21 May 2017
Beneficiaries are the people who receive what we provide on this humanitarian mission. The benefactors are the millions of donors who have contributed to the church humanitarian fund. We are here in the middle of both groups. We serve the recipients by giving what they cannot get on their own (wheelchairs, clean water, emergency supplies, etc.). We also serve the benefactors and donors by voluntarily giving our time, talents and life skills to coordinate projects and make sure the donations reach those most in need. This is a sacred duty we are glad we can administer.
Over 2,100 schools across Peru were damaged by the nation-wide floods in recent months, and many schools are still closed. We recently approved three projects to help rebuild by providing desks to poor schools where their school equipment was destroyed. These schools, all up north near Piura in a place called Catacaos, sent us these photos showing the damage from the floods.
The regional school administration is participating in this project by paying all the shipping costs for the new desks, and the local schools will be working on this and other projects in the coming months as we all work to re-open the schools.
A major part of our humanitarian efforts involves clean water initiatives. Many people in remote areas still pull their drinking water from rivers and streams. They also suffer the consequences in terms of diseases that come from drinking contaminated water.
Communities come to us seeking help with wells in poor areas where they could never afford them. We will help communities as long as they also help themselves to the maximum extent possible. We provide the pumps and tanks, and we oversee the construction. The communities are involved in putting together the water distribution network and, most importantly, forming a local water committee to collect water fees ($2 to $10 per month) and ensure the system is repaired and maintained long after we leave.
Without local buy-in to the projects, wells that have been installed will quickly break down and stop working. The water committees make sure that does not happen.
While we don't dig the wells ourselves, we coordinate efforts to get them built. This involves ordering and delivering the parts needed to build the wells. We (mostly Sandy) spent the past few months working with the invoices, purchase orders, and deliveries for a project in northern Peru (Monsefu) to install 18 wells in rural villages that would never get clean water otherwise.
These wells have a major impact in communities without clean water by reducing sickness and improving health for many, many people.
We are approaching completion on a project in the jungle region of Ucayali. The church installed 50 wells before we got here. Each well serves between 50 to 300 families scattered across the jungle. We hired an engineer last week to do the 6-month inspection of these wells. Final result: 49 of the 50 wells are still working - a tremendous success. The only well that stopped was clogged with sand, and the regional government agreed to pay for that well to be re-dug 10 yards away from the original well site. All wells have their water committees in place and functioning, and many people now have clean water to drink.
We supply what these poor communities cannot: the pumps, tanks, and drilling. The community is responsible for the rest - distribution system, water committee and maintenance. Thus, this becomes a meaningful donation that also fosters self-reliance - it is more than a handout because it promotes growth of capabilities at the local level and sustainability.
Some mistakes we make when speaking a new language can be hilarious. Sandy said something in the Area Office this week in Spanish that made everyone laugh. She was explaining to our colleagues about our contact lenses. We both have 'monovision', which means we wear contact lenses that correct vision for only one distance, either near or far.
Unfortunately, Sandy told everyone we have 'visión de mono', which means we have monkey eyes (rather than monovision). Our colleagues looked at Sandy with confusion, like something was really wrong with these Americans. When I explained what Sandy was trying to say, everyone burst into laughter Sandy included. We are still joking with others in the office, who ask how our monkey vision is doing.
We went shopping Friday night and took a taxi home with our groceries. The next morning I discovered that I had inadvertently left my small backpack behind in the taxi. Unfortunately, it had a white shirt, tie, and my nice pair of dress shoes. How could I be so stupid! And, with about 5 million taxis in Lima, what were my chances of ever seeing that pack again?
I gave up, thinking all was lost. However, a different taxi driver the next day told me to go back to the grocery store and ask if the driver had turned in my pack. I had serious doubts that the driver would return the pack, but we went back later that night just to check. Can you imagine our surprise when the store confirmed that yes, indeed, the taxi driver had returned the pack. After confirming the contents were still in it, they handed it over to me. And then, when we left the store, we found that very driver and got him to give us a ride home for the second time in a row. I thanked him profusely and made sure to give him a nice tip. He told me how he had actually driven back to our house after finding the pack, but he didn't know the apartment number, so he returned to the store to turn it in. Incredible! My faith in humanity, especially here in Peru, has been restored.
Saturday was our day off, so we took a taxi across town and rented bikes again for another 15 km journey. Our goal was to visit another one of Lima's pyramids, Huaca Huallamarca (WAH-ka why-a-MARK-a). Now surrounded by city, this pyramid predates the other larger ones by hundreds of years. Perfectly symmetrical, Huaca Huallamarca is a beautiful sight, surrounded by a fairly posh neighborhood.
The pyramid was first constructed about 2,000 years ago and is one of about 250 ancient sites and pyramids that have been uncovered in Lima. Most sites are now part of city parks.
The civilization that build this pyramid (called the Lima culture) disappeared and was replaced by other cultures who, in turn, used the pyramid as a burial ground.
The museum on site contained mummies and other relics recovered from the pyramid.
Most archaeological sites in Lima are lit up at night. We only came during the day, but I included this night shot of the pyramid I found on line. Next time we will make the journey at night.
Peruvian food has been some of the best in the world that we have ever eaten. Locals take such pride in their culinary tradition here. They all ask what we think of their food, and they all smile when we tell them we think it is the best. From roasted pork to fruits we have never dreamed existed, this place is a wonder to visit if you enjoy eating exotic.
Every few months the president of the Lima East Mission, President Boswell, invites all the senior missionaries in the Area Office and Lima Temple to his home for dinner. We all like these get togethers as a way of unwinding and rubbing shoulders with other English speakers. How lucky to be in this location - it is unique in the world in terms of working with so many other senior missionaries.
And so the adventure of living and serving here in Peru continues. What will the future hold? Who knows, but we are glad we are here.
Beneficiaries are the people who receive what we provide on this humanitarian mission. The benefactors are the millions of donors who have contributed to the church humanitarian fund. We are here in the middle of both groups. We serve the recipients by giving what they cannot get on their own (wheelchairs, clean water, emergency supplies, etc.). We also serve the benefactors and donors by voluntarily giving our time, talents and life skills to coordinate projects and make sure the donations reach those most in need. This is a sacred duty we are glad we can administer.
Rebuilding Schools
Over 2,100 schools across Peru were damaged by the nation-wide floods in recent months, and many schools are still closed. We recently approved three projects to help rebuild by providing desks to poor schools where their school equipment was destroyed. These schools, all up north near Piura in a place called Catacaos, sent us these photos showing the damage from the floods.
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| School in Catacaos, Peru, after the floods that destroyed all the school furniture. |
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| Cleanup in Catacaos will go on for some time. Hopefully, the new desks we are donating for these poor schools will arrive once they clean out all the muck. |
The regional school administration is participating in this project by paying all the shipping costs for the new desks, and the local schools will be working on this and other projects in the coming months as we all work to re-open the schools.
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| A sad sight in Catacaos - returning after the flood waters subsided. |
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| This school playground looks like it can be used for water polo now. Hopefully, the flood waters will go down soon so the rebuilding can get underway. |
Clean Water and Wells
A major part of our humanitarian efforts involves clean water initiatives. Many people in remote areas still pull their drinking water from rivers and streams. They also suffer the consequences in terms of diseases that come from drinking contaminated water.
Communities come to us seeking help with wells in poor areas where they could never afford them. We will help communities as long as they also help themselves to the maximum extent possible. We provide the pumps and tanks, and we oversee the construction. The communities are involved in putting together the water distribution network and, most importantly, forming a local water committee to collect water fees ($2 to $10 per month) and ensure the system is repaired and maintained long after we leave.
 |
| Local water committee for one of the wells in the jungle region of Ucayali, Peru. The committee collects user fees ($2 to $10 per month) to ensure they can maintain their well into the future. |
Without local buy-in to the projects, wells that have been installed will quickly break down and stop working. The water committees make sure that does not happen.
While we don't dig the wells ourselves, we coordinate efforts to get them built. This involves ordering and delivering the parts needed to build the wells. We (mostly Sandy) spent the past few months working with the invoices, purchase orders, and deliveries for a project in northern Peru (Monsefu) to install 18 wells in rural villages that would never get clean water otherwise.
These wells have a major impact in communities without clean water by reducing sickness and improving health for many, many people.
 |
| Photos of some of the 50 wells installed in Ucayali, Peru. Small villages are now drinking safe water due to this project. |
We are approaching completion on a project in the jungle region of Ucayali. The church installed 50 wells before we got here. Each well serves between 50 to 300 families scattered across the jungle. We hired an engineer last week to do the 6-month inspection of these wells. Final result: 49 of the 50 wells are still working - a tremendous success. The only well that stopped was clogged with sand, and the regional government agreed to pay for that well to be re-dug 10 yards away from the original well site. All wells have their water committees in place and functioning, and many people now have clean water to drink.
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| Well pump in Ucayali. The pump pulls the water from the well shaft and pumps it to the tank on top of the tower. All repair and maintenance parts are readily obtainable here in Peru. The locals are taught how to maintain the system and keep it going long after we are gone. |
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| Pressure test during recent well inspection in Ucayali region. Looks like this well is still working with plenty of pressure (all pressure is gravity flow from the tank on top of the tower). |
We supply what these poor communities cannot: the pumps, tanks, and drilling. The community is responsible for the rest - distribution system, water committee and maintenance. Thus, this becomes a meaningful donation that also fosters self-reliance - it is more than a handout because it promotes growth of capabilities at the local level and sustainability.
 |
| Our engineer, Oscar Castro (left), inspected all 50 wells in Ucayali last week. He sent his final report to us, along with the photos, showing that 49 of the 50 wells are still working fine and the one that is not working is being re-dug by the regional government. |
Monkey Eyes
Some mistakes we make when speaking a new language can be hilarious. Sandy said something in the Area Office this week in Spanish that made everyone laugh. She was explaining to our colleagues about our contact lenses. We both have 'monovision', which means we wear contact lenses that correct vision for only one distance, either near or far.
Unfortunately, Sandy told everyone we have 'visión de mono', which means we have monkey eyes (rather than monovision). Our colleagues looked at Sandy with confusion, like something was really wrong with these Americans. When I explained what Sandy was trying to say, everyone burst into laughter Sandy included. We are still joking with others in the office, who ask how our monkey vision is doing.
Backpack Adventure
We went shopping Friday night and took a taxi home with our groceries. The next morning I discovered that I had inadvertently left my small backpack behind in the taxi. Unfortunately, it had a white shirt, tie, and my nice pair of dress shoes. How could I be so stupid! And, with about 5 million taxis in Lima, what were my chances of ever seeing that pack again?
 |
| My backpack that had an adventure without me. |
I gave up, thinking all was lost. However, a different taxi driver the next day told me to go back to the grocery store and ask if the driver had turned in my pack. I had serious doubts that the driver would return the pack, but we went back later that night just to check. Can you imagine our surprise when the store confirmed that yes, indeed, the taxi driver had returned the pack. After confirming the contents were still in it, they handed it over to me. And then, when we left the store, we found that very driver and got him to give us a ride home for the second time in a row. I thanked him profusely and made sure to give him a nice tip. He told me how he had actually driven back to our house after finding the pack, but he didn't know the apartment number, so he returned to the store to turn it in. Incredible! My faith in humanity, especially here in Peru, has been restored.
Huaca Huallamarca - Another Lima Pyramid
Saturday was our day off, so we took a taxi across town and rented bikes again for another 15 km journey. Our goal was to visit another one of Lima's pyramids, Huaca Huallamarca (WAH-ka why-a-MARK-a). Now surrounded by city, this pyramid predates the other larger ones by hundreds of years. Perfectly symmetrical, Huaca Huallamarca is a beautiful sight, surrounded by a fairly posh neighborhood.
 |
| Huaca Huallamarca, another of several ancient pyramids in Lima. All of these ruins pre-date the Incas by more than a thousand years. |
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| Billions of hand-made adobe bricks went into the construction of this pyramid. |
The pyramid was first constructed about 2,000 years ago and is one of about 250 ancient sites and pyramids that have been uncovered in Lima. Most sites are now part of city parks.
The civilization that build this pyramid (called the Lima culture) disappeared and was replaced by other cultures who, in turn, used the pyramid as a burial ground.
 |
| View from the top. The pyramid became a burial ground for later civilizations who would dig pits in the top of the flat pyramid. They would wrap the dead in bundles and bury them vertically, similar to this recreation. |
The museum on site contained mummies and other relics recovered from the pyramid.
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| The dead were bundled in fabric and a false wooden head was attached to the top of the bundle before it was lowered into a hole they dug in the top of pyramid. |
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| Head of one of the mummies with the skin still in tact. |
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| Artifacts recovered the the burials in the pyramid. Excavation still continues in some areas of the pyramid. |
Most archaeological sites in Lima are lit up at night. We only came during the day, but I included this night shot of the pyramid I found on line. Next time we will make the journey at night.
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| Huaca Huallamarca by night - a stunning display. |
More Peruvian Delights
Peruvian food has been some of the best in the world that we have ever eaten. Locals take such pride in their culinary tradition here. They all ask what we think of their food, and they all smile when we tell them we think it is the best. From roasted pork to fruits we have never dreamed existed, this place is a wonder to visit if you enjoy eating exotic.
 |
| Chancho al Cilindro (rotisserie pork) - this is probably the most tasty dish we have tried. Juicy and moist, this roast is served with both regular and sweet potatoes, an onion side dish called 'sarsa', and plenty of aji chili for extra zip. |
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| This is an incredible fruit called Pitaya. Related to dragon fruit, this is a juicy sweet fruit you scoop out with a spoon and has the consistency and flavor of marmalade. |
Happy Times with the Rest of the Senior Missionaries
Every few months the president of the Lima East Mission, President Boswell, invites all the senior missionaries in the Area Office and Lima Temple to his home for dinner. We all like these get togethers as a way of unwinding and rubbing shoulders with other English speakers. How lucky to be in this location - it is unique in the world in terms of working with so many other senior missionaries.
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| Senior Missionaries at the Boswell's house |
And so the adventure of living and serving here in Peru continues. What will the future hold? Who knows, but we are glad we are here.
I love that all of the projects the church does helpshe promote self reliance! I'm glad those schools will be helped and that people will have clean water to drink. That's great news about your bag too! What a nice man to turn it back in. I think it's so wild that Peru is built right around all of these historical sites! I always thought it was a little weird that the Coronado monument was so close to civilization here but that's nothing compared to what Peru is built next to. Glad to hear you guys are having such a great time!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me feel so humbled to live in Albuquerque and have as much clean water as I want, instantly accessible from my tap. It required no work on my part except paying the bill. I have such a charmed life here in the United States. I'm so glad the Church is helping to create these good, sustainable projects!
ReplyDeletePhoto of Senior Missionaries (L to R)
ReplyDeleteCartmills
Asays
Gillespies
Princes
Henries
Jones
Bowens
Moores
Garfields
Hales
Rogers
Hyers
Fredericksons