Billy Greenman - Peru!

Graduation at Kusi

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:37:00 +0000

This past weekend Kate and I had the opportunity to visit our Kusi boys' home. The house parents, Rosa and Angel, invited us for a very special ceremony. Five of the boys graduated from elementary school (Martin, Arnold, Frank, Mauricio, and Kevin), and Eloy graduated from high school. They didn't have the opportunity to have a graduation party with their school, so Rosa and Angel decided to throw a big party for them all at once. I was excited to go, but at the same time I wasn't sure what to expect. Would the boys enjoy this opportunity to celebrate their achievements? What was all of this going to entail?

We were not disappointed and neither were the boys! Rosa did a great job organizing the entire party. She had a whole ceremony set up just as if it were a real graduation. All of the graduates were dressed in a shirt and tie, there were special graduation pictures, cake, and the whole nine yards! Kate and I had brought Bibles for each boy as a small present, and Rosa decided that because of that we would be the padrinos, meaning godparents, for this party. We both had a chance to tell the boys how proud we were of them, how much we valued their friendships, and share a few words of encouragement as they look towards their future.

The graduates

The toast (Sprite, of course!)

I decided that I wanted to share two verses with them. First, I spoke about 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!" Many of these boys have come from difficult pasts. In some cases they have endured terrible hardships that have left deep marks on their lives. In other cases, they themselves have made mistakes that continue to affect their lives today. The beauty of this promise, though, is that in Christ all things are made new. Christ doesn't look at their pasts and condemn them; on the contrary, he is the one who makes all things new. The boys are at a turning point in their lives, and as they look to the future they can rest confidently in the fact that Christ brings renewal each and every day!

Secondly, I shared Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." I wanted the boys to remember where their strength comes from. Some of them have big dreams, and others struggle to dream of becoming anything. But if they learn to rely on Christ, then He will give them the strength to do His will! He is the wind behind our sails. If we rely on Christ, then He will show us the way. If we try to make our way through life on our own, then we will always finish disappointed.

We had a great time of sharing and celebrating together. To finish the party off, a group of friends from town came up to Kusi and joined us in an hora loca. Literally translated, that means a crazy hour. Here in Peru that means a straight hour of dancing without stopping. I am not much of a dancer, but I have to say I had some great fun. Sorry friends, no pictures or videos :-) Maybe next time!

The boys' new Bibles wrapped and ready to open

With Kevin, Mauricio, and Frank

The graduates with all of their other fellow Girasoles

Okay, just one picture of me dancing! Did I mention that some imaginary friends joined us?

I can never quite express how much of a blessing it is to be a part of these people's lives. To comfort them in their sadness and share in their joys and triumphs. Thanks to everyone who is a part of this ministry. God is definitely at work here in Peru!

New Year 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone from Peru! We are already well into 2012, and I am excited for things to come this year. We already have a number of different short term work teams and medical teams signed up to partner with our ministry in 2012, and I know that God has great things in store for us.

We had a great holiday season here in Peru, but it is still funny to celebrate Christmas in the middle of the summer! Kate and I spent part of Christmas Eve at the beach! If you want to read more about our Christmas experience, then I encourage you to read Kate's recent post.

To bring in the New Year Kate and I headed down to our boys' home in the city of Ica. Augusto, the house father in Ica, really wanted to have a pig roast for the boys to celebrate. They had a turkey dinner on Christmas, and for New Year they wanted to do something different. Augusto set off in search of a decent size pig, and he did not disappoint; he came back with a 300 pound monster! They prepared the meat, and then they sent it off to a place that had an oven where they could roast it.

Augusto working on the pig--I'll spare you from seeing the other photos :-)

In the mean time we all headed up to the beach. Ica is a hot, dry desert city, and the refreshing water was quite a treat for everyone. Some of the boys jumped right in, others played making sand castles on the shore, and still others passed the day by searching for snails and muscles in the tide pools that they then used as fishing bait! They even caught a few fish.

Swimming at the beach

Sand castles

Agustito half buried in the sand

Kate and I

We came back to the house that evening ready to say goodbye to 2011 and to bring in 2012! Around 10:00pm we all gathered together in the dining room, and we had a great time of reflection over 2011. We discussed some of the hardships that the boys and the home had been through, and we spent some time praying for God's blessing and provision in the year to come. Around 11:00pm the roast pork came out of the kitchen, and we ate like kings! I wouldn't be surprised if they are still finishing off all of the meat from that huge pig! At midnight we celebrated along with the rest of the country by lighting off all types of fireworks, bottle rockets, and sparklers. It was such a joy to spend time with such a special group of friends. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Girasoles Ica!

My Parents' Visit to the Amazon

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:49:00 +0000

Last week was a great time of relaxing and enjoying the company of my parents. It was great to see them after almost an entire year of being away. We enjoyed a few days exploring the Amazon jungle from a lodge. We also got to visit a number of different projects that Scripture Union has here in Peru. Below are a few pictures to tell our experience.

Canopy Tour Zip Line -- After a 120 foot climb into the canopy, we got to zip-line and rappel back down!

Dorilla, the monkey, enjoying some bananas in our boat

Swimming in the river with my dad and with the pink dolphins!

Dad caught a piranha. He was happy until he realized that they were going to kill it and cook it.

Mom, Dad, Gerlo (our guide), and I

The family plus Kate taking Christmas pictures at the mall.

Arriving to Iquitos

In Iquitos these grubs are a highly sought after snack.

Mom, Dad, and I in front of a huge tree.

This frog tried to escape, and it ended up attached to Mom's leg. I wasn't sure if the frog was going to end up in the water or if my mom was.

Also, I just wanted to take a chance to make you aware that you can now sign up online for recurring donations to support me and my ministry here in Peru. Hopefully this new tool will make the process of signing up for monthly donations a little bit easier. All you have to do is click here to go to my missionary profile page on LAM's website. From there, click on the "support this missionary" link, and follow the instructions. Please prayerfully consider participating in this ministry through your financial support.

Christmas Around the Corner

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:04:00 +0000

I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that I was helping out with our January summer camps on the beach. This year I have been busier than ever, and I am so blessed to be a part of Scripture Union's ministry here in Peru. Apart from the camps at the beginning of the year, I have also continued to support the work at our boys' homes across the country (two of which are brand new this year)! I have taken some sign language classes and participated in our ministry for the deaf. I have traveled with Pastor Emilio to help in the distribution of Scripture Union's daily devotional guides. I have hosted numerous short-term missions teams that have helped with construction and maintenance of our homes, medical outreach ministries, vacation Bible schools, and so much more! If you want to learn more about my work here in Peru, I encourage you to visit my new LAM missionary profile by clicking here. You will find more general information about me as well as a link to my most recent pictures.

Now we are approaching the Thanksgiving season. Most of us will take a moment to stop, reflect, and thank God for the blessings that he has given to each of us. We serve a great God who is worthy of all our thanksgiving! He freely gives us his love even though we are all undeserving of it. God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to those around us.

This year we are once again raising funds to provide a nice Christmas dinner and gifts for the children in each of our homes. While many people enjoy family time this season, many of our boys are reminded of the family that they never had, or worse--the family that didn't want them. While the boys are in our care we take our calling very seriously. We are their family, and we want to show the children that they do have value. We want to be reflections of the Father's love in their lives.

If you are interested in supporting our efforts, then please click here for our full letter with further information on how to partner with us. If you have any questions, always feel free to email me (bgreenman@latinamericamission.org).

Girasoles Christmas in Ica

In addition to financial support, we would greatly appreciate your prayers. Below are a few prayer requests:

- Construction is underway at our Cusco home that washed away. Pray for the project to run smoothly so that our boys can move into their new permanant home as soon as possible.
- Scripture Union will have a new general director at the beginning of the new year. Pray for the transition process, and pray for wisdom for our new leader.
- Pray for our schools ministry. This work is expanding, and we are hoping to start schools work in new regions of Peru's jungle and mountains.
- My parents are coming to visit Peru for Thanksgiving this year. Pray for a safe and healthy trip. Pray for quality time with my family this coming week.

Yems

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:12:00 +0000

Yesterday morning I found myself sitting in a small office as I was anxiously waiting to meet Yems, one of the children who I have been sponsoring through Compassion International for a few years. What will the day be like? What are we going to do? I hope he enjoys the day. I have been living in Lima for two and half years already, and I figured that I needed to take advantage of the fact that Yems and I are living in the same city. I contacted Compassion in the States, and they were more than happy to set everything up for me.

Yems and his mom walked through the door, and they were presented to me by some of the staff workers here in Peru. It was a surprise to them that I was able to speak Spanish. They were worried that it would not be very easy to communicate through a translator. We had a really nice day. I was able to take them out to the "Parque de las Leyendas," a very large zoo / archeological attraction here in Lima. After our very full morning at the zoo, we went out to lunch. As we walked around I had the opportunity to learn more about his family and his dreams. Yems wants to study to be a translator. He wants to learn English and Italian. He also really enjoys art. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to say our goodbyes.

Throughout my travels in Peru I have noticed a similar quality in many people here who are living in poverty--they often don't believe in themselves or think very highly of themselves. In a way they begin to accept their place in society. They begin to accept that they are sub-par human beings. One of my greatest joys in life is to help people recognize those lies and to tell them about the hope that they have in Christ. In Christ we are heirs to the throne (Gal. 4:6, 7), we are free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1), and we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37). I was greatly blessed by the opportunity to spend time with Yems and his mother yesterday. It was a perfect opportunity to affirm them and build them up, to encourage Yems in his studies, and to remind them that they are loved.

Yems, his mother, and I

A Life Transformed!

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Wow, this summer (or winter here in Peru) has flown by. So much has happened. Since the end of May I have hosted 10 different work teams from the United States and Scotland. I have been all over the country to our various boys' homes, and I even made it to Quito, Ecuador for a few days to translate a wedding for my good friend Katie. I have been busy hosting teams, translating church services, helping out with some construction projects, coordinating VBS programs, translating for medical doctors, and sharing the work of Scripture Union with all of the visitors that have come. It has been such a great blessing to be a part of, but last night something extraordinary happened that will stand out for me as a highlight of my summer and of my entire time here in Peru thus far.

I actually want to backtrack a little bit before I get to everything that happened yesterday evening. At the beginning of June I was visiting Kusi with a work team. As is customary here in Kusi, we have a bonfire with the group and all of the boys near the end of the group's time in Peru. It is a great moment of fellowship with each other. We sing praises in English and in Spanish, and anyone from the group or any of the boys that live here are free to stand up and share a testimony of what God is doing or what he has already done in their lives. I was sitting at the dinner table with Miguel, one of the boys who lives here at Kusi. I asked him if he had anything that he wanted to share with the group. He thought for a minute, and he said to me, "Not tonight, but when the last group comes in August I will share my testimony."

I left it at that, wondering if he really meant that he wanted to say something in August or if it was just his indirect way of saying that he didn't want to share anything in front of the entire group, hoping that it would be forgotten before August came around. I would just have to wait and see.

"I am going to give my testimony to the group tonight at the bonfire. You are going to translate for me, right?" Miguel said me yesterday morning. I had been wondering whether or not he was going to say anything for the last two months. It turns out that he did have something that he wanted to share, and I was excited to see what he had to say to the group. But come dinner time Miguel approached me again. He said, "Billy, I don't think I can share tonight, but I promise I will the next time a work group comes, and we have another bonfire." I told him that no one is pressuring him, and that we are happy to hear what he had to say when he was ready to say it.

We finished with dinner, and put on all of our warm clothes on to head out to the fire. On my way out, Miguel approached me one more time. He told me that Angel, the house father here at Kusi, had also approached him and asked if he wanted to share anything. Once again, he changed his mind and decided to share. We sang a few songs, and a few other people shared testimonies of God's work in their lives first, and then it was Miguel's turn. I have known Miguel for a number of years, and I know that he has passed through some very difficult moments in the streets, but I had no idea what he was going to share. He stood up beside me so that I could translate, and he began to speak to the group of 20 Americans and his 40 other brothers here in Kusi:

"My story starts when I was six years old. I lived in the town of Tingua, and my older brother abandoned me on the streets. I spent my time on the streets. I went wherever I wanted to go, and I did whatever I wanted to do. Two years later when I was eight, I came to the town of Yungay. I found my brother here, but he abandoned me again. I continued to live on the streets until one day I met a lady named Liz. She approached me, and asked me where my family was. I told her that my mom, my dad, and my brother had abandoned me, and I didn't have any family. She was the one who told me about Kusi, and eventually I came here.

I lived here for a couple of years, but it was really hard for me to get used to life here with all of the rules. They were hard to follow, and after a year or two I began to think about leaving and going back to the streets. I convinced myself that the freedom I had on the streets was something that was good for me, so I left. I went back down to Yungay, and I began to rob to make a living for myself. I also worked on a transport route going from Yungay to the town of Yanama on the other side of Huascaran. Sometime I worked all day and all night. I rented a room for myself in Yungay, but after the first month I left without paying the landlord. I found other friends in the streets, and we continued to steal. One day my old landlord found me, and confronted me with what I owed him. I told him that I would pay him when I had the money, but I wasn't really planning to ever pay him.

Then the day came when I stole something, and I was caught. I was taken to the police station. I told them that it wasn't me, even though I knew that it was. I was there for awhile, and then eventually they got in touch with papa Angel. They called him and asked him to come down. They wanted to send me back to Kusi. Angel came, but I really did not want to come back here. They left me to think about it for five minutes, and I began to reflect on my life. I thought about where my life would end up if I didn't come back. I agreed to go.

I have been back for one year now, and I am thankful for my family here in Kusi. I ask you all to continue to pray for me because tonight I want to make the decision to give my life to Jesus."

Miguel broke down in tears along with many of us who were listening. We prayed with him, and celebrated by breaking out the marshmallows to roast over the bonfire. What a beautiful story of God's redemption and the seed planted years ago that has finally come to bear fruit in Miguel's life, and what courage Miguel had to share the Holy Spirit's work in his life to such a large group of people! The truth is that Miguel just chipped into the tip of the iceberg as he told us of the pain and suffering that he has experienced. He has passed through some situations that would be hard for most of us to even fathom. But that is now all in his past. In Christ he is a new creation. The old is gone; the new has come!

Please join me in rejoicing in the work that God has done in Miguel's life, and the work that he continues to do in the lives of the boys in all of our programs throughout Peru. Pray that Miguel would grow in his new faith and that God would place people in his path to encourage him and help him to move forward.

We closed the evening by singing these words last night. I think it is an appropriate ending to this blog entry as well:

"Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."

Scripture Union Peru Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:34:00 +0000

It is hard to believe that April has already come and gone. Time here in Peru is flying by. April was a great month for me. I enjoyed celebrating my birthday with friends in Lima, I have enjoyed my continuing sign language classes, and I have really enjoyed having a little bit more time to get involved in my local church here in Peru. I have made some new friends, joined in on a service project to paint a school for children with special needs, participated in the recording of my church's live worship CD/DVD, and I have begun translating some of the Sunday morning services from Spanish to English. No, I don't translate in front of everyone, but each week we have a few English speaking visitors that would like to know what is happening during the service. They are given headphones, and I speak into a microphone in the back of the room that transmits to their headphones. It is a little bit more challenging than translating up front because there are no pauses for me to jump in and translate. I have to do it simultaneously. It is great practice, though, and it is a joy to be able to serve my local congregation. You are welcome to look at my pictures from the last few months. Just click here or look for them on Facebook.

Painting the School

I have also kept busy with Scripture Union. Last week our international relations team had an opportunity to meet with our board of directors. It was a good chance to talk about different ideas and visions that we have as well as a good opportunity to become better acquainted with the board. The week prior to the meeting was full of preparations for our presentation to the board, and I think that our work and preparation paid off.

In many ways the month of May is kind of the quiet before the storm. Our first work team arrives on May 22, and we will hit the ground running. I will be with teams almost nonstop between then and mid August in different parts of the country. Right now it is all logistics. Booking hotels, buses, and figuring out budgets. Thankfully my friend and colleague, Rachel, is in charge of most of these logistical details. She does a great job, and I am around this month to give her an extra hand where need be. Please pray for us as we make preparations this month. Also pray for all of the teams who are preparing to come and partner with us. Pray for the volunteers who will be coming to help host the teams and all of the full time SU staff who will be involved with the short term teams.

If you are interested in getting to know a little bit more about SU Peru, then I encourage you to look at these two videos below. The first explains our general work and the different options for work teams that come down. The second shows a little bit of our medical ministry on the Amazon River. If you are interested in work teams or medical missions, give me an email (bgreenman@latinamericamission.org), and I will get you more information.

Work Teams

Amazon Hope

"Abandoned" and How You Can Help

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:43:00 +0000

Lev Mergian is a friend of mine back from my days at Ward Church's youth group. He and I traveled together on a number of short term trips with church, and they were trips that opened our eyes and changed both or our lives. For me, God used the short term trips to solidify my long term calling to Peru. For Lev, the trips inspired him to film a documentary about the street children here in Peru to open the world's eyes to such an important social issue.

He has already done the filming, and is now in the process of raising money to cover the costs of producing the documentary. I encourage you to take a look at his page on kickstarter.com and consider being a part of this documentary. The funds raised will be used to hire translators, transcribers, colorists, editors, sound designers, licensing, multi-media formatting, and composers. It will also fund the submission fees to enter this picture into as many film festivals as possible. Below is the trailer for "Abandoned."

You can learn more about the documentary and donate to this project by clicking here.

So Much More than Sign Language

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:49:00 +0000

Just as I did last year, I have decided to enroll in the sign language classes that Scripture Union Peru offers for the months of March and April. Last year I had to enroll in the pre-basic class, and in that class we actually didn't learn signs at all. It was more about gestures and visual, non-verbal communication skills. This year I am now in level one, and I have only attended two classes so far. In the first class we concentrated on the alphabet, and in the second class we added numbers to the mix. I find myself walking around Lima and practicing signing the letters on street signs. Haha...I know I am a little bit of a nerd.

My teacher's name is Vanessa, and she herself is a deaf adult. As I walked out of my last class on Saturday, I was really moved. It wasn't so much the content that she was teaching but the way in which she chose to teach it. Vanessa does a wonderful job of incorporating her own personal experiences into the classroom. As she patiently spells words to us with her hands and teaches us new signs (10 times slower than she would with someone who already knows signs), she tells us bits and pieces of her testimony. She tells us how she was ignored at home because no one knew how to communicate with her. She tells us of all of the painful doctors visits and odd procedures that she underwent because of her parent's desire for her to be normal. She told us how her parents made her feel like she was guilty--somehow responsible for her own deafness. She told us of how she would be handed books and expected to read, or at least copy the letters even though she did not understand what the letters meant. She had a low self esteem, and she was so angry without any way to express it in a way that other people would understand.

Today she is so much the opposite. Vanessa is bright and outgoing. She is able to communicate fluently in signs, and she can read and write Spanish. She told us that as a child she could never have imagined that she would be in charge of a classroom full of hearing adults. She is so happy that by God's grace she has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Most of my classmates are parents of deaf children. To see the light in Vanessa's eyes as she urges the parents to make the effort to communicate with their children and to include them with the rest of the family is truly moving.

I thank God for Vanessa and her other colleagues who are working at Scripture Union's deaf program. Many deaf people in Peru end up jobless and living on the streets with nowhere else to go. They fall into a life of drugs and loneliness. Praise God that he is using people like Vanessa to make a difference in these peoples' lives. He is using her not only as a mentor and role model for other deaf children but also as a testimony and example for these children's parents and family!

Summer Camps in Kawai

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:03:00 +0000

For most of the month of February I am working in Scripture Union Peru's summer camps at Kawai. Kawai is a large campsite owned by Scripture Union right on the Pacific Ocean. While most of you readers are all bundled up trying to keep warm, I have the privilege of spending one month of my Peruvian summer on the beach working with all different types of kids and youth. This past week I had a special opportunity to help host a camp in partnership with another organization called SOS Children's Villages International. Forty teenagers came from the Esperanza home and the Rio Hondo. While the organization itself is not a Christian organization, I had the opportunity to spend four days with the kids and to share God's love with them.

We did all sorts of activities during the week. We spent hours in the pool and even more time on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We had relay races, skits, soccer and volleyball tournament, we slept in tents, and we had plenty more excitement during the week. One thing that amazes me working with kids and youth is how quickly you can begin to build relationships. What a blessing it is to become involved in the lives of people who you are just beginning to know. Working here in Kawai brings back years of good memories at Ward's Kids Kamp. I loved going to camp and enjoying life as a camper, but I also remember that God worked in my life through the counselors and other role models that he placed in my path.

I now have the opportunity to be one of those role models for these kids. For me the highlight of last week was the very last night. We had a bonfire on the beach and we went around the circle talking about our experiences from the last few days. We had a few laughs thinking of the funny things that happened during the week. We toasted marshmallows, and we enjoyed the beach. As the evening was coming to an end each of the counselors had a chance to say sometime. Paul, the director of the camp, shared how he made a decision for Christ in Kawai a number of years ago. When my turn came I felt pressed to share that one of the great things about God's love is that he chooses to continue loving us even in the midst of our broken condition. I shared that we can come to God just as we are with all of our problems, and he will accept us with open arms. The other guides continued to give a few words, and then the evening was over. We started to go back to the campsite, but I noticed that one of the older kids, Antony, just stayed sitting on the beach looking at the fire.

I approached him, and asked him if he was alright. "God really loves me in spite of everything I have done?" he said. Wow. I was not expecting that question--especially not from him. Antony was the oldest and one of the most difficult to work with during the week, but the gears were obviously turning in his head. I sat down with him in front of the fire, and we stayed and continued talking late into the night. How awesome it is to be in a situation where I know that God is using me. Antony still has lots of questions, and I encouraged him to continue to ask and to continue to search for God. I know that as he begins to search, God will be faithful in answering. Pray for Antony and the other kids who are coming to Kawai all summer long. God is at work here in Peru!

I leave you with a few photos from the week. You can see all of them on my Flickr page.

Games on the beach

My favorite thing to do at camp--SWIM!!!

Pie in the face

The group

Paul, Joca, Erica, and I (the leaders)

Alex, Julio, Alex, and I

Ideally the eggs were supposed to sink!

Update on Jacob

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:08:00 +0000

I just wanted to post a quick update about Jacob from my last blog post. He is healing very well, and we are continuing to take care of him. It looks like we may take him to our boys' home near Iquitos. Either way, we will definitely work to make sure that he is in good care. It is great to see how God can work--even in the midst of a snake bite. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Earlier this week another group from the UK visited the boat, and they were able to meet Jacob. The following video was taken by one of the group members. If you can't see the video, then click here to go the the YouTube page.

Jacob and God's Perfect Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Recently I had another opportunity to spend a few days on our medical boat in the Amazon jungle. This particular voyage took us far from the city of Iquitos fairly close to the border between Peru and Brazil. If you want to try to find it on a map, look for the city of Pevas (sometimes spelled Pebas) in Peru. It is amazing to see how God can use the boat and the team on the boat to minister to the people in the jungle in very tangible ways.

One case in particular stands out in my mind, and I want to share Jacob's story with you. It was my last evening on the boat for this particular trip, and we had changed plans at the last minute. We were supposed to be heading to a town close to the Ampiyacu River, but instead Dr. Ronald (the doctor in charge of this voyage) decided to head a couple of hours farther down the Amazon to the town of Cochiquinas. Just as we were tying the boat up in the town's small port and finishing dinner, a man from the town approached our boat looking for help.

"I know that you are not planning on attending patients until tomorrow morning, but please, this is an emergency." he said.

Indeed it was. The man was carrying a young boy in his arms. He explained to us that the morning before he had been bitten by a snake in the ankle, and he was growing weaker and weaker. As we brought the boy down into the medical room, we noticed that he was bleeding from a number of different places on his body. I know nothing about snake bites or tropical medicine, but the doctors explained to me that it is common for snake venom to act as an anticoagulant, meaning that wherever this boy has a cut or a scrape, the blood wouldn't clot like normal--it just continued to bleed.

Immediately, the doctors and nurses went to work. I did my best to stay out of their way and just be available to translate as needed. Thankfully our boat travels with a general snake anti-venom in stock. I was under the impression that once we gave him the anti-venom medicine, then he would begin to heal, but the doctors informed me that his case was much more serious.

"Theoretically speaking this anti-venom will do no good if the bite occurred more than 24 hours ago," Dr. Ronald said, "and this boy was bitten more than 36 hours ago. The only other treatment for snake venom only treats the symptoms--not the problem."

"So what are we going to do?" I asked, worried that the boy might not make it.

Dr. Ronald replied, "There are only two things that we can do: give him the anti-venom anyway and pray that God will take care of this boy."

We did just that. We administered the strong medicine to this boy through his IV line. At first he reacted quite strongly. He began vomiting, and he became quite sick. As I stood in the room and witnessed this, I began to think that I was going to witness this boy's death that very night. The doctors and nurses seemed quite worried, and I was so impressed with the way they cared for the boy over the next couple of hours.

While they were in the room taking care of the boy's immediate needs, my mind turned to his family. The man who brought this boy to the boat was just a neighbor. I asked the man where Jacob's parents were. He explained that they are separated, and neither one lives close by. The father never comes to visit, and the mother has a new family now, but she comes to see her children about once a month. The neighbor told me that this boy is now living with his grandparents, but they leave for four or five days at a time to go out to work in the coca fields. The grandparents were home when Jacob was bitten, but they just left him in the house and left for work as if it were any other day.

I continued making small talk with Jacob's neighbor until the doctors came out to say that his stomach had calmed down, his bleeding had stopped, and miraculously, he seemed to be stabilizing. What a praise! He was just going to need some rest, and he was going to continue to receive antibiotics to fight off any type of infection that might follow. As things began to quiet down for the night, I volunteered to sit in with him until he fell asleep. We talked for awhile. I asked him a little bit more about it life and his family. I found out that he was the oldest of three. He explained to me that they are on their own most of the time, but grandma and grandpa come by the house every once in awhile. As we continued to talk, I learned that he did not know his age or his birthday. I would guess that he is about nine years old. Jacob didn't even know what his last name was.

We continued to talk. "So you are the oldest? I guess that means that you get to take care of your younger siblings."

"Yeah, but that doesn't scare me. When am I going to be able to go home? I'm getting bored here, and I want to see my brother and sister." He responded.

I was amazed at the way this boy talked. He was taken from his home by a neighbor to a strange medical boat full of strange doctors and nurses. He was bitten by a snake, incredibly weak, and on top of that we gave him medicine that made him feel even sicker. Not once did he shed a tear, and as soon as he began to stabilize he was worrying about his siblings. I sat with him awhile longer, and he drifted to sleep.

I slept very little that night. I could not stop thinking about Jacob on the deck below. I spent time praying for him and his family. Praying that God would bring healing to his body and redemption to his family. Praying that through all of these difficult situations that God would make himself known.

Morning came, and I went straight back downstairs to see how Jacob was doing. He had slept most of the night and was just receiving his second round of antibiotics. He was doing better, but he was going to need antibiotics for a number of days. We needed to get him to the hospital. Jacob's neighbor kindly volunteered to go and look for his grandparents, but when he found them in the fields they communicated that they were not going to be able to leave their work, and the would not take Jacob to the hospital. I couldn't believe that they just ignored the problem, knowing full well that if he didn't get to a hospital he could still die. With no legal guardian to take him, we did the only thing that we could do--keep him on the boat.

This was my last morning on the boat. I had to accompany my group back to Iquitos so that they could catch their flights back to the UK. We left Jacob under the care of our very highly qualified Peruvian staff of doctors and nurses.

So many thoughts were racing through my mind as I made the six hour speed boat trip back to Iquitos. I spent time wrestling with this situation, questioning God, and wondering why all this had happened. Even if Jacob does get better, what kind of home is he going back into? As I spent time in prayer, my mind wandered to Joseph in the Bible. I was reminded of how so many difficult things happened in his life. He was sold into slavery, thrown into jail, and forgotten about for years. In the end, he becomes second in command only to Pharaoh himself, and he saves countless numbers of people from starving to death during a great famine. What others meant for evil, God used for good!

I am encouraged as I am reminded that God also has a plan for our Jacob. I am not sure what it is, but I trust that God knows what he is doing. I am reminded that we weren't even planning on going to Jacob's village that evening. I am reminded that our doctors were able to stabilize Jacob even though we were more than 12 hours past the deadline to administer the anti-venom. I don't know exactly where Jacob will end up. We are doing all that we can to find a safe place for him and his siblings. First we have to try to locate family, and if that doesn't work out then he may be a candidate for our boys' home near Iquitos. Either way, join me in praising God for his perfect plan and in praying that God would continue to lay his healing and protecting hand over this boy's life.

Girasoles Christmas Request

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:12:00 +0000

As we enter into the Christmas season, I am thinking of the street boys living in our homes across the country. We love these children, and we do everything that we can to show them how much God loves them. Christmas is a difficult time of the year for the boys in our homes. It is a holiday centered around celebrating the birth of Christ and sharing among family. Many of you have heard the stories about the backgrounds of our boys. Most of them come from broken, abusive backgrounds, and obviously this is a time of year when many of them are constantly being reminded that they don't have a family with which to share the holiday.

We take our responsibility for these children very seriously. We are their family. This Christmas season we have an excellent opportunity to share the message of Christ coming to earth as a man. We will share how we can be redeemed from our sins and from our brokenness through the gift of salvation that God freely extends to each of us.

We also want to show the kids that we love them and we value them. I ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with us to make this happen. A gift and a Christmas dinner for these kids is so much more than the material aspect. It is a tangible way that we can show them how much we love and value each of them--more importantly how much Christ values them. Across the country of Peru we currently have more than 200 boys in our care. If you want to help make this Christmas season something special for these children, then I encourage you to open the following letter from my friend, Billy Clark.

Click here to read the letter. (You will need Adobe Reader to view the document.)

You will find all of the information that you need to send your donation. If you have any questions, feel free to email me (bgreenman@latinamericamission.org). Also, after making the donation please send an email to me and Billy Clark (peruworkteams@gmail.com) to confirm that the money has been received.

Thanks so much for your continued partnership in this ministry. Thanks for your continued prayers. Please remember to keep all of these boys in your prayers this Christmas season.

Christmas 2009 at Girasoles Ica

Something Different--A Trip Down the Amazon

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:40:00 +0000

Wow, it is amazing how time flys! It seems like just yesterday I was flying home for my sister's wedding. But that was in April. Since then I have spent a few months in the Chanchamayo valley (Peru's high jungle) hosting work teams that came to help finish construction on what will soon become our newest home for abandoned boys. I have also re-traveled to many of Scripture Union's campsites and boys' homes with other work teams. A few weeks ago I had the privilege to work alongside our staff at Kawai, helping to care for the 45 boys there. It has been a great season of doing God's work and sharing his love.

Most recently, I had the opportunity to do something that I have never done before. Ten days ago I boarded the Amazon Hope, one of Scripture Union Peru's two medical boats, and set sail on the Amazon River together with doctors, nurses, dentists, and the ship's crew to provide medical care to the remote villages in the Peruvian jungle. I was asked to travel as a translator on the boat as 1 doctor and 4 nurses joined us from the United Kingdom. What a great experience!

The Amazon Hope

Translating for Dr. Jenkins

Sailing at sunset

The team from the UK

Our boats set out on the Amazon an average of twice per month. The trips last anywhere between 10 and 14 days. The best part is that this is an ongoing ministry. Our boats are on a rotation so that they can visit each community approximately once every three months. We are able to provide some follow up care as well as build lasting relationships with the local communities.

It is amazing what a great variety of cases we were able to attend to on the boat. Last week we were able to partner with some nurses that work with Peru's ministry of health. The government is supposed to provide vaccines for children, but they are unable to complete that promise because of the inaccessibility of many of the villages. We offered them a ride on our boat, and they brought the vaccines! We also had two Peruvian doctors, one British doctor, and two Peruvian dentists who attended to the needs of the communities--everything from minor headaches and back pain to tooth extractions, prenatal care, dressing infected wounds, and a few minor operations. We also provided vitamins for infants and young children, fluoride treatments to all of the children and Abendazol anti-parasite tablets to all of our patients. Apart from the medical work that we do attending to patients on the boat. We also do work in the local schools. Pepe, a friend who also works with Scripture Union spends his days in the local schools giving practical health education. All in all, we had a record 10 days providing 3286 individual attentions!

Dental work

The medical work is really only one facet of this ministry though. Most evenings we invited everyone in the community to our boat for a special program. We shared the gospel to the children through a clown/puppet show. We are also able to show Christian cartoons and videos each time we visit the community. For most people TV and constant electricity is a rare treat. Everyone was eager to watch.

The evening Bible program

Praise God for the work the Scripture Union is doing here in Peru's jungle. Please take time to pray for these communities and people who have so little access to health care, and in many cases very little access to the Gospel. Pray that God would continue to use our boats for his glory. Pray that these communities' needs would be met both physically and spiritually!

My First Year (Plus One Month) in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:51:00 +0000

Wow! It is hard to believe that it has been 13 months since I arrived here in Peru. It probably would have made more sense to write this post in March after the one year mark, but I missed that chance. I have been in a reflective mood again this week as I celebrated my 24th birthday. This is just a post to help me look back over the last year. Enjoy!

March 2009

-- I moved to Peru on March 18, 2009, and I found my first apartment in Miraflores, Lima shortly thereafter.

My first apartment

-- I also had a chance to meet up with some old friends from our Lima center and go to the Peru vs. Chile World Cup qualifying game. Sadly, Peru lost.

Johnny and I at the game

April 2009

-- I began to get connected with my new home church in Lima--Camino de Vida.

Getting ready for a service project with church

-- I also began working full time with Scripture Union's school ministry. It was a great chance for me to get to know a part of the Scripture Union family and to learn more about the ministry that we have here in Peru. I celebrated my 23rd birthday by going out to a Peruvian Chinese restaurant with the schools workers one evening after finishing a training session for the Lima volunteers.

Chifa (Peruvian Chinese food) for my 23rd birthday!

May 2009

-- I spent the first weekend in May volunteering at on of Scripture Union's camps that was done in conjunction with a Christian high school here in Lima. It was a great time of fellowship and sharing with some of the youth here in Lima!

With some of the guys from the camp/retreat

-- Mothers' Day is also in May, and it is even bigger here in Peru than it is in the States. I was across the world from my mother, but I didn't forget about her. I sent her some Peruvian lilies!

My mom

Her Peruvian lilies

-- The end of May also marked the beginning of the 2009 work team season. I had the opportunity to host the senior class trip of South Lake Christian School, and we went to Ica and to Kusi. I look forward to hosting their senior class trip yet again this coming May!

South Lake's graduating class of 2009

June 2009

-- I temporarily moved from Lima to Cusco's Sacred Valley to begin hosting all of the 2009 work teams that came to work at our Casa Girasoles and visit with the boys there.

The Girasoles from the Sacred Valley

-- Kate also came down to Cusco for a week with her church's work team. We spent one day in Cusco and saw lots of crazy parades, processions, and protests!

Gorilla boy in one of Cusco's parades

July 2009

-- I continued to host teams at our Sacred Valley boys' home in Cusco. It was a real privilege to build a relationship with Hector and Maritza (the house parents) and with the entire family there at the home.

With Hector, Maritza, and their two children

-- I also had the chance to so some tourism around Cusco. One of the highlights was the day that Hector and I jumped off a mountain at the top of the Sacred Valley and parachuted all of the way down to the bottom of the valley!

Hanging from my parachute over the Sacred Valley

August 2009

-- The big event in August was my family's Peru trip. I was so excited that my entire family (mom, dad, brother, and sister) could come and visit me. I got to show them all around the country, introducing them to my friends, our ministry, and Peru's culture. They were here for less than two weeks, but they were able to visit four of the six boys' homes that we operate in the country. They also got to see my church and my dad, brother, and I went to Machu Picchu. Sadly mom and Mandy were feeling sick, and they had to miss out--there's always next year!

My family at Lake Llanganuco near our Kusi boys' home

-- August also marked the beginning of the demolition of our old center in downtown Lima.

Standing in Billy Clark's old office

-- I also moved to my new (and current) apartment.

My apartment

September 2009

-- This month was a busy one. I was no longer based in Cusco. Instead I traveled from place to place with a number of different work teams. It was great to see the progress that different teams made at some of our other sites. For instance, they basically built two new buildings during the course of the summer at Kusi!

The administrator's house at Kusi (built over the Summer of 2009)

October 2009

-- October was my last big month of work teams for 2009. I had the unique opportunity to join one of the teams on the world famous Inca Trail! They invited me, and I wasn't about to pass them up on the offer. For me it was physically trying but well worth the effort. I had already been to Machu Picchu eight or nine times, so I was there more for the journey rather than the destination. What a beautiful creation God has blessed us with!

At Warmiwañusca (the highest pass on the Inca Trail)

-- My last team in October was an HBI medical team that came to Kusi to preform a free medical campaign for the people who lived near our home at Kusi as well as to perform a survey to determine the needs of the community as we begin to look towards constructing a permanent medical clinic for the community.

Dr. Wayne and Karen working hard at our free clinic

November 2009

-- The first part of November was a chance for me to sit back and take a deep breath now that the work team season had officially come to an end. I had a chance to reconnect with friends in Lima as well as spend some time back at my church. I also got to see two concerts: first a Hillsong United concert (a popular worship band from Austrailia) and then a Juan Diego Florez concert (one of Peru's most famous classical singers).

Worshiping with 1000's of Peruvians at Hillsong's concert

-- In the middle of the month I hit the road again. I moved to our boys' home in Ica to spend two and a half months living and working at our Casa Girasoles.

My first days in Ica as the boys were practicing their music

December 2009

-- I continued with my time at Girasoles Ica. I had a number of opportunities to share with the boys at the home and build relationships. Augusto and Nancy (Ica's house parents) were a huge blessing in my life. It was incredibly refreshing to see their faith in action, and they were a blessing to me as I dealt with the homesickness of being far from my family over Christmas.

Augusto, Nancy, and their two children

-- It was difficult to be away from home over Christmas, but the celebration in Ica was unforgettable. We had a beautiful time of praise and worship with the boys, and then as the clock struck 12:00 midnight on Christmas morning we burst out with a big turkey dinner and gifts for the entire family! After celebrating Christmas until three in the morning, I jumped on a bus for four hours to go up to Paul and Marty Clark's house in Lima to have another Christmas celebration at their home during the day!

Excited in Ica for a great Christmas dinner

-- Right after Christmas, Kate Bruder along with her mom, Ann, and her brother, Randy, came down to Ica to visit. Everyone was excited to have them around for a few days! (Sorry, I didn't have my camera out much during their visit.)

January 2010

-- Again, I was still living down in Ica on New Year's Day. We brought in 2010 with a big clown show that all of the boys enjoyed.

Clowing around at Ica for the new year

-- On my last day in Ica we took a day trip to the beach with all of the boys from our home. What a great way to be able to say goodbye! I would see everyone again soon, but January marked the end of my two and a half month stay at the home.

On the way to the beach with Girasoles Ica

-- On a more somber note, we received news that our Sacred Valley home had been completely destroyed due to the wide spread flooding that affected the entire valley after record levels of rainfall. Praise God that all of our boys from Cusco were on vacation that week far from the dangers of the floods.

Hector and some of his boys on vacation far from the flooding in Cusco!

February 2010

-- In February I was back on the road receiving small groups who came to visit our ministry in Peru. They were different from the regular work teams. Instead, they were vision trips for people who were interested either supporting our ministry in the future or for people who were interested in possibly putting a work team together and coming back to Peru. It was one of my busiest months of traveling yet. I had 12 flights and a number of bus rides and boat rides during February. In my last small group of the month, I had the pleasure of hosting Steve Johnson, the president of LAM, and showing him around some of Scripture Union Peru's different ministries.

In the air for one of my many flights in February (overlooking Huascarán, Peru's tallest mountain)

-- During my travels I also got to take some of the groups to visit our medical ship that travels up and down the Amazon River providing free medical service for the indigenous communities in Peru's Amazon basin. It was my first trip to our boat, and I was very excited to meet the doctors and the staff that work in this ministry.

The Amazon Hope 2

Driving the boat after having my face decorated by some of the indigenous ladies in the town where we were serving.

March 2010

-- In March, I again had a chance to catch my breath and settle down in Lima for a little while. For this month, I was assigned to work in yet another one of Scripture Union Peru's ministries--the ministry for the deaf. I had a great time volunteering at the deaf center. I even had a chance to begin taking Peruvian sign language classes. I promise to get some pictures soon, but I keep forgetting to take my camera to the deaf center.

-- I also spent one week in March at Kawai for the annual schools ministry conference. My job was to translate from English to Spanish for one of the speakers. It was an excellent week of community building between all of the different schools workers as well as a chance to become better equipped for the ministry which God has called them to.

With the crew in Kawai

April 2010

-- Finally, we make it back to the present! This month has been full of excitement. I began the month back in Ica with a high school Spring Break trip from Parrott Academy, North Carolina. We spent Easter Sunday in Ica, and I had the privilege of translating a wonderful Easter sermon to the group. Pastor Martin Laos preached beautifully about the power of the resurrection of Jesus!

-- Right after the high school trip, I headed down to Cusco to spend a long weekend with the Hector, Maritza, and the boys at the home. It was my first trip since the home was destroyed by the flooding. It was sad to see the old home gone, but I remain excited to see what God has in their future. God is at work with our boys in the Sacred Valley!

The bridge that we used to cross on the way to the Sacred Valley home (washed out by the floods)

The ruins of the home now that the floods have subsided

-- Just a couple of days ago, I celebrated my 24th birthday by attending the wedding of one of our girls from the Scripture Union office. After the wedding I went out with some friends to celebrate over dessert at TGI Friday's. Thankfully, they were too busy to sing for me and make me dance with the waitress. God was watching out for me--I know that if I would have been asked to dance yet another embarrassing video of me would have gone out on YouTube.

-- This event is yet to come, but I want to get the news out there. ON APRIL 28TH I AM COMING HOME for a few weeks. My sister is graduating from Indiana Wesleyan on May 1st, and she will be getting married on May 14th. I would love to see as many people as I can. If you are going to be around Michigan or Indiana between April 28 and May 18, please let me know. It would be great to see you and catch up.

It is amazing to look back and reflect on this journey that God had brought me through. I look forward to seeing what He has in store for the next year! Please remember to keep me and Peru in your prayers. I have seen God work in mighty ways through His peoples' prayers!

Turning the Page in Cusco

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:40:00 +0000

This weekend I had the opportunity to go and visit our boys' home in Cusco. It was my first trip down there since the heavy rains and floods destroyed the home in January. I went down to visit friends, but I also was anxious to help Hector and Maritza (the house parents) look for new land for their new home. The boys are currently staying in an old hotel complex that we are renting out until we can build a new home on a new piece of land. I was really struck by the anxiety of the boys to know where their next house will be. Every time the subject came up, they asked lots of questions and listened intently. Each time that Hector, Maritza, and I came back after looking at a possible piece of land the boys didn't waste a moment to ask us about our trip.

I didn't plan it this way, but my visit just happened to coincide with the second anniversary of our Girasoles program in Cusco's Sacred Valley. I found it quite ironic that we were out searching for land for the new home on the very anniversary of the opening of the first home that no longer exists. Sunday afternoon, we went out and purchased cookies and soda to have a small anniversary celebration with the boys that evening. We all sat down in a circle outside, and Hector shared his memories of the first days of the home two years ago. He talked to the kids about how far they have come and how proud he is to be their father. When he finished speaking, he put me on the spot--asking me if I had any words to share with the boys.

After seeing the anxiety that the boys had to know where their new home will be, I really just wanted to remind them that God is in control, and He definitely has a plan for them. I reminded them of the many ways that God has provided for their needs in the last two years. He has given them loving house parents; He has changed many of their lives through the Good News found in the Gospel; He protected them by keeping them far away from the floods in January due to a perfectly timed vacation to the beach; and He provided them with a quick temporary residence while we look for a new permanent solution. I know that we are not at the end of the story. God continues to be in control, and I know that He will provide for His children.

After I shared, Hector opened the floor up to any of the boys who would like to say anything. A couple of the boys blew me away with their words. In tears, one of the boys shared his memories of being abandoned when he was five years old. He was so thankful to have found house parents who cared for him, but when the house came down he was afraid that he would be left homeless again (probably why many of the older boys are so anxious to know about their next permanent home). He shared how thankful he was to be reassured that we will rebuild and that he will not have to leave the program. Then one of the older boys stood up--again in tears--as he began to talk about his memories of his family. He shared how thankful he was to now have parents like Hector and Maritza. He shared that when he grows up he wants to be just like them. As he reflected over his past two years in the program, he proceeded to confess that he had been a little rebellious and quite difficult to work with. He asked for forgiveness and promised to be more cooperative.

I find it hard to adequately describe with words what it was like to sit and listen to these two testimonies. Sitting there I could sense God's presence, and I could see the Holy Spirit working in the lives of these boys. What a beautiful time of sharing, fellowship, reconciliation, and restoration! What a blessing to see God at work in the midst of the tragic loss of their old home.

God provided for Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, and so many other people. There is no doubt in my mind that He will continue to provide for the Girasoles in Cusco. Life is like a big book, and God is the author. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for these children as we get ready to turn to the next page!

Training in Kawai

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:23:00 +0000

Before I start this post, I have to take a minute to laugh at myself. I am just now realizing that I made a mistake in the title of my previous post about Scripture Union's ministry to the deaf. I titled it "Learning to See with My Eyes." Well actually, I already know how to see with my eyes. I intended to write "Learning to Listen with My Eyes." I just now fixed the problem :-)

Anyways, last week I had the opportunity to attend a week long conference in Kawai with all 16 of Scripture Union's full time schools and campsite workers from all over the country. Once a year the entire group gets together for a week of reporting successes and failures, encouraging each other, and training to become equipped with more skills to enable them in their ministry. I really enjoyed the week! I learned so much about the schools ministry. Did you know that on a weekly basis during the height of the school year we are reaching more than 35,000 students in 14 provinces of Peru? It is very exciting to see how God is at work and to see how he is raising up volunteers within His church to minister to the children of Peru!

I was brought to Kawai for the week because Betty Purchase, a member of the regional council for the Americas region of Scripture Union, was presenting a few devotionals and training sessions. She does not speak Spanish, so I had the privilege of translating for her. I arrived in Peru just over a year ago, and it is exciting for me to see how faithful God is and how my Spanish continues to improve. A year ago, I would definitely not have been comfortable translating such a formal event into Spanish. There were still some bumps in the road--most notably when Betty pulled out a very old hymn to quote. I didn't even completely understand the hymn in English. The group was very graceful as I struggled through the translation of the hymn. Betty spoke about the importance of following Jesus' model of leadership in her first session, and in her second session she gave us some new ideas about how to dynamically share the history and the stories in the Bible with children and youth.

While at Kawai, we also had a number of workshops led by Katherine Urbano of Christian Camping International. She gave us many, many ideas for future camp programs, and she really bonded with the group during the week. For me, it was an opportunity to regress back to my childhood a little bit--especially during the session where she taught us some new games to play with our campers. We learned water games, parachute games, awkward dances, and much more. Katherine really had a gift for taking a fun game and tying it into a life lesson or Biblical value. It was definitely time well spent.

Apart from the business of all of the meetings and training, last week was also a great opportunity for me to get to know the schools and campsite workers better. I knew some of them, but I had never even met almost half of them. Most of the year they are spread all throughout Peru's provinces. As I continue to get to know more people who are involved with Scripture Union, I begin to feel more a part of the organization. I have said it before, but it is so exciting for me to be a part of this great work that God is doing in Peru!

I leave you with a few pictures of the week at Kawai. To see all of my pictures, visit my Flickr page: www.flickr.com/billygreenman.

Hanging out at a shopping center near Kawai

David, Pepe, and I at the beach of Kawai

The group!

God's undeniable beauty!

Learning to Listen with My Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:43:00 +0000

Well, as happens sometimes, things have gotten busy down here, and I have gotten behind in my blogging. I have a few posts that I want to sit down and write, so this is the first of a few to catch you all up on the month of March here in Peru.

For the month of March I have had the opportunity to work in Scripture Union´s program for the deaf here in Lima. Of all of the ministries the Scripture Union has down here I have had the least amount of contact with our deaf program--mainly because I don´t know how to sign. I really wanted to have the chance to meet the people who were involved in this ministry, though. I have learned a lot about another entire aspect of Scripture Union´s work here.

Our program for the deaf was actually born at the same time as our program for street children. In the 1980´s, a Peruvian man on our staff named Ernesto was very interested in helping Peru´s deaf population. He heard that there were many deaf children living on the streets, so he went out looking for them. He did, indeed, find a number of deaf children, but he also found a number of hearing children living on the streets. Hence the beginning of these two ministries.

Our ministry for the deaf has grown immensly since then, and we have gained recognition at a national level. We employ deaf teachers to transmit the language of signs to the children so that they learn the language as a child naturally would. We also have after school classes for the children in our program. After the leave public school, they come straight to our center where we reinforce what is being taught in their classroom and help them to understand their homework. In the last few years, the Peruvian government has passed legislation to mainstream all handicapped children into the regular public school system. This in its own right is not a bad thing, but the problem is that the children are placed in a classroom where no one can interpret for them. They end up sitting isolated in a corner all day long not knowing what is going on. The government does not recognize signs as an official language which means that it doesn´t recognize the profession of an interpreter and will provide no salary to anyone who wants to interpret in the public school classrooms. We do our best to provide interpreters to our students, but we are spread quite thin, and the need is on the rise.

That brings me to the next facet of the deaf ministry. Scripture Union has been very active working with the government to propose new legislation to protect the rights of the deaf community. To give you an idea of the situation in Peru, until 1989 it was actually illegal for a deaf person to get married. Today there are many deaf people sitting in prison who have no idea why they are there. They were never able to testify nor understand what was going on during their trial. The unemployment rate for the deaf sector of Peruvian society is virtually 100%. Our work with the government is sometimes an uphill battle. There are a few key congressmen who are very committed to proving that their legislation of mainstreaming is working. Because of pride and an unwillingness to admit a mistake, they prefer to cover the problem up rather than deal with it.

Lastly, we offer signing classes to parents so that they can communicate with their children. I am no parent, but I have decided to give learning Peruvian signs a go. It can be difficult at times. My teacher is deaf, so I am forced to speak with my actions and listen with my eyes. Paul Clark, the director of Scripture Union Peru, said to me once, "One of the key ways of showing a person that he or she has value is to value and respect his language." I couldn´t agree with him more, and I am excited to learn a little bit of signs to better communicate God´s love to the deaf here.

God´s love is at the center of this ministry. Apart from teaching about His love and His Gospel in the classrooms, we have the opportunity to live it out by showing these children that they are not worthless or incapable. I believe that God created each of them with a specific plan and a specific purpose. What a privalege I have to work with a ministry that believes that too! Not only does our work here help to keep more children out of the street, but we are also able to encourage them and show them that they are capable of doing far more and learning far more than they probably ever imagined!

Please continue to pray for this ministry. Below are some prayer requests:

-- We have more demand than capacity. We have a very long waiting list, but there is just no space for kids at our current location. We are praying for a new piece of land close to the center of Lima where we can build the construction of a building that better suits our needs. We already have donors who are interested in helping with the construction, but we are still praying for a suitable piece of land.

-- For our work with the government. That God would allow politicians to lay their pride aside and do what is right for the children here in Peru.

-- For more volunteers and staff. As the program grows, we have and increased demand for interpreters, teachers, and other volunteers. Pray that God would raise up more people to become a part of this ministry.

Goodbye Catherine

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:14:00 +0000

A couple of days ago Catherine Alexander, a friend from Scotland who has been sent from the Vine Trust to volunteer here with Scripture Union, came to her last day here in Peru. For the last eight months she has been working in our schools program and at our boys' home at Kusi. She is a teacher by profession, so she spent all of last year teaching English classes in the schools as well as working with and tutoring our Girasoles. Everyone who I talked with at Kusi had only great things to say about her. She gave up a year of work and job interviews to sacrifice her time down here in Peru. She loves God, and she loved her work with the kids. She will be missed down here, but I know that God will continue to use her back in Scotland. Please join me in praying for her and in praying that God will provide a solid job for her as she begins the search.

Saying goodbye to Catherine at the airport

Jesús and Ronald Move On!

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Last week I had the pleasure of returning one more time to the Peruvian Amazon with a small group from Boston. The group came to see the different construction projects as they try to seek God's will for a possible short term trip from their church. On the day that we planned to go and visit Puerto Alegria (Scripture Union's Girasoles boys' home near Iquitos) we got to see a whole lot more than construction!

It just happened to be the day that two of the boys, Jesús and Ronald, were graduating from the program and moving back to Iquitos. We had the pleasure of attending the goodbye party for the two guys. They both graduated from high school last December, and now they are moving back to Iquitos--about a 20 minute boat ride down the river--so that they can continue onto technical school. The party was a blast. Gene, the house father, went and bought cakes and a bunch of other special treats for everyone to share. We played games, sang songs, and just had fun. We also had a time of prayer for the two boys, asking God to guide them and protect them as they move back to the big city. It was really great to see and reflect on how far God has brought them from the streets of Iquitos. Only He is responsible for the changes in their lives!

The goodbye party for Jesús and Ronald

Jesús will be studying computer systems while Ronald will be studying industrial welding. Ronald also has a paid internship that goes hand in hand with his industrial welding courses! Their move back to Iquitos marks another important point in Scripture Union's ministry in the jungle. The two boys will not just be back on their own. Instead, they will be moving into our Casa de los Tigres, meaning "House of Tigers." In their culture, calling a man a tiger is a high compliment. It means they are strong and able people. Scripture Union owns a house that eventually will have a capacity to house up to 20 young men as they graduate from our boys' program and move on to higher studies. They will be given significantly more freedom at the Casa de los Tigres, but the house will still have a Scripture Union staff worker to supervise them and to maintain a Christ-centered atmosphere. This is an exciting time for us because Jesús and Ronald are the first two people who have graduated from Puerto Alegria to Casa de los Tigres!

Please keep the two of them in your prayers as they begin their classes this week. They have both already given their lives to Christ. Pray that God would protect them as they take this big step back into the city. Pray for good friends and good community to surround them. They are both excited to begin their new life in the city, but at the same time it was difficult for them to say goodbye to the life that they have gotten used to in our Girasoles home in Puerto Alegria. Jesús has lived there for nine years and Ronald has lived there for 4 years. Pray for their adjustment, and pray that they would apply themselves as they study. These are exciting times for these two boys, and I can't wait to see how God continues to work in their lives!

Jesús and Ronald taking the boat ride to move into Iquitos for good!

Bethlehem in the Jungle

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Twice so far this month (soon to be three times) I have had to opportunity to travel to Peru's largest city in the jungle--Iquitos. With a population somewhere between 350,000 and 400,000 Iquitos is also the largest city in the world that is inaccessible by road. It is so isolated that the only way to reach the city is by air or by a VERY long boat ride down the Amazon River. The city is completely different from the rest of Peru. The people are different, the culture is different, the Spanish accent is different, and there are many other indigenous languages spoken in and around Iquitos as well. Rather than the usual taxis that one expects to see on the streets, the town of Iquitos is dominated by three wheeled moto-taxis and motorcycles. Cars are much heavier and more expensive to ship into such an isolated place. Even I found myself buzzing around the city on the back of a friend's motorcycle (I will save the story of getting stopped by the police for another time)!

Traffic in Iquitos

Scripture Union Peru also has many different ministries in and around Iquitos. I have mentioned some of them in my previous blog posts. We operate a Casa Girasoles for abandoned boys on the Itaya River just 20 minutes by boat from the city. We have a number of programs for children at risk or in the streets of Iquitos including a night shelter. We also have two medical ships the move up and down the Amazon River providing medical care to local indigenous communities that have little or no access to standard government health care. What I really want to focus on, though, is the ministry that Scripture Union has in a small neighborhood of Iquitos called Belen.

If you translate the word "Belen" into English, then you get "Bethlehem." Obviously it is far from the Bethlehem that you had in your mind. This neighborhood is actually one of the poorest neighborhoods among all of the urban centers in Peru. It sits right at the edge of the river, and during rainy season most of the area floods. Some of the homes and businesses are built on stilts in order to stay above the flood waters, but many of the houses just float. They are called balsas because they are built on top of large buoyant logs. The river in this area is used for everything--swimming, fishing, defecating, washing clothes, showering, and dumping garbage. Belen actually lies right in the area where one of Iquitos' main sewage drains empties out into the river. When the river is low, the sewage runs through the muddy streets of the town, and when the river is high, it empties directly into the water that the community depends on. The community is constantly dealing with many different infirmities including malaria and constant infections from different parasites. There are many single parent homes and many other cases of domestic violence and child abuse. No wonder that about half of all of the boys that end up in our home have come from this one specific neighborhood.

At one point the government of Peru tried to create a program that would help the people of Belen relocate so that they wouldn't have to deal with the filth and sewage any longer. The problem, though, is that many of the people in the community decided to stay. A great number of people make a living by rowing people around the town in small dugout canoes. If they were relocated away from the river, then they would have no income.

Overlooking the town of Belen

On my way into Belen

The sewage and garbage that pours into the water

Children walking through the river

Scripture Union's work in Belen is mainly preventative. We work with children in the local schools and their families to educate them, provide for their basic needs, and share the Gospel with them. We actually own and operate a medical clinic in the town. The idea is not to compete with the government health system, but to help provide care to the community where the government programs fall short--especially right now in the area of dentistry. We work hard to use the clinic as a home base for community education programs. Many people do not know the importance of drinking clean, potable water. Mothers don't know how or why they should brush their babies' teeth. Malaria, Dengue Fever, and other diseases are existent in part because of a lack of education. I have enjoyed becoming familiar with a different aspect of Scripture Union's ministry here that I had never gotten to see before. This ministry is growing in exciting ways. Scripture Union has just hired new directors of the medical programs in Iquitos. Oscar and his wife Rosana are both great people who love God. They are well qualified doctors, and I wait anxiously to see what God will do through them. Pray for them as they adjust to life in Iquitos, and as they seek God's will for the ministry there.

Scripture Union's clinic in Belen (The yellow building in the center)

Needs for our Cusco boys

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:51:00 +0000

I want to thank so many of you for your continued emails and messages asking how you can support the recovery efforts for our boys in Cusco. As I have mentioned before, we are very thankful for one large donation from an individual that is going to cover all of the reconstruction expenses. We hope to find a new piece of land near Urubamba to begin reconstruction as soon as possible.

Apart from the construction, though, there are many other needs that we have for these boys. Unfortunately, when our home collapsed, many things were destroyed or carried away by the flood. Sadly, there was also some looting that took place. We were able get a lot of furniture out of the house before it collapsed, but because most of our furniture is wood much of it was badly water damaged. We have now come up with a list of needs for our 42 abandoned boys in Cusco. In response to so many of you who have asked, here it is:

Our most immediate needs are the following:

We have decided to move the boys back to Cusco's Sacred Valley as soon as possible (within the next week or two). In order to do so, we will be renting a building in Urubamba as a provisional place where they can live while their new home is being built. We do not yet know what the final monthly rent will be. It will most likely be somewhere between $350 and $530 per month. We anticipate needing the building for 12 months.
We need approximately $250 to cover the cost of an emergency trip to Cusco that Hector, the house father, had to make.
The boys come back from summer vacation and begin school in March. They all need shoes and uniforms before they return to their classes. The uniforms cost approximately $70 per boy (including shoes). In addition to that, we would ideally also be able to supply the kids with backpacks and basic school supplies (approximately $45 per boy).

Other needs include the following:

In the kitchen/dining room virtually everything was lost. We need a new refrigerator and a new blender. We also need new plates, bowls, cups, mugs, forks, spoons, knives, and kitchen utensils.
Basically all of our electronic equipment was also lost or stolen. We need a new TV, DVD player, computer, stereo, and large speakers.
Tables, desks, and chairs for the dining room and study room.
The boys left most of their belongings at the home, and virtually everything has been lost. They lost all of their clothing except the small amount that they traveled with (sizes 7 to 16). Many of the mattresses were destroyed. We need new bunk beds, sheets, blankets, and towels. We also need new dressers for the boys' clothes.
We have also lost most of the boys' school supplies--backpacks, books, dictionaries, etc.
Hector and Maritza, our house parents in Cusco, have also lost virtually everything. They lost the couches in their living room, their refrigerator, beds and mattresses, stove, wardrobe, hand tools, etc.

If you are interested in helping support our home in Cusco, then please send me an email (bgreenman@latinamericamission.org), or give be a phone call (248.677.5252). We anticipate other unforseen costs and needs as we work through this difficult situation, but we know that God will continue to provide for these children. I still find myself in awe to think about how he protected them from being at the home during the time of the flooding.

As always, even more important than any monetary donation are your prayers. Pray that the boys would see how God is always protecting them and watching over them. Pray that they would be able to make the adjustment from their old home, to their provisional accommodations, and then to their newly constructed home. Lastly, please pray for the house parents and all of the Scripture Union staff in Cusco. Pray that God would comfort them as they deal with the loss of their belongings, and pray that God would give them strength and wisdom as they provide moral support for the boys at the home.

Thank you all for all of your prayers and support!

Business Trip, Amazon Hope, and Update on Cusco

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:14:00 +0000

We have officially started work team season here at Scripture Union Peru. Last week I had the opportunity to host a small group of businessmen from Scotland who were potentially interested in supporting our ministry. It was a very different type of group than any that I have previously experienced. Rather than coming to do medical ministry or construction, this group came to simply become acquainted with all of our programs around the country. They had the opportunity to see three of Scripture Union's boys' homes in addition to our school for the deaf in Lima and our Amazon Hope medical ministry in the Amazon River near Iquitos. I really enjoyed the group, and I was very excited for the opportunity to go and see one of our medical boats in action for the first time.

Our medical ministry in Iquitos is centered around two medical ships that Scripture Union acquired through our relationship with the Vine Trust in Scotland. Our ships include full time Peruvian crews and doctors, but we also receive a number of medical teams each year from the United States and the United Kingdom. I have been coming to Peru with Scripture Union since 2001, but this week was my first opportunity to see the medical program first hand.

The day began at 6:45am as we boarded a small speed boat and prepared ourselves for a four hour ride down the Amazon River to catch up with the big boat. We met up with an American team who was on the boat attending to patients needs and sharing the message of Christ's love with them. Any of you who know me know that I am quite nervous around anything that has to do with blood or needles, but I kept my distance from the doctors while they were with the patients, and I really enjoyed the day. The small jungle towns that we reach have no other form of medical care available to them. We are able to do dentistry, ultrasounds, prescribe antibiotics and other important medications, and even preform minor eye surgery. Our medical program has changed many lives, and through the work that we do attending to peoples' physical needs, the door is also opened for us to minister to them spiritually!

We were welcomed at the village, and the local people painted our faces as they showed us their traditional dancing and artwork. Honestly, I kept thinking to myself that the entire day seemed like a program off of the Discovery Channel. After the dancing we had to get back onto the speed boat in order to make it back upriver to Iquitos before dark. It is rainy season right now, and that means there are a lot of logs and driftwood floating throughout the river. Definitely not a journey one wants to have to take after dark!It was a beautiful day, and a great week in general!

Flying past Huascaran (Peru's tallest mountain)

On the Amazon River

Little boy in a canoe

The locals showing their traditional dances

Scripture Union's Amazon Hope 2

At the helm (I forgot I was wearing face paint still!)

Please Keep Praying for Cusco

I have really been encouraged by hearing how many of you are praying for our boys' home in Cusco. I continue to praise God that everybody is safe. For now, the kids from Cusco are still at our campsite on the beach, but we are in the process of identifying new land so that we can reconstruct our home. Thankfully, a very generous man has already volunteered to cover all of the construction costs, and we will be able to begin the project as soon as we acquire the right piece of land.

I know that a number of you have asked how you can donate to Scripture Union in support of the Cusco boys. While the construction is covered, we lost a number of clothes, materials, and equipment. Your donations are more than welcome. Anyone interested in making a donation can make a wire transfer to us using the following bank account information:

BANK: BANCO CONTINENTAL BBVA

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0011-0154-01-00012667

SWIFT: BCONPEPL

PHONE: 511 4332671

After you make the wire transfer, you MUST send a confirmation email to me (bgreenman@latinamericamission.org) and to my boss (peruworkteams@gmail.com).

I have embedded a video below showing the destruction of our home. If you can't see it for some reason, then click here.

A Big Prayer Request and a Huge Praise

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:30:00 +0000

This past week has presented us at Scripture Union with some difficult problems, and I appreciate your prayers for wisdom in decisions that are going to have to be made in the coming months. You may or may not have heard anything about the flooding in the Sacred Valley in the past week. CNN has been following it because the record flooding has taken out a significant part of the train line to Machu Picchu leaving 2500 tourists stranded in Aguas Calientes. Below is a link to a news story covering the flooding followed by pictures of the flooding:

More than 23,000 left homeless by torrential rains in Cusco, Peru

Pictures of the flooding in Urubamba near our boys' home

Anyways, the floods have been incredibly violent, and they have completely washed our boys' home away. There is basically nothing left of the building. The good news is that for months and months Hector (the house father for Cusco) has been saving money from his budget because he really felt like God had placed on his heart to take all of the 42 boys plus more volunteers and staff workers on vacation to one of our other campsites just south of Lima on the Pacific Ocean. Most of the children had never before seen the ocean, and Hector really wanted to see it. The vacation was originally planned for the first two weeks of January, but at the last minute a situation came up that forced them to change it to the last two weeks of January. Praise God for his timing. I know that it was Him that put this vacation on Hector's heart, and He is taking care of the boys. The water arrived at our boys' home in a flash flood in the middle of the night that almost immediately covered over the bottom level of all of the boys bunk beds. Eventually it rose to the top level of the bunk beds too. The building is made out of the traditional mud adobe bricks, and it has now been washed away. I can't imagine the tragedy that would have happened had the boys not been on vacation. Praise God for his protection over our kids!

A few days ago Billy Clark (my boss) had a meeting with the person who donated all of the money for the construction of the boys' home in Cusco. As you can imagine Billy was not looking forward to telling this man that his entire investment in this boys' home had just been washed away. How did the man react? His words to Billy were, "Well, it's just money. We will have to rebuild--this time with cement and bricks instead of adobes." He has agreed to donate the complete amount to rebuild the home. Praise God for his provision!

Please join me in praying for the situation at the boys' home. It is a difficult situation, but what an awesome testimony to these boys of how God's hand is protecting them! Pray for wisdom as we begin to plan for the work team season in Cusco. Pray for everyone who is involved in deciding how and where to reconstruct our home. Most importantly pray for the lives of these boys who are temporarily without a home (they are currently staying at our campsite on the ocean where they came for a vacation). Also join me in praising God for his faithfulness, his provision, and his protection!

A Visit from Aaron and Lauren

noreply@blogger.com (Billy Greenman) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:44:00 +0000

Only a few days ago two of my friends from IWU, Aaron and Lauren, were married. Living in Peru there are a number of things that I have had to give up, and one of those things is the opportunity to attend most of my friends weddings. I was really sorry that I couldn't make it, but there is good news. They have decided to travel around South America for their honeymoon, and Lima, Peru is their first stop. Over the past couple of days I have had the honor of showing them around some of the sites in Lima and taking them to Kawai--one of our boys' homes on the Pacifc Ocean.

I know that it sounds kind of funny that I have been hanging around with them during their honeymoon, but we have had a great time. They have been an encouragement to me in the middle of some busy moments. It is always a comfort to see some familiar faces from back home. Yesterday we had the chance to go and see some of Lima's most common tourist attractions (the main square; the main plaza; a Franciscan monastery and catacombs; and a park filled with large water fountains). Today we spent the entire day at Kawai. In addition to enjoying the beach and the pools on the property, I had the pleasure of introducing them to the boys in our Girasoles program. We had a great time spending time with the boys and the house parents. It was a neat experience because Aaron and Lauren will soon be starting a job as house parents for at risk children. They enjoyed listening to the wisdom of Scripture Union's house parents here.

I have had a great couple of days catching up and relaxing with old friends. I love showing people around Peru and sharing my ministry experience with anyone who wants to listen. I love to see friends. If you are reading, consider yourself invited anytime!

Aaron and Lauren Cloud

At the water park

Aaron and I