Walk a mile...or a hundred...in their shoes

For those of you who know my dad, you know he really likes to find good sales. The last one he found before I left was for some hiking sandals at bass pro shop. He got me a pair to take with me to Perú and so they are the only pair I brought. They were doing fine for about the first two weeks until they started to crack and now they are really falling apart. I went into town to look for shoes (in Peru the average male is 5ft 4in so as you can imagine it´s a little hard to start with) and a good pair of hiking shoes was nearly $60. In case you don´t know, the average income in Ayacucho is $2 a day. This means that it would be a full months wages for the average Ayacuhano to buy a pair of shoes like this.The average household income in the US is $50,000 so as a percentage of income it would be like these shoes costing about $4,000. If you saved up a months income in the US you would most likely be saving up for a really nice TV with entertainment system, a boat, a car, or maybe remodeling your house. Here in Ayacucho, however, it would only be enough to buy a pair of shoes. After thinking about this to myself I starting looking around at the children's shoes in the orphanage, and the shoes of people on the bus as I went to town. After doing the math in my head, and looking at the shoes of the people I´m living in community with, I realized that walking in these shoes for another month might not be all that bad. It may also play a part in living in community with the people in Ayacucho.

While speaking about shoes, I want to share a story I heard from Shane Claiborne (if you don´t know who he is you should look him up. pick up a book or two of his, and listen to a sermon of his). He was talking about when he lived in Calcutta and worked with mother Teresa. He noticed one day that her feet were grossly deformed and he asked some of the people he worked with how they got to be like that. They said that they periodically got shipments of shoes and Mother Teresa would make sure that everyone who needed a pair got one. She was always the last person to pick out her shoes and the shoes were often old, falling apart, too big, or too small. As a result, her feet became deformed. This was just a small sign of how she lived out and suffered for the gospel.

Hopefully the next time you put on your shoes, or buy a pair of shoes you can think back to these two stories, not to feel guilty, that´s never my point, but just think of how blessed you are. Also, hopefully, you can live a little more intentionally and maybe feel convicted to help out those who may not have means to buy something as simple as a new pair of shoes.

Peace,

Brandon

The blind leading the blind

This past Sunday I went with Faron, the volunteer from Scotland, to teach English to some kids. This was his third week doing it but he leaves today so I went with him to see how he taught so that I could take over next week. The classes are done in a lady´s house who does artisan work and then sells in here and in America (a lady in the US buys tapestries form her for $200 and sells them for well over $500 but that´s an entry for another day). She has a nice house and she uses her dining room as the class room for now as they are waiting for money an support to build a tutoring center not far from her house.

Faron and I got there and another professor came in who taught math. He went before us because he had somewhere else to be so we got to watch as he taught the children. He started with equations and seemed to be doing a good job until he got to one part where he had the equation to something like 12 + x - 4 = 3x + 8 he then broke it down to 12 - 4 - 8 = 2x. He was doing just fine until he told the kids that a +*+=+, -*-=+ and +*-=- which is right for multiplication but he used it for addition and so he said the equations was 24 = 2x. Now if you followed my explanation then you realize that x actually was supposed to 0 but this man did not know how to work out a simple equation. I thought maybe he just accidentally did that one wrong but he continued with the same reasoning and continued getting wrong answers. I didn´t want to crush the man´s pride because the rest of the day he was right but it still bugged me that this man is teaching the children incorrectly and at such a young age it is very important to teach them correctly since they don´t know any different.

It is a shame that, first of all, this man who is teaching students does not have proper education himself and, secondly, he is one of the few people willing and able to help the children. This is a common cycle in impoverished areas. They do not have access to proper education and so a cycle is started that is very difficult to stop. They same is true for violence, drugs, poverty, etc. People have to be willing to come from a better position and be willing to help those or are less fortunate than themselves. People who have proper education have to be willing to go into areas that don´t have proper education and speak up to get them proper education or, if possible, educate them themselves. People who do not suffer oppression have to be willing to stand side by side with the oppressed and say, "this isn´t right". People who know that violence isn´t the answer have to be willing to go to violent areas and help educate the people and give them a better option than drugs and violence. Sure this may be one isolated incident of one man who got his math wrong but it is a small picture of what truly is going on in a larger scale here and around the world.

Peace,

Brandon

Father´s Day

It´s been a few days since I posted so since not much has gone on I want to take some time and go back to father´s day. As some of you may know I am not a big fan of secular holidays and thin that it´s sort of a ploy to run sales or make more money off cards. People are often guilted into doing something rather than genuinely wanting to. I have been blessed with a loving and supportive father and I hope that he knows how much I love and appreciate him without me having to give him a call on a specific day.

Regardless, since this past Sunday was father´s day, I want to talk a little bit on the subject of fathers. On Sunday the kids put on a production for Gil, the father and founder of the casa where I work. The did various dances, sang songs, and recited poems. It was really awesome to experience but the best part was hidden deep within the purpose of the casa. The children come from many different backgrounds. Some children were brought here because their parents simply could afford the time or money to take care of them, some had been found by the government and placed here, some had mentally, physically, and even sexually abusive fathers, and others are children of prostitutes and they never even knew their father. Despite their varied histories, they all are currently in the same place with the same caring and loving father, Gil. Although he isn´t perfect and sometimes he can get agree with them and have to be the person to discipline them, he still loves and cares for each and every one of them. It all started about 10 years ago when he and his wife decided to give up everything, sell everything, and leave their comfortable life to care for the children in Perú.

This somewhat mirrors our relationship with God. God is in three forms of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The form of Father is what has turned man people away from the idea of God. Like the children in the orphanage, some people have not had a loving father like I have, and so the thought of God being a father makes them sick and scared. If their earthly father has hurt them so badly, how badly can a heavenly father hurt them? This is where the picture of the orphanage somewhat depicts God the Father. Much like Gil, our heavenly Father will take us in regardless of our past and regardless of the hardships that we have gone through. Our heavenly Father, however, goes far and beyond even what Gil has done. God has more love for us than we can possibly fathom, and not only that, but God can also empathize with us because God also came to us in the form of Jesus who was blameless on all accounts yet underwent abuse and death for the sake of our sins. So rather than waiting for the 3rd Sunday in June to thank our father we should thank our Father each and every day, and if we are fortunate enough to have a loving father as well, then we should be thankful for him each and every day as well.

Peace,

Brandon

A test of patience

Yesterday was Sunday so I once again returned to the Methodist Church which only has about 10 members from 3 families (that´s membership not attendance). I showed up at 5:00 because I was going to meet with two of the teenage members to talk about some things and then the pastor wanted us to go out and invite people to church. When I showed up the pastor was there but the 2 guys were nowhere to be seen. We then decided to go to their houses to see if anything was wrong. We walked up to Arturo´s house and he came to the door to tell us that his aunt had passed out and so they had to rush her to the hospital. We´re not exactly sure what happened but she has been added to my prayer list and I hope you will do the same. We then went across the street to Alex´s house but no one answered the door and we later found out that someone in his family was getting married.

So...we returned to the church and waited for the people to come for service. Service is supposed to start at 6:30 but no one showed up until 7:15. Waiting for the teenagers and then for the rest of the members gave me a lot of time to talk to the pastor about some things. First of all, he has only been there since March and the pastor who was there is now the District Superintendent (I guess it doesn´t take quite as much to be a DS here). He came from a church in Lima where the average attendance was around 50 and the most they had was about 80, which is a pretty big Methodist Church for here in Perú. One of the main topics we talked about was the building of a church building. He seems to think that a building and a sports field would help bring people in, and although he is probably partially correct, I believe that the time and money could be better spent in a city where the average income is $2 a day.

We also talked a little bit about the ministry here. There are two main families that the members come from and then there is one other family from which one or two people will come. This is different from the Sunday School in the morning where sometimes as many as 15 children will come. Since there are so few members, I asked him if there was ever an occasion where no one showed up. He told me that there has only been one Sunday in which that happened and he stayed at the church from 6:00 until 8:00 simply praying for the members of the church and the church as a whole. Another problem that comes with a small church and occasional events where no one shows up, is that there is very little offering each week, maybe 8-10 dollars. This is not enough to cover the expenses of around $100 a month simply to pay the bills. The way the church makes it month to month is that there is one member who covers half the rent, or about $20, and then the pastor has another job Monday-Friday and he give half of his income to the church...again...he gives HALF of his income, not just 10% which a dwindling few still give.

I deeply admire this man´s patience and faith. I would like to say that I would respond similarly, but frankly I´m not sure if I would. He may not be doing everything right, and there may be ways to grow the church that he has not looked into, but he works Monday-Friday and so he is not able to do many things that church planters in the US could do. He´s also very limited in his funding seeing that he is funding much of the ministry himself. I will continue my discussions with the pastor and see if there is something I can do to help since he is limited in what he can do. For now I just simply ask for prayers for the church, the pastor, and myself as we search to see where this ministry is called.


Peace,

Brandon

Invincible

The other day I went to a bar with a few of the other volunteers and, while there, we met some people who live here in Ayacucho. One of the guys, Román, sat down next to me and began talking about different things about Ayacucho. He talked a little bit about Sendero Luminoso or "the Shining Path" which was a terrorist organization that ran rampant in Ayacucho during the 80´s and early 90´s. His discussion then transferred to the more pertinent problem in Ayacucho which is drugs, only for him, he didn´t view it as a problem but was rather why he loved Ayacucho so much.

Coca leaves, which are the main ingredient needed for cocaine, are not illegal in Peru and I am told that if you fly over Ayacucho in a helicopter you will see fields and fields of coca plants. The leaf is often used to make a tea or to simply chew on which is good for energy and to counteract altitude sickness since Ayacucho is over 9,000 ft above sea level.

The downside, however, is that it makes the production of cocaine that much easier and Ayacucho has become one of the worst cities in Peru for production and sale of cocaine. Many people think of the country of Colombia when it comes to cocaine but I recently read an article where production of cocaine has greatly decreased in Colombia but is slowly increasing in Peru. According to the article, in the not too far future Peru will surpass Columbia in cocaine production and sale.

Now getting back to "my friend" in the bar. His name is Román Trisolini and he said his grandfather fled Italy in order to avoid the police and so he came to Peru and eventually found himself in Ayacucho. He then acquired much land including the land where the orphanage sits and began drug production as well as partaking in other illegal activity. One thing lead to another and now Román tells me that he is basically invincible and when he walks into a place all he needs to do is simply say his name and people will let him in with no problem and, if he asks, give him food and drink for free. He also says that if there is anyone that seems to be a threat to him he can "have them taken care of". The Trisolini family has built an empire here in Ayacucho and so they thrive off the weak and poor. They use them to harvest and make there drugs and then they turn around and sell it to them feeding there addiction and taking away from the little income they have to start with.

Now whether all of what he told me about himself is true or not, I don´t know. But what I do know if that the things he talked about are happening here in Ayacucho and in Peru whether it´s actually his family or not.

I´ve been thinking about all of this and I realized that as horrible as it is, a similar thing is happening in the US LEGALLY!!!! There are countless companies that build big empires based on addictive substances and then they use cheap labor to harvest it and produce it. There are also big banks who thrive on those who don´t have much money yet they take what little money they have and then become so large that they are seemingly invincible or "too big to fail". This is before even going in to detail about the countless companies who choose to outsource and pay wages as low as $0.10 an hour and then pay their US employees minimum wage, which by the way is still a long way from a living wage. Meanwhile, we continue to feed their greed without even knowing it.

So what can we do? For starters, we have to educate ourselves.We have to find what companies are unethical and stop buying from them. We then find companies who are ethical and give our business to them instead. And what about the problems of no paying minimum wages? Ask your representatives in the government what they´re doing to fix it and when it comes time to vote, vote for the people who will fight for the oppressed. I used to think that government and religion shouldn´t mix but when it comes to problems such as minimum wage there is no better outlet to fix it than to get involved with the government.

This has been a long post and I could continue on but I´ve probably already said enough for now. I just ask and pray that you continue to educate yourself on the matters, as I have been. And I would be more than happy to talk more about problems in Ayacucho and Peru as well as things I have noticed in the US. You can simply post a comment here, facebook me, or email me at brandonclazarus@gmail.com.


Peace,

Brandon

Where 2 or more are gathered...

I went to the church service which the pastor told me started at 6:30 but when I looked at the flyer he gave me it said 6:00. Nonetheless, I was stuck at the orphange for a little longer than expected do I made it to the church a little after 6:30 and they were all there waiting for me. Now when I say they were ¨all¨ there waiting for me I mean that the church only has 5 members all of whom were there as well as 5 or 6 kids and 2 teenagers. When I got there we talked for a while about why I was there and then about the fact that I will be studying to be a pastor in the Methodist Church which they were very happy about. I also asked them about the history of their church and they said they have been around for 9 years but only became an official Methodist church about 3 years ago. Also, the pastor only just arrived in March. Although they are small in number the fact that they have stayed for 9 years even though they have not grown says something about their faith. The service started and the Pastor played the guitar and sang to lead the group...two things he can not do...Craig if you are reading this, I miss you. Regardless, it was a good service and the pastor preached from the lectionary and stuck to the scripture, I was pleasantly surprised since often in Latin American countries the pastors lack theological education and so their sermons often to stay true to the scripture. That was not the case here. Overall it was a very good experience and I look forward to seeing how I can help them out during my short time here but more importantly I look forward to learning from them.

Peace,

Brandon

And we have contact

This morning I woke up and headed to the center where the Methodist Church is supposed to be. I found the address on the website but that was the same website that gave me the email that no one has responded to. I rode down there on the bus which was free because apparently it´s the 16th anniversary of that particular bus route, and when I made it to the location of the church there were only kids in there and one adult. I thought that was maybe the children's church so I looked in the next building over but it was locked. I then walked in to the children´s Sunday school and asked the man when the regular service was. He introduced himself as Rev. Samuel Aguilar Curi and told me of their schedule. They have Sunday school at 10am and then their service is at 6:00 tonight.

I´m going to go to the service tonight and then see if I can talk to the pastor about how I can help out around the church while I´m here.

Chau,

Brandon

Just a quick update

So as my last blog mentioned, I made it to Ayacucho, went to go see a few of the kids, and then I took a nice long nap. After my nap I went back over since the kids were out of school. When I walked in a couple of the kids came running up and said ¨I´ve seen you before haven´t I¨ haha, I didn´t really expect them to remember my name but it was nice to know that they remembered me nonetheless. A little bit later some of the older kids came out and the majority of them remembered me by name. All in all it was rewarding to know that they remembered me since that was one of the main reasons I chose to return to Ayacucho rather than go somewhere else.

All 27 kids from last year are here and now they have one more, Jonathan, who has down syndrome and even though he didn´t know me he came running up and jumed on me and gave me a big hug. I guess he got caught up in the excitement of the other kids and thought he should do the same. Also, I big change from last year, about half the volunteers speak English. one is from Switzerland and she prefers nto speak engish, another from Germany, another from England, another from Scotland, and then yet another from the US. Needless to say, if I want the opportunity to just relax and speak english, I can. It also is forcing more people to speak Spanish since it is the only common language we all have.

Well that´s my update for today, I´m going to look for the Methodist Church today so I´ll let you know how that goes, no deep insights for today, just thought I´d fill you all in a little more since yesterday´s post was a little skimpy.

Peace,

Brandon

Back in Ayacucho

I just got back to Ayacucho a few hours ago and I am very tired so this post will be short. Also, I haven´t posted in a couple of days because I ate some pork and it upset my stomach so I have been out of commission for a while.

Well back to me being in Ayacucho. All the kids are at school now so the only ones that were there were the Lupes which are the kids with disabilities. Eberson, who is blind recognized my voice and remembered my name which was pretty awesome. Also he can now stand up on his own which was really cool to watch. Last year he could only barely walk if you held him by both hands. Maria Jesus and Maria Antonieta also recognized my right away, as did the dogs haha. I´m excited to see the rest of the kids but for now I think I´m going to take a nap.

Peace,

Brandon

Something's Changed...

While walking down the streets of Lima, there are some things that you don't often see in the US. You see things like kids who walk up and ask for money or to buy whatever it is they are selling. Also, there are often older women that beg for money and they have as many as three or four small children sleeping in their laps. The last site that you might see occasionally in the US if you travel down the wrong street but you see it more often here, is prostitutes. Even on the main street there will be prostitutes on the corners.

Last year, I saw these things but did not think too much of it. Sure it made me a little sad, but I was in Peru giving my time and money to be in missions and so I couldn't help everybody. This year, however, something has changed. When I see these things, time...seems...to...stop.

As I stand frozen in time, looking at these children and women, different words and images run through my head.

The first place I go is scripture. (These are paraphrases of a few that came to mind)

-What you do unto the least of these you do unto me
-I was hungry and you fed me, naked and you clothed me...I was hungry and you did not feed me, naked and you gave me no clothing.
-Who is my neighbor
-The first shall be last and the last shall be first
-The church is one body but many parts
-The greatest of these is love
-You show me faith without works and I will show you my faith through my works
-Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head
-Who is my mother, who are my brothers

Next, I think of various quotes, and prayers

-Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours
-We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy
-Lord make me a channel of your peace
-Lord help my disbelief
-Be the change you want to see in the world
-Each of them is Jesus in disguise
-We can do no great things, only small things with great love

Lastly, I thought of my experiences that I've had and people I've come in contact with

-The orphans in Ayacucho, Huaraz, and Iquitos
-The people of Brazil
-The church in Guatemala
-San Carlos Island in Venezuela
-The homeless community in Columbia, SC
-Various immigrants to the US both documented and undocumented

All of this ran through my head at once and I was almost brought to tears. My heart was aching because I no longer saw children begging, a homeless woman, and prostitutes. Instead, what I saw were my children, brothers, sisters, and mothers in need. I thought of the various verses and from my experiences and realized that each and every one of these people is part of the body of Christ whether they know it or not. One slight change and I could have been just like them. One second more on the streets, and any of the orphans I have worked with could have been in that same spot, and some of them were, and others still may be.

You see, sometime over the past year, I've learned what it means to live the Gospel. Sure I don't do it every second of every day, but somehow, for that moment, I understood. When I saw those people my heart broke. I wanted to help them; I wanted to find a way to give them all they needed. But what did I do? I prayed, because at that moment I simply didn't know what to do. I often think that I should give them money and I convince myself that is what Jesus would do. But frankly, I don't know what to do. Sometimes Jesus would stop and give the people what they asked for, like when he fed the thousands, but then at other times Jesus simply passed through on his way to the next town.

I'm not Jesus; I don't know what to do. So, what I did was prayed. Only this time, it wasn't the typical prayer I would say when passing by someone who was homeless. As usual I prayed for them and that they may find what they need and that God would protect them, but I didn't stop there. Instead, I continued praying for all who were in the same situation, for everyone around the world who didn't have food, or clean water, or shelter, for those who have turned to prostitution because they feel there is no other option, that they have been abused in their past and feel that is all they are worth. I pray that they may see and feel the love of God. But then, lastly, I pray for myself. I pray that God may help my disbelief. That somehow I may begin to see exactly what it is I need to do. When Jesus said "I was hungry and you fed me...I was in prison and you visited me" was he saying that he was embodied in each and every person and we are called to meet the needs of everyone? Or maybe he was saying we are called to do what we can to help the hungry as the whole population. Maybe Christ is like a secret shopper and we never know when that homeless person is actually Christ in disguise. Frankly, I don't know...that's why I'm putting this out there and hopefully we can help each other sort this out.

What I do know is that my heart broke for them, that although in the past I would have just kept walking, instead, for a brief moment, I felt their pain. I don't mean to sound like a masochist, but I liked it, I liked being able to be one with them at that moment, that I wasn't praying for them, I wasn't praying for myself, I was praying for US as a body of Christ. I'm somewhere different now, I'm not the same person I was last year, or even the same person I was yesterday. I've been intentional with my dailt life and, like a good Methodist, I've been using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience in order to reflect on my life and the world around me to see where God is in all of this, or better yet, reflect on God and see where I and the world fit in. It's my prayer that I continue to be aware of what's going on around me and to see that we are all in this together.


Updates:

-I went to church the other day and it was evangelical free and the pastor kept talking about "God's Plan" but didn't seem to say were we fit in.

-I went to some of the other ISA students' house because it was their house mom's birthday and we at cake an had some discussion. It turns out that she is a public attorney and she and a coworker discussed how they are fighting for young people's rights and that much like the US the older population is large but retiring and so more young people are now looking for jobs but can't find them. We also discussed problems of drugs, violence, gangs, and homelessness.

-I went to the offices of the Methodist Church in Peru and, like in the US, there are formalities so the lady told me to send her and email and I am now waiting for the response

-I have my ticket to Ayacucho and I leave tomorrow at 10:15pm which puts my in Ayacucho around 8:00am. I'm going straight to the orphanage and then I'll figure out all the church stuff once I get there.

Peace,

Brandon

Yo Soy Peruano

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I'm staying with my homestay family from last year and there are two girls staying here from the same program that I was with last year. On Saturday I went with them to an exchange event where the International Studies Abroad (ISA) students can interact with Peruvian students and learn their way around the city as well as learn a little bit about the culture. When I got to the center the organizer of the event thought that I was Peruvian and so she had me sign in with the Peruvians and then I was put in charge of 3 of the girls to show them around and get them on the bus to go to the center.

I did so successfully and then helped bring them to the Plaza de armas, or city square. Once I got there I started talking to some of the other students and one of the guys turned to me and said "Your English is very good, you don't have an accent at all" hahaha, to which I responded "That might be because I'm American" I have to say that this has been my proudest moment in Peru, everyone back home jokingly says that I'm Peruvian but now I have been mistaken for a Peruvian by Peruvians as well as visiting Americans.

And the Journey Begins

I made it to Lima last night around 11:00 where Willy and Amalia (my homestay brother and sister from last year) came to pick me up. We got back to the house where I went up stairs and mami (the homestay mother/grandmother) looked at me with quite a surprised look on her face and then just started giggling as she always does. No one had told her that I was coming so it was a surprise for her. I stayed up for a few hours talking, and eating of course. There are also two girls staying here from the same study abroad program that I came with last year. I'll spend a few more days here in Lima just relaxing and visiting with the friends and family here.

I also would like to talk a little bit about my trip and why I came back to Peru. Originally I was going to go with my family to Brazil and then afterwards I was going to travel to Bolivia to do missions there. I chose Bolivia because I wanted to see somewhere new ad it seemed like a good choice since it is so close to Brazil and has a similar culture to that of Peru.

We then decided that we would not be going to Brazil which again opened up the opportunity to pick what I did this Summer. For a long time I thought that I would just still go to Bolivia and spend more time than originally planned. I also, however, wanted to return to Peru to visit the orphanage again and touch basis with the friends and family I made here. After a lot of prayer and getting insight from others, I decided to return to Peru. I then started looking at other possibilities in Peru since the orphanage I worked at last year did not seem to be in as much need as some of the other places in Peru and Ayacucho (the city where the orphanage) and I found that there is a Methodist Church in Ayacucho.

I sent an email to them about 4 months ago and they responded and sounded like they were excited, but when I sent them another email 2 weeks ago and then a third week ago...there was no response. So...I have decided to go to Ayacucho and knock on the door of the church, if no one is there then I will go to the orphanage where I worked last Summer and then continue visiting the church until I can find someone to talk to.

I haven't really had too much happen yet to talk about so I'll sign off for now and I'll be sure to update you guy if anything exciting happens.

Thank You so much for all the prayers and support,

Brandon



P.S. You may have noticed that the website for the blog is Luke 10:29 look it up and it should be self explanatory why I chose it.