Last Day in Peru—7/7/11

Another Peruvian lunch...with purple corn juice:)

Today was my last day in Peru. I got to help Mike a lot with the work he needs to get done. He is leaving in just a few days to lead a 2 week mission trip in the jungles of Peru, so he had a lot of last minute preparations to do.

We took a break to see the Plaza de Armas, which is apparently the most touristy spot in Arequipa. I did all my shopping there for the trip and enjoyed an authentic monu, which is a cheap lunch consisting of soup and a second dish. Believe it or not, there was too much food for me to finish…that never happens!!

This evening we had a welcome dinner at the office for the Watters. Everyone working in the office with Extreme was there. It was a great time of fellowship, even though I unfortunately don’t know when I’ll even see any of them again.

Plaza de Armas in Arequipa

Then Mike and I did what any good friends would do on their last night in the same country…we played on facebook! It was actually really fun because we were downloading pictures from all of our travels and reminiscing about them! Then we taxied over to the Plaza Real to meet Beth, the 40/40 I hung out with yesterday, and ate at TGIFridays. Beth had been talking about wanting some American food, so we all decided to go for my last night in Peru! We had fun just chatting and hearing about the life of a 40/40 missionary 15 months into her ministry.

Afterwards Mike and I just walked back to my place because it was a beautiful evening, and we had to walk off the brownie desert we’d just eaten. We had a good conversation about missions and the church in Peru, and how Extreme benefits Peruvians and North American missionaries alike.

I travel home tomorrow, and it will only take 33 hours!! Yipee! My flight schedule is Arequipa to Lima, Lima to San Salvador, San Salvador to Houston, Houston to Salt Lake, and Salt Lake to Boise. Wow!

My traveling is done for the summer, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have more adventures in Nampa, and lots of memories from the past month. It’s been quite the exciting summer, and I’m only half-way through it!!

Visiting the 40/40’s—7/6/11

The family I’m staying with needed a babysitter for an hour this morning while they came over to the office for a meeting. I was more than happy to help them out by hanging out with their 4 year old Lexi, and one year old Hailey. They were really good and fun to play with. But my favorite part was reading Bible stories with Lexi and then teaching her songs like Father Abraham!



A beautiful of the Andes from Arequipa!



Mike and I had sandwiches at Mamut’s (Mammoth’s) and then took the bus up to the 40/40 house about 15 minutes away. I was able to meet 4 of the girls who are currently doing ministry there, and I got to go out and do discipleship with one of the girls named Beth. Two other girls came with us who are in language school now but are shadowing the current 40/40’s to get experience. These two girls, Emily and Rayanne, will be going to Paraguay with Mike in January!

The 5 of us traveled outside the city a ways to a very rural community. A month and a half ago they showed the Jesus Film here and 55 people showed up; 25 of them were saved! Since then, Beth has returned to disciple the new believers and hold services on Sunday mornings. The goal of the 40/40 teams is to plant 3 churches and disciple believers to the point where they will take over the leadership of the church. I was told that 28 of the 30 people who came to Sunday’s service had never heard of Jesus or a Bible! Praise the Lord for a ministry that is bringing young people to a place of leading people to Christ and discipling them to leadership roles. It was so exciting for me to see the materials they use, the ease that the North Americans can speak Spanish with, and the excitement of these people to hear the message of Christ!! God’s message is being spread, one community at a time!

Traditional Peruvian Chinese!

After a short break and dinner we walked to the airport to greet a new family arriving to do ministry with Extreme. It is actually Kendra (Loeber) Watters’ parents in law and their three children. The father will be the new director of Extreme Peru. I’m glad that we went to meet them because there were only two other people there. Mike made a sign for them so they would know we were there to pick them up. He wrote on it Los Aguas which is a direct translation for The Watters. The two other ladies who had come from the office had a small truck that barely held all the luggage in the back and was supposed to hold all 7 of them. Fortunately, I am staying in the apartment just above their new home, so we decided to take a taxi there and put a few of them in it!

We gathered in their new home and prayed together that God would use them in their area of ministry and that God would be used in Extreme ministries as a whole. Praise the Lord for willing servants in sharing His message around the world!

Arequipa--7/5/11

We made it in 2 hours late because of our delay last night. Though when I think about what happened I think I was totally overreacting. It’s crazy how the darkness can play games with your mind…things just seem so much scarier than they are.

We went straight to the Extreme head office because Mike had to get things done. Really, it has been a pretty down day for me. I want him to get work done which means I have to stay out of his way. So I met people in the office, made a bank run with Mike, and ate rico empanadas (that means delicious pot pies) for lunch. Other than that, I spent the day reading, blogging, facebooking, helping Mike whenever I could, and just kind of having a relaxing down-day.

Kindra, Mike, and I visited the Plaza Real to eat some dinner and see what the modern side of the city looks like. I had my first cambi (bus) experience on my way to church. There was a short prayer service where I met the pastor and a few members of Mike’s congregation. It was fun seeing how committed these people are and how new they are to the church as a result of the ministry that is being done in the community!

I met the family I will be staying with for the next few nights. Becky, Jason, and their two little girls were very inviting and sweet to let me stay with them after not even knowing me. I had a lovely evening and retired early for a good night’s sleep.

Machu Piccu--7/3/11

Wow!!  Best day ever!! Our bus pulled into Cusco after a 6 hour drive. I slept pretty well on it, but let’s just say that even an ipod can’t drown out a snoring Peruvian next to you! We arrived at the Meeting Place Coffee Shop in downtown Cusco at about 5am. Missionaries run the coffee shop and host Spanish classes and Bible studies there. They have a group of Youth With A Mission volunteers coming to help them and the 40/40’s. I love seeing how missionaries all team together, no matter what organization they are with.



I can't believe we're actually here!



Our ride came at about 6:30 to take us to a bus, which took us to a train, which took us three hours into the jungle, which took us to another bus, which took us to Machu Picchu! By the end of the day I had been on 4 buses, 2 trains, and 5 taxies, and 10 different guides, or contacts, for our tour! It’s not exactly easy to get to Machu Picchu!!

We had a lovely train ride where they served us snacks and coffee, just like in a plane. We drove through some of the most beautiful terrain in Peru. There were little quaint villages, wide open green plains, and towering mountains and cliffs. Being that we were in the jungle it was pretty damp the whole time, but certainly not as cold as Puno had been. Mike, Kindra, and I played Monopoly Deal the whole way there and the whole way back. Things got a little competitive at a few points, but in the end Kindra and I tied with 7 wins and Mike had 6. I think he was a little disappointed.

We had gone through a tour agency but the man who was supposed to give us our bus tickets after the train stop wasn’t there. We wandered around for awhile until we found a guy who took us to a guy who went to a guy to get our tickets. Needless to say I was very thankful for Spanish speaking friends so I could just sit back and let them do the work. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d been by myself.

The switchback drive up the mountain was amazing. It was a little cloudy, but that made it look mysterious! When we finally made it up we were looking for our next guide. He found us this time by shouting out, “Michelle Kindra, Michelle Kindra.” Apparently Mike is now Michelle and I’m not even a part of the group. But don’t worry, it gets worse later!

After a short hike we came to the all-impressive Machu Picchu!!! I wish the clouds hadn’t hindered our view, but for the most part it was still incredible. We went on a two hour walking tour of the place to see where they made their animal sacrifices, their homes, schools, lamas, and the countless terraces where they planted all of their fruits and vegetables. This city was only in use for about 100 years before they abandoned it and then were killed by the Spaniards in the 1500’s. Surprisingly, this is about how long Herod the Great’s structures lasted in Jerusalem before the Romans overtook them. I assume that these landmark locations were always in use, but things are always changing.

My Chinese friend, and language relief!

We headed back down the mountain to catch our train on time; we were exhausted! It was more crowded coming back then going up so we had a fourth person sit with us at our quad with a table in the middle. She was from China so I started speaking Chinese with her!! She was so impressed that she bragged about me to her family across from us. They were all in Peru to study Spanish for a few months. So for the next 3 hours we spoke in Chinese, Spanish, and English while playing Monopoly Deal. I really can’t explain how fun it was to speak in Chinese again and to be able to say almost everything I wanted to almost completely correctly! I thought I had lost a lot, but I was able to pick most of it up again right away. And sometimes she would use words that I had completely forgotten I knew, but remembered once she used them! It was a nice change of pace to be able to speak the language that continually comes to my mind when I’m in a foreign country and to have to be the translator for someone else!!

We said our goodbyes to Shelley and the rest of the Chinese family once we got off our train. We waited around for our next mode of transportation for a half hour, but then met some people from Singapore that we had a lovely conversation with! It’s so fun meeting people from around the world!

We were dropped off at the city plaza where we ate the equivalent to McDonald’s, BamBo’s…Peruvian style. We hurried back to the coffee shop to pick up our stuff and then drove another 25 minutes to the 40/40 house on the outskirts of Cusco. We met everyone there, but I was so tired from all of our traveling that I went straight to bed! It was the first time I’d been in a bed since I’d arrived in Peru!

Cusco--7/4/11

Happy 4^th of July!! I love spending American holidays in another country because it feels so unique and the Americans there always make it a big deal.

Last night was my first night in Peru where I had a bed to sleep in, plenty of blankets, and a shower the next morning. It was so refreshing. I guess I was exhausted because I slept for probably 11 hours! When I finally woke up around 11 and got ready for the day we were served pancakes for breakfast! Normally I would think that’s too American for me to eat when I’m only in Peru for a week, but there was some special Peruvian spread to make my breakfast experience authentic!

I had a fun chat with the Americans. Cailyn and Alex are the North American 40/40’s for Cusco, and Amy and Tyler are the house parents. It’s always fun hanging out with new people and hearing their stories. Amy and Tyler went to NNU around the same time as me so we had lots to talk about, and the others were overly friendly and inviting!

Kindra and me in Cuzco's Plaza

We stuffed 5 of us in a chicito (small) taxi for nearly a ½ hour to get to the plaza in downtown Cusco. We were finally able to hang out at The Meeting Place Coffee Shop that we had visited yesterday. I met the Englund’s who run the ministry and a few NNU students who are there to help out for awhile, Joey and Phil. I was interested to hear how the ministry started and what they are doing with it. What a blessing to hear about so many people intentionally serving the Lord in so many different ways!

After hanging out there for a bit, Cailyn, Kindra, and I went shopping for some cream cheese. Cailyn was making a special American dish for our 4^th of July party! We headed home early to get things ready. We had fried hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, pop, and veggies. This is a very typical meal for any of us, but apparently they had to go to stores all over Cusco to find the things they needed.

My new friend Cailyn and her patriotic cake!

After dinner we went to their backyard to start a bonfire in a barrel and then light off fireworks. It took us awhile to get the fire going because the wood was damp. We had flames for awhile because of all the loose paper, but then it got all smoky and we could hardly breathe. When we were about to give up on it the flames suddenly reappeared and the smoke vanished! We proceeded to light some of our fireworks and ended up throwing a bottle-rocket in the barrel. It popped and took the flame with it. We were disappointed until it suddenly reappeared a minute later. We threw some firecrackers in next but they didn’t make any noise. As Tyler was complaining about how lame they were, they suddenly popped. They were so weak that they sounded like bubble wrap. We continued laughing really hard as the guys would light the Bumble Bee fireworks and then run away as fast as they could to get away, and then all of us would scream as they popped and flew!

We finished our exciting American Party with Funfetti cake and patriotic frosting, with the ice cream as close as we could get to American tasting. Then we went to the back patio and sang the Star Spangled Banner as loud as we could. We may not have sounded that great, but it was ok because the neighbors do this to them at 3 in the morning all the time.



Fireworks in a barrel



I was actually sad to leave because we had so much fun laughing and talking and hanging out all day. I felt like I could fit in so well with them even after the short time I knew them. We hopped in a taxi and went to the bus station. We were headed back to Arequipa for Kindra and Mike to be at work on Tuesday. This was our 3^rd out of 4 nights to sleep on a Cama Bus overnight. This would be our longest trip yet, 10 hours. Since we started at 8:30 pm they gave us an airplane style dinner and A Night at the Museum 2 to watch in Spanish! Perfect!



About 2 ½ hours into our very pleasant drive, I had one of the most terrifying experiences that I can remember! Mike and I were chatting shortly after the movie ended when the bus suddenly slammed on the brakes and veered off to the side of the road. We stopped and saw dark figures running behind the bus from the street. Then dark figures walked by us up to the front of the bus. The sudden stop had startled me, but I was still in good spirits. I asked Mike what all the possibilities were, which was definitely a mistake. Without trying to scare me and just being honest he said that we could have hit someone, almost hit something, or it could be bad people who made the bus stop. My imagination went wild with the last one because we had just been talking earlier today about people being robbed on a bus. Silouettes continued to walk by, a fight started right outside our window, and then people from our bus started getting off. By now I was horrified that these were modern day stage coach thieves that could possibly be violent. I uncontrollably prayed in a whisper, “God help us. Lord Jesus help us. God help us…” over and over again. There was talking I didn’t understand, people still filing off the top level of the bus while our bottom level sat quietly in a closed off section, and lots of dark movement outside. My prayers continued as my breathing became heavier and faster.

After being parked for probably 15 minutes we were told that the driver had hit a drunk man crossing the road. At first I was completely relieved, but then I remembered the man who was hit, those he was close to, and the driver. My prayers were redirected into thanksgiving and petitions for others.

We finally started the bus, and turned it around. We guessed that we may be going back to Cusco for something, or heading to the city police station for a formal report of the incident. The latter was correct. We sat outside the police station for an hour and a half just waiting for the report to be made. By 1am we were back on our way with only a 2 hour delay!

I thank the Lord that nothing serious happened to the innocent people on the bus, but how many times all over the world does that happen to people? Especially Christians are threatened or kidnapped or hurt for their faith. I know that I cannot really feel their fear and hurt, but I think I may have a better understanding after tonight. Pause and pray with me for those who are in danger or scared all over the world.

The Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca--7/2/11

We slept on the living room couches for a few hours this morning before waking up to a really cold house and a really warm breakfast. Puno was probably 45-50 degrees and there’s no heat indoors, so we just sat around with blankets on and froze. The last time I felt this cold was in China in the winter. No matter where we went people were bundled up in their coats and hats, indoors and out. There’s just no way to get warm. I’ve decided that I can’t live in place like this, so I’ll have to move to a southern city in China where it’s warm year round. I’m sure God agrees with my idea!



Boating on Lake Titicaca



We took a boat out on Lake Titicaca to take us to the Floating Islands. Did you know that Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world? I guess that’s pretty impressive information for some people out there.  Our tour boat had the engine of a diesel truck so it wasn’t really cut out for water use. 2 minutes into the water and they had to stop and pull the seaweeds out of it. Oh well, that’s Peru for you. There are 40 islands and each one inhabits about 25 people. They survive off of fishing and tourism. As we floated by the islands everyone stood waving on the edge of theirs in their brightly colored clothing, waiting to see if we would stop at their island. We landed at one where we heard about how the islands were made and the history behind them. It was so fun to walk across it because there are just thick reeds stacked on top of each other, which allowed for my feet to sink a bit after every step. The islands were only about 100 feet in diameter and only had about 5 huts on each one. But I was surprised to find that they had TV’s and solar powered electricity out there. Crazy!

The Floating Islands



We came back and spent the rest of the day hanging out at the 40/40 house. This is a ministry that Extreme Peru has where 40 North Americans team up with 40 Peruvians to minister to 3 communities each and then ultimately build a church in each one. All the 40/40 missionaries of an area live in one house where they have house parents. Their job is to help out with the young missionaries’ finances, spiritual growth, and counseling when necessary. The house parents in Puno are Chad and Amanda, and their two little kids are Ella and Thomas; I spent a lot of time with them! They showed us a cute place for lunch and then took us up to the Condor lookout. Incan tradition says that the condor, puma, and snake are the holy and respected animals.

We came home after our cold wet walk to try to rest and warm up. We had coca tea which is what cocaine is made of (though I didn’t know it at the time). I showed the kids all my pictures from the Holy Land and told them the Bible stories to go with each one. They were so well behaved and intrigued the whole way through it!! And we played some Rook before enjoying a hot soup dinner and some conversation with the 40/40’s when they got home from their ministries for the day.



Hanging out with the kids in the plaza



We had to leave again for another overnight drive to Cusco. I was a little sad to leave because I felt like everyone was so nice and we were just getting to know each other. We said our goodbyes and our thanks and then went to the bus station for our 9:30 bus. The trip was uneventful, though a little less restful than the night before. I struggled for the last half hour or so because the guy next to me started snoring very loudly, and then they turned up some extremely loud Spanish talk radio. But other than that it was great!

Going to Peru--7/1/11

Mike and I said goodbye to the rest of the team at the airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave a half hour before theirs so we left them at the ticket counter. Though we had had an amazing time together it was easy to leave them because of the fun I was looking forward to!

We flew from Managua to San Salvador where our flight was delayed by 2 ½ hours. We wandered around the airport, which was really just one hallway. Mike found some manikins with heads full of hair. He tried to blend in with them but I wasn’t convinced. When we went back to our gate they had coffee and breakfast for us! So we spent the rest of our layover eating comfortably and playing on Facebook. Random fact: El Salvador uses US dollars for its currency—strange.

The flight to Lima was great, and my first view of mountainous Peru was beautiful! Mike seamlessly maneuvered us through the airport as he proudly introduced me to his country of residence. It actually worked out nicely that we had a longer layover in San Salvador because we ended up not having internet in Lima. So instead, we played Monopoly Deal. Mike had never played it so I took advantage for the first few games. He came back strong though. By the end of our flight to Ariquipa we were tied at 5 to 5. The tournament will continue!

Ariquipa has to be the smallest international airport I’ve ever flown into. There are 4 gates, but they only use 3, and there’s only one luggage belt. That’s surprising because this is the 2^nd largest city in Peru with 1 million people. And boy was I shocked when I got off that plane! Mike had warned me that it is winter down here so I should bring warm clothes, but I forgot about this when I was packing for the heat of Nicaragua. I only have 3 thin sweatshirts and a thin blanket. I walked into the middle of winter, completely unprepared! I was reminded of the Jamaican bobsled team in Cool Runnings as they stepped out of the airport into a Canadian blizzard! Being that I’m “afraid” of being cold, I tried to run through any possible solutions in my mind. The place we’re headed tonight was heard to have had snow earlier this week. Boo!

We had 2 hours before our bus to Puno was scheduled to leave so we went to Extreme Nazarene’s Headquarters, which is Mike’s place of work, and hung out for a bit while he ran home to get repacked for our weekend adventure. We met one of his coworkers, Kindra, at the bus station and the 3 of us loaded a Cama (bed) Bus. The chairs are spacious, comfortable, and recline far back. They are intended for the overnight drives around this vast country. For $8 we slept on the bus for nearly 6 hours. The perk is that you save on hotel!

We arrived in Puno at 5am, 26 hours after our day started in Nicaragua! We took a taxi to the missionary home in the city and crashed on their couches for a few hours of sleep before an exciting day of tourism and fellowship.