Friday, August 11, 2023 (Bryan Rhinier)
Today we went to some ruins. There were caves and buildings that were made by the Incas!
It is so amazing that people actually built it. The stones were 3x a person's height, they were massive. The places we went to were tambomachay, puka pukara, q'enqo, saqsaywaman.
They were all so cool a verse that ties in with this day is Matthew 19:26 - “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”
This trip to Peru is amazing. Thanks for reading it.
Blessings, Bryan J. Rhinier
Friday, August 11, 2023 (Rosemary Blessing)
We spent today visiting and exploring Inca ruins (fortresses and places of worship) built in the 1500’s. We continue to adjust to the high altitude and are grateful for Ibuprofen in warding off headaches caused by the altitude adjustment. Pastor Roberto and Valeria generously joined and drove us today to the Tambomachay, Puka Pukara, Qenqo, and Sacsayhuamán ruins. We climbed many old steps, walked through dark caves, slid down stone slides, stood in awe of ancient history, were surrounded by mountains, and developed a greater appreciation of the history of Peru. Learning history gives insight into understanding and appreciating a culture and its people. Appreciating a culture and its people raises appreciation for the grandeur and beauty of God’s wonderful world where all people, regardless of culture and way of life, are made in the wonderful image of God. Our own culture and way of doing life is only one very small piece of God’s wonderful creation!
A highlight of the day was spending time together as a team. Our group of 15 ranges in age from approximately age 2 to age 70 which brings beautiful diversity in gifts and contributions. We start each day with devotions in our respective homes, spend full and rich days together, and end with group debriefing and prayer. Spending time with pastor Steve and Beth here is a highlight of the trip. The passion we see from them at LVCF for the churches in Peru is as strong as the respect and love the Peruvian churches and pastors have for Steve and Beth. Steve and Beth’s deep understanding of the culture, language fluency, and love for the people has allowed for deep and trusting relationships. Their gift of shepherding shines in their interaction with church folks here as well as their leading of our team on this trip.
Thank you for your prayers for our team in Peru! Experiences such as these plant seeds in each participant in different ways. We have the assurance that God will water and grow the seeds planted in each participant, from the youngest to the oldest.
