Scott Rauch here.
If we were to stay here for more than a few days you would do well to prepare to see your loved ones significantly increased in girth. For some reason every meal, and there are lots of them, is WAY more than we are used to eating - at least for us older folks anyway. The significance about such a mundane subject is that we have een fed on two occasions now by the home-owners.
The first time was in Lucre. The woman brought out to us snack food and drinks. I have no idea where or how she cooked the huge corn and huge beans (which I aguess are the original Lima beans). Lorie to my left here is doing a fine job describing the same event, so I will say simply that is it humbling. Words fail to describe what it ios like being on the receiving end of the ¨widow´s mite¨. We are all awed to tears.
Thursday, the owner brought to us a huge meal of huge corn, two potatoes, finely-chopped lettuce and onions, and pig points - VERY greasy, but GREAT! We sat in the dust and ate. Again, how do we give thanks for such generosity?
Side note:
The paved roads in the first town, Lucre, are beautiful in that there are designs made into the pavement. We know this only because we took a walk on noon to the less damaged area of town So amid the mud construction, time had been taken to add to the beauty.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Some general info
I thought some general info might help everyone understand the setting and what we are doing here.
Lucre and Huacarpay are two towns near Cusco that were very heavily damaged by flooding at the end of January. USAID put up some tent cities and the Perivian Government later set up some small one room houses nearby. We are now helping the villagers get permanent larger houses back. The original houses were made out of Adobe(essentially dried mud). During the flooding the adobe turned back to mud and two story houses became one or just a pile of logs with the bamboo and clay tile roofing. For the first house we workedat we built a new stone wall three feet high that should withstand water. Adobe will go back on top of that. Today at another house we salvaged all the logs and clay toof tiles so they can be used fpr rebuilding.
The towns are situated around a pretty lake with good fields around. Lucre had a water channel in the street middle that can be diverted for irrigation of the little plots behind their houses.
This posting by Karl
Lucre and Huacarpay are two towns near Cusco that were very heavily damaged by flooding at the end of January. USAID put up some tent cities and the Perivian Government later set up some small one room houses nearby. We are now helping the villagers get permanent larger houses back. The original houses were made out of Adobe(essentially dried mud). During the flooding the adobe turned back to mud and two story houses became one or just a pile of logs with the bamboo and clay tile roofing. For the first house we workedat we built a new stone wall three feet high that should withstand water. Adobe will go back on top of that. Today at another house we salvaged all the logs and clay toof tiles so they can be used fpr rebuilding.
The towns are situated around a pretty lake with good fields around. Lucre had a water channel in the street middle that can be diverted for irrigation of the little plots behind their houses.
This posting by Karl
No habla Español
(This is Lorie writing, Thursday)
This morning began with everyone comparing our battle scars from moving 500 adobe "bricks" yesterday. These bricks weighed a minimum of 40 lbs each, so we earned every bruise and scratch...
It was my first day on the job, after "loafing" the first few days, and therefore my first look at the destruction. It was overwhelming for me to witness the squalor and the conditions in which these people are existing.
We were treated to a snack consisting of corn which had been heated and seasoned, the largest kernels you´ve ever seen, and some sort of beans which were also heated. They also brought us real Coke and Inka Cola to drink- their very best for us. This had to be an incredible sacrifice for them, but they gave willingly and constantly thanked us for our work. I never felt worthy.
During our debriefing session last evening we were able to speak frankly with one another about how the day went for us - it was a good time of sharing and we learned that we all have areas that need improvement, but that we our also building incredible relationships with the other team members.
Today I felt like I conquered the world! I actually communicated successfully with our bus driver, Daniel, who has worked alongside at the jobsites every day. Surprisingly, my 3 years of French have not been helpful to me here, other than to understand Jeffrey when he tries to speak Spanish and throws some French words in, just to help things along a bit. :) Anyway, we were freeing foundational logs from a pile of rubble and I remembered the word for strong, so I told Daniel he was strong and he laughed and laughed. It was great, but I suppose as Sarah would tell me "Mom, you had to be there".
The highlight of our day was defnitely spending time with the family at the worksite. They were incredibly grateful, and even though my verbal skills are totally lacking, I enjoyed a wonderful time of sitting with my arm around the woman whose home was destroyed, holding her close as she watched and cried at the whole situation.
And finally, I want you all to know that we know you are praying for us, after experiencing a 20 minute taxi ride like no other...When the taxi driver buckled his seat belt midway through the trip after weaving and winding through traffic like a crazy person, we looked at each other, smiled and I told them, "I think we´re in really big trouble." :) Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers this week - we are deeply grateful.
This morning began with everyone comparing our battle scars from moving 500 adobe "bricks" yesterday. These bricks weighed a minimum of 40 lbs each, so we earned every bruise and scratch...
It was my first day on the job, after "loafing" the first few days, and therefore my first look at the destruction. It was overwhelming for me to witness the squalor and the conditions in which these people are existing.
We were treated to a snack consisting of corn which had been heated and seasoned, the largest kernels you´ve ever seen, and some sort of beans which were also heated. They also brought us real Coke and Inka Cola to drink- their very best for us. This had to be an incredible sacrifice for them, but they gave willingly and constantly thanked us for our work. I never felt worthy.
During our debriefing session last evening we were able to speak frankly with one another about how the day went for us - it was a good time of sharing and we learned that we all have areas that need improvement, but that we our also building incredible relationships with the other team members.
Today I felt like I conquered the world! I actually communicated successfully with our bus driver, Daniel, who has worked alongside at the jobsites every day. Surprisingly, my 3 years of French have not been helpful to me here, other than to understand Jeffrey when he tries to speak Spanish and throws some French words in, just to help things along a bit. :) Anyway, we were freeing foundational logs from a pile of rubble and I remembered the word for strong, so I told Daniel he was strong and he laughed and laughed. It was great, but I suppose as Sarah would tell me "Mom, you had to be there".
The highlight of our day was defnitely spending time with the family at the worksite. They were incredibly grateful, and even though my verbal skills are totally lacking, I enjoyed a wonderful time of sitting with my arm around the woman whose home was destroyed, holding her close as she watched and cried at the whole situation.
And finally, I want you all to know that we know you are praying for us, after experiencing a 20 minute taxi ride like no other...When the taxi driver buckled his seat belt midway through the trip after weaving and winding through traffic like a crazy person, we looked at each other, smiled and I told them, "I think we´re in really big trouble." :) Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers this week - we are deeply grateful.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
sore muscles and back aches
Karen for the team. Today was a bit challenging - we carried adobe bricks all day. They were heavy, dirty and scratchy. We formed a line and moved them from the back of the house to the side and than moved some from 2 houses up to the front of the house. (The ones from 2 houses up we helped to unload in the yard on Monday and than moved them again today.) On a better note we went to a Trout farm for lunch and had fresh trout which was very good. We all were glad for a shower hot or cold. Brandon is still waiting to eat a Guinea Pig. Some of us went shopping which is quit an experience in a taxi. At one point tonight we were in the middle of the intersection with cars going all around us. Hopefully we all sleep tonight since some of us are in pain. Good night
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A short update and PICTURES!!!
Last night the group spent the evening walking around a local market downtown where the Peruvians would actually shop, not just tourists. It was quite fun and an interesting experience. It reminded us some of the central markets in Lancaster and York. The three Kreider children are serving as tour guides for the week and are doing a great job. We really appreciate having them go along with us on excursions and to the work site! We are learning a lot about Peru and the culture from them, and it´s nice to have some more translators!! After walking around the market we all split up and took several taxis back to the restaurant below our hotel for dinner. It is a Polleria (Chicken place) and the only menu item is chicken (you can choose 1/4 chicken, 1/8, 1/2, 1 whole) and it comes with french fries and salad. Oh, and chicken feet soup. Yes, I did say chicken feet soup. Some were quite surprised to actually find chicken feet in their soup, and had thought the term wasn´t actually literal.
Well, now onto today.... the second day of work has come and gone. Today the group headed back to the same house and laid some more stones for foundation and surrounding walls. Eric and Lindsay started building a cage for guinea pigs... but we have yet to see them, or eat them! Lorie is feeling much better and was able to join us for devotions and breakfast this morning. She still needed to rest some more and the hot sun would not have been ideal so she stayed back while we worked. We had a shorter work day today because once the foundation and walls are laid the mortar (mud and straw) has to dry for a week. Tomorrow we will be at the same house again but moving clay bricks this time for them to start laying once the mortar dries.
This afternoon the 25+ age group (with the exception of two of the Kreider children, Kiersten and Destiny) are visiting some Incan Ruins. Should be a fun experience and us young ones are anxious to see pictures. We chose to stay back and rest and play some cards games. Right now Zach and Brandon are exploring some local hardware stores. :-)
As promised, you´ll find some pictures of our trip so far below! This post is a little bit shorter as a result. But know that the food is good so far, all continue to be in good health and we are having a good time. We continue to appreciate your prayers for our team as well as the Peruvian people in general, especially the ones we are interacting with on a regular basis.
Lindsey, for the group
Well, now onto today.... the second day of work has come and gone. Today the group headed back to the same house and laid some more stones for foundation and surrounding walls. Eric and Lindsay started building a cage for guinea pigs... but we have yet to see them, or eat them! Lorie is feeling much better and was able to join us for devotions and breakfast this morning. She still needed to rest some more and the hot sun would not have been ideal so she stayed back while we worked. We had a shorter work day today because once the foundation and walls are laid the mortar (mud and straw) has to dry for a week. Tomorrow we will be at the same house again but moving clay bricks this time for them to start laying once the mortar dries.
This afternoon the 25+ age group (with the exception of two of the Kreider children, Kiersten and Destiny) are visiting some Incan Ruins. Should be a fun experience and us young ones are anxious to see pictures. We chose to stay back and rest and play some cards games. Right now Zach and Brandon are exploring some local hardware stores. :-)
As promised, you´ll find some pictures of our trip so far below! This post is a little bit shorter as a result. But know that the food is good so far, all continue to be in good health and we are having a good time. We continue to appreciate your prayers for our team as well as the Peruvian people in general, especially the ones we are interacting with on a regular basis.
Lindsey, for the group
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| All smiles before boarding the planes in Newark, New Jersey! |
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| View of the Andes Mountains coming in the Peru (from the plane). |
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Some nerd we found in the airport. :-) Just kidding! Also, Scott willingly posed for this. |
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| Zach and Brandon walking to the church for supper the first night. |
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View of San Jeronimo, Cusco from our Hotel. Waiting for the bus to pick us up at Promesa school (where Jesse and Jess taught) to take us to the work site!  At the work site!!! Forming a bucket brigade to pass mudd to those laying stones. Destiny Kreider is pictured at the far right.  A view of the countryside near Lucre on the way back to the hotel from the work site. |
Monday, August 2, 2010
first work day update
Hello blog spot readers (Jeff Grosh writing today)
It´s been an interesting day. We´ve had our first work experience. We started the day with breakfast at the Mennonite School. Bananns, oatmeal, bread and jelly, and juice. We are minus one worker today, Lorie Grosh has been pretty sick, altitude sickness, she´s been in bed today, but able to keep down some crackers, keep her in your prayers. So we boarded the bus and headed down the road. Our own private bus that´s comperable to a nice coach in the US. Typical driving, passing whenever you can, frequent use of the horn, dodging pedestrians, dogs and vehicles. Never a dull moment. One of our group, Zach Forry said he´s going to drive like that when he gets back to the states. We promised to visit him in jail. Got out to the little town where we were going to be working, and hiked back inbetween walls and gates on a dirt path to a house of some of the first Mennonite believers in the area live. Half of their house washed away in the flooding. We ended up digging out some footers and laying up part of a stone wall. We kept everyone fairly busy. It was dirty work, with lots of spectators, dogs and people, we had some good interaction with the villagers who were curious. Dogs, dogs, dogs, everywhere, matted, dirty, but none that have been agressive. The scenery is beautiful here. Tonight we´re going to a local market.
Keep Lorie in your prayers and the rest of us for health and saftey and a gracious and loving heart for the people of Peru.
Pictures coming tomorrow!
It´s been an interesting day. We´ve had our first work experience. We started the day with breakfast at the Mennonite School. Bananns, oatmeal, bread and jelly, and juice. We are minus one worker today, Lorie Grosh has been pretty sick, altitude sickness, she´s been in bed today, but able to keep down some crackers, keep her in your prayers. So we boarded the bus and headed down the road. Our own private bus that´s comperable to a nice coach in the US. Typical driving, passing whenever you can, frequent use of the horn, dodging pedestrians, dogs and vehicles. Never a dull moment. One of our group, Zach Forry said he´s going to drive like that when he gets back to the states. We promised to visit him in jail. Got out to the little town where we were going to be working, and hiked back inbetween walls and gates on a dirt path to a house of some of the first Mennonite believers in the area live. Half of their house washed away in the flooding. We ended up digging out some footers and laying up part of a stone wall. We kept everyone fairly busy. It was dirty work, with lots of spectators, dogs and people, we had some good interaction with the villagers who were curious. Dogs, dogs, dogs, everywhere, matted, dirty, but none that have been agressive. The scenery is beautiful here. Tonight we´re going to a local market.
Keep Lorie in your prayers and the rest of us for health and saftey and a gracious and loving heart for the people of Peru.
Pictures coming tomorrow!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
first experiences
We´ve arrived! Half the team ended up with a pit stop in Panama City, but we all managed to get to Cuzco within and hour and a half of each other- which was the plan. Checked into the hotel, some of us went to church (2 hours of singing and preaching which we didn´t really understand... but good experience. Although by the sermon we had a little trouble concentrating ). Chicken noodle soup for lunch and then a 3 hour nap - pretty much the first sleep in 24 hours for some of us.
Taxi rides are an adventure - quite the experience for those of us who haven´t experienced it in another culture. Lane markings are a suggestion. And the taxis are rather compact for 4 people.
Signing off for tonight because we still need sleep...
Taxi rides are an adventure - quite the experience for those of us who haven´t experienced it in another culture. Lane markings are a suggestion. And the taxis are rather compact for 4 people.
Signing off for tonight because we still need sleep...
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