Just some personal observations...

I need to share what I have learned about life in Peru.

First, Piura is a desert, hence no grass whatsoever. It is brown, dry and dusty. Imagine the poorest homes that can be built on desert land and you may have a visual of what Piura looks like. Padre Joe wants to build the children a pool so they can learn to swim, but there is no water to be seen. The ocean is nearly an hour away and the families I have seen would not be able to get there. However, swimming in a pool would be such a treat for these kids.

Second, land is not for sale here. It seems to be a squatters concept. There is a lot of land out beyond the school and hospice, both owned and built by Santisimo. The new technical school is going up there now with more plans to enlarge the school, too. The parish can claim the land but must pay to have it registered in its name. There are volunteer attorneys working with local attorneys on that at this time.

Third, I have never seen such poverty. The homes in the 'villages' do not have electricity or plumbing. The homes are made of bamboo. They cost $550 and take one day to build. One US church paid to have street lights and a public bathroom put in one village. They showed a movie as a celebration and the children were more excited about turning on the lights and flushing the toilets than the movie.
Fourth, the people here are very kind, appreciative and welcoming. Although we are not encouraged to leave the parish grounds, I feel very safe.

Cathy in the classroom
(click to enlarge)

Last, they have no sense of rules for driving. Most often they will stop at red traffic lights, rarely at stop signs and seem to play chicken when meeting other vehicles on the street. Many of the streets are not paved. The parish owns a few trucks and vans and even a suburban that are used to transport the volunteers to service sights. I thought I was a nervous passenger in the US, here I am just amazed that I have not yet seen an accident.  AND, much like the Peruvians drive, they walk to communion! As soon as the distributors come down, it is like a free for all. It is just as difficult to find your way back to your pew as it was to find a distributor.

Also, the children at the school move from their classroom to a special in a massive group. I don't think they have a word for line in spanish.

Just wanted to share my observations...
Cathy