Death, a Different Reality

I have a story about a Peruvian girl. This past week, the girl´s father died of a disease that was slowly taking him down. He had been staying in a more remote jungle town down river, with some family down there. When this girl was informed of his death, she immediately got on a boat and headed to help bury him. Little did she know how much she would help.

The family was poor and did not have enough money to pay for the things that we would consider to make a proper funeral. And if they did not have the money right then, there was nothing they could do. There isn´t exactly credit cards and ATM machines in a town that has no electricity. And I´m guessing there wasn´t a funeral home, either, to come and take care of the body. They were the ones to prepare his body, which was stiff and difficult to manipulate. They had no coffin, so they used wood from the side of their house to make one. By the way, the house only has (had) four walls. Not a "3 bed, 1.5 bath" type of house, but just a dirt floor, some wood for walls and a thatched roof. They found a spot in a sandy area and dug a big hole and buried him.

Hearing this story made me think of how blessed my life is, even when dealing with death. If a loved one of mine dies, I won´t have to clean up the body and try to fight its stiffness; I won´t have to tear down a side of my house--part of my little protection from the elements--to quickly put together a coffin-like box; I won´t have to dig a hole myself, place the body and cover it up, trying to figure out a way to mark the site that will soon be overgrown. If I were to die down here, my body would probably get shipped back to the States, and I would be given a beautiful funeral with a sealed coffin and a plot in a cemetary.

I know this blog is very depressing, but it has been something on my mind alot, lately. We usually have happy blogs, but here is one that touches on part of a sad reality down here. Just something for us all to consider. We should all be thankful for how blessed we are, even in death. Anyone who is reading this is blessed, because if they have means of reading this, they most likely will have the resources (money, credit cards, friends or family) to have a "proper" funeral. And for a final thought, this story is the story of one of ours here and the deceased is someone we knew.

An Urgent Request for Help

Those of you who have faithfully followed our blogs understand our frustration with the public education system, and especially with the local school here in Santo Tomas. The majority of the students who finish high school in our town (if they get that far) aren´t really able to seriously consider going to a university. The best option for them to escape the mundane life of our remote little town is to join the military. Those who don´t join the military become motorcar drivers, field workers, or fish vendors--gender depending. There are no student loans or government aide. Those who go to college are either rich or lucky. It´s a sad reality.

In the past year, Casey, Lisa, Aaron and I have become good friends with a few local boys. They are friends with our girls and they play soccer with us, attend our Bible studies and go to church with us in town. One boy in particular, Felix, finish high school at the Santo Tomas colegio this past December. One January night, after a Bible study, we stayed up talking with Felix. He didn´t know what to do with his life now that he was done with school. We asked him if he had ever considered going to a university, even though we already knew that we might as well have asked him if he wanted to go to the moon. A seed was planted that night. We wanted him to truly think: if he did have a chance to go to the Adventist university in Lima, what would he want to study?

From that night on, we all began investigating such a possibility. The way the Adventist universities operate down here is that you have to pay for the first year to get in. From there, you can live in the dorm and work off the rest of your bill. If you need to work for a year doing grounds on campus until you have enough money for another cycle, then that´s what you do. For those who can´t afford to pay and study, they work off their bill, sometimes even taking 8 years to complete a 4 year degree. The catch is, you have to be able to get in in the first place. Felix knows this.

Right now, we are putting Felix through an educational boot camp trying to prepare him for the test he has to pass in order to attend the school. The test is a week from Sunday. He has been working very hard and we believe he will pass this test. He has learned a lot of Adventist beliefs through our Bible studies these past few months, but he still needs to know more for the test. We have been giving him math problems, essay to write, historical events to read about and analyze. We had to teach him to use the internet (there is a cafe in Santo Tomas now, but it is tiny and a little slow...he´s learning) to look up information. He is so excited and so terrified right now. We have been pushing him, knowing how little scholastic prep he has had by attending high school in Santo Tomas, while also trying to calm him and encourage him. He is doing very well so far.

So here is where we sit. We have a few hundred dollars raised to cover his flight to Lima, but the rest is in Gods hands. We need to raise $2,000 in order to cover his first year, which includes living in the dorm, cafeteria, books, and other random expenses. After year one, he will be able to work off the rest of his school bill, and is eagerly willing to do so. He just needs a good jump start. He is currently waiting to take his entrance test, and when he passes the test, he has about a week to get to Lima and have his year paid for. We are trying to work out more time to pay the bill so he can start studying, but we have no guarantees yet. Right now we urgently need prayer. We feel as though God will provide for this cause, but it will take a lot of prayer.

Next week we will be posting his picture, some information about him and his life, and an essay that he wrote explaining why he wants to go to an Adventist University, and how it will positively effect his life. If you would like to help this cause, please contact us at linfoot.aaron@gmail.com, and we can work out the details (we are waiting for him to pass in order to take money, but are looking for pledges at this point). Anything will help. God bless.

The Glatts Family Leaves

These last few weeks we have been blessed to have a family here from Montana. Pastor Tom, his wife Linda, and their two boys have been very involved in life around here. Tom and his wife have been putting on an evangelistic series in various locations in and around Iquitos. Linda, a nurse by trade, has been putting on a health series as well. With this, she has been involving the girls from POPPYS House with coming and giving presentations. It has been wonderful watching our girls get involved, working on people skills, communication, and public speaking. Pastor Tom has given bible studies out in Santo Tomas, and the family has helped out tremendously with our girls. This has Included playing soccer, volleyball, re-doing some of our chairs, spending time with our girls, and learning Spanish. We have greatly appreciated their help, and wish them the best of luck now as they take a little break and see some sites in Peru.

Happy Valentines Day

This last Saturday night, Valentines day, Kelly and I were able to sneak away for a few hours and have some time alone. We decided to check out a restuarant down on the Amazon river. It was spectacular. It is a two story, elegant dining restuarant, floating in the middle of the Amazon river. It has its own private pool, you get chauffeured over on a private boat, and there is even live music. Kelly and I went at dusk, an apparently un-popular time, and were able to have a beautiful view of the sun setting on the mighty Amazon. We were accompanied by a pleasany breeze, a few pesky mosquitos, and a gorgeous restuarant to ourselves.



Here are some photos that we were able to take on a friends camera.

Here we are heading out to the restuarant. This is one of the more expensive places in town. About $10 USD a plate. Affordable for an American, but not for most Peruvians (or Volunteers).

A shot of the city lights. It was so peaceful. No sounds. Tranquility. Romance. What more could you want... They even had real flowers sitting on the table. The food was incredible. We are here drinking some amazing Passion Fruit juice, and endulging in some Peruvian delicacies.

Farewell to Maria

Maria has been helping us for the last month, providing art activities for the girls. Although she came down with very little Spanish history (she had two months of classes), by the time she left, she was able to get by perfectly all by herself. The girls have embarked on learning new forms of art, identifying famous pieces, and learning art, even when organized, can be fun. The girls have done a variety of activities, including, portraits, face-painting, shading, and a most recently, celebrating a Chinese New Year. This last week, we made boats out of bamboo, and had the girls decorate them. We then proceeded to the river, and let them go with candles inside. Sadly, there was a slight breeze, so the candles did not last, but it turned into a fun swim. With the breeze, the boats actually sank, so the girls had to go swim and get them. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and refreshing as well (it is always hot here). We are going to miss Maria, but look forward to her coming back again, next year, with her family.

We Get a Girls Soccer Team

As Casey and Aaron have been eagerly playing in their soccer games, the girls of POPPYS House have also been playing. Every Sunday, the girls, including Lisa and Kelly, have gone to a near by pueblo (small town), and challenged them to a game. With everyone, we have just enough players –although it has been interesting these last few weeks with the girls having chicken pox. We have been fortunate, and always had enough –even if we had to call up people last minute.

We were able to outfit our team with some jerseys, making them look quite professional. We have some very talented players, but tend to be undersized, and a little under skilled. The teams they have been playing have been comprised mostly of middle aged women who talk a lot of “smack,” push a lot, and have been playing together for quite some time. These women are ferocious, intense, and are only your friends before the game, and a few days after. The games have been fairly close, although no wins have been tallied. Our girls are doing a wonderful job at playing hard, working on teamwork, recognizing each others skill, and having fun. It is great to see the girls playing together, and being led by two fearless gringos (Lisa and Kelly). This is a great bonding experience, one that everyone looks forward to. (We will post some photos soon).

Herkie Update

Update on Herkie: He's cute and awesome. Thank you.

Bora Bora Tribe and Monkey Island

A couple weeks ago, Papa Paul and the organization took a group out for a day in the jungle. Lucky for us, this group included all the girls! We hopped on the organization’s boat and headed down the Amazon to visit a Bora Bora tribe and Monkey Island. It was a nice cool day.

The Boras did some tribal dances for us in the native (which now means "tourist") attire. As you can see, the native attire doesn't require much...and this group covers a lot more than other Bora groups. It was an experience. After the dancing, it was time to barter for goods. We brought random items to trade for their hand made goods--for us and for the girls. It was fun "purchasing" stuff without any cash. Gum can get a lot of bracelets. :)

After the Boras, we continued down river to Monkey Island, one of the coolest places ever. A monkey was waiting for us at the dock when we arrived and then it dug around our stuff in the boat. That was a little unsettling, so we carried our stuff with us. The choro monkeys (or as I call them, the "Curious George" monkeys) were all over us, wanting food. The people who run the island have fruit available to give to the monkeys. We met Herkie's distant cousin, who ate an uvilla on my shoulder (pictured below). He's not as cute as our monkey, but he's in the same basic family. Some monkeys, like the choros, were much more direct in their approach to getting food. For example, out of nowhere, one would jump from a limb to your shoulder, which was quite shocking at first. They also would grab backpacks. Then there were more shy monkeys, like the tamarins or the one that looked like a Dr. Seuss character, that would take a piece of fruit if you offered and then run off to eat it.

It was a wonderful day, being able to take advantage of the incredible things to do in the deeper jungle that most of the girls have never gotten to experience. And it was our first trip, as well. The girls had a lot of fun, even though some were a little scared of the monkeys. Here are a few pictures of the day.

A Visit from a Neighbor

This last Sunday, as we were coming home from our soccer games (both the girls and guys played), a monster met us at the sala (dinning room). This was some sort of Iguana/Lizard that had become a little lost. This is the biggest one we have seen out here. We tried to get him to leave nicely, but that resulted only in some crazy, snake-like, hissing. We then moved on to the broom. That seemed to work, but still he didn’t want to leave. Elvira, one of the former girls out here at POPPYS House, got up more courage than Casey or myself, and grabbed him by the tail (hence the photo below) and threw him into the river. He landed, and then swam away. The water level is high, giving us a nice river that runs, almost literally, up to our dining room. We will wait and see what else comes to visit…

Dinner for the Workers

This organization is full of workers who help out our girls. Everything from driving them all over the city, to fundraising for them, to cooking for them, to babysitting; our girls have a lot of support. In lieu of this, we, the administrators at POPPYS House, wanted to take them out to a congratulatory dinner. We invited all of the employees who directly work with our girls, as well as their families. Everyone showed up--almost 40 in all. It was remarkable. We were able to meet the families of these wonderful people, and enjoy some of the best chicken, rice, and french fries in Iquitos (the restaurant that we went to is really known for having the best sauces in town). We are very thankful for these individuals who do so much and give so much of their time, all so that our girls can live a fairly normal life. We couldn’t do it without them.

Kevin and Sandra Arrive

Kevin and Sandra have been with us for about one week now. They are here for a three month stay, with Kevin helping out with the girls and their cases and Sandra helping out on the medical side. Kevin is putting together a much needed files system for and on the girls, both in creating new files (he has his masters in Social Work) and organizing old files from the government. Sandra has already started offering medical treatment and screenings for locals. We appreciate the work that they are doing and enjoy their company.

Here is a photo of them after helping out with a face-painting class out here with us.

Sharing is Caring: A Chicken Pox Story

Previously, we mentioned that Keyla had chicken pox. The poor girl got taken out bad by the disease, but she is finally on the tail end of her journey. We had been concerned about the spreading of the disease since, at this point, we have no reasonable way to quarantine any of the girls. However, in my naively non-medical eyes, I saw the disease taking its leave.

Well, that chicken pox sure is a little trooper. Like the little engine that could, it kept going and never giving up or losing hope. And now, after a 20 day incubation period, the disease is popping up everywhere like a screwed up game of whack-a-mole. Within the past four days, five more of our kids have gotten the pox—one of which had had the vaccine already. Not only that, there are a few more potential candidates who have yet to get poxed. I, too, am a potentially potentila candidate, since I have not had it, but had a vaccine. My only hope is that the US vaccines are way better than those down here. I would hate to be left out and all, but a selfish streak in me desires to never be touched by the disease.

There are so many lessons we can learn from chicken pox.

1. Never give up. Everyone may be against you and trying to do everything in their power to stop you from being yourself. Don't let them bring you down.
2. Share. With so much to offer, it would be unjust to not spread the love to those around you. Thank you for sharing, you dirty disease.
3. In whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability. This disease could have been a few spots here and there, but no--that would be mediocrity. Poxy has put it's best effort in, covering all areas of the body with as many of it's little blisters as possible.

Thank you, chicken pox, for teaching us so many valuable life lessons.

Bridge Jumping

With the raising water levels, the kids have now given up jumping from the rotting log, and moved on to far bigger and better feats; bridge jumping. They do this everyday and it is hilarious to watch. The little kids launch off, hit the water (usually with little grace), and then swim back to shore (with their swimming resembling a thrashing bird in water).

The other day when I was driving by, I stopped to watch for a few minutes. The kids new my name, and kept telling me to “watch.” They were launching off the bridge in a variety of forms, but it got very exciting when I pulled out the camera and began snapping away. Kids love getting their picture taken. After a few minutes of this entertaining mayhem, I called the kids over and showed them the photos that I had taken. They were so excited that they then, just about all of them, ran and jumped off the bridge simultaneously –not exactly safe. The kids were so cute, and having so much fun –it beats hanging out indoors and watching TV any day.

Iquitos Goes Professional!

The city of Iquitos just got a professional soccer team. We have had one in the past, but after a 7 year absence, we are back on the map. We took the girls out this last Saturday night to watch our very own, “CNI,” host an incredible team from Lima, “Alianza Lima.” We were fortunate enough to sit in the “away team” section, and down here, fans are crazy. Fortunately for us, we were a little ways removed from the firework throwing, giant banners, jumping and chanting fan section, but still not exactly on our “home turf.”

Sadly the game ended 2-1, and although we lost, we have a lot of hope. Our team is young, they are still trying to figure out players, and this is still pre-season. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves; getting involved in the yelling, eating ice cream, and showing some local pride. Soccer season down here is from February to December, so we will try to make it to a few more games.

Aaron & Casey Soccer Update

Well, they way its stands now, we are sitting with one win and two losses after three games into the season. Casey has already had his first spectacular goal (which helped contribute to our win two weeks ago), and I have had a few close ones, but nothing yet. In order to make the playoffs, it’s all about points. With each win you are awarded 3 points, a tie 1 point, and a loss, nothing. The good news is that right now a lot of teams have the same record as us. The sad news is that our schedule keeps becoming more challenging. Oh well, we are having fun, it’s a good competitive release, and we are becoming better friends with the people in our town.

Veronica Gets Glasses

This last week, Veronica went in to get her eyes checked. When she came back, this is what she looked like. We did not realize that she had an eye issue, but she has appreciated the added help with her stylish lenses. Her eyesight has improved, allowing her to even score more goals. Hopefully this new look will not also bring more boys, cause then Kelly will have to beat them up…