Buena Mañana de Arequipa

Good morning from Alto Cayma, Arequipa, Peru.

Since we last shared with you, a LOT has happened!  This promises to be a journey full of surprises, uplifting and challenging, but always with a full dose of the Holy Spirit.

At breakfast yesterday, we met a sweet couple from Brazil on vacation to visit the sites of Peru, and enjoyed a great welcome in meeting others who are also visiting this beautiful country and its people.

In traveling to Arequipa, we has some more wonderful experiences.  The woman sitting near us on the plane was travelling with her adorable 10-day old daughter, who Janet got to hold and coddle for part of our flight.   Fred sat next to a man who is connected to the leadership of Arequipa, and who offered some ideas and help as we find out more about what Elohim School will need to fulfill their mission.  What a wonderful, life filled flight!

Upon arriving in Arequipa, we met Dr Bob and Father Alex who helped with our luggage and drove us to the Mission House, which will be our home for the next week.  Dr Bob is a pediatrician from Wisconsin, who is following his passion in facilitating connections through Health Bridges International, to bring various volunteer groups together in providing a holistic, coordinated effort in bringing up the standard of living for some of the least of these.  Fr Alex is a Priest of the Order of Saint Paul from Malta, whose mission is to reach out to the poorest of the poor, as he learned from Mother Theresa of Calcutta many years ago.  At the Mission House, we also met Steve, who is another volunteer from Anchorage, Alaska, filling in wherever he is needed.  He and Eric made some great connections from previous Youth Mission trips as well.  Ah, Veronica!  She is our caretaker and house manager.  What a gift of planning for the Mission House, taking care of all our needs and preparing some great meals!

Once we settled in to our home in Arequipa, it was time to head out into the city and learn more about our outreach to the people here.   Fr Alex drove us to Yanahuara Mirador, a beautiful square overlooking the city, and providing a breathtaking backdrop for tourists and weddings alike.  We walked from there to the home of Susi Prescott, who is the main energy behind the life of Elohim School, finding a beautiful expression of her gift of making much needed connections.  Waiting for us at Susi's home was Rosa, the school's Director.  Rosa is the spiritual and administrative glue holding Elohim together, keeping the both the moral and physical welfare of the children the center of the school's focus.

Through our intense and emotional discussion we learned of the dire situation of the children and Elohim School.  Through our discussions, we learned that the true conduit in bringing our efforts and prayers to a home in Arequipa is The Association Vida Esperanza (Association of Life and Hope).  This association, which consists of Elohim School and its mission, the people we've met and those we haven't, and the Holy Spirit who is guiding us along this amazing path we are on.  What a heartful time of information gathering was our conversation with Susi and Rosa!

 How to follow this conversation?!  We could only part with hugs and hope, walking from Susi's home to further explore the city.  We left her home and began walking past some of the magnificent architecture of Arequipa - a wonderful mix of native and European styles, blended together in buildings, park and even the people.  We made our way past an old Monastery, several beautiful churches, and down some narrow, cobbled streets to a small restaurant in a old courtyard.  The dinner was nice and simple, seasoned with great memories of our travels so far.


A traditional Peruvian Mountain couple in Quechuan dress,
dancing in front of the Cathedral.

Today's adventures are yet to be seen, but our team is very much looking forward to seeing both the community around the Mission House where we are staying and our introduction to Elohim School.



Thank you for following our Journey!

The PCB-LWW Team