Hola!

Here we are with Camilla after church. 

                      San Miguel is the district we live in.

                                  Miraflores

La Punta

On Friday, I flew to Peru with my roommate, Alisha. We are volunteering at an orphanage for four weeks. We are staying with a host family and 18 other volunteers. Our host family has been so kind and welcoming. We were able to go to church with them on Saturday night. It was quite different from what I’m used to, but it was great to see how others worship. They dedicated the first hour to fathers and had them play soccer, in honor of the World Cup. I swear I can hear a T.V. or radio with it on at all times.

When we left the airport I spotted an LDS Chapel, so we walked down there on Saturday to see how long it would take us to get there. Luckily we ran into the Elders and they told us when church started. When we got to church on Sunday, a sweet sister, Camilla came right up to us after sacrament and invited us to Sunday school. During Sunday school we met George and he translated the whole lesson for us, which Camilla also did during Relief Society. I am amazed how kind and loving they were to us. It makes me realize that I need to be better and serve others more quickly. It was also amazing to see that the church is the same where ever you are! I knew it would be, but I was able to see it for myself.

Today, we had orientation and toured the different orphanages where we will get work. It was exciting, but also heart breaking to see the condition these children live in. I felt like they were all in prison. They were beyond excited to see us and ran over to welcome us there. There were a few orphanages with children and adults with special needs. They too were so excited to see new visitors. We also got to meet some girls that have been victims of abuse. They were so sweet and wanted to get to know us, even though we don’t speak Spanish. I’m excited to start working with them tomorrow!

It has already been a humbling experience meeting the few kids we met today. I am truly blessed in a tremendous amount of ways.