new role.more prayer 31-march

I was a tutor at New Hope Children's home but now, my last month here, is looking into doing new programs for the home...

This is my office.. I work along side Fabio, a guy that sorts and helps out here also..

Please pray for the new role.. I only have 4 weeks to help put some stuff in place and other stuff give grounded ideas..

David and Debbie Bolos are back in the U.S. Pray for them as they lead the home from afar..

This is the list of programs I will look in to, some I will get in place, some I will put forward..

Program of expectations.. (A chart that shows the progress of each kid's behaviour) We have already started.. this was a program that I used in my house when I was a tutor but now they would like me to use it with the whole home...

'Fente' A friday evening games night and tuck shop that used to be run by an intern Lidia..but she is now leaving. We will see how we can carry it on and if in the same format.

Mentoring.. All the kids here would need a mentor / big brother or sister, that would give them more personalised attention.. but so far we have two volunteers... I will look to set up

this program properly.

'Cena united' A time when each house in the Home comes to dine in the main dining hall There is a time of being together having time to worship together and time to have fun together.. this will hopfully help unite the home more like a big family.. I will organise the first one and before I go see how it runs automatically...

Volunteers /interns... Looking to at ideas as to how the home can adopt the use of each intern more effectivly and coordinate their stay.

After school clubs.. We have a successfull photo class club already but I would like to expand the idea of having more clubs that deals with other talents that the kids have in abundance here.

* so if you have any ideas and would like to set up a few weeks club or month club of let's say ... teach piano.. or art.. or singing.. then talk to me..

House competitions.. David is giving us ideas on what he wants that house to compete in.. so that there is more solidarity within each home like a unit to work for God's glory.. Fabio and I will look in to this more.. we have already started..

There's so much I would like to do here.. like set up a street- reach program.. we have 40 young people that could easily do this.. but I don't think I have time to look in to this.. if you want to come down and help here .. please speak to me of your ideas..

Please Pray for the home and the programs..

I look out of my window at my office and I see Misti the volcano and know that God is beside me because God made that volcano..

Below is David and Debby the

directors.. this is the day before they went.. you can see all the kids that are here.. along with a team that visited for a week..

I will sign off now.. I'm really tired.. it's 9:55pm and the office people have long gone....

From Peru/ Arequipa city / New Hope Children's home / upstairs in the new office..

a new day a new boy in the family.. 20-03-09

I will not write much as its 11:30 and im really tired.. There are 3 groups in the morning that go to school: the little primary boys, my 4 primary boys and the primary girls. Today we tried a new tactic - we got them to go to school in pairs..


I took lots of pictures to show the surroundings and some off the kids that i work with,.

(these mountains always remind me of God's presence)



Today I helped take the kids to school. It's my day off but i always try to help out as really two tutors work better.. I did try to organise a visit to another children's home for the day but that plan fell through as i could not get connected on the phone..

Today a new boy came.. ! It was all a supprise to me.. We had to reorganize the rooms - now we have a 3rd bedroom in the house... His name is Junior. I also had to spend time getting his new clothes from the storeroom. He came with only the clothes on his back.. with old shoes and a small jacket.. the police man brought him.. his story is quit sad.. but I thank God that he choose to bring him here.. !


He is such a friendly and happy chappy.. he talks lots and always has a smile.. the other boys have taken on to him very well..


This afternoon I went with Fabio to visit judges from different councils that the boys come from to get permision for them to be in school.. This was very complicated and a lot of paper pushing. We only got 2 done out of 10 that we wanted to get done.. The judge was not in, or the opening hours were working against us..

Roberto - Junior - Jorge

Pray for the new boy as he settles in..


In the evening i took him in to town.. I got money out and went to buy him underware because there was none in the storeroom.. We walked a lot.. and his borrowed shoes were to small so we walked slowly.. but i think we will buy that tomorrow.. We then bought a mop and bucket, and a brush & pan thing for the home. and a big tub so Junior can put his ,'to wash' clothes' in..


After that i took him for a dinner! for 3.50 soles.. a soup and main meal.. with a side drink.. thats like one pound.. after that we got into a taxi and went back to the home.. What a day i thought!.. and all in the life of a little boy.. if God helps him then He also will help you too...


I thank God for all i have!

Visiting another home!

Visiting another children's home!

It is called 'UNIFAM'.

During this trip of seven months i want to see more of the need and circumstances of abandoned and run-away kids - the kids of 'risk'.. This place we visited last week is like a holding place where the police bring them when found.. then the judge decides what home to put them in.

Lots of the kids in New Hope came through this place. We rang up the place and told them we were coming..

On the way I bought some food with the money i had that day.. which just did to get us there also..

I knocked on the big cold metal gate and a policeman in uniform answered..

I thought about if my life had ended up on the streets as a young kid, i might have ended up here..

The home had 12 youngsters. They all sat down and the policeman introduced me.We served pop corn and milk and cereal in little plastic cups.. They all listened and i found myself leading the meal.. I said we will pray, and they all stood up..

I prayed.. ..for their situations.. their past and their future that is so uncertain.. I prayed that they would seek God in their lives, and thanked God that He wanted to be part of their lives....

.. After that we ate and I shared who I was and what I was here for.. I said that the pictures would be shown to many people that would see them and know that there is a need to help kids.. I said that there is a God that also will see them.

I shared that God loved them and would never forget about them.. !!

These kids that day where older.. but the day before there had been 4 little boys aged 4 to 10.. but they had been moved to some home.. Some of these youngsters stay for a week and some stay for months..

Never forget the kids that God loves..

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house i lived in , or the car i drove, but the world may be different because we were important in the life of a child."

prayer points

PRAYER POINTS

For new kids that join the home. Edgar and others that have arrived today, and the ones that can't make it in to the home!

My involvment with the dudes! That i may bring a positive attitude, God filled and directed, so i can know how best to help and be a tutor to the new boys' flat.









>> Here i'm taking 4 boys to secondary school. Moises aged 11 in the red top.. Jorge aged12 - in the green, Roberto aged 10 in the very front. Fredy aged 13 in the red and black striped top. >> (For Fredy it is the first day of school.. he has never been to proper school before ever!)



Also for getting really a personal understanding for each kid in my care. Having 8 in my care i cannot always be just with one. The picture is of an individual trip your donation helped. The idea is that the kid gets one day individual attention from his tutor, to talk openly and to do stuff they want to do! To dig deeper in knowing them and that they may have a

chance to open up and talk more about stuff they want to. The trips allow better understanding between the tutor and the child. On this trip we also went to a sunna place that had a pool indoors. i helped him to take the first seps in getting to know how to swim.. he insisted i buy him floating wings..it was so funny but he realy had a great time!! thanks for your donations..




Also pray for the other volunters that live here and
work part time and full time.. all volunteers need prayer as they seek to follow Jesus' plan for their lives in Peru and with the kids of New hope home. They need direction and peace and strength as times can get hard also.

• For Seth (volunteer from USA) as he works with introducing photography to the kids as a way of aiding them for the future, and also for promoting the need of support which is lacking for the kids here in all Peru..

Lydia, in the yellow top, as she finnishes her time here, as she wraps it all up, and as she works daily with the kids.






Andrew as he works with the younger kids' flat and his prayer to know how long he's to stay and in which role..






and Julia also that is involved with education and at the moment has lots on her plate.


I will sign off now........

Blogathon

<<(peter helping a photography class... all listening to Seth talking about pictures) "Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes" Oscar Wilde
"A cup of what?!" Six Figure Bill
Unfortunately this is probably my last blog so i'll try to make it fully comprehensive. As i mentioned as i was sick with food poisoning but have now fully recovered although the medicine cost an absolute bomb. Had to go to hospital and everything - it was difficult trying to exlpain my symptoms in Spanish so i had to resort to trying to act them out with the occasional Spanish word. The doctor would then repeat the actions to confirm he had understood. We went back and forth with this system for a while then i was allowed to lie down as we weren't getting anywhere. Anyway, after some tests they found i had a stomach infection and they treated me for this so when i left i felt a bit better. If there was a suggestion box at the hospital i would have written "Bigger containers for collecting samples please." This would make the whole process more pleasant and less messy.JD's successfully turning the home into a zoo capable of rivalling the zoo in Arequipa (any house with more than two pets can rival Arequipa zoo in impressiveness). He's done this by introducing animals into the home at the current rate of one new species a day. He bought a turtle (the Undertaker) for a boy the other day which is awesome.

<<<(boys fishing for fish in a pond. They brought their pet turtle with them) The boys are very enthusiastic singers. they'll repeat English songs depite not knowing any of the words which is great - they did the best version of the Anfield rap i've ever heard. I started traveling back - the first bit went well.

(peter saying his good byes to the boys)

A Korean family was sitting around me on the plane. I was starving so i ask

ed the woman if i could have another snack because i'd finished mine and she asked all her family to give me thier snack packs. They didn't mind and she spoke no English so i didn't bother protesting - that made the flight better. She also kept laughing throughout the entire flight at whatever she was watching. I was able to talk to the old man of the

Korean family about Roy Keane's World Cup walk out in the Korea Japan World Cup 2002. He always nodded in agreement but he had no idea what i was talking about but i continued regardless. For my travel back home i'd be travelling by myself and i'd been warned a lot about travelling in taxis especially in Lima. Apparently people get kidnapped and it's also bad for people getting mugged. I hope i don't have to use self defense on anyone - for their sake. If anyone was going to mug me i'd feel obliged to warn them of my ability in the martial arts once. After that, if the assailant persisted i'd have to look at my watch and proclaim it was hurting time. I've heard a couple of stories since i've been here of people being kidnapped in taxis. I've often considered what i'd do in this situation. If i

suspected i was going to get kidnapped i'd wait until he slowed down a bit, open the door and start moving my legs in a really fast running motion then i'd lower myself from the vehicle using my arms onto the road. The transition would be seamless. It's been reassuring to know that in this eventuality i have a foolproof plan in place. My flight from Lima to new York was cancelled. I didn't realise for ages either - i assumed everything would be fine as it had been up til then. i was told the next flight was on Thursday - unbelievable. I asked if ther was any other way of doing it and the man was like "No - definitely not." i asked again about 30 seconds later and there was a flight to Atalanta so i said i'd take that and apart from being absoultely knackered because of the wait that worked out fine. I'm still waiting for the last leg of travel to get underway so at this point i'll bid you farewell. One more thing before the time on the internet runs out and this is very important - never forget th

J-D writes >>> (Thanks Peter for being here on this trip!! Arequipa waves you goodbye.. here are some pictures that will let you know that you brought joy and a positive impact to the kids lives.. thanks for being part of this.. )

"hundred years from now, it will not matter what your bank acount was, the sort of house you lived in or the car you drove. but the world may be a different place because you were important in the life of a child."

thanks for being there for them....