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Iquitos, Peru: My First and Probably Last Mission Trip

In 2016 I embarked on my first religious mission trip to Iquitos, Peru.

We were a group of maybe 20. Our group composed of older adults and naive teenagers. A mix of White, Haitian, and Hispanic. 

 

I didn’t know what to expect. I was told that I could pack three simple outfits in my suitcase for the week-long trip and be okay because “most of the people living there wear the same clothes day after day.” Red flag number one.

Weeks leading up to the trip we were given small “tips” like this. Don’t bring this, don’t wear that because you are going into an impoverished community. 

The first day we visited a group home of girls as young as 9 years old who had children of their own due to the pedophilia issue that runs heavy in Iquitos. We gave them blankets. We painted boats to be used for the organization. We put together food packages composed of rice, beans, and corn meal for several families. The food was only enough for a day and a half. 

The organization partnered with was the People of Peru Project.

Most of the time spent was conducting a Vacation Bible School in the middle of an empty soccer field. Surrounding this field were the homes of many children made entirely out of wooden sticks. Their bathrooms were holes that had been carved out of the sticks or purposefully spaced out. They would then relieve their human waste right below their home and for many of the children, their playground. Their beds were scraps of clothing to lay on top of the sticks.

We were able to tour the homes and I remember being in complete shock.

Yet, at the age of 16, what stood out to me the most was that these were the happiest kids I had ever seen in my life—running around without a care in the world. They didn’t know what was on the other side. Many of them had never even seen Black people before.


We taught them songs, played games with them, shared biblical lessons for hours a day.

Vacation Bible School in Iquitos, Peru with the mission of exposing the children to the word of God.

I watched as my youth group members connected with these children so easily while I found myself hesitant to form even the slightest action that could be misinterpreted as a connection. I was not trying to get any of these kids attached to me and vice-versa. I was leaving in a week.

We took pictures with the children, got their hopes up, and then one day, we left and never looked back. One day, they came back to the very site we told them to meet us at for three days but didn’t hold our end of the bargain.


I can’t help but think that for one kid, our presence gave a false sense of hope that we were there to “save” them from their living conditions, and we are 100% to blame for that.

On the last day of Vacation Bible School, the kids chased the back of our bus. Some of them knew we weren’t coming back and others had no clue they would never see us again.

We did “good,” right? We gave out food, we taught people how to pray, we spread the gospel rolls eyes. Five years later, as I step into the field of international development, I now understand that our presence may have been more harmful than it was good.


In reality, what did we leave these Peruvians with? We did absolutely nothing that was sustainable.


From that trip, I will say that the founder of the organization we worked with, the People of Peru Project, stood out to me more than anything.

I remember feeling super uncomfortable as we entered the homes of locals to meet and pray with them after giving them food.

Here was a man who moved his entire life to Iquitos because he understood the true meaning of development and that the work had to be done on the ground, not from afar or through one-week trips.


All experiences are an opportunity to learn from. I’m thankful that I was able to embody the role of a missionary for one week, so I could share why I am heavily skeptical of mission work today.


I believe in sustainability. In creating systems that locals in any community worldwide will be able to continue WITHOUT the presence of foreigners.

Noted.

 

Love Always,

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Christina Jane Travel Writer

About The Blogger

I’m Christina, a travel writer and blogger from Fort Myers, Florida living in Accra, Ghana.

Being Christina Jane is my way of inviting you to join me on my travel ventures by sharing the knowledge gained from my adventures and experiences— both good and bad.

This travel blog is filled with helpful travel tips, information, and is a recollection of the lessons I’ve learned and experiences I’ve had while traveling.

My goal is to curate a space that interconnects my love for travel and transparency and I hope you will join me on that journey. 

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