The first time I went to Puerto Alegria was in 2006. For the last 6 years, I have traveled to that same children’s home and watched as the young boys that used to braid my hair and color with me  have grown into responsible and independent young men with jobs and girlfriends. From New Year’s dance parties to fishing adventures by the river, I’ve had 6 years of memories to create with the same children. It has been an amazing and humbling experience…

But when I arrived in Puerto Alegria this past January, I got off the boat and looked around the gazebo to realize I knew almost none of the faces staring back at me. I didn’t know their names, their stories, their favorite foods….nothing. I  didn’t have years of memories logged and linked to their smiles, and it caught me off guard. These new boys just stared at our team. From fear and curiosity to amusement and apathy- they stared at us with the same expressions I’m sure our team received 6 years ago. A surge of anxiety and fear hit me as I looked at this new group and defensively thought: “Well- you’re cute, but I’ll never be able to love you as I loved the others. It’s just not possible. I don’t have it in me.”

in ME?…I didn’t have it in me.

As if it had anything to do with me in the first place…

As each day passed, I was amazed how the Lord would continually fill me with an abundance of love for each new child. These children were just as precious, just as hilarious, and just as in need of His love and affection.  So, as I boarded the boat with my final goodbyes, I was struck with a familiar pain in my chest at the thought of leaving. I was fighting back tears.  The same tears I’ve fought since 2006.

I’m starting to realize that as special and unique as the role is that the original group of boys has played in my life, that the Lord has called me to a ministry that cannot stop with that first group of 37. Just when I thought I couldn’t love anymore, I find myself fighting back another set of tears as the Lord expands the walls of my heart to welcome in a new group of children. It would seem it’s time to make some new memories.

I love these children so much, but it wasn’t my love that they ever needed. It was His. He is all they need. I must remember that I’m just the vessel of an abundant Love that will never run dry, despite how many new children I meet.

I’ve gotten used to New Years in the jungle. Allison and I both have. As a result, I think that we sometimes forget to warn unsuspecting victims about the insanity that will ensue when midnight strikes.

This year was no different. Poor group…I’ll try to be better about reminding them in the future.

December 31st was a packed day for our team. We decided to spend New Years with the boys of Puerto Alegria and the boys from the center in Iquitos. We started the day off at Quistacocha (a zoo/park/beach) in Iquitos. After exploring the zoo, we wandered down to the beach for a relaxing swim. By relaxing swim, I mean an hour long game of tag where teams seem oddly divided: it’s you versus 20+ Peruvian children.

After a morning of animal gazing and swimming, we were all hungry and we headed to a restaurant in town known for its rotisserie chicken.  The kids love the opportunity to go to a restaurant and fill up on french fries and soda. We wouldn’t want to deny them that opportunity, now would we? Full on  a lunch of roasted chicken and french fries, we wandered over to the theatre to watch Arthur’s Christmas. Surprisingly cute- I think most of us look forward to watching it in English next time.

After returning home to Puerto Alegria, we washed up, ate dinner, and started preparing the dining hall for the New Years celebration. This included yellow balloons, a LOT of streamers, and the daunting task of repairing an already busted pinanta without duct-tape. (Well done, Tyler.)

For the next few hours, we danced, laughed, and waited for the countdown. At the strike of midnight everyone celebrated, hugged, and headed out to the soccer field where a bonfire and fireworks await. The little ones run around with sparklers, and giggle incessantly. Don’t get caught watching them for too long though or you run the risk of being nailed in the leg with a firework. At Puerto Alegria, not all fireworks go upward. They seem to come at you from all angles; so, New Year’s turns into a game similar to dodge ball. Not exactly the American version of fireworks where you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

It was an eventful, exhausting, and amazing day. There’s no where else I’d rather welcome in the New Year that in the middle of the Peruvian jungle, surrounded by a wonderful team, and the children I love most in the world.

Here’s to new beginnings and a year of promise, full hearts, and inexpressible joy.

Happy New Years to all of you!

Every year Not Forgotten takes a team down to Puerto Alegria (a children’s home near Iquitos, Peru). The day after Christmas, we shove our jungle gear into packs, and save room for 40+ stockings filled with everything from yoyo’s to baseball caps. These simple stockings bring immense joy to the children of Puerto Alegria and provide endless hours of entertainment for both the children and our team. With each stocking that is passed out, we increase our risk of being attacked with water guns, nerf balls, or whatever other gadget we have armed them with.

Some of the boys play it cool as they rifle through their gifts, unintentionally cracking a smile or two. Others just giggle through each new stocking discovery. Our team watches on, amazingly blessed by the laughter that ensues.

You are welcome to be a part of that laughter by sponsoring a stocking for one of the boys at Puerto Alegria. Each stocking is $25 and donations are tax deductible. Please mail donations to Not Forgotten @ 1111 Fern Street, Homewood, AL 35209.

Email Kristen (kristen@notforgotten.org) for more information.

Be blessed this holiday season!

-Kristen

On November 3rd, some dear friends from Birmingham Art-for-A-Cause hosted a fundraiser for Not Forgotten. It was an amazing night where Not Forgotten staff, volunteers, and supporters were allowed to share our hopes and vision for Not Forgotten with the Birmingham community.

Amongst some amazing artwork, O’Henry’s Coffee, and Dreamcakes, awareness and funds were raised to benefit the development of Not Forgotten’s ministry in Iquitos, Peru! We are so grateful to all artists and venues who made the show possible.

Enjoy the slideshow with highlights from the evening! Thank you again to everyone who made this evening possible.

Not Forgotten’s First Official Fundraiser is just around the corner!

Birmingham Art for a Cause will be helping us by hosting a Silent Art Auction on November 3rd. O’Henry’s and Dreamcakes have generously donated coffee and dessert for the event as well. Come support Not Forgotten, learn more about our mission, and buy some amazing artwork that will help provide for the children we love so much.

All proceeds will go directly towards the construction and development of our new children’s home.

When?
November 3, 2011 from 7:00pm-9:30pm

Where?
Cahaba Heights Pump House

4012 Sicard Hollow Road * Birmingham, AL 35242

We’d love to see you there!

Liz Froba, one of Not Forgotten’s summer teammates, wrote a blog about her trip to Iquitos, Peru.  I wanted to share with you all some of the amazing lessons the Lord taught her during her service, and to offer another perspective regarding Not Forgotten’s ministry. Enjoy!

There are so many directions I could go with this blog and so much I want to tell you

about the week in Peru that I have struggled with what exactly to write about.  Many have asked what we did, what the kids were like, where they came from, what God taught me, how the food was, etc.

We hopped on this sweet boat pictured here.  It was like a giant wooden canoe with a roof and a nice motor.  We moved down the river about an hour and arrived at the place we would call home for the next week, Puerto Alegria.  We were welcomed by 47 smiles excited for us to be a part of their world for the next week.  And that is exactly what we did.  Language was a barrier, but you don’t need words to preach the gospel.  You just need love.  We played soccer, took lots of pictures, laid in the hammocks, made crafts, built some things, laughed a lot and swam in the river.

While traveling the world for 11 months, I fell in love with blogging. I blogged consistently. It was therapeutic as it helped me manage the chaos of emotions flooding my heart and mind from a years worth of mission work overseas. Painfully long- they would be the briefest summary I could muster of all the adventures the Lord was bringing me through. I loved telling the story of my team’s service and being blown away by each memory’s revelation of just how present the Lord was in each moment of our lives.

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This spring, Not Forgotten was blessed beyond measure in an unexpected way. One of our dear friends, eight-year-old Caroline, shared the story of our ministry with her classmates, Reagan, Abby, Selah, and Lucy, at Crestwood Day School. Under Caroline’s leadership, these students decided not only to listen to Not Forgotten’s vision, but to act in response to hearing it. After brainstorming over how they could do something to make a difference in the lives of others, they chose to have a bake sale. Recognizing they could not do this alone, these girls rallied their parents and younger siblings (five-year-old Natalie, Sophie Claire, and Ansley) to help them organize a bake sale that would benefit Not Forgotten and another local ministry. This bake sale took place Saturday, April 9, in Crestwood. Many neighborhood and church friends stopped by, along with curious passers-by and Not Forgotten supporters. Delicious baked goods such as muffins, cookies, and brownies were available for purchase, as well as original artwork by some of the girls. The weather was perfect and the bake sale was a huge success!

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