Back Home Again in Indiana: September 2008

Grandpa Jim at our trip to the Fort Wayne Zoo

Great Aunt G, John, Aiden and Kimi (cousins)

Mom and I

Grandpa Mike and I at the airport

Aunt Jen

Cousin Aidan and I playing

Swinging with Grandpa Mike and Grandma Jill

Grandma Chris and I at the Zoo

Gran Nana Hannum

Megan and Cael:
It took a total of 15 hours to arrive in Indianapolis from Lima. There was a 6 hour flight from Lima to Miami (Cael slept the whole way there), a 6 hour lay over in Miami (Cael played and made friends with other people waiting in the airport), and a 3 hour flight from Miami to Indianapolis (Once again he slept the whole flight). Even though Cael did wonderfully on our trip I was still exhausted and so thankful that my parents were at the airport waiting for us.
During our time in the states we were able to meet and visit with several family members. Cael was able to meet for the first time his Aunt Jen, my sister, his Great Grandmother Hannum (Gran Nana), Great Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and of course see both sets of grandparents and his aunts (Paul's sisters) once again.
I don't think Cael spent hardly any time on the floor while we were there...he was always in someone's lap. It was such a blessing to be able to visit home and see family. This was Cael's first trip to the states and I would say it went very well.
We are currently back in Pucallpa and back into our daily routine. Next Tuesday I will be visiting a local community in the afternoon to assess any therapy needs they may have. So hopefully I will be able to provide some help to local community members in their homes one afternoon a week.

Paul:
He was able to spend the two weeks we were gone traveling around Peru visiting different sites and learning more about the economic development that is taking place within the country. He first visited Chinchay, the site of last years devastating earthquake, and was able to see the work that FH has done in this city. He was also able to talk with local community members to see if there was interest in starting savings groups in the area. Later he traveled to the north of Lima and was able to visit a city that has started a few economic initiatives (sandals business) where local women are able to make and sell sandals made of rope (website: http://www.islacreations.com). His last stop was in the city of Trujillo, which is a larger city on the coast of Peru, where there is a group called Mission Peru, who have started a few savings groups, have a lending program for small startup businesses, and teach English to natives as part of their ministry.
He is now back in Pucallpa overseeing his savings groups, which will be ending in December of this year and restarting in January with farther reaching influence within the community. Praise God!

I have attached a few pictures from Cael and my trip to the states. Unfortunately Paul didn't have a camera with him, so there aren't any photos from his trip.

We wanted to update the blog with a few new pictures. Everything is continuing to go well in Pucallpa. For the next few weeks, Paul will be traveling to a few different areas of Peru to observe other micro-finance programs already established along the coast of Peru as well as visit Chinchay, the city affected most severely by the earthquake last August. He will be speaking with the FH staff members as well as community members concerning the economic effects of the earthquake in the city. I fly to Indiana tonight to visit family for the next couple of weeks with Cael, so please pray for a safe and easy flight. Enjoy the photos.

Golfing in the rain. He just needed a little recreation and couldn't wait for it to stop raining. Over the last few weeks the temperatures have been averaging in the high 90's to the low 100's.