We spent the last week living in the mountains of Peru in two small villages, Negritos Baja and Yanacancha. They are two of the poorest places in Peru. It is high in the mountains at about 12,000 feet. it was the harshest weather I have endured so far on my race it was cold and raining most of the time and very muddy. we stayed in our tents inside a church. We cooked over a fire for the first two nights with mostly wet wood. And it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
The people are strong and kind, the children are friendly. These are people that do not leave unless they need to. we shared a meal with a couple that had been married for 50 years and had grown up neighbors before that. They told us that the secret to a long marriage is understanding. they were kind, we prayed over them and they welcomed healing.
We prayed over a family that the father was losing his eye sight and the mother had back pain. when we started the man got on his knees and would run his hands over his face. After an hour or so the mans sight was beginning to be restored and he could read his Bible again and the pain in the woman’s back was gone! We left with thankful and joyful hearts!
We spent time with the kids doing dramas, Simon says, singing songs, and playing soccer. They were so much fun to be around even if I don’t understand what they are saying. But to see the wheels turn as they try and figure out how to get me to understand was one of my favorite things.
(above) some of the kids from Yanacancha. (below) My team mate Trevor at the church we stayed at in Negritos.
On our Mondays of we have the option to go to the mall here in Cajamarca. And it is like being a world away from the mountains and even the streets just outside where there are markets filled with people in traditional dress and not Nike. We have a Starbucks, and we made our first trip there this Monday. It’s odd walking in the door, it is setup just like home and when one of the girls ordered and the woman behind the counter replied not in Spanish but English. Oh, the comfort that you can feel being in a place as simple as a Starbucks. But there it was, looking at the board of things you can order I was hit with the reality check. That one cup of coffee cost as much as was given for the offering just a few nights before. I can’t drink coffee because it gives me migraines but in my hand, I held a bag full of comfort. Yep skittles and Oreo’s, things that I would enjoy but didn’t need and at that moment in my mind I didn’t want. After being on the mountain top for a week where I had to rely on God for strength. I came down and it was so easy for me to turn to other things for comfort. Things that would make me seem happy, then be gone in the blink of an eye. and the people in these villages gave out of their lack. they have little and they still gave with willing hearts. like the widow who gave her two coins when others were showing there wealth. it was that she gave all she had and with a willing heart.
Psalm 121: 1-2 I look up to the mountains does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth!
please be praying for Peru right now, a few of our teams are in flood zones and it is the worst rain in 20 years.
From the Mountain Stephen.
