SUMMER UPDATE
Well, friends, the day is getting near. I am
less than a month away from beginning my YAV year! It still is surreal to me
that I graduated from Whitworth already and that I will be abroad for almost an
entire year. I am getting really excited, though.
This summer I am leading the Compass program up
at Camp Spalding so I have been very busy to say the least. It has been an
incredible summer so far with two more weeks of adventure to come still. We
just got back from backpacking last week with Peak7 Adventures. The girls did
the High Divide Loop in the Olympic Mountains and the boys went somewhere in
the Sawtooth Wilderness in central Washington.
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| About to embark... Look at the amazing color spectrum! |
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| The Olympic Mountains with Blue Glacier and Mt. Olympus at the center. |
I have this week off to recover from backpacking
and prepare for our mission trip in Seattle. It has also been and promises to
be a good week to get some things figured out for Peru and connect with old
friends in Spokane before I take off.
I just wanted to share with all you what has
been going on since I last was in communication. I have already raised the
minimum amount I need to fund this year in Peru thanks to generous donations
from many of you and from my home church, Covenant Pres, in Boise. Thank you
for being so supportive of the work that I will be doing! If you would still
like to be involved financially, there is still a need. Any money that is
specified to me will go directly to the work I am doing in Peru.
UPDATE ON WHAT I WILL BE DOING IN PERU
For those of you who don’t know, through the Young
Adult Volunteer Program (YAV) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I will be
joining over 70 other young adults serving at 16 different sites both here in
the United States and around the world. While I am still learning about my
specific responsibilities, I will be working with the Red Uniendo Manos Perú,
the Peru Joining Hands Network. The desire to address the root causes of
poverty is what pulls the 12 Peruvian institutions in the Peru Joining Hands
Network together. Each institution has its own work in different communities in
Peru, but together they do advocacy in environmental justice, economic
development and human rights.
I will specifically be working with the Bridge
of Hope Fair Trade program. The program works with 14 artisan groups, half of which
are in the Andes and half in Lima. About 90% of the artisans are women, most of
who live in extreme poverty. The Fair Trade program works with each artisan
group in developing them as individual persons, groups, and as artisans. I will
spend significant time developing relationships with the artisans - spending
time with them, understanding their context, sharing stories, and eventually
helping lead workshops on self-esteem, leadership, and group dynamics. This
opportunity will allow me time to share the good news of Jesus Christ by
showing these people how valuable they are and how much they are loved and
accepted by Christ and by the community of believers.
Recently I also learned that instead of working
full time for Bridge of Hope, I will split my time with an organization called
CENCA. They need a volunteer to work in leadership development with young
adults and mothers. CENCA works in Lima in an area that is very impoverished.
Most of the families have migrated from the mountains to the city and lack
basic necessities. Because of this there are many problems with young people
who cannot get work or cannot study.
MY HOST FAMILY!!
One of the most exciting things for me has been
finding out who my host family is! I will be living with a family in Lima for
the duration of the 11 months. The mother of the household is named Ada. Her
husband died about eight years ago, so she lives with her sons and daughter in
the house. The oldest son is Chente. He is 33 years old and a musician like his
father. Then there is Mario, who is 20 and Maria who is 18.
I got to Skype with Chente for a little while
this past weekend, and they seem extremely welcoming and excited to have me
stay with them. He said that I need to try cuy
(guinea pig) while I am down there because that is a traditional Peruvian food.
I’m hoping that I can get some guitar lessons while I’m down there too!
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| Chente and Ada |
OUTLINE OF THE NEXT YEAR
July 27 – August 2 Compass
Urban Plunge in Seattle
August 4 – August 10 Last
Week of Compass
August 11 – August 18 A
week of prep in Boise
August 19 Fly
to New York for YAV training
August 26 Fly
to Peru!!
August 27 – September 11 Orientation
in Peru with the other YAVs
September 12 – November 23 Phase
I in my site
November
24 – November 29 Retreat
1 in Huacho/Caral (celebrate Thanksgiving with the other YAVs)
November
30 – December 25 Phase
II part A in my site (spend Christmas with my host family)
December
26 – January 3 Vacation
1
January
4 YAV
Holiday Gathering
January
5 – February 28 Phase
II part B in my site
March
1 – March 7 Retreat
2 in Mancora
March
8 – May 18 Phase
III in my site
May
14 – May 17 Retreat
3 in Paracas
May
18 – May 24 Vacation
2
May
25 – July 10 Phase
IV in site placement
July
11 Say
goodbye to sites
July
13 – July 18 Retreat
4 in Huancayo
July
19/20 Return
to U.S.
