We’re Home!

Thanks to all of you who follow us on our adventure to Trujillo! It was an amazing trip and one that you need to consider going on next year. As one of the participants said during the trip, “I have learned that any of us can do a mission like this!”

Thanks again!

@ Lima Airport

We are at the Lima Airport getting ready to eat a late dinner. Our plane leaves Lima @ 11:50pm and we should be back in PHX in the early afternoon tomorrow Lord willing.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers! Everyone is healthy and in good spirits.

Jenny’s Post…

Jenny’s Blog Post
This trip has been a truly amazing experience and it could not have ended on a better note. We have gone through so many trials both emotionally and physically so this day of rest was well deserved. We got up early and went to the Sunday service at Port Venir church. It was a short and sweet 2 hours and 45 minutes of praising Jesus in espanol. Nobody really knew what was going on but it was still nice to see a service for a completely different culture. Other than the language difference and the significantly less wealthy facilities it was the same service we would have at Journey. Port Venir is one of the churches that has been working with us through the trip so it was awesome to go into service and recognize some members of the congrgation. One girl I saw right when i walked in came up and gave me a kiss n the cheek (that is the way women greet each other in Peru). SHe knew me because last night the Port Venir church let us join in with them in their cell groups which is their version of small groups. Kevin and I took a taxi to her cell group and it was all teenagers and it was so fun. THey were all so happy to have us and it was way different than any small group Ive been to in America. THey sang and played some cheesy games but it was an awesome time. They seemed to have a lot more passion and enthusiasm than we typically do in America. Another guy I recognized at the church service was Adrien and he was the one I met on our first day in Peru when we were all given the opportunity to have lunch with a member of the church. Adrien took us to a Peruvian restaurant and gave us ceviche which is a typical seafood meal in peru. Its alot of chile alot of lime and a TON of raw fish. It was different than anything I ever had but it was pretty good. After lunch he took us to his home and gave me a hand made purse! He was so welcoming and even though we had a difficult time communicating because of the language barrier I could see that he was a truly nice person. It was also in front of this church that we found Consuela the churro lady. She has a tiny little stand she works with her daughter but she makes literally the best churro Ive ever eaten. However I haven’t just been eating on this trip; we worked on the construction site everyday making mud bricks and leveling the ground. I don’t fully understand the Peruvian style of construction; its not super organized and the whole time I wasn’t sure what I was doing but in the end I could definitely see progress and I know when its finished its going to be perfect. This trip has been a great experience and I wish I could explain it better but I don’t know how; its something you have to see for yourself! I miss everybody and look forward to seeing you all when I get home:))

Wild Bill…

Hello everybody,
where to begin , this trip has been amazingly -shocking from the time we arrived at Trullio. Every day has been a new experience , day one seeing the childrens home and the churches , the interns, the people.Day two we worked in the morning digging trenches and mixing concrete and really working like a team. In the afternoon we went to the DUMP which most people think of as the place we get rid of our trash “food, bottles, broken items,” theres millions of flys that drive you crazy flying all over landing on you, the smoke filling the air where you can’t see where your going, trying not to step on nails or broken glass, and keep in mind down here you can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet. Now imagine being a mother and or father needing to feed their family spending the entire day, weeks, years going through the trash finding food for your family, bottles, plastics anything they can sell. This is what we saw when we passed out fruit to them , they smiled and said thank you, I gave an orange to a child he may have been maybe 3 years old and he took it to his little treasure chest behind their trash that they were taking and his dad stopped him and told him to come back over to me and say gracias and gave me a hug. If I could’ve grabbed him and run I would’ve!!!!!!!
The second day consisted of digging more trenches, and mixing cement, which if I say myself the journey team worked like they have been doing this forever and didn’t miss a beat ” which could’ve been tthe 10 pots of coffee we drank. We finished off the second part of the day at the day care center that is filled with chidlren that get sponsered by people that have compassion in their heart. We played games and did crafts with them, like tug-a-war soccer, face painting, flying kites, obstical course, throwing small footballs around and just watching them jump all over us with smiles and laughter. Having kids climb on you not wanting to let go, running up wanting to have their picture taken. To sum up the afternoon it was the best natural high you can ever have ( over a thousand pictures and counting) and waiting for more great experience.
To my family I love you guys with all my heart and I miss you and I hope you have a great weekend, and Tori have a great dance recitle I can’t wait to see it when I get home ( you’ll do awesome) :-)

Bill

Kevin…

Day 4? This experience has gone by so fast that each day has almost blurred into one. Today was one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding to date. As stated by other members of the team, we all agreed to have an earlier that normal start of the day by an “easy” hike up the sandy hill. BTW, this is the first group to want or even express any interest in any hiking-type activities. There is a family living here on the property that has been here for aprox. 6 months, with two teenage boys that hike the mountain often. So, to say the least the were extremely happy that we joined them. After about a thirty minute vertical hike in sand it was time for the descent down, which took literally a hop, skip and a jump.
Now, back to work at the day center where we are staying. I think I mixed, moved, shoveled, wheel-barrowed and dug enough to last a lifetime. Working on the center with our team has been a great experience in itself because of how well we work together.
After lunch we headed to the childrens daycare center where there was a sea of kids waiting to greet us as we came off the bus. All the kids were eager to gain your attention and affection by holding their hand, jumping on your back, sitting on your lap and such. Basically everything a kid wants from a parental figure. It was a blast playing tug-o-war, futbol, football, frisbee with all different age groups and not worrying about the language barrier, because kids from all different walks of life understand what “playing” is.

Just want to let my wife know that I am extremely blessed to have your encouragement and support for me to experience this. Give A1 and A2 a big squeeze for me and by the time you have read this Ava’s dance recital will be over and I’m sure she did great, I can’t wait to see it. Miss you guys a bunch. See ya soon.

Kevin Janssen

Roberto…

The day started pretty early this morning. As a group we decided to go hike the Andes……Okay so the smallest part of the Andes, but still I have hiked the Andes :o), It was one of the coolest things ever. Hike to the top was pretty steep I mean it is the Andes and it literally took less than a minute to come down. We were all flying through the air like kids on a trampoline. After the climb it was time to work. Our mission today was to pour a 40-45 ft retaining wall, we mixed so much concrete all by hand, after it was mixed we had to take down these boards, it was a process we would never see in the states. The best part of the day was going to the daycare where kids treated me like a jungle gym. Man they wore me out…. I loved seeing all their smiles and giggling. We played games and crafts and of course my favorite football and soccer. What a great day…….

Sending a shout out to my rock my wife thank you for holding down the casa missing you. Michelle hope all is great with you and your man and school missing you, Nathan cannot wait to go to Kung Fu Panda 2 when I get back miss you little buddy. Laurissa hope the little guy is doing well and Manny is great miss ya. Adrian hope your new job is going bueno…ya miss you too :-) Send al the love to our entire family and all the supporters that made this life changing experience possible!!

Roberto Engstrom

Amber

A Lingering Beauty- June 24, 2011 Amber Lynn

T rusting God for resources
R estroation and develpment
U nderstanding and reaction
J esus shown through action
I ncredible experience of love and adventure
L ingering beaut of land and people
L ove abounding
O verwhelming grace

Captivating Space between the daunting agony of poverty and
the unique beauty of the land and the people
who work, live and breath the land

The harsh views of the city contrasted with the gorgeous agriculture
of the country side is like seeing
both cactus and seashells resting on the foothills of the Andes.
(That of which I did see today on our hiking adventure)

Suspended in time soaking in the essence of the experience.
Total disconnection from familiar of day to day, to join up with
and return to that which was once absorbed into my heart,
working in the land and serving the people, on whom beauty rests.

Brandon & Sydney…

Last night we all agreed to wake up early and hike up into the foothills of the Andes! At 4:30 am Arizona time we started our hike up 1000 feet. It took us 45 minutes to get up the rocky mountainside, and about 30 seconds to run down the dunes! We went crazy running, jumping and sliding our way down! We continued our work day mixing cement to build a retaining wall around the property. We wheel barreled loads through an obstacle course of planks through the corn fields. After work we ate lunch and headed to the children’s home, where there are currently about 70 sponsored kids. We successfully did our crafts and games, painted nails and played soccer. It was awesome and chaotic! We had a blast loving on these kids. One little girl was tugging on our hearts and we were able to sponsor her! Her name is Lady and she’s four years old. Meeting the little girl we will be providing for was such an amazing experience, and it was totally awesome to have both of us loving on her! Mamma Greeze….meet your new addition :)

I would like to make a shout out to my wonderful wife Karen (thanks for making this possible), my amazing girls Chloe and Ayla and my boy Branson! &Thank you to everyone who supported us on this trip, and for all of your prayers! :)

Brandon & Sydney

Matt & Yvette Shout Out…

love is a universal language, that only God can teach. That proved true today when we visited the garbage dump. We arrived with a variety of fruits that we bought at a local market in Trujillo. We were all very nervous not only because we didn’t really know what to expect but also because we weren’t really sure how we were supposed to react to it all. We got off the bus and were not only shocked by the smell but also by the enormous size of the dump. We broke off into small groups with our oranges and bananas in hand and prepared our hearts to stay strong while we met the local workers. Matt, or intern Annie, and I began to pass out our fruit speaking the few spanish words that we could remember. Annie asked a young man in spanish if we could pray for him and if there was anything in particular he wanted us to pray for. he simply said for his health. Annie started prayer off in spanish, Matt and I finished in english, shook the mans hand and gave him a banana that he was so incredibly grateful for. We were very fortunate to only see two children in the dump and gave them numerous bananas and oranges. It was very frustrating to not be able to communicate but only a few words in spanish but to see the countless smiles we brought to these workers faces was so unbelievably amazing.

next we continued walking around the dumb looking for someone to connect with and love on. still in just in our small group me (matt), Yvette ,and annie stumbled upon a lil old lady in her 80s we approached her and asked if she would like some fruit, she looked up from her work and smiled so big with her three big teeth and politely answered “No thank you , please keep walking and pass the fruit out to other workers around the dump” as soon as i heard this my heart sunk and my eyes immediately began to water , so many thoughts of confusion ran through my head, but because of the language barrier i couldn’t ask any questions or figure out y she rather pass up the free fruit. we contend to walk around the dump but i couldn’t get this lil old lady out of my head. 5 minutes later i was walking and in tears over her. i had to go find her and just give her a huge. the three walked back to her i asked annie to translate to her that i needed to give her a big huge and tell her how amazing i thought she was and how her simply telling us no thank you please give the fruit to other works hit me. she smiled big and i opened my arms and squeezed her and didn’t want to let go. i could feel her heart beating and i began to cry again in such awe. then she contained to tell us that people before us over time had visited and gave her the shoes and cloths that she had on and that she was only imitating us in the way we were giving to everyone. she smiled and went back to work. as we continued to walk around i had 10 oranges left but we had to go and i knew exactly what i wanted to do i turned around and ran across the dump and forced all ten oranges into her arms and gave her one more big huge she smiled so big and be can to tear up and all she did was say thank you thank you thank you god bless. it was on of the most amazing inner experiences i had ever had. i will never forget her face and the feeling she gave me. god sent me right to her and i am so thankful the experience was life changing.

Afterwards we visited the small community right outside of the dump. The small shacks that these families lived in were so heartbreakingly small and run down. We walked along side of the shacks and gave fruit to the families and shook their hands and gave them hugs. My(yvette) mind was completely blank the whole time. It was too much for my mind to process. As we continued to walk to the back of the community i heard children voices and immediately turned the other way back to the bus because my eyes began to fill with tears. half way back to the bus a voice inside told me to turn around. I went back and saw two small girls looking over the fence laughing at and talking to Matt as he was throwing oranges to them. Even though there was a language barrier they seemed to immediately bond with matt and that put the biggest smile on my face to see. He continued to joke with the little girls and was the last one on the bus because he absolutely did not want to leave them. I wish that my heart would’ve been as strong as his was in this situation but to have seen that only made me smile because i knew God was with us and smiling with us.

The experience made us both question why these people were born into such poverty. Why is our home country was so wealthy and selfish? Why is everything handed to us but we do nothing with it? we take everything for granted. we are so judgmental of each other. we look down on those who have less than us, who have health problems or even deformities, who may not dress the way we think is “cool.” Why??? but the only answer i could come up with is because God is absent with those who are so quick to judge. its so simple, God is love and we were created in his image we are supposed to have that never ending love for our brothers and sisters.

To our family and friends : We love you sooooo very much!! We miss you all and are so grateful that you made this trip possible. We will come back with our hearts changed, with our eyes opened, and with new close friendships!!

matt and yvette

ps we miss u baby jack!

Jamy & Angie

Trujillo Blog

After 50 hours of travel we finally reached our destination of Trujillo, Peru. We asked many times ‘why the delays?” and it is clear. Our group of 13 familiar faces became a cohesive group. We spent those 50 hours caring for each other, laughing, talking, uniting, praying and bonding. From the time we left Arizona to the time we arrived in Trujillo our group became one. We are more powerful and more effective having had that delay and better able to serve God and accomplish our mission.

We arrived at 6.30 this morning and went to Helping Hands for breakfast and orientation. After orientation we prayed and were told something very powerful. “God put each one of us here for a reason. God chose each one of the 13 individually to be here to do something, It is our mission over these next eight days to figure out what that mission is. Why did God send us here?” We read from the gospel John and were reminded the most powerful thing we need to do while we are here is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

We left Helping Hands and went to the orphanage. It is on the outskirts of town among beautiful farm land. The majority of the orphanage is built, which is a good thing because we have the honor of being the first mission group ever to stay here. Girls in one room full of bunk beds and boys in the other. When asked if we wanted time to freshen up or just get straight to work we unanimously jumped at the opportunity to start working. The men dug trenches for piping and the ladies made mud and bricks.

After a few hours we cleaned up and went into town. When we got out of the bus we were flocked by the local children. They all loved on us wanting hugs and photos. We all enjoyed talking to them and taking pictures with them. We then broke up in pairs and we whisked away to local homes for lunch. We ate all sort of local fare from pollo (chicken) to cuy (guinea pig). The ‘nationals’ could not have been more welcoming and even with the language barrier we all felt very at home.

Then back to work! Adding digging and leveling dirt for a future entrance and ramp. After another couple hours of work we went to dinner at the local church with the other three mission groups in town. After dinner we got to go for a stroll to a local bakery and everything was delicious! Now we are back at the orphanage. We sat in a room to debrief. When asked one word to describe this experience so far, some were: gracious, fun, progress, overwhelming, beautifully-ugly, poverty, comforting, exciting, and surprised. This is a special group of people and it is showing. The honesty and openness we are all displaying is awesome. There is lots of laughter and lots of tears. We are all challenging ourselves, stretching ourselves and growing right in front of each other. Who will we be when we leave Trujillo?

Now off to enjoy a campfire on the roof of the orphanage.

We cannot put into words the emotions going through each of us. God is working in such a powerful way though all of us right now. It is exciting, uncertain, breath-taking, safe and scary all at the same time. We know that the next five days are going to change us all in one way or another. Please continue to pray and continue to think of us often. We can feel it.

Peace and Love!

Jamy and Angie

In addition, I (Angie) want to say hello to all my family and friends. I miss you dearly and wish you were all here experiencing this with me. I look forward to telling you all about it and finding my specific purpose for this experience so that I can see how it changes me. Please give my boys (Jeff and Drew) extra hugs for me while I am gone!
Love you All,
Angie

To my family…. I miss you all so much. I think of you every minute. When I see the children on the streets all I want to do is hug them because I miss hugging my Molly and my Sam so much. Michael, thank you for being such a supportive husband. I could not have come here without your support. You were the one that pushed me to go find myself. I want you to know that I am…. I know I will return a better mom, a better wife and a better servant of God. I know you all are sacrificing for me. I promise that this sacrifice will be not be in vain. I love you more than ever and I cannot wait to come home and show you. Kiss and hug each other and know that mommy will be home soon. xoxoxos ~ Jamy