Dia Seis

 

We woke up ready to get back to the mission after missing a day due to the strike.  We were pleased to already have 4 houses completed.  We carried the panels and sand for house 5.  It, and house 6, are in Hacia del Desarrollo.  This is a much higher community on the side of the mountain.  We ended up standing on the steep part of the grade and passing the panels up instead of trying to walk with them.  A couple of places we passed the panels up rock ledges.  This worked well.  Later we passed sand up.  It was a tough sand line because even with all of the community help, the line was stretched thin and the height of the house above the sand pile was large.  Later we passed water.  All of the other houses were able to be reached with water hoses or existing water but this one required water to be passed.

 

Later we carried panels for house 6.  It was slightly friendlier terrain.  We were able to have teams carry each panel over 50 or 60 feet in relay style.  Then we passed sand.  Nora, one of the Peruvian regulars with Love for Peru Foundation, was driving everyone to pass the sand quickly.  Soon the sand was there.

 

We had lunch and the usual lunchtime soccer game.  During the soccer game several of us walked down to see the library.  It is in the upstairs of one of the preschool buildings.  The presently have hours three days a week.  They have a small number of books and a fair number of text books on particular subjects.  Several of Vicki’s co-workers went together to make a donation that will be used to support the library.

 

After visiting the library, it was time to return to work.  We finished the sand for the 6^th house. We were then told that sand was needed for a 7^th house.  The panels were already assembled but the floor wasn’t poured yet.  The house was the highest yet, in fact, it was about the highest in Project Hope.  We were stretched even thinner but still managed to get the sand passed.

 

We returned to the hotel, cleaned up, and went to supper at a pizza place near Parque Kennedy in Miraflores.  We all felt quite good about the accomplishments of the day and of the week.

 

Dia Cinco

 

Today was the day of the work stoppage.  There were very few large commercial vehicles on the road today.  Traffic was very light.  Commerce was happening but certainly in a reduced way.

 

It was decided for the group to visit Museo de la Nation (the National Museum).  We took 5 taxis to the museum.  The taxi ride was an experience.  We drove rapidly on poor quality roads.  The taxi drivers were very daring darting in and out of traffic, making lanes where none existed, and driving very fast. 

 

Only a limited part of the museum was open.  On the first floor, we saw a lot of pottery from pre-Columbian times, the Wari civilization, and the Inca civilization.  There was also artwork from the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  Then we visited the 4^th floor.  It was mostly an exhibit about potatoes.  Apparently there are over 3000 varieties of potato and Peru was the origin of potatoes.  Finally we visited the 6^th floor.  It was an exhibit of the tough times for Peru from 1980 to 2000 when the combination of government problems and terrorist organizations made Peru a difficult place to live.  It hit home with me because I can remember when Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) was active.  There was a video we watched (in English) that summarized how Shining Path, a second terrorist organization (the MRTA), and weak government led to a large number of deaths in Peru.

 

It was these same factors that led to the conditions of the people we work with in the barrios (slums) of Lima.  One annotation of the exhibit indicated that it is important for a people to understand their history so they don’t let history repeat itself.

 

After the museum, we walked across the street to Bembos and had lunch.  Bembos is a Peruvian fast-food chain much like McDonalds.  Then we caught taxis again and returned to the Indian Market.  The second taxi ride was just as wild as the first.  After the Indian Market we walked back to the hotel.  It was a mile or two back.  The walk was nice.  Pedestrians are fair game for Peruvian drivers.  Crosswalks are few and far between and basically meaningless to motorists.

 

Back at the hotel, the donations were sorted.  On mission trips, each person carries 2 bags down.  One bag is personal things and the other is a bag of donations (mostly clothing).

 

Then we walked to supper at Parquetito at Parque Kennedy.  It was a mile or so away but an easy walk.

 

On the news, we later heard there were a lot of protests in the San Juan de Lurigancho area of Lima which is where we work.  There were bigger protests including violence in some parts of the country.  Our local contingent had done well be keeping us in.

 

Also in the news, there had been an earthquake in southern Peru during the wee hours of the morning.  It was near Arequipa and registered around 6 (a moderate but not catastrophic quake).  We had felt a number of tremors the previous day.  Fortunately, it wasn’t like the major quake that hit a year ago between Arequipa and Lima that killed 50,000 people and left 100,000s homeless.

Dia Tres

 

Today is our first day in Project Hope this trip.  We got an early start on the long ride through Lima and out to Project Hope.  It takes a little longer than an hour to get there.  The traffic in Lima is wild and there is very little in the way of freeways.  Traffic has gotten smoother in recent years but is still a far cry from what we have in the United States.  In Peru, traffic sign and signals seem to be mere suggestions.  There have been campaigns here to improve the roads and the difference is very apparent.  The first time I came 5 years ago, aggressiveness and a load horn were the key. You still see them but they don’t rule the road the same as they used to.

 

We arrived in Project Hope and the first thing was a welcome ceremony by the local Peruvians.  We saw many familiar faces, people we were excited to see again and people who were just as excited to see us.  The recipients of the houses were introduced and then we set to work.  The first house was the highest in the Ampliacoin de Primaro de Mayo community that we would be working on.  The road ran above the first house and we were able to carry the panels down to it.  There was also a slab already in place so we didn’t have to pour cement for the floor.  The second house was also below the upper road and fairly easy to get materials to.  Our team was extremely well organized and managed to keep the work going quickly.  By lunch the first house was completely framed and roofed.  We had lunch and after lunch, the Peruvian kids and our kids played soccer.  The adults watched (mostly. A few played).

 

Then the second house was quickly assembled.  Then we began carrying sand for the third house.  As sand was being carried in, an old foundation was being broken up.  Whatever had been here before had a concrete foundation or one was left over from something in the past.  As sand was being passed up, chunks of concrete were being passed down.  This lot was very close to the bottom of the hill so it was easy to get to.

 

The panels were not delivered yet so we called it a day and make the drive back to the hotel.  We cleaned up and went for supper at La Granja del Abuelo.  That translates to grandfather’s range or something like that.  They served cooked chicken that was quite tasty.  It was like a rotisserie chicken.  We then turned in for the evening.  We did find out at the evening briefing that we probably would not be able to travel safely on Wednesday due to the work stoppage.  To travel on this day would be like crossing a picket line in the states.  We trust our Peruvian contingent to know what is best in country.

 

Dia Cuatro

 

This morning we headed to Project Hope again.  There was some urgency since we now knew we would lose a day.  The panels arrived just after we did for the third and forth houses.  The third house was fairly easy.  It was very steep but only a short distance up from the road.  We only needed a small amount of additional sand for this house which went quickly.

 

Then we turned to the forth house which was in Hacia del Desarrollo.  This section is very steep and very high.  We staged the panels in two areas.  First was up a very steep wall and then along an easy incline.  Second was straight up a steep slope.  For the first part, we divided into 5 teams and each team carried each panel an assigned part of the way then returned for the next panel.  For the second part, we stood in a place and passed the panels up the hill.  It would have been very difficult to carry the panels with us over such terrain.  Next we started bringing sand.  Before lunch, we carried sand to the halfway point and after lunch (and another soccer game), we carried it the rest of the way.

 

We left feeling good about basically completing 4 housed in 2 days.  Wednesday would be lost but hopefully we can complete the last 2 houses on Thursday and Friday even though they are in the toughest terrain.  Everything was very successful so far because of good organization and huge community support.

 

We returned to the hotel and had supper at Dim Sum Cocina China.  We were served Chinese food on platters and ate family style.  Everyone is feeling that the team has gelled nicely.

Well the time to visit Peru has arrived again.  Last Thursday evening, we had a packing party.  That is where as much of the group as can get together packs the donations in duffel bags.  This year we were excrutiating caution not to have any overweight (> 50 lb) bags.  Due to the crunch in the airline industry, fees for overweight bags are much higher and once the bags hit the scales at the airport, they are not allowing weight shuffling any more.  We made sure all of the bags were not over 45 lb just to be on the safe side.  The packing party was also a chance to get to know the team members better.  This year we are travelling with all different people than before.  Only the 5 of us and Tori (our forth daughter for this trip each year) had travelled together before.  The thing I've learned is that as long as you are travelling with great people, it doesn't matter how well you know them before.  They become your close friends quickly.

 

Dia Uno

 

Saturday was travel day.  Our team had different departure times from PNS (Pensacola).  Our family had the latest departure and arrived at the airport shortly after 11AM.  The computer at the kiosk at checkin said it couldn't find our reservation.  That made for a scary moment but the agent was able to find it right away.  Check in and bag weighing went without any problems.

 

While waiting to take off and thinking about what could have been forgetten while packing, I looked at the weather radar for Pensacola and Atlanta.  Pensacola was great but Atlanta had a thunderstorm over it.  Sure enoght, the flight to Atlanta took off forty-five minutes late.  The first leg was otherwise uneventful.  In Atlanta, we grabbed a late lunch and headed for the gate.  We met up with most of the rest of the team here.  There were a lot of people at the gate.  I am not sure if many of the people were there for flights at the adjacent gate or a later flight at this gate.  The flight to Peru was an hour late leaving but went well after that.

 

We arrived at Lima close to midnight.  Tori was waiting for us just past immigration.  We could see her as we were waiting in line.  Her flight had been late also but she still get there a couple of hours ahead of us.  Several people in our entourage had missing luggage.  They wouldn't get their bags until tomorrow.  Fortunately our family's luggage was all here.  At customs when you get to the front of the line, you press a button.  A light responds green or red.  Green means you walk through and red means you have you bags checked.  We got red this time as did most of our entourage.  It was still easy because they only x-rayed the luggage.  No questions, nothing was looked at.

 

Luis met us coming out of customs and escorted us to our bus.  We drove clear across Lima to Miraflores where we stay.  We arrived at Hotel Colon about 2AM.

 

Dia Dos

 

We slept in late due to the late arrival.  We met a noon to be breifed.  Magali was here but is recovering from moderate illness (flu then bronchitis and/or walking pneumonia).  She is imporoving but still weak.  She talked about the dynamics of Project Hope, the mission area.  We will be working in 2 communities within Project Hope.  One is Ampliacion de Primero de Mayo and the other is Hacia el Desarrollo.  We normally plan to build 5 houses but to be equal between the 2 communities, we are building 3 in each community for a total of 6.  An additional challenge will be Wednesday.  The will be a work stoppage (strike) and travelling even on a charter bus might be problematic. At this point, it is expected that we will be able to do business as usual.  In a previous year, there was a work stoppage and we were still able to travel.

 

We had lunch at Punta Sal.  It is a three story restaurant with a view of the Pacific Ocean.  The table appetizer was corn that looked like peanuts.  We were served an excellent fish filet with a rice bed with a few very large kernels of corn mixed in.

 

Then we went to the area in front of the restauart were people were parasailing.  Dave, Shelby, Sarah, and Chelsea parasailed.  It was an unusually clear day for Lima.  The parasail rides were great as was the view.  After parasailing, we drove a few miles down the coast.  Then we went to the Indian Market.  Later we had sandwiches from Pasquales at Larco Mar for supper.  Larco Mar is a shopping area built into the cliff looking over the Pacific Ocean.  This was our 'fun' day.

 

 

Okay, it looks like I haven't been on in some time which is correct.  June went by in a flash.  In early June, we did Vacation Bible School at church.  It was very successful.  The kids (and adults) had a lot of fun.

 

Then came choir tour.  A bus and a van load of teens, chaporones, luggage, and equipment went from Pensacola, to Albany (GA), Atlanta, Loudon (TENN), Knoxville, Pigeon Forge, Rising Fawn (GA), Dothan (ALA), and back to Pensacola.  The teens were very well behaved and the trip was a blast.  My only dissappointment was that I was driving the van and not riding on the bus with the kids.  Hopefully next time, we can take the big touring bus again and not deal with the separate van.

 

It is almost time now for our now annual sogern to Peru.  I will try to get accounts of the trip here for anyone with an interest to see. (Hopefully another 3 months won't pass with me being silent here.)