2013 Peru Mission Report #1: Friday, June 7 at 3 A. M. from Cuzco, Peru
Dear Family and Friends:
It is a cold winter morning without any snow here in Cuzco and our grandson Austin and I are glad for all the warm clothes packed for us. We are in Melanys Hotel in Cuzco where we unexpectedly spent the night.
We left Chicago Wednesday before three in the afternoon from Glenn Paul’s home in order to fly here via Miami and Lima, Peru. It was a tight schedule for everyone since Debbie had to rush on to work and Glenn Paul with Mary Alice and Jason were going to Prayer Meeting on the way home from Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
Just getting to Chicago on time from Seattle, Washington was a work of grace. We had been with Messiah’s Mansion (Sanctuary Exhibit) at Yakima, and helped take down the Exhibit on Monday. The group of workers left for Seattle on Tuesday in good time to reach the airport with sufficient time to catch the flight for all eight of us. It took three cars to carry us all with the luggage. We were doing fine but then the roadside traffic alert showed that there had been an accident on the main road that would take us to the airport and ALL lanes were closed.
Fortunately, the girls in our car had a special GPS that knew about the accident and showed us an alternate route to reach the airport. Two of the cars made it to the Departure Gate but the third car missed a turn and was lost. That car had half of our luggage plus one girl. They showed up at almost too late. We were all juggling to see which ones might get on the scheduled flight and which ones would come later and where would they get together again. (The girls went on the Atlanta from Chicago to set up Sanctuary again in Tennessee).
Long story shorter, we all miraculously made the flight (the last ones on) with special assistance from the airport personnel. The lines were long through Security since many others were also scheduled for that flight that had been set back because of the accident. We rejoiced together with gratitude for the Lord’s intervention.
Now, back to the Peru story, Raul Vila, his wife and their two small children phoned me at the Miami airport to say they had encountered severe storms that caused them to miss their flight to Miami and could not get out until the next day. That meant they would not be in Lima either to fly with us to Cusco on time.
Austin and I made the Cusco flight but the plane could not land in Cusco because of dense fog. Also the next town on their scheduled landing was fogged in and the pilot (thankfully) would not try to land when he could not even see the town. Solution—fly back to Lima and wait for the fog to clear. The plane was a 380 Airbus with much more comfortable seats than we had on the previous flights, and generous snacks to accompany the complimentary juice. So we were able to sleep a bit more than before.
Back in Lima there was some confusion about what would happen, but we learned that the plane was at another gate now, refuled and stocked and would leave very soon back to Cusco. Thankfully, we were on it. We arrived at noon rather than the previously scheduled 7:40 a.m. but were a little more rested.
Next problem: no one was there to meet us. They had received a report that all flights had been cancelled from Miami and hence no one would be in Cusco yet. Austin and I waited by our luggage (which was all there in Cusco—a miracle in itself) for an hour and a half for our ride. I did not have the Peru cell phone number of John Youngberg, our project manager. My cell phone would not work here anyhow, and I didn’t have the phone number of the Adventist Mission office in the area. What to do? I was able to change some $ into Peru Soles and use the coin phone to call Quiet Hour (glad I had memorized that number). They contacted John for us and also the mission leaders in Cusco. Soon we were in two cars (it took two for us and the luggage on top of what they already had in the cars.)
The Ministerial Director for the South Peru Mission with 20,000 members (and 13 churches in Cusco alone) and another pastor (didn’t get their names straight yet) wanted to take us out to eat at a restaurant, but we declined, not knowing what we might face there, and said we would be fine without supper. Peru hospitality does not accept that so we went with them to the Mission Office and were soon amply supplied with delicious fruit and great brown bread along with an apple drink and healthful cookies, all made by SDA manufacturers in Peru. The fruit (apples, apricots and wonderful tangerines) was cleaned with pure water so we “refuled” with confidence.
John Youngberg was in Cusco trying to order building supplies needed for the church building project before the businesses closed. The Ministerial Director reached him by cell phone and we had a brief visit. He arranged for us to spend the night in this hotel with plans to pick us up at 8 this morning when hopefully the other groups will have arrived and we can all go on to Pomacanchi by car and have a “big breakfast” before settling into our rooms at the ADRA camp (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) some 20 minutes from the Evangelistic meeting sites and church building project. The change in lodging was made when John discovered that the hotel did not have hot water (as also the one we are staying in now here in Cusco). Other conditions there also dictated that it would not be suitable for our group. I’m so glad that those headaches are bourn by others and I am not responsible for all that detail. It is good just to “go with the flow.” I understand that the heating of the rooms where we will live is sketchy. We’ll tell more about that when we experience it.
All these inconveniences remind us of how good we have it at home and how little so much of our world has to live with. We are privileged to share what we have with them at least in some small way.
After our Mission meal and settling into this Melanys hotel, our hosts took us to see a few things in Cusco. It was getting dark but we drove to the vista view of Cusco where a large cement statue of Jesus with outstretched hands is blessing the city and its inhabitants. (Like the one in Rio De Jenero but much smaller) We had our photo taken there and got some pix of the city below. The native vendors of local goods were packing up their things in colorful bags to return home in their cars since the temperature was falling considerably. It is winter down here! Then we stopped briefly at a 15th Century Church and noted also some Inca masonry in a wall. Cusco was central to the Inca Empire of the 1400s before the Spaniards invaded and changed everything. We will see much more of the Inca genius in masonry when we visit Machu Pichu after the project here is finished.
Fortunately, this hotel does have Internet connection so we are able to get this on its way before leaving this morning. That is why the early rising for me to get this out. We don’t know if we can get out at Pomacanchi via Internet. Austin is sleeping, I think. (I’m typing this in the dark) It has been a long and hard flight pattern for him but he is doing well and looking forward to helping build the church. We should learn much more about it all today.
Thank you for your prayers. We recognize the Lord’s hand in getting us here and know He will be with us as we “tough out the cold” weather in doing the projects. Maybe the daytime temperatures will be kinder.
With Love,
Glenn and Austin (Grandpa and Grandson)