Arequipa Revisited

What a privilege it was to return to Arequipa for the weekend! I arrived around 6am on Saturday morning to a sunrise with CLEAR skies - a sight I haven't seen in Lima in months! Bob Rich graciously picked me up from the airport, believe it or not he was already up taking his wife, Noel, to the pool, as is her early morning routine. (c: He brought me back to our old apartment, right beneath theirs, at the church they pastor. Noel prepared breakfast for me and soon after I was asleep in our old bed - gotta say it was really strange to be there without my family. This was the apartment that basically welcomed us to Peru - most of my first impressions and memories occured in this place. Noah learned his first words, Spanish words, here. It was all so familiar and easy to feel at home again.

When I had caught up on my sleep a little, I was ready to take a stroll through town, seeing all that had changed in a year. I enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite little cafes and did some handicraft browsing. In the evening, I visited Concho's home. Concho was the woman that cared for Noah and cooked for us while we were in school - in other words, she became family to us. My main reason for coming to Arequipa was to celebrate her daughter's big birthday, but the party fell through after I had purchased my ticket. Concho still made it a special visit by turning it into an early Thanksgiving Day celebration. I was the only non-Peruvian, however, and this celebration had almost nothing to do with food. She and her friends like the American holiday and celebrate it by sharing all the ways that God has been faithful over the previous year. I was delighted to get to participate! Most of the 10-12 women were new faces for me, so I made some new friends quickly as we shared over scriptures the ways God has been teaching, working, and providing for us. It was one of the most special Thanksgiving celebrations I have participated in. Concho did also provide dessert at the end of the night.

After a great night's rest, (and even getting to sleep in until 8 am) I got ready for church and left early, having a chance to read in the park across from it until church began. I started a new book called "The Emotionally Healthy Church" by Peter Scazzero (I hope to blog about it when I finish - it is a fabulous book emphasizing the importance of ministering to the emotional health of the church body). I attended the church that most of our language teachers attend - it was so refreshing to see everyone again, but also to be able to worship freely, without also needing to focus on Noah during the service. It was neat to be able to worship in Spanish at this church - I remember when we would come before and I could only pick-up about 1/2 of the sermon and worship songs. But this time, I completely understood the sermon and even recognize most of the songs as ones we sing in our own church.

Following church, Miriam and Julio (2 of our teachers) invited me to their home for lunch. While there I met two missionaries who are living with them right now as they attend language school (they are ALWAYS hosting missionaries in their home). After lunch and a little rest, we went for a little tour around the outskirts of Arequipa, got "buñuelos" (Peruvian donuts, served with honey) in Tingo, and came back through town to visit another teacher, Edgar. I had mentioned that I wanted to see his new baby, so they gladly took me by. It was a blessing to see his whole family and catch-up briefly. That evening I returned in time to attend the evening service at Bob and Noel's church - also a very special visit, getting to see more friends.

Miriam, missionary Christie, and me

You don't see this in Lima!

Monday, I had breakfast with Bob and Noel and got to visit the school where Noel teaches English and Bible classes. They had just purchased the three homes directly adjacent to their church, and have been using them for this school year, but they are in need of a lot of work to actually make it into a fully-functional school. They've just made bedrooms into classrooms and doorways to connect the 3 properties. I took a bunch of pictures and hope to help them publicize the needs they have through a video and/or getting them into the hands of people that are interested in helping in some way.

The church is yellow, the 3 following homes now belong to the school

Then it was off to school, taking my old bus route, to get there - the bus ticket price had gone up by 10 centavos ($0.03). I got to celebrate a birthday with them in the institute, so it was fun to see all the students that are currently there - from Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, the US, and Australia. They all sang "Happy Birthday" in their own language/style.

With all our teachers

Concho met me there and we had some time to go out for empanadas and catch up on life. It was so sweet to hear how God has sustained her and her family even though she's been out of work since April. You can see in the picture below the pretty necklace and earrings she made for me! She's so talented.

I made it back to have lunch with the Riches and then I was off for a few more hours on my own before my flight. I returned to a couple artisans for a little shopping, but hurried to get plenty of time at the Monastery of Santa Catalina - what I think is the most beautiful spot in Arequipa. being there all by myself I was able to truly take in the beauty of all the colorful passageways, designed to point you to the glory of Our Creator. I had our iPod with me and was able to worship through song, journaling, and reading the Bible. I felt SO spoiled to be able to have such a retreat! It was also fun to just wander around capturing pictures - trying to grasp the beauty around me.

I was able to take my last stroll through town as I walked back to the Riches to catch my taxi to the airport. My uneventful flight arrived in Lima around 7pm and I was joyfully greeted by Noah, who came running to me with open arms, yelling "Mommmyyyy!!!" We all had dinner together at the airport and shared a little about our weekends. What a rejouvenating time it was for me! Thank you, sweet Michael, for encouraging me to take this trip, and to all of those who made it so welcoming and special for me!