Hello friends! Just wanted to write a quick blog updating you all on how everything has been going for Team Amor in Peru. We have officially been on our own as a team for a week now, and it has been so cool to walk as a team with the Lord on this journey…and its only just begun.
We spent our first three days in Pisac, Peru, a small, peaceful village surrounded by beautiful mountains from all sides. Pisac is home to many ancient Inca ruins and is a destination frequented by travelers who are on spiritual journeys. The spiritualism in Pisac became pretty apparent after being offered special teas and pastries by our hostel neighbors and listening to drums and chanting from approximately 9p.m. to 3a.m. It was truly a memorable first hostel experience. But what was SO SPECIAL about our time in Pisac was getting to form a beautiful relationship with our dear Venezuelan friends at the market. Dina and her family settled in Pisac because they loved the friendly people and the tranquility and had been running a local market kitchen for about two years. We ate breakfast, lunch, AND dinner at their café several days because the food was just that good, but also because we felt led to pour into the lives of these special women. Our time with this family was truly heartwarming, and on our final night visiting the café, Dina and the girls made us our very own Venezuelan dinner, and we were able to bless them with some sweet gifts and a prayer.
After our time in Pisac, our plan was to return back to Cusco, where we would catch a bus over to Arequipa since we would eventually need to make our way South to meet up with our squadmates in Chile. We packed up all of our gear and headed to catch an overnight bus out of Cusco, but the Lord had other plans for us. There was a mix-up with our bus tickets, and they were somehow booked out for the next night. Instead of feeling panic and stressed about the situation and not being able to leave that evening, I was so proud that my team came together and trusted that the Lord was going to work it all out. We quickly contacted our sweet friends at the hostel we had been staying at for our two weeks of training in Cusco, and they were so accommodating in letting us come stay another night with them. They mentioned it wouldn’t be possible to bring us breakfast (which was no problem, we were just happy to have a place to sleep), BUT two of the teammates happened to run into the sweet mom who helped run the hostel while picking up dinner and she was insistent on serving us breakfast in the morning. As I was going to bed that night, I couldn’t help but think about just how cool God was, and how things that may feel like roadblocks or mistakes are all part of his beautiful plan. The next day, we all felt led to bless the family at Brother’s Hostel, and were able to take them to dinner at a local restaurant. If it wasn’t for booking the “wrong” bus ticket, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to spend this special time with our good friends at Brother’s Hostel. After dinner, our friends from Brother’s helped us carry all of our luggage to catch a taxi, and we said our final goodbyes and headed to Arequipa. Our friends at Brother’s will always have a special place in my heart!
We arrived in Arequipa yesterday morning, and our time here so far has been precious. We have not only had the space to recuperate and come together as a team at our hostel, we have met travelers from all over the world, who are receptive to hearing about the love of Jesus and what we are doing for the next 11 months. This morning was our first full day in Arequipa, and we came together as a team for some prayer time this morning before going out to see what the Lord had for us for the day. We felt called to go to the main square area, and a couple of us saw pigeons and playing with children. We went to the bustling square, and low and behold, there were children chasing the pigeons! (A backstory on pigeons, one of my sweet squadmates shared a story of a day when she saw the Kingdom in Pigeons. She would tell the story much better than me, but as she watched a woman feeding pigeons, a bird that is often seen as a nuisance by most, she thought of the Lord and how he cares for each and every one of us, even those that are seen as unwanted.) After hearing this from her and thinking of the Pigeons in this way, it was so cool to watch the kids eagerly play with the Pigeons without a care in the world. They had no clue these birds were thought of as pesky animals and were having a the time of their lives chasing after them. Oh to see through the eyes of an innocent child, free of judgement and full of joy. Isn’t this was Jesus wanted for us?
3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Mathew 18:3
My teammates decided to buy some bubbles and play with the children in the square and it was precious! Watching their eyes light up and hearing their laughter brought peace to my soul.
Thank you Lord for guiding our team in Peru, for sweet friends, for opportunities to share your love to others, and for showing us the Kingdom in the everyday moments! We are currently still fundraising as a team, and if you would like to support our journey, please feel free to reach out to me! Don’t forget to check out my teammates blogs as well:
sabrinafunes.theworldrace.org
allisonkotlar.theworldrace.org
alyssatrembly.theworldrace.org
