Huacachina visit with team and translators

The arrival into Peru, meeting folks at the airport, getting settled into the hostel, meeting other folks at the office (missionaries and translators), napping, cheap pizza and movie night (saw Sherlock Holmes)...that pretty much consists of what the first day in Lima looked like. It was eventful...and fun. Nice transition, although I am tired. I feel like I have been here for weeks, but it has only been two days!

The day was spent wisely, in my opinion, except for one mistake I made. We woke up at 5:48AM, packed our bags and met some folks at the office, and then we loaded up into taxis and later buses. We decided to take the trek to Ica from Lima and we decided to stop in Pisco and Paraca to do a little detour. Before we left Lima, though, I made a mistake with money. The price for the taxi was negotiated before we left, but I did not realize it was for the entire taxi ride. I seriously thought it was the per person cost. There were 4 of us in this taxi that was negotiated at 8 soles per person (about 2.75 American dollars)...no, that was for the entire ride. I gave the taxi driver 32 soles for our ride that should have only been 8 soles. Of course he did not correct me...I did not realize it was wrong until after I got into the bus terminal and tried to pay Lidman back for the taxi the rest of my crew was on...and he only wanted 8 soles. LESSON LEARNED!! I did have to get over it because I was awfully mad with myself for an hour...now I just feel like a goober. We bought bus tickets and ended up riding 4 hours to get to Ica...The detour consisted of taking a boat (un bote) ride to Las Islas Ballestas- we saw penguins, sea lions/seals, many birds. The day was beautiful- sunny and perfect temperature. It was slightly warm and the wind dropped it down to a very pleasant temperature. We did a lot of laughing on this trip...along with a lot of 'ooing' and 'ahhing'.. The seals were very entertaining, especially the ones which swam along the water/rock line and the one that decided to give us a show by climbing up the rock. They sang for us (it wasn't very pretty, but it was certainly neat) and they waved- kind of. :o) There was so much water that hit us on the way back- very funny.

We made it to Huacachina in Ica. There are some beautiful sand dunes that we are planning on boarding down tomorrow. (I am writing this on my computer and will paste it in the morning.) When we made it here, we just checked into the hostel and ate dinner. There is a little oasis that is in the middle of the town (pueblo) and Chris, Iesha, and Kate has a little fight near the water that ended up in them playing around in the water (agua). We ended up getting ice cream, talking, and just hanging out tonight. It is currently 11:43PM. I must get to bed soon, but I am really enjoying these folks.

Let me tell you about the translators with us this trip. There is Lidman and there is Arturo. Arturo will be with Chris and I these next 4 months in the villages. Lidman may be one of our translators- we'll see. Both are a little older than me, which has allowed me to make 'old man' jokes to them. It is entertaining to banter back and forth. They have great english skills. It amazes me how many english phrases they know, such as "dude", 'whatever', 'punk'...I have thoroughly enjoyed these guys...they're funny, kind, and easy to be around. I have also been incredibly impressed with how they handle the translating, their willingness to teach, and the way they handle situations when 5 or 6 people are bombarding them trying to get the taxi ride fares...I am very appreciative of these fellas and look forward to seeing how the Lord continues to use these men to encourage, teach, and prepare us for life over here for the next 4 months.

It is late...everyone is going to sleep. I did want to make an update, though. I will have internet access a good bit these next couple of weeks, I do believe. Apparently Wi-Fi is pretty accessible in Lima and we will have semi-short days during orientation. I will post some pictures and make more comments as more time presents itself. Please keep us in your prayers. Things are going well, but we need to bond deeper than just enjoying one another and our time...there is a task that is a big deal (to put it in simple terms). We have the message of hope to share with these people...the message of salvation and hope and eternal glory through Christ. I must be empowered and led by the Spirit to truly embrace this opportunity. My team must be in the same place- empowered and led by the Spirit to truly embrace this entire opportunity in Peru to share and make disciples of Christ. Wow- what an incredible opportunity.