Inti Raymi

Yesterday was a very special day for Cusco, as it was Inti Raymi - the Festival of the Sun. It is an Inkan ceremony, honouring the Sun God and takes place at the Winter Solstice when the sun is furthest from the Earth. It was banned by the Catholic Church after the Spanish invasion in 1572 and the modern re-enactment began in the 1940s. Obviously, as Christians, we do not agree with sun worship, but watching the festivities was a wonderful insight into Inkan culture, beliefs and ritual. I could not help but compare the colour, vibrancy, life and dancing with ceremonies in the UK... here is a glimpse of our day:

We arrived in the main square, Plaza de Armas, which was already bustling with people. The Plaza is lined with cafes and restaurants with balconies, and we found one that still had some space, in exchange for drinks and breakfast. And then we waited and waited, until the first set of dancers apppeared from the Temple of the Sun and the drum beats began. Within minutes, the dancers appeared from all corners of the square, with brightly coloured costumes, each dance and costume signifying different elements of the ceremony. Some of the significance was lost in us, but we could still appreciate the splendour.

As the Inka passed, the crowd cheered - with people from all over the world looking on, but more significantly along side lots of Cusquenans.

As the ceremony drew to a close, the real live mummy appeared, and then the action moved to Saqsaywaman, the Inka ruins which look down upon Cusco.

We joined the meandering crowds, as we climbed towards the ruins, with paths lined with stalls selling food, sun hats and even portable stools. We made a couple of welcome stops - it is hard work carrying 2 children up a steep hill at altitude - and Sophia had to pose for another photo.

At the top, the wait began as we perched on a steep hill in the middle of the ruins waiting for another ceremony to begin, although with less good views this time and with no table service.

The realities of experiencing these amazing sights with small children began to kick in and requests for a useable toilet and home began to be voiced. After moving positions and seeing the dancers winding their way down the ruins to the main arena, we decided it was time for home.

We managed (accidentally)to take a scenic route back to the road, scrambling down rocks and soaking in the atmosphere and sights. We realised that lots of people were not attempting to watch the ceremony, but were participating in the festival ambience. Sophia kept saying 'huh' and covering her mouth in amazement at the waves of people, but always managed a smile and to blow a kiss as she received more attention.

Then, finally, we made it to a functioning part of road and even managed to have a seat on the bus on the way home, where our part of town was like a ghost town. As we began descending back towards Cusco, I looked up at the deserted giant statue of Jesus, Cristo Blanco, which is close to the ruins. He looked lonely.

What our week looks like...

After returning from Brazil, we started a new timetable, although it isn't completely running to plan as June in Cusco is a crazy month of fiestas, celebrations, national holidays and a decent smattering of days of school for the children! But (in theory) our week looks like this:

Mondays and Wednesdays - Language school
Tuesdays - Amanda has a Bible study, followed by a team meeting for us both. The afternoon provides us with much needed prep time. In the evening, we have a conversation class.
Thursdays - Amanda and Sophia have a bi-lingual toddler group. Neil is working in a local school teaching English. In the afternoon, we take turns to visit children in the local hospital. In the evening, Amanda meets with a young person for a Bible study.
Fridays - We are both teaching English in a school in Huambutio. Neil runs a kids club in the afternoon and we all join in; here;s a pic from the first one.

Saturdays - Monthly kids games in the park. In the evening, Amanda runs a youth cafe. Tonight, pastor (and Chef) Scott taught the young people how to make pancakes. The 3 young people that came were already connected with the church and it was great to have an opportunity to talk to them and see how they wanted the group to develop.



This is the theory, although yesterday we turned up at Huambutio, but they were not expecting us, despite previously arranging it. Instead, we were welcomed in and joined in with their Father's Day celebration, including dancing. We couldn't help compare with UK schools and wondered if 2 strangers would be welcomed in so readily!

All Change

While we were away in Brazil,it seems that quite a few things changed. For a start the bank closed for refurbishments.



Then there was the Supermarket that changed colour (it was blue)!



We also found out that Starbucks and KFC are coming to Cusco, as well as the upcoming mall which is being built including loads of shops, restaurants and a cinema.

All of this change adds to the constant knocking down and building that we see around ourselves.

This lead me to reflect on the changes in our world. As we all know the world is changing rapidly, with new technologies constantly revolutionising our world. Some of these changes are more positive, while some are negative, but the aspect of these changes which interests me most is the speed that they are taking affect. This is not just the speed of the innovations, but the speed with whcih they travel around the world.

In the past it seemed to take a long while for a new technology or cultural phenomenon to appear in different places. Now, when something changes in one part of the world, it is quite possible that people on the other side of the world will know about it, and be affected by it. Take the IPhone for example. They seem to be omnipresent in the West, but they are also present here in Peru. A friend of mine who is a missionary here has one, and my language teacher has a 'Chi-Phone', which is basically the same thing, though at a fraction of the cost. The reason for the speed of transmission of these changes is obviously globalisation and the internet, and although this does have some benefits, it can also do so harm, particularly to local cultures. It will be interesting to see how different global phenomonen affect Peru in the future.

So change keeps coming, and a lot of it is good, but globalisation is causing the affects of those changes to be felt more and more quickly.

Brazil #2 - Called and Equipped to Serve

After our wonderful few days in Caldas Novas, it was time for the BMS retreat, in a hotel near Brasilia. It was a great opportunity to meet with the other mission workers in Latin America, and a delight to listen to our speakers David and Doris Doonan, who first came to Brazil with BMS in 1963 and shared their wealth of experience. The theme of the retreat was 'Called and Equipped to Serve' and David shared how God equips us for the things that he has called us to. However, I shared that I often feel the opposite in Peru; instead of feeling equipped to serve, I feel completely stripped down and vulnerable. Back in the UK, I loved writing, speaking and leading groups - heavily relying on language. Here, I am and will be involved in lessons and groups, but with a new, unfamiliar language that I continue to struggle with. It is a difficult experience, but I know that in this process, God is preparing me and equipping me. It is easy to say these things and harder to live through!

While the grown-ups were being called and equipped, the children were having a great time thinking about creation care and riding on buffaloes. Both Sophia and Daniel had a great time with other missionary kids.


We also ate lots and lots of delicious food, relaxed, chatted and played on the fantastic play ground. Neil and I also had the opportunity to visit Brasilia, a purpose-built capital city with some fantastic architecture, including Dom Bosca, a stunning church.

I felt awe-struck by a number of the missionaries who have served faithfully for so many years. It was also great to meet with the whole Peru team for the first time, including our friends James and Julia who are about to start language training in Arequipa. All in all, it was a great time away, and a good space to reflect before the next stage of our life and work here in Cusco.

The Election - No Drinking and No Church

Today is a very important day for Peru, as it is the second round of elections, as there was no outright winner in April. The 2 candidates are at opposite sides of the political spectrum. There were possibly too many central candidates who cancelled each other out in the earlier round. The exit polls suggest that Ollanta Humala has won, and will be the next president of Peru, although the country is waiting for confirmation. BBC have covered the story here. Elections here are very different - everyone is legally obliged to vote, although it is thought that around 10% spoilt their paper. No one is allowed to buy alcohol - presumably to ensure everyone has a clear head and public meetings are also illegal, including church. So, election day means no one is drinking and no one is going to church! The photo below was taken in the local corner shop, explaining that it is illegal to buy drink.

We will know for sure tomorrow whether Ollanta is President, and the country will discover over the coming weeks and months the impact of his new policies. Please pray for the country during this period of change.

Prayer Letters

We have written new prayer and news letters and you can download the grown ups one herehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif and the children's one here. Hoep you enjoy them and please distribute to people you know that are interested but don't have internet!

Brazil #1 Caldas Novas

We have had a great time in Brazil and are already thinking how much we would love to go back! The reason for travelling to Brazil was to take part in the BMS Latin America retreat, but we took the opportunity to have a holiday as well, and some Brazilian mission workers recommended Caldas Novas, a spa town. The water was absolutely beautiful and especially great for Neil as he sorely misses his baths and this was a decent replacement. Our hotel was pretty basic, but still had loads of pools. We also visited a fantastic water park and a lake, and we had a wonderful time at both. Sophia, after spending the whole day at the water park, still cried and cried when she had to get out of the water. Daniel learnt to snorkel, we played on a beach, had a boat ride, ate too much, went down countless slides, relaxed, played football, went to the fair, Neil and I were dragged along at high speed by a jet ski and we swam - lots. It was all pretty amazing and we felt very blessed to have such an opportunity.

More to follow on the retreat...