Sunday in Chincha (with pictures!)

Hola de Chincha, Peru!

It is another beautiful day here in Chincha. Sadly I am sitting in bed recovering from from a nasty bug that took me out for the past few days so I thought I'd catch you up on our trip.

Yesterday Gordy and Bear (the EFCA missionaries) took the team to a huge market in Chincha.

There was tons of different kinds of fruits and vegetables, every kind of meat you could think of, and lots of locally made items. After the market they brought us to their apartment for breakfast. Then they took us to the Pacific Ocean!

Some of us went fishing, other went swimming, and some just laid in the shade. The sun is so incredibly hot here that most of us are getting quite red despite massive amounts of sun screen being applied.

After breakfast Gordy and Bear took us to a chicaroneria (place that serves specialized pork) for a typical Peruvian meal of pork, seasoned spaghetti with pesto, yuca, and potatoes with red sauce. The food here has been great so far! We're eating like kings and the portions at restaurants have been ridiculous. Supposedly Peruvians don't eat a large lunch and dinner but rather just one large meal per day, hence the large portions. Also it is rude to not eat all, or at least most, of your food. So if when you see us in a week we've put on a few pounds, just know we were only trying to be respectful. At least that is what we're telling ourselves as we gorge wonderful ethnic food.

There is another team coming from Wisconsin in a few weeks that will be putting on a medical and dental clinic. So this afternoon and after church we canvased the neighborhood, handing out fliers to the medical and dental clinics.

This was a fun experience to be able to meet more people from Chinca, share with them some great news (the opportunity to go to the clinics), and get a better look at the community of Chincha and how people lived. It was also tough to see firsthand and in greater depth the poverty and destruction in Chincha. There were also a few scary run-ins with packs of wild dogs once it got dark. Now we know why they advise tetanus shots...

At 5 we joined "La Semilla" (which means seed in Spanish, and is the name of the church plant we're working with) for their first service as an official church! It was quite an honor to be there for such an important event. They have formerly just been a small group Bible study but have now officially opened their doors and have a name. The church is small with up to 12 Peruvians attending along with the pastor, his wife, Gordy and Bear. Felix, the Peruvian church planter, shared with us that one of reasons they chose the name semilla was because of the parable of the mustard seed in Mathew 13: 31-32. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

He shared how even though as a church they are very small, they have a huge vision that God will grow them just as he does with a mustard seed. It was great to be able to worship alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in a very new and different way, and yet still very similar. I have always been amazed when I travel abroad and meet with other Christians how despite our many differences and no prior interactions, we can immediately bond and have a connection as a part of the Body of Christ. We've only been here a few days and already we're making deep relationships with our Peruvian brothers and sisters! We're not even halfway done but we're already seeing God answer yours and our prayers for this trip (Remember Pray Encouragement Resources Unity?)! Praise God for his faithfulness!

Here are a few prayer requests you can add to your list.
-my health. I'm feeling better today and really want to get back out there soon!
-youth group's meeting tonight that some of us will be attending (they're speaking on purity)
-progress and safety at the work site
-humble servant hearts
-continued fun!

From Chincha with Love!

The Hiawatha->Peru Team

Tami has been amazing at interacting with the Peruvians despite the language barrier. She is so courageous and welcoming and has been such a blessing to have on the trip! She has been handing out silly bands to all the kids we see.

A Picture of some of the debris and devastation from the earthquake.

Work Pictures!