Cry Out to Jesus

An 11-year-old boy named Brayan arrived at the children's home yesterday afternoon, and I have been struggling to keep my tears in ever since he arrived. Brayan is from a small village near Cusco, a popular city known as the gateway to Maccu Picchu. As a young child his father abused him terribly, using physical strength and hurtful words as weapons against his son. After enduring this abuse for years, Brayan heard that a circus was coming to Cusco and began to plan his escape. He told his father that he knew he wasn't loved and asked if he could run away with the circus. His father confirmed what Brayan said - he didn't love him and he would be glad to be free of the burden of caring for him. So Brayan packed his small school backpack and ran away at 8 years old.

He traveled the country of Peru with the circus for 3 years, performing as a clown and enduring rough conditions and terrible treatment from the circus crew. When the circus arrived in Arequipa, a woman saw this young boy in the circus and offered the circus owner a good price to buy him. Brayan was taken to her home where he served as a domestic slave. He would regularly be woken at 2:00am to begin working in her garden, doing her laundry, and cleaning the entire house. Once again he was abused - physically and emotionally - to the point that he decided he would rather return to live with his father. He bravely packed his backpack with his few items of clothing and ran to the police station to ask for help in finding his father. As the police listened to his story, they knew that Brayan could not return home to his abusive father. Instead, they told him that they knew of a children's home in Arequipa where he would be clothed, fed, educated and loved. He spent the night in the police station and arrived here yesterday.

Brayan sat in our office yesterday afternoon with wide eyes, carefully watching and listening to everything we said. He spoke softly, answering our questions and helping us to determine what needed to be done to help him settle in. We gave him a set of new sheets, a warm blanket and comforter for his bed, a haircut and a pack of personal hygiene products that he could keep. He was introduced to the other boys in his room and then carefully unpacked his one suitcase of belongings. I saw one smile when I introduced our puppies to him, warning him of the kissing attacks that Cayma (Mike's boxer puppy) sneaks in whenever she has a chance.

The details of Brayan's life follow a similar storyline to the lives of many other children in our home. But we see them all as fairly well-adjusted children that are an active part of the community here at New Hope. I personally have missed the transitional months and years of their lives at New Hope. Brayan is the first child that has come in while we've been here, and I was deeply struck by the injustice in the world that would necessitate his placement in our home. This young boy has been robbed of his innocence; he's been inundated with painful messages that sharply contradict the truth about who he is as a child of God. I can only imagine what kind of questions and thoughts must be racing around in his mind as he is settling in here. I am heartbroken over the life he's had, but desperately hopeful for the healing that God can provide.

In the midst of my tears yesterday, Tony reminded me of a Third Day song that I absolutely love. It communicates a great truth about the hope of Christ for the hurting. I haven't heard it in about a year, but it was healing for soul to listen to it last night. The lyrics are here, or you can follow this link to listen to it live (my recommendation!): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRN_ApWyb94

Cry Out To Jesus
Words by Mac Powell / Music by Third Day

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

When your lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who struggles with being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

A Peruvian Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving Day here in Arequipa! We were on the go, morning till night, and I believe this is my first Thanksgiving that hasn't included a nap while watching an NFL football game. We had several key items that helped create a sense of home: a can of pumpkin that was turned into 2 pumpkin rolls, 2 boxes of Stove Top stuffing that were critical components of my casserole dishes, and one bag of the candy-corn style pumpkin candies that we rather selfishly saved to eat among the 5 of us at home that night! Here are a few pictures to tell about the day:

We started the day off by getting locked out of the house - which is an extra challenge when the house is surrounded by an electric fence and metal spikes! Our neighborhood guard found a latter for us to use and Dana made the jump onto our spiral staircase. But not without a good 10 minutes of the alarm blaring after our first attempt in hopping the fence from a man-made (meaning Tony, Mike and Bo stacked on each other's shoulders!).

We arrived at the orphanage to find all of the cooking well underway. Nelva is in the red hat here - she is the main cook at the orphanage and spoils us with excellent meals most every day. We've even been able to convince her to prepare 3-4 vegetarian meals per week!

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without some American Football, so Tony led the charge in explaining the rules and getting the game started. A few rules that weren't understood: no forward passing once the ball is in motion, the difference between a fumble and a dead ball, and "late hit", evidenced by every single team member jumping onto the pile once someone was tackled.

Here is little Jhon shivering by the pool after swimming with the other kids. We took everyone to a nearby recreation center with a field for football, swimming pool, and playground for the kids. The weather was surprisingly chilly and we received our first drops of rain since we arrived in August. It sprinkled for about
1 minute, but we enjoyed it anyhow!

Mike and Dana made an impression at the pool while doing back flips off of each others shoulders. All the other guests were cheering and shouting "bravo!" after each flip.

The older girls helped to distribute the food to everyone. Here is Sonya on her way out of the kitchen with 2 plates of: chicken (no turkey for some reason!), mashed potatoes, bean salad, fried rice, and corn on the cob. Yummy!

This is a classic shot of Milton, one of the workers at the home. He was happy to help finish off my food, Tony's turkey, and any other extras he could find!

Here is Carlos digging into his plate with a fork in each hand!

Later afternoon we joined some other American missionaries for Thanksgiving Celebration #2. We each brought several dishes to share and collectively had a delicious meal, complete with turkey and NFL football through their cable system!

The boys (Mike, Dana and Bo) were happy to get started on meal #2!

We ended the day with an evening church service, since Thursday is our usual mid-week Bible study night. Several church members remarked on what a great concept it is to have a holiday specifically for reflecting on the blessings in our lives and giving thanks to God. It is a great holiday and we have so much to give thanks for. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays!

Candy Corn Reflections

One of our family traditions that I have come to love about the Thanksgiving holiday is the time that we take to genuinely reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Each guest at the Thanksgiving table has 3 pieces of candy corn on their plate. As we move around the table, each guest shares three things that they are thankful, one per piece of candy corn. As young children, my siblings, cousins and I usually had fairly similar reflections - thankful for family, for God and for the opportunity to go to school or something along those lines. I remember one year when my brother Mike sat down at the dinner table, a third grader at the time, dressed up as an American Indian with a full feather-filled headdress. He had been studying American Indians in school and was particularly excited for Thanksgiving because of it. He shared with us that he was thankful for God, for family, and "for Squanto who became friends with the pilgrims so that we could have this yummy Thanksgiving dinner, except for mashed potatoes that make me throw up."

My family will be gathering together today to celebrate Thanksgiving, starting with their candy corn reflections. We'll be celebrating here in Peru, so I thought I'd post my three candy corn reflections here instead:

• Living in the city where we fell in love, surrounded by reminders of those blissful summer months, I am continually grateful for Tony and the blessing he is in my life as my husband, counselor and best friend.

• Living thousands of miles away has also given me new understanding of the depth of gratitude that I have for my family. I miss them dearly every day and am thankful for the ways they love us so well from a distance.

• Our work with orphaned and abandoned children, each with traumatic backgrounds, makes me grateful each day for the redemptive work of Christ and the hope for the future that each of us have in him.
  

We'd love to hear your candy corn reflections or the holiday activities you're participating in today - leave us a comment! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Backtracking to Chile

To jump back about 2 1/2 weeks, Tony and I took a quick trip across the Peru-Chile border to get our visas renewed. Until we receive our official registration cards to be in the country, we are here on tourist visas which last for 90 days. We knew this all along, but the end of the 90 days snuck up on us much faster than we realized and we had to leave the country quickly! In times like this we are thankful to be in southern Peru, close to the Chilean border.

We traveled by bus for about $10 each, which gets you on a "top of the line" bus (essentially this means that the bathroom on-board has a 50% chance of working and that you won't make more than 3-4 stops to pick up roadside passengers along the way). : ) Upon arriving in the Peruvian border town of Tacna, we piled into a collectivo to drive across the border. These cars are generally 1980's Buick, Chevy, or Oldsmobile models - comfortable velvety seats, automated windows, etc. I have great memories of riding in my grandparents car as a child that was quite similar, talking with my grandma and eating up all of her orange tic-tacs as we rode along. So I rather enjoy riding in collectivos just for the memories!

Our collectivo

Two thumbs up from Julie for the collectivo

We arrived in Acrica, the Chilean border town, and found a hotel that was somewhat outdated but right on the coast of the Pacific ocean - so we were thrilled! We could hear the sound of waves crashing on the shore all night - it was relaxing and therapeutic for both of us. We were able to get some great photos while we were there. I only wish we could capture the sounds and smells to take home with us too.
We were refreshed after just one night away on the coast, and then it was back across the border and home to Arequipa the next morning. The bus ride home was about 2 hours longer than the ride to Chile because we were stopped several times by customs agents who searched the entire bus for undeclared contraband. One passenger on our bus was detained for smuggling in shoes, which he was probably hoping to sell in Peru to make a small profit to help feed his family. At one stop all of the luggage was unloaded, manually inspected and then held in a secured area for awhile. Here is a photo of the pile of luggage waiting to be released, and Tony waiting anxiously for our bus to be cleared to pick us up on the other side of the custom patrol gate.

All in all it was a great trip, and we are happily back in Peru for another 90 days!

Earthquake Tremor

This morning we were studying and working in a local coffee shop when we noticed that the table was shaking. It wasn't very strong, but soon the chairs started to shake and we could feel the balcony that we were sitting on start to sway. Tremors are fairly common here, as the city is near a faultline, so no one reacts much when they occur. It was the strongest tremor I'd ever felt though, so I started to worry a bit. But sure enough, Tony was right and within about 20 seconds the shaking stopped and there was no damage done.

We returned home to learn that a 7.7 magnitude earthquake had hit in northern Chile, about 500 miles from Arequipa. My mom had heard about the earthquake being felt in Peru and decided to call to check on us. She hadn't been able to reach us at home, work or on our cell phones, so you can imagine she was worried about us! She was relieved when we called back!

Thus far no deaths have been reported as a result of the quake and the damage doesn't sound too extensive. As time passes, the reports may change but for now it sounds much better than it could have been. And we're thanking the Lord for that.

My First Women's Event - in Spanish!!

As I was sitting down to write this entry, I realized this would probably be a good time to make sure that we told you all that Tony has taken over the pastoring responsibilities of the local church, Iglesia Bautista Amistad. Tony's parents founded this church around the same time that they founded the children's home, and the two have been closely linked in leadership and function ever since. The local pastor resigned from the church near the end of September and Tony has taken on the leadership responsibilities there. The church has never had elders in place, so we have appointed elders and Tony has been meeting with them weekly to teach them about the role of elders and lead them in making decisions for the church. He's been teaching most every Sunday and Thursday, so it was a welcomed break when Tony's dad was here for the church anniversary!

Tony and I have both been surprised at how much we've enjoyed this role. Aside from the extra responsibility load, it's been a surprisingly good fit for Tony's passions of working with people, studying Scripture, and integrating his philosophy of religion background with it all.

I have accordingly been placed in the position of "pastor's wife" and thus am responsible for coordinating women's events, etc. And yes, this must all be done in Spanish. : ) On November 3, I hosted my first Reunion de Damas (Ladie's Meeting) at the local church. We played several fun games, sang songs, and then I taught a lesson on godly friendship that I had been practicing and practicing in Spanish. We enjoyed a fun spread of snacks together, including No-Bake Cookies (the chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal Olson family favorites!) and egg-salad sandwiches that I made in response to their request for American snacks.

I wish I had a picture to post here of the meeting, but alas I forgot my camera. A photo at 4:00pm, the start time of the meeting, would have shown me standing in front of an entirely empty church, hoping desperately that at least one person would show up! Punctuality is one major cultural difference between the US and Peru. : ) Photos between 4-4:30pm would reveal women slowly trickling in, while I stood uncomfortably among them trying to decide whether we should get started or wait for more to show up. By 4:45pm you would see about 30 women sitting in a circle, laughing and enjoying a Peruvian rendition of Pictionary. A photo at 6:45pm would show a much relieved Julie recounting everything to Tony while cleaning up and preparing to go home. All in all, I think it was a success!

Church Anniversary

The Sunday after I got home from Chile was the 12th anniversary of our church, Iglesia Bautista Amistad. This church was founded by my in-laws, David and Debbie Bolos, around the same time that they founded New Hope Children's Home. My father-in-law was able to come down for the anniversary and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we had to spend with him during his visit.

The church met at the children's home for many years, but in the past two years they finished the first phase of construction of the church and now have their own meeting place. For the anniversary, the front of the church was painted, a new sign was put up, and grass and flowers were planted in front. Here are a few pictures of the church and the anniversary celebration:

The newly decorated church front

Kids from New Hope decorating the church

The ground level of the church where Sunday School classes meet.
The sanctuary is in the basement.

Tony and his dad, David, in the church

A group of boys inside the church

The women serving lunch after the service

Chicken foot is a standard garnish in the soup we were serving for lunch

Tony leading the activities during lunch

Dana rode home from church like this, holding the pots of soup onto the car.
Only in Peru would you see something like this!

Us with Tony's dad, just before he left for the airport.

Back in the saddle...

My trip to Chile was great - a wonderful reunion with friends from the States, and a great time to meet other women who are working in various countries from South America. I actually met 5 other women who are working in or near our same city of Arequipa and hope to connect with them again the coming months. We worked hard the whole time, so hard in fact that I don't have a single picture of the trip!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Women of the Harvest, the organization I worked for in Denver, I would encourage you to check out their website: www.womenoftheharvest.com. They provide support and encouragement for missionaries in a variety of different ways: a fantastic online magazine, international retreats, and connection to many valuable resources to help women to persevere in their work. After just 3 months of living in Peru, I can attest to the great encouragement that they provide!

I returned home from Chile to find a new puppy in our house! Mike, my brother, bought a sweet little Boxer named Cayma (named after the area we live in). She and Davy have become wonderful playmates and we're worried that Davy may go into depression when Cayma goes back the US with Mike in December. Here is a cute picture of the two puppies cuddling after an evening of wrestling: