Ica, Ballestas, and back to Y-Camp!

Everyone woke up at 6am in the desert. That´s right... 6am! (So parents don´t let your child fool you if they aren´t able to wake up in time for school). However, we were able to wake up to a beautiful sunrise on the giant sand dunes as we overlooked Ica. We all quickly packed our bookbags, sleeping bags, and other things and strapped into the giant dune buggies for our final ride out of the desert. Now that ride woke everyone up!
We arrived back in Ica close to 7am and spent the next couple hours changing clothes, eating breakfast, and hanging out in Ica one last time. Like many of the other mornings, we ate eggs and bread along with either a fruit drink, cafe (coffee), or te (hot tea). We all loaded the bus for about an hour drive to Paracas City and the Ballestas Isalands.
Although the smell when arriving in Paracas was hard to take in (imagine the combination of a water sewage plant and a really dirty trash can), the experience that awaited us was well worth it. The reason for the smell was due to the fact that the area specializes in making fish flour. We all then boarded a boat for a 2 hour tour (a 2 hour tour) around the Ballestas Islands. We were in awe of the picturesque landscape of the islands and the cascading waters surrounding them. We were thrilled to have a chance to come close to Peruvian birds such as the turkey condors, seagulls, and many more. One even felt the need to leave a mark with us and "accidentally" used the bathroom on Alejandro, one of our trip leaders. We also were able to see penguins, that´s right penguins, as they stood still for pictures on the rocks. Lastly, we were captivated by the sea lions as they sunbathed on the rocks, swam beside us, "barked" at us, and played with each other. It was a really cool experience to witness! Many took about a 15 minute nap during our return to Paracas. Lunch awaited us as we returned. Today is the beginning of the Peruvian holiday for Easter, so all meals revolve around fish. We had a massive plateful of rice and a different assortment of fried fish including shrimp, white fish, octopus, and more. After lunch, we spent the next hour looking through the local shops and everyone was able to make any final purchases since shopping didn´t appear to be on the agenda for the rest of the trip. We loaded the bus and then headed back to YCamp for the night.
On the way back to YCamp, about a 3 hour drive, we were able to make one more stop for shopping (the teens were happy that we were wrong earlier!) and other things at a local mall, Asia de Boulevard, near YCamp. Some of the teens had a chance to sit and eat at the great Peruvian restaurant known as Papa John´s. They did claim that the pizza was better than the ones made in the US. Others stopped in some of the other stores, which were more retail oriented as opposed to local shops. We also experienced a Peruvian super market for the first time as many stocked up on some snacks and drinks for the rest of the trip. We loaded back on the bus and continued our trip, although short now, to YCamp.
Arriving at YCamp, we re-oriented ourselves with our bunks and settled back in. Some took showers for the first time since leaving Lima two days earlier (it was tough to shower when we spent the night in the desert). Some couldn´t brave the cold water and are going for 3 days wihout a shower! The group also spent their free time prior to dinner by sitting on the cliff that overlooked the Pacific Ocean and yet another beautiful sunset. As this blog is typed, dinner is in 15 minutes and we look forward to eating yet again and the activities after dinner.
Sadly, we will be waking up to our final day which is still packed before our red eye flight back to the States. We will do our best to update our experiences between now and then prior to flying out of Lima. The internet connection makes loading pictures difficult, so please understand that we´re doing our best for that part too! Until next time...

Let's go to Ica!!

After a great night of sleep in a BED :-) at Y-Camp, we woke for a late breakfast, repacking our bags, getting dressed, and heading to our first meal at Y-Camp. We had a breakfast of pork and sweet potato sandwiches with plates of onions, cilantro, and lime juice to add. It was a delicious combination- which was a surprise for many. We also had some fresh juice, which we have come to expect and love at meals, coffee and tea- our favorites!
After breakfast we loaded up on the bus and headed off for some sandy, desert adventures in Ica City! After a few hours in the bus- a stop at a convenience store for some yummy peruvian candy, ice cream, drinks, bakery goods, and Inca Corn (like Corn Nuts in the states)- we arrived in Ica City. We had time for lunch- a choice of veggie salad (which was cooked but chilled broccoli, asparagus, beets, cucumbers, giant lima beans, avacados and more!) or a peruvian potato salad (sliced potatoes with a yummy sauce) and then pescado or pollo (fish or chicken) with veggies, french fries, and white rice- so much more food than we could eat!
After lunch we headed out for a little shopping in Ica... we bought you all tons of good stuff- well, mayyyyybe :-)... but we supported the Ica economy, buying tons of local fare. Some folks paddle boated, some walked the lake area, and some just window shopped. Everyone enjoyed the down time.
We met back up to load into Dune Buggies and headed off-road through the sand! Cheers and excitement filled the desert as our group felt like they were on roller coasters. We all got the chance to sand board many times (like snow boarding on sand, but laying down - so maybe not actually like snow boarding). This was definitely a group favorite, even though there were many wipe outs! We made a pit stop at a high dune to watch the sunset. It was a nice quiet time and a beautiful backdrop for many pictures. We sand boarded into camp at dusk.
Camp was a flat area in a valley surrounded by dunes looking out over the city. Words can't really describe the setting, but we have pictures to help! Our hosts began by serving us appetizers of taquitos, tomato sandwiches and more. We got a chance to walk around, try using the bathroom outdoors, and dance to music! A cookout of sausages, chicken, and veggies brought us all down by the campfire for dinner.

We worked off dinner by running up and down the dunes (a lot harder than it sounds!), a little sand wrestling, and staring in awe at both the million stars and lights of Ica City below! After a devotion about what we've learned and experienced, we set out sleeping bags to spend the night. In the words of Jinbo, "the sand is my bed and the sky is my blanket." Although there were no lights, the moon was bright and provided a great backdrop.
Energy was abounding, but with another busy day ahead, we went to sleep. The snoring echoed through the outdoors!

...and the work continues!

The days have been packed, so we apologize for the delayed blogging!
We woke up on Tuesday in Independencia. Some backs were sore since we all slept on the floor! After a light breakfast in the courtyard, we headed out for more work. We were pleased to see that the sizeable concrete/sand/rock mixture was pre-measured. The team immediately jumped in to mix, mix back, add water, and turn into concrete. We powered through the batch but right at the end, we realized that we needed more. Although we were exhausted after 2 full days of work and extra so since we pushed hard for the (so-we-thought) final scoops, the troops rallied and made a new mixture - then repeated the mix, mix back, add water, and turn into concrete process. Once again, the group really came together. After making 2 tons of concrete, we were thrilled to see the floor complete. We ended our time by presenting donated shoes and clothes to the community representatives. The group was moved by their appreciation.
Dirty doesn´t even begin to describe how we looked - and we were so looking forward to showers! We loaded the bus and began the trip back to Lima (this was only a 45 minute trip the first time, so everyone was counting down the minutes). Instead, we got to experience true Peruvian traffic for almost 2 hours! We made the most of the time while people-watching, listening to honking horns, and checking out the scenery. There was true excitement when we finally reached the Y.
The showers felt better than ever. Everyone had time to relax before packing up for another "trip within a trip." We packed the bags for 3 days at Y-Camp and Ica City. The bus was pretty quiet as we traveled to camp. We arrived late at night and used headlamps to climb into the beds! A good rest was had by all, only disturbed by excitement for the next day!

... And the hard work begins!

This morning started with toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and pineapple juice before a quick game of Ninja (or 5) while waiting for the bus to pick us up. We took a comfy bus ride to the district of Independencia where we began our work day. Independencia is one of Lima´s 43 districts, and is about 1 hour (depending on traffic) from the YMCA Peru in the Pueblo Libre district (where we´ve been). Independencia is one of the more impoverished areas of Peru. It was a sweaty, cementy, dusty job and without a ton of teamwork and peer encouragement, we would never had made it through! Our goal for the day was to finish pouring half of the floor in a community dining hall. We moved and opened fifteen 50-lb bags of cement, mixed it with thirty wheelbarrows of sand and fifteen wheelbarrows of rocks (all of which we shoveled in and dumped out). We mixed this massive pile of stuff with water and loaded it into buckets which we fireman chained up to the dining hall. We all got the chance to mix cement, fill buckets, pass full buckets, throw back empty buckets and drink lots of water! It was a successful day if we do say so ourselves. We will return tomorrow to finish the other half of the floor! After our work day, we returned to the community center (our home base for the night) to wipe ourselves down with some baby wipes (that´s right, no showers here), change our shoes and head to the mall for some dinner and Peruvian shopping! We had Bembo´s for dinner... which is a Peruvian Burger King of sorts. They have burgers with fried plantains and eggs, pineapples, doritos and guacamole, sausage dogs on top and some regular ol´ cheeseburgers. After picking up some delicious sweets (ice cream and churros are the current faves), we headed back to the community center for devotion and fun! Take a look back in the morning for pictures. We took so many that the camera battery died... but we wanted to keep you updated and let you know we are all having a blast! Thank you all for allowing us to spend this time together and with our new Peruvian, Colombian and French friends, and to serve the people here in Peru! Goodnight!

A day in the city...

We enjoyed sleeping in this morning, but once we were up we sure did get going! Breakfast consisted of egg and cheese sandwiches with Papaya juice. We then loaded up and headed into downtown Lima. Traffic here is fun! With Paco as our tour guide, we checked out many churches. This was especially neat since it was Palm Sunday. We even saw the bishop at The Cathedral. We saw the San Fransisco Catacombs, which were erie yet filled with history. We also got to go into the Peruvian version of the "White House" to view Machu Picchu artifacts. After finding a place to change dollars into soles, we spent lots of cash in the local market! A few highlights include helado (ice cream) and churros, souviniers made from alpaca, and bartering. Following what seemed like a game of Frogger crossing streets to get back to Paco's van, we headed back to the Lima YMCA for lunch. For lunch we had Fried Rice and Tequenos with more papaya juice. We grabbed six donation suitcases and headed to the orphanage to play with the kids. Yesterday the local YMCA staff led all of the games, so today we took over and did all of the programming for our day at the orphanage. We all paired off with another member of the group to lead games and songs for the kids. With the help of the YMCA staff we played a multitued of classic playground games like Cross the Ocean, Cat and Mouse, Upper Deck Lower Deck and Duck Duck Goose. We also sang a song in Spanish that Torrey taught us at one of our meetings prior to leaving and a few others like Boom Chicka Boom and You Can't Ride in My Little Red Wagon. After playing with the kids for about two hours, we had to say goodbye for the last time this week and head out. Sadly, we were not allowed to take any pictures with the children, so we took a group picture outside of the orphanage.We took a short break when we got back to The Y to play Ninja and then had Tallarines Saltado with Papaya juice for dinner. We also had a side of aji brought out for us to spice things up a little and add a bit of flavor. Following dinner we headed upstairs to learn to salsa. The class was amazing, whether you had two left feet or looked like you had been dancing for 20 years, everyone had a great time. After some free time for basketball, showering, or more ninja, we closed with devotion. Let's hope for good sleep since we head into Independencia for hard work tomorrow!

We made it to Peru!

After a full day of travel which included Josey being invited to TSA's secret room, movies on the plane, dinner in the ATL airport, bonding time stuck in a tube (aka the plane) - we set foot in Peru and made it through customs to meet our Peruvian friends around 1:00am. After a short drive to the YMCA, we called it a night! Our Saturday began with an orientation by Paco - the CEO of the YMCA Peru and International Programs Director. He introduced us to our staff, volunteers, and support for our week: Laddie, Karen, Lucia, Zoe, Ardy, Erika, and Felice! We learned a little more Peruvian culture, some smart travel tips and some expectations for the week. After a breakfast of eggs, toast, coffee, and OJ - we headed out for the Arco Ibis Orphanage. As we arrived at the orphange, 25-30 kids came running out to greet us. We sang spanish songs, danced, turned tons of cartwheels, played futbol (soccer), raced cars (don't worry - they were toy cars!), colored pictures together, played balloon games, did caterpillar relays, and had a ton of just plain old fun. The smiles on the kids' faces when we arrived was priceless - the only thing better was when we told them we'd be back on Sunday! The languages of love, friendship, and laughter are interpreted easily in any language - and it was the reason for our successful day today. After the orphange we spent the afternoon walking around the parks in Miraflores, had a delicious lunch filled with Ceviche, Causas de Congrejas (Crab Causas), Pulpo (octopus), Inca Kola, Lomo Saltado, Aji Sauce, and so much more - too much to name. After lunch we spent time shopping, taking a double decker bus tour of Miraflores, walking through El Parque de Amor, and saw some ancient ruins of the Incans. After a rest time at the YMCA, we ate dinner of Lomo Saltado con papas fritas y arroz (french friends and rice). After dinner, we joined into a drum circle with the YMCA's proleaderes program. The program is the Peruvian version of Leaders' Club. It is a leadership club that is focused on fellowship and service; teens spend the first three years as proleaderes participants and volunteers within the YMCA. Their fourth year of the program they become leaders (or advisors) for the program. There were over 100 Peruvian teens here for the program. As we joined into their drum circle, we fit right in. We spent the evening at the water park - which is a landscaped park with HUGE fountains. We watched a show of fountains timed to music with lights and lasers, walked through a 100 foot water tunnel totally dry, ran through a fountain that got us totally soaked, then headed back to the Y for devotion. We had a fantastic first day - totally blown away by the love shown to us by both our YMCA hosts as well as the kids at the orphange. You would've thought that we'd all known each other for years. Looking forward to the second day at the orphange, the downtown city tour, and salsa dance lessons... Stay tuned, check out the pictures, and check back in for another update!

... and Away We Go!

Welcome to the adventures of the Go Global Mission Trip to Peru! We begin our actual travels tomorrow morning, however it has been several months in the making! Between collecting school and art supplies and shoes to donate to the orphanage in Lima and the community of Indenpendencia, Skyping with our Peru YMCA hosts- Paco and Laddie, talking about what to pack, customs forms, and taking some time to get to know each other, we have had some busy times over the last 4 months.... and now, the time has come for our adventures to begin!

We will do our best to regularly share our experiences with you over the next 9 days- so follow all the fun- but also know that our primary focus is service and growth- and cannot guarantee a daily update.

We are 18 excited travelers (14 local high school teens and 4 advisors) who all share a connection through the YMCA of the Triangle Area. From personalities, interests and age, to travel experience and YMCA program experience- we are a varied group- and it makes us more fun than you can imagine!

We would love for you to keep us in your prayers during our trip. A few prayer requests would include:

• Safe travels (to and from Peru as well as throughout the week)


• Good health for the entire group


• Open eyes and hearts to best serve each other and all the people we encounter


• Understanding and empathy that would allow us to fully experience the culture, people and adventures in Peru


• Strength of our team and making deep connected life-long relationships


• Opportunties to share and love on children, adults and families in Peru, as well as each other.

We would love for you to share our adventures over the next week- so stay tuned and we'll see you in Peru!

Monday March 7, 2011

Today is going to be a great day. We started our day by wishing Alex a Happy Birthday. She is sharing a very special day with us today and we are excited about sharing it with her. We are starting the day with a walking, bus and who knows what other kind of tour of Peru. We are going to be immersed in the culture with some shopping but then learn a lot of the culture, politics, government and I am sure a lot more about the people. We are heading back to the Y for lunch (and to celebrate Alex's birthday) and then we are going back to the orphanage and see our young friends again. We are all very excited to have the opportunity to be able to see and play with our new friends again. Last night at our devotion time we talked about "things that we found to be impactful and didn't want to ever forget." Some of the things the group brought up were having the kids welcome us with open arms and how they were trying to learn our language as much as we were learning their language. They didn't feel entitled to us learning their language but more like they wanted us to be a part in some way, so they tried learning as much as we did. We are very excited to see what special moments come from the orphanage today. The morning touring was fun and this group is amazing. The laughter never stops. Every time I turn around the group is laughing at something Tim and Will have done. They really have been funny together! I love the laughter and the way the group is interacting. It is a pretty hot day but not too bad. We are definitely getting our exercise with all the walking we are doing. We even found a little fire station where we took an impromptu tour. These fireman, like the ones in the States, deserve to be applauded for all they do. This particular fire house was special because they send fireman around the world to places to train, be trained and help out. They have even sent fireman to the states - Texas, Miami and they were there to help out in NY with 9/11. It was like a museum for fireman. This was extra special for Angie because her husband is also a fireman. Everyone was touched by our time there!

Our lunch was good. The food is a little different but it is good. We are eating a lot of chicken and fish with rice and fries. The best part of lunch today was not the food but celebrating Alex's birthday. We decided to get her a cake for her birthday and sing happy birthday to her as loud as we possibly can. It was fun and I think she was surprised. If not, she faked it real well. Happy Birthday Alex and thanks for sharing it with us!

We are heading back to the orphanage now. We found out when we got there that we have a smaller group today because some of the kids were practicing for a performance they had the next day. That didn't stop our group from having a great time. Today is the day we were leading all the games and activities. We also brought the suitcases that were filled with clothes and school supplies and special flash cards that Megan made for the kids. We broke up into two groups and lead them through some games, with a little help from our Peruvian friends. We even played "red light, green light". We had a blast! It was fun leading the games but a bit daring at the same time. The group did great! I was very proud of how everyone was so engaged with the kids. We weren't perfect with our language but we made it work and it was good. We ended our very special time with a birthday song to Alex from the kids. I think she liked that even more than the cake because of how much she loved being with the kids.

Our last adventure for the evening will be a salsa dance class. Last year they got to learn how to play the box drum. This year we get an authentic salsa lesson. Should be fun. Knowing some of this group (myself included) it will be funny. Apparently this is a popular class. The teacher does not speak english and there are a few people hanging around outside the class. The class does not start out too hard. We all seem to get the movements with our feet. We are pretty proud! I am pretty sure I even saw a few high fives from members of our group. Then the teacher added hips, arms, shoulders, head and shaking. The crowd outside the class kept getting bigger. I am pretty sure they were not gathering because of our stellar danching. I am sure our dancing was good comic relief. We started doing as much laughing as the people out of the class. In all fairness, we did have some stellar students. Lendra, Omega and Shannon were tearing the dance floor up. I am sure we will all sleep well tonight!

God Bless, until our next post!

Sunday March 6, 2011 - Serve or be Served

Sunday March 6, 2011:

We are learning culture, using our spanish and working at the orphanage. Just like at home, the Y gets moving early and so did the boys today. Thanks to Michael we were up and ready about an hour before breakfast. We did not even realize it was so early until we were all up. Because it was so late when we got in last night we did not get to see any of the Y, so the boys decided to go exploring. We walked around the Y taking it all in and talking about all the fun things we will be able to do while we are here in Peru.

I mentioned in the last post how generous Paco and crew were by coming to the airport and getting us. Well, this morning that generosity kept coming. They were up before us and had breakfast and an orientation ready for us when we got there. They gave us some tips and some insights into the culture in Lima and went through introductions. One thing to remember from the presentation, not even the locals drink the water. We will be using water bottles that Paco will provide for us. Our mission today, have some fun, get to know each other better, learn about the culture and SERVE. We are going to the orphanage to visit with the kids and play some games and then we will go into town to learn more about Lima. Paco let us know that the most of these kids come from abusive situations and were taken from their parents and placed in the orphanage.

Thomas got us started today with a thought for the day and a prayer. He really challenged us all to think outside of ourselves and try everything. This experience will be what we make of it and we should not look back and wish that we did something different. Wow, pastor Thomas really brought it in his quiet, yet powerful way.

So, with our challenge before us, we gathered our stuff and headed out to the orphanage. We are walking to the orphanage so we can experience some of the culture of Peru on our way. Pablo, Lucia, Lodie, Karen and Rafi were our guides and they were going to lead the games and songs that we would do with the kids at the orphanage. We are so lucky to have them!

After a nice 10+ block walk to get to the orphanage, we all stand at the colorful gates not knowing what to expect. As I anxiously stood there waiting for the security guard to open the gate I thought of how we were going to come in and put our YMCA magic on things and "wow" everyone. I got a little more excited to show off in front of the Peruvian Staff. The gates open and we pour into a beautiful courtyard surrounded by classrooms but there were no children. Shortly after we go in the kids start coming out. Most of the kids are a little tentative, possibly because of the abused background or just because we are strangers.

It did not take long for some of them to warm up to us and start calling us "papa and mama". We had a blast playing with the kids and Pablo and Rafi did a fantastic job leading the kids in songs and games. It was a little crazy but we did not "wow" them as much as they "wowed" us and stole our hearts. We left anxiously awaiting tomorrow's visit.

Once we left the orphanage we did a tour of part of the city, ate at Mangos and even had time to walk around the mall for a half hour where we saw an electronic elephant on skates giving kids rides.




The city is rich in history and we learned a lot about that history and the culture. We are all trying to use whatever spanish speaking skills we have. Our favorite saying is "Como se dice _____?" which means "how do you say ______?" Some people speak english but the majority only speak spanish. Again, Paco and crew have been very patient with us and have helped us make it through the language barrier. But, our shining stars for language are Will and Thomas. They know a lot of the language and are able to communicate and help the rest of us. It has been really great to see them take the lead and be so confident while speaking another language.



Mangos is a Peruvian restaurant that has a buffet to die for or at least you feel like you are going to die after eating so much good food. It was amazing! We got to try a lot of things but one of the standouts was Ceviche. A fish cooked by the acid of lemon juice. A lot of us don't like sushi and thought we would not like Ceviche but we decided to try it because of Thomas' devotion today. The overwhelming response...Awesome!

At devotion tonight we are asking three pointed questions:



What is something that was funny?


What is something that was impactful?


What is something you don't want to forget?

We all took some time to write down some things and then we talked about them. It was an amazing time of reflection. I will share with you some things that were expressed when we have more time. We will be asking these same questions each night. Right now we have to get a quick breakfast and head out to our next adventure.

God Bless until our next post

Saturday March 5th - Travels:

We had a good flight. The trip to Atlanta was quick and easy and we even had a bit of time to grab some snacks before we boarded our next flight. This set of teens makes moving through an airport easy.

When we got to spend some time in the Atlanta airport we really started to have some fun and laugh with each other. We even got to participate in one of my favorite activities, “People Watching”. Coming from an experienced people watcher, there is no better place to “people watch” than an airport. You can see some of the most interesting things in an airport like…


yes, that is a suitcase made of bubble wrap and packing tape. Enough said!
"People watching" takes it out of you and sometimes you have to just take some time to recharge, just ask Tim…

(sign above his head)

On a different note, before we left Raleigh Leigh did our devotion and talked to us about this experience. She talked about how at some point on the trip we would realize that this is real. As we sat and waited to board our plane some of us started talking about how this was starting to become real. We are heading to PERU, South America to be God’s hands and feet. WOW! I think this feeling will continue to creep up on us as we go through the week and if Leigh is right there will be a time that the emotion and reality of it all will wash over us. I welcome it!

God Bless until our next entry.

Saturday March 5 – Safe in Peru

6 hours in the plane and a few movies later we touched down in Peru. I am going to channel my inner optimist and instead of focusing on the long flight I am going to focus on the fact that there are not many times you get to watch a couple movies and take a nap.

Overall it was a good flight, just long. Michael and I sat beside each other on this flight so I got to learn a lot about what he wants to do when he graduated in December. All I have to say is “biotech world - beware!” He is such a fascinating and smart young man. Oh, Angie and I also found out that he loves giving hugs. Don't worry we won't use that against him throughout this trip! We as leaders must have been good this year because the entire group is awesome! I can’t wait to get to know each person individually.

We touched down in Peru at 11:50pm but did not get our luggage and get through customs until close to 1:30am. It would have been sooner but I got stopped at customs. They say it is random but I was the only one out of all 13 of us that got stopped. Paco and crew met us at the airport with smiles on their faces. They are amazing, giving people to be so generous. We were all very excited to see them and equally excited to hear that the Y was only 20 minutes away from the airport. Once we got to the Y we unloaded all our gear, settled into our rooms, said a prayer of thanks for the safe travel and hit the bed by 2:30. Breakfast is at 8:30 and the day is full so...

God Bless and good night until our next entry.

Friday March 4, 2011: Let the Adventure Begin...Peru 2011

Growing up, Christmas was always one of my favorite times of the year. Christmas has always been special because of the laughter, family and fellowship but let's be honest, the gifts get you excited. My mother and father used to always make me and my siblings go to bed early so Santa would be able to come. Every year I would go to bed and lay there for the longest time, not able to sleep because of how excited I was. Tonight as I get ready for our trip I get that same type of feeling, EXCITEMENT! I know I should be asleep but I just can't because Saturday I get the privilege of going to Peru with 10 fantastic college aged teens and 2 Amazing Y-Staff. We will have a lot of laughter and fellowship and this group will become like family to each other over the next week.

I guess I should start by telling you who I am...I am the luckiest man in the world. My name is Yo Sobha and I am the trip leader for the 2011 trip to Peru. I have worked for the YMCA of the Triangle for the past 23 years and in my current position I get to create opportunities for teens to get involved, give back and grow. Yes, this is my job and yes, they pay me to do this. I sometimes watch those travel shows and think to myself that those guys have an awesome job but truthfully mine is better. They travel alone and I get to travel with some amazing people!

Next, let me introduce you to Tim Townsend from the Finley YMCA. He is one of the other Y-Staff going on this trip. We might start calling him "Doc" for this trip. We love to give out nicknames at the Y and no one has more nicknames than Tim. So I figured we would try and make another one stick. He, like all of the leaders are trained in First Aid and CPRO but he is taking on the main role of doctor on the trip. That really means he gets to hold and keep up with the big first aid kit. He is so excited about that part of the trip. We are sure he will not have to use it but it is always good to have. Hence the nickname "Doc".

Our last Y-Staff that is going on the trip is Angie Field from the Cary YMCA. Angie started her Y career around the same time that I did but she left to work with youth in a church setting. During that time she had the opportunity to take many groups on Mission trips and is our most experienced traveler. She is the Volunteer Coordinator at the Cary Y. A true "people person". She is the mother of two and takes on the mother role for our group. Angie is also the practical joker and instigator of the group. She has already tried to get the other members of the group to bring rubber bugs to scare me on the trip. I may have to strike first to have a chance.

Angie, Tim and I feel blessed to be able to lead this group of teens to Peru from Saturday, March 5th-Sunday, March 13th. We are extremely excited to show God's love by serving others but we are well aware that God will probably show us His love through the people we serve.

Here are some prayers for our group...


1.) Safe Travels to Peru, through different areas of Peru and for our safe return.

2.)Our group will be open to hear God's whispers and have the strength to follow them.

3.)The people of Peru so they will be open and welcoming to us and their lives will be changed and impacted.

4.)Energy and Good Health- that we will be able to work enthusiastically and energetically for God.

5.)Adventurous - allow us to be adventurous for God and reach beyond ourselves giving to others.

6.)For or families back in the states, that they will be protected and safe while we are gone.

Schedule...

Here is our tentative schedule for the week:

Saturday, March 5th-arrive in Peru

Sunday, March 6th-visit to orphanage

Monday, March 7th-historical tour of Lima

Tuesday, March 8th-service project, building a community kitchen in a low-income village area

Wednesday, March 9th-service project, building a community kitchen in a low-income village area

Thursday, March 10th-ecotourism! (desert trip, dune buggy rides, sand boarding, camp out)

Friday, March 11th-ecotoursim! (Ballestas Island tour, wildlife reserve, beach)

Saturday March 12th-ecotourim! (aqua trekking, fun at Y Camp)

Sunday March 13th-return home leave at 12:25am and arrive back at 12:30pm

God Bless and Good Night!