Peru Re-union

Is it really 6 months since a team of 35 went from the Highlands to work for the Vine Trust on 2 street kids projects in Peru? It didn't seem so as I looked out at all the familiar faces and their families last Friday evening at a re-union in Hilton Church. Even the guys from Skye made it across with their families to be with us. Ruth, Caroline and Adrienne had set up tables in the church with flowers and candles and, with everybody contributing, served a delicious meal. We even had a special guest in Albert Bogle (Chairman & originator of the Vine Trust). He thanked everyone for their efforts in terms of work and fund raising. Over £30,000 was raised by this work party and Albert was telling us that the Vine Trust now has a turnover of over £1.25 million. Albert said the grace and by the time the first course was finished everyone was mixing and chatting and having a great time. After the meal 3 who had been on the trip talked a little about the highs and lows of the trip and their reflections on the impact on their lives since they returned home. I had received an update on the work over in Peru and shared the good news of 2 new homes that have opened in the city of Ica (badly hit in last August's earthquake) and in Urambamba up in the Sacred valley not far from Machu Pichu. 20 boys are settling in to a new life in Ica and co-incidentally the first 20 boys were moving in to the new home in the Sacred Valley on Friday even as we had our re-union! Some of these boys have heart rending stories of hardship and abuse. It's easy to relegate them to the back of our minds as we pick up the threads of our own busy lives. To get news of them is a timely reminder of the need to pray for them and continue to support them (and their new house parents) as they move away from a life of the streets. It really is a great work and such a privilege to be involved in Jesus' ministry to abandoned street boys. In Peru we had some tremendous laughs as we played with the boys and at our re-union on Friday we finished the evening with one of the games we had played with them. Before we knew it it was 10 o'clock and clearing out time. Thanks go to all who came and contributed and worked so hard to make the evening a great success. For your diaries Calum Munro from the Vine Trust tells me that STV are doing a mini-series on the work in Peru and will be showing pictures of Kusi up in the Andes where the team spent their second week. The first programme is scheduled to go out at 11pm on the 6th May.

Barry