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Billy, Kate & Will in Perú

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Peru

HBI & Girasoles

Posted on Monday, April 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

Last month I had the privilege of hosting a small team from Health Bridges International for a few weeks to visit all of our different Girasoles homes. At each of our seven homes the small HBI team provided medical and dental care to the Girasoles boys. We took everyone’s height and weight to track their physical development, and we did a lot of finger pricking (some were easier than others) to check for anemia. I even had my finger pricked at one point. Those of you who know me also know that this is no small feat!

Wilson in Puerto Alegria
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Measuring height and weight in Ica
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Posted in: Peru | Tagged: Girasoles, Peru, photo

Beca 18: Part 2

Posted on Monday, April 14, 2014 2 Comments

Missed the first post about the Beca 18 scholarships? You can read it here.

Last week we received the news that all 4 of the boys who applied for the Beca 18 scholarship were awarded the scholarship from the Peruvian government!

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Wilfredo, Daniel, Eloy & Huberth

As I wrote before, the Beca 18 scholarship is a great opportunity for any of its recipients and offers programs of study in both the university and institute (technical school) levels. The scholarship covers tuition, English classes, a new laptop, uniform for classes (like a suit if needed), private insurance, and provides the student with a monthly stipend for housing, food and transportation. It is a great opportunity for these 4 guys that who would not necessarily have had access to higher education studies.

A few days ago, Billy and I visited both the university and institute where they will be studying. We met with the government scholarship representative at each school and were filled in on all sorts of details like when classes start, benefits of the scholarship and class schedules. We were helicopter parents at its finest.

On April 29th, Daniel and Eloy (business administration at the Instituto Emprendedores) start with a welcome ceremony where they will be given their class schedules, a tour of the school — basically everything that a welcome day entails. For Wilfredo and Huberth (chemical engineering and architecture/urban planning respectively at the Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola), they will register for classes during that week as well but the date for their welcome event hasn’t been determined yet.

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Posted in: Peru | Tagged: Beca 18, Girasoles, Peru

4 groups & 67 volunteers

Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2014 Leave a Comment

It’s been a busy past few weeks for Billy and me. We have officially kicked off the 2014 volunteer team season with 4 very different groups from around the States.

In February, we traveled to Ica for a week with a small group of 4 adults from New York City. They come every year during the final weeks of summer vacation to play with the Girasoles boys. We played sports, made crafts, went swimming a few times, saw the LEGO movie at the theater, went out for pollo a la brasa and had lots of fun with the kids at Girasoles Ica.

Alex, Cristian, Aldair and Maicol
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Nicolas, Victor, Wilmer
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All of boys and group at Huacachina
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Fabricio
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Just one of the few times we went swimming…
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Shortly after we said goodbye to our friends from New York City, we were back at the airport to welcome another group.

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Posted in: Peru | Tagged: Girasoles, Ica, Iquitos, Kimo, Kusi, Peru, photo, Puerto Alegria, Valle Sagrado

Beca 18

Posted on Friday, February 28, 2014 1 Comment

It’s just about the end of summer vacation here in Peru and almost every store is full of school supplies and big sales on notebooks, markers, crayons, and the such. As the majority of our Girasoles boys are preparing to return to elementary or high scholol in a week or so*, we wanted to tell you about an opportunity that four of our boys were given.

In 2012, the Peruvian government started a higher education scholarship program called Beca 18. There are quite a few different scholarship categories available for applicants like high grades, students living in the VRAEM (an area of Peru that still has low terrorist activity), members of the Peruvian military and students that live in albergues (childrens homes like our Casas Girasoles).

The Beca 18 scholarship is a great opportunity for any of its recipients and offers programs of study in both the university and institute (technical school) levels. The scholarship covers tuition, provides the student with a monthly stipend for housing, food and transportation, English classes, a new laptop, uniform for classes (like a suit if needed), private insurance and a few other things. It is a great opportunity for students who would not necessarily have access to higher education studies.

At the end of January, Billy and I were contacted by a few employees from Pronabec, the government body that manages the Beca 18 scholarships, to see if we had any boys in our homes that were eligible for the children’s home category. To apply for a university program, students need a minimum average of 15 out of 20 during their 5 years of high school study and for institute programs a minimum average of 13. Pronabec has a maximum 200 spots to fill within the children’s home category and when they contacted us on January 23rd, there were only 7 applicants and the deadline to apply was just two weeks later on February 7th.

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Posted in: Peru | Tagged: Beca 18, Girasoles, Peru, photo

Bowling

Posted on Monday, January 20, 2014 Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, Kate and I had a chance to spend some time with Eloy, one of the graduates of Scripture Union’s Girasoles program. He is actually now working full time as one of the caregivers for the other boys for the home in Kusi where he grew up, but he was spending some time in Lima on vacation.

We had to opportunity to do something that was a first for all of us – go glo-bowling in Lima. We had a great time, and I even broke 100 points in a game for the first time ever (pretty sad, I know). We even started our third game with all strikes and we were pretty proud to be the only people in the entire bowling alley who were not using the bumpers! In the end, we came out tied. Kate, Eloy, and myself each won one game.

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Posted in: Peru | Tagged: bowling, Peru, photo
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katebruder

Happy fourth birthday to our little Will! You have Happy fourth birthday to our little Will! You have made our world a whole lot sweeter and you are our greatest adventure 🤍 We love you forever! #littlewilliamnoah
Last night the Peruvian president announced a two- Last night the Peruvian president announced a two-week lockdown covering 1/3 of the country, including Lima, amid a significant rise in COVID-19 cases here. The new lockdown will run from January 31 through February 14. New restrictions include the closure of all non-essential shops (only pharmacies, grocery stores/bodegas/markets and banks are allowed to be open) and a ban on domestic air and land travel. The ban on flights coming from Europe (and now Brazil) is extended. As of right now, the border remains open to all other international flights. Only 1 person is allowed to go grocery shopping at a time, and we are no longer allowed to use our personal cars. We also are only allowed outside for 1 hour per day for exercise/mental health, and should be at home the remainder of the time. 

We are experiencing a second wave of infections and with the variants, it sounds like there will be more positive cases this time than we had a year ago during our first quarantine. Experts are predicting that we will not hit our peak until April. According to Johns Hopkins University, Peru has reported more than one million cases and about 40,000 deaths related to COVID-19. 

This evening Will and I went for a walk through our neighborhood to squeeze in a little more outside time before Sunday when it will become harder to complete our 1000 hours outside. 

It’s difficult knowing we have to go back into a lockdown, but we are thankful for our health and that we have a safe place to quarantine at home. Join us in praying for the country of Peru and that these measures taken will make a positive impact on the pandemic here. 

#littlewilliamnoah
Working towards spending #1000hoursoutside and put Working towards spending #1000hoursoutside and putting many kilometers on Will’s scooter and bike this year 🚴‍♂️🛴#littlewilliamnoah @1000hoursoutside
To end what has been a long, unexpected year we di To end what has been a long, unexpected year we did a little staycation at a hotel in Lima. We walked around a new neighborhood, had a picnic in the park, watched movies, studied the city from above, spent time swimming in the pool and watched fireworks being set off over the city of Lima as the clock struck midnight and we entered the new year. 

While 2020 may not have been what we envisioned it would be a year ago, I am thankful for my little family, our health and the opportunities we have had this year. 

May 2021 be filled with adventure, laughter and hopefully being able to see family again! ✈️ #littlewilliamnoah
It was a quiet Christmas at home for the 3 of us i It was a quiet Christmas at home for the 3 of us in Lima this year but we enjoyed a slow 2 days, lots of good food (including, per Will’s request, funfetti cupcakes for Baby Jesus’ birthday), Zoom calls with family and time together. 

(Also don’t let the first gift your child opens to be a costume of one of their favorite characters unless you want all of your photos of the child to be in that costume 🤦🏻‍♀️) #littlewilliamnoah
Today was Will’s last day of 3 year old preschoo Today was Will’s last day of 3 year old preschool. It was bittersweet way back in March when we took him to his very first day of school. I wondered how it would go for him not knowing Spanish and his first time being away from family, and if he was really ready to start school (or, more like if I was ready!). Little did I know that Will would only have 1 week of in-person classes before switching to @greenmanbilly or I assisting with Zoom preschool at our kitchen table. While there were challenges with balancing school and work, I am thankful we were able to be a part of the start of Will’s academic career. It was fun to see him learning Spanish, and as the year went on, interacting with the other students and teachers. Will also was fortunate to have wonderful teachers, specifically Miss Dani, his Spanish teacher. She truly made this year a joy and encouraged Will in their daily Zoom calls. I don’t think there has been a day since March that Miss Dani has not come up in conversation. She has set the bar high for future teachers ❤️ So now it’s summer break and next year we will have a pre-kindergartener! #littlewilliamnoah
After many months of staying in our city apartment After many months of staying in our city apartment due to the pandemic (and 2 weeks of very cautious quarantining ahead of time), we rented a house through @airbnb for a few days. It didn’t matter that the property was only 30 minutes south of our apartment and still within the province of Lima - it had a lawn, beautiful outdoor space and a pool! We were able to relax (as much as a 3 year old lets you), read under a tree, fly kites in the field, swing in a hammock and take deep breaths of fresh air with friends. #littlewilliamnoah
The little cookie elf was busy this weekend making The little cookie elf was busy this weekend making (and decorating) sugar cookies and chocolate dipped shortbread 🎄 #littlewilliamnoah
As you may know, tomorrow is #GivingTuesday! As mi As you may know, tomorrow is #GivingTuesday! As missionaries in Peru, @greenmanbilly and I rely on a group of people to financially support us as we work with at-risk teens and young adults through a mentorship program with @pathsofhopeministries. Every month we receive our giving statement from @uwmorg and we are humbled to see the list of people who God used to love on us that month, and people that want to invest in what God is doing here in Lima. It never ceases to amaze us. You know who you are, and we appreciate you.
If you’d like to partner with us here in Lima, it would be an honor. Giving link is in my bio. (📷: Christmas 2019, pre-COVID 😕)
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