Aislynn Holt is heading to Peru on a mission trip this weekend. Please keep her and the entire team in your prayers.
Here is one of her most recent posts from her blog:
RALL Holt
I'm headed to Peru for seven days with 43 strangers with Compassion International. The flight is six and half hours, and we will be getting into Lima at 9:15p. The daily plans for this trip are filled with mainly children ministry through worship, skits, and fun with people that love kids. =D We will also be painting and cleaning up one of the community centers. The main thing about this trip is getting to know Compassion Peru on a personal level. When you invest your time and money on a child in this country you want to know what it is going towards and this is the beauty of Compassion. You get to go to see just what they are doing.
In my handy dandy package
I have been reading more about Compassion and their mission as an organization. They use a holistic approach to caring for these children in their programs. It is about giving educational opportunities, life skills, health care (supplemental nutrition when needed), safe and healthy recreation, and the biggest gift they could give the chance to hear the gospel. I believe in the work that Compassion is doing, and I am sure that after this trip my belief in them will be even greater!
So, I first want to ask each of you to please pray for the 44 people that going here they are by name:
-Felicia, Emily, Sandy, & Pete Amy (Texas)
-Matthew & Pamela Brewington (Compassion Workers/CW)
-Nancy Bullard (Georgia)
-Brenda Burkett (CW)
-Stephanie Campbell (Ohio)
-Carol Carroll (Ohio)
-Christine & Lydia Clark (Pennsylvania, also they are in my Family Group)
-Robyn Dell (CW)
-Darien Evans (North Carolina)
-Kelly Heimerman (Wisconsin)
-Larry & Pamela Hodges (Alabama)
-Aislynn Holt (Florida, that’s me)
-Mike Huskey (Texas)
-Rachel James (Texas)
-Margaret Jones (Nevada)
-Rodney & Jennifer Keaney (CW)
-Anna Koon & John Odom (North Carolina)
-Sheryl McGillis (CW)
-Darya Miller (Colorado)
-Katie & John Paczak (Mississippi)
-Gina & Megan Peterson (Washington)
-Heather Quinn (Louisiana)
-Shan Reed (Japan, US Missionary)
-Lyle & Beverly Riggers (Virginia)
-Susan Taylor (CW, and my roommate)
-Rachel Wilding (Nevada, and in my Family Group)
-Sean Dana (Tour Leader and my group leader)
-Liz Duckworth (Co-Leader and other group’s leader)
-Christian Metzler (Compassion Photographer)
-Cristina Zavala (Peru Country Director)
-Silvia Sanchez (Prog. Comm. Manager)
-Soledad Agreda (Tours & Visits Leader)
There they are. I will be in a Family Group with Christine & Lydia Clark and Rachel Wilding. I’m trying to figure out why I was put as the leader of this group when I am sure one of these three would be incredibly better at it. I prefer being a responsible follower. We will have a translator and staff member with us, and Sean will be over us and three other groups. The other four groups will be with Liz. Sean also sent me an email telling me they were in need of a voice for the worship team, and I am still processing the way God worked that one out. If you know me, you know why I say this. Sean doesn’t know me!
Our Daily Itinerary is below:
Sunday, Sept 11- Depart for worship with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at a local church, and short visit through the city and shopping at the local craft market
Monday, Sept 12- Depart for the Compassion Office in Lima, tour of the ministry with the opportunity to meet the staff that makes your sponsorship through Compassion possible, lunch at a local restaurant, depart for our first Child Development Center visit, PE109. We will spend some time touring the classrooms, and playing with the children.
Tuesday, Sept 13- Depart for a Child Survival Center, where we’ll meet with the mother’s and their little ones of the community, visit their homes, and learn about the help of Compassion in the community, lunch at the center with the children, in the afternoon spend some time with the children at the center, visit their classrooms, and play games.
Wednesday, Sept 14- Depart for Child Development Center, PE444. Enjoy a welcome by the children, visit with the children and their families in the community, lunch at the center with the children, depart for the hotel to get refreshed, dinner with some amazing college students who are in the Leadership Development Program. Listen as they share their stories, and how they glorify God with their lives.
Thursday, Sept 15- Sponsored Child FUN Day- The DAY you’ve all been waiting for!!! Depart for the Zoo where you’ll you’re your children. Spend quality time with them and their guardians who traveled with them, share lunch with your child and translator. As the day comes to a close take the opportunity to pray with your child and their family. Don’t forget to ask for prayer yourself, they are might prayer worriers!
Friday, Sept 16- Painting Day- Depart for the same project we visited on Wednesday, PE444 along with PE408. Keep your hearts open to all that God can teach you as you serve with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to paint the centers. As we wrap up the projects, pray with the staff at the center, and say our last good-byes. With great memories and experiences in our hearts, we have our last dinner and debriefing, to give God the glory for this trip.
Saturday, Sept 17- Depart for the Lima airport, 7:30am Departure from Lima to Miami. 2:25pm Arrival into Miami to catch our personal domestic flights home.
think aside from meeting my Compassion child, I am most excited to sit and talk with the students in the Leadership Development Program. I had the opportunity to do this when we took the youth group to Student Life camp the past two years. The two students that I met in the LDP were great women of God, and they were just wonderful to talk to. They are students that grew up in the Compassion program, and to see what opportunities they have had through having a sponsor is really beautiful.
Along with praying for the 44 travelers please be in prayer for the Compassion children. Reson and I have Smith (Peru) and Pataso (Thailand). They are beautiful boys, and when you get a letter in the mail from them telling you that they are succeeding in their Bible lessons and Bible memorization… you see God’s plan working in their lives. It’s breathtaking. Both Smith and Pataso have been asking for prayer for their fathers. For their families this is a big hit as everyone must work to make life happen. As Smith wrote us in December, “Thank you for the Birthday money, I was able to buy new shirt and shoes. I also bought bread and eggs for my family.”
Today is my birthday… give the
gift of opportunity to these kids! Here are our boys Smith (left) and Pataso (right):
