Peru Trip Day 6

 First VBS Day

 

An early start, 

breakfast at the hotel. 

Off to church in a big bus.

 

Ruth showed us how to make balloon animals.

Mine didn’t look like hers.

I use the ears for feet

and the head resembles a hot dog.

She twists it about and pops part of it.

She turns into a short dog 

with a funny nose.

I liked mine better.

 

There was a call for kitchen help.

My roommate and I volunteered. 

We could do that. 

We peeled potatoes.  

Easy right. Nope.

The peeler was different. 

A woman showed me

 how to peel it towards me 

instead of away like I was used to.

 

Roomy and I developed a system.

I peeled while she dug out bad spots.

Now, that I think of it,

we would have done better 

the other way around.

She had the knife and I had the peeler.

I worried that it was taking us so long

That they wouldn't be able to use them.

But they did.

 

We sweated up a storm 

in the hot kitchen.

When it was time to wash the potatoes

I said lenventar, to raise

Instead of lavar, to wash

The ladies looked up to the ceiling

wondering what I was talking about.

I didn’t realize what I did till later.

They just laughed.

 

Then we walked over to the park in the rain.

We were greeted by a cute brown and white dog.

We made a balloon arch

and gave balloons to the kids.

We were pumping them up like mad.

It's the first time I worked 

up a sweat pumping up balloons.

 

Then the sound system malfunctioned.

And we waited.

Hundreds of kids with nothing to do.

But they behaved well.

 

Singing and dancing and praising God.

Ruth gave a lesson

using a little girl puppet.

 

Gave gifts to course graduates.

The rest didn't get any.

We all felt bad about that.

I don't think Samaritans Purse

is supposed to work like that.

 

Passed out goody bags.

I don't think everyone

 got one of those either.

Cleaned up a bit.

Went back to church.

 

As I was passing through

a team member

said, “Look out water!”

I started running

and not only got wet

but fell in the mud.

I didn't get hurt,

but had everyone concerned.

The skinned knees

and bruises

showed up later.

 

Back at the hotel.

we were given a few minutes 

to clean up and get ready 

for supper. 

 

But the missionaries

 went back home and showered 

leaving us to wait

and wish we had time to shower, too.

 

Decided to ride to the restaurant,

rather than walk.

Roomie and I rode in a motorcar,

a motorcycle pulling a buggy

that can fit 2 or 3 comfortably. 

Locals fit in whole families.

Often, you can even see several

on one motorcycle. 

 

The driver of the motocar

we were in had a kid on his lap.

Our driver and another in our group 

didn't know where they were going.

Whatsapp solved that.

 

At the restaurant, it was getting late.

I wasn't sure if the salad with chicken

would fill me up enough.

But it was chicken with salad and bread.

Just the right amount.

 

I went home with the early group 

And passed on dessert.

It was so good to go to the hotel

and go to bed.