DYB is home!

We are happy to announce that the DYB is safely home! After boarding our plane in Lima, Peru around 1am in the morning it was not long before our plane took off and we headed for Florida. The entire group seemed to fall asleep and wake up 5 hours later as the plane was landing. Amerika Outlaw was even more surprised to wake up and see a fellow passenger asleep and cuddling her personal pillow but seemed to take it with humor and took it back when she was not looking!

We only had a few hours to get through immigration and to our next plane and it seemed to go very smoothly as we went through the brand new terminals that scan your passport for you and let you come into the country yourself. No one was sent back to Peru and even Dr Kate was allowed back in on her H1 Visa!

We all made it to our next gate and went through security with no issues despite a last minute gate change we all made it back to a rainy Washington DC and met all of our families and loved ones who were keen to take us home and give us some nice American food with cheese.

The trip was exceptional and our lives were changed as well as those from Peru. 24 hours later it is evident and I have taken some quotes from Facebook from various DYB members:

Even though we all are home now from our missions trip to Peru, we all were blessed, we grew, made more friends, thanks to everyone who went, helped, and special thanks to the new friends I've made from Peru and even our youth band! The memories and lessons we learned will never be forgotten. Now it's time for us to go to work at our churches, communities, and division. Thank you my brothers and sisters of Peru! CRISTO VIVE! - John Adams

Peru was an amazing experience. This trip has changed me drastically and I learned a lot about myself and others . The new friends I came across in Peru are great and they are going to do things to change there community for sure. This was my first mission trip but definitely not my last – Yohannes Abera

Peru mission trip has changed me spiritually and mentally in so many different ways. I've learned a lot about myself. This is something I'll never forget. Shout out to DYB for being awesome and encouraging through out the trip. I'm glad to call you all family - Wilber Hernandez

Peru was Amazing. It will ever be in my memory and on my heart. – Chris Shiels

After an amazing week in Peru, I'm finally heading back home. I'm so thankful to have had this opportunity. I've realized a lot about myself, and I can't wait to dig deeper. Now that I have some connections, I know I can definitely go back – Selena Lovo

Finally home!! Peru has been amazing and I feel blessed to have amazing leaders and friends! Thanks everyone for your prayers!! – Esther Lee

We had a great time ministering musically and spiritually to the people of the Salvation Army in Peru ... and being ministered to by them! Praise God!!! – John Reeves

We are even now realizing the impact the DYB members have had on Peru and will continue to hear stories of how the trip has helped to shape the lives of those in Peru. Even today the Lima Corps had a moment to bless their instruments that were given and donated by various corps members from the NCV division and we know they will work hard to use these instruments to glorify God. Praise God for the Peru trip and for what God will continue to do for the people in Peru!

Peru Trip Day 6 - Last day and home!

This is going to be a very fast and quick blog with numerous spelling errors as we are in the airport that gives free wifi for only 15 mins so I hope to get this done as fast as I can!

Today was our last day in Peru and we woke up in our hotel to a hearty breakfast of delicious food. Afterwards we walked over to the sea front where Lt Michael Good led devotions and asked everything questions about the trip and what they had learned. It was a remarkable time of sharing and we were all up lifted by the way people had changed and also learned more about God and living with things that we did not have in Peru compared to what they had back in the USA. It was an amazing time of sharing and tears were shed at the testimonies and statements of the hopes and changes that were going to happen when they got home. Even as this happened, a lady came up and saw The Salvation Army shield on our T-shirts and spoke to Joel Collier and Kaitlin Hardiman about how The Salvation Army had saved her life 40 years ago and the group prayed there in the street as we shared our testimonies. God certainly was not done with us on a day that was designated for sight seeing, he had other plans for us before we left!

We headed back to the hotel and was informed that the bus was going to be a few hours late because the brakes were not working. It filled us with great belief once we had discovered it was the same bus we had ridden through the steep mountains! During our wait David Delaney showed his back flipping skills and landed on his bottom and knee but if you first don't succeed try try again and he did and landed on his bottom again! Yohannis decided that it would be funny to rub a piece of bread we noticed had been thrown in the fountain the day we left 4 days ago in David Delaney's hair and the fountain claimed another victim!

The coach finally arrived and we headed off to the restaurant for a buffet of delicious food as well as a small band sat on the bar playing some lovely music for us. It was here some people were starting to regret going to the burger bar last night and pepsol bismol was handed all around instead of the local inca cola drink. The bathroom was visited many times before we left.

We then headed back to the beach to try to find some sand and we still had no luck however it was more sunny than last time and so we enjoyed sitting watching the beautiful scenery as well as watching cars dodge and scrape each other in the road next to us.

Eventually we headed to the Inca market where everyone bought stuffed lamas and other trinkets to take home to their loved ones and increase their luggage fees at the airport! We then headed to another restaurant where we finally got our Peruvian chicken and chips and it was delicious!

We then headed to the airport where we are now! We all said a sad fond farewell to our hosts who demanded we come back next week however we declined because of DMA!

It has been an awe inspiring trip to Peru and I know that many of us were changed and lives were changed. Lt Michael summed it up best when he said, "we did not come here to change Peru, but for Peru to changed us" The holy spirit has moved and lives changed on both sides and we thank God for his blessings in all the lives of everyone involved in this mission trip.

PS We have decided to swap David Reardon with his Peruvian look a like Alex. (See picture below) I know Amy and Rob Reardon will be pleased, he loves to clean, cook and sing!

SEE YOU ALL SOON!!!

Peru Trip Day 5 - Final day of camp

The new year celebrations have finally settled down and most of camp managed to get to bed around 4am, so it was no surprise when 7am rolled around ready for breakfast most people were not in the best of shape. Not to mention the all night rave celebrations that went on in the camp next door where the music got faster and louder as the night went on, along with our rooster friend who crowed the new year in around 3am.

Breakfast was served at 8:30am, (we were given a generous extra 30 mins in bed due to the late night celebrations the night before) and it was the usual hot fryer drink and jam sandwiches in a plastic bag. The bugs had obviously not celebrated the new year and were up extra early to bite people on the arms and face and were obviously not going to let us leave without a parting gift.

Today would mark the final concert of the camp and we were to have it outdoors so all of the groups could preform without being cramped in the space of the main chapel area of the camp. Benches were laid out in a semi circle so that everyone could see the performers.

The program consisted of all of the classes and bands that had lessons this week and first up was the beginner guitar group lead by Ruth Choi who lead them in a rendition of"Open the eyes of my heart Lord" followed by the beginner band led by David Me and Sarah Elliot who let the band perform a stiring rendition of "Ode to Joy". Following that was the Lyrical dance group lead by Kaitlin Hardiman and Timbrels lead by Amerika Outlaw who performed "David Danced". The percussion group led by Tyrone and Selena performed a piece on a ping pong table and this was followed by the Hip Hop dance led by Amerika Outlaw that featured close to 50 dances performing. The concert was concluded by the advanced band lead by Dr Kate Wholman and they performed Walls of Jericho and Blessed Assurance.

The next part of the concert moved inside and this was the worship service. The DYB band performed several numbers and led the songs throughout the service as well as help from the Peru divisional praise team. But the focus was the call of officers in Peru and it was announced that no one from Peru was going to training this year and more officers were needed and Lt Michel Good shared his testimony in the hope to get them invigorated and this was followed by a power message from Captain Nester Valverde who spoke passionately about the call to officership and ministry in The Salvation Army not to mention on how to live a Godly life as a young person. Several people came to the mercy seat and prayed and the band were thanked by the division for coming.

After a delicious lunch of chicken and rice we packed up and got ready to leave. It was a sad moment for the Peruvians as they said goodbye to our boys and girls and pictures were taken for a very long time as well as hugs and kisses (adults were on hand to make sure it was safe from harm) and tears flowed as friendships were continued by the swapping of emails and Facebook names. Several of the boys cried all the way back to Lima as they said goodbye to their new friends that they only knew for 3 days!

We then departed back to Lima and were eager to get to the beach. When we arrived it was not quite as we expected as there was no sand and no pebbles and no one was in the water. We were then told by out guide that the beaches in Peru are not really good beaches to swim in but none the less that did not stop Rudy Li who stripped off and dived and attempted to swim back to America, only to realize he was on the wrong side of the country and came back.

For dinner we went to the popular restaurant Bimbos where we ordered a burger and then proceeded to wait 45 mins to cook all our food, But it was very good and was worth the wait.

We then headed to the light show where we proceeded to see lights and water project images and pictures to music and it was very interesting to see. The park had a water maze and we watched as many of our friends attempted to get to the middle without getting wet but none made it and Esther Kim, Stefan Hall and Nate McMllan who were told to get a taxi home as they were too wet to get on the bus. This also included Rudy Li who thought the idea of the game was to get wet as possible and ran around like a headless chicken much to the delight of the crowd who clapped him and the stern looks of 3 nuns who came by. Before we left the park we took a picture outside the fountains and were almost run over by the park train whose route was right in the middle of our photo, but we stood frim and were honked at the the 90 year old train driver and his 3 passengers of 2 year old's.

We headed back to the hotel and had our devotions which were lead by Capt Tim Delaney who gave us much thought about the final day of our mission trip. All went to bed utterly exhausted but happy that the mission was almost complete and our final day would be spent seeing more of Peru and perhaps a few other souls to save. Good night ya'll!

Peru Trip Day 4 - Happy New Year!!

This afternoon we were all treated to a visit to the river. The Capt told us it was only 2 blocks away. However 30 mins later and no river in sight we began to wonder where we were being taken. Needless to say it was very nice to see some more beautiful scenic mountains and also some of the locals who owned small shops on the walk up. The traffic was also polite enough to honk at us when we stepped into the road or if they were going to decide to drive on the wrong side of the road. Of interest was the small house further up the hill that had several dogs guarding it as well as a dog who was up on the roof where we guessed he lived due to the kennel being on the roof as well.

Finally we reached our destination and we saw waterfalls and fast flowing river. Getting down to the river was another task in itself and John Adams managed to elegantly do this in style by falling over and down the rocks on his bottom! Everyone rushed to get to the river and it was a joy to see those infected with the dreaded sand fly disease get some glorious relief from the bites on their legs. It was then up to the younger boys to attempt to float on the bodies down the river but alas managed to just get stuck but Capt Tim and David Delaney managed to show them how to belly flop and float down the river in true style.

After 30 mins of frolicking fun in the river, we decided to leave and head back to the camp. Once again the beautiful scenery gave us another stark reminder of the beauty of Gods creation. Several people managed to stop for a snack at the local blackberry bush and enjoy a delicious treat of blackberries fresh from the bush.

We got back to the camp where we had been told Stefan had had too much fun at the swimming pool where he instigated throwing the campers into the pool with all their clothes and belongings on and therefore was banned from all swimming pools in all Salvation Army camps in the world.

Volleyball and Soccer was continuing, despite the marking of the soccer pitch to include the local well that was on far side of the pitch, 2 extra points if you can hit the well and score a goal.

At 9pm dinner was served and it was again a delicious meal of rice and chicken as well as a very runny jello shot. Capt Tim Delaney decided to invite everyone on the table to drink it all at the same time and the fastest was Dr Kate Wholman who won the prize for 1st place. Sadly others were not so fortunate in having jello shots that went down so well and several people ran to the nearest bush to rid their stomachs of the runny thick purple fluid.

Tonight's evening concert report was written by Ellim Choi:

Today we celebrated the end of 2014 in beautiful Peru. A question was posed during dinner of what our ideal New Year’s would look like and for me, it would definitely be bringing the New Year with family and friends, giving praise to our Lord and Savior. Fortunately, I got to do just that not only with our Divisional Youth Band family but with our new found Peruvian friends.

 Our celebration tonight began with an electric anticipation not felt in meetings past. Everyone knew that tonight was special and our dress reflected that excitement accordingly. As we filled in the meeting room I could see beautiful ladies in gorgeous, flowing dresses and sharp-looking gentlemen with ties and slacks. Once again, the praise team who has passionately and faithfully facilitated our worship did not disappoint. They helped align our focus back on God and stand there in awe of Him and His glory. The passion in the room was visibly felt as people sang at the top of their lungs and proclaimed the greatness of our God! Despite my preconceived notions, the language difference did nothing to hinder the praise of two very different groups of people joined together for that single purpose of worshipping our Heavenly Father.

               One of our band members, Uduak Udoh shared his testimony with us. He reflected on the faithfulness of God in his life and how God opened and closed certain doors to allow him to the place that he is at now. A phrase that especially stuck out to me was his proclamation that God had given him many gifts, but that Jesus is the greatest gift of all. This stood out because it is so true. Jesus is certainly the greatest gift that God has given us because it has afforded us an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father. Despite the gifts that God gives us during our time on earth, they will all pass and fade, but the gift of His Son Jesus Christ is one that stands central to our faith and to hear that Uduak proclaim this truth was a very refreshing thing to hear.

               Following was Captain Tim Delaney’s message from Matthew 5:1-16. He reminded us that we were the light of the world. To solidify this truth and to visually celebrate the coming of the New Year, we congregated outside, prayed, and released paper lanterns into the sky. Captain Tim not only wanted to reiterate that we were the light of the world, but the release of the lanterns to symbolize the release of our burdens and sins. To let go of what held us down and surrender it up to God.

               God gave me the wonderful opportunity to pray for a group of my family and friends. We each shared our hopes for the New Year, lit our lanterns, and watched them float away into the night sky. That, coupled with the fireworks released by our neighbors on either side, was a beautiful sight to see. It was amidst this beauty that midnight struck and we were officially in the year 2015.

               I had thought that the fireworks and lanterns filling the night sky was a stunning sight to see, but what I saw next stirred my heart even more. As soon as we entered the new year, I saw family and friends, new and old, embrace one another as they shared a “Happy New Year’s!” or “Feliz Ano Nuevo!”   The way that I normally celebrate that special moment is by merely counting down and cheering, maybe giving a hug to the people in my immediate vicinity. So I was taken aback by the people who went around taking turns to embrace all of those in sight, choosing to cherish this special moment with absolutely everyone they could. It was such a lovely sight to see because the love of Jesus was so evident in that simple act.

Afterwards the group of young adults had a party called crazy time and they danced and sang to praise and worship music with balloons and glow in the dark necklaces until 2am. 

I thank God for His abundant grace and the gift that this New Years has been. Please join me in continuing to pray for this mission trip. I know that God had a specific purpose in bringing us here and allowing us to meet and share time with our Peruvian brothers and sisters in Christ. Please help us pray for eyes and hearts to be opened and for relationships with God to be created and deepened. Thank you!

Peru Trip Day 4 - Camp heats up

Good morning! Buenos Dias! Our Spanish is improving each day and many youth band members are now attempting to communicate with the local natives as well as some of the boys attempting to see how many friend requests they can get on Facebook for the journey home. Last night a huge argument developed between Reggie, Wilber and Yohannis about who was going to make more friends and at 2am in the morning yours truly had to go out and calm them down and send them to bed with no supper!

Morning was the usual the cold shower and early rise after a late night. It does appear that the girls block has now run out of water for the rest of the week as they were the lucky ones to get warm showers but were too generous with their helpings of daily water and have now run out. There is a trip to the river today where i suspect many people will take a bath in the natural spring water.

Breakfast was once again delicious and consisted of egg and cheese sandwich's as well as the hot fryer fat drink that re-appeared again. Nate McMillian decided to show Christian charity by taking an entire tray out to a table of Peruvian ladies but his good intentions were dashed when he tripped and split the tray over the table and ladies.....he is now on the most wanted list at camp and his greasy fyer fat drink ration privileges have now been removed for the rest of the Peruvian summer.

The bugs have once again struck and have laid down a few people with swollen ankle syndrome and benedryl is now knocking them out for the rest of the day. The bugs have been finally identified by Dr Kate Wholman who says they are sand flies and they attack as soon as they see your legs and ankles but you become immune to it after a day which explains why no one has been bitten today.

Last night it also became apparent why we are struggling with the 19 hour days and our Peruvian friends are full of energy. Apparently there is a daily siesta (nap) that all the Peruvians take but they failed to tell us which explains why the afternoon theory class and timpani tuning masterclass was all empty. We do believe that this is one tradition that all will take today however Esther Lee decided to go ahead and start early by taking a 5 hour afternoon nap yesterday whilst the rest of us ran up a mountain, played soccer and tuned timpani heads.

Morning worship was a wonderful experience and devotions were once again led by Lt Michael Good and was based on the bible passage Psalm 150, and was all about praising the Lord no matter what skills you have and no matter what trials you are going through in life.

Classes resumed and theory and choir was full of life as always as the teachers led clapping rhythms and explained long and short notes to the classes of keen Peruvian children and young adults. Choir continued with the girls and boys split up and rehearsing "David Danced". The girls being led by David Delaney explained that when David danced in the bible he was naked and this was drawn by oooo's and ahhhhh's by the young ladies who thought that David Delaney would give an example but they were let down by the safe from harm rules paragraph 42 subsection 3.

Major lessons began as soon as choir finished and it is again obvious that the groups are improving with every lesson they have and you can see the excitement on the faces of the delegates as they get ready for the concert tomorrow.

Lunch was again a delicious meal of rice, beef and potatoes and a cold pineapple drink. It is interesting to watch them prepare the meals for everyone in the kitchen as the chef cooks from scratch and cooks all the meat in a large frying fan. All the soups, rice and potatoes are cooked in a large pot. The food is cooked healthy and it is amazing how they are able to prepare so much food in such a short space of time in their small stoves in the kitchen and as one meal is being cooked, the next one is being prepared.

Electives are happening right now and our video crew will be shooting video interviews for a video at youth councils. We will also take a trip to the river at the base of the mountain and prepare for tonight's new year eve party! It will be a long night, scheduled to end at 2:45am so we may not have an update till late this morning or early tomorrow morning! Happy new year!!

Peru Trip Day 3 - Hike up a mountain and into evening worship

This afternoons activity involved climbing up the mountain top that stood right next to the camp. At 3:30pm a group of around 20 of us including the Divisional Secratary prayed for our group to have a fun and safe trip. 

We walked down the road and within 10 minutes we were at the foot of the mountain and were amazed how the area could of been from a planet or strange other world as there were tons of small rocks and no plant life to be seen. We all made our way up the loose rocks, being careful to not slip or knock rocks into anyone else. Lt Michael Good did a great moonwalk impression as he struggled to find his footing on the loose rocks. Halfway up you could see the remarkable views and also the camp where we could see several of our fellow delegates playing volleyball and soccer.

The group continued and got to the point further up the ridge where you had to climb up it and finally we made it to the point where the fog was all around us but visability was still good. We looked down upon the camp and the rest of God's creation where we saw the vast valley of mountains we were all staying in and the sight was simply breath taking to see what God had created for us. We all felt very blessed by the experience. 

We all took a wonderful group picture and headed down the mountain and it was safe to say some people like Tyrone and Wilber conquered their fear of heights and others just need to work on their balance a bit better!

When we got back a small group headed to the local market and the rest of us stayed and played soccer and volleyball with the rest of the group whilst a snack of a ham sandwich was provided. 

Dinner was pushed back to 8:30pm so we were able to host a small dance contest and it was unanimous that the winner was Stefan Hall although one Peruvian was rapper was a close second place. We all had a lovely dinner of Noodles in a bowl of soup as well as rice, potatoes and chicken. Yes that was a lot of starches in one meal but it was delicious.

Tonight's evening report has been written by Ruth Choi:

We have all learned something from our time in Peru. That was what we were all thinking during our night time devotions at 12:30 after our night concert. So I have been told that this camp that we are helping out with is like the Peruvian “Youth Councils”. So, just like all the Corps in the NCV division performs, all of the Corps in Peru also performs.

It is so interesting to watch as each group performs, whether it be a modern hip hop piece or a traditional Peruvian dance. But the odd thing is, is that in every piece the lights are turned off and the strobe lights are turned on. According to David Reardon we were going to have a rave but one thing we found out was that those Peruvians sure do love their strobe lights. Anyways back to the concert. It is always a little stressful when we have to play a piece because we know that expectations are high and that wrong notes might lead to long lectures from the leaders, which is never fun. But each time we finish a piece, whether it be from this concert or from others that we have performed here, we can feel the presence of God. We can tell that these people are very grateful to have us here and in turn we are very grateful that they are willing to take us.

From the very first day that camp started the DYS told us that they have been trying to start a band for a long time and that we were a huge step in that process. It is so amazing how God can use us. For me, coming to Peru was just to use what meager talents I have to play my instrument and then using the rest of the time to just do whatever. But after this remark I immediately realized that that was not what God has planned. He planned for us to do his work and not just goof around. We were here not for us, not for the Peruvians, but for God and we are reminded of this each and every moment we have here.

Now I do not know why or how but for some reason every single person here in Peru is talented. We noticed this on our first Sunday here when the praise band started singing and we realized this every time we teach them how to play an instrument or play sports with them. So during the concert when the praise team comes up and we are signaled to stand up by Wilber standing up first, we hear their talents. Their dedication to God and their music is felt through their playing and their singing. Every time we stand up to sing, the language barrier melts away and we are praising God not in two languages but in one voice. I imagine that it would be like this in Heaven; where no one has to worry about what the other is saying because we would all be just praising God, day and night.

Tonight Wilber gave his testimony. Since he can speak in Spanish he spoke his testimony in Spanish but we were given the translation for the first half of the testimony. Although we do not know what the outcome of his testimony was, the congregation seemed to have enjoyed it and I heard a lot of Amens and Hallelujahs so I know that Wilber did a good job. Although this is just the second day of camp we on this mission feel like we have been here for weeks.

We already love everyone here in this camp and as a band we have grown closer as a family. I cannot wait for what God has planned for us for the rest of the mission trip and I hope that people at home are still praying for us, because we need it. Some of the prayers tonight were for strength, peace, flexibility, and patience. I pray that God grants us those and gives us a good rest of the trip!

Peru Trip Day 3 - Camp life continues

There is nothing better then hearing a rooster crow and wake you up in the morning. There is nothing worse then hearing a confused rooster crow at 2am in the morning but nonetheless most of us got a good 4-5 hours of sleep before having to wake up to cold showers and start the day!

It is a beautiful day in Peru and the clouds and haze wash over the mountains and remind us all of the beauty of the world that God created. We are also reminded of the small and interesting things God has created such as the bugs that have torn up peoples legs and made their ankles swell up (David Merz was so embarrassed he wore pants and flip flops today.....) It seems that Peru has its fair share of mosquitoes that love to go for a snack on the ankle and many DYB members have their war wounds thanks to them, but God bless those creatures that were made for some reason that is unknown to us today!

Breakfast was a jam sandwich and egg sandwich along with a drink that looked like it had been poured out of the deep fat fryer in McDonald's but actually tasted nice for some people. Other people like Lt Michael Good were deeply unimpressed as the a film developed on his lips from the drink that no one could identify.

Morning devotions were led by the Peru and NCV praise team and it was obvious that the words of 10000 reasons had a deep impact on the band as well as the congregation, despite the language barrier, music has a way of bringing people together when the praise the Lord in one voice. Lt Michael good gave the devotion about leaving your baggage behind and casting your fears and worries to the Lord giving a great analogy of the size of his and other peoples suitcases as well as poor Stefan who packed so much, his case burst and was handed to him in a trash bag at the airport.

After devotions it was time for theory and everyone packed into their classrooms ready to learn about quarter notes and half notes. Joel Collier explained to the timbrelists that theory would help their understanding of the rhythms whilst Wilber Hernandez showed his guitar class how theory helps to understand what chords they are playing. Dr Kate was very brave in her attempts to teach theory despite being outside in the heat and being faced with the constant barrage of the bugs looking for a snack.

Proceeding theory was choir and the boys and girls were split up. Already it is very obvious that the people of Peru love to sing, but also CAN sing and the choirs were eager to learn and sing new songs from their choirmasters. The lively and exciting sounds of the women's chorus could be heard all over the camp as David Delaney lead and taught them the popular song "David Danced." whilst Joel Collier lead the male chorus.

After chorus was the major electives and the bands, guitars and timbrels once again got together to rehearse their music and performances ready for the closing ceremony that is only 2 days away! It is clear to hear and see that the groups are already advancing and improving and seeing the smiling faces on the delegates is a wonderful sight to see.

Lunch was served and it was a delicious meal of rice, potatoes and vegetables (not a bone in sight!). A wonderful time of fellowship occurred as the Koreans and Chinese delegates tried to teach the Peruvians how to speak Korean and Chinese and Lt Michael shared his proposal story which gave enough those you did not understand English a good laugh!

We now head off to the mountain for a hike, we hope to have more stories to share later as well as a recap of the worship service tonight!