Saturday, June 7, Children's Ministry and Departure

I woke at 5 or so to suitcases banging on every step of the staircase by our room as PR and Cesar left for Lima to work with a church in Huaycan that may join the Grace Life Church family (http://www.gracelifechurch.com/). After another nap I was up around 6:20 to journal and read on the first rainy morning of our trip. I sat in the front staircase looking out to the courtyard enjoying a pleasant breeze and thinking about the people sleeping on the streets as the rain beat down. After a shower and breakfast we sat waiting for the kids to arrive.

Children come mostly from Belen, riding in motocars that YWAM pays for, starting around 8AM. A closed road and resulting traffic jam meant that we had to wait until 9:30 to really start. I sat and tried awkwardly to communicate with kids, but "my name is..." doesn't last 90 minutes, so we played some simple games to entertain. The ninos ranged in age from about 4 to 14.

Osmar and a few women responsible for the ministry led a few Chipmunks songs in Spanish that were fast, fun, and got the kids going. We then led a few interactive songs that we had practiced, but the Chipmunks are mean competition. Our group did Shackles, acted out a Bible story, and helped the kids with crafts of beaded bracelets and fish cut from paper plates to color while we explained the meanings of each.

The kids were then fed lunch of rice, noodles, hot dog slices, and bits of veggies, all mixed up, with a warm drink that looked like runny oatmeal. They were given seconds, thirds if they wanted, which must have been part of the draw. Jae, Danielle, and I washed, rinsed, and dried respectively the onslaught of bowls, cups, and spoons. Meanwhile in the opposite corner of the kitchen, Cecy and Julio's wife cooked for our team a traditional Peruvian dish of chicken pieces, peppers, onions, black olives, and potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce served over rice, which was one of my favorite meals of the whole trip.

I took a nano-nap before starting to clean up our space, pack, and shower in anticipation of a 4:00 departure to the airport. About 10 kids hung around, practicing a flag routine and dance to a big huge Christian anthem en Espanol. I heard the song about 30 times, becoming almost a meditative mantra, but it was perfect: a somewhat sentimental and appropriately encouraging reminder as we were leaving that these kids that we had ministered to are carrying the torch. Though there remains work to be done, these kids singing and dancing are an example of the roots and momentum we helped deepen and advance.

We loaded the bus and waved to our friends. The bus had no windows, just openings, topped with plastic coated with colorful paint, and the floor, windows, and ceiling were all made of wood. At the airport, security was appropriately lax given the far-fetched risk of terror. We thanked Carlos and Osmar for their friendship and hard work before entering the open air waiting area. We heard our incoming jet before it broke through the misty jungle air.