La Roca building update

La Roca from the front.

It has been some time since we started work again, but with a second son time seems to disappear like satsumas when Daniel is hungry. Hence the lack of posts this month.
Last Saturday morning I went to La Roca with Daniel (a normal part of our work). Normally we spend time with Richar and Mari encouraging them and chatting through any issues they have. Daniel of course just causes havoc and runs around there at 100 miles an hour!

Daniel moving a stool to go look out of the window, Mauro eating breakfast and Anita.

We are hoping to help Mari start a mums and tots group in La Roca there for the community and there are several things that need to be done before we can do this.

The view of the neigbour's children in their backyard from the 3rd floor of La Roca.

Last Saturday I met Mauro, a builder that goes to La Tablada church, and he, with myself and Richar tried to work what needed doing to make the building safe and secure. At the moment we have no money to do this, so we are waiting for this to come before work can be started.

Richar and Mauro standing by the back of the building.

There are 3 different pieces of work which need to be done over time, although number 1 is the main focus to start off with:

1. Securing the first floor, and making it baby friendly. This includes buying rugs/carpet, buying toys, putting doors on where they are none, making cupboards, and shelves, and also building a secure wall at the back, and putting in doors.

2. Making the third floor child friendly, which includes putting a roof on to give shade in the summer. It also means putting up walls to stop children jumping off(!) and perhaps building a small garden area, to teach about growing plants.

3. Building a stairway in between these 2 areas, so this bypasses the 2nd floor which is Richar and Mari's house. They have sacrificed their house for so many years for the work there that this appears to be a great way to seperate the church property (where the mums and tots group will go) and Richar and Mari's house.

The state of the 3rd floor ater rain.

The current state of the 3rd floor.

This is happening alongside the work of trying to get running water in the building, and formalising the community.
If you'd like to be involved in this work in anyway, please let us know.

The passage where the stairs will go at the back of the building.

A view of some of the southern shanty towns of Lima from La Roca

In other news: Anna's parents are due to arrive for 2 weeks on the 7th November, with Mark and Julian planning a trip to Pulcallpa in the jungle for 4 days, alongside visiting our other work here in Lima.

More photos of Joel

Welcome baby Joel!

Well today baby Joel Simeon arrived!

Had quick labour at home - managed fine until waters broken then baby came straight away! Very quickly!


It was great to have baby at home - very relaxed and great to have family and all comforts nearby. I may have even been spotted facebooking at 8cm dilated


Baby doing really well! He looks a lot like Daniel, but of course larger as Daniel was born at 32 weeks / 7 months. 52cm long and approx 3.5kg (around 7 1/2lb)

Labour at home

Just born

Mummy and baby

Daniel meeting his baby brother - he is very happy with the 'baby'!

Daniel kissing baby Joel

Proud Daddy

Ventanilla with Daniel

Last Monday I went to Ventanilla to do my monthly visit at the school, but as Anna had to go to the doctors I took Daniel. I took Cassie and Ben Schifano with me, who we know as they went to Anna's old church in Woking, as they were staying with us at either end of their holiday around our beautiful adopted country.

We arrived there during their break time, and Cassie and Ben played with the kids, who loved it, even though the main language was sign language as Cassie and Ben didn't speak Spanish, and the kids English.

Cops and Robbers, Peruvian style

It was a really lovely time as it always is. The main problem being without a car it takes at least 2 hours to get there, and 2 hours back, and so my time is always short in Ventanilla.

Cassie and Daniel playing catch with some of the girls.

Please continue to hold the school in Ventanilla in your thoughts and prayers, as there is never enough money to finish building the school, or to pay the teachers each month.

Jovannah (one of the teachers with Daniel

It is such a priviledge to be involved in such a work that supports good education in a country where you have to pay a lot for good education.

Drumming Daniel at 22 months

Today the sun shone! It is definitely the beginning of spring here. We opened up the doors into the back garden and Daniel set all his drums up out there on his own and began to play and sing. I caught a bit of it on camera for you. I have added some subtitles as well.



PS. Just to add to the translation...!
Makka Pakka is a character on Cbeebies 'In the Night Garden' who sings a song with lots of different sounds.
'Toma' means 'take' as in 'here we are, take this' in Spanish, 'bravo' is used for 'well done' and 'gracias' is, of course, 'thank you.'
Gymboree is a play centre that Daniel goes to.

Baby Shower (without photos)

Last Monday, our friends, and the leaders of our church, Eduardo and Cecillia threw a wonderful babyshower for us, at their house. We unfortunately forgot to take our camera, so as soon as we get the photos we'll put them on the blog for you.

This was our (yes our, in Peru babyshowers are for both parents) first babyshower as Daniel came 2 months early, so we never had one for him. It was amazing as the main church leaders were all there, many who we hardly knew, and all who brought us gifts. We now have enough nappies to sink the Titanic, and enough wipes to wash it!!

We had an amazing time, and played some typically silly party games and enjoyed spending time wih the guys.

We've so found the right church to be part of.

Trip to Yanas

This last weekend, I (Mark) went off to Yanas, a village in the region of Huanuco in the mountains of Peru. I went with Alfredo to see about the possibility of setting up a new school there, through a contact at the current school Alfredo has set up in Ventanilla.
The bus ticket said the bus was to leave at 7pm, but obviously this was pre-empting Peruvian time-keeping, as the bus timetable actually said 7.30pm. However, it was 8.30pm before the bus actually left and 10 minutes later after a bump in the road, the bus had to pull over at a garage for an hour to have the large dent in the wheel straightened out and a new tyre put on. (Worryingly, a sign at the garage read ‘wheel-fitter needed.’) 9.30pm came and went before the bus pulled out of central Lima.
The journey was not very eventful, although Felipe helpfully told us just as we were setting off that it would be cold going over the mountains. What an understatement! My jumper and blanket were NOT sufficient!

Views on the way to Yanas

Arrived in La Union at 8.05am and told there would be no public transport to Yanas until 1pm. True to Peruvian form a minibus (or combi as they are called here) turned up 10 minutes later, but we had to wait until it was full 1 ½ hours later.La Union at it's busiest. The banner is advertising the local festival 2 months ago!

Yanas was a ghost town but very beautiful set in the green mountains. We were hoping to be able to spend time with the different churches there, but on arrival we found that they were very cautious of us, fearing we could be a sect and also a previous group of missionaries had stolen from the churches. The people in the mountains are generally more reserved and closed too than the coastal people, and so we didn’t feel that welcome to begin with, which surprised us.
The main focus of the trip was seeing the plots of land that could potentially be used to build a school. One was larger, but further away and the other was more central but owned by someone who may not be looking to sell it.

Alfredo by one of the plots of land.

I also preached in a church on the Saturday night after we had been vetted by the pastor!

The village is built on a hill so I found it very difficult to breathe because of the altitude and so that didn’t help my appetite when I saw what was for lunch. I’m still not sure what it was, but here is a photo… The drink which accompanied it was apparently ‘good for your kidneys’ – but that is if you can keep it down with the frogspawn texture. Food generally here seems to be basically starchy carbohydrates – potatoes, yucca, maize and cereal crops. Of these products the people have an abundance, but they have no money to buy other products like oil or rice or fruit and vegetables.
We were staying in Felipe’s family home and Alfredo and I were shown where we were sleeping. A wooden double bed with no mattress!! Despite finding out that the local hostel only charged s/4 (80p) per night, we didn’t feel we could reject their hospitality. Needless to say, it was the worst bed I think I have ever slept in and that night’s sleep was sporadic!
Breakfast was 2 stale bread rolls from the day before with ‘coffee’ – which was more like very weak ‘hot’ chocolate with fried flour – yes fried flour. What was the most unbelieveable however was Felipe’s enthusiastic murmurings about how tasty the flour was ‘no?’ Alfredo turned to me and whispered: ‘There aren’t very many nice dishes in the mountains’.

Yanas' tourist trap! Some people thought I was there to see it

A local girl in La Union who befriended me. Didn't understand what she was saying most of the time as she spoke Quechua, the local language

All in all the trip was physically challenging with the different food, the cold and altitude (not to mention the two over-night trips to get there and back) but definitely worth it to help Alfredo discern if this could be a potential place for another school. Logically it seems a little crazy, but then God works in mysterious ways! Watch this space...!

How difficult is it to get water.

Richar and his family in La Roca

For the last couple of weeks I (Mark) have been helping Richar en La Roca to try and get running water installed in their house and community. We then can start things like mums and tots groups after we can get water, with your help of course!

However, to get water in a shanty town here in Peru is a lot more difficult than you think. Richar and Marianella's community was formed in 1986, and normally 2-3 years later a community is formalised and legally recognised. To be legally recognised means to be

The view from La Roca. (On the right is Richar's community and the other side is a formalised community with legal water and electricity)

able to have legally implemented running water, and electricity, and to have all the rights other citizens have. Richar and Mari now have what is referred to as 'informal electricity' and have to get buckets of water and pay for it from friends from the other side of the road who are part of a legal community. Anna and I want to help start various social action projects in La Roca, but we cannot do anything legally, without water, and we cannot get water until we have this title, and the community is legally recognised. A view of the local community shop with some of the girls who come to La Roca's kids club.

Therefore last Thursday (21st) Richar and i went into the centre of Lima to the offices where shanty towns are legalised and made into formal settlements. When we arrived Richar had all the paperwork he needed, but as has happened many time before the Peruvian bureacratic system was blocking him advancing. I went along with Richar partly to support him, but also help because unfortunately, sometimes Westerners are listened to more readily. After the adminstrator had said this and that, and not been very helpful I explained who I was and he said 'ah yes sir can you sit down there please'. We sat down and 5 minutes later he returned with a phone number which was in another area of Lima and he said 'you need to phone this person, but not till next Wednesday when he returns from training outside of Lima'. I was told there was nothing we could therefore do until Wednesday. I left feeling a bit despondent. Richar and Mari's house in 2005 before the church building was built.

In the church building now

When we left Richar was very upbeat and said how great it was that we had this number. I said 'why don't you ring it then'? He said 'better you, as I'll appear important having a Westerner helping me'. Where they store their water now.

I rang the secretary of this man and she said come in, after I'd explained who I was. We then got a short taxi ride there, and managed to get through security without any problems and went to the 6th floor. We were allowed into the offices and we spoke to the head of 'Cono Norte' or the shanty towns in the North of Lima. He was very helpful and showed Richard exactly what he needed to do, and explained the next steps and what hapened. We left contented. We returned last Wednesday to speak to Julio, the head of 'Cono Sur' the shanty towns of the South of Lima, and after being a little cold, he warmed to us and took some photocopies, of the mountain of paperwork needed, and said he would be waiting for our paperwork. He said on average it takes a month for him to be allowed to go and see the specific community, and then another 30 days for his paperwork to be formalised. Hopefully in 60 or so days we can start the process of getting water in La Roca.

View from the roof

I have found this process really rewarding, yet at the same time a real eye opener. Firstly the authority and influence I have because I'm a foreigner (how different from the treatment of foreigners in the UK) and also the way that people from the provinces (outside of Lima) and from the shanty towns are treated, politely yet not very helpfully.

Watch this space...we will update you as we move towards getting running water in La Roca!

Cheeky Little Monkey

Well whilst Mark has been out doing lots of teaching, visiting administration offices to get legal processes sorted and taking Daniel out to the park, I have been mainly at home, resting and sorting out things for the new baby who is due in October. Daniel was born 2 months early (in fact, tomorrow will be the exact day he was born in my last pregnancy) and so I have been resting lots to try and avoid going into labour early again. Thursday I dug out Daniel's old clothes and the car seat and found that the car seat was all mouldy on top because of the humidity, so yesterday it got a good wash and dry and is like new again. Liliana helped me by ironing the piles of tiny baby and newborn baby clothes today!

Anyway, after putting the car seat back together again I left it on the sofa. After tea, Daniel was very quiet, and when we looked round, he was happily sitting in the carseat beaming!! I think we are going to have to watch him very carefully when the little one is born!!

Retreat

Welcome Coffee

Last Thursday we had the priviledge to have a retreat for the people who work in Ventanilla in our house. We had an amazing time, with food, fun, teaching, worship,

Daniel leading worship?!

and times of just hanging out together. It was a real blessing to be able to serve them, and to be able to pray and share with them. Everyone enjoyed the food, beautifully prepared by Joey (who was staying with us) and Anna. In addition everyone felt they benefitted from my teaching on 'Leadership, who I am in Christ, and the Holy Spirit'.

Teaching times and praying for the teachers.

Joey, Tassanda and her daughter, and Alfredo.

We also this week went to Ventanilla to show it to Joey. As the kids were on holiday we visited the school, before visiting 3 families, and taking them a love offering of food. The woman in the picture above can hardly walk, and has a crooked hand. She was nearly dying a few years ago but she asked God to heal her for the sake of her daughter. When she got the illness several years ago her husband abandoned her, and left her with nothing, but her 2 daughters. She tries to make ends meat by making Picarones (like Peruvian doughnuts, well sort of), but her oven has died. This is another of the people we would love to help with our social action projects. She was so blessed by having foreigners in her 'humble' as she calls it house. They have 1 bed for them both, a toilet next to the bed, and a kitchen. The thirteen year old daughter wishes to work, but we are persuading her to stay until she at least finishes school. This is unfortuantely just one example of many similar situations for the poor in Peru.

UK Team

Last week a team from our church St Thomas' Philadelphia came out. We didn't know most of the team, and they had come out to work with a great charity out here, Agape. Agape, from what I learned, mainly work with families and the kids of abused families. (This is far too common unfortunately) I went with them to the zoo on Independence Day (28th July here), with Daniel. This was madness as everyone from Lima seemed to be there. It was good to hang out with the guys and answer their questions, and talk about Peru. They came round for Paneton (a Peruvian, sorry Italian speciality) and to have a chat with Anna and to see our house. This was also a great time, being able to share about our work and also our adopted country.

Daniel in the ball pool when we ate a traditional Peruvian (french) lunch of Pollo a la braza or rotissiere chicken)

On Tuesday (2nd day of independence) we went into the main centre. In the morning this was completely the opposite to the zoo, as nearly everywhere was shut. We surmised that everyone was at the zoo! I left early from the centre and took 3 of the guys with me, Ben (one of the leaders, who we knew the best before the team came out), Mark and Amy. They came for dinner with us and then came with me to La Roca. This was for me a real kairos time,(signifiant moment of time)as Marianela shared the testimony of the area they lived in, and the social action project they plan to start with our and your help.

Richar, Mari, Richar's mum, Ben, Amy and Mark.

Sorry Ben, but at least Richar and his mum had their eyes open!

Mari would love to start something for Mum's and young children in the area, perhaps developing with time an early stimulation centre. (Like a mums and tots group led from the front with different activities.) However to be able to do this, they need a carpet, toys and training.

However before all this they need to have running water. They now have a bathroom (built when we were here in 2005), which has never been used, as they don't have water or waste pipes in and out. They cannot legally get water, until they have a title deed. This is a real problem obviously, and one that is at the top of the list of proirities for the community. Despite Alan Garcia (the President) promising clean water for all, slow and awkward burecracy has made this impossible for this area. Richar and I are going to go to the offices when they are open later in August to finally try and resolve the problem, which apparently potentially involves sitting in an endless queue to get the paperwork to make this area legal. This is a real key for the area, so those who do, please pray for justice to be done in this area and for the community to get connected up to the mains water supply.

Back to the visit, after Mari had shared, and Richar had chipped in, Ben shared a word about God as our father, they prayed for the guys, and their potential work. It was great for my spanish to translate, both ways!

Richar and Mari's project is one of many that we are looking into getting involved with, hopefully helping to provide capital to start the project which should then be self funding, empowering the Peruvians running it, and benefiting the local community.