Camp Kimo

We arrived at Camp Kimo about five o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was still shining, but it was getting closer to the tops of the mountains as time progressed. It was a beautiful sight: the green-covered mountains in the background and a raging river directly in front of us. The question that came to my mind, at first, was how we were going to get all of our bags and the owners of the bags across the river, and then I looked up. Above us were tightly strung cables stretching the entire length of the river. After calling José, the director of the camp, we saw two men board a metal, cage-like cable car and pull their way over to us. They loaded all of our luggage into the car and zipped off to the camp. After transferring our belongings to their camp jeep, they came back to our side of the river and in two groups, the ten of us visitors made it safely to the other side. To be honest, I was a bit nervous as we swung on the tight cables over the roaring river, but after going to and from the camp on numerous occasions, my anxiety subsided, and I later looked forward to the time when we would zip over the treacherous waters.
Having such a particular way of entry, the camp seemed more secluded and almost storybook-like. We hiked up the unpaved, rock-strewn path to the camp where, when we reached the clearing, it was almost impossible not to just hold our breath to try to take in the whole scene. The sky was getting a bit darker by the time we made it to the clearing, but looking straight ahead lay the Andes Mountains of the jungle beautifully covered in a lush, emerald green framed by an indescribable, rich blue sky with crisp, bright white clouds hanging high above us. Coming from Ate, a dusty city with a gray, brown sky surrounded by dust-like “mountains,” the colors in the jungle seemed so much more intense and brilliant than with what I was accustomed. Off to the right of the trail, a small pond was nestled serenely amongst palm trees as the reflections of the trees and the surrounding mountains were almost perfectly portrayed on the still water. A little island with three palms and a bird feeder seemed to pop and float magically on the peaceful water. Looking past the pond, we were able to see the palm leaf-roofed cabins, reminding me a bit of what I would imagine some tropical island to be like. Everything was so still and quiet. It was as if I were peering at an illustration in a book, until a loud cry was heard. Taking my attention off of the distant cabins and focusing my gaze about ten feet in front of me, half of a dozen peacocks were strutting around the camp property. What a sight that was! The bright royal blue mixed with jade green on the male peacocks further captivated me as we made our way to our cabin.
The cabin was constructed of a thin, ply-wood like wood with wall-length windows covered only with screens on three sides of the cabin. The cabin was divided into two floors with wooden slat stairs leading to the top room. After reaching the top of the stairs and turning to walk into the room, a quick “¡Cuidado!” was heard. I stopped immediately and realized that the door that I was about to pass through was only about five feet high. I was thankful for the young man’s warning that evening, but I wish I could have heard it other times throughout our stay.
As time progressed that first night in the high jungle, hundreds of stars began showing themselves against the deep blue sky. The entire group of us just stared in wonder at how many stars could be seen. In Ate, I can normally count on one hand the number of stars that are visible on any given night. What a wonderful time we all had remembering what a true starry night looked like. As I was considering the words of the familiar hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” I felt a small warm body right next to mine. I quickly looked down not knowing what type of creature was practically on my lap, but to my surprise, I only encountered a loppy-like Bassett hound who wanted to be petted. That night, as I lay on my thin mattress, I could not believe that I was actually sleeping in the jungle, now, mind you, the camp was very nice and not at all of what the jungle could really be like, but it was the whole principle of actually being in the jungle. As I drifted off to sleep, I never dreamed of what I would find in the morning as the light of day slowly showed itself on the peaceful camp in the high jungle of La Merced.
With the peacocks sounding the break of day, I opened my eyes, rolled over, and stared out the window at the end of the cabin. The sky could hardly be seen as steam came billowing down the mountain side. The river could be heard roaring in the background, soft pan-flute music was playing in the dining room, and the calls of many different birds could be heard. It is hard to explain what that moment was like, only that to me, it seemed almost unreal. It was beyond beautiful. It was so amazing to know that God created everything there, from the towering mountains to the small termites that liked to burrow in the side of our cabin. God had made it all, and it was very good.

A Journey Unlike Any Other

After twisting and turning for about eight hours on the roads through Peru’s coastal and mountainous regions, the ARRIBA team, the Carlton’s and the Coss’ all made it safely to the high jungle of La Merced, Peru. As part of the three credit hour biology class, I was able to spend four days at a camp nestled amoungst the green-covered Andes Mountains of Peru. The sights on the way to La Merced were quite different than what I was used to in Lima. We began our journey on the coast of Peru. As we packed our bags in the back of the Carlton’s van, our breath could be seen as the vapor slowly disappeared in the gray, cloud-covered sky. After traveling for about two hours, the clouds began to lift, the sky got brighter as the sun could be seen and felt by the eight of us seated in the van. The “mountains” that we were used to in Lima suddenly became in our minds piles of dust in comparison to the beautiful snow-covered Andes in the mountainous region of Peru. Upon reaching 16,000 feet above sea level, four hours into our trip, we were able to get out of the van and take some photos at Ticlio, a tourist stop. With the wind chill there being about twenty degrees Fahrenheit, we were very thankful for the warmth of the van as we piled back in and continued our journey. Within another two hours or so, we were seeing the sunlight breaking through once again as we crossed over into the high jungle region of Peru. Rather than the seemingly dust mounds on the coast and the towering snow-covered Andes in the mountainous region, the Andes of the high jungle were beautiful densely foliage-covered mountains reflecting the abundant rainfall in the area. In just eight quick hours, we were able to cover the three main geographical regions of Peru.

Regressing toward Childhood

My time in Peru thus far has been such a good reminder of how much I do not know. There have been many times where I put my life in the hands of thirteen year olds to get me to where I need to be. It has been a challenge to swallow my pride time and time again when I have to ask a six year old to repeat himself, because I am unable to understand. Of course, he does not know why I don't speak his language and gets frustrated or shy. As the weeks have gone by, I have felt at a loss with my limited vocabulary in Spanish. There have been many things that I have wanted to say, but by the time I have an idea of what it would be like in Spanish, the opportunity has come and gone. Mostly, this happens with the teenagers in the church. There have been many times where I have wanted to talk to them more about their walk with our Savior, but by the time I figure out the words in Spanish, they are usually gone. It has been frustrating, to be honest, but as always, God's Word has proved to be a comfort. A dear woman in my church and language helper, Ana pointed out some verses to me the other day when I was trying to explain how things have been going. Ana went to Jeremiah 1:5-9 where God reminds Jeremiah of his ordination as a prophet. Verse six characterizes my attitude so often, "Ah. Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." Too often, I choose to hold my tongue and not speak when I really should try. Verse seven, then has been a huge encouragement to me, knowing that I am unable to do anything without God's help. "But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." When there have been times of doubt or discouragement, I am reminded that I am, right now, doing God's will. He has led me to Peru at this specific time. He knows the difficulties that I have faced and will face, yet He has promised to be with me all the way- never leaving nor forsaking. Though often I feel as a child, God's constant help and presence has been a huge blessing. Please be in prayer for me as daily I seek to communicate God's truth of His Word to the people that I come in contact with each day.

A Different Pace

This week has been a little different than most weeks. We have had our two hours of Spanish in the morning, but no other class follows, as would normally be the case. Also, this week, there is a work group from South Carolina that is helping the Carlton’s build their new church building in Manchay and is hosting Bible clubs in the afternoon. After finishing our Spanish in the morning, it has been great to help in Manchay. The other ARRIBA girls and I have helped serve lunch to the workers, gather children for the club, and taking part in the club by singing, helping with crafts, and translating a bit. All in all, it has been nice to fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ and to take part in my first Bible club here in Peru.

When Pigs go to School

Students around Lima have been rejoicing since this last weekend. It was announced late last week that all classes would be suspended until August 3rd. This took affect July 15th. This suspension occurred because of the presence of “AH1N1” (the swine flu here in Peru) in the schools. The government is trying to control the spreading of this flu. There have been a few people who have contracted this flu and died, but had health problems previous to their contracting “AH1N1.” Though people are nervous about the spreading of this influenza, the students are enjoying their time off. Normally, their summer break begins in December, so this is a short winter break for them. This suspension is only for the kindergarten through the high school, so yes, I still am going to classes each day.

Making Melody in Your Hearts

After rolling out of my warm bed two Sundays ago, I was greeted by the familiar sound of Pastor Antenor (my host father) singing. He was singing and whistling familiar hymns as he woke up his daughters and called them to breakfast. While we were sitting at the table half-awake, Pastor came in with a wide, bright smile on his face as he greeted us all enthusiastically, “¡Buenos días, Chicas!” After a somewhat mumbled response, he explained how enjoyable it is to sing praises to God in the morning. I let the comment pass by until this last Sunday. The night before I didn’t get to bed until after two in the morning, but as I helped María in the kitchen before breakfast, I couldn’t help but sing. Let me tell you, that singing and joyfulness stayed with me the rest of the day. Though in the morning you feel as though you just want to sleep, let me encourage you to sing praise to your God. It will brighten your day as you think about all He’s done for you and of what praise He is worthy.

Three Strikes...You're Out!

Peruvians depend very heavily on the bus system, because most Peruvians do not own their own vehicles. Since the buses are very necessary, it is a problem when there are days that the buses do not run. For example, two weeks ago there was a paro (a strike) where the buses did not run for an entire day. Taxis were available, but the ladies that I normally go with each morning and I walked for about a half an hour before we even found a taxi that was willing to take us to our desired location. In other places in Lima, people destroyed parked buses with stones and fists. When we found out the next week that the strike was going to run for two consecutive days and was supposed to be worse than the last one, we knew that something needed to be done. The strike was going to be held part way through the week, so how were we supposed to make it to Fetzer Memorial Christian School (were we have a special ARRIBA building for our classes) each morning? Because the school year had ended at Fetzer early this month, and the teachers were moved out from their apartments on campus, the three other ARRIBA girls and I got to stay on campus for two nights. The language helpers (that we normally have) had a day off, while some other tutors who lived nearby were able to come. The Morrells, the professor and his wife, had the apartment behind the classroom, so they had no problem getting in in the morning. We all made it through the strikes and were thankful for the place available for us to stay. With the three strikes, we were out of our Peruvian homes. It felt so good to get back to them just after the two days we were gone.