I don´t know when this will be posted because I have no way of knowing when we will next have wifi, but I thought I should go ahead and document recent adventures. Today is June 28, this is our 4th full day in Peru. We started with an overnight in the Lima airport followed by an early morning flight to Arequipa. Greg and Megan McKinzie, Harding friends and missionaries welcomed us into their home for our stay in their beautiful city. Arequipa stretches across the foothills of El Misti, a snow-capped volcano, and their winter is bright and sunny with perfect temteraptures during the day and a little chill at night. My traveling companion and good friend Megan Dooley and I enjoyed exploring the city following recommendation from our hosts for the best places to eat and see. I was entranced by the vibrant colors inside the Monastario de Santa Catalina. Lonely Planet describes it as a ¨photographer´s paradise¨ and indeed it comes close. Megan and I were surprise by the spacious living quarters provided for the nuns, and pondered at the notion of isolating oneself in devotion to the Lord. Megn brought my attention to the following quote on a translated plaque at the Monastary which really spoke to us:
We enjoyed our visits with Greg and Megan about the work in Arequipa and enjoyed time with their precious kids. On Sunday we were delighted to break bread with the famiy in Arequipa. Megan and I have been trying our best to use the limited Spanish that we know. We attempted to participated in the time of sharing without use of translation - I think we were successful. Other highlights included learning aobut alpacas and llamas at Alpaca Mundo and trying fried cuy (look it up) and alpaca.
Early Monday morning we traveled by taxi, bus, combi (local vans) and walking about 2 km to get to the lovely Hospedaje de SaMary owned by Felix Turpo on Lake Titicaca. We had read that this was a delightful place, but we were a little skeptical as our crowded combi approached the town of Llachon. Llachon is the last stop, and upon our arrival we asked where we might find the home of our host, we were vaguely directed on to the next community of Santa Maria. We had read that it is possible to just show up in one of the peninsula´s communities and be invited in for a place to stay. As we wandered around the empty plaza, uncertain what to do, I was reminded of Bible stories where travelers waited in a town´s square or at the gate until invited in. We had opted to make reservations with on of the recommended hosts from Lonely Planet, but now we weren´t sure how to find him. Soon a young man rode by on his bike, being the only person we had seen in a while, we stopped him and asked if he could direct us to the home of Senor Turpo. He smiled shyly and said ¨Soy su hijo¨(I am his son). (Another Bible story comes to mind). With prayers of thanksgiving and with laughter in our hearts we followed him down the dirt road to his peaceful home where Felix and his wife greeted us warmly.
It is from the stone patio of this humble abode that I am composing this post. We have enjoyed delicious meals, breathtaking views and good conversation (as good as can get with our limited Spanish skills). We went out on the world´s highest navigable lake this morning (3808m, 12,493ft) and hiked to a lookout point at the top of a hill. We have suffered through cold showers where the steam is coming off our bodies instead of from the water, and have felt completely out of shape in this thin air. But this has been a joyful adventure. The people ar beautiful and generously make us feel welcome with their genuine smiles and warm hospitality. Our prayer is that in some small way we have shown Love to them.
After more than 400 years we are still here, because our contemplative vocation is LOVE. This is our great secret of being happy: to be in love, neither with an ideal nor a project, but with Jesus Christ.Allow that to soak in for a moment.
We enjoyed our visits with Greg and Megan about the work in Arequipa and enjoyed time with their precious kids. On Sunday we were delighted to break bread with the famiy in Arequipa. Megan and I have been trying our best to use the limited Spanish that we know. We attempted to participated in the time of sharing without use of translation - I think we were successful. Other highlights included learning aobut alpacas and llamas at Alpaca Mundo and trying fried cuy (look it up) and alpaca.
Early Monday morning we traveled by taxi, bus, combi (local vans) and walking about 2 km to get to the lovely Hospedaje de SaMary owned by Felix Turpo on Lake Titicaca. We had read that this was a delightful place, but we were a little skeptical as our crowded combi approached the town of Llachon. Llachon is the last stop, and upon our arrival we asked where we might find the home of our host, we were vaguely directed on to the next community of Santa Maria. We had read that it is possible to just show up in one of the peninsula´s communities and be invited in for a place to stay. As we wandered around the empty plaza, uncertain what to do, I was reminded of Bible stories where travelers waited in a town´s square or at the gate until invited in. We had opted to make reservations with on of the recommended hosts from Lonely Planet, but now we weren´t sure how to find him. Soon a young man rode by on his bike, being the only person we had seen in a while, we stopped him and asked if he could direct us to the home of Senor Turpo. He smiled shyly and said ¨Soy su hijo¨(I am his son). (Another Bible story comes to mind). With prayers of thanksgiving and with laughter in our hearts we followed him down the dirt road to his peaceful home where Felix and his wife greeted us warmly.
It is from the stone patio of this humble abode that I am composing this post. We have enjoyed delicious meals, breathtaking views and good conversation (as good as can get with our limited Spanish skills). We went out on the world´s highest navigable lake this morning (3808m, 12,493ft) and hiked to a lookout point at the top of a hill. We have suffered through cold showers where the steam is coming off our bodies instead of from the water, and have felt completely out of shape in this thin air. But this has been a joyful adventure. The people ar beautiful and generously make us feel welcome with their genuine smiles and warm hospitality. Our prayer is that in some small way we have shown Love to them.
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