Plaza de Armas de Trujillo

Having lived here for two years, I can't believe I had not taken any pictures of the Plaza de Armas - the central plaza...until tonight.

John and I went out about 6:30 and the twilight sky gave us a beautiful backdrop of brilliant blue. Here are a few of my favorites.

The center of the city

Trujillo's cathedral

Trujillian windows

And check these out. I played with the same picture and one looks like it is charged with electricity and the other looks like it was taken a hundred years ago.

Some pretty cute stuff

While at the orphanage, I caught some video of Edvin pushing Jane and Alison around on the tire swing - or maybe more accurately, they were pushing him around.
The girls were giggling hysterically and Edvin was just having a good 'ol time laughing, and beating on his tummy when he got excited. He was unmoved by the "Ya no mas, Edvin!!!"
They were cracking me up.

So here is your smile for the day.

Visit to Hogar de Esperanza

We headed out last Friday morning for one last visit with the kids at Hogar de Esperanza. We have enjoyed our time with the kids and the people who are sacrificing so much to keep this orphanage going. Continue to pray with us that each of these children will find a safe and loving home in which to grow up, whether it is being reunited with their family, or being adopted.

A few of my favorite pics of the visit:

Jason with cutie-pie Alison

Los dos Kevins or Kevin and Kevin

Justin the multi-tasker and Jonathan and Jane


Miranda's turn with Jane

Colton in the fort with some of the kids

Adoptable Kids

I wanted to get out the news that we have some kids at the orphanage who are now adoptable - they have been declared legally abandoned. If you are interested or you know someone who might be, please contact Hogar de Esperanza and inquire. Our prayer is that these kids would be placed in solid Christian homes where they can grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The first is Jose Davíd. He is two, I believe. He was born with a cleft palate, but has had surgery to correct it. He does have medical issues concerning his heart and I have been told that he will need surgery around the age of 5 or 6. He's a cutie, and a handful, but whatever he is doing, whether he is playing or just getting into mischief, he is always smiling. I know him the best because he is part of the toddler class that the Fergie kids play with every Wednesday.

Next we have Italo. I don't have any info on him but I have met him and he is very sweet. Obviously he has some medical issues, but I do not know what the extent is. He definitely needs some TLC, as we all do.

Arnol is next, he is 7. Again, I don't know his story, but it could be discovered simply by contacting Hogar de Esperanza.
Finally there is Fiorella. She is the tall girl. Same as the others, I don't know her whole story, but I do know that she needs a family.

My prayer is that by putting these kids out there God would make a connection for future homes for these kids. As told by our own adoption story, it is not an easy decision, especially with complicating factors such as major medical needs and such, and it is not a decision to be made from guilt feelings. Guilt feelings do not belong here. It is too hard of a road to journey just because you feel sorry for these kids.

But I do ask for compassion, and for wisdom and for consideration and for prayer. Pray for these kids and for the others (I think there are 11 total who are adoptable) that God would use whatever means possible to give these children permanent, nurturing homes.

Come along with us to the orphanage

Another slideshow. I like 'em. This is a compilation of a couple of visits to Hogar de Esperanza, the orphanage where I am doing the Bible Study with the house moms. I have started taking the kids out with me on Wednesdays to play with the toddlers. They have a little class led by Haley and Erin, two American girls from the Coast Guard Academy giving a year of their life to these kids. Haley and Erin have been joining us on Sunday nights and have been named honorary Peru Mission Interns. I don't know if it means as much to them as it does to us - we certainly enjoy having them as a part of our group.

Enough - enjoy. The first part where everybody is all dressed up is from their Dia de Patria (or Independence Day) celebration that was July 29. The classroom photos are from our visit last Wednesday. It was "orange day" for snack, which takes a bit longer to eat, so the kids didn't make it outside to play that day, but we had fun anyway.

Mis Mujeres (My Ladies)

Here is a photo I took at our Bible Study on Wednesday. Two of the gals, Rocio and Yulissa, are moving on to other works. Rocio will be the director of an orphange her church has just begun and Yulissa is going to nursing school. They are really struggling with leaving because of their love for the kids they cared for, but both have said they are at peace with their descision. Please keep them in prayer as well as the other gals. Theirs is a diffcult job, but they all perform it with such love and grace.
Froom left to right:
Melva, Sarita, Rocio, Alcira,Yulissa and Liz

Women of Hope

I have a special privilege. I love this special privilege. I get to hang out and do Bible Study with the women who serve at Hogar de Esperanza, a local privately funded orphanage here in Trujillo. I get to go every Wednesday and be encouraged by these women who are seeking to bring life to children who would otherwise have none. They are amazing, gifted, gracious, animated, wise and so encouraging to me. We are going through Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself focusing on the fruit of the Spirit and how it manifests itself in our lives.They are so patient with my feo(ugly) Spanish. They are patient as I stumble over words and phrases and struggle to think about what I want to say , then translate it in my head , then stumble the words out. They are eager to see what Scripture says and excited to apply it to their lives. They have a difficult, energy-sucking job...and they encourage me.
Pray for us as we seek to grow together. Pray for Elizabeth, who runs the orphanage as the director - she is beautiful and wise, and has a very difficult job - but she loves so well. I really admire her and I love her heart. Pray for Alcira, who teaches the kids with disabilities who can't go to the regular schools. Pray for Sarita, and Julissa, Rocio, Melba and Philomena, the house mothers who care for the children on a daily basis. They are such examples of persevering in love. Pray for me as I seek to communicate in this language that is not my own.
Check out more about Hogar de Esperanza by visiting their website. This "Home of Hope" has a very interesting story.