The crew made it into Lime on Tuesday safly but late. We were all to the hote by 2am.
Slow morning of food, email, chaging money and then a 6 hour bus to chimbote.
Most of the group was in first class on the first level of the bus. Three of us were in sterage, which was very nice. Peru has one of the best bus systems in the world in my mind. Food, movies, nice seats, and bingo in which you could win a free bus ticket.
We were greated warmly by Fr Jack Davis at the bus station and wisked to parish for dinner and orintation.
Today was a very long but very good day. A number of us joined the parish for vespars. I saw many familar faces form my last visit and we were welcome with hugs and kisses on the checks.
It was looking to be a beautiful day. (It is summer here and the temp was in the upper seventies)
After breakfast we took a tour of the all the parish projects and so homes. It is hard to expain the level of poverty that is here. Dirt floors, thatch wall, and $1 a day income. That doesn´t do it justice. Even if you saw a well crafted documentry you would have no idea what it is like. To walk into the homes. Stunning.
The afternoon was filled with take apart two of these homes which are in need of repair. It took about 2 hours to pull things apart. The plan in to go back in and build new walls and roofs on Saturday. It is amazing that you take a home that is falling apart and make it look worse, but we managed. There was so much dust in the roof that as well pulled things down dust and dirt went ever where. I was under the roofs we were pulling apart and ever inch of skin not covered was black with dirt.
After dinner we went to mass. As mass progressed we had more kinds climbing into our laps and holding our hands. It was touching.
The rockstar of the trip has been Jack Farmer my almost 6 year old godson. Today while we were working on the houses, he played soccer (a sport he doesnt know) with a bunch of boys his age. It was fun to watch him try and figure it out when he speaks no spanish and they spoke on english. At the end of the game all the local boys insisted on us taking a team picture with Jack in the middle, holding the ball.
One traveling in our group pointed out the fact that none of the kids comment on brads hair be all wanted to play tag, hide and seek, and juts running around with jack. He has handled this so well. He is way overhis head with food to eat and getting to do what he wants. It has been a lot of fun to have him around.
After mass we sat in a circle and talked the day and what is running through our heads.
At is all questions and no answers.
Where is justice here?
Way are able bodies people watching us do work?
How to I take this home to others?
How do I not feed depressed in so much suffering?
How can I go back to my life worring about what I worry about when there is this?
How come I was born in the US and not here?
All questions, no answers.
There have been tears and lots of being twisted around. Hopefully it if for the better.
And this is just day one in Chimbote.

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