Saturday, April 14
Machu Picchu was insane! What a special ending to the most amazing trip of my life.
Left the hotel at 4am to make the 4 hour trip to the site. First a 2 hour bus ride, then a 2 hour train ride along a beautiful river in the mountains.
I had looked at pictures of Machu Picchu before coming to Peru and was astounded. But, honestly, they pale in comparison to the actual view. I don't even know how to describe it! Highlights of my day: the first view at the mountain top, meeting (FINALLY) a llama and her baby!, and the group session at the end.
When we had toured the entire area, the group gathered in a big circle and took a seat. All of us reflected on our time in Peru and then went around sharing what our favorite part was. It was so heart warming to hear everyone's thoughts. You could see their transformation, and to hear the words come out of their mouths, the emotions and metamorphosis they'd gone through were almost palpable.
We got back to Cusco (which, by the way, is a gorgeous city! wasn't expecting that at all), and had a private mass in the most breathtaking church. Then we all went out to dinner to celebrate our last moments together.
Saying goodbye to everyone was hard, but nothing like I imagined it was going to be. I had this image in my head that saying goodbye would be a combination of laughter, tears (lots of tears), hugging, and some more tears. But it wasn't so. A lot of hugging and laughter, yes. Tears though? Not so much. There was an air of "this isn't the end" that you could tell everyone felt. We all know that we'll see each other soon.
After Cusco, most of the group went home, but a few of us stayed on the adventure for a little while longer. David, Linda, Gregg, Eduardo, a few of the others and I made our way to Lima for a day and then to Argentina! In Buenos Aires we went to a tango show at the Hotel Faena, an experience I'll never get! Had lunch the next day and then it was time to go home.
I can't describe what a blessing this trip has been. I feel like I've said that in every single blog post, but it's true! My life has changed for the best. God is with me, and there's nothing I can't do with him by my side. I love this feeling that I carry with me now. I'm confident, and loved, and humble. So so so blessed. That's the only way I can sum it up.
Dios te bendiga :)
13 June 2012
10 June 2012
{passion}
Saturday, April 7
Happy Easter! I just got back from the most beautiful candlelight vigil. I can't believe this was my last day in Piura. It went by so fast!
Yesterday was amazing. We put on a Passion play, but this wasn't your regular old play that you'd see at Holy Friday's mass. This was a real life reenactment of the event. Over a thousand people showed up to watch Jesus' passion. Live horses, soldiers, the women in mourning. The cast must have been made up of at lease 80 people in itself! I truly felt like I was part of the masses that gathered over two thousand years ago to watch our Savior.
Tomorrow is a day of travel: flying to Cusco to visit Machu Picchu! I can't wait!
All I can say that this mission has changed me. I've had way too many beautiful experiences than I can possibly list, or even describe. And to have spent this glorious transformation with my family! There are no words that can explain how blessed I feel.
I'll update on Monday with pictures from Machu Picchu.
Dios te bendiga :)
Happy Easter! I just got back from the most beautiful candlelight vigil. I can't believe this was my last day in Piura. It went by so fast!
Yesterday was amazing. We put on a Passion play, but this wasn't your regular old play that you'd see at Holy Friday's mass. This was a real life reenactment of the event. Over a thousand people showed up to watch Jesus' passion. Live horses, soldiers, the women in mourning. The cast must have been made up of at lease 80 people in itself! I truly felt like I was part of the masses that gathered over two thousand years ago to watch our Savior.
Tomorrow is a day of travel: flying to Cusco to visit Machu Picchu! I can't wait!
All I can say that this mission has changed me. I've had way too many beautiful experiences than I can possibly list, or even describe. And to have spent this glorious transformation with my family! There are no words that can explain how blessed I feel.
I'll update on Monday with pictures from Machu Picchu.
Dios te bendiga :)
05 June 2012
{thick as theives}
Thursday, April 5
Happy Holy Thursday! Worked all morning to put up another house but this afternoon we were given the day off. Aunt Linda and I decided to walk to a nearby street market to browse for some gifts to bring home.
The market had everything; fruit, veggies, food, clothes, shoes, jewelry. We were having a great time walking around and experiencing the culture. Linda had just bought a pair of shoes, and we started walking again, our phones out, snapping photos. Out of nowhere I hear Linda (who's about 6 feet behind me) screaming her head off! "STOP HIM! MY PHONE! MY PHONE!"
A boy not too older than me bolts out from behind a cart with Linda's phone in hand. I tried running after him, but he darted into a dark alleyway and I knew I was in no way capable of catching him. I felt so bad for Linda! We walked straight back to the church and got in contact with our family to make sure her service got turned off. Thankfully she had an app set up that wirelessly transferred her pictures to her home computer, so not much was lost.
The rest of the day was good. Mass, dinner, and of course another round of hootin' and hollerin' til 3am.
I can't tell you how much I would love to do this for the rest of my life! I've been here for 4 days and feel as though I've known this group for years. I'm making such great friendships that I know will last for much longer than the time we're together here. A life of service is an amazing and fulfilling experience. I can't wait to keep it up!
Dios te bendiga :)
Happy Holy Thursday! Worked all morning to put up another house but this afternoon we were given the day off. Aunt Linda and I decided to walk to a nearby street market to browse for some gifts to bring home.
The market had everything; fruit, veggies, food, clothes, shoes, jewelry. We were having a great time walking around and experiencing the culture. Linda had just bought a pair of shoes, and we started walking again, our phones out, snapping photos. Out of nowhere I hear Linda (who's about 6 feet behind me) screaming her head off! "STOP HIM! MY PHONE! MY PHONE!"
A boy not too older than me bolts out from behind a cart with Linda's phone in hand. I tried running after him, but he darted into a dark alleyway and I knew I was in no way capable of catching him. I felt so bad for Linda! We walked straight back to the church and got in contact with our family to make sure her service got turned off. Thankfully she had an app set up that wirelessly transferred her pictures to her home computer, so not much was lost.
The rest of the day was good. Mass, dinner, and of course another round of hootin' and hollerin' til 3am.
I can't tell you how much I would love to do this for the rest of my life! I've been here for 4 days and feel as though I've known this group for years. I'm making such great friendships that I know will last for much longer than the time we're together here. A life of service is an amazing and fulfilling experience. I can't wait to keep it up!
Dios te bendiga :)
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