Peru

Peru, I wish I could have come up with a more creative title. Maybe I will, but for now, I'm just going to leave it at that. The reason for this post is two-fold: I can share some of my favorite pictures with comments, AND I can re-live my trip with you one day at a time. So I'll always remember one of my favorite adventures.

I have known since I found out I was coming to Argentina that I was going to go to visit Machu Picchu. There were a lot of unknowns in there, like with whom? When? For how long? But God's hand provided just the right people and time to go. When I went to a singles retreat in January, earlier that year, I threw it out to all the ladies that I wanted to take this trip and see how many would be interested. There was a fairly good response, and as the days passed, I had three loyal friends to join. Two ladies who serve in Peru (one of whom I went to training with) and another from Mexico.

I finally decided I would take a full week trip so I could visit with my friend Misty who lives in Lima. Lima was so fun because not only did I get to see her life, but we got some much needed catching up. I also have lots of Peruvian friends in Buenos Aires so I was excited to get to know there country personally. I even got to meet up with two friends that had returned home to study! Anyway, so Misty had just visited Machu Picchu the month before us and wasn't going with us, but she was a great hostess. The whole trip was organized by a local Peruvian, Michel, who did a great job making this trip very affordable for us! Thankful for his organization, though there was a lot of communication to get there.

So, starting at the beginning... day 1. I leave BA early for my flight to arrive in Lima by lunch and take advantage of a full day. And that I did! My friend Diego came to pick me up at the airport and we went to Misty's house. We didn't stay long there because we were off to lunch and the historic center of Lima, with Diego our tour guide. Candace joined us in this moment too and we didn't get back until 8 pm! We went downtown, got money, ate lunch, souvenir shopped and did a LOT of tourism.  Diego took up us to Cerro San Cristobal which is a big hill in the middle of the city with a lookout. A thing about Lima is that it is normally very cloudy, but never rains. Well, we got some sunshine on this day!! Happy me! Diego brought us back home that night and we ordered Papa John's pizza, (woot!!) and then slept hard that night.

Cathedral in Historic Center of Lima

The next morning (day #2) Candace and I had a few hours to tour on our own before our midday flight to Cusco. So, we wanted to head to the Inca Market to buy some souvenirs because everyone told us they were so much more expensive in Cusco. We also went by some ruins that are right there in the heart of Lima. How cool! We then headed back to the apt and eat lunch at the airport. Our flight left on time and we arrived to Cusco without a hitch. It was just Candace and I because the other two girls flew out the day beforehand. So, we got the the airport and were looking for our ride... for a long time. I didn't see anything with my name and nobody was looking for us. After 30 minutes of waiting outside, a kind guy let us use his phone to call the company and it turns out there were looking for 4 girls and not two. ANYWAY... we got checked in to the hotel and rested before heading out to see the city center and eat dinner.  Oh, and everyone talks about the altitude problems in Cusco, but we drank Coca tea in the plane and again at the hotel.

Ruins in the middle of Miraflores, Lima

Fresh coca tea

Day #3 we had a city tour of Cusco. It didn't start until midday so we had the morning to wander, take pictures, and eat lunch. It was beautiful that morning and then rained for a few hours right as our tour was about to start. We went to about 5 or 6 different archeological sites there around town and the sky cleared up and it was beautiful!! It also gets chilly at night because you're in the mountains, but it was warm when the sun was out! Mainly because you're so close up to the sun.  After a day of touring, we came back to eat and pack our bags for the next morning, a trip out to the Sacred Valley and on to Machu Picchu! There's a limit on how much luggage each person can take, so we had to bring only what was necessary for those two nights. (good thing I had a big backpack!)

Day #4 We left early that morning heading out with our small bags and got on a bus to head to the Sacred Valley. We had 3 stops: Pisac, lunch, and Ollataytambo. It was so much climbing!! Not for the weak at heart. But, we saw some many beautiful sights. In O, we had to climb 250 stairs WITH those backpacks. It was so much. But, afterwards we got to the train station and just rested on the 1.5 hour ride to Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu tour.

Pisac

Ollataytambo, at the end of the Sacred Valley

Day #5 We had a calm morning in the hotel and left without rush to the bus to head up the mountain to Machu Picchu. We stayed the night before and were planning to stay that night after, which we felt was the best choice. We got in the park about 9am and stayed until they were pushing us out at 4:30. We entered the park with a guide and were with him for about 2 hours. We bought tickets that included the hike to Wayna Picchu. Seriously, the hardest thing in my life!! Climbing straight up a cliff!! Madness.  We had to enter by 11 to get in because it was an hour climb to the top. We got up there and ate our "lunch." Then there was more hiking to be done. We wanted to take a jumping picture (goal of the whole week, #fail) but a guard saw us spreading out for it and threatened to delete our pictures if we did it. Then he told us it was already time to start getting down. But we hadn't even reached the top yet!! Some slight begging and he allowed us up and then even took our pictures. The climb down Wayna Picchu was just as long as the climb up, some how. We took one bathroom break then headed back in the park to head to the Sungate. This was another 2ish hour hike. They both had great views, and the sun came out the second half of the day, so I definitely got burned.  We left the park after that because they wouldn't allow us to wander anymore with the 30 minutes we had so we headed back to the hotel. After showering and resting, we went out for a great dinner. Dessert afterwards, obviously. We went to bed fairly early that night, as you can imagine...

Machu Picchu town of Aguas Calientes

Feeling like Champions on top!

Day #6 we started the journey back to Cusco (Lima, really) on the first train that morning that took us back to Ollataytambo. From there, we rode back to Cusco in a van and had time for a quick lunch. Since Candace and I had a later flight, we took advantage of the sunny day and walked around to some Cathedrals and museums. We headed of to the airport without a hitch, only to find out while waiting at the gate that our flight was delayed. First it was only an hour, then after that hour passed they came back and said it was delayed again, for mechanical reasons. We got into Lima pretty late, and Diego had agreed to come look for us again. I was really worried he wasn't going get my messages about the change in flights but luckily he did! So we went to dinner and had another late night while Candace was getting ready to leave the next day.

A sunny day in Cusco!

Day #7 I had the whole day to myself in Lima and was nice to not have anywhere to be. Misty and I finally got to spend time together by going to the affinity office for prayer time. Then we had lunch and ran some errands around town and wore ourselves out! Diego came back that afternoon to meet me on the coast, the Malecón with another friend of ours, Hector who had returned over a year ago. After some time on the coast, I went to dinner at Chili's (!!) with Misty, the two girls who I had just gone to Machu Picchu with, and another jman serving in Lima. We ate dinner, laughed a lot, went home to watch Minions and baked sweets. It was the perfect way to end my time, that I almost didn't want to come home.

Diego (L) and Hector (R) are Peruvians who used to live in Buenos Aires

Day #8 I left for a noon flight back to BA which was essentially a full day of travel.  That morning I had a very short visit with Misty but it was basically waiting for the taxi to come get me for the airport.

(As You) Go - My Vacation to the Falls.

So a few weeks ago I had the great joy of taking vacation to Iguazu Falls. Have you heard of it? Maybe you've seen my pictures?

 

There, that's the falls. As seen from the Brazil side. I thought "seen one set of 'falls' seen 'em all, right? WRONG. Niagara falls has NOTHING on Iguazu. Below: Niagara 

Niagara. Not impressive, I know.

 I'll post more photos of Iguazu, I promise, but this post (really) isn't about the beauty of the falls. 

It's about how even on our vacation, God used my teammate and I to share His truth with Argentine nationals and teach us about this culture we still know so little of.

First, meet Gabriel. This is his Spanish name. He has two other names, I think, one in Guarani which is a tribal name, and then another, in Bu'ah which was a dialect of Guarani. Incredible.

Gabriel was born in the jungle. Just like this picture above shows, he is a natural at building traps. He started going to national schools at 11 years old, and that's when he started learning Spanish. An Argentine, that didn't know Spanish until he was 11 years old! Culture is so rich if you're willing to listen.

Anyway. Gabriel lives with his wife and three kids in a small home with a little bit of electricity (he just doesn't like it; he wasn't raised with it). One weekend per month he comes to this school in the jungle to teach about 100 children the ways and heritage of the Guarani so that the kids don't get any half-truths from the national schools.

Along our jungle tour, Gabriel told us that his father was a Shaman. This was really interesting to me for several reasons. In college, I did my capstone project over shamanism. When you confront that in real life with your beliefs and knowing truth, it is a strong dissonance. 

Then there was the fact that I hear about these tribes, and people who are animistic and often are associated with Brazil and Peru, but Argentina? My mind so often drifts to Buenos Aires -- which is anything but tribal. The diversity here is real and my heart longs for them, and for once, I understood and if even for only a fraction, felt like I knew what it felt like for the people working with the Unreached, unengaged people groups all around the world. And that's not even to say that all UUPGs are animistic.

When we started talking to Gabriel about the afterlife, I was curious if he had a spirit, where would it go? He told me we all have a good and bad spirit.  With all due respect, I asked if they were little angels and devils sitting on our shoulders. He laughed and told me no, that they come from the earth and heaven when we're born and then return to where they came from when we die. That simple. 

My friend had to ask him then, where did he learn this? He told us his father, who learned it from his father, and so forth. But there are no books with anything written. Because their language (bu'ah, remember?) is not a written language, it's only spoken.

Oh, how I pray for the Holy Spirit to just open his eyes! Truly, I saw Romans 1:20-23 played out in that very moment. Gabriel chose to give credit the things of God, to things of the gods. 

Yet how often is my sin so similar; choosing to give the credit of things of God to credit of man.

Ruth and I left with him an opportunity to know the cross and he unfortunately never wanted to hear it, and we didn't see him the next few days because our schedule had us out all day. If you think about him, or right now, please pray for Gabriel, that his eyes would be open to Creator God. That God would continue to be merciful in sending people to share truth with him and that he would not reject the beauty that is so evident around him.

my super fun travel partner for the week!

Ok, so you've heard one story of how God moved in my heart teaching or showing me something, but there's more. Enter day 3 of our trip and we're heading to the Argentine side of the falls and up drives this guy is in an unmarked car wanting to give us a ride. Uhhh, no thanks. He circles around. Says he'll do it for the same price as the bus. I see on his window it says "Cristo me guia" or, Christ guides me.  Well that must make everything better! (at this point you probably think we're writing the script for Taken 4, but I assure you, it's okay!)

Ruth and I talk it over and I get in, and before she gets in and shuts the door, she takes one last look at the lisence plate number (how's THAT for contingency training?!?) and we're off to the falls! Our driver's name is Miguel, and he's young, and I quickly ask him what the sticker across his windshield means to him.

"Oooh, that means everything to me." He assures us. He quickly hands us a really old, used Bible and hymnal that was up on the dashboard that I had noticed right after we got in the car. After looking over the Bible, I realized the pages were missing from Genesis 1-4. The pages were a yellow/brown. I had a feeling this had been in the family for a while. He told us he was evangelical, Betuel [note to self: still need to look them up. Every Argentine in BA has not heard of this sect/congregation...]. I mentioned to him our experience with Gabriel and said "so animism must be normal here by the jungle?" and his response?? No, we're about 85% evangelicals in Iguazu. 

Now, Buenos Aires is about 2% evangelical, reached of the 14 million. I cannot fathom this little city being that reached. I didn't see one church! Ruth and I eyed each other in the back seat with a smile to keep from gasping, I think. So, appropriating, she led the next question to explain his relationship with Christ. He talked about how he was raised in the church, going since he was a child with his parents and grandparents, but not once was the word S I N mentioned.

We thanked him for the ride and had his information for the next day to go to the airport. This is where it gets good.

The next morning Miguel came to pick us up with his girlfriend to take us to the airport. We didn't have too much for conversation until on the way to get gas he tells us they saw a snake coming to get us and showed us the picture they took of it. 

I think both Ruth and I were both thinking about how the conversation ended the day before, and wanting to know how to get back to it. Suddenly Ruth asked them if they'd ever heard of the story in the Bible about the snake in the garden. They said no.

This is a 21 year old boy who was raised in an evangelical home driving around with his "Cristo me guia" sticker and Bible in the dashboard and didn't know who the snake in the garden was....SAY WHAT??

So Ruth ever-so-kindly tells them that I'm going to share a story. I went through Genesis 3 with them all the way to the airport, and the whole time, Miguel's eyes were looking back into the rearview mirror. When I explained the moment she picked and ate the fruit, sin entered the world, you know what verse he referenced sin with?? Not Romans 3:23. Not 6:23. Not even 5:8

John 8:7.

But. It was so great to share with him that from that moment, God had a plan for redemption, that the seed of woman, Jesus Christ, would crush the head of the serpent and forever have power over death.

Miguel asked us where to find this story and we said, Genesis 3. Just chapter 3? Genesis 3, God's word, that's it, we told him. Not my word's but His. Remember how I told you that Bible on his dashboard was torn and didn't start until Genesis 5? I pray he and his girlfriend went home and read it and sought truth for themselves.

I am continually seeing how the truth God showed to me from 2 Kings 22 keeps coming around, the importance of the Law, and teaching it to those around us, to your children. This boy who claims to be an evangelical didn't know the story of the garden, of sin. We have to read God's word to know God's word. To know Him.

I think I've written enough here. I just wanted to share about some of the awesome ways God allowed me to be apart of the work and people's live in the part of the country. I could share about Alex the German, but that's just your typical post-modern worldview, and sadly there's so many of those around I feel like there all the same... though I know every person's story is different. Like Alex, who was in town to see Haussentauten. The DeadPANTS. Not DeadPANS. Better to say DeadTROUSERS so someone doesn't misunderstand you. Which can happen in German. If you say Haussentouten it means DeadHARES, like dead rabbits or something, and that's just sad.

Ok really I'm just rambling now. Here are some pictures of this BEAUTIFUL world wonder!!

Enjoy! xo 

so much water

garganta del diablo

rainbow

2014: A Year in Review

I always like to sit back and look at my year's past and see what has happened during the last 12 months. To see the tapestry the Lord is weaving, and while sometimes I see one square inch of it, it's good to know it's there nonetheless. Here I was a here ago already reflecting on 2013!

2014 was a huge year for me. Leaving home, for real. Saying lots of see-you-later's. Adjusting to people difference from myself. Living in a culture different from my own. I could continue, but I'll save that for myself. I think the main thing I heard through all of this though, is that regardless, the only constant I'll ever have, is God. Granted, I have always known that, praise Him, but His faithfulness has only been proven more and more in the roughness of this year. Don't get me wrong, there was lots of celebrating this year, but it's in the rough moments that we come to realize His faithfulness.

In the hard times of this year, the ugly times, when I just didn't see the point, He brought me back to His will and His word in John 15:16. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. Those are Jesus' words, and knowing that He is seated at the right hand of the Father, I take great comfort in knowing I can come to him with a n y t h i n g. Without that, I would not have made it through this year.

I briefly looked through my pictures from this year... when I say briefly, I mean it was quick, to pick for you the best representation of what meant the most in 2014, or some of the most memorable, rather. There's so much more I could say and pick from. A lot in here in not included, like my church, the teams I work with, etc, but those are also a part of my life here in Buenos Aires. But those are everyday life now, and pictures I chose are 'milestone' moments of 2014, if you will... So, starting from January to December, we begin in Virginia:

my time in Virginia for FPO was golden. i made some new friends, both field workers and not, that i know i will have for a lifetime and I'm so thankful for the time i had before leaving the states spent here. [l to r: Leanne, Emily, Carlie, Natalie, Corey, me, Clint]

moving to a city of 13 million and living in an apartment after living in a big house with your parents in a suburb of a city of 200k doesn't have any comparison... you just do it, and hope you adjust well. Well, I've loved it. BA, you're amazing.

i celebrated my 25th birthday after 1 month here and wasn't sure I'd have anyone to invite. Well, as you can see, I had 4 friends at that dinner and i'd have them all over again. Thankful for their sweet friendships. God has richly blessed me in that even still in Argentina, it's not the quantity, but the quality that matters to me.

in July I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic with the company. It was a great escape from the city, a time to hear from soon-to-be-president David Platt, reconnect with friends from Viriginia, and meet new friends.

in October i went to Rio, solo. It wasn't the plan, but life doesn't always go as planned, does it? It was a lesson in patience, trust, and i had a great time with the family i stayed with! Brazil is nothing like the rest of Latin America, but the people are friendly, the food is great, and the weather is HOT!

December brought my parents HERE to Argentina!! They came for Christmas and New Years and we took a trip to Mendoza in between. Here they are in front of Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas!

I hope everyone has a good New Year's Eve/Day, and that 2015 is everything they want it to be.  I hope this year is full of challenges, in a good way, that push you to be a better person. Push you to want more of Christ, drawing you closer to Him. I know personally for me this year, I've come to realize that at the age of 25, I don't want my walk with Christ to look the same as last year's, and I don't want next year's routine to be the same as this year's. I want each year to be more, to be growing more like Christ, whatever that may be. 

May your 2015 be full.

Love,

B

The Marvelous City.

Oi. Bom dia. Obrigada.

This is about the extent of my Portuguese, yet for the last week my head was flooded with words I did not understand and I was at the mercy of those around me and my Spanish to get me around a country that is vastly different that I expected.

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Expectations often don't meet reality do they? My trip to Rio was no exception to that. I planned about 2-3 months ago to have this vacation with a friend and about 4 days before leaving found out she couldn't go because of medical reasons. Being the planner I am, this did nothing but put me into a panic. I was not mad at her, ever, but rather confused at why God was separating us... what good can come from this and how am I supposed to rearrange a trip in such short notice? Really I was mad at science. But, I put on my big girl pants and got to emailing like crazy with some local M's in Rio that so graciously housed me and set me up with a local to be a tour guide for my time there.

Literally, saved. my. trip.

While I'm still not sure why God didn't want us to go to Rio together at this time, I know that His way is better and that He works everything out in the end. And He did just that. I had some fears before going about safety of being alone, and I have to say I never once felt afraid. Despite the culture and language differences, I felt completely covered in prayer and the presence of the HS. The family I stayed with was super busy the whole time, but made time for me and for that I am forever grateful.

Another takeaway from this trip is that I am thankful (not proud) that English is my first language, because it is a platform of communication for people from different nations. Also, I LOVE SPANISH! When I didn't know Portuguese and didn't see anyone around that looked like they knew English, I defaulted to Spanish. It looks like Portuguese, though (in my opinion) sounds vastly different.

 I was surprised by the number of international tourist I saw in Rio.  At the Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf, or at Maracanã Stadium, I hardly ever encountered people speaking American English... it was European accents or Australian English. 

 <<Funny story though... a man saw me in my chaco sandals who also was wearing chacos himself and wanted to take a picture of our feet together! I didn't ask where he was from, but if I had to guess...it would be the USofA>>

What else can I saw about Rio, other than the language? The food is amazing! The people are colorful and very friendly, cariñoso.  Rio was a good trip, but now that it's checked off the list, I'm ready to sit back and see  A R G E N T I N A.

Day 2: Maracanã

Day 3: Beaches

Day 3: Jardim Botanico

Day 3: Orchids at Jardim Botanico

Day 4: Christ the Redeemer

Day 2: These high school girls have a small group that I got to sit in on!