i am determined to finish blogging about this trip, though we've been back over a week now. in which i've been visiting with the fam and and at the beach.
i will journal and recap it all! this post is about the last few days of the trip. i will post one more to recap the trip.
monday, may 23, we traveled back to lima via bus. the views of the 18,000 foot peaks- incredible from the 16,000 foot pass we traversed on the charter. fresh snow covered the ground, making it all the more unforgettable. on top of that, perfectly suiting tunes rang the stereo as we peeped out the windows from long slumbers. all of this, ~$10 bus ticket! #lovethatexchangerate
tuesday, may 24- sightseeing day. we hit all the big historical spots in Lima. this included francisco pizarro's grave. a cathedral. the changing of the guards. the prez's house. a lunch at a restaurant that i'm convinced is the reason why so many people on the team got sick after the trip. some awesome market shopping. the exchange rate is 1/3 that of the american dollar. spectactular. gifts for the fam. vintage-looking sweaters. alpaca wool. scarves. gloves. etc etc. futbol jerseys for the guys.
during our stay at lima, we crashed at mayra's dad's house. mayra is my co-leader, and she is a peruvian-american. i'm not sure what we would have done without her on this trip! fifteen college students, one shower. definitely a #missiontrip style.
wednesday- perhaps the most challenging day of the trip. topic: spiritual warfare. if you want to hear more about that, ask me!! basically, two of the leaders were sick. not to mention a translator and a team member. we encountered God's power in ways that we did not previously in the trip. we faced one obstacle after another, throughout the day. it was our outreach day in Lima. it was beautiful. our team came together like never before. prayer came together more than it had previously on the trip. unity. love. brotherhood. truth. power. tears. joy. endurance. some tidbits include: being 50 feet from the american embassy. worship in parks. flowers. sketch dinner food. awesome water show. prayer. love. joy. we talked to some peruvian women. definitely an encounter there!
thursday: beautiful. ocean. more markets. i love me some pacific ocean. worship on the beach. crazy highlight: we encountered another group of american missionaries! baylor university, texas. awesome joyful laughing beautiful americans. so refreshing while in a foreign country ministering. we exchanged hellos and conversed.
through the refreshing convo, i found out that one of the girls on the baylor team (remember, this is a foreign country. this is another continent) IS THE ROOMMATE OF A FRIEND OF MINE FROM MY CAMP REDCLOUD SUMMER 2009 IN COLORADO!!! AUGHHHH SMALL SMALL WORLD!!! nothing like causing a scene about that one with our two teams!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
true computer fast
i am sad to say that i did not update the blog any more while in peru. our time was very limited. it often came down to either a shower, quiet time, or the blog. when we arrived in lima, we never came close to a computer.
last saturday, we had the opportunity to sleep in. it was nice after getting up at 6 a.m. all week. our team took a 45-minute bumpy ride up a mountain. beside rolling farmland, we took what this hiker would call a cakewalk. ample opportunity for photos was taken advantage of. our arrival at the top brought more photos, but especially a sweet solo time to reflect on the view of 18,000-foot snowcapped peaks and a huge valley of farms and cities set before us. that afternoon, we helped out with kids' club. the established base in huancayo hosts local childeren for games, dancing, and teaching every saturday afternoon.
that evening, as well as sunday morning and evening, we visited a local church. we shared words of encouragement, stories, and testimonies with the peruvian youth. it is so incredible to know that what we have learned and experienced is relevant and applicable to their lives. we also sang worship songs in espanol. after a lunch feast at a local pollo restaurant, we explored the market in huancayo.
monday, we sadly left the missionaries and took the eight-hour bus ride back to Lima. monday evening was quite an unforgettable experience- fifteen people, one bathroom. we set up a shower schedule in mayra's dad's house and got very into the game of mafia with our team!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Did You Know Our Blog Title Is Actually A Song Title? United Pursuit Band, "Climb".
It is definitely not your typical Friday night in America right now in Huancayo, Peru. I am typing this as I listen to voices shouting downstairs and take in the aroma of dinner cooking right below me. It is seven in the evening in the month of May, yet a pitch black sky glares through the glass windows of Mr. Drum´s office.
(hiatus- come back saturday morning to finish)
thursday and friday ran the same schedule-wise as tuesday and wednesday did. we had an INCREDIBLE week. the team absolutely loved the kids that we worked with at the english camp, and they loved us just as much, if not more. many tears were shed as we debriefed around our family circle at night. we also returned to the orphanage thursday, another favorite moment. yesterday morning, we taught the estudiantes the choreography to the song "Joyful Noise", Jesus hip hop music by Flame and LeCrae. This dance is very popular in Athens at Phi Slam parties and football tailgates. I cannot wait to show all of our Athens friends the dance on video! it has been a truly splendid week with all of the kiddies and with each other. the Lord is really revealing a lot to each of us personally.
Yesterday afternoon, we went on a prayer walk around the city of Huancayo. It was then I realized that we were staying in one of the more affluent and safer areas of the city. We passed through lots of open-air markets. This was a fascinating, culture-shock scene for brunette North Americans and gringos. But it was an incredible walk, and we prayed with a Peruvian. I saw him from afar in our prayer circle by the city hall, feeling led to pray for him right then. So I did. As we were leaving, he approached us asking for money. We did not have any with us, but we prayed for him. He left with a Jesus Christo love encounter!
Last nights highlight was that we ate cow heart slices! It is just another piece of steak.
More updates coming tomorrow evening about this weekend!
(hiatus- come back saturday morning to finish)
thursday and friday ran the same schedule-wise as tuesday and wednesday did. we had an INCREDIBLE week. the team absolutely loved the kids that we worked with at the english camp, and they loved us just as much, if not more. many tears were shed as we debriefed around our family circle at night. we also returned to the orphanage thursday, another favorite moment. yesterday morning, we taught the estudiantes the choreography to the song "Joyful Noise", Jesus hip hop music by Flame and LeCrae. This dance is very popular in Athens at Phi Slam parties and football tailgates. I cannot wait to show all of our Athens friends the dance on video! it has been a truly splendid week with all of the kiddies and with each other. the Lord is really revealing a lot to each of us personally.
Yesterday afternoon, we went on a prayer walk around the city of Huancayo. It was then I realized that we were staying in one of the more affluent and safer areas of the city. We passed through lots of open-air markets. This was a fascinating, culture-shock scene for brunette North Americans and gringos. But it was an incredible walk, and we prayed with a Peruvian. I saw him from afar in our prayer circle by the city hall, feeling led to pray for him right then. So I did. As we were leaving, he approached us asking for money. We did not have any with us, but we prayed for him. He left with a Jesus Christo love encounter!
Last nights highlight was that we ate cow heart slices! It is just another piece of steak.
More updates coming tomorrow evening about this weekend!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
#Spanglish
yesterday morning, our team lead an English camp at a school in huancayo. in latin america, kids are english -educated in school at an early age. this was no different. each of our four small groups rotated between four age ranges. the rotations covered vocab words, basic songs, games, and teachings.
in the afternoon, we divided in two groups. one went to a nearby park and read books to children. my group went to a local university and hung out with some awesome college age people! we sang, danced, and shared life with them.
yesterday evening, our wesley team was privileged to have the opportunity to discuss in-depth the history of peru. we also talked about the backgrounds of the missionaries we work with. the family we work with the most are the Drums! Around our parent´s age, they moved to Peru from Houston three years ago. They came out of the workplace to follow their calling for a new season. it is so good to be here, to encourage and hang out with missionaries, who are far from home. i am sure they love having gringos here as a support network, while we get to partner in what they are doing here! (gringos: north americans)
today has been splendid. this morning, we returned to the english camp. i am pretty sure that my small group in particular riles up the kids the most- so much noise! this afternoon has been the best part of the trip thus far, as we visited a local orphanage. i really feel like the majority of the team had a ballin time with the kids that live there. they were so hungry for new friendships. we enjoyed letting them taking pictures with our cameras, while looking at my pictures on the LCD from georgia. again, we read books together, and played some futbol.
it is our free time- six in the evening here. yet, it is almost dark outside! november in peru!
the sun is very strong. we are definitely feeling the effects of living at 11,500 feet. and our team is amazing. everyone has the best attitude, and is naturally gifted at getting along with others. we love each other so much. the missionaries have opened up their home to us- it is definitely a gringo bubble in downtown huancayo, peru!
five girls on the team speak fluent spanish, while the rest of us are picking up quickly. #funfunfun
in the afternoon, we divided in two groups. one went to a nearby park and read books to children. my group went to a local university and hung out with some awesome college age people! we sang, danced, and shared life with them.
yesterday evening, our wesley team was privileged to have the opportunity to discuss in-depth the history of peru. we also talked about the backgrounds of the missionaries we work with. the family we work with the most are the Drums! Around our parent´s age, they moved to Peru from Houston three years ago. They came out of the workplace to follow their calling for a new season. it is so good to be here, to encourage and hang out with missionaries, who are far from home. i am sure they love having gringos here as a support network, while we get to partner in what they are doing here! (gringos: north americans)
today has been splendid. this morning, we returned to the english camp. i am pretty sure that my small group in particular riles up the kids the most- so much noise! this afternoon has been the best part of the trip thus far, as we visited a local orphanage. i really feel like the majority of the team had a ballin time with the kids that live there. they were so hungry for new friendships. we enjoyed letting them taking pictures with our cameras, while looking at my pictures on the LCD from georgia. again, we read books together, and played some futbol.
it is our free time- six in the evening here. yet, it is almost dark outside! november in peru!
the sun is very strong. we are definitely feeling the effects of living at 11,500 feet. and our team is amazing. everyone has the best attitude, and is naturally gifted at getting along with others. we love each other so much. the missionaries have opened up their home to us- it is definitely a gringo bubble in downtown huancayo, peru!
five girls on the team speak fluent spanish, while the rest of us are picking up quickly. #funfunfun
Monday, May 16, 2011
Our Arrival
within the first 10 minutes of arriving at the ATL airport yesterday (which feels like a week ago), our adventures began. half off frapps at starbucks in the international terminal was a good way to exit usa after an interesting adventure with the self-check in kiosk. we finally took off around 6 p.m. Georgia time, and arrived in Lima, Peru at 11:30 p.m., one hour behind. the group bonded quickly from the get-go, with adventures in the Lima airport throughout the night, learning spanish from one of the Peruvian missionaries. it is fascinating. we even randomly met a missionary on the flight who was en route to the Amazon to get back to his orphanage!! Intense crazy awesome convos!
finally, around 5 am, we took shuttles through the city of Lima (which seems to never sleep) and arrived at our bus station. after waiting (more like power nap shifts) for an hour and 45 minutes, we finally boarded the BEST charter bus that we had EVER been on...for less than US $20!!! front row on the 2nd floor of the double decker for the 8 hour bus ride through the Andes Mountains (and over a pass at 16,000 feet) landed us in Huancayo around 3:45 p.m. Sweet to then see the gringo (latin american slang term for north americans) missionaries awaiting our arrival!! the wesley usually takes a group to this base in huancayo every spring or summer (their autumn- it got dark at 6 p.m. Peru time). we have been getting settled in and resting from our long travel days this evening, and now off to bed soon!
so rest assured that everyone here is safe and sound with the missionaries, and excited about the days ahead! it is a little chilly at night though...wearing my toboggan typing this... .
finally, around 5 am, we took shuttles through the city of Lima (which seems to never sleep) and arrived at our bus station. after waiting (more like power nap shifts) for an hour and 45 minutes, we finally boarded the BEST charter bus that we had EVER been on...for less than US $20!!! front row on the 2nd floor of the double decker for the 8 hour bus ride through the Andes Mountains (and over a pass at 16,000 feet) landed us in Huancayo around 3:45 p.m. Sweet to then see the gringo (latin american slang term for north americans) missionaries awaiting our arrival!! the wesley usually takes a group to this base in huancayo every spring or summer (their autumn- it got dark at 6 p.m. Peru time). we have been getting settled in and resting from our long travel days this evening, and now off to bed soon!
so rest assured that everyone here is safe and sound with the missionaries, and excited about the days ahead! it is a little chilly at night though...wearing my toboggan typing this... .
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