A letter from Debbie Horne in Peru
August 2012
Dear sisters and brothers,
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
This song used by the YAV Program kind of became our "fallback" during retreats in Peru this year. Maybe it was laziness on my part or maybe it was because I felt such a strong need for its message and reassurance. It is from one of my favorite psalms, one that I read to our son, Eddie, when he was ill with metastatic melanoma and going through treatments. Whatever the reason, it helped sustain me throughout this Young Adult Volunteer year in Peru. It is true. God is with me, no matter where I am, no matter what I'm doing, and even, or maybe especially, in the midst of my great sadness and my wrestling with God in this time of mourning. And surely God's hand held and guided our six Peru YAVs throughout their service in Peru this year.
Young Adult Volunteers at a beach retreat.
It seems like it was just yesterday. I anxiously awaited the six new Peru YAVs at the Jorge Chávez airport here in Lima. They are now gone and back with their families in the U.S. We, our partner organizations, and host families were truly blessed with the presence of these six young folks.
Hannah lived in the province of Huánuco and served with Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope), a social justice organization. She worked in the area of Social and Psychological Attention, which works with women, teenagers and children who have suffered physical and/or sexual abuse. Hannah visited their shelter for the abused, located on a farm outside of the city, as well as some of their homes, and she was even able to put her physical therapy knowledge to use from time to time. A highlight for her was the time that she spent with the teenagers and children at the shelter. She will not be forgotten by them anytime soon.
Kaley lived and worked in Lima, the capital of Peru. She served with Red Uniendo Manos Perú (Joining Hands Peru), with a lot of her time and energy being poured into the Fair Trade area. Kaley's language skills improved tremendously during the year and with that her confidence in this culture and living in a big city. During office days she helped with marketing and shipping matters, specifically communicating with new and prospective Fair Trade clients. She especially enjoyed going out to visit the artisans at their workshops in Lima and in the provinces to see what new products they were working on, giving feedback, and just getting to know them as friends.
Mary served in the Andean city of Huancavelica, the poorest department in Peru. It may just be the coldest, too. Mary served with a partner organization, ATIYPAQ, which in Quechua means empowerment. Mary, a dairy farmer from Pennsylvania, assisted with consulting on agricultural and animal matters, visited the Fair Trade group in the city (they taught her to knit!), and she taught English to children of the artisans. She also learned a little Quechua and a lot about Peruvian traditions in Huancavelica. Mary attended the International Environmental Congress in Bolivia in January, along with Kaley and a group of Peruvian youth, which was a very memorable experience for her this year.
Sarah is a speech pathologist and it was important that her YAV work have that focus. We went outside of the Joining Hands' partner institutions and placed her with the Centro Ann Sullivan of Peru, an educational institution for children with different abilities. Sarah was in a classroom of young children on a regular basis as well as performing what seemed to be endless hearing exams. During the school's break she spent a week in a mountain city evaluating differently abled children and offering suggestions to parents of the children. She also volunteered at a Compassion International program, teaching dance classes, where husband, Shane, worked. The relationships developed and nurtured with students and co-workers was a meaningful part of Sarah's year.
Sean was assigned to serve with Paz y Esperanza, like Hannah, but in Lima. She worked with them in San Juan de Lurigancho, the largest and poorest district in Lima. There she assisted in the legal department and also visited neighborhood schools with the PyE team, working to help prevent physical and sexual abuse against children. She also worked in Lima's national Paz y Esperanza office in their Andemos volunteer program, which receives international volunteers for experiences of sharing and mutual learning between people of different cultures, working in the area of social justice. Sean worked in the administration of Andemos, performing a wide variety of jobs like buying bus tickets, translating, and accompanying the volunteers. Being able to share Peru and her love for this beautiful country and its people alongside a group from her home church during a mission trip was for sure one of her favorite experiences this YAV year.
Shane is an ordained pastor of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary shortly before he and wife, Sarah, arrived in Peru for their YAV year. Shane served two churches that form a part of Fraternidad Cristiana Vida, in the Comas-Carabayllo area of Lima. Shane served with the Compassion International Program in one of the churches three days a week. He taught classes and accompanied the pastor for home visits. He became good friends with the kitchen ladies as well, where he would hang out, peel potatoes, and do other things to help them prepare lunch for the kids and staff. During the weekends he served the other church in a more traditional pastoral role, which included working with adolescents and youth, teaching Sunday School and visiting members at their homes. One of Shane's unforgettable experiences was conducting baptisms in the river. He was given short notice, it was his first time as an ordained pastor, and it was all in Spanish. You just don't forget those special moments.
Debbie with Peru Young Adult Volunteers
This YAV site coordinator also will not forget many moments throughout this year. Nor will I forget these six YAVs or any of the other young adults I've had the privilege and the blessing to guide and accompany throughout their YAV experience in Peru, with the support of my husband. Thank you—Alex, Katie, Leslie, Lynn, Michael, Sean, Alissa, Anna, Ginna, Joe, Sarah Baja, Sarah Alta, James, Lisa, Rachel, Hannah, Kaley, Mary, Sarah, Sean and Shane. Thank you to my friends and colleagues at Red Uniendo Manos Peru, to the partner and non-partner organizations that have received and accompanied YAVs during my four coordinator years, to Peruvian host families who have received each of these young folks into their homes and hearts, to the YAV staff in Louisville, to all of those who have supported them and us from afar with financial and prayerful support, and more than anything else, thank you, Lord God, for your presence, for your guidance, for holding us fast in your right hand.
The time draws nigh for us here in Peru. We aren't sure exactly what our future holds. I'm not sure what I will do next. But there is one thing I know for sure:
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
With grateful hearts,
Debbie and Harry Horne
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 23
Write to Harry Horne
Write to Debbie Horne
Give to Harry and Debbie Horne's sending and support
Donate to Latin American Biblical University in Lima, Peru →
