Our Finished Projects - Part 1

While many of us were working away on our projects at the orphanage, so many things were going on with different projects.  Before we left, we took the opportunity to see how much we accomplished as a team.  When I started going through the pictures, it struck me just how many things we were able to do together.  As such, I'm going to split them into two posts.  Also, this writer is not terribly literate when it comes to "tools".  With our fundraising dollars we were able to purchase several significant tools for the orphanage to use, and I am awaiting our "experts" to tell me yet again just what they are…… Stay tuned……..

Until then, you will recall the team that was painting an entire house.  This was a very large house, and as the week went by, we weren't sure we were actually going to be able to finish.  But, the Dream Team brought in additional very capable back up, and we are thrilled to say we finished!!!! Take a look…..

Some of us walked away feeling energized to tackle the painting projects we have wanted to do for a while at home.  We all agreed, though, just not yellow…….:)

This picture shows that our Dream Team grew.  We had so much fun doing this together, and it was a privilege to work with these amazing women!!


You will recall this crew working outside in the sun and the heat to replace and expand the roof of this outdoor cover .  This cover allows  the children to be out sitting and working in the afternoon, shaded from the very hot sun.   Bill and his "Hot Harem" had so much fun together.  They were such troopers.  They got sun burnt, had some challenges as they were digging (I won't tell what really happened - ask them:), but they doubled the size of this structure.

Here is where a group of children were doing some "homework" under one of the smaller structures in the afternoon.  With this new larger structure, so many more children can be outside working away…… I was quite struck that even though it is their summer vacation, some of them were working on printing and math…….. They just worked at it together, in this loving supportive environment.

Here they are!! Bill and his Hot Harem……. They had so much fun together.  The smile never left Bill's face………. Surrounded by 4 STRONG women ALL week:)

This project was started by a group that was at the orphanage a couple of weeks before us.  They took the children's pictures, sent them back to Canada to have them printed on cloth, and then they created these cool back packs.  These very creative team members sat down at the 2 (they only had 2) sewing machines and started working away.  They too had fun doing this, and the children LOVED them!!!!

We came to learn that, depending on the gifts of the team members that come to the orphanage, the team coordinators often added additional projects in.  This happened for us.  Sonya and Evan were our two MUCH young team members, and they were such good sports in hanging out with their parents and those team members in their "vintage".  When Kieran, the on the ground coordinator, learned that Sonya had her Grade 10 piano behind her, he lined up several children who showed abilities in music for lessons with Sonya.  As we painted, we often heard them practising with her.  This lovely young girl presented a song in a concert evening before we left.  It was so special…..

When this young student's "partner" was too nervous to play his part, Sonya stepped in to play it with him.  We were all so proud of Sonya and her students.  We hope this could perhaps be a lifelong legacy for these children….

Well, I now see that there are still several other projects that we wanted to show you.  If you would like to keep looking, I'll add those pictures over the weekend.  Again, we so appreciate your interest and feedback about our posts and pictures.   Stay tuned…….:)

Mass with the Children......

As promised,  here are some beautiful pictures of our day with the children, as we walked to mass with them.

90% of Peru's population are Catholic, so most of the children at the orphanage go to the Catholic church in Canete.  We met them at the gate of the orphanage, and they were perfectly dressed with their NPH shirts.  Each had their names on the back.  They looked so smart as they walked together - many of them hand in hand:)

As we walked to church, it just seemed appropriate that we followed this dear little boy.  "Jesus" is pronounced (Hay-Seus) in Spanish:)

We walked the 15 minutes to church with the children through the village of Canete…..

We felt so privileged to be part of their weekly walk to church….

 We were moved by this loving family environment.

We have also come to learn that Ice Cream is a beloved past time in any language!!  We treated the children to ice cream after church!

So pretty…..

While we didn't understand a lot of the message in this Spanish mass, we could pick out the occasional words from the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed.  But the music was absolutely beautiful.  A young girls choir was simply angelic…..

Over the two weeks that we travelled together, Ralph Flood came to understand how much I love sunsets!! I almost knocked him off his feet at the ping pong table as I ran to take this picture.  There were so many spectacular sunsets on this trip.

We landed on the ground safely this morning, and are so happy to be back in Canada.  Stay tuned over the next few days, as we post some additional highlights of this amazing trip.

Homeward Bound......

Well, after over a year of planning, and two amazing weeks together, the Peru Crew 2015 is heading home!!  It has been an incredible two weeks.  I had hoped to be able to show you so much more along the way, but the technology that we have come to rely on every day in North America can be quite challenging in other locations.

So, for those who would like to keep checking in, I will be posting pictures of the following highlights of our time together, over the next few days:

• Walking to Mass with the Children
• Our Finished Projects at the Orphanage
• Saying Good Bye to the Children
• Conquering Machu Picchu
• Final Reflections

As I write this, the team is gathered in our hotel in Lima.  It is a warm night.  In fact, I am sitting here sweating as I type.  We have checked The Weather Network, and we know we are flying back into some more very cold weather......

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we head home.  The travel is not the easiest in taking a direct flight from Lima to Toronto.  We will arrive at the Lima airport at midnight for a 3:00 am flight.  If all goes according to plan, we will arrive back in Toronto at 11:15 am Tuesday morning.  And, boy, I hope we sleep........

Again, we so appreciate you thinking about us along the way.  We have made treasured friendships, created wonderful memories, and will remember our time together forever.

It has been a privilege to be part of this Dream Team.

Buenos Noches from Peru.

We look forward to heading back into the snow!!! (kinda:)

We´re on the move.......

Hola dear faithful blog followers:

We so appreciate you sticking with us.  The last few days have been challenging technically.  During the final day at the orphanage the internet was very slow, and our hotel last night was even worse.  If you ever send pictures via email you know just how big these files are.  

I had some pictures of our walk to mass with the children all ready to go, but we couldn´t connect. So after a few silent days, I thought I would just tell you what we´ve been up to.....

Also, before I go on, I am typing this on a Spanish keyboard, and there are some differences.   Please forgive any out of place symbols.....

Since I last wrote, we said good bye to the children.  It was a touching moment, and as they ran up to you and called you by name, you realize what beautiful connections we have made.  There were tears, and many of us will long to return.  There is already talk of a possible trip to Bolivia in 2017, so if we have moved you at all by our stories, we would love to talk more.....

This trip has been special in so many ways.  We are now calling our full team the ¨Dream Team¨, because we all feel incredibly blessed to have been part of it.  We have made so many special new friendships, and we have all been touched by being part of something so much bigger than ourselves.

Yesterday, we flew from Lima to Cusco, which is an amazing city.  It is known as the heart of the Andes, and many of us were surprised to learn that it has a population of almost a half million people.

The altitude is over 11,000 feet, and we have been warned and preparing for the potential impact of altitude sickness.  Our doctors told us there is no predicting who it will hit and how.  Some of us have experience lightheadedness, headaches, stomach upsets and fatigue.  We are taking care of each other, and we will ensure that we can get up Machu Picchu together.

Today, we are in the Sacred Valley, which is more beautiful and magnificant than the pictures we have seen to date.  Once we can connect more solidly, or perhaps when we return home, we will post some pictures of this beautiful place.  The mountains, the clouds, and the scenic landscape create a magic and a sense of mystery that completely envelopes you.

We stayed in the city of Ollantaytambo last night, right beside the Train Station that takes us to Aguas Calientes.  This is where we will travel to Machu Pichu by bus tomorrow morning at 6:00 am.

If you are still with me, we have appreciated hearing that you are sharing our journey with us.  It has been such a privilege to be on this trip, and we will continue to post some pictures of different experiences and places for a little while longer.  We have fallen in love with the people of Peru, and they have touched us deeply.  Our lovely tour guide on our drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo bid us good bye saying, Ï wish you happiness all your life¨.  

We will have an early evening tonight.  Tomorrow will be a big day as we travel up the steps up Machu Pichu together. We will be there for 6 hours.   While it is the rainy season. and rain is very common at this time of the year, we have had beautiful sunshine and temps since we arrived in Cusco.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow, that our team feels well, strong and can travel up the mountain safely.

We will be back in touch as soon as we can.  Buenos tardes from Aguas Calientes:)

Day at the Pacific........

 On Friday, we took the children for an afternoon at the beach (the Pacific Ocean)!! This beach is only a 15 minute drive from the orphanage.

The water wasn't "too bad" by most of the Canadian swimmer standards, but the waves were strong, and there was a wicked undertow!! \Many of us held the children's hands as we faced the waves.  I am not sure who appreciated this more:)

We also learned that "ice cream" is a passion in any language, for "kids" of any age......

Susan just picks up her sketch pad any time and captures the beauty around her.  This talented woman is amazing.  Here she sketches this beautiful young lady..... We have so appreciated her many gifts this week. 

We have come to learn that there are dogs EVERYWHERE in Peru!!  Even at the beach...If you are keeping in touch with a loved one on the trip, DO NOT mention the word "dog"!!! Last night we could have sworn there were packs of dogs arguing all night long- right outside our tents!!!!!  Even our most ardent dog lovers were less than amused with our four-legged "friends" this morning :(


We so appreciate you checking in with us.  Connectivity for the blog continues to be a challenge at times, but we love sharing our adventures with you.  The team continues to share special moments in dealing with the challenges here (bugs, dogs, sleepless nights), but we feel incredibly blessed to be doing this together.  The can-do attitude of every team member is incredible, and we continue to get to know each other in very meaningful ways.  Most of all, we are moved by the time we get to spend  with these dear children.  We have no idea what they have experienced in their young lives so far, but their smiles, their eyes and their hugs are touching us deeply.  We will be back in touch as soon as we can.


Buenos tardes from Peru!!  Remember, DO NOT ask about the dogs:)

The Week Continues.......

One of the challenges at the orphanage for us has been the sand fleas. These tiny little creatures leave big nasty bites, that often become red and swollen..... Today, Kathy and Nancy declared war on them and donned net pants and shirts!!! We will not let them win!!!

Another project has been a gift from our very talented team member, Susan, and her talented assistant, Marg.  Susan sketched this mural of Noah's Ark, and over the period of the week each of the team members will paint a piece of the mural.  What a beautiful addition to the baby room, and for those precious little children.  We will show you the finished project, and it promises to be spectacular!!!

Yesterday, we had lunch with the children, and it was so fun trying to speak with them, and get to know each other.  While some of us know a little Spanish, smiles and hugs are a universal language:)

These little darlings just warm your heart........

Kathy enjoyed getting to know Kevin, Javier, Elzerio, Jesus and Juan.  Beautiful boys, with beautiful smiles:)

You just can't get enough of them.


Yesterday we took the children to the beach (the Pacific Ocean) and had a play day for them today.  We will walk with them to Sunday morning mass tomorrow.  Thanks so much for following us along.  The week of special moments as team members and with the children continues.


Buenos Noches from Peru.  For our friends back home, we're thinking of you as you shovel the white stuff!!

The Work Begins.......

So once we got settled on the ground at the orphanage, there were several different projects we could sign on to do.  This team has been tasked with replacing and expanding the cover over the sand box so the many little toddlers could play in a shady environment.  This team has been slogging it out in incredible heat, and doing really hard work, but they've been having the time of their lives.  They are now calling themselves, Bill & his Harem.  Bill is surrounded with 4 lovely women all day long....... Tough assignment for him!!!.   

The orphanage has added a music room for the children in the last year, so we have a group of wood workers creating many new benches for this room.  These guys are pretty crafty!!  And what is it with men and their tools???

Each team member brought down 2 hockey bags filled with so many donated items for  the orphanage.  The good news was the orphanage staff were thrilled.  The bad news was all the bags had to be unloaded and sorted.  It really wasn't bad news though.  This group worked away at sorting everything from clothes, to soccer balls, craft supplies, school supplies, and we couldn't have been happier with how much we were able to accomplish in putting all these things together.  This demonstrates the power of a common dream!!!

One of the homes and the office needed to be repainted so this group took that on.  This group of 6 women just got to work taking down curtains, cleaning the walls, and starting to paint.  We've been having so much fun working together, getting to know each other, and seeing this place come to life..... Whenever someone walks in, the comment is always, "Wow, this looks so much brighter!!"  And, we hope it is for the kids:)

We've had so much fun together, we have named our team "The Dream Team".  Each day together has been such a good day.

As the week continues, we have all been touched deeply by our desire to make a difference in some small way for the children of this orphanage.  The children are getting to know us, and will come up and call us by name and give us a hug. It is so rewarding, and an incredible privilege to be here.  We so appreciate everyone who has and continues to support us with your thoughts and prayers.

Buenos noches for now from Peru:)

ps - we were sorry to hear we are missing such lovely weather in Ontario - we really are:)  Stay warm!!

On the Ground at the Orphanage

After a 2.5 hour drive from Lima through some very desert-like terrain, we arrived at the NPH orphanage in Canete.  Jackie Zister, the Peru trip coordinator, and her lovely assistant Kieran could not have been more welcoming!!  Our group has been fundraising for a year, and were keen to hit the ground, and make a difference this week.  But first, we met the children.  Here's what it looked like for us - incredibly heartwarming when we saw those beautiful children, excited to see us and waving Canadian flags!!

All just such beautiful children.  Their brown eyes just melt your heart!!

These little darlings loved Sonya, and the feeling was  mutual:)

Kieran introduced us to the baby room.  This little darling fell asleep in his arms while he talked.....

We started our work projects today.  The group camaraderie is fantastic.  Jokes and laughter are constant.....  Some of the group are building a new cover over the sandbox for the toddlers to play in the shade.  There's a group of woodworkers who are building benches for the music room.  One talented pair are painting a mural of Noah's Ark in the baby room, and another group are painting one of the children's homes.  The temperatures are very warm (28 degrees), but these Canadians are NOT complaining!!

Thanks so much for following us.  We'll post as regularly as we can.  The connections and availability of the internet can be challenging at times, but we'll keep you posted as regularly as we can, and we'll have lots more pictures.  Buenas Noches:)

We Landed!!

Hola from Peru.  The crew of 20 landed on the ground safely early Tuesday morning (4:30 AM) to very warm weather, and a great welcome.  Our group arrived, ready to take on work projects and time with the children.  After about 4 hours sleep,we took a moment in our hotel in Lima to have a group shot, and here we are.  We are modeling this year´s color - Smurf Blue.  We were quite noticeable in the airport.:)

Packing Day!!

On Sunday, January 25th, most of our team gathered to pack the hockey bags.  Each of us is able to take 2 hockey bags filled with items for the children.  We have been supported by so many kind, generous people and we were able to fill 40 bags up to 50 lbs worth!!  We have clothes, craft materials, school supplies, toiletries, and it was just so great to see.

Here's the crew that gathered that day.  I can tell already that this group is going to be fun.  The laughter as we worked together was incredible.  The excitement is building…..

I've included the names of the group, so you can get to know them as we travel together, and hopefully this blog will bring them to life.

As of today, 4 more days!!

 Front Row L to R:     Wendy Marshall, Nancy Van Ostaeyen, Elaine Baker, Gerda Schryver, Margaret Ball, Marion Wilks,

Middle Row:   Mariana Pelders, Brenda McKibbin, Bill Smith, Chris Cockle, Kathy Smit, Lois Turvey, Nancy Cockle, Barb Flood

Back Row:    John Hazeleger, Ralph Flood, Charlie Maaskant, Evan Maaskant