San Clemente

And we're back. Finally got some pictures to put up from last month's trips to San Clemente.

Last month we had two short term teams visiting, both of them groups of high school and college students from churches in Georgia and Florida. They both did some work in Lima, but spent most of their time in San Clemente, about two hours south of here. San Clemente is a small town outside of Pisco, which is the city traditionally known for its famous namesake liquor and surrounding vineyards, but which is now better known for the devastating earthquake that struck in August of last year. I finally got to see the aftermath. The destruction is vast, including the city's cathedral, which collapsed leaving only the bell towers standing, and crushing over 200 people inside. Most of the city's rubble has been cleared away, leaving hundreds of holes where houses once stood. Many of the survivors of those homes, having nowhere to go, have formed settlements outside the city, usually built of straw or government-issued tarps. One of these, called Nazario, is in San Clemente, and it is here that our church has been developing a partnership. And this is where the visiting teams went to serve. Their activities were varied, from painting and cleaning to visiting families and hearing their stories. They held vacation bible school for all the kids there who have nothing to do, and visited the local school to teach and provide activities. I spent a couple of days there with each team, and it really made an impact on me. I think it was such a meaningful time because everything we heard or saw or did there was both so heartbreaking and so hopeful. Here was utter poverty, people who had nothing, but yet had hope, and we saw just how much it meant to have someone in the name of Christ listen to them, spend time with their kids, offer a word of encouragement from the scriptures. There is so much more to say, but I'll leave it at that for now, and post some snapshots.

The teams stayed here, a home which was also a cotton company. I've never seen so much cotton!

Here are some of the kids' activities.