The Homeless Pigeons

In the front of our land we have a house that was built in the 1980's from the first group that was here. Since the 80's six pigeons had moved into the roof where there was space in the attic area. Our job was to clean up there 2o sum year old mess. Yuck. I personally don't like attics to begin with because they are filled with spiders, ants and other surprising creatures. We climbed up in the attic and the first thing i did was step through the roof. That was rather exciting and a good lesson not to step on the roof. Across the whole roof there was anywhere from 1/2 inch to 4 inches of pigeon poop, nests, eggs (which our dog loved), dirt, and random nests of ants which was always a thrill. Within two days we got it all swept out. We threw the sacks down to the first floor and all four bags burst open all over. It was rather funny. It was Friday and the upstairs was clean so we left the downstairs mess for Sunday. Sunday we cleaned out the whole house, pigeon poop and all, and the boys put up wiring around the roof so the pigeons cant get back in. Everyday i see the pigeons sitting on the roof cooing pitifully at me because i took away their home and eggs. I almost feel a little sorry for them.

.....Bees.....

“I’m going out to the bees, does anyone want to go?” As Thomas asked I figured that I would wait until someone would speak up and the spots were filled. There are only three bee suits. One for him and two other people. David said he would go and no one else spoke up. I decided to take a plunge and face the bees even though I am not to fond of bees and especially their stings. I figured it would be an interesting experience to get an up close view of such intricate little insects. I got all suited up and off we went. We visited the first hive which hasn’t been moved yet and it was a little nerve racking. It took me a little while to get used to the thought that the bees couldn’t actually sting me through the suit. They kept hitting the netting around my face and stinging my gloves. I was a little flustered at first but then I remembered that the more you move and get scared, the more they like to sting you. That was a calming thought and I pretty much stood there still and motionless hoping that they would go bother the boys instead of me. Thomas finished up with the first hive, checking their progress, making sure they are going in a positive direction and we moved onto the hives further back in the jungle. There were about twenty hives and Thomas went from one to one looking for queens and checking the honey progress. He showed us a new hatching bee, pollen in the little holes, bad hives that still need work, and the good hives that are on their way to a successful future. It was truly an amazing experience and not only did I become more comfortable with the bees (in the bee suit), I had fun getting up close shots of the bees and Thomas at work. It reminded me a lot of my grandfathers old hives and it was amazing to see such talent that goes into working with bees.

The Angry Bull

People were running trampling others as they push themselves into our clinic rooms. I had no idea what was going on. I heard the people talking very rapidly saying somethin, somethin, somethin, toro. Then it hit me what they were saying. I hopped up on a seat and there it was. A huge bull that was not looking like it was having the happiest day. It was striking the ground and if smoke could come out of its ears it would have. It was directly in front of the school where I clinic site was and looked like it was getting ready to charge, hence, the swamp of people that piled into our rooms. A truck rounded the corner with a guy in the back and they were getting ready to rope the bull. This did not seem like a very bright idea because how well can a guy in a truck hold back a fierce bull? He went on doing the cowboy over the head swing as the bull was running towards the truck and just before it hit it viered of and ran down the road. The man with the rope misses, thank goodness, and our clinic went on. There was talk about the bull in the field below but it never bothered us again. This was an exciting and rememberable clinic experience.

The clinic that we did this week was always within aroun 20 minutes of km.38 so we stayed at home and headed out to our clinic every morning. After loading our pharmacy, glasses, and dental equipment, we were pretty full. Our bigest number was eleven and we all managed to fit. Don't worry we went moderatly slow.


On one of our slower days when we had a little extra time, tara and i started to learn how to give an IV. We went through all the steps of safety and putting it all together then it came down to practicing. Jenni lended me her hand which i stuck three times and then Dr came up with a bright idea to connect an IV tube to her arm and then we could poke that and get the feel of it. I will still be practicing more within these upcoming weeks before i poke a patient.

This was a really cute kid that was hanging around for three days. He would let me pick him up, turn him upside down, put his hat funny ways and pretty much have fun. He was so cute and always put a smile on my face.

More Pictures from the Trip

Night time in Cusco.

Matchu Picchu


We camped out on the top of Isla del Sol in Bolivia. There was water on both side of us with the sunrise on one side and the sunset on the other. It was really cold so me made a fire out of the Eucaliptis branches and leaves that surrounded us.

Random shots throughout our tirp.

This was on Isla de Taquile. A pretty little island two hours from the floating islands or 2 and a half hours from Puno.

Christmas in Puno

Christmas in Puno was a little different than traditional. We had been out on the floating islands all day and came back to our little hostel changed and went out for an expensive meal of 10 soles. We went to a cute little stone oven baked pizza place and ordered pizza and a lemonade. We were so excited to get our lemonade. A lady from behind us turned around and asked us what we were drinking. Thinking that she didn't know what the Spanish names for everything on the menu politely told her,"It's lemonade. They make it out of these cute little small lemons so it tastes sweet." She then goes on and asks if it has alcohol. She said that we were acting to happy that it had to have something in it. We said to and went on with our meal. You don't need alcohol to appreciate and love the little things in life. We ate our amazing pizza then sang hymn in our little hostel room. And that was our Christmas day.

Up Up and Up

This was how it felt the first day. We just kept on going up. We started out on our hike to Matchu Picchu from Santa Maria. It was a nice dirt road that had a good incline. Then we broke off into the trail. From there on out I and the rest of the gang was tierd. We walked up a mountain rising a few thousand feet and the went down the mountain. We had decided that we didn't need a guide so doing it by ourselves was an adventure. Thankfully we were inbetween two tours so if we were to get lost there would atleast be people around us. The hike up was tiering but once we got to the top it was amazing. You could see the vally and the tracks that we had come from just a few hours ago at the bottom of the valley. It was truly amazing. We were surrounded by rivers and mountains that were covered with pluch green trees. As we were hiking down we had the cliff on one side of us and the mountain right by our arm. It was a thrilling experience to be surrounded by so beautiful tracks and to have such a derastic incline. The day after we finished our hike to aguas caliente on which is the base of Matchu Picchu. We were excited to finally stay in a hostel after not showering or sleeping in a bed for the last two nights. The next morning we hiked up to Matchu Picchu. It rained all the way up and as we got to the top it stoped raining. We went in without a guide and followed the signs to Matchu Picchu Mountain and hoped that we were going in the right direction. We hiked again. Up up and up. We saw people that tured around because they said the trail went no where. We decided that it was a trial and that it had to go somewhere. We kept on going up the trail into the fog. The fog cleared and we saw that the trail went along the mountain for miles. We sat down on a rock hoping that the fog would clear and that we could see our surroundings. As we started having our morning worship together and started singing, the fog cleared and we could see what was before us. Matchu Picchu. The ruins and the Mt. that we thought we were climging was right below us. The sight was amazing. We were surrounded by three mountains and the fourth one that usually was surrounding us we were on. We hiked down after taking many pictures and enjoying the view. We walked around the ruins then headed down the mountain and it started raining again. Ha. Funny. Although the hike was exausting and sometimes we wanted to stop, we were all to stubborn to quit and kept on going. We made it to Matchu Picchu and now have amazing new memories and pictures of our treck.

Busin Adventures

I waslost. And I hadent even gotten on the bus yet. I was in Pucallpa our home town. We were running out of time to get to the bus station and i couldn't remember where it was. David got a moto and saved us. The moto knew where the station was and dropped us right on time before the passengers bored and left all within around ten minutes. It was six thirty at night and we were out for a journey up and over the Andies to lima. A long trip that takes all night and most of the day. About 20 hours total. We slept off and on during the night and in the morning were happy to see the beautiful green villages and lakes that are all throughout the mountains. We could feel the pressure of the altitude as we were going up. 15832 feet was the highest point before we headed back down the mountain into lima. Most of us felt the altitude change in our head and others felt it a little more. Over all the trip was a big success, a great experience and wonderful memories of our trip down south. There will be many more excitements these next two weeks and i am so excited. Next is Arequipa.

GOT WORMS???

Yes in fact i do have worms. Late Tuesday night I woke up with this gagging feeling. I had no idea what was happening. It was dark and i couldn't find my light. I kept having this gagging feeling like i was throwing up so i ran to the sink and drank some water. It didn't help. I started feeling something in the back of my nose. And i remember some of the stories Jenni was telling us. I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror at the back of my throat. It was a little white worm stuck in between my nose and my throat. I reached in the back of my throat and grabbed it pulling it out of both my nose and my throat. At three inches long and the size of a spaghetti noodle i was terrified that if i went back to sleep another one would crawl up and that was not an experience that i wanted to repeat.
It all started when we decided to take Albendazol. Albendazol is a medication that us sm's are supposed to take every three months to get rid of all the worms inside of us. Well we were a few months late and i guess i let my worms grow to long. They normally come out the other end of you but my curious worm decided he wanted to fight for his life and find a way out. I finally fell back asleep and had no more worms. This is one experience that i hope is not repeated.

Hola Mi Familia y Mi Homies

I have been in Peru now for almost five months. I can hardly believe it. The first three months went by a little slow but now the time is passing in a blink of an eye. My time spent here in Peru has been amazing. Teaching my English and music classes has been challenging but very rewarding. I started out not knowing any Spanish and thinking that I would make very little connections with the kids. Spanish was hard and the kids started out to be little devils. I didn’t know how to handle them by talking in Spanish and didn’t realize the lack of attention that was in their lives and homes.
After the first month an amazing thing happened. Spanish was flowing easier and the children, although still a handful, had worked their way into my heart. A sweet little kindergarten boy who used to run around the classroom is now sitting quietly and singing along with the other children. I get big huge little kid bear hugs from him everyday and I am so amazed by the transformation of our classes.
Classes are ending at all three of our schools on the 14th of December. There summer/rainy break will begin and us sm’s will be heading down south to renew our visas. After seeing some sites in Peru over Christmas break we will be back and ready to work. There will be another clinic in January, lots of work in the fields, and two of our schools will be starting back up with classes during the summer, January 22. I am excited for the break but will be missing all of you.
As we are approaching the holiday season, Km. 38 is looking a lot like Christmas. We have been playing our Christmas music and making our Christmas construction paper chains, hot peppermint mocha tea, and even cut out snowflakes and a Christmas tree. Our house is quite festive but the heat changes the atmosphere from our usual nippy December days. There is no jack frost nipping at our noses, or chestnuts roasting over our fire. The children aren’t bundling up or singing Christmas carols. But the biggest difference is the absence of the family and friends that I have been surrounded by each traditional Christmas day in the past. You will all be missed through this season of joy and cheer. I love each and every one of you and I am so thankful for all your love and support. Keep me in your prayers.

Class Grows to Outstanding Numbers

Three months ago Tara and I started teaching night classes for kids and adults who wanted to learn from English. There was a big want in the community and our two classes ended up being three classes. Every night even three months later I have mothers coming to me with their children wanting to be in my class. I explain to them night after night that I started out with just one class that grew to forty-five students and that I split that class in to two to make a class for children and a class for adults. They are never surprised to hear that I have thirty five kids in my younger class but still proceed to ask if I can take just one or sometimes four more.
The class room really only holds about 25 students. But when you have three chairs around some of the desks it holds many more students. When I first started teaching in Campo Verde it was a little bit of a struggle because I was really the only teacher and I was currently making up the class. I had many students coming and going as they pleased which wasn’t a very good. As I developed the regulars and cut off at around thirty five students. I am now so excited to not just have a class but to have a room filled with many little children that I have developed a relationship with and have grown to love.
One little girl tugs on my elbow every time I write on the board asking me if she has to write the information down. Everytime I know it is her and I tell her, “yes, you always have to copy down new information.” She laughs and says thank you and starts writing diligently. Another little boy names Isou on the other hand copies down nothing. Every once in a while I will quiz him verbally and this little six year old will answer every question correct. Very smart child. Other kids are just so sweet bring me honey and giving me the common Peruvian kiss goodbye. I have grown to love each and everyone of my children and thank God that He has put me in such an amazing place.

Clinic at Luz Divina

As we drove up to our new clinic site, the dirt roads were swarmed with skittering feet of the children. They peered in through the bars of the window to see what we were bringing. As we unpacked the medication, surgical supplies and dental equipment, it was obvious that yes, we were having a medical clinic in the middle of their town.
The people of the town jumped at the opportunity to help. Each of the church members wanted to help with food. They decided that each person would take the responsibility to cook for one of us. Every meal we would get ten different meals and would all pick off of all of them. We were so thankful for our food day after day. As we seepedout the building, people would jump up from their seats and take the broom from us and finish the job. They were so understanding as they waited for us to get medicine bags that we had run out of. And laughed and our good but broken spanish. Dont get me wrong, there are always the people who you want to kick out of the building because they keep coming back with different problems that they forgot that last time they came. But the majority of the time the people were so helpful and enjoyable.
Our team seams to be working so well together. We are like a well oiled machine. Well we do have some mistakes every once and a while but we work so well together. I am so impressed with our improvement and excited that we have the ability to make a little dent of help in the cities around us. God is amazing and helps us through each and everyday and just maybe we have made a small difference in the people that we have served.

A FEW MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES...
We had the opportunity to see two baby girls being born. One of them on Jenni's 25th birthday and was named after her. Baby Jenni. It was an amazing experience and one i will never forget.

Playing soccer with the little boys after a long day of clinic. Tiringbut one of the most enjoyable tasks of the day. The kids are so sweet!!! And amazing soccer pros.!!! I was shocked to see these little 5-8 year old kicking the ball like i see on tv. Wow.

A little girl named Angi. I found her sittin in the mud and was wondering why she was so sad. She later told me something that in spanish that i couldn't make out. We were walking back to her house where i thought she wanted to go when she said the same phrase again. I still didn't know what she was saying. I quickly went and asked jenni what the word meant, it was to hit. Her father hit her weather it was a punishment or even just a small spanking this child was sad. Angi and i decided that stickers would be a good cure for her sadness. We went inside and picked out a few of her favorite stickers and spent the next few minutes smiling and laughing and chatting. As darkness grew stronger she ran off with the biggest smile on her face. She was such a preciously beautiful little girl.

Sweet Reminder

I returned to the doctors room and told him, Dr. we don’t have twenty one pills of this medication you prescribed for this woman. We only have eight. He replied saying that I needed to find it. He told me that if Jesus could turn loaves of bread into enough to feed five thousand, then I should be able to fine a few more pills to at least double the amount we had. I was frustrated and said how am I supposed to do that? I packed the medications, I know what we have, and I have already looked. We don’t have anymore. He said fine and told me to give her what we had. I walked back to the pharmacy frustrated and gave the woman the medication. She had just left as a thought crossed my mind about how awesome God was. He did make enough bread for the people and so maybe he could help me find some more medication. I looked again with a little bit of hope to find more of the medication but yet still with doubt. The second box I searched through there it was. Eight more pills. Doubled the amount that we had to fourteen. I was struck with giggley excitement. I ran outside to se if the woman had left. I didn’t see here anywhere. I looked to my right and there she was just sitting down on the bench. She looked at me and asked what I needed. I said with delight that I had found more medication and that it was only a few short of what he needed but it would get her by. She looked at me with dull enthusiasm not knowing really what was going on and said thank you.
The rest of the day I was just amazed with God. I don’t know if he put those medications there or not. But I do know that he put the will in me to actually look for them one last time. It opened my eyes to see how much God really does care about the little things.

Bursting with Thankfulness

Thanksgiving wasnt a regular day this year. For one it was on tuesday for us out at km. 38. My family, my dad Russell, mom Kathie, brother James, and sister Melissa, all decided to come out and visit this week as well as Taras dad Jeff and stepmom Jane. Emily, Kristen, and Emily were back from their six week long trip from their public health program and our how was full. Eighteen people staying under two small roofs. We were full. We decided to have thanksgiving on tuesday so that taras parents could join us before they left on wednesday. It was so exciting to have everyone together. I never thought that cooking would take so long and eating would take so little time. We cooked for around 4 hours and demolished the food with in a half hour. Amazing. The rest of the week was fun. Having the family there was a lot to take in but very exciting that they could be here and see what life at km. 38 was all about. From sitting in on some of my classes, coming to pucallpa to see some of the sites (the pizza place, market, ice cream store, and hostel), to heading out to San Fransisco island to see that native shipibo crafts and culture. It was a full week filled with excitement. James helped the boys out in the field and dad took many memberable pictures. Mom and missy came to classes and enjoyed reading lots of book and helping out in the kitchen and later enjoyed shopping around in Pucallpa. Frankie was definitely loving all of them as well. He was fed five times the amount of trash as normal and had five times the amount of attention. He became a brat. It was so much fun to see my family and celebrate this wonderful holiday of thankfulness.

Cheva

Cheva our rotwiler was a happy dog. She loved to bark at everything. Lightning, people, balls, sheep. She also liked to chase things. She would run after the lightening, charged us as we were coming in at night on our bikes, lunge and demolish the balls, and even chased the sheep and tested their taste. After two of our sheep died from Chevas taste testing we decided that she needed a new home without other animals to mal on. Until the situation was resolved she was tied up to the house so she couldn’t get our sheep. One day our African killer bees were angry. As David was on his way home he saw that she was lying down under the house. He pet her and noticed a few bees hanging around her head and realized that she was not moving and was entangled in her rope. He ran to the house, we called Jenni to see what we should do, I prepared the epi and Anita ran to her rescue in her bee suit to give her the shot. It was to late. She had already become stiff and there was no hope. The boys later buried her out back. We are sad that our crazy rotwiler has died but are thankful that we still have our other precious animals.

Laura Made an Awesome Video...

"He peed on me"

About once a week, all of our kindergarten kids decide that they all have to go to the bathroom all at the same time. They all race out of the room and find a spot behind the wall outside. One day as we were leaving they all had run out to go to the bathroom. Little Cecilia comes running back in the room a few seconds later wet from head to toe almost in tears because a little boy peed on her. The teacher wiped her off a little and went on with the day. Thank goodness class was almost over.

I AM NOT A GRINGO...

As we teach our classes, our students randomly start calling us gringo.... Tara turns around and says " We are not gringos, we are white and we are living in peru. We are Peruvian..." They now us call us the white Peruvian teachers and whenever anyone comes out to our classroom they are other peruvian white people. hehe. funny.

Kiddish Fun

As I sit in my kindergarten class watching them color their colorful pages of construction paper, i wonder what i am missions out on. Why arent i coloring? I love to color. I pick up the crayons and start coloring away. As i examine the crayons and their colors and inventive names, i remember how much fun coloring was as a child and how much more fun it is now. Razzledazzle Berry which has sparkles, shocking pink that is so bright it hurts your eyes, or my favorite, mango tango. As i pick up each crayon i get more excited to see all the new and thrilling crayons that people have invented and i realized that i has been way to long. I now color regularly with my school children.