Back in Huaraz

We got back down off the mountain yesterday afternoon. It felt great to sleep in a real bed again last night.

We had an amazing trek. We gave out over 200 Bibles, and we saw over 200 people profess faith in Christ! It is so humbling to be a part of what God is doing in such a different and unexpected way.

The team did great. We had several health issues, but nothing extreme. More stories will be coming in the future.

Today we are having breakfast in Huaraz. Our bus to Lima leaves at 11am.

We are all looking forward to being back home, though leaving our brothers and sisters in the faith is bittersweet.

Thank you for your continued prayers as we travel for the next two days.

Headed for the Hills

Today we hit the trail. We leave the hotel in about 45 minutes. We will drive about 2 hours to the trailhead. Today we will not hike very far...about an hour or so. The entire team is so exited to get going. We are all looking forward to ministering to families in the mountain villages.

Yesterday we went to church. It is always such a great experience for me to worship with people in different cultures. We are all created uniquely by God, and we all worship the one true God together. It is always special.

After lunch we did some shopping, then spent a couple of hours in an orphanage. Those kids are so hungry for attention. Of course when we got there, we had to watch the conclusion of the World Cup Final. They were really into it. It was fun. Then I had a little 5 year old girl attach herself to me for the entire time. I had to peal her off when it was time to leave. Several other team members had the same experience. It's hard, knowing those kids have no one who loves them the way a child should be loved.

Pray for the team today. Pray for safety. Pray for good health. We will be out of touch now until Thursday evening.

Don't forget to follow our progress here.

Sunday Morning in Peru

It's Sunday morning (as you probably already figured out from the title of this post!) and things are going great.

Yesterday we took about a 2-3 hour bus ride up to some beautiful glacier fed lakes. It was overcast, and a bit chilly, but still absolutely beautiful. We sampled guinea pig, boiled potatoes, boiled corn and cheese. We hiked for a little over an hour.

On the way back into Huaraz we stopped for ice cream. Dinner was Pollo a la Brasa, with brownies for dessert. Then we went into town and did a little shopping. Mostly stocking up on warm hats, socks and scarves. It's going to be cold out there on the trail!

Today we are going to visit a local spanish speaking church. This afternoon we are going to visit an orphanage, and take another short hike. Tomorrow is the big day, we head out on our trek. We will be on the trail until Thursday.

Thank you for your continued prayers. The team is doing great. We are having a great time experiencing the culture and getting to know each other. Pray for continued safety. Pray that God would be glorified in everything that we say and do.

Peru - Friday July 9, 2010

We made it through our first long day of travel. We flew yesterday from Charlotte to Miami to Lima, Peru. The day was uneventful, which is a good thing!

We spent the night in a missions guesthouse in Lima. Today we take the 8 hour bus ride to Huaraz. The team is doing great today. Everyone is up and eating breakfast.

The weather is cool - around 60 degrees. The locals say it is too cold! We love it!

Pray for safety today as we travel by bus. Pray that we all continue to stay healthy as we prepare for our time in Huaraz.

I will have the SPOT tracker on today - you will be able to track our progress - just click here.

It's Time!

Well, it's finally time to head back to Peru. I will be leaving on Thursday morning at 11am. I just need to pack!

You can follow our progress with real time GPS updates here.

Also, Barb Seavey will be sending out daily prayer requests and updates. You can email her and she will add you to the list - gr8tful.thankful@gmail.com

I will have some internet access and will update this blog when possible. In the mean time - we appreciate your prayers.