Ola!
As the media team paces during a 5 hour layover in La Paz Bolivia I say blessed are those with high speed! I have been waiting patiently for 45 minutes to access my blog from an Internet cafe in the airport terminal. As frustrating as that has been the view is beautiful. La Paz reminds me of Yellowknife because it´s somewhat desolate and Calgary because of the snow capped mountains on the horizon. We are at such a high altitude that passengers deplaning have been known to faint when they disembark. Either I'm made of sturdy stuff or the drugs are kicking in (just altitude tablets mom).
Today´s focus will be an interview I did with Canon Kim just before our flight. His story reminds me of an image concocted by the Celts long ago. They used to illustrate life as a dragon guarding a cavern. The cavern represents opportunity. The dragon represents challenge - how will you fight it, with whom will you partner to fight? They intended the image to be a positive depiction of struggle as good.
So begins Canon Kim´s story...he was with the medical team yesterday. They were at the end of an exhausting day - 165 patients treated by the eye clinic; 35 by the dental team. As they were leaving the bus was forced to stop because someone had blockaded the road with long bamboo poles. It appeared to be an angry drunk or group of drunks. When someone disembarked to remove the poles, he or they pelted a rock at our window. Some team members were afraid. Alcoholism and domestic abuse are problems in Peru. Fortunately the team was able to leave safely. Canon Kim felt he needed to reflect with the team on what had happened. He talked about the consequences of despair. And he encouraged the team to ¨pray for our enemies¨ and understand what produces the violence and the anger: what prompts people to attack strangers; ironically strangers trying to help? Like all countries, Peru has its dragons. We need to understand why and we cannot let them prevent us from supporting those who try to slay them.
As the media team heads on to Cochabamba we will think good thoughts that our Lima teammates will not be impacted by an impending transit strike. Apparently bus and taxi drivers are planning to protest what they consider to be punitive traffic regulations. There are concerns about the safety of our teams if they leave the Convent in marked vehicles. Our team coordinator seems confident we can use unmarked secure taxis. Alternatively the eye and dental team may set up a clinic at the Convent for the nuns, guards and staff.
As Kyle Charbonneau - a mission first-timer on the Children´s Ministry team - replied when I asked him what he has learned so far - be flexible!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day-4a, July 6, 2009
Ola!
Today marked the official launch of the work of the children's ministry team in Lima. Almost. We were surprised to learn that this is Teachers' Day - a national holiday - and we arrived to find the school closed. So we hummed a few bars of our mantra "blessed are the flexible" and disappointment transformed into opportunity. The team could scout the school and had the principal at its full disposal as well as a translator so the team turned it into the best of all options: a planning day.
Reverend Julio Montoya and his family opened up both their Church, Santisima Trinidad and their home next door to start a nursery and primary school. Between Sundays, Santisima Trinidad transforms from temple to school with portable walls. The Reverend's daughter Norma Isabel is the principal and she is striving to provide a quality education embracing Christian values at a nominal fee that includes the cost of extras like textbooks. There's no sign on the door because there's no room at the inn. The school is at its maximum of 110 pupils.
Enter the children's ministry team which is here to create fun and learning in strategic ways. Together with the principal, they began to create their curriculum. Team member Caroline Honsberger for example is an elementary teacher turned literacy and numeracy coach. She hopes to use her expertise to raise reading levels.
The team toured the facilities such as the classrooms and the mini gym. The wall mural in the mini gym was painted by American volunteers.Much to its delight, the team found a trampoline wrapped up against the church wall. Coincidentally 3 of the team members are certified tramp teachers. They also found a nearby "park" to set it up.
This is a middle class neighbourhood in Lima. But most of the students come from a hillside shanty town.There is no running water. But we did catch a water truck making its rounds. Electrical wires hang down over the road like an octopus. Two and three families live together and on average the parents make $3 to $6 a day.
What's inspiring is no matter the wage and no matter the environment there is pride. If you view no other photo go to the picture of the man in the suit proudly making his way down the dusty road from his shack en route to work.
On each mission trip I've had the privilege of joining, there is always tension over resources; balancing the need and the money and members we have to meet it. At times members of non-medical teams are redeployed to our dental, eye and medical teams for extra support. Despite this the children's ministry team leader Patti Charbonneau feel strongly her team's mission is of equal value. As she says "we are here for so short a time. We won't solve Peru's problems but we can light the spark of self worth."
There is a special edition blog that accompanies Day 4. I have invited 16 year old Mariah Pettapiece-Phillipps to share her reflections on today's adventures with the children's ministry team. Mariah is an aspiring creative writer of short fiction. I hope you will enjoy hearing her voice as much as I do.
Click this link to see referenced photos: http://gallery.me.com/davidhillock
Today marked the official launch of the work of the children's ministry team in Lima. Almost. We were surprised to learn that this is Teachers' Day - a national holiday - and we arrived to find the school closed. So we hummed a few bars of our mantra "blessed are the flexible" and disappointment transformed into opportunity. The team could scout the school and had the principal at its full disposal as well as a translator so the team turned it into the best of all options: a planning day.
Reverend Julio Montoya and his family opened up both their Church, Santisima Trinidad and their home next door to start a nursery and primary school. Between Sundays, Santisima Trinidad transforms from temple to school with portable walls. The Reverend's daughter Norma Isabel is the principal and she is striving to provide a quality education embracing Christian values at a nominal fee that includes the cost of extras like textbooks. There's no sign on the door because there's no room at the inn. The school is at its maximum of 110 pupils.
Enter the children's ministry team which is here to create fun and learning in strategic ways. Together with the principal, they began to create their curriculum. Team member Caroline Honsberger for example is an elementary teacher turned literacy and numeracy coach. She hopes to use her expertise to raise reading levels.
The team toured the facilities such as the classrooms and the mini gym. The wall mural in the mini gym was painted by American volunteers.Much to its delight, the team found a trampoline wrapped up against the church wall. Coincidentally 3 of the team members are certified tramp teachers. They also found a nearby "park" to set it up.
This is a middle class neighbourhood in Lima. But most of the students come from a hillside shanty town.There is no running water. But we did catch a water truck making its rounds. Electrical wires hang down over the road like an octopus. Two and three families live together and on average the parents make $3 to $6 a day.
What's inspiring is no matter the wage and no matter the environment there is pride. If you view no other photo go to the picture of the man in the suit proudly making his way down the dusty road from his shack en route to work.
On each mission trip I've had the privilege of joining, there is always tension over resources; balancing the need and the money and members we have to meet it. At times members of non-medical teams are redeployed to our dental, eye and medical teams for extra support. Despite this the children's ministry team leader Patti Charbonneau feel strongly her team's mission is of equal value. As she says "we are here for so short a time. We won't solve Peru's problems but we can light the spark of self worth."
There is a special edition blog that accompanies Day 4. I have invited 16 year old Mariah Pettapiece-Phillipps to share her reflections on today's adventures with the children's ministry team. Mariah is an aspiring creative writer of short fiction. I hope you will enjoy hearing her voice as much as I do.
Click this link to see referenced photos: http://gallery.me.com/davidhillock
Day-4b, July 6, 2009 - Special Edition
Please welcome guest blogger 16 year old Mariah Pettapiece-Phillipps! Below, Mariah shares her reflections on her adventures with the mission so far. Mariah is an aspiring creative writer of short fiction. I hope you will enjoy hearing her voice as much as I have. Mariah will join us again next week to share her reflections:
As Judy said, I'm an aspiring writer- emphasis on the aspiring. You also obviously know this blog is one following the lives of those on a mission trip across the globe to Peru. I use the term mission trip loosely, because of personal experience with the premature judgments that come with it. I find that sometimes when we think mission trip, we envision an unrealistic, untrue, and invalid image of self-righteous, strict Christians who only want the company of others just like them. Further than that, sometimes the judgment can be that those on mission trips believe to be above those they're serving, as if they are all-knowing and have the answers to all questions. Unfortunately, if that were true, I wouldn't find myself asking all the questions. In fact, I find that I myself have more questions than answers. So, what I'm getting at, or what I hope is the message coming across, is that if this mission trip was the picture-perfect self-righteous image people envision when they hear "mission trip," I'm pleased to say I would not be here, a part of any of it. I came on this trip not to judge, not to teach even, but to learn, experience, and to hopefully resurrect that feeling in my heart that overflowed in my previous mission trip to Africa. Perhaps if I show you just a sliver of my time here, I could help you understand.
Every individual on this team is a member of a smaller, more specific team according to their personal interests, talents, and so forth. I found myself put on multiple teams including the school team, a semi-permanent, semi-useful member of the media team, and last but not least, I plan to write an official piece at the end of my trip. Hopefully it will come out half-decent, otherwise my future aspiring career in the writing world might be slightly misplaced.
So, as a part of the school team, my duty, if you can even call it that, is when we visit schools and teach children, I get to enjoy their company, which I find is a priviledge more than a duty. Yesterday, for example, the whole team visited a church so the townspeople could visit the dentists and eye doctors. On the bus there I kept thinking that these people are traveling and venturing from their homes to our clinic in hopes of finding answers to all their problems, and they're turning to us of all people. But I soon realized as I got there and the people began milling in that I had been wrong. They weren't looking to us for answers. I don't believe that. I believe that most of them were simply looking. For us, for a smile, for a conversation, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that they weren't expecting miracles. In fact, they didn't expect much of anything. I could have flashed a smile and made their day. And that is when I realized my own problem. High expectations can only lead to falling short. These people I met only expected what they received, and they were happier because of it. It just goes to show I could learn a thing or two from them.
At the church we visited, I basically played with the kids all day. They loved it of course, what with the books and toys they have never had the opportunity to use, but I probably enjoyed it more than them! There is something so incredibly right about children and their complete innocence. It doesn't matter if they're from Canada, Africa, or Peru, they still touch your heart. Language barriers don't seem to matter when it comes to loving somebody. You don't have to have a conversation with them, you don't even have to know them, you simply have to be with them. I promise you that even if you are the most rigid, uptight person in the world, that little girl Stella, or Sareya, or the little boy Luis or Giovani will dig their way into your heart so that just the thought of them will make you smile on your worst day.
Today, on the other hand, my team and I visited a school that we'll be at for the rest of the week. We went there with the assumption that we'd be working with the kids- that is until we found out it was National Teachers' Holiday and they weren't allowed to be at school. It's a strange, upside-down world when the kids want to be at school, isn't it? They put me to shame! Once we were enlightened of the situation, it gave the team a chance to become familiar with the building, the owners, and organize our plans for the following week. With that opportunity though, came our judgments of the place we were in. "Hey, this isn't so bad. They don't seem all that poor. Is our help even needed?" Which is when we were led up the hill from the school and into the kids' neighbourhood. We had a rude awakening. With closet-sized houses made from scraps, usually occupied with up to four or five families at a time, and the families living on an average of three dollars a day, we were in no position to be judging the need of these people, or the depth of their poverty. We had no idea. I was then reminded of the saying, 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.' It turns out to be actually true, and a much more valuable lesson than I knew. Like they say, looks can be deceiving. My guess is I'll never put down a book again without reading at least the back!
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