Our time in Peru is coming to a close and as I reflect on our time here I am filled with so many memories of people, places, and experiences that I have enjoyed.. it just wouldn’t be fair to keep them all to myself.
I must preface the entire post however, with my favorite people.
Pastor Victor and his entire family ( pictured above).
This family has contributed immensely to most of my “favorites” this month. But I won’t tell you too much about them just yet, because they are probably getting an entire blog post to themselves in the near future! They are just that awesome.
Without further ado,
Favorite food.
Over the past few days Pastor Victor and his family invited us into their homes so that we could share a meal together. They served us typical Peruvian foods, and all of the food was so good. If I had to choose a favorite it would be Papas a la Huancaina which is a yellow spicy sauce with potatoes and chicken. YUM. But in reality every meal we shared with these people was the best!
Favorite place.
This one is a tie and although it may come as a surprise to you, Machu Picchu doesn’t win.
Machu Picchu was great and all but Pastor Victor holds his Church services in a garage, and that is my favorite place from the entire race.
Inside these walls we laughed, talked, slept, ate, prayed, and loved one another. This garage is living proof that the Church is the Body and not a building.
Favorite day.
I could easily say that visiting Machu Picchu was my favorite day in Peru also, but most of my highlights have been the days we spent with Pastor Victor and his family. Most days we went around praying for people and ministering to local families. Afterwards we would gather for a church service in my favorite place. Being with good company beats adventure any day.
Favorite Drink (s).
There is a local shop near our home called Vaccari Caffe where they have the best (and cheapest) cappuccino’s and frozen fruit drinks. I hope the picture speaks for itself.
Favorite Transportation.
This little bad boy is what we call a motto or tuk-tuk. They cost around 1 USD and have three wheels. Inside the luxurious ride you will find doors without operating handles and room for maybe three people, only if you squish in.
Favorite (kinda, maybe, not so funny) memory.
During our time in Peru we experienced 5 days without running water.
When the water turned on for a brief moment one night, we all ran around like chickens with our heads cut off.
Picture 8 girls trying to take showers, wash hair in sinks, clean dishes, hand wash clothes, and refill our backup water supply.. at the same time in fear our water would shut off any minute (which, it did). Amongst the chaos were phrases thrown around like “I think I just used the same bucket to wash my clothes in that we cooked spaghetti in last night” It’s causal here. We sent up more prayers during those short, sputtering, weak pressured, poor-excuses for a shower than we do during an entire day sometimes. It was a great.
P.S. our water is turned back on now
This month has been one for the books. It has been filled with a lot of great memories, tough moments, and beautiful relationships. In 8 days I will leave Peru with more experiences and stories than I ever imagined to gain, and I know I am leaving here more grateful and humbled than when I entered.
Thanks for the memories Peru.
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I am still $2,649 away from being fully funded, and continuing on the race. If you feel led to donate, you can do so in the upper right hand corner. No donation is too small. Can you partner with me today by donating $5, $10, $25, or even $100 ? I am so grateful for all of the support, and fully anticipate being able to share more stories with you from in field!
As always,
Much love and God Bless
Kelsay
