The team spent the day putting finishing touches on the set panels and welding frames for the platforms. The decision was made to forego our “day off” and to return to the work site on Saturday. It’s our hope that by the end of the day, we’ll have all the sets in place so the ministry leaders can see them assembled when they come for pick-up. Each day, our team has been doing group devotionals. Today, we were touched by the story of the writers father who was a missionary, building more than 150 churches in his community. The writer shared that his fathers dying words to him were to “win one more for Jesus”. We are honored to have the opportunity to provide ministry tools that we know will be used by the churches to do just that - win one more for Jesus!

The past few days can be summed up in a few words: awesome teamwork and amazing effort & ingenuity. And today, at the end of our 12 hours at the job site while there’s still much to do to finish the platforms, the panels of the sets that really give them the WOW factor are nearly complete. Even the flat tire on the van being used to transport the team worked in our favor as it gave us more time at the job site. The best part has been seeing the children get more excited as the sets’ appearances are coming into focus. So at the end of the day, we are tired but it’s a good tired. (those of you who have served on mission teams know what we’re talkin’ about, right?) We are all well and send their greetings to family & friends at home!

Thank you all for being patient with the blog. We have been having technical difficulties.

January 15, Day 1:
The team was dedicated during the first service then were off to the airport. Thanks to Christine & Mike for getting us there. After an event free day, the team arrived in Santiago. We were happy to be in the tropical weather and away from the cold in MD! After checking into the hotel, we had a brief planning meeting. The team’s mission is to create & construct sets for children’s ministry in four churches - two in Santiago and two in Santo Domingo - a mission that’s been in the works for many weeks. Many thanks to our imagineer and creative genius, Brian Tetter. His detailed plans gave the team their wings so we can fly through the building process!

January 16, Day 2:
After a great breakfast in the hotel restaraunt, we headed out for a morning of “shopping”. It took a few hours to purchase the lumber and other supplies that will be needed to create the sets. At the job site, we stopped for our morning devotions then it was game on with nothing but the sound of power tools and hammering throughout the afternoon. While the guys focused on frame construction, the ladies began the set decor. It was great reconnecting with old friends and neighbors in the surrounding community but especially the neighborhood children. At the end of the first day, everyone was amazed at the amount of work that was accomplished but better yet was the great teamwork. Once again, God has brought together the people needed for this unique mission.

When we began moving Pastor Oscar and Sister Rosa into their new home, we realized they did not have a working refrigerator or stove. Wayne and Paula told us that we had extra money left over from our mission deposit, so we unanimously decided to use God’s money and purchase them new appliances. We surprised Sister Rosa with a trip to Lowes in San Antonio. God is Good! There was enough money to purchase a matching fridge, stove and an above-range, vented microwave. While the girls were appliance shopping, Howard and Chris picked up all the supplies for Friday’s big lunch surprise. Texan, Dea Thurston and his son, Brent traveled three hours to bring the outside HVAC unit and install in the new home. Dea is a member of Missionary Action Project with Wayne and Paula and installed all of the new home’s HVAC. After another delicious salvadorian lunch, we said “see you later” to Dea and Brent and got back to work installing all of the appliances. Wayne, Gene, Kevin and Scott worked as a well-oiled machine successfully installing the ice machine water line for the refrigerator, the outside venting and a new shelf to hold the microwave above the stove. With some of the spare wood lying around, Dan, Brandon and Howard made a large front door step. In the church kitchen, Chris got a jump start with his crock pot lasagne so it could simmer all night long. It sure did smell good!

Before we wrapped up the day at 5:00 pm, we watched Pastor Oscar and Sister Rosa touring their finished home. It was wonderful to see their smiles :). Following a friendly and competitive game of soccer with the guys and Oscar and Rosa’s grandchildren, we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

One surprise we had on Wednesday was Wayne’s 2:00 am ephiphany that the water line for the kitchen sink was never installed. So, our men began digging a trench, laying pipe and tying into the existing water line from the old house. Of course, it was the hottest day so far in south Texas, but our men endured. Howard and Brandon spent a great deal of time with a rake and shovel in hand. This was a new experience for Howard but he said he learned a lot from Wayne and Scott who led the water line installation team. Kevin custom built two shelving units for two of the bathrooms including another turn with a paint brush. We don’t believe him anymore when he says he dislikes to paint. Wisconson Dan spent the majority of the day touching up paint on the walls and baseboards. Paula has been a constant angel with her multitude of trips to the local hardware stores for needed supplies. She always had her list in hand to jot down every item that was requested from the crew. Chris tackled the outdoor lighting and helped move additional household items from the old house. Gene continued in the kitchen with Louisana Ron installing the new sink and fixtures. Donna was awesome with clean up and move in preparations. We closed up the house at 4:00 pm to get cleaned up for dinner and arrive back at church for the 7:00 pm prayer service. The service was dedicated for a time of community prayer, petitions and personal testamonies. Miss Paula, Brandon, Howard and Dan gave their testamonies of how they came to know Jesus. Following the request for petitions, Paula, Wayne, Scott, Annie and Brandon individually prayed for those petitions to be blessed. It was a touching and amazing experience. We spent a few minutes socializing with the church members and their children after the service than headed back to the hotel. By the way, Brandon and Howard told us their surprise. Since the women of the church have been preparing lunch for us all week, they thought it would be nice if we spent our “off” day of work, making a nice Maryland-style lunch for them. We all agreed it was a great idea and a nice way to pay-it-forward.

The team departs the hotel each morning at 7:30 am and drives 15 minutes to the church. Following our devotions, we begin work at 8:00 am. We are so close to completing the interior of Oscar and Rosa’s new home. Our joy and excitement gave us an extra “kick” especially when the septic system passed inspection with no problems and the contractor back filled the dirt. The kitchen counters were installed and the washer and dryer were tested. Final trim, doors and painting were completed before we started to move in some furniture and clothes. Miss Rosa told us the move is alittle bitter sweet. They have been in their home for 15 years and that is where her Mom stayed with them before she passed away. We respected their indifference and prayed for them to have peace.
Brandon and Howard wanted to do something very special for Oscar and Rosa’s six grandchildren. The kids live directly behind the church and spend a great deal of time with Oscar and Rosa. Brandon and Howard purchased supplies for a homemade soccer net along with soccer balls, board games, coloring books, crayons and a football. We thought we would present them with the gifts on our last day of work but Brandon was just too excited and said he could not wait that long. It was so precious to witness the kids see their gifts. They could not believe that all the presents were for them. At first, they just looked in amazement. You could see Brandon’s heart expand with his big smile. Amen! After a brief game of soccer, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner. At the end of the evening, Brandon and Howard told us that they have another surprise in store for Oscar and Rosa. Oh my, I think they got the mission “bug”. Stay tuned……..

Our team arrived in Texas safely Sunday late afternoon. Wayne and Ron met us at the airport and after checking into our hotel, we attended Pastor Oscar’s Sunday evening church service. The communion service was so powerful which included the scouraging and crucifixtion scene from the Passion of Christ on the large video screen. Immediately following service, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by the women of the church in the fellowship hall.
Monday morning we gathered for breakfast then headed to the church to begin God’s work. Wayne gave us our agenda for the day followed by a brief devotion time and morning prayer led by Paula. The team hung ceiling fans and lights, installed a hot water heater and door knobs, painted closets, trim and kitchen cabinets. The weather was beautiful, no humidity, bright warm sun midday and cool evenings. We wrapped up work approximately 5:00 pm. A wonderful dinner and a quick Walmart trip ended a perfect, productive day for the team.

Today we had an early start with breakfast at 6:30, and having to be loaded on the bus for a 7:30 departure. It was sad to have to go, but also everyone seems to be looking forward to getting home.

The return trip is certainly faster paced since the vast majority of the journey is downhill. However, there are certainly many areas with plenty of switchbacks to keep things interesting. We stopped for lunch at Cheto’s again after about 5.5 hours into our trip. Once again, they were fast and it was good. But for most, we are probably ‘riced’ out…
Back to the bus for the final leg of the trip with our arrival at what was thought to be our bus depot. Turns out, this was just another stop within Lima. So, back into Friday evening traffic in Lima. Patience was key. Finally, 11.5 hours after we started our bus trip in Caraz, we were unloading our bags at Hotel Melodia (same place we stayed last Friday).
We checked in, dropped off bags and went to a TGIFriday for dinner. Anyone who ordered chicken and rice would have to sit at another table! The meals were very good; and, no one had to sit at another table.
Some stopped at Starbucks for a coffee after dinner, others went to the ‘Farmacia’ looking for head cold remedies; we have a few that need it. Unfortunately, the folks working the store didn’t speak English, and we can’t tell what the ingredients are. Fortunately, Tina brought some decongestant!

We are sleeping in tomorrow morning! Not sure why sitting on buses for 11+ hours makes you tired, but it does.

Today was our last day in Caraz! After breakfast we stopped by the work site to hand some gifts to the workers and to say our good-byes. It was an emotional gathering; definitely heart-felt, where some the workers expressed there appreciation for our help and if we don’t meet again, we will meet in heaven.

We then loaded up on the bus to do some sightseeing. First stop was the Huascaran National Park where a beautiful clear lake is nestled among huge mountain peaks, some of which were covered with snow and ice, even a glacier high above. The lake is a little over 10,000 feet above sea level and windy. But if you found a spot that blocked the wind, it was quite warm and pleasant. There was a vendor selling food that was being cooked over a wood fire, including guinea pig. Another was selling hand made clothing like socks, leggings, hats, scarfs, ponchos, etc mad of Alpaca wool.

We found a nice spot nestled among some trees with the mountains looking down on us where we had our devotional. The basic message was that we all have talents that we can use to serve God. It may not be apparent, but you have to get out there and give something a try. The key is that it does not happen overnight, in fact God is working to shape you into the Christlike person he desires in you over the course of your lifetime. Jim led us in a closing prayer that was heartfelt and is certain to leave us all with a lasting memory of our short time at this beautiful place.

Back on the bus (just a warm-up for tomorrow’s bus ride to Lima) we briefly visited the site in Youngaywhere an earthquake centered off the coast of Peru triggered a landslide that buried a large portion of the town. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to visit the site or memorials.

Next we visited the city of Huaraz to shop at the markets. It was raining and we only had about an hour, but everyone was able to find what they were looking for. We hopped back on the bus for the 1.5 hour ride back to Caraz. Caraz, by the way, is our favorite town in Peru.

After dinner, we went to the prayer church service. The parishioners were encouraged to bring their children as we had a lot of crafts and activities for them while service was going on. Turns out we had about 60 kids show up! After service, Pastor Victor had us all stand in front of the congregation and invited the congregation to walk by each of us and offer a sign of thanks. We never have received so many hugs and words of thanks. It was wonderful.

It is sad, but this is our last evening in Caraz. We have an early start tomorrow morning to get to Lima.

Once again it was a beautiful morning. After breakfast we walked to the church and had our devotional then jumped into the work.

We started with removing dirt from the pit (actually intended to be the bathrooms) and backfilling the step area. There is a picture of Janet balancing on the wall pouring a bucket of dirt… You can probably tell what she thinks about doing this work.

As that work progressed, the truck full of bricks showed. The bricks were about 6×10x2. We had an assembly line moving 3,4,5, or 6 at a time. Definitely a good workout. Soon after the bricks were unloaded, a dump truck full of sand and gravel mix was dumped in the street again. Priority shifted to get it all moved into the work area. The bucket brigade was in full swing and we got it done by lunch. We also changed our strategy and worked the pile across the entire width of the street to avoid the traffic wanting to squeeze by until we were practically done. Sandra heard some of the folks walking by say that we were doing an excellent job; and, one young man even came over to help!

Back from lunch there was a bit of a reprieve as the framing for the footer was completed, but once it was ready, it was game on! We moved a lot of cement and the vast majority of all the rocks we dug out the previous days were used in building this new footer. This footer was about 18′x7′x2′… Probably much wider than 2 feet in spots as the other side of the footer framing was the earth.

While we were busy pouring that footer and placing the rocks back into it, a news team stopped by to interview Pastor Victor. Apparently the community has been very impressed with our efforts and contacted the local news. The segment should be shown on local TV this coming Sunday. Pastor Victor said he will send us a DVD copy.

In addition to the work going on with the footer, we also had a group working with the kids doing crafts. They really seem to enjoy that. Tomorrow night we will be attending a special prayer service and all the children are also invited to play games and do more crafts.

One more thing… Joe proposed to Sandra last night! How exciting is that?! We can’t be happier for them both!

Our devotional seems to be written with this mission trip in mind. Our group continues to open up their hearts to God and his children, learning how to be more Christlike through love, joy, peace, and patience. All of which we are experiencing ways to grow!

Tomorrow? Site Seeing!!