The end, and some final pictures

The next day started with us having to do final interviews with the camera crew. They wanted us to share what the experience was like and how being at the orphanage visit effected us. We rode to the town square to do the filming.

Once finished, Flavio took the camera crew to the airport several miles away. We would meet up with Flavio later.

Myself, Neale and Ross headed back over to the orphanage to visit for a while before we had to get on the road.

When we got there things were pretty quiet. But the calm didn't last long. As I was walking into the dining area there was a commotion outside just behind me. Michael had started to have a seizure and fell down. I had never before seen a person have a seizure, I was kind of freaked. Michael is seriously handicapped and also has epilepsy. What was amazing to me was how calm everyone stayed. Even the little kids were fine, I guess they had seen it enough and it didn't bother them any more. There is no medical staff or a doctor or anything, they just deal with these type of things as best they can.
ABout twenty minutes later, Michel was up and walking around as if nothing had happened. Amazing. To me anyway.

after the bit of excitement we went to the dining area and had some coffee and cookies as we talked to sister, Rosa and some of the other staff members. These people are awesome, they are doing such great things and have been doing so for years.

After some great conversation and more playing with the kids it was time to go.

Leaving was bitter sweet. I really like being at the orphanage and hanging out with the kids and seeing them smile and have fun. But on the other hand, and more importantly, I really really missed my wife and my kids. This trip felt like it lasted for a month. I have been on trips that lasted longer than this but for some reason this trip just felt long. So I was ready to get home and see my family.

We jumped on the bikes and began our ride to meet Flavio. Neale had done some traveling math guesstimations and determined that we would be meeting Flavio at a certain spot on the road at 3:00pm. In order to get there on time we needed to get going.

The ride to the orphanage took seven days and we had only two and a half days to get back, so we had to get with it. No sight seeing and no detours. We didn't ride through the desert this time. Well, its all desert, but we didn't go off into the sand, we stayed on the asphalt all the way.

It was very dry and I was still drinking about five liters of water each day.

Our stops for lunch were short and breaks were quick.

We made it back to Lima safe and sound. We had diner at the hotel that night and we were already reviewing pictures and reflecting on the journey we had just been on.

We all made it back home safely.

I have been home for a few weeks now and I think about this trip every day at some point. What a great experience. I cant wait to do it again at some point.

Ya know, I have often prayed that God would allow me to use my talents as a driver/instructor to do some good and glorify him in some way. But how in the world could a driving instructor use his skills to glorify God? Well, this trip, for me was God showing me how he could use me. This trip wasn't about me and yet I had to use every bit of skill I had as a motorcycle rider to get to this orphanage. Some of the sections of desert we rode were so incredibly hard while others were just down right beautiful. The things I saw on this trip and the people I met, have forever changed my life.
Now, I'm not one of these people that now thinks I need to live in a box. See, sometimes I've seen or heard where people will take trips to third world countries and come back home, sell everything, live in a cardboard box and give all their money to charity. Well, okay, whatever. But for me that's not the effect it had. For me it was more like a "but for the grace of God, there go I" moment. I came away with a better appreciation for where God has put me on this planet. I think its okay to HAVE things and I don't think we need to give up all our nice stuff because other people in the world don't have the same things. I have no problem with someone being successful and becoming very wealthy. And I understand that some will never know what that feels like. But I also feel that its very important for those that are successful to give the thanks and the glory to God. The Bible puts it like this. In Luke 12:48 it says: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." See, I think that if we are fortunate to have, then we are required to help.

In summary, this was one of the best trips I have ever been on in my life. I pray that God will continue to use me in whatever manner that He can.

How will you use the talents God has given you, to bring glory to Him?