Back in America!!

we are finally in America and I spent $10 on airport food (totally worth it). The past three days have been exhausting but have been fun filled. I still have the urge to speak Spanish to all the people I see in the airport because I do not think it has yet dawned on me that we are in America. This trip has brought so many learning opportunities to me! The way that we all came into this trip and the way that we are all leaving is absolutely amazing... We are all changed people and from here on none of us will see the world the same. Gods hands have surely touched each and every one of us, all in different ways. I hope that all of us can try to keep our life humble and simple like the Peruvians as we return to our homes. I'm so glad that I was able to share the love of Jesus Christ in hopes that he makes others as happy as he has made me. God bless! 

Mary shaw 

We're back!

We have arrived back in America but I'm still speaking spanish. The Peruvians taught me a lot especially bargaining and better español. I kept 44.20 soles because when I go back I plan to be more prepared. But all in all it was an amazing experience and I've learned to appreciate everything I have and I can survive without technology and thank you for all the support and prayers. #PeruLove #Gonnamissit

-DJ Alston 

After an awesome experience in Cusco and Lima we are now back in the States. This past week has been one of the most powerful weeks I have ever experienced. Throughout the week I was continually amazed by the fact that there were people that live over 3,000 miles away that worship the same God as we do at TBC. In addition to this, the power of God was demonstrated by the fact that all of us students were able to build relationships with the kids of Cusco despite the language barrier. After all of this though I will admit, I have never been more excited to be able to drink a cup of water with ICE. Thank you for your prayers throughout this past week!

-Austin Cobb

The Long Journey Home Begins

Hi everyone! This is Emma Keeter again. We have had an amazing day touring and exploring Lima, Peru. After an early wake up call and departure time of 4:30 a.m., we boarded a flight from our week long stay in Cusco to Lima. It was extremely tough waking up that early after only a few hours of sleep from the long day before at Machu Picchu, but it was worth it! The flight from Cusco to Lima is breath taking. The long vast chain of mountains stretched for many many miles. Some are even snow capped! And towards the end of the one hour flight, you end up looking and flying over the Pacific Ocean (which I have never seen in person before yesterday morning). Once everybody had landed and the buses were loaded, we toured the beautiful coast of Lima. The bus drove down the long coast filled with large beaches, devoted surfers in the freezing water, and recreational activities such as tennis courts and soccer fields on back end of the beach. We then made it to the top of the hilly coast where there were multiple sights to see including: a gigantic cross from the 80's made out of power lines that lights up at night (Peruvians faced terrorism during this time), a statue of Jesus facing Lima, and a beautiful outdoor chapel with Mary looking over Lima as well. A morning devotion was held at the chapel to help spark the idea of reflection for all the amazing and wonderful experiences. We then traveled back down the coast to a local mall to eat lunch and explore for a few hours. The Inca Market in Lima was next. It's set up a lot like an outdoor farmers market with different vendors selling everything from alpaca blankets to bracelets to sweaters and trinkets. Bartering is super fun through the difficulties of a huge language barrier and exchanging dollars for soles (name of Peruvian currency). We then traveled to dinner where we ate rotisserie chicken and French fries. After that, the long journey home began. Our flight did not leave till about 1:15 in the morning. We have successfully made it home to the United States! Yay! The six hour sleep was super nice after getting very little sleep a few consecutive nights before. I would like to thank all the adult chaperones, Lydia, Christian, and everyone who has been praying for us all along the way. The continual thoughts and prayers from beginning to end mean so much. Words cannot describe how greatful I am for having the opprotunity to have gone through this life changing trip. Hope to see everyone soon! 

Sarah and Ashley Rock Peru

Sarah:

Knowing that door to door evangelism was a ministry option before the trip, I was hoping I would do it on the second or third day so I could ease into everything.  Talking to strangers about my faith makes me slightly uncomfortable and talking to strangers in a different language just makes the situation even harder.  The first two houses we went to were kind of tough because we were still figuring out how to talk about God in two to five minutes. Though it was difficult, my group quickly got the hang of it and talking became a lot easier.  Towards the end of our morning, we realized we didn't have enough time to go to more houses so we stood on the street and talked to people as they passed. The last person we talked to was a girl named Flora María. We told her about the local church in Tombomachay and asked her if we could pray for her. She said yes but asked us how to pray. That was definitely an eye opening experience because I've known how to pray my whole life and I hadn't really thought of someone not knowing how to pray.  I definitely felt The Lord with us and it was amazing teaching people about God.

Ashley:

Door to door evangelism is awkward. For any of you parents, grandparents, or committed friends out there who don't know me, I am awkward even without having to talk to strangers for an hour about their faith. Overall, the experience improved as I began to learn more about the Peruvians lives. People are incredible and have incredible experiences just waiting to be discovered. We prayed for each person's problems and put our faith in our God to take care of their needs. Although evangelizing is awkward Peru is not! It is amazing and being taken from my comfort zone in such an overwhelmingly beautiful country is worth a million hours on planes, trains, and any automobiles needed to get there.

Witnessing in the marketplace

Our students have been involved in many opportunities here in Peru. As a chaperone, it has been a blessing to see our students engage in sharing the gospel in the marketplace. They sang, gave testimonies, did skits, and prayed with individuals who had specific needs. The local church people accompanied us and had this chance to invite people to join with the local Christian community.  Today a lady whom we prayed for gave us a fresh papaya as a thank you gift, and the kids were delighted. We are seeing God at work and at the same time we are growing in our own spiritual lives. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  I thank Trinity for the chance to participate.. Boyd Dimmock

Day 3: Peru

Hola everyone! This is Emma Keeter and I am a rising senior within the youth group. Today has been slightly different because it is Sunday and we helped lead local church services within Cusco. I went to the the church of Ibroamericana. It is a very small church with just enough space to fit 3 work groups and the members of the church. The service started with music in Spanish lead by one of our translators named Luis. Even though it was all in Spanish, we all sang along and tried our best with the pronunciation. As the service continued, fellow youth group members stepped up to share their testimonies, sing music in both Spanish and English, preform a skit, and preach the word of God. It was extremely moving for the locals to see us involved with sharing our faith by action and words. At the end of the service the members of the church gave us hugs and kisses as a farewell and a way of gratification.

 Following the church service, we ate lunch and planned out specifics for Vacation Bible School. We then drove to the VBS site of Tombomachay and played with the kids for about an hour. The kids love to play soccer, throw frisbees, blow bubbles, jump rope, and love to be tickled. After about an hour of play time, the translators call the kids to sit down and VBS begins. The first activity we begin with at VBS is the music. The Spanish version of Jesus is My Superhero is a favorite among the kids! After a few songs and cool dance moves, there is a skit preformed to show and tell the bible story for the day. The bible story for today taught the kids about Queen Ester. Next a memory verse is held up on individual poster boards and the kids read it aloud all together. To help with memorization, a few words are taken out and finally all the words go away and they attempt to recite it. The kids get real excited after all the words are gone and a few individuals are chosen to see if they can recite it all from memory to receive prizes such as a sandwich or juice box. The final activity for the day includes the craft. Today the kids made a clay necklace representing the royalty and bravery of Queen Ester. Once everyone was done making their necklaces, the kids exit VBS by making a train and running under adult leaders and youth forming a tunnel. 

I saw God today throughout my day but specifically in the church service this morning. Watching my friends give their testimony, sing a song, or even perform a skit shows me and others that God is  working in them and has a true purpose for them. And to get the amazing feedback from the church members makes it exciting and thrilling. Hope you enjoy this update!

Days 1-2: Peru

Hey everyone, I'm Rachel Langley, a senior on the TBC high school ministry team in Peru. Wow! We've been in Peru for 48 hours, and we finally got wifi to work in the hostel. After about 24 hours of travel (aka 24 hours of no sleep), we had a quick nap before we headed out to our first day of VBS. We basically went around to the houses around the parks inviting kids to play with us. Some of the translators even made us invite the kids ourselves...in Spanish! As we played, more and more kids showed up and joined right in. 

Later, we went back to the hostel and had dinner--a fabulous dinner I may add. We have some locals cooking for us and they feed us well! It's delicious and filling and I'm trying to find a way to sneak some if the bread and jam home! We also have tea available at each meal, including coca tea to help with altitude sickness. When we first arrived, some people were feeling the effects of lack of sleep and change in altitude, but as of today (Saturday) everyone was out working, doing well, and sharing God's love with the people of Cusco!

Today, we played with kids, fed elderly people, played bingo, dug trenches for a wall, held multiple VBS's, and went door to door sharing the gospel. As we shared during devotion tonight, people shared some things they had struggled with. The language barrier was definitely a common issue, but everyone seemed to be able to communicate with the people. As one person said, even with the language barrier, the people knew we loved them and we knew they loved us. Others struggled with being in situations that made them uncomfortable or that they weren't prepared for. Door to door evangelism was definitely one ministry many people were anxious about. As we went out, Brooks Warren reminded us to pray that God would give us the words to say, and I think that really helped those groups. One person shared that their group didn't really know what they were doing, but by the end of the day they had a major God moment. They had been sharing with one girl and one of them randomly thought to ask the girl if she had any questions. She asked them how to pray. She knew that she needed to, and she wanted to, but she didn't know how. They really felt the presence of God in that moment and knew they were there for a reason. Any anxieties they had were relinquished. 

For me, the most awesome experience was speaking with a woman named Nilda, who works with a project called Chulla Sonqo which means one heart in Quechua. It is a program where they help kids who live outside Cusco with their studies so they can attend high school in the city. She was at the hostel, selling some crafts the kids had made, and someone needed a translator. I was the most qualified in the immediate area...even with my mediocre Spanish abilities. I translated for her and then we got into a conversation. Without even knowing each other's names, we connected on an almost spiritual level I've experienced only very rarely. And I think that encounter really sums up many encounters people on our team have had--whether it be the nonverbal communication of love with a child or someone being in the right place at the right time. God is definitely working here, and I think we realize that a little more each day as we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit's moving.