Arequipa (May 13, 2009)

It's been a great start to our visit. We took a four-hour tour yesterday of Arequipa, starting at the main plaza (above) of the city (which is called "The White City," as much of its buildings are constructed with sillar, a white volcanic stone. Three peaks, in fact, tower over the city: Chachani, Misti (pictured below), and Pichu Pichu.


Robin especially liked learning at one of our stops about the native weaving of alpaca and vicuna fibers.


They told us vicuna is the more elegant, and expensive product. And rarer. On the tour we also saw lots of churches and colonial buildings. And statues of generals. Beautiful scenery, often with squalor as a foreground.

In the evening we accompanied Don and Christie to a children's meeting in the Seventh of June pueblo, followed by worship in the Villa (below)...

and then Robin spoke to the women's group (and shared a suitcase filled with sewing supplies Cobblestone's Women's Connection had packed for them, which thrilled them to open and go through!), while I spoke to Don's discipleship class.

Arequipa (May 12, 2009)

We arrived in Arequipa this morning (Tuesday), just as the sun was peeking over the mountains surrounding the city. Don and Christie Latta arrived at the airport just as we arrived, and whisked us off in their Land Rover.

Don and Christie graciously allowed us to go to bed almost immediately on our arrival at their lovely home (pictured).


Then after refreshing showers and a meal, we headed to the Villa del Triunfo pueblo of Arequipa, where we so enjoyed watching as two sponsored children from the pueblo, Rueben and Natalia, opened gifts their Cobblestone sponsors sent down in our luggage!



Then we sat in the back row and watched as Christie and Giannina conducted a lively children's health and hygiene class. I participated in a game they played to review the lesson's information....but didn't win a single prize! And Robin helped by watching a little boy (below, sitting on his sister's lap); having happily been forewarned by Christie that the children don't wear diapers, Robin wisely let the little guy sit NEXT to her, not on her...which foresight was rewarded shortly thereafter!


One of the charming moments of this hour (which we soon learned would be repeated often) was the moment captured below, when Christie called on one of the children to pray. The little girl began to pray enthusiastically, phrase by phrase, with the rest of the children repeating her prayer just as enthusiastically, phrase by phrase, learning to pray together, by example and participation.

Off to Peru (May 11, 2009)

The lovely Robin and I left this morning for Peru....Dayton to Atlanta to Lima to Arequipa. Our layover in Lima was a long one, overnight, and after getting almost no sleep in the "domestic" terminal of the Lima airport, we learned that the gate for our flight to Arequipa had been changed to a gate in the International Terminal. But the airport personnel were gracious to admit us into the terminal in the first place, as they usually don't let travelers enter until 2 hours before flight time. So we high-tailed it upstairs to the International Terminal just as our flight to Arequipa began boarding. A close call, but no harm.

We're Perusing

This blog and my other two blogs will be silent for the next few weeks. I leave Monday with the lovely Robin for nine or ten days of ministry in Peru, with our friends Don and Christie Latta. While this is the sixth year our church has sent a mission team to Peru (the picture above was taken on one of those previous trips), this will be my first. I'm really looking forward to it and would appreciate your prayers.

I'm expecting to preach a little, pray a lot, do some dental clinics, maybe help Vic with a little plumbing work, play with kids, smile a lot, and otherwise do whatever is called for in those ten days. We really hope to find some way to be a blessing to Don and Christie, and to as many other people as we can. We know, too, how these things go: we'll come back having received more than we've given.

After our mission efforts are done, the lovely Robin and I will fly from Arequipa to Cuzco, spend a night and then take a train to Machu Pichu (pictured at left), the fabled lost city of the Incas. After a day at Machu Pichu, we'll fly out of Cuzco, to Lima, and then back home by way of Atlanta.

Warped Church

I took the photo above today on my iPhone. It’s the Front Street Church of God in Hamilton (I occasionally snap a pic of a unique or distinctive church building). But I had no idea the effect I had gotten until I uploaded it to my computer.

And I thought I was pastor of a warped church.

The Beauty of Simplicity

Enjoyed a lovely sojourn in northeast Ohio this week. We and our co-pastors were the guests of Pastors Retreat Network (www.pastorsretreatnetwork.org) at the Valley View Inn near Holmes County, Ohio.

We took the opportunity to visit the Yoder Home in Walnut Creek (where these photos were taken), where we toured the grounds, the one-room schoolhouse (still functioning), and two Amish homes.

Both the retreat itself and the tour reminded me of the beauty of simplicity, as I hope these photos illustrate.

As I’m writing this I’m feasting on a simple meal of Salzburg cheese (bought at Heini’s Cheese store) and homemade sourdough bread (sent home with us from the Valley View Inn). In the midst of my often complicated life, this week was a good reminder of the “one thing needful,” and the few things important. Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

Drive in the Country (with signs attending)

Took a lovely drive in the country today to visit some fine Christian friends. While on the way, I made note of two fun signs. The first one, above, made me think, (notice the name of the street), ”Okay, if this is Urban, I’ve never seen Rural!”

And the next one....


....made me long to be a pastor of a slow church. That would be so great. At least for a season....