And that's it, Peru is already behind us... We had a lot of different activities hear !
When we arrived Peru, we went to a small town called Ferrenafe, where Ronel and Hendrik were expecting us. They are a couple of Missionary from South Africa that works with the people from Peru, and especially the Quechua people. We stay a couple of days there, just to rest a bit after our 50-and-a-bit bus drive !
Then we all went to Trujillo, a city that is around 200km away. There, we had quiet an important ministry waiting for us: we had to organize a conference over 3 days to explain the principle of Global Challenge, explain the logistical aspect of such a journey, and by that way we had to motivate the younger generation from the church to be more active in mission work. Everything went well, even if I have to be honest, being sitting and listening to someone for a long time is not what I prefer to do !
After those 3 days, our team went for church visit and school visit, but I didn't go with them. I left them and went back to the South-African missionary's house to help with some woodwork in there houses. I had a week, and a loooot of different project... Building shelves for the kitchen, building a bench, fixing windows and maintain doors, etc... I really enjoyed this time without the team, not that I don't like them, but as I said previously in other newsletter, it's a real challenge to live continuously with 13 other persons around you !
After a week, the team came back to the missionary's house, and from there we went to a quechua village, up in the mountain at 3000m of altitude. It was the first time for a lot of us to be that high in altitude, we needed between 2 to 3 days to be used to the lake of oxygen ! Up there, we had 2 project: The girls went to a sawing workshop where they helped to organize a sale-room, and us, the guys we had as project to build a wall ! So we started directly the first day, excavating the dirt for the foundation of the wall but because of the altitude we really could 't work that fast: every 15 min of digging we had to take a brake to take our breath again ! It was one of the toughest physical labor job that we had this year ! Unfortunately. We didn't manage to build the wall, in fact even the foundation aren't done, but for 3 days of work we did quiet a good job and Hendrik was satisfied with our Job, that's what matters !
After the trip in the mountain, we went to Lima, the capital of Peru. There, It was Daniel's family that welcomed us ! (Daniel is the Peruvian that travel with us this year) We stayed 3 days with them: We had the privilege of going to pray for people in a sawing shop, and in a shopping mall.
After Lima, we went to the last stop of our time in Peru, we went to Cusco ! We stayed 2 days in Cusco, then we visited the amazing Inka ruins of Machu Piccu. What an adventure ! We did it in 2 days. First day, we walked 11km to join the closest village, slept one night there in a backpackers and the next morning at 4:30, we started to climb the mountain of Machu Piccu ! It was an amazing opportunity to be there, to visit this man-made wonder but even more to see the mountain that surround the ruins: the ruins of the old city are impressive but its nothing compare to the majesty of the mountains surrounding ! God's nature is screaming about God's glory and creativity !
That resume more or less our time in Peru ! I want now to share a bit about my personal experience. Peru was a really difficult time for me, spiritually and emotionally. When I felt down, I struggled to believe in the promises that God as for me. I know a lot of bible verses that could have helped me to make me feel better, but I had all this verse in my head and not in my heart. I feel like the time in Peru was a time of spiritual desert, were I felt far from God, and I struggled to find motivation as well. I want to ask you sincerely to pray for me, that God show me again the way to feel close to him... Please pray as well that I will stay in the journey with my head: we only have roughly a month to go, and you can imagine that our heads are already a bit in the "after global-challenge". I think its good that I think of it, but I should still enjoy every day and moment that God has for me here, I should make every day count instead of counting the day !
Thank you for your prayer.
Next country, Bolivia !
Friendly,
Nicolas
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