Catching up

I have been really busy for the past couple of weeks and have not had time to sit down and write a good blog post. But now I realise I have an even harder task ahead of me: to get you all caught up on all of the happenings of the past couple of weeks! What a lot has been going on, not the least of which is my farewell to Moyobamba and Annie Soper Christian School. I am now back in Lima and in the house of the delightful Arevalo family. Here are just some stories and photos from the past few weeks...

Pre-school Education Week
Not long after Joanne left and my health recovered from sickness, I had an enjoyable morning with all the 3, 4 and 5 year old children of the school. Nation-wide there was a celebration of pre-school education, which included games and food and art. We took the children outside to play games with wooden blocks and balloons and the classic egg and spoon race, though even those simple things aren't necessary for entertaining the children - mud and sticks and sand are great! The games with balloons were particularly hilarious, since each child had a balloon attached to his or her leg and had to run around with it. The goal was to try to pop others' balloons before your balloon was burst. The 5 year old class did quite well, but the poor little ones of 3 years didn't have a clue. When the whistle was blown they stood still and just looked at each other, while the teacher and I shouted, 'Run! Run!' Some of them started trying to pop their own balloons and didn't really seem to pay attention to anyone else!

Later in the week we had a party with lots of food and music. There are just under 70 children, I believe, so that's a lot of energy to deal with after giving out sugary drinks and sweets! I was given some responsibility at the food table - mainly to keep the sticky little hands out of the bowls of crisps and wafers - and was quite happy with my station (yummmmm....). :-)

Who needs expensive plastic toys when there are mud, sand and sticks to be had?

Class of 3 years getting ready for their balloon-popping game

It never grows old: the egg and spoon race.

Some funky dancing on display at the preschool party

Estela and I are 'looking after' the food table very carefully :-)

Yacumama
Just a week before I left Moyobamba, a new volunteer arrived (good timing!) from the States. Her name is Erin, and she will be working in Annie Soper until August. She also is staying with Arturo and Yolanda, so when there were a couple of days off school Yoly took Erin and I to Yacumama. I had heard of it as a great place to see some Peruvian wildlife, but unfortunately when we arrived we were informed that a lot of the animals no longer live in that reservation. There are some jungle walks and rivers to fish in, though, and we had a nice wander around for the morning. We did catch a glimpse of a large white heron, but he refused to pose for a photo. The scenery and surroundings were so green and luscious, and if it had been a sunnier day it would have looked even better.

No prizes for guessing this is the jungle :-)

The Jungle is in danger...! Don't destroy it. It's our marvellous world.

The river at Yacumama

Growing rice next to the water - good idea! 

This is where your bananas come from.

You don't want one of these coconuts to fall on your head!

Morro de Calzada
The Morro de Calzada is a hill outside Moyobamba that can been seen from quite a distance away. It has a very good 'hill' shape - like an up-turned jelly. It has been my desire since arriving in Moyo to climb this hill and see the town and area from up high. My opportunity came on my last Saturday, and I went up with Arturo and Yoly and Erin. The day was quite cloudy and spitting with rain, but we were actually very grateful for that because a strong sun and heat would have been insupportable during the hike. It took about an hour and a half to get up and was quite a steep climb, but the view from the top (and the feeling of triumph that one gets when reaching the top) was super. Although it was still misty, everything looked beautiful. While climbing, we admired the nature and listened to the birds and the monkeys having a good blether. On the way down - OH THIS IS SO EXCITING - I saw one of the monkeys!!!!! Another of my Peruvian dreams came true! I just caught a glimpse of a little black monkey before he swung away with his family and don't have any photos, but the image is pasted in my memory. I was thrilled!

I can't say I was thrilled the next morning, however, when I woke up and had to hobble around on my aching legs. But the hike was worth it, and I recommend it to any of you with plans to visit Moyobamba.

The Morro de Calzada surrounded by cloud, early in the morning

The four intrepid adventurers about to scale the mountain

View from the top

Moyobamba from the top

Move over, Tarzan! Jungle (Megan) Jane is here!

And the sun had come out by the time we came back down and walked along the road.

La Iglesia Presbiteriana Evangelica de Lluyllucucha
I attended a small Presbyterian church in the district of Lluyllucucha for the few months I was in Moyobamba. I was able to help out with the music there and came to love the brothers and sisters of that congregation. They are currently meeting at the side of the house of Juan Ruiz and his wife Estela, but they are in the process of planning the construction of their own building - something that is very exciting but also in need of lots of prayer. The pastor is Walter Anaya, and the leaders and members have a heart for reaching the community of Moyobamba, particularly in their own district. There are lots of children and a strong Sunday School, but the young people (teens) lack strong leadership in forming a meeting of their own. The ladies meet at least once a week and are involved in organising lots of activities (many relating to food!), and there are two weekly prayer meetings and a Bible study. I will miss the people there but am grateful to the Lord for giving me some months with them and giving me opportunities to serve there. Here are a few photos.

Some of the members after an evening service

With some of the ladies at a Tuesday night prayer meeting

With Juan and Estela - pillars of the church and lovely people

Pastor Walter Anaya and his family

This past Monday's activities
I woke up on Monday feeling really sick, but I was determined to go to school, since I had only a few days left. The previous week I had heard snippets of information about a party that was going to happen in 1st grade, since it was my last class with them. One day a group of them had run up to me and said, 'Miss, Miss, there's going to be a....birthday...party....on Monday! Uh huh!' And I, though fully understanding what 'birthday party' really meant (i.e, a surprise farewell party for Miss Megan), just said, 'Oh, right, and whose birthday are we celebrating?' They children looked at each other and said, 'Umm...I don't know...but don't forget!' And then they whispered things to Pilar, who was standing next to me, and I overheard, 'But don't tell her, don't tell her!' It made me laugh so much, but I didn't let on at all that I knew what was going on. :-)

I did act surprised when I arrived at the door of the first grade classroom and watched them all spring out from underneath their desks and shout, 'We love you, Miss Megan!' Their teacher had written some messages from the children on the blackboard, along with their names. We had some snacks, and I was given some gifts from the children - like local jewellery and plastic orchids. So sweet! We didn't have any English class that day, but there were plenty of photos and snacks and hugs and kisses. First grade was probably my favourite group to work with because they were so cute and funny but also knew that they had to behave well in English class (no one wants his name underneath the sad face on the board). Considering their age and the number of them in the class, they did really well. So affectionate, too, which always goes down well with me!

In the afternoon I taught a first year of secondary class to do some Scottish ceilidh dancing. Of course, the music doesn't have the same meaning and appeal to them as it does to me, but they enjoyed learning the Virginia Reel and did it very well. There are lots of boys in that year, so many of them had to dance with each other, causing lots of laughter!

That night Erin and Yoly and I went to the thermal baths - my last visit to my favourite spot in Moyobamba. The entrance to the thermal baths has a sign in Spanish with a bad English translation underneath. The translation of 'Bienvenidos al Atractivo Turistico' really should be 'Welcome to this tourist attraction'. However, the translation reads 'Welcomes to attractive tourist'!!! So it always makes me feel good about myself that I'm allowed entry! The hot water was wonderful, and it was a quiet evening. After visiting the hot pools and the lukewarm swimming pool, I went to my locker to get my sachet of shampoo for washing my hair in the natural showers. The sachets just have a little hole that has to be torn open, but that night it was quite difficult to open since my hands were wet. I asked the bloke at the desk if he had any scissors, and he said he'd have a look. He disappeared for a minute and then returned, not with scissors, but with a machete! HAHA! I very nervously held out my sachet of shampoo while he split it open with his machete, and then Erin and I went giggling away to the showers. Erin commented, 'Well, you really know you're in the jungle when someone offers you a machete to open your shampoo!'

Messages from the students with their names on the board

I got a photo with each child who gave me a present

Getting 30 first graders to sit still for a photo is no easy task

Look at those precious faces! I love those kids to bits!

Dancing the Virginia Reel in the school auditorium. Whee-oo!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear

Farewells to Annie Soper and Moyobamba
Sadly, my time in Annie Soper Christian School has come to an end. I have really enjoyed my time there and have grown to love the children and teachers I worked with. The environment in the school is beautiful - both the natural surroundings, the school buildings and the children themselves. It has been an excellent experience for me, one that I will never forget. I recommend it highly to young and old. Remember to pray for the school and the staff, that the leaders will be given wisdom to direct the school in its future. And pray for the dear children, whose love and enthusiasm is so touching and inspiring. A third grade boy asked me to translate into English, 'I will love you forever', and I had the opportunity to remind him that even if I never return to Moyobamba we will see each other again in heaven if he has Jesus in his heart. I am going to miss the school a lot, but the time to move on has come. I am eager to go home!

My last day of school was Wednesday, and the primary assembly was my farewell 'do'. I had to sit on a 'throne' at the front and listen to children from each grade address some words of farewell and appreciation to me. The little ones almost made me cry! I was given many gifts by teachers and students and then ended the meeting by leading everyone in an English song that they have all learnt recently: Who made the twinkling stars? One of my favourite things to do with the children was teach them to sing songs in English, and in my few months in the school, they learnt an impressive repertoire, which included: I will make you fishers of men, Whenever you see a rainbow, Zacchaeus was a wee little man, If you're happy and you know it (everyone loved this one!), Eentsy Weentsy Spider, My God is so big, Who made the twinkling stars (with an additional verse supplied by a 5 year old: Who made the Miss Megan!!!), The B-I-B-L-E, and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. I hope they continue to sing them with gusto!

Bye-bye from the 4 year old class

Funny faces from the 5 year olds

Second grade

Third grade

Fourth grade

Fifth grade

Sixth grade

At my farewell assembly

Singing 'Read your Bible, pray everyday' with the 5 year olds

Thank you for getting this far! I will write another post before too long to keep you up to date on what's going on here in Lima. I have only 3 days left in Peru - wow!