Week Seven--ciao, Perú

As I write this final blog post, I'm sitting at my desk here in good ol' Texas. What an amazing month and a half it's been in Peru! Natali and I spent our last couple of days in Curahuasi going out to a chicken restaurant with the other interns (because the trustworthy restaurant that serves Guinea pig was closed--darn!), celebrating Natali's birthday on the 17th, and doing Kids Clubs. Also, we joined the Diospi Suyana dental clinic for a campaign in a nearby orphanage, where we got to develop x-rays by using a "dark box" and soaking the plates in three different solutions for varying amounts of time. On the morning of the 19th, we said goodbye to the precious Caire family and began our few days of tourism before leaving the country. We toured several sites in the Sacred Valley, including Moray, the Salineras, and the ruins of Ollantaytambo, all of which were fascinating and impressive. Since sweet Natali got sick the night before our Machu Picchu tour, she didn't get to see much of it, but I climbed Machu Picchu mountain and joined the tour group afterwards. The ruins are just as fabulous as they are reputed to be, and getting to explore them with a Spanish-speaking tour guide was really special. Natali and I spent much of Tuesday and Wednesday simply relaxing and gift shopping in Cusco, and our flights on Wednesday/Thursday went smoothly. Somehow, the Peruvian guy that I sat by on the flight to Lima ended up asking for my number, which I'm still fairly bewildered about. (I don't think our phone numbers are even compatible.) Arriving in Texas was surreal and exciting, and my heart just about burst with joy when I saw my family. The internship completely surpassed all expectations that I had; I have learned so much and gained countless new perspectives on life. Working alongside such a faithful missionary family taught me that God always provides, although perhaps not in the ways that we might want or expect. Seeing the suffering of people living in poverty showed me that Jesus is truly all that matters in this life. Hearing so many incredible testimonies reminded me that prayer is so powerful, and that it is the most important work of believers. I am convinced that the Lord used my time in Peru as another step on my journey of sanctification--and I can't wait for the lifetime of walking with Him on that journey that awaits.

Rocking the Quechua hats

Machu Picchu

After 1.5 hours of steep steps...

The one and only Caire family (and Natali and me)

Week Five

Time has flown, and we're already in our last week in Peru. Last Friday, Will took the kids camping, so Allison, Natali, and I had a fun girls' night. Then on Saturday morning, the three of us joined five other missionary women in Curahuasi for their annual weekend getaway to Cusco. Once again, we had a blast shopping and eating good food. Most of all, it was wonderful to spend some extended time with such a wonderful, Christ-centered woman as Allison. The three of us even bonded to the point of buying ridiculous backpacker pants together! On Monday, Natali and I spent the day with the other interns gathering and loading/unloading large rocks for the foundation of the children's home that is under construction, and that was definitely a bonding experience as well. We spent yesterday working at the hospital, and in the evening, we got to hear an incredible testimony from Lyndal, the Australian woman who is heading up the children's home project. The Lord is doing an amazing work through the organization ALMA; there are so many orphaned and abused children in this community. This morning, I climbed the Mirador one last time. It was an unusual morning, cloudy and sprinkling, and when I reached the top, I was literally in a cloud. In that moment, it seemed as though the cloud surrounding the mountain was the tangible presence of God. Standing there in the mist, I felt like he was saying, "You may not always be able to see what is ahead of you, but as long as you abide in my presence, I will guide you in my perfect paths. When you trust me through the uncertainty, I go before you and behind you and all around you, protecting you with my love." I'm so thankful to serve a God whose power is made perfect in weakness!

A lovely Friday morning walk

Will explaining a CT scan

Crosses at the top of the cloudy Mirador

Crazy backpackers (Allison, Natali, and me)

Week Four

It's been another week of adventures here in the anise capital of the world. We've gotten to do several kids' clubs in nearby farming villages, which has been really sweet. This past Saturday, Natali and I joined all six of the Caires and two Germans on an all-day horseback ride, starting at 6AM. It truly was an adventure: 3.5 hours each way, steep rocky trails with an abundance of thorny trees, some of us (myself included) riding horses without stirrups. Our destination was a beautiful, remote lake at the top of the mountain. Despite our many layers of clothing, no one was prepared for the lake's frigid winds, and we all found it a bit harder to fully appreciate our surroundings due to the utter numbness of our extremities. After about half an hour of eating and shivering, we decided to head back down--to the great surprise of our Quechua guides, who were undoubtedly expecting to spend several hours leading us in a mountain exploration. I think they were even more confounded when over half of us opted to walk the majority of the way down the mountain in order to avoid even more saddle sores. (I can just hear them telling their village about us that night: "You should have seen this wimpy group of gringos we had to haul around today…. Unbelievable!") We all had to sit rather gingerly for the next day or two, but overall, it was such a fun and unique experience. That night, we had a little 4th of July party for the few Americans here, complete with a backyard campfire and Peter's homemade rockets. On Sunday afternoon, two of the other U.S. interns came with Natali and me on a hike up to Capitan Rumi, which is close to the Mirador. We also had fun with them last night having an intense ping-pong and foosball tournament. Yesterday morning, Natali and I went to the hospital with Allison at 5:30AM to help with her weekly bread-baking, and since the bread-forming machine was out of commission, we formed 750 rolls by hand--but great conversation with good friends made the time pass quickly. A few days ago, I got to shadow Will, and one of his patients was an 8-year-old boy with severe developmental delays. He was pretty much uncontrollable throughout the consultation, running around the room and screaming. His family was explaining that they don't have the financial means to put him into any kind of quality therapy program, which he desperately needs. That little 10-minute window into their lives kind of rocked my world, and the Lord has really continued to put him and his family on my heart. Raising a disabled child in a first-world country is hard enough; I couldn't imagine raising that boy in such seemingly insurmountable circumstances. Still, I can rest in the fact that that boy is God's child. Please join me in praying that the Lord would work a miracle in this boy's life, and in the lives of so many suffering people in this region.

Our horseback riding destination

Capitan Rumi

Me, Natali, Alexa, and Phillip at the Mirador

Working at the hospital