Day 2 Update

Hola mis amigos y familia! Oh yeah, time to speak English again! Lo siento, I mean sorry! As a "newbie" to Peru, I can say this trip has already exceeded my expectations in so many ways. Even though I was told that the language barrier was really not much of a concern, and that the language of love is universal, I didn't really "get" until we were here how true that is - very little effort on our part seems to mean the world to these kids. A smile, asking them their name and age, if they have brothers or sisters, asking them to come with you or play with you, or offering them a hug - they are so very responsive to each little gesture. Frequently there are a few kids that "bond" particularly with one or another of us and pursue us relentlessly, simply wanting more hugs, more smiles, more tickles or pictures or songs or just attention.

We started the day off with another amazing breakfast at the hotel, then loaded the bus and headed to Reina. While Eric and Guiliana taught a group about making wise decisions from God's perspective, others sewed with Heather and Kay, and the last group was with Laura, Larry, Carolyn and Derek decorating 10" letters that spelled out in Spanish, John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me." Many of the girls already knew this verse, which was cool. They were super creative and very proud of the end result as we used decorative paper, glitter, ribbon, jewels, and flowers to "bedazzle" the letters that spell out this powerful Scripture. Tomorrow (Friday) we hope to hang them up in the dining hall where they eat. When all the groups had rotated through, we had time to hang out, play volleyball, soccer, take lots of photos, laugh and get to know them on more of a peer/social level. With the frienships that have already been made, it is hard to believe that most of us have only known them for 2 days!!

After we ate lunch at Reina, the babies and children came out of daycare for awhile to see their moms and was that a treat!! The girls are proud of their children and were eager to give us opportunity to hold and love on their babies, pose for pictures, and take pictures for us. It felt like we were being invited to be "aunties" and "uncles" and it made us feel very accepted and loved by them.

At San Ricardo, we had a much "easier" day than the first day. We came together as a team last night and "problem-solved" how to make our time go smoother and be more effective, and it was a night and day difference. I was in "Memory Verse" today where the kids learned the same verse we spelled out at Reina, John 14:6. We came up with different ways of helping them learn the verse, like using actions and rhythm, taking turns "performing" in pairs once they learned the verse, and having them each say one word at a time. Sue W. even prepared a posterboard puzzle with the verse on it so the kids could work together cooperatively and put it together to spell out the whole verse. It was very cool.

Here are the top 10 things I've learned so far in these last 48 hours or so....
1. Don't simply nod and say "Si" when you don't understand the language - you may have just given away your daughter's hand in marriage! (Yes, this did happen - Emily N. received her first marriage proposal today - and Derek and Tony are having a hayday with that!!!)
2. Besides love, soccer and volleyball are also universal languages.
3. Peruvians make really good chocolate.
4. If you put something down, don't count on seeing it again.
5. Bubbles are worth the price of gold in Peru orphanages.
6. There is kindness here, and many of the children nurture and look out for each other.
7. Not being able to give an orphan something they ask you for is one of the most emotionally difficult and painful experiences out there. (But being able to give them something they ask for is positively phenomenal!)
8. The most quiet, distant, skeptical, sad or angry looking child can transform before your eyes into a smiling talkative new friend. Smiles, hugs and attention can truly work miracles! And it is so easy on our part!
9. When you are where God wants you, doing what He has for you to do, there is no greater feeling! Of joy, peace, gratitude, love, and so much more I can't put into words.
10. Even when you are in that place, you can still really miss the ones you love back home.

It's hard to stop at just 10 - more man~ana!

Love and miss you all!