The Road to Imasa

Trying hard to catch up. On Thursday ( 7/18) we had an early breakfast and then some of us went to paint buildings, and I went with a group to do some shopping in a tiny little town called Imasa.   We got to take mototaxis, and it was awesome!   For 7 soles (Peruvian dollars) -- maybe $2.50 or so, you get a really fun ride, a bit like Indiana Jones, Peruvian style.   We were shopping for gifts like pots and pans for the pastors who are coming to the conference.  There are about 180 them, so this trip is all business. 

We bought pots and pans and silverware and plastic dishes and chicha morada (drink mix made from blue corn) and coffee and sugar and many other things.  The ride home was really fun - our mototaxi driver liked to hear us squeal, so he milked it for all it was worth. 

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A5hwdNJkzw

At lunch, we had a special treat waiting for us. 

Hahahaha!!!  Well, I got the thing down, and I am a proud member of the grub club.  They are called suri and grow into beetles of some sort or another.  They don't taste bad.  They're like unflavored gelatin on the inside, but the skin is really tough and chewy.  No need to try that again. 

We spent the afternoon packing and sorting all the gifts and then had a great service with the pastors. 

Later that night, Aubree was bitten by an azula ant.  OUCH.  She was in a lot of pain.

Repeat after me:  bug spray is your friend. 

The highlight of the day for me was this:  while we were handing out t-shirts, I dropped one. That was when I saw that the pastor I was giving the shirt to had bare feet.  Gnarled, splayed toed bare feet.  I could hardly continue.  I thought of the verse that says "How beautiful are the feet of him who brings good news."   Many of them had bare feet, and one of them I learned later, had gnarled, club feet.   So very humbling. 

That's all for now.  I hope to get another day or two out tomorrow!

Much love, 

Bonnie :)