Huaraz

This week was a student vacation week between the first two quarters. A group of us took a short trip to Huaraz, a mountain town eight hours away by bus. The trip to Huaraz was very refreshing and eye-opening for me. The time in the mountains was wonderful; we spent some time praying the first day as we sat at about 10, 000 ft. above sea level on a carpet of green grass. I have never seen mountains like the ones in Huaraz. I am so grateful I had this opportunity!

The trip was eye-opening as I observed the people there. The people in Huaraz are poorer than those here in La Molina (similar to the people of Manchay), and they are steeped in their Catholic/Indian mixed religions. The first day we were there, young people were parading up and down the streets for hours and into the night. They wore feathers, bright clothes, pecan noisemakers, and masks as they chanted and drummed incessantly.

It amazed me how those people could be so religious and yet so hopeless. They were proud of their gardens and their hard work. They had the neatest self-sufficient farms in one of the most beautiful parts of Peru. It was easy to see how they would want to try and keep their pride and feel as if they were working their way to heaven. Their hopelessness was very evident to me when we stopped at a small strip mall next to the natural hot springs. They were having a fiesta, and all were drinking. The women and men ,young and old were drunk and one was even giving alcohol to her baby.

I made friends with a few of the children. They were very eager for my attention. These people are so needy! It seems to me that there is a great opportunity there because the language barriers are disappearing. The older people from the mountains of Peru speak Quechua, but the young people speak Spanish. Less and less people speak Quechua anymore. I did have an opportunity to speak to a lady about Christ on Monday. She was with us on an all-day tour. She was an educated lady, but was very mixed up in her religious views. She didn't believe in the God of the Bible, and after some discussion we left her with the knowledge that Christ loves her, that she needs to accept Christ, and a tract.

This trip was also a good opportunity to bond with my house mates. I got to know Nicole, Tammy T., and Tammy H. very well during our few days of travel.

Lake Chinancocha was a highlight of the trip at 12, 631 ft.

The water was a beautiful green from this angle. It was crystal clear when looking down.

Some poor mountain girls at Yungay

FYI: Yungay is now a memorial for the city of Yungay, which was destroyed in 1970 by an earthquake/avalanche. Over 25,000 people died at that time.

Huaraz was so refreshing after being in smoggy Lima. This is a view of a rainbow from the cemetary at Yungay.

(Yes, those are snow-capped mountains and not just clouds!)

From left to right:

Samuel (part of the administrative team at LMCS)
Nicole (3rd grade teacher)
Me ;)
Ruben (Samuel's brother)
Tammy (5th grade math/science teacher)
Tammy (K-4 teacher)