But also, it is the land of drinking water straight from the tap, family, driving, longtime friends, four distinct seasons, Supino’s Pizza, Tigers baseball and so many familiarities.

And, it’s my first time back after almost a year in Peru (324 days to be exact). I know that at some point, I will accidentally greet somebody with a kiss on the cheek, or will forget and will put toilet paper in the bathroom trash (Peruvian plumbing typically can’t handle toilet paper), or I’ll mistakenly ask a shopkeeper or waiter for something in Spanish. But nevertheless, it is good to be back – even if it is just for a short 3 weeks.

Jhon, originally uploaded by katherinebruder.

During these next few weeks, I’ll be traveling around, trying to spend quality time with as many friends as possible. I will also of course be sharing. If you’re interested in hearing me share about my experiences during the past 11 months in Lima, I invite you to join me on Sunday, May 6th during the education hour (9am) and worship service (10am) at First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn (600 N. Brady, Dearborn).

Michigan: where God painted the lakes and carved the land to remind us we’re always in the palm of his hand.

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Feel the same way I do about this great state? You will want to check out Michigan Awesome. It’s a celebration of hometown love, disguised as a t-shirt company. Both Billy and I sport our Michigan Awesome sweatshirts around Peru!

Michigan Awesome. is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

As I have mentioned before, Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest and is surrounded by three rivers: the Nanay, Itaya and Amazon. The city can only be reached by airplane or boat, and houses along the three rivers are either built on stilts or floating logs, which rise and fall with the river water levels.

Houses along the Itaya River built on stilts – June 2008

Houses along the Nanay River on floating logs – August 2011

We started our week off by visiting the older boys (13 and up) that are now living at the newly formed Girasoles Iquitos home. While the location is different and some the faces are new, it is always a joy to spent time with kids that I have seen grow up over the past 3 years.

After saying goodbyes, we headed out to Puerto Alegria where we would spend the majority of our time with the little boys (who are 12 and under). Along the way, it was quite evident that the rainy season this year had hit Iquitos much harder than in years past. Boarding the boat that would take us to Puerto Alegria, it was hard not to notice the dozens of tents that had sprung up along the bank as temporary shelters because the occupant’s home was flooded – or more aptly put, completely underwater.

Many houses only had an exposed thatched roof – the rest was completely underwater like this home.

By the time we arrived to Puerto Alegria, the sun had set and it was hard to fully comprehend how much the river had increased – it had grown so much that the floor of the maloca (which is at the entrance of the house at the riverbank) was completely covered in at least 3 feet of water – this doesn’t take into account that the maloca floor is elevated at least 12 feet off the ground, and all of that was underwater too. Talking with Jherry, the director of the home in Puerto Alegria, he said that if the water levels grew another 2 centimeters (which was expected), they would surpass the city’s record.

Usually, none of this is underwater.

These stairs were completely underwater – from August 2010

Despite the constraints dry locations (we could pretty much only do things in the dining room), we had a very fun week with the 40 boys living in Puerto Alegria. Since the high river level flooded the school, classes were cancelled indefinitely until the students could return safely. I can’t imagine a more perfect group to have been in Puerto Alegria that week because without knowing that the boys would be off of school, they had prepared many games & activities to do with them. It was a blessing to both the team and the boys that they were able to spend almost all week together, from early morning to late evening.

Since it was Holy Week, the group shared about what the week meant but also brought a few traditions that American children participate in during Easter. We had an Easter egg hunt (which turned into bob for eggs in the flooded soccer field), the boys made & decorated Easter baskets (which were “filled” by the Easter bunny) and we had a Easter party, including decorations.

And, of course we made the customary trek to Iquitos with the boys to go to the Quistococha Zoo and the group was generous enough to invite the boys & staff to a pollo a la brasa lunch and the movies.

It was rainy at the zoo, so Alvaro and Presley turned a garbage bag into a rain jacket
Lexon & Job Neber, brothers

Marcelo & Alexis at lunch

It was the first time Lenin had pollo a la brasa. We had to take a photo with his first chicken!

We ended the week with dance and skit presentations and a dance party on the last evening. Of the 40 boys at Puerto Alegria, the majority of them are new. Despite that I had spent 2 months at the home during summer 2011, many of these boys arrived after I left. I enjoyed seeing the new faces, learning new names and being able to share a bit with them. For many, this volunteer group was their first experience with a group of foreigners who had come from far away to play and have fun with them. As we left Puerto Alegria to head to the Iquitos airport, we all couldn’t help but talk about how great it was to hear laughter and see big smiles on the faces of these boys – many who are at least a 3 day boat ride from their family & home.

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A little bonus sighting at the end of the trip? President Ollanta Humala was visiting Iquitos, surveying the water damage from the river and declaring a state of emergency for the region. We caught glimpses of him boarding Peru’s equivalent of Air Force One at the Iquitos airport before our flight took off. Humala is the man in the white shirt boarding the airplane.

Puerto Alegria Underwater is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

It was spring break a couple weeks ago for two Texas universities, and instead of heading home or the beach, 40 students from the RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) programs at Southern Methodist University and Texas Tech decided to spend a week helping at our Girasoles home for boys in Kusi.

They moved tons of rocks for the floor of the addition to the school and planted 1500 eucalyptus trees.

We visited the on-site school and the students performed a couple typical carnaval dances.

And we spent time playing with the Girasoles boys – like the other boys, Socimo, can entertain himself with anything.

Since it was a large group and I was there with them by myself, very few photos were taken during the 8 days… It was a busy week, but a great time with the Girasoles boys and getting to know the students and leaders.

The next group arrives this Sunday morning and we head north to the jungle – to Puerto Alegria and Iquitos!

40 in Kusi is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

We spent the first day walking around colonial Cusco.

Since I’m a Peruvian resident now, we both were able to go to Machu Picchu on the “Peruvian price” – that’s just 20 soles roundtrip for the train, 36 soles for the bus from the train to the entrance and 65 soles entrance to Machu Picchu (regularly about $250). We arrived in Aguas Calientes at 6:30am and the return train didn’t leave til 9:30pm, which afforded us a lot of time to explore Machu Picchu and the town. We both had been to Machu Picchu before, but this was our first time together.

We walked to the Inca Bridge (within Machu Picchu) and thankfully we didn’t have to cross it.

We also walked all the way up to Intipunku – the Sun Gate. This is where the Inca Trail ends and the first look at Machu Picchu. In the right photo, Machu Picchu is the clearing on the top of the mountain I’m pointing to, and the brown path is the road from Aguas Calientes up to the main entrance.

The next day, We spent time with the Girasoles boys drawing pictures, and later went out to dinner with all of them.

We also visited their new home which should be completed by mid-March (and Billy figured out some potential projects with Hector, the home director).

The kitchen and large dining room.

On our last day, we visited Salinas salt mines just outside of Maras. Since pre-Inca times, salt has been obtained in Maras by evaporating salty water from a local subterranean stream. The highly salty water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground stream. The flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds. Almost all the ponds are less than four meters square in area, and none exceeds thirty centimeters in depth.

And drove through the beautifully green Sacred Valley to visit Moray, the Incan “agricultural laboratory” which consists of various circular terraces. The depth and orientation of the terraces with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C (27 °F) between the top and bottom. It is thought that the large temperature difference was possibly used by the Inca to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops.

It was a short 4 days in the rich, green Sacred Valley which left me wanting more time looking at the beautiful mountains, exploring the intriguing ruins, walking through the little pueblos throughout the valley and spending time with our Girasoles boys.

Cusco & the Sacred Valley is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

Lots of things can change over 4 years, the most noticeable being the boys living at Girasoles. Without spending time at the house, it is hard to develop relationships and get to know more about the Girasoles boys than just their name and maybe age.

Last week I was able to spend some quality time in with Girasoles Kawai and a group from New York City. The group had activities planned for the 35 boys for morning, afternoon and evening, since the boys were still on vacation from school making it a different than the typical work team experience which involves a construction/maintenance project.

But, instead of telling you about the week, I’ll let my photographs show you what I did…

We painted and colored…

…spent time with best friends (Ricardo and Jonathan).

…played Apples to Apples (or, better said Manzanas con Manzanas)

…made silly faces and smiled for the camera.

…went to the Huachipa Zoo

…went to the movies in Asia

… we had a soup for dinner with really loooong noodles and chopsticks.

… And, we made new friends. (with Gonzalo)

Also while in Kawai, I spent some time with Sabino, our schools worker for the area, and his two little girls. Here are a couple photographs I took of his beautiful daughters.

Girasoles Kawai is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

You might have seen my numerous tweets about sunny days in Lima, or the beautifully blue sky reflected in Facebook photos. While students in the States are in the middle of their second semester, Peruvian schools have just a few more weeks of summer vacation and people are enjoying the hot, sunny weather to go to the beach. And with summer vacation in full force, the Scripture Union camping ministry has been busy putting on weekend and 4-day camps at Kawai.

Earlier this week, I was able to help with a summer camp organized by Carmen, one of our schools workers in Lima. During the school year, she goes into classrooms and leads values education discussions with students – teaching them values such as honesty, respect, and integrity through Bible stories, skits, songs and activities. This ministry is then complemented by camping program during the summer months.

In addition to visiting various classrooms, Carmen also works with an organization called Aldeas Infantiles SOS, bringing values education to the children and teens that are part of their program. Similar to our Girasoles abandoned boys ministry, Aldeas SOS works with disadvantaged families and operates homes around Peru (and the world) providing a home life for children who for certain circumstances cannot live with their own family. This past week, Carmen hosted a camp in Kawai for the teens she works with at Aldeas SOS.

There were 27 campers and 6 guias (guides) helping lead the camp. Since this was my first Scripture Union camp, I didn’t have my own campers, but rather was entrusted with the task of documenting the activities and events of the 4 days with my camera and video camera so each camper could receive a CD of photographs and videos from the week.

Since Kawai is located right on the Pacific Ocean (our property ends at the public beach) and being summer, the campers wanted to spend as much time as possible in the water, whether it be the beach or the pool. Between trips to the beach or pool, we had time for games, team building activities, and morning and afternoon devotionals. With the exception of 2 campers who I had briefly met over lunch a few months ago, all of the campers were new faces. I spent the 4 days getting to know the girls in the group, sharing a part of my life in Lima and the States and learning a bit about their families and life in Aldeas SOS. Once they discovered I also speak English, I found myself teaching phrases and words here and there.

One of the best activities of the week was the bonfire on the final night of the camp. By this point, I had gotten to know most of the campers and they had bonded within themselves. During the bonfire, we sang songs and listened to a handful of campers and guias share their experiences from the previous days. Listening to the campers share funny stories and “remember when” comments helped realize the importance of the camping ministry. While these and thousands of other students are reached on a weekly basis in school, a camp gives them 4 days of fun, laughter, encounters with God, games, and fellowship with other students their own age.

Here are some of the photos I took during the week.

One of the tents the campers stayed in.

One of Kawai’s beautiful summer sunsets.

The Aldeas SOS campers and guias before heading home.

Summer Camp is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

Thanks to a generous donation, Angel and Rosa (the directors) were able to make the 9 hour journey with their 40 boys and staff and spend 10 days touring the city of Lima. Being a slow time of the year for volunteer groups, Billy and I were able to help the staff keep an eye on the 40 boys in a city of 10 million.

It was a busy 10 days, but so great to be a part of it, and great to share a little bit of this large city I have come to love. For many of the kids, it was their first time in Lima – and just a mega-city in general (most of the boys from Kusi are from small pueblos in the Andes and the largest city they might have been to would be Huaraz at just 100,000 inhabitants). In addition to the first time in Lima, for most, it was their first vacation (unless they go to stay with family somewhere else, most people don’t take vacations here – between expenses for food, transportation and a place to stay, in addition to missing time from work, they just cost too much).

Since everything was new, every time we boarded the bus to go somewhere, many intently stared out the window, taking in as much as they possibly could.

Wanting to take advantage of every opportunity during the 10 days, Angel and Rosa had organized a busy schedule of things to do with the boys. They stayed at the church in Villa El Salvador that Angel & Rosa attended when they lived in Lima and used it as their home base.

In addition to the first vacation, it was a week of first times for most; their first movie in the theater (Alvin 3), their first time to see the ocean, the first time swimming in the ocean, first zoo. Boys that are 14, 15 and 16 years old instantly turned into little 7 and 8 year olds when we did something completely new to them.

For me, one of the best part of the week was to see their reactions when we went to the zoo and they got to see lions & tigers for the first time, or how they youngest boys reacted at the beach when they discovered the ocean water is salty. I was able to relive some parts of Lima that I have come to take for granted and spent the week looking at things with a child’s eyes.

On Tuesday, we watched the sunset from the beach in Chorrillos – and stuck our feet in the water for the first time.

Wednesday, we went to the pool.

And then spent an evening at the Circuito Mágico del Agua (a park with about 20 fountains in downtown Lima).

Thursday was a day in the sun at the Parque Huascar in Villa El Salvador where we played games.

And saw an ostrich at the small zoo they had. Apparently it captivated the 4 boys I was with…

On Friday we went to the Parque de las Leyendas (a real zoo) and saw tons of animals from the coast, mountains and jungle of Peru, but also from all around the world.

Saturday was museums and lunch at a restaurant together.

And Sunday, we went back to the beach. This time we went swimming (and played in the sand)!

The nightly bus rides back to Villa El Salvador were full of chatter about the day’s activities and anticipation for the next day (I can’t tell you how many times I heard boys talking about how excited they were to see animals at the zoo!). The boys truly enjoyed their time in Lima and it is something that these boys will always remember. It was a blessing to be a small part of their adventure.

And, if the week wasn’t exciting enough, in the middle of all of this fun and new experiences in Lima, I turned 26. While I missed spending the day in Dearborn with family and friends, I could not have asked for a better birthday in Peru. On Thursday, my birthday, we spent the day at the Parque Huascar playing games and enjoying the amenities at the park. Later on that evening, once we had returned to the church the boys were staying at, I sat around with a handful of the boys talking about birthdays and how they are celebrated in the States, among many other random things.

Little did I know that their questions and the spontaneous walk around Villa El Salvador with 4 of the boys and Rosa, the director’s wife, was so that Billy and all of the other boys could get Rosa’s home ready for a party. After walking around Villa for a good 45 minutes and apparently killing time, we arrived at Rosa’s house and found the boys hiding in the dark, waiting to yell “surprise!”

Throughout the night a few of the boys stood up and spoke, a clown came and did a mini hora loca with us (remember the hour long dancing from the graduation party?), we ate cake and took lots of photographs. It was a wonderfully, fun, hilarious and exciting night, and a perfect way to celebrate my birthday.

A Lima Vacation is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

Earlier this month, Billy and I had the opportunity to make a quick trip to Kusi, one of our homes for abandoned boys. The directors, Angel and Rosa, invited us to celebrate the graduations of 6 of their boys: 5 from elementary school (Arnold, Frank, Kevin, Martin and Mauricio) and Eloy, who graduated from high school. Since they were unable to attend the graduation party that their school hosted, Angel and Rosa decided to have a big party at home with the other Girasoles boys to celebrate their accomplishments.

Frank, Mauricio, Kevin, Eloy, Martin and Arnold

I’ve heard stories of what happens at school graduations, but had never attended one before. They are much more of an evening event compared to our high school graduations in the States. Whereas my graduation from Cranbrook lasted a maximum 2 hours, graduations here are more of a party that last all night. Wanting to make this party similar to what the boys would have experienced at their school, Rosa had a whole ceremony organized. The graduates were dressed in a (matching) shirt and tie, special graduation photos were taken, a cake was decorated, dinner was served and there was lots of dancing.

As the padrinos (godparents) for the party, Billy and I bought new Bibles as gifts for the graduates. We both were given the opportunity to share a few words- to tell them how proud we were of their accomplishments, how much we value their friendships, and most importantly, to tell them that they have a bright future and a God-given purpose for their life.

with Eloy and Martin

with Arnold and Eloy

And if we hadn’t had enough fun yet, to finish the party off, a group of friends from town joined us in an hora loca. Literally translated, the hora loca means a crazy hour, which here in Peru means a straight hour of dancing without stopping. It was so much fun to dance with the graduates and all of the Kusi boys amidst confetti being thrown, shaving cream-like snow in the air and lights flashing. By the end of the hora loca, the graduation boys were just dripping with sweat. (Lovely.)

It was a wonderful evening of sharing and celebrating. It truly is a blessing to be a part of this ministry and a part of our Girasoles boys’ lives.

The Kusi boys with the graduates

with Mauricio and Arnold during dinner

(…I have to share one last photo from the weekend. The newest boy at the home in Kusi, Socimo, arrived just a few days before Christmas. When Rosa, Billy and I were picking up a few things in town, Socimo came with us. He spent the whole afternoon holding either Billy’s or my hand, and then during dinner wanted to take a picture with me.)

Happy Graduation! is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

I’ve written about my experiences in Ica before. It is one of the properties that my group from First Presbyterian has visited every year since 2002, and it is where I most recently wrote about delivering water. Ica is located approximately 5 hours south of Lima, in the Atacama Desert – considered to be the driest desert in the world.

Wanting to do something fun with the boys for the holiday (and thanks to a generous donor), we were able to rent a bus and go with all of the boys and staff to the beach. Since the city of Ica is about 1.5 hours from the Pacific Ocean, going to the beach isn’t a frequent occurrence for the boys at the home.

Before we had even left the Ica city limits, I could hear some of the younger boys sitting behind me on the bus talking about how excited they were to go to the ocean, what they were planning on building in the sand, and wondering how cold the water was going to be. The closer we got to the coast, the more excited and anxious they got.

Upon arrival to the small beach, we piled out of the bus and walked to the water. Some of the boys immediately dropped their towels, took of their shirts and ran into the water while others sat in the sand and started to build their castles, trenches and one even dug out a mini pool.

After spending a lovely afternoon in the sun and salty water, we headed back to the house to anxiously wait the start of 2012. About 10pm, we gathered in the dining room to talk about the successes and challenges from the previous year, inspire and motivate for 2012 and enjoy a late dinner.

As the clock got closer to midnight, anticipation grew and so did the “what time is it?!” questions. To make sure we could wish each other feliz año right at midnight, an countdown clock was set and we spent the last 30 seconds of 2011 counting down (we couldn’t watch the annual special “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest”).

As soon as the clock struck twelve, the sky over Ica was lit up with colorful fireworks (I’m starting to think that with every celebration in Peru, there will be fireworks at midnight). Hearing this, the boys jumped out of their seats and ran outside to watch the colorful bursts in the dark sky. We set off our own fireworks on the soccer field, lit boxes of sparklers and distributed glow bracelets to all of the boys. They consequently spent the next few hours running around with sparklers and waving their glow bracelets in the air.

First photograph from 2012 at Girasoles Ica.

The next day, both Billy and I were greeted with a cheerful feliz año! from the boys. We spent a relaxing first day of 2012 in the sun, hanging out with the boys and even Skyping with friends in Dearborn.

Happy 2012.

New Year in Ica is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.

Living in Lima means that it has been a particularly different Christmas season this year. Unlike the traditional, snowy (or at least cold) Christmas that I am used to in Michigan, this has been quite the opposite. I can truly sympathize the song, “White Christmas” (I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…).

In Peru, people have gotten into the Christmas spirit. Houses are still decorated in white lights, which a majority of the time are flashing at ridiculous speeds and accompanied by music. Department stores are decorated in reds and greens and host weekly (if not daily) sales, trying to entice customers in their doors. A few nights ago, Billy and I went to the newly restored Teatro Municipal in downtown Lima to watch a performance of the Nutcracker. Even Starbucks has decorated their stores with red berries, evergreens and snowmen and have started preparing their line of wintery flavored drinks.

For as long as I can remember, my family has had the tradition of spending Christmas Eve at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. We would get more or less dressed up and walk around the museum, looking at the classic Christmas decorations from the mid-1800s onward. It was also when my brother and I would sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas (to this day, I still don’t understand how we thought that by telling Santa the day before, he would have time to fulfill our requests – ah, I guess it was part of the magic of being a child). This wasn’t just a tradition we had while Randy and I were children, to this day, we would visit the museum on Christmas Eve – just only visiting Santa once in a while!

Living about 3,700 miles away, I didn’t participate in this long standing family tradition this year. In fact, Christmas Eve was quite different in Lima. Instead of a wintery (or at least cold) day, Billy and I went to the beach in Chorrillos. Instead of sweaters, winter coats and mittens, we were wearing sandals, sunglasses and t-shirts.

Since the past month hadn’t felt very Christmas-like, in an effort to recreate at least one tradition from home, we spent a part of the evening at a candlelight service at a church in San Isidro. Very similar to the 11pm candlelight service at First Presbyterian, the night was pure lessons and carols. If I had closed my eyes, it would have felt like I was sitting in a pew in Dearborn.

During the carols, I was thinking about what my favorite Christmas carols would be. I could literally listen to Ave Maria and O Holy Night forever. The words and melodies are just beautiful – especially when sung by a classic like Frank Sinatra, or more modern-day, Josh Groban.

But if I could name just one more favorite, it would be “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” While I love the whole song, the third verse is what gives me those warm, loving chills down my spine every time I hear it.

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

There is just something wonderful about the lines, “born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth” that gets me every time. Of course we sang this as one of the carols, and like every time, I could truly feel the magic and reason for this season.

Today, after opening presents in the morning (if we were Peruvian, it would have been last night and we would have set off fireworks at midnight, but that’s a story for another time), we will continue celebrating. We’re heading out to the “suburbs” of Lima, to the town of Chaclacayo, to spend the day with the General Director of Scripture Union and his wife.

So this year, I’m incorporating new traditions into the season (I think going to the beach will be a favorite…) while remembering why we celebrate.

May you have a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, wherever you may be.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas! is a post from: Twelve Degrees South.