What I did on my summer vacation

You will note there is name change from Bridge of Hope Peru to Common Hope on our blog. We have been working toward the establishment of a non-profit for the continuation of our work with these children. It was finally determined that the name “Bridge of Hope Peru” would not be available in the state of Texas (someone already had rights to a portion of the name) so we changed simply to Common Hope as we believe that we are all motivated by the common hope our work to end poverty among the poor will bring lasting changes to the lives of these children in Peru and throughout the rest of the world.


JANIS
I have never been to Lima during this part of the year. I imagine it is hot and the humidity can be oppressive. For poor children the freedom from school may not be relieved by the excitement of new activities or an opportunity to relax with family on a vacation to a special location.

I imagine that the opportunity to attend summer camp though is really quite a rare opportunity. After looking at some of the fotos it seems that the wide open spaces, the nice facilities, a large cool swimming pool, games and a measure of freedom would have quite an impact on the kids in San Genaro. LOU
Yes, the kids don’t have the freedom in their homes and going to camp signifies an opportunity for fun, fresh air, new friendships with boys and girls from other parts of Peru, new horizons at their age. Many children have had to wait a year to be able to go to camp (many of them never leave Lima) and others have been able to repeat the activity because they had good grades in school. JANIS
Then the camp opens up their world to opportunity outside of the poor zone in Lima. A camp experience can accomplish many things for the kids we work with. Life in poverty has many difficulties which I can only imagine and other problems I would likely never consider. But I can easily envision the wide, blue sky with room to play and run. There appear to be places in the shade where they can sit with their friends. You speak of how they look forward to the opportunity. In some way, I hope they begin to see that their good efforts in school can result in opportunities outside of the poor zone. LOU
Yes, it is a new opportunity to be able to clarify for themselves everything they are able to be at camp. I am grateful to God and to those personas who found it in their hearts to help us. This camp consisted of a week of games where the kids relax and have a good time to have fun but also a time of reflection. There is a story to tell about this camp. JANIS
Yes, at first we thought we could only send the younger children. I think the camps for the older kids were full in February. Then you received the call from the camp coordinator that there was room. However, that left us in the situation of not having the money. Thankfully several individuals were generous enough to pay for the cost. I knew you were avoiding telling them that they couldn’t attend. LOU
Yes, the first camp for the younger kids was a week long and we were able to cover the costs through donations. But the last week of January, for the adolescents, we didn’t have a dime to pay for it. I called the coordinator of the camp one Friday at night and gave him the news. He was moved that we could not attend. The following day he called me and said that the teenagers could come and we would be able to pay the following week. It was a great pleasure that we could go because the kids were sad they had not been able to leave Lima. Days later one of the teenagers told me that she had been praying that we could go and it seemed that God had answered her prayer. When the teenagers knew they could go they were very happy. In this way, they went to camp in Canete and it was a good opportunity for their lives. JANIS
That is so sweet! People here don’t realice how just a little from an American perspective can mean so much! LOU
Many times the prayers of a child has more honesty than our prayers. Now we know that prayer accomplishes much. JANIS
You’re right. The prayers of a child are simple and precious, I think to God. But I imagine that the camp has many benefits for the kids. It seems they would have more confidence in themselves because of the opportunity. The experience of leaving the poor zone allows them to see themselves as equals among all kids in Peru. LOU
Poverty has great meaning here and everthing is invalidated with the thought of I can’t which is to say “I am not able to make anything of myself; I can’t rise above something; I can’t have a better education or simply I can’t have a life a little bit better.” The kids in San Genaro, Nueva Caledonia y the surrounding area are immobilized through the thought “I can’t” and we have to overcome it. In the camp they are able to see other children their age perhaps with the same economic conditions but with the hope that through sports, games, swimming and God they are able to have a better future. The children of San Genaro like the other kids I saw in the camp are the future of this country. JANIS
Well, they have a lot to overcome in their young lives. And, not much to give them any kind of indication that life can be different. After all, poverty may be the only real “inheritance” they have known from one generation to the next. It is one thing to dream but another to actually have an experience that opens up a bigger world. What do you think makes the biggest impact on them? LOU
The major impact is that they ask me “Lou when can we return? Can we return the last week of February in 2010?” When I asked them how much they liked the camp they responded “It was great I don’t want to return home”…great responses for kids and teenagers who only see their poor homes, family arguments, gangs, drunks and drug addicts. It is sad to think of a future for many of them but we are like lamps of light for them and God knows because He put us here in these particular time. JANIS
I hope that the summer camp will always be a part of what we can provide for them. It obviously means a lot to them. Who knows what these experiences will ultimately mean to their lives. I hope that it is a beginning for them to see a larger world with different posibilities that they can attain for themselves. Maybe they are inspired to finish school, go to the university or receive training for a particular type of work. It takes a lot of courage to leave the life they’ve known in a poor zone. LOU
They must put all of their strength and determination to make a difference in their lives to be able to overcome this. I believe that the camp gives them the spirit to overcome because they already will be entering new classes (in school) soon. JANIS
Little by little, it is my hope that we will see the fruits of the small changes that we can offer them. One changed live will reverberate for generations.