It was not long before we were stuck in the Monday morning Lima rush hour as we battled through crazy traffic and some of the most ridiculous driving standards you have ever seen. Peru does not paint lane lines on their roads and you can tell by their driving! One of the most amazing sights to see was the mountains in the city that were packed with residential houses all built into the mountain all the way up. Also remarkable is the amount of buses that are jammed with people as people are pulled into the bus and pay their fare as it drives off and seeing people jumping out the bus as it kept moving! It is also interesting to see so many people trying to make a living in this city by doing everything they can to sell fruit and food, and even car accessories at red stop lights. It is also a sorry sight to see so much trash and rubble in certain poorer areas of the city but it seems the people keep living and working and getting through life in a positive way.
As we left the city we drove through the rocky mountains and saw many houses and settlements down in the valleys and up the hills of the mountains. Several of the mountain tops have statues of the mother of Mary and the cross of Jesus on top of it and it reminds us all of the sacrifice Christ made for us.
After 2 hours and 30 minutes we arrived at our destination Camp Cieneguilla. The camp is small but beautiful and rests at the foot of the mountain of both sides which gives a remarkable view from where we walk around all of the time.The weather is cool and crisp but when the sun comes out it gets warm and you can tell that the beginning of summer is starting. Our rooms are small and there are between 5-6 of us in them and the sewer system is somewhat smelly in some parts of the building but it is obvious that cold showers will actually be good for us as it gets rather hot in rooms of 5-6 people!
At 11:30am we all gather for some music by the Peru praise team and then the whole band introduces themselves in Spanish, and it seems that by waving your arms about and showing how happy you are will get you the biggest cheer from our Spanish friends as John Adams so eloquently demonstrated!
We then begin to audition the 150 delegates who are here and it is obvious we will be having some large classes. There are over 30 guitars and 40 timbrels, eager to learn more about their trade and glorify Jesus.
At 1pm we have lunch and it is Peruvian chicken and rice which is a nice treat for all of us to sample the local cuisine and talk with our new friends. The language barrier is challenging but it makes for good fun and laughter as Daniel Yeo attempts to learn about the family of the delegates and confuses a mother for a sister and a father for an uncle! We also hear our first rendition of Happy Birthday which sounds more like a chant you would hear on a soccer ground but it is nonetheless a delightful experience once you figure out there is no fighting going on!
After lunch all the majors begin and all you hear around the camp is the blowing of brass instruments and sonorous tones of the better musicians as well as the tinkle of the timbrel and the sounds of Ruth Choi encouraging her 30 guitar players with a loud word that I am guessing is Spanish!
As I finish this entry I can hear loud party music and the splashing of water at the pool as the pool party has begun. We are sure to continue to have a wonderful day here as we prepare for a night program of music from the DYB band and Peru divisional praise team as well as sports games and electives later on this afternoon and evening! See you all tonight for another blog entry!
I'm praying for a rewarding trip for the team as well as the campers.
ReplyDeleteWe are praying for you all
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