Sondor

This picture is from the top of Sondor, the ancient Chanka ( the culture of the area) fortress. The Chankas rebelled against the Inca empire and were defeated at this place.
This is at the bottom, where you first arrive.
Chris is at the very, very top.
WE are a little bit lower, but the view is beautiful. I have a lot of pictures of other people here, so I was glat to get to go myself.
God bless you and have a great week!
Tammy

Encounters on the way

We had a great trip to Andahuaylas. Our internet was super slow there (we will have to fix that) so we will be posting it on a more or less one week delay basis :)
We really could see God at work on the trip up to Andahuaylas (we are back safely now), starting with when we left the house Thursday. We had several really interesting encounters along the way.
Encounter #1
We started out walking to the "downtown" of San Bartolo to catch a bus to Lurin, where we can usually get a taxi. A taxi pulled up and shouted "Lima! Lima!" We negotiated a price to go to the bus terminal, and set off. The driver turned out to be a neighbor of ours who had been recently given a Bible, by another passenger, an evangelical pastor from the US. This man had talked to Vittorio (the driver) and Vittorio told him he didn't know much about the Bible, because he had never had one. The pastor went to a Christian book store with Vittorio. Vittorio was looking at the cheap small Bibles, but the man bought him a study bible worth 240 soles. Then the pastor left. Instantly Vittorio was tempted to return the Bible and get the 240 soles. But he felt that if God wanted him to have a Bible, then there must be a reason for it, so he kept the Bible. When he found out that Mike is a Bible teacher, he asked him to meet with him to explain the Bible until we leave San Bartolo.
Encounter #2
We traveled all afternoon and night and arrived at the city of Abancay (alt. 7,900 ft. or 2400 meters.) We had breakfast and stopped in a drugstore for some ibuprofen. A man, seeing us, said "Hello, my friends, do you speak English?" with a very good American accent. He turned out to be the director of a school for heavy equipment operators and mechanics, who had lived in the US for fifteen years. He is also was a Christian and delighted to hear about the work we will be doing in Andahuaylas. He has also been dying for barbecue sauce, and so wants to come and visit us so he can learn how to make it.
Encounter #3
The bus to Andahuaylas from Abancay takes a dirt road through the mountains--a five hour trip. About halfway there a Peruvian medical doctor got up to preach "to shorten the trip." He was preaching without mentioning the gospel, mainly speaking of prophecy, and inviting participation from the passengers. Mike asked him to read several passages from Romans, and they wound up presenting the Gospel together, with several passengers accepting.
We arrived at Andahuaylas tired, but encouraged, and enjoyed some great pizza at Martin's pizzeria, at his invitation.

Travel Mercies

Yesterday I posted prayer and praise with two requests for travel mercies, Mike and Colin's trip to Andahuaylas and Becky's trip to Arequipa.

These are not "form" requests. Travel in Peru, as on many mission fields, is far more dangerous than travel in the United States. This is why we really do want your prayers.

The dangers of travel have become alarmingly evident in the past few weeks here. The newspaper page reproduced here from the newspaper El Comercio shows the latest in a wave of fatal head on bus crashes that have shocked Peru and left the people demanding reform and accountability.

In the last 11 days 84 people have been killed in these crashes, and hundreds injured. So far this year 291 have died and 2,777 have been injured in 930 accidents. The main problem is excessive speed and recklessness on the part of the drivers as they try to stay on schedule. This is of course related to the lack of law enforcement on the highways, which are mainly traveled by bus, as few drive or have cars.

Most of these accidents have occurred on the Panamerican Highway, probably the best road in Peru, (comparable to US interstate) and certainly considered one of the safest to travel. These are places that we have been countless times, which of course makes it scarier than if it was buses falling off the road in isolated jungle areas.

In fact, I remember one time travelling down the Panamericana on a bus in the fog. It was just me and Chris, so I was feeling extra watchful. As we raced along the coastal cliffs, I thought that the driver must know the road very well, as he couldn't possibly see it. The other passengers were not alarmed, because as they don't drive, they don't understand the danger. I certainly prayed a lot!

So do please pray for safety in travel.