3 churches and 1 school up high on the mountain are now equipped to share the gospel of Christ through puppetry. I've been on many mission trips, some more evangelistic in nature, but think this one was the most productive. Mission teams can only do so much in a week...the Peruvians (mostly adults!) we trained through puppet workshops are there all the time. As creative as Peruvians are, puppetry is new to them.
The churches have a difficult time sharing Christ there because they all say they are Christians because they are members of the Catholic church, not Catholic like we know it - a mixture of tribal gods and Catholic, no relationship or salvation - most having never been active members anyway. Of those that are active members, most don't have Bibles they read to know what it actually says, just told what it says & what it means. They will stop and listen to puppets though. When we performed through the week, adults and kids alike hung on every word. The churches are so excited to have this new ability & the house was packed at every workshop.
We had intended to just perform for the school, but when they found out we were having workshops to learn how, they sent two of their teachers for the last workshop. Arequipa is wealthy (compared to other Latin American cities, not by US standards) but those up in the mountains are very poor. Alcoholism and abuse are prevalent there among the men. Even the men/women who desire to do well by their kids work long hours & have little time for parenting. The school, run by an amazing self-sacrificing lady named Rosa and all the teachers, feeds these kids two meals a day (most only meal they'll get), offer them an education they would otherwise not have and share the love of God with them every day. If I have a dime to my name, it will go to that school. The missionary we were helping said that if the teachers (who live in the city of Arequipa) can't find a ride, they hike up/down that mountain to be with those kids. That's love.
While we trained adults, the rest of the team shared Christ with the kids by way of crafts and games outside, which drew neighborhood children as well. One lady, Janet, and her family will be joining the church there as a result. They taught them some new games, too, that cost nothing to play. The kids were pretty pumped about that.
Peruvians are very hospitable & affectionate, very intelligent & creative, laid back & fun-loving, hardworking & persevering, responsible from the time they are small children (saw a 5 year old holding his 2 year old brother by coat collar, walking him to school). I have a tremendous respect for them all.
The food was "perfecto", so delicious. It is said the that Peru has the best food of all Latin American countries and Arequipa has the best food in Peru. I believe it.
Driving or riding in Peru - Traffic rules, lights and signs are merely suggestions, usually disregarded.
There is a kind of organized chaos to it though. They honk to let other drivers know they are coming on through. They honk if they will let someone go on through. They honk if drivers in front of them are in their way & to let them know they are passing. Basically, they honk a lot. HA! They know what they are doing though. I did not see any wrecks while there. I prefer walking myself except when I had to cross the road...quite the adventure, but doable. 
It was warm in the heat of the day (low 70s) and cold at night (low 40s)...high altitude, in the Andes, air was very dry and thin...had to chug aqua sin gas (bottled water w/out the fizz) continuously or suffer from altitude sickness, which some of our members did. Running up the stairs? Not if you want to remain standing...slow and steady won the race.
Since I had gone with one of our members to the ER early in the week, I had plenty of incentive to do exactly as I was told. The doctors and nurses are excellent, but their tools are old school. They said he was severely dehydrated, had a throat infection & had not ruled out a kidney stone. So, they gave him fluids & drugs by way of a manual IV, meaning they stuck a ginormous needle in his arm and forced the fluids into him. Holy canoly! That whole hospital would have known I was getting an IV. He saw it, too, before they did it. He just gritted his teeth and took it. Other than about breaking my hand hand squeezing it, you'd have thought he was getting a booster shot...tough young man.
The hotel was very clean, the staff beyond hospitable, the coffee INcredible, but the shower was a lesson in patience. I hit that shower wall running more times than I can count...ice ice cold blasts just to remind you that you're alive...lol.
Alpaca blankets ROCK! It was cold in the rooms at night, but the blankets gave me immediate warmth. They are warm as wool but soft to the touch, not scratchy at all. Needless to say, I bought one to bring home.
It is good to be back home, but as always, I left pieces of my heart there. The kids at the school, all of them, hugged and kissed us before we left...we all threatened to pack a few in our bags, but the school insisted on keeping them.
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