Today Team Amor was challenged to our first full day together on our own living the unscripted life. At this point, I’m sure your wondering, “What on earth is unscripted anyways?” Truth be told, I didn’t completely know what it meant when I signed up for the Race. But today God made it pretty clear, and after reading this blog, I think you’ll have a pretty good idea of what it means, too.
Our journey started yesterday when our leadership team challenged us to go out of the city of Cusco and plant Kingdom Seeds, listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our budget was only $15 dollars per person for the day (so $60 total for our team of four or roughly 200 Peruvian Soles)- that includes money for food for the entire day, transportation, and any additional funds that might be needed. We were warned that we’d often face TENSION when making decisions on where to go, but WOW that tension hit differently when we were actually facing it head on. We had some challenges communicating and coming to an agreement about where to go and whether or not we should stay in budget or pay a few extra Soles to see Rainbow Mountain (a place our entire team was hoping to see while in Peru). We went into 6 different tourist information centers (and were even able to find a trip to Rainbow Mountain in budget), but two of our team members began to feel strong convictions that the Lord had other plans for us. Full disclosure, after a day of searching and some disagreements, I was very confused and frustrated and probably grumpier than I should have been. We all decided to head back to our Hostel (our proposals were due in less than an hour and we still had no clue where we were going). After talking with our friend, Arnold, at Brother’s Hostel, we decided we would take a bus to the town of Pisac in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Other than getting on a bus, we had NO plan for the entire day, but when I went to bed that night, I felt a sense of peace knowing that despite the circles we were running around each other that day, this Pisac place was exactly where the Lord wanted us.
After a stunning drive through the mountains, we arrived in Pisac. We got off on a dusty corner of town across the river, and as I watched the bus drive away, I thought “Dear God, where are we and what on earth are we going to do today?” But that feeling was short lived as we began immersing ourselves into the beauty of our surroundings. We walked through the local market and met some of the shop merchants. The vibrant colors were amplified by the backdrop of lush green mountainsides; a strong breeze blew brightly colored tapestries, handbags, and decorative tassles to and fro.
The markets in Pisac were bright and beautiful, but we still didn’t know where we were going or what God had for us that day. We stopped and prayed together as a team and felt God calling us somewhere off the beaten path, though we weren’t sure where. The Peruvian government had recently imposed an admission fee of 70 Soles per person to view the ancient ruins in the Sacred Valley, a pretty penny that was definitely out of our budget. We considered the possibility of seeing the ruins and doing a hike from a different vantage point that would allow us to avoid the touristy areas that impose fees, but we were going to need to ask around for some direction.
We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but we set out eager for what God had for us for the day. We went to the market to get some bread and sandwich items to have for lunch later and ended up meeting a wonderful man at the bakery, Maximos. Maximos hooked us up with some delicious bread and a detailed map of how we might get a hike in without having to pay the 70 Soles fee. We loved getting to talk to Maximos!
Maximos drawing us a map
We set out with our little treasure map, but unfortunately, we still got stopped by the control office regulating the ruins and were not able to go any further. However, we did meet another new friend, Rinato, a traveler from Italy, during our brief walk upwards, and were captivated by the stunning view over Pisac and an enchanting waterfall. It was in the moment walking down from our “failed” plan, that God made me realize the challenges he were imposing on us during this trip were actually allowing us to work together as a team and were a way for us to plant kingdom seeds as we got the opportunity to talk to locals and travelers along the way. Where we were going began to feel less important, and it became more about the journey and the people we got the meet on the way.
Reading our treasure map
Overlooking Pisac
We went back to our friend Maximos to explain what happened, and he recommend for us to get a taxi up to a different part of the mountain where we could avoid fees and still have some incredible views, so that sent us on a hunt for a taxi driver. We walked down the main street, being swarmed by drivers left and right. We finally found our way into a little office where visitors come to arrange a driver to take them further into the mountains. We explained our hope of being able to do some free hiking around the Sacred Valley. We were told it was complicated to avoid paying a fee when going up the mountain, but our guides were persistent, and after a few phone calls, we got into a car with our driver, Larry. Larry was just incredible, and we loved getting to know him as he drove us across the Sacred Valley, where truly no other tourist vans could be seen. He gave us a glimpse into the life of a local and pointed at potato, quinoa, and corn crops along the narrow roads of the lush green mountainside. We were all just in awe of God’s creation, and that he would bring us here to this moment, to this most perfect day. We shared our lunch with Larry (cheese and peanut butter sandwiches…credit to Alyssa for the recommendation!) as we overlooked the Sacred Valley and the town of Pisac. It was a beautiful and sweet moment.
Our new friend Larry
Loving the view!
But our day wasn’t over. Larry took us to a small parking lot at a trailhead that was at the backside of the mountain where the ancient ruins were located. He strategically parked us here to allow us to see this ruins while avoiding the fee. Thanks, Larry! He agreed to wait for us for an hour and a half while we did some hiking to the Temple of the Sun and some other ancient ruins along the trail. At first the hike was easy…but before long our we were facing an uphill battle (as we often do in life). As we sat at a resting point on the trail, keeling over from the lack of the oxygen in the thin air, we spotted our Italian friend Rinato. We called after him, and he was so excited to see us. Rinato had been climbing the same mountain we were, but from the opposite side. And isn’t it funny how life happens in this same way, where we are all climbing “our own” mountain, but truthfully its the same one just from a different vantage point. We all face uphill battles at some point in our lives, and crossing paths with a stranger is an incredible opportunity to learn from and encourage one another. We chatted with Rinato and his friend John Mark for a while, but explained we had to get back to our driver Larry, who was waiting for us at the bottom of the trail. But Rinato was PERSISTENT about us reaching the top and seeing the Temple of the Sun- “WE MUST KEEP GOING,” he said. But Larry was waiting for us. At this moment, I think everyone on the team was facing this moral dilemma, but the Holy Spirit led us to keep going, and there was a possibility that the trail would actually loop around to the parking lot where Larry was waiting for us. We continued towards the summit of the mountain (it felt like the stairs would truly never end), but we finally made it, and quite honestly, if it wasn’t for our friend Rinato, I’m not sure we would have seen the breathtaking views from the top. At the summit, we got the opportunity to share with Rinato about why we were on the World Race, and though he didn’t share our faith in Jesus Christ, it was still a wonderful, challenging conversation led by the Holy Spirit. I was so proud of my team for being willing to plant Kingdom Seeds in that moment! And I was so proud of us for sticking it out as we faced this uphill battle together, when we felt like we might not have it in us to keep going. What a great lesson to take with us as we embark on this journey together.
On our way to the Temple of the Sun and the Mountain Summit
Our Italien friends, Rinato and John Mark
At first, I was a bit intimidated or unsure about Unscripted and what it meant, but after today, I am SO GRATEFUL that God has brought me to this journey with these amazing people. I love each and every person on my team and my squad, and I know he placed us perfectly together as a team to do his work. Today was just a glimpse into what the next 11 months holds, but I am already just so in awe of the beauty of the world that God has placed us in while having the opportunity to show love and point to Christ those we meet along the way. The next 11 months are about living a totally ordinary, extraordinary life with Jesus and embracing every single life-changing, beautiful moment he has for us.
