TEAM LIRCAY
Sunday July 20th, 2008

So I think its safe to say that yesterday was full of more unique traveling expiriences then any of us have ever had before. At two am most of us woke up and got ready to board the bus to the airport. Some of the Lima team members had woken up to see us off and pray for us and though I couldnt really comprehend what was going on at that hour I think we all really appreciated their prayer and hugs. Luckily everyone was ready with passpoprts and boarding passes at the airport and we found out that we would be boarding two seperate planes. The plane was literally the SMALLEST plane I've ever seen, but the ride was surprisingly not turbulent at all..... actually I lied I have no idea how the ride was I pretty much passed out from my multiple doses of Dramamine.  Both flights landed safetly..and we got on the bus where we rode for six hours most of us really only remember the last two or three as our sleep deprivation and dramamine had become very effective and we slept  ALOT which i'm sure Gina appreciated because she only really had a few choruses of "GINA ARE WE THERE YET?????". Before I complete our travel part of this blog let me just appluad our bus driver and his amazing ability to avoid falling off the mountain and clearing just about the smallest spaces possible. Finally, we arrived in Lircay! Woah, talk about culture shock! I felt like I was back in World history studying the Incas or something. We saw irrigation canals and colorfully woven clothing. It was so surreal and still is. We ate spaggetti and then rested for a while in our Hostel which is quaint but comfortable. Then we walked uphill to dinner and most of us began to feel VERY out of shape but realized our heavy breathing was due to the altitude. After dinner Mr. Rivers preached at a church service. He did a fabulous job and the Peruvians seemed to really enjoy him despite the fact the every line had to be  translated in not just Spanish but Quecha or something like that? I don't really know me and Jess just call it Ketchup. Back at the Hostel around ten we slept. Basically short version of this blog slept, travelled, slept while travelling, ate, and slept. Oh I forgot to mention the scenery is gorgeous! The mountains are beautiful. We are all in very good health and ready to do the Lords work here in Lircay! Thanks for all the prayers and support.

Laura Cunningham

Traveling to Lircay...whew what a day! Up at 2AM, grab  your last hot shower for a week, and then get on the bus to the airport. Most of the students had never been on a propeller plane, especially such a small one, which was a 22 seater, including pilot and co-pilot. The disposable foam earplugs included in the boxed breakfast we found on our seats was a sure sign that this ride was going to be something special. And it turned out to be very special, but not because of the propeller noise.It was only an hour long flight, but God delivered a wonderful gift to encourage us, a front row, God's eye view of dawn over the Andes. It was so beautiful that I didn't just want to see it, I wanted to smell ,touch, and taste it. The view was just too much for eyes alone. Thank You God!

We landed at the little airport, collected our baggage, and got on a bus for the six hour ride to Lircay. We arrived in Lircay a little after noon, unloaded our stuff and settled in While walking to lunch, everyone noticed that the air is rare up here. We were all winded when we arrived at the resturant. Lunch was simple, a kind of chicken spagetti dish, with water or tea. After lunch we walked back thru the town to our hostel. We were all pretty wiped out from the travel and the altitude, tho only a few felt sick. We rested up and finished unpacking and found that all of baggage had not been delivered. No problemo, everyone offered up warmer clothing to those that didn't have it yet. We then spent time getting to know each other better, or resting in our rooms.

We went to dinner at 5:30, and were treated to a tasy soup made of ummm.. spagetti and chicken! We then went to the Lircay church and shared a service. It was strange to be sharing worship with people speaking a language, Qchecua, that none of us understood. After several songs of worship Keith Rivers Sr. delivered a great message on the "signal 10-13" passages of the Bible. Santos translated. A few more songs, a short message delivered by Santos encouraging the congregation to send their kids to tomorow's VBS, and then we left after saying our Hasta manyanas to everyone. We went back to the hostel, when 2 students led a devotional during which everyone shared their feelings on our common struggle to be bold when delivering the Good News. It was w great conversation. It was then 10PM, and we all went to bed and our dreams.

Bruce Marusich.