Where,
- The local’s value relationships over things
- The mountains are as high as the sky
- The police are a part of the community
- The children can roam the streets without fear
- The wild dogs are everywhere but are very much a part of society
- The dollar goes a mile (the money in my hand is enough for a 30min bus ride for four people. s/3.20=$.95)
- There is no sour cream for tacos and baked potatoes
- You greet someone with a kiss on the cheek
- Most men want to marry you for a green card
- Everyone is the definition of a hustler
- The people are grateful for everything
- The Dorito’s don’t taste the same
- Trash doesn’t go in the dumpster, it ends up everywhere else
- The women carry their children on the back wrapped in a blanket
- I’d rather drive in NYC
- The views are breathtaking, and the list goes on…
The culture here is very different from home but has so many lessons to offer. My level of humility has grown yet again, and I have learned to embrace things I never thought I would like hand washing and hang drying clothes. It has made me wish I studied Spanish instead of German although I did meet three Dutch people here. However, I took those classes ten years ago, so that didn’t help much. I am certainly debating getting a master’s degree in a foreign language, ha-ha not really, but I am really contemplating going to take some classes when I get back to the states. Do you have any clue how hard it is to sit in church on Sunday and not understand a thing?!
Ministry here looks different each day, but it keeps us busy hence why I am just getting to write a blog. Wednesday when we arrived we had enough time to get a meal and a nap after our 24-hour bus ride in, to get ready for mid-week service.
Thursday, we went to our host’s house for an orientation of the rules an evaluation of our talents and gifts to see how we can best serve them. They ended up needing everything we all have to offer.
Friday, we had devotions, which is sitting together to read the bible and talk it over for a couple of hours, then youth group at night.
Saturday, was all day serving where we deep cleaned the church, carried furniture from the orphanage down the road to the church to sand it down and refinish it. It was also a teammate’s birthday, so we went to a local eatery for dinner and had a slumber party with popcorn and movies to celebrate her.
Sunday consisted of moving our belongings out of the way, so Children’s church could utilize the space we use to sleep in, preparing the church for everyone’s arrival, having service then getting ready for the youth group pizza party.
Monday was our Sabbath, so I slept in some, spent time alone with the Lord for a while, began preparing this post then went into downtown Cusco to sightsee. Downtown or Centro as the locals would call it was so beautiful! It is a whole different atmosphere than where we are staying, I got to experience a French Cafe, having tea, a brownie, and passion fruit ice cream for s/16 which is $4.75. We also had a local dog as our free tour guide, we named him Soul because he has so much of it!
Our weekly schedule is as follows:
Prayer Requests:
- Team Unity
- Fundraising
Fundraising:
I am only 50% funded which is $10k, but I need to be at $13k by the 30th of November. I am currently partnering with www.keysforthejourney.com to help my fundraising process now until the end of October. Keys for the Journey are cool because although it helps my journey, it is more about your own. You can choose a word, country, or select to receive a prophetic word on your key. I chose the prophetic word as many other supporters have and we have all been in awe for what the Father has spoken to us. If you would like to experience God’s awesomeness with us, make sure to go get your key today and select “Alycia Mathis” at check out for “who you would like to support”. I can’t wait to hear more testimonies about the keys, they always excite me and I want to be a part of your journey just as much as you are a part of mine.
Thank you all for reading and if you haven’t already, please SUBSCRIBE and feel free to share <3 God bless you all! Your prayers, donations, and support are not in vain!
