Anthem, Arizona ~ My day began at 0300 when I tried to balance my groggy self in front of my desk to continue scripting our ESCAPESEEKER episodes on ‪#‎phenomenalperu‬. One of the most challenging part of this assignment is finding a new angle to present Peru–beyond its camera-ready iconic ancient Inca monuments that dot its mountainous landscape and document a culture light years ahead of its time; or, its giant blue lake the size of an ocean presiding at 12,500 feet; or, its thick, towering rainforest caressing the life-source headwaters of the mighty Peruvian Amazon.

I did not have to go far to find the answer–it came in the form of a request from someone who spent 18 full months dedicating her life to voluntarily serving the people of Peru. This was no simple transition for this youngest of six children, completely adored by her older siblings, and totally embracing her fun Southern California lifestyle. Saying goodbye to it all was difficult, but saying goodbye to the love of her life, Chandler, for several seasons was heartbreaking. Nevertheless, following the promptings of her soul, she heed the call to serve.

Upon learning that I was returning to Peru specifically to find the destinations and compelling stories to fill almost two broadcast hours, Gabrielle Gee Chow had but one request: “Mom, please make sure you tell the story through their eyes.” While serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Hermana Gee developed such a deep respect, and abiding love for the resilient, caring people of Peru–from it’s bustling Capital of Lima, home to over nine million Peruvians and a sprinkling of global expats–to the high jungle plateaus of Tarapoto, the link to the upper Amazon-Hermana focused on being the hardest-working missionary she could be–hoping to be even better than her two elder missionary brothers,Brennen Gee, who served in the Czech Republic and Garrett Gee who served in Russia–both learning equally challenging languages–never mind the cultural adjustments that entailed.

Hermana Gee’s missionary shoes may be a good testament that she achieved her goal–but these faces I captured in the Spring of 2013 when I traveled to Peru to “walk in her shoes” for a very brief moment speak volumes. I was granted a tiny glimpse of what her Peruvian Missionary life was like, and more importantly, I began to understand why Hermana Gee cares so deeply about Peru…and why it is so important to her that I get my story right!

Muchas Gracias Hija! Eres mi inspiración. Siempre te quiero! Soy una Mama bendita y agradecida.

I’m going on week three of very little sleep, as my ESCAPESEEKER film team and I prepare for one of our most arduous assignments–filming/producing four 27-minute episodes under the feature title of “Phenomenal Peru.”  I’ve been fine-tuning pages and pages of scripts, which I’ve written under the on-going instruction of Gabrielle Gee echoing “to get it right.”  Now, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that all the puzzle pieces will come together, including the multiple film permits required by the Peruvian government for our crew to film per site location–you can only begin to imagine how many we’re covering in almost a month of filming–plus the logistical planning that goes into moving our crew from place to place.

It does take a village to produce our program…and in Peru’s case, it will take village after village of native land support for us to get our story right!  We thank you all in advance for your tremendous support:  Thank you @LAN Airlines for making sure we are where we are supposed to be throughout our Peruvian filming adventure!  After working with so many wonderful Peruvians during the Advance Research Phase, I can totally understand why Gabrielle Gee holds such a special place in her heart for Peru and the loving, kind-hearted Peruvians she thinks of every day.

We hope you’ll follow our #peruvian #adventures as we prove once again that there’s no destination on earth too far, too difficult, or too phenomenal to reach!

With kindness and gratitude,

Mel aka ESCAPESEEKER

PS:  We can’t wait to see our dear friends at the JW Marriott El Convento Cusco  We are so very appreciative of all of your unwavering support.

Tags: #itisallaboutlove, Cultural Understanding, Delfin II Amazon Cruises, ESCAPESEEKER, Hermana Gabrielle Gee, JW Marriott Cusco, Lake Titicaca, LAN AIRLINES, LDS Missionaries, Lima, Love, Machu Picchu, Mel Gee Henderson, PERU, Peru filming, Phenomenal Peru, Service, Tarapoto