Cuzco

Last August Eliana and I went with her father to some villages that were probably a few hundred miles outside of Cuzco, Peru. Her father is from that part of the country. He is a pastor, and has helped start a lot of churches in different villages. The people are so excited when he returns, and visits the churches. A lot of the people from these villages speak Quechua (an old Incan language). Her father also speaks Quechua, and also Spanish. I had come from Alaska, so I was used to the cold. But in Alaska you can step into a heated home, and get out of the cold. Eliana, and her family live in Lima, which is at sea level, and in the winter I think it rarely drops into the 50's. So I can't imagine how cold Eliana got, because she had never felt air that cold. (also, August is winter in Peru) Our first night there was so cold, and we got up in the morning, and her dad pointed at the ground, and there was white frost. Coming from Alaska that was not a big deal to me, but that was the first time that Eliana had seen frost. That morning we were cold, and hoping it would soon warm up. We were sitting around with her father, and some others, and a group of dogs started fighting about 40 feet away. Eliana threw a few rocks at them, but did not hit any of them, or stop them from fighting. She picked up another rock, and hit one of the dogs right in the head. I thought that was so funny, because Eliana is a very reserved woman, and never imagined seeing her hit a dog in the head with a rock. But it shocked her as much as it did me. By the way, it was just a small rock, and didn't hurt the dog.

In Alaska I was hiking up mountains, and ascending probably 3,000 feet in 2 or 3 hours. But Anchorage is at sea level, and so those nearby mountains peak at 4,000 or 5,000 feet. I do not know how high we were in the Andes mountains, but I would get out of breath very easy.

Our second day we hiked to a nearby village, and that is where we met the two children that is in the photo with Eliana and I. Their names are Zulma and Raul. I remember Zulma immediately liked Eliana, but was not sure what to think of me. I was surprised to find out that they all thought I was really tall, but I was only 5'10", and not tall for someone in the United States. But I remember that I put out my hand to shake Zulmas hand. Now I know that probably she had never really had anyone want to shake her hand, and she thought that I wanted to hold her hand. So she immediately grabbed my hand, and didn't let go. So we walked around for a while, and quickly became friends. And then we met Raul (Zulmas old brother), and he was also a really good kid. They liked being with Eliana and I, and we really enjoyed their company. They only had sandles, and I imagine those sandles are probably made by someone in that village, or a nearby village, because it seemed that a lot of people had the exact same type of sandles. Both Raul and Zulma had some wounds on their legs and feet. I know they probably started out as cuts, but soon became infected. And then I remembered I had some first aid supplies in my backpack, and so we used that. They really were very infected, and I imagine it was very painful, but Zulma was so content to be with us, and never complained about the pain. Eliana and I had brought a lot of gifts with us. The walmart store in Anchorage had had sales on childrens sweatshirts, and I had bought a bunch for $2 each. We also had a lot of gum, some toys, including a doll. When you pushed on the dolls stomach, her face lit up, and it played a lullaby. Eliana and I gave that doll to Zulma, and that was really neat. I don't imagine she had ever had a doll, and possibly had never had a toy before. Eliana and I would like to return to those villages someday, and a big reason is because we want to see Zulma and Raul again. We also talk about returning with a lot of supplies for them, including medical supplies, and also just gifts for people.

Soon we set off for another village, and we went down the side of the mountain. I thought the Alaska mountains were big, but those Andes mountains were huge. We probably hiked for four hours until we came to the next village. I was glad to be descending, because I knew that it would be warmer. I think we went to 6 or 7 villages in about 10 days. Trying to remember everything, I get the villages confused, but soon we went to a village, and that is where we met those little girls in the first and third photo. Immediately when we arrived at the village, I felt that it was special. I think it was because of the joy that I saw that people had, and I felt that God had really blessed those people. I was also really happy to see that they had some electricity, and so we had a lightbulb in our room. When we got to our room, those little girls (and one little boy) was playing in the doorway. They played with little rocks. They would put little rocks on the ground, and each would have one in their hand. They would throw the rock in the air, and then grab as many off the ground as they could, and then catch the other rock. One girl in particular was very impressive, and I couldn't believe how fast she could move her hands, and how good she was at the game. I stood at a distance and watched them, but soon I thought I would go and make friends with them. I started walking over to them, and as soon as they saw me, they got up and ran away. All except for one girl, and she stayed, and taught me how to play the game. These children spoke Quechua and a little Spanish. Soon the other little girls saw that I was friendly, and came and played with us. They were a group of good friends, and I imagine they played together everyday. They were some adorable children, but Eliana and I soon realized how brave they were. They liked to play with a soccer ball, but it was near a cliff, and soon one of them kicked the ball and it went off the cliff. Well Eliana and I went over to the cliff with them, and I thought that probably one of the children would walk on a trail down to the bottom and get the ball, and it would only take maybe 5 minutes. They surprised us, because they grabbed a rope, and put it around one of them. They all grabbed the rope, and lowered the girl down the side of the cliff. The little girl went and got the ball, went back to the rope, and we brought her back up. It made us nervous at the time, but its just another special memory we have now. One night those little girls made several campfires, and took care of them. That night I knew that Eliana was helping to cook, but I didn't realize that Eliana was cooking the spaghetti that she had brought. I was so excited when I found out that she had cooked spaghetti. She knew that I liked it. We spent several days in that village. We were at the church every day, and her father would speak, and Eliana would also speak sometimes. Her father would ask me to read verses in English, and then Eliana would read them in Spanish, and another person would read them in Quechua.

At one village I saw a child, and knew that I recognized her. One time I went outside of the church, and was watching some guys play soccer. The little girl left her friends, and came to sit with me, and was very content to sit with me and hold my hand. Soon I realized who it was, and it was Zulma from the first village we had visited. The little girl that we gave the doll to. I saw that the bandages had not stayed on her foot, but I think that it was healing. She must have walked the 4 hours down the side of the mountain also, probably with her family.

Eliana and I really have so many special memories from that trip. It was a really difficult trip, both for me and Eliana. I think one of the most difficult things was the language barrier between me and Eliana. But I think that God used all of our difficulties for good, and to bless us. Eliana was so strong on that trip. I know that there were times that she was exhausted, but she would always keep going, and also help me. I remember struggling to make it up a big hill, and she got behind me, and pushed me for a while. I wish that I could write down everything from that trip, but I think there are so many memories, that it would actually be a book. When we returned to Lima, soon I had to leave to return to the United States. That was so difficult for both of us. I am so thankful for Eliana, and we are so excited that we will soon be married.