Peru – Days 10 & 11

Days 10 and 11

After one full week serving at the first two learning centers, the team spent most of the day on Saturday seeing more of the beautiful country of Peru and learning a bit about its history. We woke up early Saturday morning for a full day of exploration. We all piled in to the new church van that Pastor Jorge found and purchased in Lima this week (praise God!) and began an hour-long ride through the beautiful mountainside to our first destination—the Ruinas Wari.

We walked through the small museum containing different artifacts and pottery found in the area. Here we learned that this civilization and city was actually older than Macchu Picchu, although due to the lack of preservation in the area, the ruins were not cared for well, and not as well known. From here, we continued through the partially unearthed village where we ventured guesses as to what the different rocky structures would have been 1500 years ago. We were also excited to find bits of pottery of different sizes and colors that we claimed as our souvenirs from the visit.

We left the Wari tombs sweating from the warm sun and the continued difficulty of climbing steep hills at a high altitude. As we drove to the next destination, we watched the clouds roll in and experienced a Peruvian downpour while we ate our ham and cheese sandwich lunch further up in the mountains. When the rain let up a little bit, we headed to the Pampas de Ayacucho Historic Sanctuary—a monument dedicated to a key victory in the Peruvian War of Independence. We rode horses through the area and, though we may have been a bit clumsy, managed to make it through the experience in one piece and with lots of laughter.

After a long van ride home, we ate a quick dinner and prepared for the highlight of our weekend—home stays. Sitting with our travel buddies, we eagerly (and nervously) awaited to be picked up by the families we would be staying with for the next 24 hours.

On the way to the new house there were many thoughts in my mind. Would we be able to communicate? What would the house be like? What if I didn’t understand anything? Why was I feeling so nervous for this? As we reached the house, Marie smiled at us and I remembered Koko’s words of wisdom to me before we left: “Dios esta siempre contigo.” Wherever we were staying and whether or not I felt prepared, God would be with us.

When we walked into the house, we were quickly offered a seat on the couch and we tried our best to understand what Marie was trying to tell us. When we finally understood that she was asking us if we would like to go to youth group when her daughter, Naomi, got home, we smiled (feeling very relieved) and waited to meet Naomi. When she arrived, we headed to the church through the winding streets of Ayacucho and attended the same youth group we all went to as a team last week. It was good to see a few familiar faces and lots of smiles when we walked in. God is always with us.

After games, a lesson, and some songs, a large group of us headed out to a nearby restaurant and spent several hours (even though it seemed like much less time) talking and laughing at the miscommunications in a language barrier. I had the privilege of sitting with Kevin and Leah, who immediately invited me into their conversation and helped me feel comfortable with everyone at the table. God is always with us.

We went home around midnight and fell asleep quickly to the sound of light rain on the windows. Unfortunately, since I’m not used to the city noises, I woke up to the car horns and rooster crows that welcomed the day. After waiting for the rest of the house to wake up, we all gathered around the breakfast table for a meal together before church. We were surprised to begin with a song en español accompanied by a tambourine, but we eventually joined in clapping and smiling somewhat timidly at our hosts as they taught us a family tradition. We then ate a breakfast of soup and bread, and began one of the hardest, but most rewarding parts of the home stay.

Communicating without an interpreter or someone who knows Spanish much better than I do was what I had been dreading about this 24 hour adventure. Once again, God showed me that even when I believe something is impossible or scary, he can use that for good. Our breakfast conversation was filled with broken Spanish, lots of hand motions, and a little bit of Google translate. Nevertheless, our conversation is one that I know I will remember the most about this experience. Through it, God reminded me that he is always with us.

After the church service, my partner wasn’t feeling well and had to head back to the house. My nerves entered a new state of fear and anxiety, as I wondered how I would make it through another four hours of communication. Once again, God reminded me that he was in control and not me. Instead of leaving alone with the family, I was able to spend the rest of the afternoon eating lunch and hanging out with a couple of other people on our team and their hosts. This afternoon was one of my favorite times on the trip so far. We got to see Ayacucho from the eyes of people who lived there for their entire lives, and we enjoyed many fun conversations with our new friends.

All in all, the last couple days have been packed with new activities, but I have been reminded that God cares deeply for us. We can see those blessings when we are willing to look for them. We are all excited to start our second full week at the learning centers and appreciate all of your prayers as we continue to serve and learn here in Ayacucho.

Blessings!

Hannah