Wednesday June 8

This past week has been a blessing to us all. I really wish that I could relive each and every day that I have spent here. I initially fell in love with the Peruvians. They have such sweet personalities. We first arrived in Lima and were taken to our hotel. They actually had REAL KEYS! You don’t see that in America. Early the next morning, we visited the Indian Market, and boy did we have a blast! We showed up and they opened their shops so we “gringos” could do our shopping. We had our fun and got on our plane to Cajamarca. Arriving in the airport was a bit different. As we stepped out of the plane, we could look around and see farmland and cows. Our luggage was loaded up into a truck and we were off to Villa Milagro. You cannot imagine how many bags they can pack into one truck. They have some professional packing skills. The day after we arrived, we were sent off to the market to buy food for families that were chosen for us. Now, that was a challenge, considering we speak VERY LITTLE Spanish. However, they were very helpful and didn’t mind the difficulty in communication. Once we purchased our food, our groups were sent for delivery. Tears filled our eyes as the families thanked us over and over, and hugged and kissed us. The time spent at the orphanage was very heart-warming. We played for hours with the kiddos. It was extremely hard not to get attached. They were so grateful for everything we gave them. Not once did I hear someone complain about the food not tasting the way they liked it, or the toys not being good enough. (Not that I would have understood it anyway….) Within the next few days we were sent on a three hour bus ride to Chancay. I cannot begin to explain how beautiful the place that we stayed at was. We were so excited to see our room assignments and the rooms we were given. Everyone seemed to have a room but Monica, Mikayla, Becky, Vicki, and I. We looked around for our room for a couple of minutes until one of our Peruvian helpers came and unlocked this door in the middle of the hall. I’m pretty sure you can guess that it was our room. When I first stepped in the room, I thought, we’re sleeping in an attic… There was a stack of mattresses in the corner that we had to pull down and dress with sheets. After dinner, my roommates and I went back to our “attic” and started winding down for bed. I began to actually like our room. And I started to actually feel guilty for feeling the way I did about it when I first saw it. People here in Peru are lucky to have somewhere to sleep, and I’m going to complain about a roof over my head, a bed, and some blankets? We don’t appreciate the little things we have. It’s not about what we don’t have. We Americans focus on all of the things we don’t have. It’s all about what you have and being grateful for it. I didn’t see one orphan complain about not having something. I didn’t hear a single child complain about having to walk a mile or so to get to school. We Americans are very blessed and we don’t even see it. My prayer for returning to the states is, I will no longer complain about not having the right clothes or a ride to school. My prayer is that we will better appreciate the MANY things we are given. My prayer is that we can be more like the Peruvians, more Christ-like.
-Adrianne Jackson


6/8/2011
Hola!  I am so blessed to have been chosen by God to proclaim His name here in Peru and to help fulfill the Great Commission. I feel like I have received more from this trip than the Peruvians have because my eyes have been opened to soooo many things. I have been convicted on my own wastefulness and the way I take many things for granted. For example when I complain to my mom that we have nothing to eat when we actually have a pantry full and there is just nothing that I want to eat. But here the people really don’t have anything to eat and often don’t know what their next meal will be. There were two boys in Chancay, Jose and Lenard, and they were absolutely adorable. They each had a bag of chips and they both insisted on sharing with me. This reminded me of Cain and Abel. Abel’s sacrifice to God was accepted because he gave his finest lambs, which were irreplaceable, while Cain gave some of his crop, which could easily be replaced the next harvest, and this was not accepted. These two boys reminded me of Abel because they gave that which was not replaceable, their food, which is so valuable here. It was so heart-warming to see that someone would sacrifice something so precious just to show appreciation. The other missionaries here are so fun we’ve become like a family and it’s kinda sad to go home. The first day here Becky and I were teamed with Danny, a pharmacist from Arkansas, to go shopping in the market for food in Cajamarca. He was so funny and we had a blast, him picking the items and Becky and I attempting to translate. The language barrier has been sort of challenging but it’s mostly fun because I know enough Spanish to get me by. I’ve been praying for help with communication and prayers have definitely been answered. However I’m pretty sure that “Estoy aqui para un viaje para Jesus Cristo” is not correct, but hopefully the message gets across haha. I’m excited to return to the states to share stories of this trip with everyone and to live a more grateful lifestyle for everything that I’ve been blessed with.
-Monica Riojas