Inside Perú

Inmates Knit Teddy Bears For Children In Perú

Inmates at the Newfoundland & Labrador Correctional Center for Women in Clarenville, Canada have been making teddy bears for children in Perú as part of Teddies for Tragedies.

The United Kingdom based program provides a knitting pattern on its website, then inmates do the rest.

Once children receive the toys, pictures of them holding their bears are sent to the correctional institute.

An inmate named Jill says seeing the pictures gives her a sense of purpose.

"There's people across the world that are liking and wanting you to be doing what you're doing right now, versus when you were doing things on the outside before you got in trouble. You felt useless to society, and now you don't".

"You know, to see them hugging on to their little bears, and knowing that's probably the only toy they've had for a while, it really puts life in perspective," said Jill.

Officials at the jail said the program is a positive step in the rehabilitation of inmates.

Correctional officer Judy Bursey–Currie said being involved in Teddies for Tragedies helps inmates stay out of trouble once they're released.

"They've grown up in pretty sad environments. So to instill in them, something positive, and allow them to be part of something positive is a big part of the rehabilitation," said Bursey–Currie.

According to its website, Teddies for Tragedies has provided hundreds of thousands of toys to children around the world since 1985.

Rebeca's Visit

We have learned that Rebeca Massõn has arrived recently in the United States for seasonal work.

She will be working at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort near Farmington, Pennsylvania.

Rebeca will be working in Pennsylvania until returning home to Lima, Perú in mid March.  She plans to return back home in time to continue her studies.

Our prayers will be with her as she travels.

Perú In Motion

72 Hours In Perú

72h in Peru, '11 from Maxime // Menilmonde on Vimeo.

The Girls Have All Grown Up

Perú

Peru from Andy Dubrowsky on Vimeo.

Skies Of Perú

SKIES of PERU from Philip Leclerc on Vimeo.

Desire - Perú

Desire - Peru from Video Bros. on Vimeo.

A Peruvian Welcome Of A Lifetime

We received a warm welcome in 2013 from our hosts at the church in Huancayocc, Perú

Overlooking The Pacific

The Cliffs At Larcomar (Lima, Perú)

Trouble On The Amazon... X 3

We miss these little guys from our mission trip to Gallito in 2002.

Meditation And Reflection

A place for meditation and reflection in the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lima, Perú.

Lord, do not forsake me;  do not be far from me, my God.  Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.  Psalm 38:21-22

We Need You

With all that is going on in the world today...  please watch over us.

The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;  the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  Psalm 121:7-8

Peruvian Connections

Ashley Aldridge with new friends.

Peruvian Potatoes

Would you eat a potato that is cooked under moss on the ground?  We did...  and would again! 

Perú Mission Jenga

Taylor tries her hand at Jenga.  Photo by Darby Buchanan.

Highest Base Jump In South America

A Mission Reflection

To all,

I would like to thank each of you for an amazing experience. The personal and spiritual gifts received during our time together are too numerous to list so I would like to offer one more devotion and prayer,

The True Measure of a Mission Trip’s Success = Relationships

In general when we look back at a typical mission trip we tend to recite values. We traveled x number of miles, through x number of cities/countries, completing x number of task, provided x bags of donations, etc… Sounds familiar I’m sure.

After spending 9 days traveling to and around Peru, and after an afternoon chat with our PCUSA missionary representative Rusty Edmondson, I now understand that the only values you can assign to a mission trips success are the number of laughs, hugs, songs sung, meals shared, games played, and memories made. These are the important statistics because they are what ultimately lead to relationships being formed, nurtured and trusted.

As a newcomer to the trip I was unsure what to expect, or what lie ahead. I was prepared to work along side our Peruvian brothers and sisters and provide some relief from the physical burdens that come with building a church, but throughout the trip and now with the benefit of some reflection time, I realize all the good things we want for our Peruvian family start with the relationships we’ve built. These relationships are the vehicle for further provisions of relief and are what allow our long term mission workers success.

During my devotion on our trip I prayed that each of us be capable of speaking and giving from hearts that are being cleaned/ transformed by God... looking outward away from ourselves so God can do the work in our hearts. Now as I reflect back on the trip, that prayer, and the faces of my new Peruvian friends I have one last mission prayer to offer,

“Thank you Lord for your word, that by it and through it we find and form the relationships that bind our Christian family together and provide the vehicle for the gospel to spread, Amen”

Best Regards,

Khris Wigington

A Special Offering From Our Peruvian Brothers And Sisters At VRAE II Church

2017 Minute For Missions: Una Familia {A Family}

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Rebeca Massón

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Khris Wigington

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Chris Buchanan

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Tom Skinner

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Sara Armstrong

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Ashley Aldridge

2017 Perú Minute For Missions Interview With Darby Buchanan

We're Back

A few of us returned yesterday from our visit to Perú.  We arrived back home with a few lingering stomach issues, but nothing serious.  Thank you to Sara Armstrong, Rebeca Massõn, Lucy Poma and Miriam Laura for joining us again this year!

All 16 of your donation bags with clothes, shoes, reading glasses, toys and crutches made it to Perú!  A special thank you to Crews Walden for providing Spanish Bibles too.

Please keep in your thoughts and prayers Ashley Aldridge, Pat Blumer, Darby Buchanan, Rob Blumer and Chris Buchanan as they are still in Perú.  They extended their trip on to Machu Picchu.  (Apparently their luggage did not make the trip to Cusco...)  All will be returning in the coming few days with more stories to tell.

Our work this year was again though Samuel Montes' NGO of Puriyninchic.  In Ayacucho, we visited the VRAE II church.  At VRAE II we sanded and varnished church benches.  For the children, we sanded and varnished tables and painted chairs. This year's hit was tie dye shirts!

In the church in Maynay, we helped to paint the primer coat on a brand new sanctuary.

We thank Yesenia Montes, Darby Buchanan, Anna Vickrey and Taylor Vickrey for "taking control" of the kids.  Thank you to Randy Ross for providing water balloon games, balloons, crayons, coloring sheets and beaded necklaces.

This year, we were blessed to rekindle old relationships and create new ones in both Ayacucho and Hunata.

More news coming soon...

Sky Lodge Adventure Suites

Welcome To Ayacucho

Perú: Dedicated To The World

Request For Help With Transportation Of Donations

On Sunday, June 18, 2017, members and friends of the 2017 Sharon Presbyterian Church Mission Trip to Perú met in Room 6 of the Activities Building to pack suitcases of donations to be taken to Perú by this year’s mission team. Items packed included women’s and children’s clothing and shoes, Bibles and study materials, prayer shawls, crutches, knitted infant caps, reading glasses, toys and crafts. Eighteen suitcases, containing nearly one thousand pounds of donations were packed. The Sharon Church congregation has again provided a blessing to its less fortunate brothers and sisters in Perú.

The mission team is seeking assistance transporting these suitcases to the airport Thursday morning, July 27, 2017. If interested, please contact, Van Dale (704-577-3409 / wvandale@gmail.com) or Randy Ross (704-965-5432 / mrandallross@aol.com).

Spanish - English Bibles

Spanish - English Bible App

There are free Spanish - English Bibles and even a listening version of a Quechua Ayacucho Biblia available in Google Play for Android users.  A Spanish - English Bible in iTunes for iOS users is now available.

The apps load all the books of the Bible into your phone or tablet memory so you can use them in airplane mode, without cell phone service or without WiFi.

All are basic Bibles, but they will save weight when packing on your next Perú trip.

Drought In Perú - Living Without Water

The Q’eswachaka Rope Bridge

Perú's National Ceviche Day

Preparing For Our Visit

From Randy Ross:

Samuel has been busy in his workshop preparing for our time together.  May God be glorified!

Beautiful Perú

Progress In Perú - The Story Of Lima's Slums

Special Dates

We have been adding special dates and birthdays to our calendar below.  If you have joined us on a mission trip, we would like to hear from you and add your birthday (day only)!

With the help of Gamaliel Berrocal, Rebeca Massõn, Taylor Vickrey, Anna Vickrey and Darby Buchanan this year, we will be adding many more names of our Peruvian hosts.  Check back often and who knows, you may share a birthday with another special someone.

If you do find that you share a birthday with someone, we challenge you to find out who it is.  We are sure their life history will be as interesting and blessed as yours.

A Note From Samuel Montes

I wanted to share with each of you an excerpt from a letter that I received from Samuel today in which he also confirmed receipt of this year's project funds.

" I send our gratitude to each of our brothers and sisters of Sharon who accompanies us and motivates us with an example of how to love God and our neighbor."

Randy

2017 Sharon Presbyterian Mission To Perú

Hola All!

My apologies for this long overdue Peru Mission Trip update. A larger group, higher international and domestic airfares and our planned travel around the Peru national independence holiday have made for a more challenging trip planning-wise. Rest assured however that the trip IS coming together.

2017 trip participants include:

Ashley Aldridge, Pat Blumer, Rob Blumer, Chris Buchanan, Darby Buchanan, Connie Dale, Randy Ross, Tom Skinner, Anna Vickrey, Beverley Vickrey, Taylor Vickrey, Khris Wigington. Rebeca Massõn, Lucy Poma and Van Dale,  Sara Armstrong will also participate during the first half of our time in Ayacucho.

Our international air travel has been booked. We are scheduled to travel from Charlotte to Miami on Thursday, July 27, 2017. Our flight from Miami to Lima is now scheduled with two exceptions, Taylor Vickrey will depart from Philadelphia and will be meeting the group in Miami and Connie Dale will be traveling to Peru a couple of weeks before the group and will meet us at the Lima airport.

Accommodations in Lima, Ayacucho and Huanta have also been booked and I hope to have travel between Lima and Ayacucho arranged very soon. I'll finalize and distribute the 2017 travel memo shortly thereafter.

Please mark your calendar for Sunday afternoon, June 18th @ 2:00 pm when we will meet at Sharon Church to go over trip logistics and pack the donations.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the trip. Pastor Samuel wrote last week to say that our brothers and sisters are looking forward to our time together with much anticipation.

Thanks.

Randy

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) Notification

The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to the damage caused by the flooding and landslides in several regions of Peru.  The State of Emergency issued by the Government of Peru remains in effect.  This Travel Alert expires on May 31, 2017.  The City of Cusco, the archaeological site of Machu Picchu and the tourist areas in the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca have not experienced flooding to date.  The coastal area south of Lima has returned to normal conditions.  Peru's Amazon Basin has received typical levels of rainfall.

A map from the Government of Peru showing the affected districts is available at http://unasolafuerza.pe/.

You are encouraged to carefully review the safety situation of your destination and modes of transportation before travel.  Visit the link above for the latest information.

Heavy rains have resulted in extensive damage to homes, water supply facilities, schools, hospitals, roads, and bridges in several regions.  The Government of Peru continues to repair roads and bridges especially along the Pan American highway and other vital access routes in the northern part of Peru.  The Government of Peru is also working to repair water supply facilities, sanitation systems, schools, and hospitals in the affected areas.  More than 1.1 million Peruvians were affected by the floods with approximately 46,000 still residing in camps and shelters and many more living with friends and family.  In northern coastal Peru, standing water has increased the number of cases of mosquito-borne illnesses such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya despite fumigation efforts.  Additionally, there has been a spike in Leptospirosis and other diarrheal diseases recently in flooded areas.  Local public health authorities warn of more cases of various diarrheal diseases and mosquito-borne viral diseases in the affected areas.  Therefore, ensuring compliance with usual guidance for safe drinking water and mosquito avoidance measures is highly recommended.  The CDC website has specific guidance on these measures.

Travel to impacted areas is likely to be delayed and may be dangerous due to bad road conditions.  If you experience issues while traveling, contact local authorities at (01-574-8000) or   iperu@promperu.gob.pe, which maintains offices in cities around the country and regularly updates information on local developments affecting travelers, including alternative methods of transit.

Listen to travel alerts and safety instructions from local authorities and avoid flooded areas.Establish a plan for maintaining contact with family and friends and keep them informed of your itinerary.

The Peruvian police report traffic on the Carretera Central is now flowing normally, with a few sections experiencing delays as road crews repair damages.  Official U.S. government travel to and along areas of the Carretera Central will only be allowed on a case-by-case basis.  Travelers, including U.S. government employees, are encouraged to confirm with hotel operators located in the coastal Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, and Tumbes that sanitation systems are operational and clean drinking water is available.  All Peace Corps volunteers who were relocated from affected regions are scheduled to return in May.  Most are expected to be able to return to serve in their sites in Piura, Lambayeque and Trujillo.

For further information:

• See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Peru.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
• Contact the U.S. Embassy in Peru, located in Monterrico, a suburb of Lima, at Avenida La Encalada, Block Seventeen. You can call the Embassy at 51-1-618-2000 during business hours, 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday, or dial the same number to reach a duty officer for after-hours emergencies.
• Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

Contrasts Of Perú

Contrasts of Peru from Sebastian Klinger on Vimeo.

Perú Flooding Latest

Dear Friends,

Many of you have been asking how we are, and how you can help, in light of the nation-wide flooding and regional states of emergency in Peru.

First. All four Mission Co-Workers and three Young Adult Volunteers are safe. We write to let you know how we are responding, and to offer the link to those who want to give.

NEWS
All but one of the 25 provinces of Peru have experienced unusual flooding. The normal occurrence of ‘huaycos’ is 60 per year. (These are the flood waters that come with little warning and a lot of destruction.) We have already had 600 huaycos this year. The historic city of Trujillo has been underwater six times in the last few weeks, as have many coastal communities, particularly in northern Peru. The flooding in Lima got everyone's attention. There are amazing videos which you can find if you Google ‘Peru Floods 2017’. Peruvians have turned out to volunteer and give.

RESPONSES

The PC(USA) signed an agreement with Red Uniendo Manos-Peru (Joining Hands-Peru) that would allow us (Rusty & Sara) to work together on a new program called PERUSA; short-term mission teams with partner organizations that belong to the Red UM. We started “official” work with the Red last week as the news was breaking about all the disasters. Disaster relief became our focus. Working with the Red staff, we have developed a way for you to give through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance directly to the work that the PC(USA) will be participating in with our partners here in Peru. The work of the Iglesia Evangélica Peruana will be in Paramongo four hours north of Lima. The work of Paz y Esperanza will be in the valley of the Carretera Central heading east out of Lima into the mountains. There is extensive flooding and damage in that area.

GIFTS

Here is the link to make a gift: Presbyterian Mission Agency

THE TOLL

Obviously the toll of damages continues to rise as roads are reopened to rural communities and as rivers overflow their banks in new areas. The unusual rains in the coastal desert and in the jungle are expected to continue for two more weeks. But here are the stats as of today, April 1st from the National Institute of Civil Defense (Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civll - INDECI):

LIFE AND HEALTH

• 101 people have lost their lives
• 353 people have been injured
• 19 people are missing

DAMAGES

• 149,848 persons have suffered severe damages and are in need of immediate humanitarian help (los damnificados)
• 950,498 persons have suffered minor damages, illness and are possibly in need of humanitarian help
• 18,269 houses have collapsed
• 16,315 houses are uninhabitable
• 208,076 houses have suffered damage

SCHOOLS

• 48 schools have collapsed
• 106 schools are uninhabitable
• 1,748 schools have suffered damage

LOCAL HEALTH POSTS

• 13 health posts have collapsed
• 25 health posts are uninhabitable
• 597 health posts are damaged

HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES

• 2,443 km of highway are destroyed
• 5,991 km are damaged
• 264 bridges are destroyed (both pedestrian and vehicular)
• 418 bridges are damaged
• 1,702 km of rural roads are destroyed
• 10,302 km of rural roads are damaged

IRRIGATION AND CROP LOSS

• 4,460 irrigation canals are destroyed
• 9,224 irrigation canals are affected
• 53,656 Hectares of crops are affected (132,582 acres)
• 20,656 Hectares of crops are destroyed (51,040 acres)

As of today, our work will go forward with the Red UM, planning for both short-term relief and longer term recovery. We also will continue with work for all of the 2017 mission teams with the Iglesia Evangélica Peruana.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in Peru and in the work our church shares here. Please pray for the reconstruction and for the strengthening of our ability to respond to disasters.

Saludos y abrazos de Sara y Rusty

Misión Presbiteriana Mundial

Lima, Perú

Sara-Celular: 998 845 847

Presbyterian Mission Connections {Sara Armstrong & Russell Edmondson}

Perú Flood Update

Hello Van!

Here is some news for the Peru Mission site:

This has been a year of crazy extremes weather-wise. Between the unusual coastal rains and flooding, much of the coastal infrastructure has failed and damages are in the millions of dollars. This is the rainy season in the Andes and the jungle. However, the rains are heavier than usual this year. The Amazon River is close to overflowing and more flooding is expected in the Loretto province.

Here is recent data from the National Institute of Civil Defense (Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civll - INDECI):

• 78 people have lost their lives
• 263 people have been injured
• 20 people are missing
• 101,104 persons have suffered severe damages and in need of immediate humanitarian help
• 643,216 persons have suffered minor damages and possibly in need of humanitarian help
• 11,519 houses have collapsed
• 12,440 houses are uninhabitable
• 141,149 houses have suffered damage
• 27 schools have collapsed
• 62 schools are uninhabitable
• 1,194 schools have suffered damage
• 10 health posts have collapsed
• 16 health posts are uninhabitable
• 399 health posts are damaged
• 2,148 km of highways destroyed
• 4,554 km of highways damaged
• 175 bridges destroyed
• 290 bridges damaged
• 872 km of rural roads destroyed
• 4,884 km of rural roads damaged

We have been working with our partners to identify how Presbyterians can help. Presbyterian Disaster Relief works globally with the ACT Alliance and ACT Peru has received $150,000 for direct disaster relief. Peruvians are also showing up in astonishing numbers to volunteer and provide help. As in all disasters, some communities are inundated with help while many other communities have been totally cut off and have received no aid.

We (the PCUSA co-workers in Peru) are collaborating on relief efforts with our Peruvian partners, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and other relief agencies. Within a few days we will let you know how you can help, and which communities will be the focus of the relief work for the Red Uniendo Manos partners, and the Iglesia Evangelica Churches here in Peru.

If you want to be amazed and awed at the power of nature, Google Peru Floods 2017 and look at the videos.  Following are two links to view:  Climate State and Business Insider

Sara Armstrong y Rusty Edmondson
Misión Presbiteriana Mundial
Lima, Perú
Sara Celular: 998 845 847
Presbyterian Mission Connections {Sara Armstrong & Russell Edmondson}

Dash 8-202 Landing Ayacucho, Perú (LC Perú)

The Ancient Salt Pans Of Perú

Meet Brenda Paredes

Brenda Wearing A Peruvian Manta

Although Brenda Paredes has served as our interpreter for many years on Sharon’s mission trips to Perú, she has done much more than that.  For example, she has worked at times as a travel agent, such as when arranging ground transportation and locating quality restaurants.  She has given us directions and dispensed advice on Peruvian customs and etiquette.  On shopping expeditions she has helped us negotiate with merchants so that we could land the best bargains.  At the work sites she has been pulled in many different directions to answer a multitude of questions, many of them coming at her in rapid succession from all quarters.  Throughout it all, she has maintained a consistently positive attitude, a sense of humor and a friendly smile.

Brenda was raised a Catholic, but when she was 12, her father joined a Presbyterian church in Lima.  At age 15, she went to the city of Huanta for a youth conference, where she met the PCUSA missionary at the time, Jacob Goad.  Wanting to improve her English, she applied for a J1 Visa that entitled her to work in the United States for 3 months.  Jacob, who in 2008 had returned to the United States, helped Brenda land a job at Alamance Presbyterian Church in Greensboro to work with the Mothers-Morning-Out program and other church activities.

After returning to Lima in March of 2009, she met Jacob’s replacements, Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson during a worship service at Brenda’s home church in Lima, Amen Presbyterian. Brenda told Sara of her interest in learning English and asked Sara to give her a call if she could ever be of any assistance.  Late one night a couple of months later, Sara surprised Brenda with a call asking her to serve as an interpreter for a group of 17 “Gringos” from a church called Sharon Presbyterian in Charlotte.  Brenda said she hesitated.  “I had told Sara I was learning English. I did not think of myself as an interpreter!”

During that trip she met Connie and Van Dale, who encouraged her to pursue her dream to study in the United States.  With their sponsorship and dedication, she began a program in International Studies at Winthrop and at the same time joined Sharon.  However, her dream suffered an unfortunate setback when in 2013 she contracted TB on a flight from Greensboro to Charlotte.  For two years back in Perú, not only did she have to follow a strict regimen of antibiotics and therapy, she had to struggle with both the U.S. and Peruvian bureaucracies in spite of the fact that her doctors had given her full medical clearance.  When asked if she ever felt discouraged or lost faith, she gave credit to God and to Connie and Van for helping her stay focused.  Connie would remind her, “Don’t lose sight of your dream.”  Connie even made trips to Perú to help Brenda get the medicines and the medical attention she needed.

December 17, 2016, was a big day for Brenda, when she realized a dream: she received an undergraduate degree in the United States.  She had persevered and excelled, graduating Magnum Cum Laude from UNCC and being inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.  Several members of Sharon attended her graduation, celebrating with her and sharing in her joy.

Brenda embarks now on a new adventure. She has set her sights on a Master’s Degree in Latin-American studies at UNCC, with a focus on women’s issues.  Armed with a new Visa that will allow her to study part-time and to work full time for at least a year, and with the help of some scholarship assistance, she worked hard to obtain, she has begun her course work in the upcoming spring semester.

A long-term goal is to establish a non-profit organization in a Latin American country that will help low-income women feel empowered to make their own choices and to reach their full potential.  She plans to pattern her idea after the “Circle La Luz” here in Charlotte, an organization that provides Hispanic women with scholarship aid and counseling services to help them succeed in school.  Donations to help Brenda with her studies are appreciated.  Brenda's Go Fund Me page.

Brenda, your fellow members at Sharon are grateful for your service.

Tom Skinner

Responding To God's Call In Perú

Randy & Gamaliel

Randy Ross’ first World Mission Trip with Sharon was in 2004 to Perú. “What made you go on your first trip?” he was asked. He answered simply, “I felt God’s call.” And Randy has responded to that call every year since, not just as a participant, but since 2007 as trip leader, a task to which he devotes himself joyfully. “It’s a labor of love,” he says.

His preparations are efficient and thorough. “Randy leaves nothing to chance,” said one participant. “He pays attention to every detail and anticipates every possible problem or challenge. Just look at his handouts of eleven single-spaced pages of information. Everything is well-thought out and planned.

”When asked, for example, why this year’s group flew to Lima via Miami, but on the return flew a longer route, from Lima to Miami, and then to Washington D.C. before taking the final leg back to Charlotte, Randy answered simply, “I went online and found that it saved us hundreds of dollars” to do it that way. Randy is ever resourceful. As one of the group members said, Randy’s leadership style “combines a healthy balance of both patience and persistence.“

And his preparations never take a vacation. Throughout the year he collects enough suitcases so that each participant can carry a second one brimming with up to 50 pounds of clothing, eyeglasses, prayer shawls, crafts, and other gifts.

With his passion for serving the children in Perú and his desire to be “a good steward” with the funds available in the Adult Mission Trip budget,”he trolls Walmart, Michael’s, and Walgreens in an ongoing search for off-season markdowns on items such as school supplies, children’s games, and children’s shoes. As for the eyeglasses and cases, he goes online to find discontinued styles for bargain basement prices from an outfit in Miami.

Randy’s commitment to Missions has become a family affair. Parts of the family house are used to store donations for the next mission trip. Also, daughters Kathryn and Sarah have accompanied him on several trips and have been active contributors as T-shirt makers, children’s activity leaders, and relationship builders. In 2014, Sarah asked Randy if she could use her spring break from Chapel Hill to undertake a private trip to revisit some of the friends they had made in Huanta, Perú. The request turned into a group trip, with Randy, Brenda Paredes, and Rose and Adam Boelke accompanying her.

When asked which of his 13 mission trips has been his favorite, he answers that he has great memories of all of them. “I especially enjoy witnessing first-hand the experiences of other trip participants and hearing what the trips mean to them.” Still, he says that the first trip to Huanta in 2008 holds a special place in his heart. Although our Sharon team and our Peruvian partners prayed that a long-term relationship might develop, one of our Peruvian friends, Gamaliel, admitted that he had not had a favorable impression of Americans and could only imagine what the “Gringos” true reasons and motivation had been in traveling to Huanta. “But as the week progressed he was surprised and overjoyed that that not only did we work together, we played, sang, prayed, laughed, cried, and worshipped together. His observations made me realize that the relationships that are created are the most important element of mission trips. The project work and the gifts that are shared are mere catalysts for establishing and fostering these relationships.

Tom Skinner

2017 Perú Mission

The 2017 Sharon Presbyterian Church (“Sharon Church”) Mission Trip to Ayacucho, Perú promises to be one of witness and service to Jesus Christ. Perhaps you feel God’s call to participate in this year’s trip.

Informational meetings will be held in the Parlor Room, located in the Charles Little Activity Building of the church on Sunday, February 12th and Sunday, February 26th at 11:45 am. Sharon Church is located at 5201 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.

The trip is scheduled to take place from Thursday, July 27th through Monday, August 7th, 2017.

Trip information and application forms will be distributed at the meeting. Forms are also available in the Perú Mission Trip mailbox (located on the top row of mailboxes in the hallway outside the church office), or by contacting Randy Ross (704-552-5573 or mrandallross@aol.com).

The trip application, first payment and passport copies are due Sunday, March 12th. Please contact Randy if you are unable to attend one of the meetings but are still interested in participating or learning more about the trip.

Randy Ross