“There
is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: […] a
time to plant and a time to uproot, […] a time to tear down and a time to
build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, […] a time to
embrace and a time to refrain, a time to
search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time
to tear down and a time to mend […]” Ecclesiastes 3:1-7
Blessings friends and family!
I miss you all. Thank you so much for your prayers and words
of encouragement. I felt so blessed to have received emails from you, and there
is an indescribable peace and love that comes over me knowing that I am so
loved and blessed to have such good friends and family supporting the work of
God in my life no matter the part of the world I may be in!
I am
sorry for the late update. I have been extremely busy these past weeks and also
wanted to find a good time to update everyone on what has been going on. My
last two weeks at the National Office have been stressful, eventful, full of
blessings, lots of activities, a lot of building, a lot of tearing, and you
will see how this passage has become very alive in my life over the past weeks.
So
as I mentioned in my last update, I have had this burning desire and project on
my heart the moment I got here. As some of you may know, my personal passion
and professional interests lie in the field of STIs and sexual reproductive
health especially concerning young and adult women. I have been working with
the specialist in sexual reproductive health and adolescents at World Vision
Peru’s National Office. Her name is Maria Cecilia and she is a walking
encyclopedia! (please see her picture below J)
She is absolutely fantastic! I am learning so much from her; her passion for
the field and adolescents is contagious! We have been working over the past
weeks on a specific project for me to complete during my time in Peru. It was a
bit frustrating because I was suppose to be part of a project but it was no
longer a possibility when I arrived. God most certainly opened a window when He
closed that door.
Upon
a lot of discussing, planning, reading, and searching I found myself inclined
towards a research project understanding the interaction between associated
factors in adolescents in Peru and indicators of sexual reproductive health
(aka “how things affect their sexual behaviors”). I wanted to begin a research
project that would be the foundation for my thesis for next year. After long
debate on the population I should focus, the “Sierras” (the mountain region)
won my heart over again. Therefore, I will be living in Cusipata for the next 5
weeks. Not all is set in stone, however.
The bioethics committee at World Vision has basically approved my project, but
I have to wait for IRB approval from Yale. If all works out, I should begin
collecting data towards the end of June and beginning of July. I basically want
to get an understanding at what factors might be influencing sexual behaviors
in adolescents in Cusipata, whether they be internal or external, and in what
ways organizations like World Vision could incorporate these into their
programs to better address the needs of the community.
My
time has been spent just coming up with the right protocol and tools to use to
measure indicators and factors. I have been writing in both Spanish and English
and translating documents both back and forth attempting to please all parties
involved. I have to spend the next couple of weeks figuring out logistics until
approval from Yale IRB committee as well as writing a report about an
adolescent program that World Vision is leading in one of their Area
Developmental Programs in Lima focusing on reducing stigma towards people
living with HIV/AIDS in the community. Bottom line is I have lots of work but I
am loving being incredibly busy.
As a
side note, I have been really intrigued by the great contrast in geography and
culture that exists among the Peruvian population which reminds me that I want
to apologize for a statement made before. I had limited, in my last blog, the vast
diversity of Peru to Quechua, Spanish, and different types of Quechua. Although
that statement is partly true, there are over 51 indigenous groups in Peru.
Some have still not been identified and live deep in the amazons. There are
three main languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara, and by main I mean the
largest speaking people groups. There are far more languages spoken in the
country. It is an incredibly diverse country and the diversity has raised a lot
of internal conflict going back to the time of the Incas. I was actually really
softened to the history of Peru and its indigenous population as I visited “Yuyanapaq”
(meaning to remember in Quechua) exhibit at el Museo de la Nacion in Lima. This
exhibit was dedicated to remember Peru’s 20 year period of internal conflict. I
won’t go in depth about it, but please feel free to read more about it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_conflict_in_Peru).
About 70,000 people were estimated to have died during this time. The images
were just devastating and testimonies were heartbreaking. University students
went missing and were found in pieces by their mothers after having suffered
much torture. The indigenous groups were tortured and oppressed by terrorist
groups (the famous “Senderos Luminosos”) and fled to the cities were they
suffered more oppression by the city folks who thought they were invading
terrorist groups as they also were undergoing a lot of oppression themselves.
It was such a dark and painful period in their history. The people and country
are still in recovery. I can still sense the fear and hurt subtlety expressed through
the conversations I have had. I’ve been able to see a lot of programs directed to
tearing down the division and mending the brokenness among the people groups.
Personally, I have had lots of time to tear down and build project and
proposals over the last few days. I currently feel I am in a season where I am
trying to plant heavily to be able to uproot good fruit in the work I will be
taking part of. I’ve had times to mourn with the people here in Peru, as I’ve
shared time hearing of their violent history, but I have also greatly enjoyed
dancing and rejoicing with them in their beautiful culture and a lot of the
great initiatives the country has taken. I have personally spent a lot of time
giving up and tearing down false ideologies in my life concerning relationships
and hurts in my life. It has been God mending my heart, and although healing is
sometimes a hard process, I have seen how God continues to use it. The other
night I used some of the experience from my last relationship to share about
God’s timing and love for me and the person involved and had a really great
opportunity to bond with my neighbors!
It is so hard to sum up everything that happens! I
feel so alive when I am in Latin America. I just feel I come home every time I
visit one of the countries and Peru has been no different. God opens my eyes
and heart to the people here, and I know that he is stretching many aspects of
my life. Maybe I do live life too intensely sometimes! God is so good and I
can’t wait for the adventure that is ahead!
Praises:
- World
Vision staff. I am incredibly touched by the passion and commitment that I have
seen in World Vision Peru’s staff. I have been able to see it from the director
himself all the way down to the facilitator who works directly with the
community. Their passion for their country and their commitment to the children
of Peru as agents of change is incredibly inspiring. Praise God for them and
for the other staff around the world whom God is using to reach out and change
lives for His glory!
-
Safety! I feel a lot more confident taking the
public transportation and feel a lot more Peruvian about getting around in the
city! My grandmother was especially encouraging. She open a Skype account just
to sign on and remind me who had sent me there and to not live in fear but
faith and peace knowing God was with me even before I got to Peru!
-
Research Opportunity with Adolescents. Just
writing the project proposal itself has been an academic and personal advancement.
One thing is to know things in theory and the other is taking them out to the
field! I feel just blessed having been able to design a project, protocol, and
come up with significant tools to measure outcomes.
-
Friends. I have just been so blessed with the
people God has placed in my life. I have made great friends at work, home, and
at church. They have all been incredibly supportive and loving. I have felt
incredibly welcomed and always have a packed social agenda! I love it!
Prayer Requests:
-
My project. I really need to get approval from
Yale IRB committee soon. I am not worried about getting approval, but more
concerned about timing. I need it to be very soon to gather all the information
I need. Sometimes I feel like I’ve delayed too much in the process, and I will
be honest that I am really stepping out in faith here. Sometimes the committee
takes a lot more time and the timing for review varies. Please pray that IRB
approval is fast and timely. If this project is God’s will then please have Him
open doors accordingly and give me the wisdom and knowledge necessary to carry
everything planned.
-
Future work plans. These next two weeks I will
be interacting a lot with representatives from World Vision International. I
have considered that working with them after I graduate would be a great
experience, and perhaps during the next couple of weeks I may encounter some
key contacts for a future job. I think I’ve almost pretty much decided that I
want to work or have more field experience after I graduate from Yale and then
return for the PhD. If World Vision is that opportunity then please pray God
opens and closes doors accordingly.
-
Provision and Management. God has been providing
thus far. I ask for wisdom to use money accordingly. I will be covering
research expenses and want to make sure I am honoring to the people that have
invested in me to carry out my project and also don’t want to run short on my
living expenses. Both were under my project proposal, but I don’t have budget
for any unexpected costs. Otherwise I
would have to use some of my own personal funds, which are very limited, to
finish covering research costs.
-
My heart. I have to admit that never in my life
has a relationship and marriage been so much on my mind and heart. It may be
seeing more and more of my friends moving on, but I have really started praying
a lot about a future family. The more I am in ministry, the more I feel really
limited being single. Sometimes I want to talk to mothers and wives, but I
often find my advice and impact limited. As funny as this next part may also
sound, in part I do feel I need a man: a real godly man. As I think about my
future wishes of serving full-time in community development, I kind of need a
husband to be reaching out to the men in the community. I am already somewhat
concerned about how the adolescent boys will share their experiences with me
because I am a woman. I don’t think I have the same impact. I know God will
provide everything I need wherever he sends me, and I most certainly see
singleness as a blessing, but I really feel in my heart and believe that I kind
of want the experience of growing in a marriage and in a family setting. I want
my family to be a ministry tool, and well, if it is within God’s will, I ask
him to lead me.
-
Sickness. The food is catching up to me. I have
had a hard time with the diet. I absolutely love the food here but the
seasoning and heavy carbohydrate diet is getting to me. I will be moving to a
more rural area, with more limitations on the diet. I have also heard that it
is very offensive if you don’t eat everything that they serve you! I am not worried
about what I will be eating as much as how much they will want to feed me! I
know it’s a blessing but my stomach can only handle so much.
-
Discipline. With a normal job schedule, it has
been hard to incorporate exercise in my daily life. I have been out running a
couple of times, but that involves getting up at 5:30am-6:00am. I need to stay
active and fit, especially if I want to be trekking the mountains at high
altitudes.
I
love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support. I love getting your emails
and encouraging messages! My prayer is that God has also been able to use these
blogs to bless your lives as well.
“What
does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men.
He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the
hearts of men: yet, they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
“ Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
Not
knowing or fully understanding the plans God has for me and Peru, but seeing He
is at work, trusting He is good, and knowing the best is yet to come,
with
great love,
Ana
This is a Cusqueno Nativity Scene. There is a llama included and as you can see everyone's necks are elongated in the same shape as well.
These are images from the “Yuyanapaq” exhibit.
This is Maria Cecilia and her daughter Luana. Please pray for Luana she has been a bit sick over the last couple of weeks.
These are some of the teens heading the "Expressions of Life" program. They are using theatre to teach the community about HIV/AIDS and what its like to be an HIV positive person.
This is Jose Luis, Karina, and Tom. They are my host parents here. I had a picture of their daughters for the last blog and now I have included them. Sorry I couldn't take a better picture. I am still learning how to use my camera!
Lima is the land of great disparity. This is Lima. This is the downtown. It is absolutely gorgeous. There are some beautiful colonial sites and incredibly modern places.
This is also part of Lima. This is one of the areas where World Vision Peru works. This is nearer to the coast and is the ADP of Ventanilla.
We were blinded by the sun! Smiles and love to all! Oh and Vladmimir wishes you peace!
Peruvian Vocab:
(Peruvian,Spanish or Castellano, English)
choclo, maiz, corn
canita, pajilla(in Honduras), straw
Estoy Pina, Estoy confundida, I am confused!
Love to all!
I went to a presentation of several Peruvian dances. This is one of my favorites. Marinera is their national dance. Trujillo is a place in northern Peru and their marinera is different to the coast one. I hope I can learn how to dance it! I think it is incredibly romantic and fun!
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