May 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Hola! I know this is REALLY late, and I don't have an excuse. I procrastinated, and that was wrong of me. I pray that I will overcome procrastination someday.

Well going back to October (6 months ago! WOW!!), a lot happened this month at the orphanage. Let me post what I wrote on my blog. October was a busy month. I was getting used to having 2 new kiddos in Kinder! Saúl and Lady were a handful but quickly learned the rules in the class. Saúl is quite a little boy! I miss him like crazy! He is VERY musically inclined! He loves to sing and make any kind of music with things! Whether it be drumming on the table or shaking things to a beat! He has quite the temper, but really learned how to handle it over a period of time. He is HYPER and I found out that having music on in class really helps him be calmer! Lady is VERY strong-willed! She wants it her way, but she eventually learned that I wasn't going to give into her fits. She spent A LOT of time outside of the classroom screaming to have her own way, but after a week or so of that, things changed. She realized that screaming isn't allowed in class, and neither is disobedience. They both know that they are loved at the albergue! I even had a conversation about that with Saúl one day when he was hurting himself after not getting his way. He also knows that he can forgive his mother for what she did to him....abusing him. After I left I found out that they went back with their mother. They do come back to the albergue so she can have some more counseling, and things seem to be going great! People can change when God works in their lives. I had heard that she had changed, but sometimes people put on an act to get their kids back, but I pray that she allows God to work through her and help her with her problems.

The other Kinder kids did well with the change and they like their new friends in class! Zuleica has changed a lot over the past couple months! She is learning how to express herself, which is really neat! She would go around just saying "Tia Amy" for hours! She just loves being around and helping me with anything. One Saturday she spent the afternoon with me, just helping me with whatever I was doing, whether it be laundry or working on the curriculum, or just looking at pictures on my computer! She loves to have one-on-one attention....just like most of the kids there! Ericka and Zuleica are becoming quite the friends! They laugh and play together VERY well! Paúl and Jhonatan are learning the letters of their names and the LOVE to show you them when they make them with play-dough or write them, or find them in a book! Edwin is still his crazy self! He dances and is a pistol, but I love him a lot! He still calls me "Tia Mommy" and it drives me crazy sometimes! He like to write letters also! His favorite thing to do is work with play-dough! He will make animals or letters in his name with it....and sometimes the vowels! We worked with play-dough a lot in October and November!

November got even crazier! I had 2 more kiddos added to my class! Luis Sebastian and Yanpier (FINALLY we know their real names!!) came with nothing. They were found on the streets with nothing, including no clothes, and their stomachs full of parasites. They didn't know what a bathroom was and went outside to the bathroom. Luis Sebastian was really scared of the bathroom at first, but learned that it was ok after a couple days! They are cute and lovable kiddos! I miss them A LOT! They LOVE cars and books! They aren't as into puzzles as the other kids, but they would spend hours looking at books!

Sam's friends came to visit and we had a Thanksgiving Eve celebration with the Americans and some Peruvians! We played Mofia and a few other Peruvian games, which was really fun!!! We had Chinese food! We didn't "celebrate" Thanksgiving as Mom and I would have at home, but it isn't what we do and eat, but rather where our hearts are and what we are thankful for, and remembering that! This is the first Thanksgiving I have EVER "worked"!! We didn't do anything special, but now that I think about it, we should have had a Thanksgiving party!! They would have liked it!

This month was REALLY busy, I was giving the task of the Kinder curriculum! For about 3 weeks I worked 15 hour days. I spent A LOT of time on the curriculum...preparing the pages that go with their days, and then translating it. I finished 20 of 109 days for them! It was a challenge, but it was a great challenge.

I do have a funny, yet scary story with Luis Sebastian and Yanpier. They LOVED to escape (and it didn't help that I was potty training Zuleica and had to leave the room frequently)!! I was chasing Yanpier because he escaped and was headed for the main door....which he couldn't have gotten out but still! So when I caught him and went back to the room, all the kids were there except for Luis Sebastian! I could hear his voice, but didn't know where he was. I realized what he was doing. He was counting the steps going up to the roof. I ran up the stairs and he was running away from me. That was the scary part! He could have fallen 3 stories if he would have decided to climb over the edge! He cried, and I asked what he was doing, a little scared tone in my voice. He said, "Tia Amy, I just wanted to count the steps." Oh the joys of being the Kinder teacher to 9 students! We decided to split the class not long after this, and now they have a gate, which was a GREAT idea!!! I had the younger 5 (Zuleica, Yanpier, Luis, Ericka, and Lady) in the mornings and the older 4 (Jhonatan, Paúl, Saúl, and Edwin) in the afternoons. It was working a lot longer hours, but the stress minimized A LOT!

December was a little bit of a crazy month. I will tell of my last days in my next blog. I left the 4th to go and get Mom at the airport in Lima and then we headed to Cusco! That was a beautiful time.....along with the scariest taxi ride I had EVER been in! It should have taken us 1.5 hours or so to get to Urdubamba but with a stop for pictures and a bathroom break, it took us about 55 minutes! We were FLYING through the mountainous roads...Mom in the back with NO seatbelts. If you know Mom, you would understand that she was NOT happy about that! We got to the seminary where my friend Rachel Tarvin serves at and got settled into our room! It was a relaxing time and that night we went out to dinner and had AWESOME pizza! It tasted almost as good as Mom's home-made pizza! Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Tarvin (Rachel's parents) or dinner! That next day we went to Machu Picchu! This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! They are Incan ruins that have been preserved after all these years! We took a taxi to Ollataytambo, which wasn't far, and then took a BEAUTIFUL train ride up into the Andes Mountains! Some people trek it, but we didn't want to do that! That would have been vigorous for Mom and I and would have taken several days to do! When we got there it was POURING down rain and then took a bus up to Machu Picchu! It was a long trip but well worth it! We then climbed MANY stairs (which I am glad we did at the beginning instead of coming down them.....if you don't know me, I do NOT do well with heights!)!! It was still raining/drizzling at this point and we could hardly see the mountain Machu Picchu which means "old mountain". It was a challenge for both Mom and I and we got to see God's beautiful creation once again! He really amazes me with His majesty! There was one point in the climb that was REALLY scary for me! It was a drop off and we had to walk down these short stairs right on the side of the mountain, but I conquered it! I do have to say that was one of my favorite parts visiting this amazing place! I believe the best thing was that Mom and I were a few minutes short of seeing a llama born right there in Machu Picchu! We saw it take its first steps and hobble around, which was really neat! I hadn't seen an animal born in real life other than on TV! The saddest part of the story was that they took down part of this ruins just to fly the Queen Elizabeth of England there by helicopter. They needed a place to land her and I guess this was the best place for it to happen. None of the tourists walk on the grassy parts, which I think make the grassy areas just a bright green! Well this trip was a great one, and I got to spend it with the bestest mother in the world! I wouldn't have traded this time with her for the world! We did go to Rachel's church, and then headed back to Cusco to visit a few places. We did some touring and then some shopping. We stayed in a really cool hostel, but we had to walk LOTS of stairs to get there with our luggage, but found out there was a road a lot closer that we could have taken!!! Thanks to a nice guy, we didn't have to carry all of it very far! We then headed to another part of the country, the coast! We went to Paracas, which is where there was an earthquake in August of 2007. There was some damage to some of the buildings, but our hotel didn't seem to be damaged at all. We had 2 relaxing days near the "beach" so we thought! It was the beach part of the time, but we had to walk to the beach where you would swim. We took a tour of the Islas Ballestas, which have a lot of marine life! We saw penguins, sea lions, lots of neat native birds, and would have seen flamingos if they would have migrated a bit more north!

December was a BUSY month! My last day of working with the Kinder class was December 2nd. I had one day off to finish getting ready to leave the 4th to go and get Mom. I had almost everything packed and gone through so that I had the rest of the time when we got back to the orphanage to spend with the kids. My last day of teaching was really a sad one. Edwin was being a pistol that day and was disobedient. I didn't want him to have to sit in time out, but he had to....even had to send him back to his house for trying to bite me. It was really sad. If you have ever seen E.T., he sounded like E.T. when he screams in that movie! He thought I was leaving that day and was screaming at me saying that he didn't want me to go and get Mom and that he didn't want me to leave. I said I would be back in a bit to talk with him. I went back and then sent the other kids back to their houses.....since it was the end of the day. I went back and he didn't want to let go of me. He is like my child. He has called me "mommy" for a long time, and at times I wondered if he really thought I was his mother. I would LOVE to adopt him someday. He is a needy child, but needs that love that only a parent could give him! It would be awhile and a lot of prayer if God really wants that for us!

After 2 days of relaxation and 2 bus rides (one being overnight) we arrived at Albergue Infantil: Hogar de Esperanza!!! They were excited to meet Mom and I! Abel, who is normally really rough, was quite gentle with Mom! She told him that they had something in common, they both wear glasses! It was really neat to see the kids bond with her! It still makes me teary-eyed! I do have to say that she bonded with Lady the best. Every time that Lady would see Mom she would run full speed and jump into Mom's arms! It was SOOO cute to watch this! We didn't do much on Friday morning, but we took Ericka and Zuleica out for Zuzu's birthday! We had ice cream and cake and they played for a bit inside a store that has a play area! We went back and Mom, Rocio and I made the Christmas cookie dough....well Rocio made it actually! She really enjoyed that one-on-two time with us! It was fun, and she liked the dough too! On Saturday 3 of the casitas helped roll out the dough and made their special cookie that we decorated on Monday night! The other casita had their turn on Monday morning! That afternoon we took Rocio out to get her ears pierced! She wanted Roxana to go with her, so we all left on a micro ( a bus that they cram LOTS of people on!) and headed into town. We then went to Salaverry beach, and then BACK into town for dinner! We ate at Jano's! My favorite place to eat....burger with a fried egg, shoestring fries, bacon, special mayo and aji! YUMMY!!!! Sunday was a special day! We went to church with Miss Aly and then went to her house and had lunch, baked cookies, and a carrot cake! Her family is such a blessing. I have been told many times that when I come back, that is where I will live....with Miss Aly, her parents, and her 2 sisters! I love them so much, and miss them like crazy! The day ended with a picture and her mother giving Mom a special gift...something Mom will treasure forever I am sure! It was a fantastic day, ending with Edwin visiting my room, "helping" me pack! He tried picking me up, which was great, and taking a picture with Mom!!! Monday morning we made the 2nd batch and then in the afternoon made the cookies! Then we iced the cookies late that afternoon into the evening! It was a lot of fun! On Tuesday was my "despedida" which is a going away party! We had cookies and milk, and the kids sang songs and it was a lot of fun! That night we said "bye" to the kids before bedtime. OH YA!!! FORGOT.....on Friday and Saturday nights we handed out the kids' Christmas presents!!!! They LOVED what they got!!! It was so cute on Wednesday morning! Ericka knew I was leaving and ran into my arms and didn't want to let go. She had smiles all over her face! Mom and I's journey back to Lima has got to be the most interesting one! We left on what we thought was going to be an 8 hr bus ride, but that ended up being 10 hours long! Then we got in a taxi, which I thought had a bigger trunk, but boy was I wrong! All that fit in there was our 2 roll-on carry-on suitcases!!! SOOOO we had had 2 large suitcases in the front seat, 2 large ones in the backseat with Mom and I, then Mom and I also.....with our backpacks on our laps!!! So we sat in this taxi with our driver for about an hour. About 10 min before we get to the airport the driver starts talking about needing glasses. Then he proceeded to ask to borrow Mom's glasses while going through the security checkpoint to get into the airport parking lot!!! So Mom is thinking that we have just ridden in a taxi ride for an hour with a guy that can't see! All that to say that he could see, but he now has contacts. His driver's license says that he wears glasses and contacts don't pass as glasses in Perú like they do at home! He left his glasses at home and needed to borrow some! HAHAHA! The rest of the trip home is history!

It was a great year! God really taught me a lot and blessed me. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. I pray that God has made a difference in the lives of the children at Hogar de Esperanza this past year. I pray that God always got the glory for what was said and done by me. I hope that you have been blessed and encouraged through this blog! I know that I don't take credit for anything that has been said and done this past year. I know that it was God working through me to present His character to the staff and children at Hogar de Esperanza and those I came in contact to. May we always glorify God in everything we say in do.....now and forever! I am hoping to start another blog (and keep up better than I have on this one) about what God is doing in my life in Montana while I am nannying for this family of 8! So far I have loved what I am doing here with the 6 kiddos and their parents. Keep in touch!!! I love you and missed all of you. I hope to see all of you in 2009....God willing of course!!

Since this was written, I went to Montana and nannied for 2 months, and after a lot of challenges I decided to nanny for a different family. There were a lot of "red flags" and the living conditions weren't acceptable. I then went to Kentucky for another Christian family with 3 girls. It was a lot less stressful there, and God used me to bring out some characteristics they needed to work on and that they weren't using their money wisely, and that they shouldn't have a nanny and finish paying off some debt. I LOVED the time I was there and keep in contact with them. I miss all of the kids I have nannied for over the past 3 months or so. I am back at home now. Two weeks ago I started nannying for a family in Lenexa and even through the challenges of being a parental figure while their mother is at work, I have enjoyed the two kids! They are great kids, but do have their moments like any child. one is 11 and the other is 4, almost 5! God has given me an opportunity to witness to these little ones, even though they do get some Biblical teaching at their Catholic school. I work about 40 hrs a week, mostly evenings. Once a contract is signed, I will be moving out to Lenexa, so I won't have to drive 45 minutes (one way) 4-5 days a week. I do hope to see a lot of you this year! If not this year, maybe next year!! I am still planning on going back with YWAM after nannying. Right now I am raising my own support to go back with YWAM, and then in about a year or so, I will be doing some prayer and financial support raising to go back with YWAM fulltime in Washington. There I will be seeing the state-side of the adoption process with a ministry called "Adoption Ministry". I am REALLY excited to see where God leads me over the next few years! Have a great day and God's blessings to ALL of you! I love you and miss you all! See you soon.....God willing!

Serving Him in Love,
Amy Elizabeth Pitchford
Blogspot: http://hogar-de-esperanza-amy.blogspot.com/

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.  Mark 10:13-16