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!

Day 2 continued - Afternoon and Evening Worship

The afternoon consisted of a friendly soccer game between the NCV division and the Peru Division. I am sad to say that although we were winning 2-1 with a minute to go, Yohanis, Richard Li and Caleb all got excited over a corner at the other end and all tried to score but failed to realize they were all defenders and left the goal open. 30 seconds later Yohanis was watching the sky when Peru waltzed past him and scored (and the Peru DYS swears this happened by his watch) in the last second of the game.....However revenge was enacted in the second game when a slender 1-0 lead was held on and could of finished sooner had timekeeper Richard Li realized that he had forgotten to look at his watch and let an extra 3 mins slip by. A great time of soccer fellowship was had by all.

The afternoon consisted of electives and groups split up in percussion, dance groups and a vocal leadership track. The dance group was over 50 strong and rehearsals were in full swing getting ready for an exciting concert coming up in a few days. The vocal group was obviously experienced and was already singing Lord You are Good acapella style and the sound resonated around the room in glorious style.

Sports and recreation was next up and John Reeves attempted to teach the Peru kids how to play American football. Needless to say as night fell it was rather hilarious to see them try to stop each other with their tackles and kicking the ball instead of throwing it but as night fell DYB members took out their cellphones and lit up the game so it could finish.

Dinner was served at 8pm and it was a tasty meal of pasta and chicken noodle soup. However their chicken noodle soup is quite different from ours and the whole chicken is used, bones, blood and guts. Needless to say Richard Li and Daniel Yeo were excited to find a small chicken heart in their soup which they chomped down on and ate with much delight (much to the horror of the rest of us who decided that having a chicken beak or eye still winking at us was just too much to eat!)

Our evening concert section tonight has been written by Dr Kate Wholman:

Monday night’s evening program was a celebration of praise and worship from both ourselves and our hosts. Despite a long day, the concert began at 9:30pm and ran past midnight. There was little chance of drifting off, due to the frequent changes in genre and the extremely loud volume of the Peruvian praise team (note to future tour members – bring ear plugs).

The concert began outside on the grass, where the rain had just stopped and a smoke machine and strobe lighting had been set up, to accompany the Buenos Aires Corps in their dance feature. These guys had clearly been watching some sort of dance competition shows, and it was an impressive choreography ending with a triumphant Salvation Army flag being flown.

Back inside we were welcomed once again before the DYB set off on their first number, El Es El Senor - so far a resounding crowd pleaser on this tour. Lt Good opened the proceedings in prayer and then it was on to our solo feature, Dean Jones’s ‘Joshua’ performed splendidly by Kevin Downing. The audience was enthralled by his playing and the alternative techniques used in the cadenzas.

On to another corps dance team, this time the Virtarte Corps, who used a number of different styles of music in their backing track and had the audience up on their feet. This was followed by a piano duet from Kate and Joel (note to future tour members – bring a grand piano).

Bandmember Ellim Choi then shared her testimony, reminding us all that it is not enough just to do the right things for the right reasons, but that it a personal relationship with God that He seeks.

This was followed by the first set by the Peruvian praise team. Sometimes fielding as many as ten vocalists, this group knows how to worship loudly and with great energy. Although we found ourselves singing along to unknown songs in an unknown language, it was great to see the whole room flooded by the Spirit.

Capt Tim Delaney brought the evening’s message, with reflections on fishing midadventures (both modern and biblical), tightrope walkers, and poker players. All of these pastimes require the protagonist to go ‘All In’, and we shouldn’t be afraid to do that with Jesus, knowing that he is our Lord and Savior and will never let us fall.

The DYB then sang ‘Your God Will Come’, a work we have been singing since conservatory and sing in full voice. Then another dance team, a classic good-versus-evil duel with loud music, followed by another multi-song set from their Praise Team, this time with David, David and Kevin adding a horn line. Rachel Wiley and Joel then gave a moving rendition of Lord, I need you before our five-piece dance team had everyone back on their feet with You are Good. Our final offering was given by Kaitlyn who performed a solo dance which was warmly received. The meeting was closed by John Reeves in prayer.

Overall, a long and enjoyable evening that showed the similarities between our worship styles, and the universal language of Praise.

After the concert Capt Tim Delaney concluded with devotions and we all went back to sleep in our rooms for our first night with all 5 of us attempting to sleep in one room.......Goodnight......

PS Stephan talks in his sleep.....

Arrival at camp Day 2

It was another early start this morning as we headed out of our hotel and set off for the camp where we would spend the next 3 days teaching and encouraging the young adults of the Peru division musically and spiritually.

It was not long before we were stuck in the Monday morning Lima rush hour as we battled through crazy traffic and some of the most ridiculous driving standards you have ever seen. Peru does not paint lane lines on their roads and you can tell by their driving! One of the most amazing sights to see was the mountains in the city that were packed with residential houses all built into the mountain all the way up. Also remarkable is the amount of buses that are jammed with people as people are pulled into the bus and pay their fare as it drives off and seeing people jumping out the bus as it kept moving! It is also interesting to see so many people trying to make a living in this city by doing everything they can to sell fruit and food, and even car accessories at red stop lights. It is also a sorry sight to see so much trash and rubble in certain poorer areas of the city but it seems the people keep living and working and getting through life in a positive way.

As we left the city we drove through the rocky mountains and saw many houses and settlements down in the valleys and up the hills of the mountains. Several of the mountain tops have statues of the mother of Mary and the cross of Jesus on top of it and it reminds us all of the sacrifice Christ made for us.

After 2 hours and 30 minutes we arrived at our destination Camp Cieneguilla. The camp is small but beautiful and rests at the foot of the mountain of both sides which gives a remarkable view from where we walk around all of the time.The weather is cool and crisp but when the sun comes out it gets warm and you can tell that the beginning of summer is starting. Our rooms are small and there are between 5-6 of us in them and the sewer system is somewhat smelly in some parts of the building but it is obvious that cold showers will actually be good for us as it gets rather hot in rooms of 5-6 people!

At 11:30am we all gather for some music by the Peru praise team and then the whole band introduces themselves in Spanish, and it seems that by waving your arms about and showing how happy you are will get you the biggest cheer from our Spanish friends as John Adams so eloquently demonstrated! 

We then begin to audition the 150 delegates who are here and it is obvious we will be having some large classes. There are over 30 guitars and 40 timbrels, eager to learn more about their trade and glorify Jesus.

At 1pm we have lunch and it is Peruvian chicken and rice which is a nice treat for all of us to sample the local cuisine and talk with our new friends. The language barrier is challenging but it makes for good fun and laughter as Daniel Yeo attempts to learn about the family of the delegates and confuses a mother for a sister and a father for an uncle! We also hear our first rendition of Happy Birthday which sounds more like a chant you would hear on a soccer ground but it is nonetheless a delightful experience once you figure out there is no fighting going on!

After lunch all the majors begin and all you hear around the camp is the blowing of brass instruments and sonorous tones of the better musicians as well as the tinkle of the timbrel and the sounds of Ruth Choi encouraging her 30 guitar players with a loud word that I am guessing is Spanish!

As I finish this entry I can hear loud party music and the splashing of water at the pool as the pool party has begun. We are sure to continue to have a wonderful day here as we prepare for a night program of music from the DYB band and Peru divisional praise team as well as sports games and electives later on this afternoon and evening! See you all tonight for another blog entry!

Day 1 in Peru!

Well we have safely arrived in Peru and were only delayed by around 3 hours! The Peru airport was in full swing even at 1am in the morning and we were greeted by our hosts who gladly took us to our bus where we discovered the bus driver was missing but was finally found by someone who spotted him asleep on his makeshift bed underneath the coach. We sent Stef in who promptly woke him up by banging on the side of the bus and we all got moving. After unloading our instruments at the corps, (and stopping the bus almost taking out half of the building next to the corps) we arrived at the hotel Colon (yes the city is called Colon.....) and after what seemed like an hour to check in we finally got a massive 2 hours sleep before our alarms woke us up ready to get going for morning worship!

After a delightful breakfast of something that was very nice to eat we headed to the corps building where we set up in the small chapel for the morning service. Although the service starts at 10am people were just about arriving at 10:30am and by then the corps was packed so full extra chairs were brought in and people stood outside to listen to the music of the vibrant praise team (despite Tyrone trying to steal the drummers drum!) We had several testimonies from our crew (Richard Li and Rachel Wiley) and a very moving testimony for the CSM. Highlights including a rousing song of I'll go in the strength of the Lord and a quartet version of Be Thou My Vision which had a number of church members with tears in their eyes. The whole experience lasted 2 hours and 30 mins and you never would of thought it as the band played song after song and the congregation sang and clapped and enjoyed every minute of it.

After the service we headed out to see the catacombs of the main Catholic church and was shocked to see a line that must of stretched so long it was impossible to see where you joined it. After asking what they were doing we found out that they were all waiting to put flowers down for Catholic Saint Jean which was honored on the 28th of each month. Our tour of the catacombs was interesting and the kids were rather perplexed seeing real bones but very moved by the paintings of the life of Jesus that had been painted some as long ago as 1680.

After our museum visits we headed to do a concert at downtown Colon where we had around 600 people waiting for us. The band and dance groups performed several rousing numbers and the crowd was excited to clap along to the marches and sing along to the performances. The local corps timbrel groups performed and it is obvious they have a deep love of the timbrel in this area of Peru! The band continued to play and after their last piece of Camp Happyland there were chants of "Encore" and the band played another number to please the crowd. Afterwards the kids were asked to have their pictures taken with members of the audience and they felt like rock stars!

After a dinner that lasted over several hours (or what felt like it) we headed back to the hotel for evening devotions lead by Capt Tim Delaney on the steps of the hotel outside. During this moving time police cars came around the corner and music blared from several houses, but the moving of the spirit was still evident as the group sang "Oceans" and several passers by watched and listened for a few moments before moving on.

This had been a day of wonderful worship and music making and many opportunities of spreading the message was apparent as the corps officer and soldiers spent time praying and telling the crowd about Jesus.

Tomorrow we head to the camp to start teaching to the young adults of Peru and we can't wait to get there! Please pray we have an impact on the young people of the Peru division and David Delaney will get out of bed in time!

DYB is leaving today!

Today the DYB is leaving for the Peru mission trip!

Yes we have already had our fair share of worries including someone who left their passport at home (no names mentioned Tyrone) and a few people who decided to sleep in a little longer than expected (no names mentioned again.....) but we have all made it to the airport in time.

As you can imagine it is sometimes stressful when packing for a brass band and we are sad to say the percussion section will now be joining the dance team and they are thrilled at the prospect of dancing to the rhythm of the salsa band instead of hitting a woodblock and cymbal. We also are sad about the loss of the Bb tuba who sadly did not loose enough weight to make the trip, God bless each of those instrument cases that weighed more than the instruments themselves.....

Our plane has now arrived and we shall be departing in a few moments. We are going to have a word of prayer so please do pray for our safe arrival in Peru and an internet connection that will work enough to drop in now and again!

God bless the DYB on the Peru mission trip 2014!

#dybperu, #dontforgetyourtoothbrushorpassport #only3tubasmadeit

DYB leaves for Peru in 4 days!!

Dear friends and family!

Our Divisional Youth Band is heading off to Peru in less than 4 days and during our trip we would like to keep you updated (internet permitting). We hope to be able to share our experiences and testimonies with all of you back home so please keep checking back to see what we are doing and what has happened during our trip. Most important we ask that you pray for us during our time in Peru, that we will be humble and experience the holy spirit and love of Christ in a way we could never have imagined as we spread the good news of the gospel to the people of Peru.

Please share this blog and feel free to comment and encourage our young people as we minister to the people of Peru and encourage the soldiers of the Peruvian territory at summer camp!

God bless!

DYB