The past two days we’ve visited two small villages up the river called Santa Fe and Olayah. I was instantly drawn to both these villages when I heard the name of them. Something about them stuck with me, and when I arrived at the villages it was easy to see why. The children in both Olayah and Santa Fe were so excited to see us, and followed us around everywhere. The heart I have for the children here is something I didn’t expect. I’ve always loved kids and knew I wanted to work with them, but these kids are different. Though we may speak different languages, our smiles, laughter and love translate effortlessly. We will be working with these children over the next few weeks to help teach them English, teach them some songs in English and Spanish, and play with them. We also might be helping build a house for a villager, along with working on terrain and buildings on the ywam base to improve it for future teams. This past week has been so hard, but also so eye-opening and exhilarating. Adjusting to a life with no running water, doors, air conditioning, regular access to electricity, or modern plumbing has definitely been a change of pace for me. But it’s worth it. Beyond worth it. Getting to know the hearts of those on my team and building a relationship with the locals here is truly a gift, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Peru, I’m so glad I chose you.
