Poroy
Walter and Katy and I put on a small Sunday School for the children in Poroy on the weekend. Walter has worked extensively with the children in Poroy in the past, however it has been quite a few months since he last taught Sunday School there. It was exciting for him to see some of the kids since then and how some of them have grown over the year.
Poroy is a small, poor community outside of Cusco. When the Sunday School project started a few years ago, they had about 10 kids, which grew to about 70 children the last time Walter taught. Over the past few weeks the children have been without a consistent teacher, and the number has dropped again. We came without any 'pre-warning', so the kids were not expecting us. A lot of the regular attendees were also still returning from the mountainside, bringing their family's livestock home. The children often leave early in the morning, before 7am, to take their family's herds over the hills, sometimes walking many miles for the animals to graze during the day.
When we arrived on Saturday the 10th,Walter rounded up about 10 kids, walking through Poroy. By the time we ended our time with them, we had 26 kids in a small mud hut room. I was so impressed at how eager the children are to join as they hear from word of mouth that a Sunday School class is in process.
I started with an introduction (with my limited Spanish) on "Measuring God's Love" using a measuring cup, measuring tape, and wrist watch as object lessons. Walter followed with a few words, we introduced an action song in Spanish, handed out activity and coloring pages for the different age groups, and served Fanta pop and homemade cookies.
I am so appreciative for the website I found with free English and Spanish Sunday School material at Sermon's For Kids: http://www.sermons4kids.com/yr_a.htm
Walter and I are excited to work together with these kids more regularly in the next several months.
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| Walter rounding up kids in Poroy |
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| Is it possible to measure God's love? |
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| The older girls filling in activity sheets |
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| The kids love coloring |
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| Peeking in but not ready to join |
Picarones
Before Katy left, I made sure to take her for Picarones. It is a popular Peruvian dessert served at little stands and mini restaraunts around Cusco that open in the early evenings. There are variants, but often they are made with sweet potato (camote) flour, deepfried like donuts, and served with maple syrup.
Chirimoya
We also tried a fruit, new to both of us, Native to the Andes- South and Central America. It is hard to describe, but has a nice, sweet flavor and a texture similar to the pear.
