Machu Picchu and More

I can’t believe it’s already been three days since I’ve posted. This week is flying by, much to my mingled excitement and chagrin. Bittersweet is the only word I can think of to describe how I feel about going back to the States. I will be so happy to see my family and friends again, to drive past Ohio cornfields, to go back to church, to have ice in my water , and so much more. But the thought of leaving Peru is so sad, I just don’t want to think about it too much. I can’t believe that one week from now I’ll be in the airport preparing to board the flight out.

On a brighter note, yesterday we went to Machu Picchu! It was a very long day. I got up at 5:00, and after a four-hour train ride, we arrived at Machu Picchu, the town. We took a bus up to the tourist station, where we met our guide. Then we had a two-hour tour of the beautiful Incan ruins. Words can’t really describe them, and neither can pictures. There is nothing like being there for yourself. But I hope these pictures will give you a little glimpse!

So yes, it was unforgettably lovely.

Today we went back to the girls’ orphanage in the morning to prepare supplies for the big carnival we’re having tomorrow! (More about that later.) In the afternoon, we went to visit a nearby boys’ orphanage. We passed out Bibles (wonderful), did a little VBS program with them, then hung out and talked and played soccer and such. I met three or four boys in particular who really touched my heart. Two of them are brothers.

These pictures and this entry are such a small peek into my life here. I couldn’t even begin to describe all that’s transpired and all that God is doing in me and I hope through me. I am again so thankful for all of your support and attention and prayers to this trip. How grateful I am that I have been able to have this experience and contribute to lives here.

Tomorrow we are doing a huge carnival at the girls’ orphanage. The boys we met today are coming too. It’s Peru’s independence day, so it is a big day for the whole country as well! I’m so excited. I need to go to bed so I’ll be wide awake tomorrow morning. (Riiiiight.)

Hasta luego…
Anna

 

The Cusco Chronicles

Greetings again from beautiful Cusco! We are enjoying our second full day here. We worked at the orphanage this morning, and this afternoon came back to the hotel, since the girls at the orphanage had to go to school. After catching up on blogging and such, I hope to go exploring a little – using the buddy system, of course!

Above is the all-girls orphanage we are working at while in Cuzco. As I mentioned in the previous entry, my fellow interns and I are working with a short-term team from Texas this week. The men in the group are laying tile in a room in the orphanage, and all of us women are doing a VBS program with the girls. There are about 40 girls between the ages of 7 and 19.

Yesterday, as part of our program, we gave each girl her own Bible. Wow, what a special experience that has been. The girls love them. They have been reading and studying on their own. Today we all sang “Jesus Loves Me” in Spanish, and it brought tears to my eyes. Something about hearing Jesus praised in other languages always touches me deeply. And hearing these girls, who have been orphaned or abandoned, sing with smiles on their faces about Jesus’ love for them… and about knowing because “the Bible tells me so,” while they held their new Bibles… I can’t find words to explain it. I’m so thankful.

I have connected with several girls in particular, and one of them is Ursula. She’s 19, only 1 year younger than I am! She has been living at the orphanage for 5 years, and she now attends a local university. She can speak Spanish, French, and English! She is so sweet and such a joy to be around. Today she asked me a question that I have been asked by so many teenage girls since I came to Peru: “Do you have a boyfriend?” I laughed and said no, and she grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “Why not? You are muy bonita!” I laughed so hard. I’ve never gotten that reaction before. So I said, “Do you have a boyfriend?” and she said no, so I took her shoulders and said, “Why not? You are muy bonita!” It was such a funny moment.

That’s a view of the mountain outside the orphanage. The weather here is lovely. It’s very cold in the morning and at night, but it’s sunny and blue skies during the day. We hardly saw the sun at all during our stay in Lima, so we have been soaking it up this week. As I said, Cuzco is beautiful. It’s quite the tourist attraction, largely because of the proximity of Machu Picchu. I hope to post some photos of the picturesque downtown area soon.

We saw many beggars in Lima, especially children doing tricks at stoplights. There are some here, but more than that, there are dozens and dozens of street vendors everywhere you go – old women selling hats and ponchos, boys selling postcards, girls selling dolls and finger puppets. I hate saying no to the small, dirty children who try to sell me things. Last night I bought a llama finger puppet and a postcard. Then two more boys started following Klista and me, trying to sell us finger puppets and dolls. I said, “No, gracias, I just bought a finger puppet!” and the boy said, “Well, you have ten fingers!”

Katie, on the left, is our new intern (and leader) who joined us on Saturday. She’s awesome. It’s been so nice to do group devotionals and have some more spiritual community that has been lacking since our original leader left so early. I really appreciate both of my fellow interns. Even though I’ve only known Katie for three or four days, I am already really blessed by her friendship and kindness. And I admire Klista’s energy and flexibility so much. I’m so thankful to serve with these girls.

Well, that’s about it for now. Thanks again to those of you who read – if you want to comment, just click on the “No Comments” link at the beginning of the entry, and there’s a form at the bottom. I know that sometimes that’s been hard to figure out. But whether you comment or not, thank you for reading! I’ve loved being able to share my trip with you!

10 beautiful days to go,
Anna

 

Here We Are!

We arrived safely in Cuzco a couple of hours ago. We’re going to be working with a short-term team from Texas this week. The men are doing construction, and we are doing VBS with the women. The three of us interns – Klista, “the new Katie,” and I – are staying in a different hotel from the rest of the group. The other hotel was more expensive or something. I like ours. It’s definitely not as nice as the one we stay at in Lima. There’s no wireless in the room, and it’s much smaller. More like what I thought a missions trip would be like! hehe. It’s really beautiful though. I love it. Cuzco is amazing so far. I’m going to go upstairs and rest now. I’ll write more soon!

Anna

 

Beautiful Smiles

On Thursday and Friday, we visited another home for teenage girls. This home was different than the others we’ve visited in the past because most of the girls didn’t have babies. They seemed younger and more carefree, even though most of them had been living on the streets, involved with prostitution or sexual exploitation, drugs, gangs, etc.

They are the sweetest, most loving, friendliest girls I have ever met. They literally clung to us from the first moment we arrived, soaking up our attention. Working with them was literally a privilege and a blessing. It wasn’t even work. They have been through so much, and yet they seemed so small and young to me. I felt like I gained 50 little sisters over the past two days. Even though we are officially done working there, I hope to go back for a short visit sometime before we leave Peru!

I wasn’t able to spend much time with this girl, but her quiet, peaceful smile captured my attention. She didn’t say much, and she didn’t vie for our attention as much as the other girls did, but I could tell she still wanted it. She was so gracious and sweet.

Last night we had a farewell dinner with the short-term missions team we worked with earlier this week. They had gone to Cuzco for the past few days and they came back to Lima for the dinner and to fly out. We also said goodbye to my roommate, Katy. It was a sad evening! Thankfully we didn’t have to say goodbye to our six college-aged translators whom we’ve made friends with. We’re going to have dinner with them when we come back to Lima after Cuzco.

(That’s a picture of us with the girls at the home we visited Thursday and Friday.) Since two of our interns have left now, the organization sent another intern to stay with Klista and me for the last two weeks of our trip - her name is Katie, too, so we called her “the new Katie.” She arrived late last night.

Today is our packing day, although I haven’t started packing yet. We leave for Cuzco bright and early tomorrow morning! I’m really excited. I’m a little nervous about the altitude, but it’ll be fine, I’m sure. We’re meeting another short-term team there, and I can’t wait to get to know them. Later in the week we get to go to Machu Picchu! How exciting is that?

I’ll be updating again soon. I only have 13 more days here, including today! It seems so short and yet so long at the same time. I’ll be making the most of each one.

Anna

P.S. If you have Facebook and want to see more pictures, check my profile. I’ve uploaded a lot of my trip pictures there.