En Peru....

En Peru, encontre mi alma...

En Peru, aprendi como poder amar

En Peru, las estrellas nunca me fiya

La luz me guilla adelante,

Girasoles encuentra en Peru <3

Peru.
How do I even begin to explain what has happened to me?

I spent almost 3 weeks this summer working with the orphans of El Girasol [the sunflower] in Urubamba, Peru. They have no source of running water, so we spent 4-5 hours a day with picks and shovels [picos y palas] digging trenches for the cause of the children. After work we would help them with their homework, or prepare family home evening lessons. And other times I would play duck-duck-goose on the grass or sit and let the girls braid my hair.

I don't know of any good way to convey the feelings I have about this trip, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, then I hope they can help.

The children of Girasol orphanage dressed in their traditional

Peruvian clothing for our welcome celebration. At two different points,

the children led us to the next place for the celebration. Yerri (Right) grabbed

my hand and directed me to sit for the beginning. And afterwards, Evelin (Left)

led me to ride a donkey, as part of our welcome.

From that point on, the three of us were inseparable.

I fell in love with the both of them and somehow I feel they will always hold a place in my heart.

Aside from my time in the orphanage, I saw a lot of things....

like Llamas :)

And political campaign posters that are slightly different from the ones we have here :)
[insert visual of Obama flashing a peace sign in his sunglasses]

I found that Peruvians are Cougar fans also.

And I ate some very different kinds of food....

I met people who lived in homes made from adobe

with no water

no electricity

dirt floors

and holes in the walls to provide light.

I saw Incan Ruins that are like nothing you could imagine.

But the thing that impacted me most were these.....

The Children who love to dance.

And hold your hand...

who own only one pair of clothing...

And have no dental care...

the ones who make the most trouble,

but know every word to every primary song.

and love to sing.

The ones who are wounded,

But whose smile can light the whole room.

The children who grab your hands and stand on your feet.

The moments when nothing else matters.

The things that impacted me most were the people: the children.

The ones whose love changed my life.

I've found that it's true. So so very true. When you lose yourself in the service of others, you find yourself. 

"En peru, encontre me alma."

In Peru, I found my soul.

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved"

-Thomas S. Monson