The community where The Salvation Army in Chiclayo is about a 3 Nuevo Soles ($1) taxi ride from the city centre.  Apparently this neighbourhood is rather dangerous, particularly at night.  Although we didn't feel unsafe, the complex is completely encased into a 10 foot brick wall.  Also, we were advised to always walk with a member of the community through the area.   

Firstly, we popped down to introduce ourselves and was warmly received by Major Veronica Cortez, who has been assigned here since February this year.  Over coffee and a snack (that sprung out of nowhere!) we explained who we were and learnt about the services provided here.  Primarily this branch focuses on feeding hungry tummies.  Monday through Friday they serve up a lunch (which is the most important meal of the day here) for some odd 40 adults.  As well, 20 children receive breakfast before school along with assistance with homework after school.  Another enterprise that is showcasing local skills and creating some revenue is making alpaca wool products i.e. hats, socks, scarves, teddy bears and finger puppets.  They each are finished with a "Sally Ann" tag and are really good quality.  

The day we wanted to volunteer also coincided with Peru's National holiday celebrating their Independence. Due to this week long festival, no support with meals was required.  They did however have a job for us to do; good old fashioned painting.  The wall at the entrance of the church was in need of a bit of sunshine.  So we slapped on that paint as well as we could and even broke a brush in the process!  Has anyone else painted brick with a brush the size of your foot?  It's tough going but it looked pretty sunshiny by the end of the day.

Antony and Marco, teenagers from the community (who are aspiring to become Officers of The Salvation Army) had their own projects on the go re-vanishing church pews, tables and the front podium.  It was really lovely having a break with them over a delicious meal Major Veronica had prepared for us all.  Thank you to Major Veronica and Caynoby (the super cuddly dog) for having us and sharing a couple of special days with us.

This experience has by far been the most unique with The Salvation Army to date.  Arriving into Guamote (a small mountain village) we searched far and wide for the red shield.  There wasn't a specific address, just the road name and that it was near the hospital.  After an hour of searching aimlessly, we decided to ask one more person and that turned out to be the right decision.  The owner of a corner store had a phone and after a few quick words with Captain Luis, we soon found ourselves in the company of him and his two sons, Darwin (12 years old) and Johel (2 years old).  After a quick lick and a dab we were bouncing up the dirt road in Luis's pickup towards another Salvation Army site in Cochaloma, which is even smaller than Guamote.  We would have never of found this place in a million years and it's the most remote site we've ever come across.  Even more amazing is that two days prior a wedding was held in the church that had more that 600 attendants.  It's hard to imagine looking out on the land that there is that many people living near here!  Luis primarily wanted to show us this area but we were able to lend a hand doing a bit of a clean up. 

As it happened this day, the 14th July was also Roland's birthday.  And besides starting the day by sitting on an egg, his birthday was to only be outdone by the curiousity of Johel and a shampoo bottle.  While we were singing happy birthday and presenting Roland with a cake topped with a spiderman candle; Johel was occupied in the bathroom applying copious amounts of shampoo and toothpaste to his dry hair and marvelling at his handsomeness in the mirror.  Far more exciting than eating cake!

After sharing a feast together of typical Ecuadoriano food (soup, chicken, rice, salad and not to forget the cake!) we bundled up and piled into the back of the truck late at night and found our destination to be at the top of a country hill.  There was a huge tent filled with local indigenous groups from different churches in the area.  It was an Indigenous Christian Festival.  It involved the women of each congregation performing a song and reciting scripture.  Naturally, we think The Salvation Army performance was by far the best as we are sure you'll agree after watching the video.

Luis, his wife Martha and kids are indigenous and speak Quichua and Spanish.  They have strong roots in this community.  After seeking out a church they decided to become Salvationists with The Salvation Army when they were visiting Quito some time back.  Luis and Martha then went to Chile for training to become Captains.  They then came back to their home village and set up the church in Guamote.  His parent's run the Salvation Army in Cochaloma.  They don't get paid for their service, but strongly believe in what they are doing and consequently work on their farm to make a living.  Currently, they have eight different projects on the go in these communities.  Some of them are supported by foreign countries, such as Canada and Switzerland.  For example, clean water supply and irrigation; breeding of cattle, sheep and guinea pigs (typical cuisine); and building greenhouses to more efficiently grow certain crops.

This was a special day for us on many levels and feel very priviledged to have been so warmly welcomed into this family's home.

We arrived at the Salvation Army in Quito on Sunday, not really knowing what to expect and how we could assist. It did not take long for us to figure out who the two  ¨oportunidades voluntarias¨ were on the weekly service pamphlet and before we could give it another thought, we were ushered to the front and sharing some of our experiences and adventures with the congregation. Feeling both very welcomed and relieved for this to be over, we soon discovered that this was only a warm up children´s service and the adult service would be following shortly. In all honesty it was our pleasure to share how truly blessed we are to be able to do this trip, the amazing people we have met in every country and  the generosity, hospitality, encouragement and support we have received often  at vital times and the renewed awareness of God´s hands in our lives.

Much to our surprise we were invited to lunch with the Capitán, and his family.  It was interesting to discover that Capitán Henry was originally from Peru and his wife from Chile and they had some information about other Salvation Armys further along the road.

The next day was an adventure at the Guardería Mi Casita (a children´s daycare facility). Trying to get little bodies to stay on chairs, getting the food into their little tummies and for lunch to be completed at a reasonable time was interesting and a new experience for us on this trip.  The remainder of the day was spent playing many games, some structured and some imaginary, exchanging Spanish with English words for items and touching Roland´s beard and Belinda´s dreads.

We arrived at our first Salvation Army school and did not know what to expect. Upon arrival we discovered they were two teachers short, what are the odds and were thrown into the mix. Over the next 4 hours we were given classes of different age groups totalling 150 kids. Children at the best of times can be a handful, but try to imagine 40 plus students with all eyes on us, trying to contain their excitement and us desperately looking at one another, waiting for a miracle and for one of us to start speaking fluent Spanish. This did not happen. Oh the power of body language, examples and lots of smiling. It actually turned out really well and we were able to teach a few activities and had a bunch of laughs. Once we got through all the kids we were pretty happy to have lunch which they generously provided. 


We would like to thank Majora Janeth Scott who received us ever so warmly, her husband for talking to us on the telephone even though he was busy and Norma Fredricks for crowd control and some translation. We really had a great time here and slept very well that night.

Reflection

Our idea of what volunteering encompasses is slowly evolving as more time passes.  Maybe early on in the piece we were more focused on project-based services.  Things that have an end result or are more tangible.  Although there was always the ‘fellowship’ component, we are appreciating more and more the value of it.  We are learning that this idea of what “we doing for them” is very much a self centred and possibly a western viewpoint?  Many times we have gone into volunteer in Mexico and other Central American countries and been asked to simply spend time with children and often there has been a point of sharing a meal with the staff that may take up an hour or two.  At first, we were always in a rush to get back to our assigned task to ensure we completed it but we are realizing this was more for our gain than theirs.  Conversation and time with one another to encourage and share are sometimes more important and can be just as helpful as painting wall.  Our intentions have always been good but maybe misdirected due to our lack of understanding.   We are learning that our volunteer time needs to reflect the country, the culture and community we are currently in.  Not only have we been exposed to the work of The Salvation Army but many other initiatives (through people we’ve stayed with) challenging our views on volunteerism and how to best meet the needs of a population both immediately and long term.  We hope this makes sense but this idea has been a hot topic of conversation recently and also been rumbling around in our brains a lot too.  It’s still very much a malleable thought but one we are very interested in and want to know more about…..

Spirits were soaring as we stumbled upon Major Selo and two youths collecting money on the out skirts of Georgeville. We had been feeling pretty disappointed about not visiting Belize City and did not know about the Salvation Army volunteering opportunities in these more remote areas. Major Selo and his wife Vester, who are originally from Jamaica, have worked extremely hard setting up a positive, fun and educational Sunday School, a chapel and a fully stocked thrift store. It was great to learn about more about these services and future projects, speak and listen to the many children at school and contribute in a small way on the computer. We wish them all the best during their time in Belize and appreciate the huge difference they are making to their community.

 After discovering there was infact a Salvation Army in Merida we stayed an extra day so we could do some volunteer work as it had been a while.  Our host, Yapur kindly made the arrangements for us by phone and after picking our bike up from been cleaned and repaired we rode to 'Hogar de Ninos' and was warmly greeted by the Ruiz family.  They run a Monday to Friday boarding home and school for children that come from tough backgrounds.  In the weekends and holidays they go back to their homes to spend time with their families.  This program is particularly effective for families with limited income or single parent homes.  For example, a single mother is able to hold down a job while the kids are in the Salvation Army to provide for her children simple things such as running water and electricity in their home.  When we visited the kids weren't there and although it would have been great to play with the children we got busy painting the front wall of the main building.  Thank you to Miguel, Marcela and Israel for inviting us in and sharing your day with us.  It was such a pleasure to share a meal with you too.

Upon arriving at this branch we discovered a group of volunteers from Michigan State University in the USA were here for Spring Break.  We joined in with what they had planned to do which was tidying up the yard where the children play and painting the outside of the building.  It was neat to be helping out with other volunteers and being apart of something bigger than just Roland and I.  Captains Salvador Chacón and Josefina Franco have a big job on their hands caring for 30 children on a full time basis.  We were sorry to only be there for only one day! 

Nothing like volunteering at the Salvation Army to get a heavy dose of humility, faith and perspective. Once again our small infrequent efforts are mushroomed by comparison to the day to day support and assistance given by the many selfless Salvation Army staff and volunteers throughout the world.

In Mexico City it was an honor and privilege to meet Captain Silvia Cortes and Captain Jamie Morales and learned about some of their ongoing projects, flood relief to areas affected by the just recent heavy rains (photos to come), neighborhood ministries and children programs. During our two days with Silvia and Jamie we work together to assemble an outdoor car port covering, rearrange some furniture and try our hands at some artistic painting (Lots of Fun). We finished off our final day by visiting a nearby hospital and listened to Silvia and Jamie sing and pray (in Spanish) before offering people coffee and pastries.

Jaime Smith wrote: "We  just wanted to pass on some very amazing news.  Craig Gordan (who you met at the ARC Advisory Council Meeting) was gracious enough to make a $5,000 contribution to TSA for your cycling jersey!! He then made a $1,000 donation for our Haiti Relief Efforts and has since joined the ARC Advisory Council! So your donated jersey helped to raise $6,000 for our programs and helped to foster a relationship with a new council member!"

We would never have thought it would go for that much and still surprised someone would want one of our shirts!  This was really generous of Craig Gordan and super cool that he helped out with the Haiti Response as well.  We are glad we could help out, it's truly a pleasure.