úAt the Lima Airport After a long day of travel the SSTers landed safely at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima. Coordinator Celia Vasquez and director Heather Gary met the travelers and escorted them to Home Peru, their lodging for the night. Our two-day orientation starts tomorrow…
We're ready for the Spring SSTers! We are pleased to report that the Spring Peru SST group can put away their winter coats after they depart from O’Hare Airport. The forecast for their first day in Lima is 77 degrees and partly sunny skies. But wait, there’s…
Nine of the 11 Peru SSTers departed tonight from Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport–first to Atlanta, and then on to Chicago O’Hare (the remaining two leave tomorrow for travel in Bolivia). ¡Vaya con Dios, amigos!…
After six weeks of service the SSTers said goodbye to their host families and work in Cusco, Huaraz, San Ramon, La Merced, and Azulís and returned to Lima for the final exam. A few hours later we headed south on the Pan-American Highway to Kawai, a retreat center on…
helping out at the free clinic Kim, Erin, and Mike have been in the Cusco region for their service. They got to know the area (and even their host families) back in September, when the whole SST group visited Machu Picchu. All three were happy to return…
on the bridge to Azulis It’s a rustic six weeks of service for SSTers Nate and Serena, who are living about as far off the grid (no phone, no Internet, no electricity, no road access) as they can in Azulis, a community of about 30 Yanesha families…
The road from Lima to La Merced is winding and steep and long, and during the 189-mile journey, travelers get a view of Peru’s three regions: the arid coast, the imposing mountains, and the lush, green jungle. La Merced (pop. approx. 50,000) is the provincial capital of the Chanchamayo region,…
At the comedor Our travel schedule has kept us from posting lately, so apologies for the delayed update. Kevin, Heather, and sus hijos visited Huaraz at the end of October to check in with Lauren, Derek, and Paul, who are doing service in this mountain community. Huaraz…
Contigo Peru The SSTers’ farewell to Lima was, as several commented, “sappy”—a mix of sad and happy. Sad to say goodbye to our gracious host families here, our Goshen friends, an exciting city, and the first half of our semester in Peru–but happy to go…
Our visit to the district of Villa Maria del Triunfo in southern Lima showed us what a pueblo jóven looks like as it grows up. The area, which was founded almost 50 years ago, is now home to approximately 360,000 people, many of whom struggle with underemployment and…
