I love Peru. Seriously love it. There's about a million little reasons but I'll give you some of the basics:
The view from our bathroom! The house right in front is where the Pastor lives. The mountain behind the house has crosses all the way up it! You can't see it in this photo but I promise it's there!
- Ministry site! We are staying in Chepen, Peru which is this cute town that has about 50,000 people! We are staying at a church, sleeping in our tents in classrooms (look forward to my Never Have I Ever list for this month!). This is a safe city so other than just normal precautions we're able to go out and explore. The market here is overwhelming and incredible! There was one area that was all meat and it was literally just row after row of skinned animals and you tell the man what you want and he hacks it off for you. Creepy. Seriously.
- Contact! Pastor Juan is our contact and he's amazing! He's so chill and laid back. Nothing is rushed or stressed. He also doesn't hover. For example we've been painting. He gets the supplies and says see you later and then will check in like three hours later. It's awesome! And his family is fantastic!! His wife Marta is the sweetest woman ever! She cooks all our meals and tried to clean our bathroom (but we did it first!). We made an apple pie the other day and now she wants me to teach her how to make one. She loves to cook and oh man is she good at it! And they have 3 kids 6,9 and 11 I think. They are super shy but we're totally winning them over!
- Ministry! The people in this church are incredible! I already have a favorite: Margarita! She's so cute and spunky in the awesome older woman sort of way. She knows I don't speak a lot of Spanish but that doesn't stop her from just talking and talking to me! She does one of the Bible studies and visitations so Jeff and I have been kind of assigned to her and we just follow her around either praying for people or just visiting or having Bible studies. Saturdays are dedicated to children's events. Sundays there's two services and almost every night is a different group meeting. And we've painted the stairwell railing, the sanctuary, the bathrooms and Pastor Juan's office. We're rock stars!
- The weather!!! It's cold–like late Sept/early Oct cold in the mornings and nights so I get to snuggle up in my sleeping bag and be all cozy! I love it! And then in the afternoons it's super warm–not hate your life hot but pleasantly warm! I love it and could live a whole year in this temperature!
- The food! Seriously Marta takes good care of us! We've been here a week and we literally have not had the same meal twice! Awesome!
Marta and Cecelia cooking for us! They're seriously the best ever!
- THE OCEAN IS 35 MINUTES AWAY!!!!! (and by 35 minutes I mean well over an hour because the sketch van we took stopped every 10 feet to let more people on/off. Oh South America!) Seriously what else needs to be said?!?! We went on Monday and I've missed the ocean so much I literally almost started crying when I put my feet on the sand. It was wonderful!
Well those are just a few of the things that are making my time in Peru wonderful! I am seriously so content and happy here I'm trying to savor every single second because who knows what Bolivia has in store for me (other than it'll be colder than here!).
And I know I promised a vlog and it is coming! I just need the internet to stop hating me but I won't give up the dream and neither should you because it's awesome!
Love and miss you!
PS–Thanks to my awesome teammate Jessie for her photos! The first and last are mine the rest are hers!
