Chau, amigas!

So, Wednesday afternoon Molly, Catie, and I went exploring, and we found this awesome stair-like thing that we hiked down a ways. It was so incredible because there’s no telling how long it’s been there or who made it (probably the Incas), and if we had had enough time we would have taken it all the way down to the bottom of the valley. It was beautiful and really cool. That evening we went to Aucará for our first English class and Bible study. We took the exciting “short cut” again, only way faster and we arrived slightly out of breath but exhilarated. When we went to talk to someone to open the auditorium for us, they suggested that we go over to the radio station and announce ourselves and what we’re doing here. We were taken slightly off guard because we thought that they were going to announce the class and everything, but we went anyways. However, the radio guy, who we found out owned the radio, was rather upset that we just barged in and wanted to announce ourselves on his radio. Also, he was quite argumentative and dominating, and he wanted to have a 20 to 30 minute discussion about Christianity and also the differences between U.S. society and Peruvian society. We were already a little agitated that the Aucará authorities didn’t really do their job in announcing and also because we needed to start the class, so this man who seemed rather against us just frustrated us even more. However, we could see he was a very important and influential individual (his radio station is AM and is heard in big cities like Nazca, Ica, and Lima), so we didn’t want to refuse and make him mad. So, Kelly and Shane stayed and talked to him while David and I went with Catie and Molly to the auditorium to wait for people to show up. Kelly and Shane told us later that the man kept trying to make them slip up, but Shane was pretty excited because he felt that he, in his own words, “owned the interview” : ). After a few questions, he said, the man just gave up and actually let Shane and Kelly share the Gospel message on his station, which is awesome. And he let them announce the Aucará Bible study and English class. So anyways, we were really excited with the turnout for the class, and there were actually more people there than usually come to the class in Cabana. Shane shared the story of creation, and then I taught basic greetings, phrases, and good-byes, and it was really fun. The kids were attentive and interactive, and there were even several adults who came and seemed to enjoy themselves. I wish we would have started this like 7 weeks ago, but we’ll work with what we’ve got. Afterwards, thankfully we convinced the police to give us a ride in the truck for just 1 sol per person, so we didn’t have to walk back in the cold and dark.

Thursday morning I woke up early because I wanted to try to talk to Jackie to see if we could cook that day, so Kelly and I got up to find her and also to make sure we could have English class that evening. We talked to her, but she said that that day wouldn’t work but that we could cook Friday, but she came and hung out with us for a while and ate lunch with us, which was fun. In the afternoon we mainly rested and planned for the class, and Catie, Molly, and I hung out and talked a lot, which was fantastic. We had English class that evening, but only a few people (all kids) showed up. I taught anyways, and Catie also helped teach. She’s amazing with kids and an amazing teacher, plus her time in Chile has made her almost fluent in Spanish, so it was great that she taught. After the class, the 6 of us just hung out in our room and ate, and I had the most wonderful dinner. We bought 2 avocados and some bread and we already had cheese, mayo, and bologna, and we just made the yummiest sandwiches. They almost tasted like a normal sandwich I would make at home, but almost better. I really love the cheese here and the avocado was just perfect. Afterwards we just talked and laughed, and then Molly and Catie prayed over the 4 of us, and that was an awesome time. Those 2 girls are so incredible that I’m running out of adjectives to describe them, and I love them muchísimo.

This morning, Catie, Molly, and I got up at 5 am to hike up to the ridge to watch the sunrise. We sat there for a while because the sun takes longer to peek over the mountains, but it was amazing nonetheless. Sometimes we talked; sometimes we sat in silence. Little by little we heard the world awaken. First the roosters. Then the dogs. Then the trucks, and we saw little bitty people walking around on the roads. At first when it was still dark and silent I could just focus on the sunrise and on God’s awesomeness, but as things began to get noisy, I found myself getting distracted. My first reaction was to try to ignore it and concentrate, but then God just reminded me that those “distractions” are just part of Him, just as the sunrise is. I can’t go through life just completely zoned into God and ignoring everything else. He wants to use me, and I have to learn to seek Him and focus on Him throughout everything. I don’t know if that made any sense, but it makes sense to me. Anyways, the sunrise was a little cloudy, but magnificent nonetheless, and after about an hour and a half, we went back to the hostel. We waited a bit while Molly showered, and then we went and got breakfast at the restaurant, which was delicious. We had coffee, and I had a fried egg and cheese sandwich….yummy. Then we went back to the hostel, Catie showered, and I did laundry before Jackie came by. I went with her to buy the ingredients for today’s recipe, and then we went to start cooking. Once again, I had a great time, and Molly and Catie got to get in on the cooking lesson, too. The food was amazing, of course, and we were all incredibly stuffed afterwards. It was so worth it. So now I know how to cook 2 delicious Peruvian dishes, and I just hope I can find some of the spices and can adjust to cooking on an electric stove when I get back. We’re cooking another dish tomorrow : ). After we ate, Catie and Molly and I went back to the hostel to get all their things together, and then all 6 of us waited with them for the Combi that would take them to Puquio. We took pictures, hugged, and said good bye. I was a little sad because I really wish they could have stayed longer, but they are headed to Cusco, which is really exciting. That’s all for now, but tune in next time for the latest update….

Prayer requests:
- Pray for Molly and Catie as they travel about 18 hours to Cusco tonight and that God would just bless their time in Peru and make their last couple of weeks in South America sweet and wonderful
- Pray that we would all remain strong in the last few days we have here and would make the most of it
- Pray that we would focus on God before everything else
- Pray that He would guide us in all that we do
- Pray for open hearts and minds here in Cabana and also in Aucará
- Pray for all the other summer mission teams here in Peru

I love and miss you all! Please comment so I know you’re still hanging in there with me!