When I return from a full day of activities and people, I
crave some personal alone time. Lately I have had a hard time finding
motivation to write about the day’s activities instead of vegging during free
time. Also, I feel myself getting used
to life in Lima and I don’t catch the interesting peculiarities that we live
day to day. The other day I climbed on a
bus with over 55 people when it would normally seat for 20 and I did not think
to write about it. While we continue to
do the same programs and ministry (mostly children’s ministry), each day brings
a new experience and new relationships.
So, I am going to work on fighting the urge to have personal time when I
could be writing about Lima, the people, and the experiences.
We did a children’s program Saturday; my friends Brijitte
and Cynthia were there. I got to visit
their house and meet their mother. They
were very proud and excited for me to see the “Buena Vista” from their house
overlooking the city. I could not help
but notice the rickety tin roof and cracks in the walls. On this day I also got the opportunity to try
Ceviche, which is the Peruvian specialty among cuisine. When I meet someone in Peru they ask the same
questions, “How old are you, which state are you from, and have you tried
Ceviche”. If I did not get asked about
the dish so much I may not have tried it.
Ceviche is cut up raw fish soaked in lemon juice served with
seaweed and onions. It was surprisingly pretty
tasty. The texture was okay, but I will
admit I had a hard time finishing the plate.
Easter Sunday started out pretty depressing for me. I did not wake up to chocolate in a basket (I
did buy some chocolate to go with my breakfast). Holy Week and Good Friday are observed here
in Peru, but they do not really acknowledge Easter, even in the church. There really isn’t a phrase to say, Happy
Easter. So I did not really feel like it
was a special day. Half of the World
Racers were asked to attend a local church service in English. The service was run by Peruvian’s wanting to
learn more English. It was not what I
expected from an, “English Service”, but it was definitely a gift from
God. We sang familiar hymns and songs at
a volume level that did not make my ears ring after the service. I felt at home in the quiet and inviting atmosphere. After the service a local missionary family,
the Cooley’s, invited us to an amazing lunch.
It turned out to be a special day after all. Easter evening we did our sign language drama
at the Shalom church service. We did not
have time to practice for the last two days, so I was a little rusty and messed
up in one or two parts. It was my prayer
that the audience would receive what God wanted them to receive from the
presentation and I would not get in the way.
Today on our day off I spent the day with Candice, Amanda,
and Ginger. We toured the historic
district of Lima by foot for several hours.
Lima has many hidden pockets of beauty in architecture and
landscape. We saw numerous cathedrals,
the Governor’s Palace, the House of Congress, and even ate a Mim Pau dumpling
in China Town. I almost ate quail’s eggs
from a street vendor, but passed because they were soaked in water.
