Victor - He is one of the great people who work for TEN and a good friend to Richard. Oh Lord, these wonderful people really love you; their faith inspire me and all those who come in contact with them. I did not get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked for there is so much about him I would like to know. For now I know that he gives his life to God and His works - all in His Glory! He made our time in Lima a pleasant one even took us shopping at the Indian Market. You can tell he is in God's good will for he drove thru the streets in ways that kept us praying. However, that is the way everyone drives. I believe God must love Peruvians since we did not see any car accidents which we were very surprised about. Victor also took care of of currency exchanges and made sure we were safely transported thru Lima. I hope to see him again for he is worth knowing.
Jhonathan - he was our translator and guide, who joined us in Lima, but more so a wonderful young man who at an early age was blessed with his knowledge of God and in the mist of a trouble life he choose to give his live to God. He has a contagious smile and a gift for sharing Christ with others. Some day I hope he can visit us in the states and share his experiences with other. Our children were quite taken by him and enjoyed sharing. He joined us not only as a translator and guide but as a worker. It was so nice to have him with us during our stay and I am grateful for FB and being able to stay in touch with him. I will pray for God to continue to guide him as he finishes his studies and ask to help him continue his ministry.
From Lima we boarded an airline named - TACA. To my surprise it was neat, clean and had more room than our United airplane. The personnel on board were polite and helpful. In comparison to our USA airlines personnel, I give them an A. I would fly TACA again.
Some 50 minutes later we landed in Trujillo...to say we were surprised would be an understatement. The airport is small, we deplaned by stairs onto the runway and walked to the building. The Trujillo airport is near a meat processing plant and the stench was not a welcoming thing. We were eager to walk into the building and to leave the area. Two vans picked us up and delivered us to the Plaza Suites hotel.
Traffic: I never learned to drive while in Puerto Rico, later I would visit and though driving was terrible so I had no desire to drive there. Now I find myself in Peru and I think everyone is crazy, is like a game of "frogger"... It seems that must of the cars in Trujillo are taxis, they move blowing their horn in all directions; I think it was easier to close your eyes and pray until we got to our destination....
Traffic: I never learned to drive while in Puerto Rico, later I would visit and though driving was terrible so I had no desire to drive there. Now I find myself in Peru and I think everyone is crazy, is like a game of "frogger"... It seems that must of the cars in Trujillo are taxis, they move blowing their horn in all directions; I think it was easier to close your eyes and pray until we got to our destination....
The hotel...small building near Plaza De Armas downtown Trujillo. It is easy to tell the Spanish influence in the area. The hotel was small but offered us a neat, clean room without air-condition but a fan that we were grateful for. The staff was friendly, courteous and helpful - did I mention how good is to know Spanish? Yes, when asking for help, etc., it is good if you can do it in Spanish. Karrie Ann and I shared a room and Joseph shared one with Joe Luedeke. There were some new customs to get used to, it seems the sewage in Peru is not the best for you are not allowed to flush, yes, flush, the toilet paper.... there is always a trash can by the toilet. Glad they emptied every day... And paper must be a commodity for we never saw paper towels and napkins were cut in four... Perhaps the appreciate their trees more and they rather have trees than paper... And by the way, we did have wifi in the hotel so we could email our families and check on news.
Walking from the hotel to "Plaza De Armas" in the center of town I could easily see the Spanish influence in the architecture, in their prime days they must have been beautiful. We visited the Basilica Menor Cathedral with a beautiful painted ceiling, elaborate sculptures. There were other churches and buildings painted in bright colors in the beautiful Spanish style. There is a large plaza in the center and we enjoyed how people there seem to love walking, talking, just visiting at the plaza. It reminded me of my younger days in Puerto Rico, they have a "plaza" in the center of every town. Once in a while there would be a group playing music. We watched a couple just married having pictures taken outside the cathedral, where they were not married... another night we watched a young man paint beautiful paintings in 15 minutes with spray cans. It seems like a place to socialize. One evening I was given (by God, I am sure) the opportunity to witness to a lady in the plaza, she even knew about the orphanage.
Talking about witnessing - when we say God has a purpose for us....well, who knew that being born in Puerto Rico with Spanish as my language, would come so handy someday. Not only could I translate for my companions but I could share my belief with others. I could listen to them and understand, they are my brothers and sisters. I felt so close to them because there was not a language barrier... I always appreciate being bilingual but never thought God would use my gift for a purpose. Now I also want to teach Spanish to those that went with me to Peru, I know they will have many opportunities to use it in God's glory.
Our first introduction to Peruvian food at Mochica, a very nice restaurant with white fabric covered chairs and a very good service staff. We were introduced to Chicha Morada, a popular drink made of a purple corn with some other fruit juices and spices. Karrie Ann tried the cabrito (goat) served with a wonderful tacu tacu, a rice dish of african ancestry. Joseph played safe and had a steak with french fries. (They do serve lots of potatoes, fried and other ways) Being that Trujillo is on the coast of Peru, I figured their fish should be good, so I had fried flounder. Must say that Ceviche is very popular there, I think Melanie tried that night. They have Ceviche with fish, octopus, squid, etc - you can see many "cevicheras" thru Trujillo.
Walking from the hotel to "Plaza De Armas" in the center of town I could easily see the Spanish influence in the architecture, in their prime days they must have been beautiful. We visited the Basilica Menor Cathedral with a beautiful painted ceiling, elaborate sculptures. There were other churches and buildings painted in bright colors in the beautiful Spanish style. There is a large plaza in the center and we enjoyed how people there seem to love walking, talking, just visiting at the plaza. It reminded me of my younger days in Puerto Rico, they have a "plaza" in the center of every town. Once in a while there would be a group playing music. We watched a couple just married having pictures taken outside the cathedral, where they were not married... another night we watched a young man paint beautiful paintings in 15 minutes with spray cans. It seems like a place to socialize. One evening I was given (by God, I am sure) the opportunity to witness to a lady in the plaza, she even knew about the orphanage.
Talking about witnessing - when we say God has a purpose for us....well, who knew that being born in Puerto Rico with Spanish as my language, would come so handy someday. Not only could I translate for my companions but I could share my belief with others. I could listen to them and understand, they are my brothers and sisters. I felt so close to them because there was not a language barrier... I always appreciate being bilingual but never thought God would use my gift for a purpose. Now I also want to teach Spanish to those that went with me to Peru, I know they will have many opportunities to use it in God's glory.
Our first introduction to Peruvian food at Mochica, a very nice restaurant with white fabric covered chairs and a very good service staff. We were introduced to Chicha Morada, a popular drink made of a purple corn with some other fruit juices and spices. Karrie Ann tried the cabrito (goat) served with a wonderful tacu tacu, a rice dish of african ancestry. Joseph played safe and had a steak with french fries. (They do serve lots of potatoes, fried and other ways) Being that Trujillo is on the coast of Peru, I figured their fish should be good, so I had fried flounder. Must say that Ceviche is very popular there, I think Melanie tried that night. They have Ceviche with fish, octopus, squid, etc - you can see many "cevicheras" thru Trujillo.
Back to the hotel we enjoyed the cool evening (Trujillo is known as the City of Spring), a devotion and to bed.... Next day we will visit the orphanage and meet the children. Everyone was in good health with the exception of Nic, he was not at his best..... Good for a shower and a bed (with a fan in the room)
By the way, I must say that the streets in Trujillo are very clean - no trash sitting around. I understand the government is making an effort to maintain the cities clean, they are doing a good job. Trujillo does not have the beautiful vegetation of Lima, they are more "sandy"... lots of sand dunes good enough to sand board????
Greatful to God for electronics - Karrie Ann communicated with Steve via an international phone, having video chats.....happy to stay in touch with family which we miss so much. I am happy the Steve, Alex and Geri kept an eye on Cliff and feed him too.ll
P.S. For those who traveled with me to Peru, being the oldest in the group, I might not remember everything as it was, so feel free to remind me.... (I should have taken time to journal as I intended...).
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