Since Arriving in the States

We have officially been back in the states for a month now and have been working on reconnecting with our family/friends/supporters while home.  The first week we were home we were able to meet up with Paul's brother Pat, who is serving in Iraq and was on his two weeks of home leave.  The bonus was his entire family was able to meet in Wabash during this time for the first time in a year and a half.  Then we were able to attend my sister, Jenna's wedding and see all of my extended family as well.  

We are currently in Delaware where we have been able to meet up with Paul's extended family and my cousin Christina and her two boys.  Here are a few pictures from the last month.

We continue to fill the rest of our time here in the states with the hope of raising enough funds to return to Peru for one final year.  Thanks for all of your prayers and support!

From tallest to shortest:  Jay, Paul, Pat, Melisa (Pat's wife), Megan, Julie, Joanna, and Cael.

My mother, sister, Cael, and I before the rehearsal dinner

The wedding party

My cousins:  Christina, Kimi, and I

Cael all dressed up for the wedding

Cael with my cousin Christina's boys, Caleb (5 1/2) and Casey (2 1/2)

Cael and I with Paul's cousins, Nolan (13), Mitchel (8), and Reese (10)

Our family at the beach

Saying Goodbye to Pucallpa

We are now officially in Lima and planning to fly out tonight to the States.  It was difficult to say goodbye to the hard earned friendships that we have formed over the last 2 1/2 years there. We would like to share a few pictures from our "goodbye party" at the Pucallpa FH office.  

Monica, Juanita, and Megan

Cael and our co-worker Erika

Our boss Luis presenting us with some local artesania (art work) from the jungle.

Our co-worker Cesar presenting us with a framed picture of all the staff.

Our friend and co-worker Rachel Cohen put together with the help of the FH Pucallpa staff a memory book of our time in the jungle.

Pucallpa to Lima by Truck! - 14 hours

This past weekend we made our first car trip starting in Pucallpa and ending in Lima.  This trip will take a bus 20hours, a cab 16-18 hours, and our neighbor's truck 14hours!  We drove on the main road connecting the country's capitol to the jungle of Peru.  You will see from the photos the change in scenery as we move from the low flat jungle to the high jungle with lush vegetation to the mountains.  The highest point on this road reaches a height just under 16,000ft. which is higher than the highest peak in the continental US.  The country of Peru is incredibly beautiful and we wanted to share a few of these pictures with all of you.

We are spending this week in Lima for the FH retreat, then we will return to Pucallpa to finish packing, close the savings groups, and say goodbye to friends.  We will arrive in the US on the 10th of June and are looking forward to seeing you!

Also please keep Cael in your prayers.  He has been fighting a fever which has finally broken and now has a rash on his body.  The doctor believes he has Roseola, which is a common childhood illness that just has to run its course.   

This is an iguana that landed on our roof the day before we took off.  It jumped out of the tree that hangs over our house.

We followed this creek with several waterfalls along the rock's edges as we passed from the low jungle to the high jungle

You can see the vegetation and the rolling hills in the background.  This part of the road was paved but there were several areas where the road had been washed out or fallen into the water.  There is also about 200km of road that looks like the back roads of Indiana!

Here we are passing over the bridge you can see in the previous picture above.

You can see the sun rising and the fog beginning to clear off of the trees.  This road is on the edge of a cliff.

Cael did great!  He played and ate and watched shows on their portable DVD players.  He only became fussy the last 30 min of the trip.

Here you can see the road isn't paved and we are nowhere near any city.  There are double decker buses and semi trucks that travel this road on a daily basis...it really is incredible.

 

Here they are trying to flatten the road and pave it, but you can see some of the traffic that passes along the road.

I just thought this picture was a good view of the landscape.

The road still isn't paved and we are still in the middle of nowhere!

The first large city since Pucallpa is Tingo Maria (4 hours).  This is high jungle and where most of the drug trafficking occurs in Peru.

Here is just a glimpse of the main road through Tingo Maria.  There were mountain 360 degrees around the city.  Really a beautiful city and not quite as hot as Pucallpa!

Here we are moving out of the jungle and into the mountains.  The mountain out in front doesn't have much vegetation.

Here we have been on the road for 9hours and are definitely in the mountains 

(13,000-14,000ft) but it looks like the plains in the US.  Look at those clouds!

Here is a local shepherd with his flock of alpaca.

 

Here you can see the mountains and the local political advertisements.  This city is Orolla which is one of the most polluted cities in the world due to it being the main refinery area for the mines in Peru.  Don't drink their water!

Its a little cold here!

Yes that's snow!  We were in a snow storm for 5 min and then all the snow disappeared and we were back in clear weather.

This was the final view before we headed straight down to Lima.  We traveled 12 hours at a gradual climb and then 2 hours to get back down to sea level.

Birthday Party

Yesterday we went over to our friends, Kyle and Cristina Thomas' house where they were celebrating the birthdays of their two kids Elijah (4) and Abbie (2).  Cael had a great time playing with the kids and we had a great time visiting with the adults.   The theme was Finding Nemo, so there was a Nemo piñata, fishing, and a slip and slide.  

For Paul and I it was a nice time to visit with people we have met and befriended here in Pucallpa over the last 2 1/2 years possibly for the last time as we begin to close up our time here.  This next week we will be packing and preparing to leave Pucallpa before the FH retreat next week.  

Enjoy the photos!

Paul and Cael watching the kids hit the piñata.

I'm trying to convince Cael that its ok to pick up the candy!

Cael was one of the first kids to try out the slip and slide.

Cael running down the plastic which usually ended up with him on his rear.

Paul and I started sliding him down on his stomach and he loved it!

Look at that grin!

Hey Mom and Dad I might be done...no I think I'll go down a few more times!

Cael and Caleb (2), our neighbors Joe and Megan's child, sliding down together.

Peruvian Labor Day

The FH office in Pucallpa celebrated their Peruvian Labor Day by having a cookout in the office.  It was a great time to sit and visit with the office staff.  Here are a couple of pictures.

Cael and Siana-el, our co-worker, Monica's daughter who is 7 1/2 months old.

Paul and our co-worker, Cesar in their usually position of discussion

Cael giving Herlin a high five

Several of our co-workers laughing and visiting during lunch

Our Week in Lima

This past week Paul, Cael, and I flew to Lima to look for an apt., a car, have Cael's 1 year checkup, attend a wedding, meet with friends, and continue to work on our plans for the next year.  Here are a few pictures from the week.

Cael and Joshua coloring together.  We were able to meet our friends Chris and Jess Rose and their son Joshua, who live in Lima, for dinner.  Cael and Joshua played so well together.

Cael and Joshua

Cael trying Chicha morada, a purple corn drink commonly offered in Peru.  He finished his glass, so we assumed he liked it.

Cael was able to use crayons to color at the restaurant which he loved.

We were able to attend our friends, Karina and Luis' wedding.

Cael had fun playing on the kneeling posts

Cael and Mom

A Trip to La Merced

We were fortunate enough to take a trip out to the community of La Merced to visit and spend time with the members of the savings group.  A fellow co-worker of ours, Mesha Smith, visited Pucallpa this past week to do some filming of the savings groups and to interview several members to talk about the impact each group has had on the participants and the community.  We just wanted to share a few pictures of our time spent in one of these communities and look forward to sharing with you the video in the future.

Palm Oil - grown in the community of La Merced and is used as a cooking oil or some even use it as a motor oil for their vehicles.

The muddy one lane road we took to a neighboring community to see their water well project.  This community was very remote!

Mesha Smith, a fellow co-worker, came over to Pucallpa to do some filming for a video she is putting together on the savings groups in Pucallpa.  She was trying to stay cool in the truck while we waited for the men to help push out the truck that was stuck in a muddy hole in the road.

Cael playing in the back of the truck while the men work to push the truck out of the middle of the road. 

The men working to help push the truck out of the hole.  They were successful about an hour later.

Paul and I in front of the truck in the middle of nowhere in the jungle.

Paul and Cael with the savings group members in the community of La Merced.

Paul and Cael

 

Cael being corralled on Dad's shoulders.

Cael playing at the FH house in La Merced.

The savings group put together a great meal and brought out a cake for Paul, Cael, and I with candles to blow out.

Cael had a great time playing with the kids of the group members during out get together.

The kids love Paul...especially since he is a good foot taller than anyone else in their community.