Ilo, La Pampa, and Ite

This week we're in Ilo staying with Trevor and Christine Morrow. It has meant so much to see them again, along with Andrew and Rebecca, and Jenny McKay who's staying with them at the moment. It hardly seems like six years since we were here, and its great to see both Trevor and Christine in good health.

On Saturday Trevor took us down to see the Ite Camp and Conference Centre for the first time. It is difficult to describe how it feels to suddenly be physically present at a place for which you've been praying, and which you've seen so much of in photos. The camp is well under way in construction terms, is in a beautiful location, and is bursting with potential for youth and children's work in South Peru. Last weekend the site had a little bit of a trial run when a team who were visiting from Carrick hosted a weekend for some local young people. It was a real success, and has given Trevor and Christine a little foretaste of how the facility will be used in coming years, God willing. Our photo does no justice to either the scale of the complex, or the sense of latent potential that the site possesses. Managing workers and making plans is a massive workload, but God is lending grace and His name is already being glorified through the project.

Yesterday (Sunday) we worshipped in the La Pampa Church. On our last visit this was a building site, but is now a fully functional facility, with a warm hearted people worshipping within its walls. Thanks to all who prayed for Andrew preaching - the Lord undertook, and we were both made to feel tremendously welcome among God's people. The Pastor of the La Pampa Church is Mario who, along with his wife Herlinda, has been serving here for five years. He is a lovely man, of quiet disposition, who is serving faithfully and showing a challenging degree of pastoral care for God's people here.

Obviously Trevor and Christine's ministry extends beyond the construction of the Camp and Conference Centre. The greater percentage of the rest of their time is invested in the evangelism and church planting work in the village of Ite. Carolyn travelled across with Jenny and Christine to witness the children's meeting. She was so encouraged by the attention which the children displayed, their keenness to be involved and the pleasure they obviously took in the activities.

In the evening we returned to Ite for a gospel service. This was well attended, and again Andrew was encouraged to sense people's prayers as he preached. It is simply amazing to see a work which is pioneering the gospel in this village. It is not an easy area to work into, with discouragements as well as encouragements, but Trevor, Christine and Milagros (one of the Peruvian national workers, much prayed for at home) have won respect by the way in which they have conducted their evangelism. Milagros has moved away from family to live in the village among the people, and the people of Ite can have no doubts that the folks from the mission care about them and are interested in investing their time in the village.

It has been great to witness all of this within the past few days. We're looking forward to the Prayer Meeting and Bible study in Ite tomorrow night, and then will God willing return to Tacna on Wednesday or Thursday.

Our Week in Tacna

Sorry for the lack of posts once again, but here are a few highlights of our time in Tacna. We've had a really good week, in spite of Andrew not feeling 100%. We've enjoyed a good variety of experiences, met some lovely people, and been enriched by our fellowship with the Peschay and Cono Sur churches. The picture to the left is of the two Pastors from Peschay, Ramon and Juan - two lovely servants of God. In 2000 we came to know Ramon particularly well and have kept in contact in the intervening period - so it was wonderful to see him in person again.

On Sunday morning we worshipped in the Peschay Church. Andrew preached and many of the believers participated with 'especials' (special singing items). After the church service we shared some food which the brothers and sisters had prepared. These are exciting times for the Peschay Church with the construction of their new church building well under way. They continue to meet in their old building, the rear of which has been cut away to make room for construction work. It was a blessing to walk around inside the site, and imagine what it will be like for them to worship there in the future.

In the evening we attended the Manantial de Vida Church in Cono Sur, at which the director of the Bible Institute brought a challenging message from Matthew 7. The church are looking forward to a baptismal service on Sunday(23rd), as well as a combined youth rally with the other Cono Sur churches on Saturday 29th.

On Monday evening we went along to the Bible Hour at the Bible Institute. It was great to renew fellowship with Ken and Jeannie Scott, and to meet Graham Williamson for the first time. Another highlight was our reunion with Blanca Valenzuela, who was with us in Armagh at the beginning of the year. We were also blessed to meet Luz Maria who will be working at the Ite Camp and Conference Centre in coming days. The Bible Hour 'does exactly what it says on the tin', in that it is an hour's Bible study which draws folks from all around Tacna. It was really well attended, and it was particularly encouraging to see so many young people coming along.

On Tuesday, Carolyn and Yury had opportunity to see the work of a local school in Cono Sur. This was a welcome opportunity for Carolyn to see teaching in a different culture and environment, as well as to get some classroom ideas!!

Football Fever also hit Tacna this week! Many of you showed real kindness in donating football shirts which we have been able to give to brothers and sisters here in Tacna. The sizes ranged from adult to child, and everyone was delighted to recieve their top. We have a clutch of photos to show of the tops with their happy new owners when we return! Tomorrow we hope to travel down to Ilo to spend five days with Trevor and Christine. It will be great to renew fellowship with them as a family, to see the work in La Pampa again, and to be introduced to the work in Ite - particularly the camp and conference centre. We'd value your prayers as it will be quite a busy time with two speaking engagements on Sunday, and one on Tuesday night. Thanks again for all of your support and contact. We're upholding you all at home in prayer as well.

Good Times in Tacna Town

On Thursday we travelled for 5.5 hours on a hot bus from Arequipa to Tacna. Having enjoyed a tremendous time with Steve and Rachel Peat, and some wonderful sightseeing in Colca and Cusco, we were looking forward to seeing John and Lourdes Brew again. On our last visit to Peru in the year 2000 the greater proportion of our time was spent in Tacna, especially with the church in Pecchay - the area in which John and Lourdes minister.

It was great to arrive at their home, and we were greeted with warmth, friendship and fellowship which made the past six years seem like merely a couple of days. Friday was an opportunity to prepare for a busy weekend and to find our bearings in our new location.

Today (Saturday) was a really busy day with an all day conference/event with the Pecchay church. John and Lourdes daughter Jury and her husband David are in Tacna at the moment also, and we shared with them in the teaching at the event. David opened the day with a challenging message from Philippians 1 on the need to love one aonther and support each other in prayer. Andrew preached twice on the topic of 'Bible Reading and Prayer', while Carolyn and Jury shared with another group on the subject of sharing the gospel with children.

The day was broken up by a most welcome lunch, consisting of traditional Peruvian food cooked in traditional Peruvian ovens. To say that it was delicious would be a disservice.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is another busy day, as Andrew will preach in the morning. Thanks for all of your prayers, and comments. We're glad to now be in the 'swing' of the work, and have once again been blessed and humbled to meet with brothers and sisters with whom we have maintained contact over the past six years. The Pecchay church has a wonderful family environment, and we're delighted to be back here again.

We'll be praying for the services in Armagh tomorrow, as well as for our families and friends.

Four Thousand Words on Macchu Picchu

They say that a picture paints a thousand words. So here goes...

Long Time No Blog

Sorry that its been a few days since we´ve placed any entries online, but we´ve been up in Cusco and internet access has been a lot more limited than it was down at Steve and Rachel´s in Arequipa.

We´re having a brilliant time, and are looking forward to sharing our photos from yesterday´s trip to Macchu Picchu, which was indescribably brilliant.

Our hotel is a really beautiful place with a great story to tell. It was set up by a Dutch lady named Yolanda Van Den Berg, who wanted to help the street children of this great city. She initially took in twelve boys, gave them a home, an education and a loving family environment. She set up the hotels to fund her work with the children, and this has proven to be a very successful venture - with a second hotel and a couple of children´s restaurants now in operation in Cusco. To find out more about the project and see where we are staying it is worthwhile visiting www.ninoshotel.com

The hotel is a little oasis in the madness of Cusco city. The Plaza de Armas is beautiful, with its red stone construction still glowing with a measure of Spanish colonial pride, but there is a high concentration of street traders in the centre of town - who understandably hope to make some money from the passing tourists on their way to Macchu Picchu. It can be a tiring experience repeating the words ´No gracias´ in a mantra-like fashion so as not to purchase numerous paintings and alpaca goods. This is, however, a low level problem and we´re really enjoying soaking up the beauty of the city.

Today we are looking forward to resting and getting a good bit of reading done. We fly back to Arequipa tomorrow, and then take a bus to Tacna on Thursday. We´re really looking forward to seeing John and Lourdes, and the believers in Pijchay. This will mark the beginning of a busy period of ministry, but it feels like such a privilege to have the prospect of ministering to our brothers and sisters here over the next while.

Thank you for all of your comments, prayers, and best wishes. Hopefully tomorrow night we´ll be able to post some photos of our adventures over the past couple of days.

Enfoque Familiar

One of the ministries in which Steve and Rachel are heavily involved is Enfoque Familiar, or Family Focus. This is a ministry which seeks to equip the local church to evangelise and disciple children, through the use of quality materials in Spanish, and through mobilising and training workers within local churches.

This morning we had an early start as we went along with Steve to a breakfast he was hosting for local Pastors, in order to highlight the work of Enfoque Familiar and its usefulness for local churches in the Arequipa area. There was a good attendance, and after a tasty breakfast of ham and cheese rolls Steve explained the work of Family Focus, using Powerpoint. There was a bookstall available afterwards, with brilliant resources ranging from Scripture Union materials translated into Spanish, to volumes by our own Sam Doherty in translation also.

Translating and publishing these resources is a titanic task, but this is a vital and God-honouring ministry, and it was lovely for us to be present and to see the dramatic effect which the work of Family Focus is having, and could potentially have on young lives in Peru.

How Great Thou Art

As believers our theology is acquired through our reading of God's word, and applied through our experience of God's world. This is true of every aspect of our knowledge of God, but none more so than in our apprehension of Him as our Creator. This thought has been ringing through my mind over the past six days as we have been experiencing the beauty and glories of Peru's landscape. Time and again our minds have been drawn to the greatness of our God who formed all of these things.

But as I have considered creation, I've been challenged about how small my view of God can be, and how this can affect my witness to His glory. Whether standing at 2800ft on the peak of Slieve Donard, or at 14000ft in the Andes, I'm challenged as to whether my praise of God is truly based on how great He is.

A quote from scientist Charles Misner in John Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad regarding Einstein's rejection of Christianity has spoken volumes to me -

"The design of the universe is very magnificent and shouldn't be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little time for organised religion, although he strikes me basically as a very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt they were blaspheming. He had seen so much more majesty than they have ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions he'd run across did not have proper respect for the author of the universe."

Living in the shadow of the Andes, or amidst the lushness of Armagh, do I really show proper respect for the One who formed, fashioned and sustains all that I see around me? And more than that, do I truly grasp what it meant for Him not to spare His Son, but send Him to die to take away my sin?

Elvis, our bus driver, had a picture of Jesus sealed into the gear lever of his bus. We have the living Creator God truly sealed within our hearts through personal faith in His Son, and yet I don't think I understand a fraction of His majesty!

May God give us grace to know Him better, to worship Him more fully, and to publish His name more widely.

Of Condors and Canyons

We have spent an amazing two days touring around the Colca Canyon. This was a trip which Steve and Rachel recommended to us, and we are so glad that we signed up for it. We left Arequipa at 5:00am, and were quickly met with blocked roads and protesters. We wondered for a moment if we were back in Northern Ireland, but quickly found out that it was a strike being conducted by people protesting against free trade agreements with the USA. Our bus driver and tour guide showed great initiative by taking a detour through a shanty town. Once again we were met with more protesters who had strewn the road with boulders to block access. Our bus driver, whose name was Elvis [!], and the tour guide opened negotiations with the protesters. $20 ensured our passage through the protest, and we watched as the boulders were rolled away, and put back into place after we had passed. There is a certain irony in paying $20 to break up a strike against free trade!!

Once out of Arequipa, a long and winding road began to snake its way into the high Andes. We followed serpentine tarmac, which soon gave way to bumpy, hole infested, rubble roads which shook the bones. We stopped for some refreshments consisting of a cup of Coca Mate, which helps with altitude sickness. The coca leaves floated in the cup, but the brew tasted good and certainly seemed to stave off the effects of the high elevation.

Eventually we reached the highest point of the road which was around 14,800 feet. The air was thin and our chests felt heavy, but thankfully these were the only symptoms we experienced. The views were incredible, and the clear blue sky was captivating.

Our hotel was an interesting experience. The rooms were clean and basic, although they were freezing cold. The highlight for us, however, was the ceiling. This drew our attention, not because of its architectural beauty, but because it consisted of corrugated iron, with what resembled coal sacks stretched across to serve as a makeshift suspended ceiling. Once settled for bed, we heard the patter of tiny feet, or should we say the thunder of rabid feet - as a rat scurried around above our heads for the entirety of the night. We didn't sleep much, needless to say. At times he [or she] would scratch on the coal sack materials, making us wonder would we be the recipients of a rat bomb!

Thankfully, however, today was memorable for better reasons. We travelled up the Colca Canyon, and saw condors soaring on the thermals arising out of the 4000 metre gorge. To say that this was immense would be an understatement. These are the kinds of experiences which dreams are made of.

On the way down from Condor Cross we toured through the terraced countryside which is unspeakably beautiful. As we meandered down in the bus we felt that we were entering sensory overload with the azul sky and architectured landscape. The photos really don't do it justice.

Climbing back out of the canyon we were overwhelmed by the privilege of being allowed to see this amazing part of the world. Next week marks the beginning of a busy period of ministry, and its been great to look around us and breathe in God's creation in its depth and beauty.

As we travelled home, across 14000 feet altitudes we read the Scriptures, and marvelled at what God had to say to us from the McCheyne reading plan:

'Thus says the Lord; heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord' - Isaiah 66:1

An Eventful Few Days

We've been having an absolutely wonderful time in Arequipa with Steve and Rachel Peat, and their children. They've made us feel totally at home, and we're getting a good insight into Peruvian life, both through their experiences and through our own first hand exposure to the realities of the country.

It is often said that Peru is a land of contrasts. This is true geographically, with such amazing contrasts as jungle, sierra and coastal areas. It is also true socially with those living reasonably comfortable lives, and the majority living in poverty. The past few days have given us a good flavour of Peruvian contrasts, and we've enjoyed seeing a variety of aspects of life here in Arequipa.

We really enjoyed going along to the Fiesta Familiar at Amy and Gareth's (Steve and Rachel's two eldest children's) school. This is an open day with various Peruvian dances, competitions and plenty of good Peruvian food. Both Gareth and Amy were involved in dances, and the picture of the three amigos in today's post shows just how vivid the colours and fashions are in traditional Peruvian dress. We also got to sample some Peruvian food with chicharron [deep fried pork and picante sauce], antecucho [heart on a stick], and salchi papas [chopped sausage and chips]all on the menu. See Andrew's happy expression in the picture to the left [he's definitely wasting away isn't he!].

Yesterday we worshipped in Steve and Rachel's church. The church is largely middle class, and we felt surprisingly at home with such features as a Powerpoint projector and a praise team!

This provided a sharp contrast to the childrens work in Ciudad de Dios [City of God], a shanty town about 20kms outside of Arequipa. We travelled up to the area in the afternoon along with Steve, Amy, Gareth, and a young person from the church named Nicholas. Here there was abundant evidence of poverty, and we enjoyed playing games with the children, before Steve led the 'Good News Club' style meeting. The children gave good attention, and it was a challenge to see this other side of Arequipa life.

Today, we went to the SIM Missions Team meeting along with Steve and Rachel. We met all of the other missionaries working in and around Arequipa, and spent a couple of hours in prayer and Bible study. This was followed by some shopping with Rachel in the centre of Arequipa, and a beautiful lunch in Steve and Rachel's home. The dish [pictured with a more than happy Carolyn on the left] is called Atomotada, and is quite simply delicious.

Tomorrow we head up to the Colca Canyon [the second deepest in the world] and look forward to sharing more pictures following our trip, God willing. Please pray for continued safety in travel, good health, and God's blessing.

Finding Our Feet in the Andes

Just thought that we would drop a wee line to let you know how we're getting on. We arrived in Lima last night [Friday] at around midnight home time, and 1735 Peru time. We had a brilliant night's sleep, from about 8:20pm to 7:00am, so that has seen off a good bit of our jet lag.

We caught our flight at Lima this morning, which left on perfect time at 11:25am, and we landed in Arequipa just before lunch time. Steve Peat came to collect us at the airport, and we have spent the afternoon relaxing - with a lovely walk to the Mira Dore which is a look out tower right across the city of Arequipa. The mountains are amazing, with Misti the volcano dominating the skyline. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day with church services etc. We'll keep you posted with more details soon.
Thanks for everyone's prayers.