportation remained closed.

For the most part, there hasn’t been a large presence of protesters on the streets in a couple of weeks either. On occasion, we see a march of protesters through the streets, but it is peaceful and doesn’t last long.

We have learned a little bit more about the causes of the strike, and it all relates to land rights of the indigenous people, and broken promises made by the federal government. Sounds familiar, huh? Apparently the money and political clout of big business has trumped the wants and needs of the people who rely on the land for their livelihood. Three years ago, the indigenous communities were promised a voice in any land deals. Now it seems that there have been back-room deals to sell the land, without inviting all of the players to the table. Worse is the rumor that the politician, who is the elected representative of this area, is one of the buyers!

This evening, as we walked through town after dark, we saw a sign that people are getting tired of the standoff. Over the doors of several shops and government buildings, was a simple white flag, suggesting that maybe the people are ready to give up.

Motorycles

2009-05-24T12:38:00.002-06:00

You would think that living in a city where there are virtually no cars, only motorcycles would make anyone with “Biker Blood” happy – But it’s not quite that way here. There are some serious cultural differences between riding a Harley on the highways and byways of the US and riding a 125cc bike, whose name you can’t recognize, let alone pronounce on the crowded, noisy streets of Yurimaguas.

The size of the motor is the first problem. The largest bike that I have seen here is 175cc, and that size is reserved for the long-haul bikes that run between Yurimaguas and Munichis (14 km). Most everything else is 125 cc. It’s just too wasteful to run around town with that kind of power.

The brand names of the bikes are interesting as well. Here is a list of those that I saw on a recent trip across town – Roughly listed in order of most prevalent to least:
Zongshen, Mavila, Sumoto, Lifan, Wanxin, Honda, Motokar, Yamaha, C&C, Kingmax, Rochakar and Lingken. And there are others as well! I have yet to see a Harley (although we saw a group of Harley riders in Lima, frantically trying to make a left turn across traffic before being killed).
The other thing that is quite interesting is the number of people that you see on a single bike. The maximum that I have seen is a family of 5 (remember that we are still talking about a 125cc bike). Since nobody drives a car here, the motorcycle is how the family gets around. It is routine to see a dad, mom and infant, or toddler on the bike. The toddlers are especially fond of riding on the tank in front of the adult (I guess maybe its easier to hold on to them as well?) I have seen exactly three people wearing helmets (must be tourists), and have yet to see an accident. Praise God.

A Slight Reprieve

2009-05-23T12:37:00.000-06:00

This morning (the 11th day of the strike), we awoke early to try to get into town and buy some fruits and veggies. Since the strike started, there have been some opportunities to buy foodstuffs, but only early in the morning, and at very few locations. As we walked into town, we were amazed to find the streets FULL of people, motorcars, vendors, even the majority of the retail stores were clearly open and doing business! We went into the market area, and were able to find some much-needed fruit and a few veggies. On the way home, we stopped at one of the grocery stores that we frequent. The proprietor said that there was a reprieve until noon today, then the strike will resume. It was interesting to see the faces of people on the streets and in the market. They seemed happy to be out and able to have their old routine, if even for a few short hours. The other faces that were evident on the street were those of the protesters. They were obvious, as they were normally 3 or 4 men together, walking without a purpose – just waiting. Most of these folks aren’t from Yurimaguas, but have been brought in from the villages along the rivers. They are staying on the street, and have no place to go, until the strike starts back up. Then they will reconstruct their road blocks, reform in their lines to block traffic and generally be a nuisance to the Yurimagueños.

In the meantime what a blessing it is, for the people to be able to restock their shelves a little and do some much-needed business in town. Praise God that we have food in our cupboards once again! In a way, we see it as a blessing, and in a way not. To us, it clearly sends the message that the strike is nowhere near over, but will probably continue on for another period of days. Keep up your prayers!

Photo of the Day

2009-05-20T12:36:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are following our daily photo, we apologize. The internet café that we have been using isn’t allowing us to upload photos through that site. Therefore, we have a backlog into April. We are still shooting photos, and will upload them as soon as we get a chance

Strike

2009-05-17T10:11:00.000-06:00

We can’t seem to make up our minds here. Wednesday morning (13th) we awoke to another strike. Apparently the strike leaders decided that it was that time again. Things have been a bit different this time though. Last time, the streets were blocked with trees and rubbish – making movement through the streets all but impossible, except on foot. The protesters were slashing the tires of anyone who tried to drive motorcars, motorcycles or cars through the streets. This time there are very few roadblocks, and no large groups of protesters on the corners. Vehicle traffic is seriously reduced in the streets, but not stopped. Also, there are several more stores that are “open”. The doors are closed, but there are a lot of people going in and out – We have been to the internet café several times to send and receive mail without problems. We pray for a quick and equitable resolution, so that life can get back to normal. In the meantime, we continue to do what we can!

No Strike!

2009-05-01T10:10:00.000-06:00

We awoke this morning to the sound of Motocars in the streets and as we went into town, found most shops to be open. There were some closed, but that was due to the national holiday (Labor Day) not the strike. Not sure when or if it will restart, but for now we are happy!

Back Home

2009-04-26T09:42:00.000-06:00

We arrived back home this afternoon after a lovely drive back from Tarapoto. Everything in Yurimaguas seems to be back in order, at least for the time being. The strike leaders are threatening to reinstate the strike at the end of the month if their demands aren’t met – And it doesn’t look promising.

On the way back, we stopped to see a pastor who Susan has worked with in the past, and who loves between Tarapoto and Yurimaguas. He and his family greeted us warmly and we stayed and visited with them for a while. Before we left, he asked us to take some fresh fruit that had come from a family member’s property. We agreed, and he rolled out a WHEELBARROW FULL of grapefruit. It is the sweetest, juiciest and most delicious grapefruit that I have ever had. He also grabbed a stick and knocked 9 or 10 coconuts out of the tree in his front yard for us. Ginnie and I broke one open, drank the water and then Ginnie harvested the fruit for some baking project down the road.

We never cease to be amazed by the generosity of the people whom we come to serve. We often think that we come to their country with something to give them, and then we are reminded about Who is the giver of all good things.

Strike Ended

2009-04-24T12:49:00.000-06:00

We received word today that the strike ended in Yurimaguas yesterday. Woo Hoo! We’re still going to stay in Tarapoto until Sunday when Susan returns from Lima, and then we’ll head back. The downside is that the strike organizers are only giving until the end of the month for their demands to be fully met, before they will reinstate it once again. Pray for wisdom on everyone’s part!

The Great Escape

2009-04-21T10:51:00.000-06:00

After a great time with the Canadian medical team, today we had the pleasure of getting them out of town, through the picket lines. The movement of the team has been an ever-present issue on Susan’s mind since the strike was called. She and some of the Hogar staff have worked tirelessly for weeks to ensure that the team would have safe passage in and out of town, as well as up the river and back. To complicate the issue, parts of the team have arrived, and are leaving at different times and we have had to work through the logistics each time. Up to the last minute, the plans have changed, as the strike leaders have been less than sympathetic to our needs. Promises were made, and then retracted. Susan has negotiated with the police, strike leaders, hospital personnel, tour bus companies, airline agents and God to try to consider every possibility and contingency.
In the end, we loaded all of the team’s baggage in the back of Susan’s pickup truck, along with six people in the cab. The remaining 12 loaded up in a national police pickup truck, which led us through 5 or 6 road blocks and picketers, until we got outside of the strike zone. On the other side, we were met by two minivans, onto which we loaded up the team members from the police vehicle and made the journey across the mountains. In the chaos, the medical team missed their flight out of Tarapoto, but was booked on a later flight in order to arrive in Lima in time for another day of clinics there. Meanwhile Ginnie and I will remain in Tarapoto with the remainder of the team, who will leave out tomorrow.
Thank God that we were able to get out of Yurimaguas on time and with minimal problems. Throughout this team’s visit, God has opened doors that seemed closed and allowed them to do the work that they were sent to do. Meanwhile, Ginnie and I will wait in Tarapoto for Susan to return on Saturday. If the strike has not ended, we will remain here until it does.

A Trip Up The Paranapura and Life at The Hogar

2009-04-20T10:49:00.000-06:00

I’m (Jim) back from a great 4 day trip up the Paranapura River. 13 of us left on Thursday in the middle of the strike and traveled in two boats about 4 hours to the village of Centro America. Once there, we set up tents, sent the cooks to the kitchen, and then after lunch we crossed over to another village for an afternoon medical clinic. The medical team consists of several nurses, a doctor, a Peruvian obstetrician, a translator, 2 cooks, another man that traveled with the med team to help, Susan and me. That first afternoon, we saw about 75 patients, including a woman who was so weak that she couldn’t make it to the clinic. The doctor and several nurses saw her at home, and decided that she needed to be transported to the local health post for the night. They gave her some IV meds and she stayed overnight.
In the morning, they decided to make arrangements to send the woman to the hospital in Yurimaguas. Meanwhile we set up a clinic in Centro America and saw about 150 patients throughout the day. They had called for, and were waiting for a boat to transport the woman to Yurimaguas. Finally they decided to send her on one of our boats, with assurance that the boat would return by the end of the day. 15 minutes after the boat left, the other arrived with the Peruvian doctor who was going to accompany her. So, we employed the doctor throughout the day and she was able to take some of the load off of the other doc. I spent the day translating for a nurse working triage, and seemed to do pretty well with it.
Our accommodations were decent. We brought tents and bedrolls and were allowed to set up camp inside the school building. The school had concrete floors, so at least it was dry and level. There was no running water or electricity in the village. Bathroom facilities were pretty “rustic”.
The following morning, we packed up the medicines and the team and headed up river another 45 minutes to another village. The village of Fray Martín was a gorgeous village that sits on the banks overlooking the Paranapura. We saw about 200 people, and had a successful clinic there. It was so successful, that we finished on Saturday and didn’t have to return on Sunday as we had planned. We returned back to Centro America after dark (it was an interesting journey on the river at night).
Sunday morning, we awoke, and broke camp. After breakfast we loaded up and headed back to Yurimaguas ahead of schedule. On the way, Gema, our cook asked if we could stop for a few minutes in her village in order to have the doctor take a look at her elderly mother. Gema, the doc and a couple of nurses headed up and found not only Gema’s mother, but her 98 year old grandfather as well. They were able to give her some medications before we left. The next issue was to figure out how we were going to get back into town. Although we had “permission” to reenter town, crossing the picket lines with a large group of gringos and luggage didn’t seem like fun. When we got to town, we passed the port and landed at the Coast Guard station. The boat company had made arrangements for us to land in this secure location. What a blessing. Not only is the location closer to the Hogar, than the port would have been, we also had the help of Coast Guard people to help us lug bags up to the street!
The following day, with the strike still in full-force, we conducted one last clinic at the Hogar and were able to reach some of the people that live in our community as well. This week has been a great opportunity to see how the logistics of teams works. It was a blessing to work with some great medical professionals as well as to be able to get into the villages of the Peruvian jungle that Susan has been working in for years.

Meanwhile, back at the Hogar Ginnie was working with the remaining team members and the Hogar staff. The day the river team left they continued trying to purchase groceries for the Hogar group which included finding the ingredients to have a friend of the Hogar staff bake a birthday cake. Even before the river team left they struggled with trying to put together the needed groceries for the trip by knocking on the closed doors of store owners in hopes of getting all that was needed. God was faithful and there were plenty provisions. That evening Ginnie became sick with an intestinal infection and was driven part way home on a motorcycle and that was the last time the motorcycle was able to move around the streets. The next day, still sick, Ginnie tried to call to let the team know she couldn’t make it to the Hogar but phone service was disconnected and the cell phone didn’t have minutes. So she walked to the Hogar sick, got a painting project in the pharmacy started and a project to organize one the storage units. From there the Hogar team was on autopilot and Ginnie returned home to rest. The next day she was better and projects continued around the Hogar. As the strike continued the concern for enough food heightened but amazingly there was always enough with the exception of vegetables. We were so very thankful that Juan (a friend who does lots of work at the Hogar) had remained at the Hogar. He had tried to go to the Finca but couldn’t because of the strike and as a result was there to provide escort back to the hotel, help with finding food and carrying water bottles across town, as well as help with a plethora of other little things around the Hogar. The Hogar team was awesome and a blessing to the staff there during the strike. They not only did some much-needed work around the house, they were also able to help with the kids who weren’t able to go to school during the strike.

Huelga

2009-04-13T17:40:00.000-06:00

Well, the anticipated strike, or “huelga” has happened. There has been talk about it for several days and depending on who you talk to you get different stories. The strike has been called by the syndicate leaders, but there seems to be limited support. Today there has been an increased police presence, as well as marching protestors (from both sides of the strike).

When they strike here, it affects everything. It seems that most every industry is unionized and therefore when one faction strikes, they all support it. Or not. In the days leading up to this, Ginnie has been told by several of the shop keepers where she shops, that if she needs something, to just knock on the door and they will let her in. Several of the stores were open, defying the protesters on the street. All day today there have been groups of moto-car drivers opening defying the strike as they drive around town.

For us, it is putting a crimp on our medical team. We are trying to figure out if we can go up river, and how we are going to do it if we decide to. The first issue is how we get the doctor who is flying into Tarapoto on Wednesday. After that, we would have to get all of our supplies to the port, t we need a boat and driver who is willing to cross the lines, as well as gasoline for the boat, etc.

Meanwhile, the team is working around the hogar with lots of projects and doing the planned in-service teaching to the local nurses. We are talking about doing clinics in the hogar if we can’t go up river, and discussing every other option available to us. We’ll keep you posted …

Medical Team

2009-04-11T17:39:00.000-06:00

Today we are welcoming a medical team that has come from Canada to work. The Team Leader Pat Carlson has been bringing teams here for several years and they are eager to get up into some of the villages to minister to the people.

It has been good for us to work alongside Susan as she has planned for this team, as there have been a multitude of details that seem to be ever-changing. The legwork and pre-planning is probably harder than the actual time that the team is here. And there have been issues with this team that have increased the planning necessary, and it has been good for us to experience the various aspects.

Actually, we welcomed two members of the team two weeks ago. Martha and Lily have been here working in the Hogar on several projects. They will continue to work here in town, along with a few others while the rest heads up river into the villages.

Pat is a nurse, as are several on the team, and she has struggled to get a doctor to join them. Finally they have found one, but he cannot arrive until the middle of next week. Therefore the team is staying here in town until he arrives. The nurses could still work in the villages without a doctor, but on a limited basis. In the meantime, they are planning to do some teaching in the local hospital. One of the team members teaches neo-natal care and is looking forward to sharing with the nurses here in the hospital.

Then there has been the issue of where to go and what to do. There are certain villages that Susan and Pat’s team have worked with in the past and they would like to do some follow-up work there, but there are logistic issues that have reared and are becoming a problem. It seems that is a good chance of a “strike” here in Yurimaguas as well as in the Indian villages, as they are battling with the government over land rights. There have been threats of a strike, but we’re not sure of where, when or for how long.

In the meantime, we are inventorying camping gear and doing what we can to prepare ourselves to go. It looks like if all goes well, we will be working in the villages for 3 or 4 days with a team of 11 people. We’ll go in by boat, carrying with us everything that we need from medications to tents, food and water. Pray for safe travels, and we’ll post an update when we get back!

Things That We Miss

2009-04-08T16:00:00.000-06:00

Not to be complaining, but after being here for a while, we are starting to miss some of the simple pleasures of life. I know – You are saying “That was your decision” or “You made your bed, now sleep in it”. No, we’re completely content with our decision to come to Peru and work – but we can still dream about some of the things that we miss!
· Friends and Family
· High speed internet
· Hot water. After the heat of the day, a cold shower doesn’t feel bad, but a hot shower would be nice once in a while.
· Garden – One thing that we had hoped for here, was a little bit of green in our yard, where Ginnie could dig. Instead we have to go to the finca once in a while.
· Silence – There was none in Costa Rica, and there isn’t any here.
· Velveeta Cheese – What more can I say?
· Red licorice whips
· Parmesan Cheese
· Privacy – We share our house with others – We don’t see much of them, but we hear EVERYTHING that they do
· Super Wal-Mart – There is something to be said for one-stop-shopping.
· Washing machine and clothes dryer
· Perkins restaurant
· Salad dressing
We have really started to appreciate the little things in life. It is amazing the simple blessings that we have taken for granted for so long.

Nancy

2009-04-03T09:30:00.001-06:00

When we arrived here in February, there was a little two year-old girl named Nancy who was at the Hogar. Nancy had been brought in by her parents as an emaciated, malnourished little tot, who had no energy, could not walk, and was very lethargic. She would sit all day with a blank look on her face - she would barely respond to sounds or touches and was overall distant in her disposition. Yoly had been fighting to convince the parents to leave her at the Hogar for a while, but the parents wanted to take her home. Eventually Yoly won out and Nancy stayed and has been nursed back to health. The difference that was made in a few short weeks is nothing short of remarkable. Today Nancy is running through the Hogar, playing with the other kids, reaching out to anyone who will lift her up and hold her. She is talking, eating and is just another happy little girl. She has touched our hearts and we are blessed to see what a little love and a little food can do in the life of a child. Our hope and prayer is that now Yoly can pass that along to Nancy’s parents, and that they can be taught how to better care for their children in order that they can grow to be as healthy as Nancy is now.

This is the fight that the Hogar staff is constantly battling here. In order to make a lasting change, people need to be educated and encouraged to give the care that these little ones need. Unfortunately, poverty and ignorance work together against their efforts. Many times these families have too many children, and the parents are willing to sacrifice one or two for the good of the rest. When these families are living in such poverty, something as basic as daily milk for the children is a luxury that cannot be provided.

Fumigation

2009-04-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

Today we were blessed once again with The Fumigation. Twice since arriving here we have had the pleasure of a knock at the door informing us that our house was going to be fumigated. You get about 2 minutes notice, before a guy with what looks like a gas-powered leaf blower belching smoke, steps into your house and FILLS the house with smoke. It is the rainy season here and this is all part of the process to reduce yellow and dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors, because for the next 45 minutes, you sit outside and wait for the smoke to clear. The smell is reminiscent of the lethal concoction that they sprayed at Boy Scout camp just before the big bonfire on Saturday night.

All kidding aside, we feel blessed that the health department is proactive enough to take these steps. I didn’t expect that they would be go to this extent, this far away from a large population center. Apparently this continues through the rainy season, in an attempt to keep the community healthy. In the meantime, we’ll grab our stools, and head out to the porch for a visit with the neighbors.

Shoeshine?

2009-03-27T17:17:00.003-06:00

We’re in Tarapoto today to pick up some team members who are flying in from Canada. We were down at the town plaza this morning and a couple of the kids who do shoeshines kept pestering us for a “shine”. I was wearing leather and web hiking shoes and Ginnie was wearing her crocs – rubber shoes! Ginnie decided to be kind and to help out the lad, so she got her rubber shoes polished – Actually only wiped them down with some oil. When he tried to put shoe polish on them, she made her escape. It was a fun way to spend time with a young person from another culture

A Trip to the Doctor

2009-03-26T16:59:00.000-06:00

We have both had the opportunity to visit the doctor since arriving here – Nothing too serious, but enough to get us, who avoid doctors at all costs, to take the plunge. The good news is that the experience wasn’t completely bad! Neither doctor had a stick through his nose, nor was he chanting while he sprinkled us with smoking embers to ward off evil spirits. The amazing thing is the price – Ginnie was seen by the doctor, had labwork done and got a prescription all for less than 10 dollars. Jim was seen by the doctor for free, as a favor to a friend of ours, and was able to get antibiotic treatments for less than $2.00 each.

We were worried about the processing of insurance forms, but at this price the postage would be more than the treatments!

English and Computer Classes

2009-03-22T08:06:00.000-06:00

We are in the thick of teaching here. We have been asked to teach English and computer classes to some of the staff of the Hogar and the Finca. On Wednesday nights, we go to the Hogar, where Ginnie is teaching beginning English to 3 ladies and Jim is teaching a man and woman who are quite a bit more advanced. On Thursday nights there are three others who are coming to our house. They are all beginning learners. We do an hour of language, then an hour of computer classes with them. Ginnie is also teaching one-on-one computer classes to two ladies at the Hogar during the week. They both have some skills, and she is working with them on the projects that they are doing, in order to help them learn a bit more. And we are also helping one of the other guys here at our house for an hour each week with some of his projects. We are blessed to have had the opportunity to teach the English classes while we were in Costa Rica and gain a little bit of experience, as well as collect some materials that we are able to utilize here.