Hola, Chimbote!

We flew from La Paz to Lima, Peru, and spent one night in a hostel there before boarding another bus to Chimbote, the site of our next volunteering experience. We walked off the bus just after 7:00 pm, and were met by one of the members of the parish who said the van which would bring us to our home stay was coming. The other thing greeting us was a very bad odor from the factory across the street which makes fish meal.

A few minutes later, a van pulled in and we loaded into it. The guy driving introduced himself as "Juan" and said he was in a hurry to get to mass; when we pulled into the church parking lot, he jumped out of the van in his full priestly garb and ran into the church to lead the service. It would prove to be a fitting welcome to the ways in which people working in Chimbote are always multitasking and collaborating to serve the people of this impoverished community.