Team Two

Hello everyone! It has been a while since an update post, sorry to keep yall waiting I have been really busy with the second team here in Peru. Since my last update a lot has happened.

I discovered that the reason my laptop won't turn on is because it got rained on in my room from one of the holes in the roof. I didn't even realize this until the rain coming in one night woke me up and I saw the puddle; right beside where I charge things. I consider it a blessing that nothing else has been ruined, God is good! The rain ended up making Black Mold form on the walls and all under the carpet, I discovered this when I discovered the awful smell in my room was not my old socks and shoes but the strange new formations growing on the walls. I learned the word for mold in Spanish (Moho) and told Tula who graciously moved me into the room next-door on the roof. It does not have as many roof holes and is incredibly warmer and mold free, a tad smaller but as I said from the beginning I don't really need a huge room, I'm never really home anyways!

Moving onto the team: This second team was from Virginia and their mission in Peru was completely different from the VBS of the first team. This team was 11 people composed of Nuclear Physicists, Biologists, and Nasa Employees as well as their wives and children and fellow members of their church. They took their team to "Uni" (Universidad Nacional de Ingenieros) which is Peru's most prestigious Engineering College. At Uni they put on four "Charlas" (conferences/ talks) about different things ranging from CH4 production and it's effect on the atmosphere to NASA's ideas on Wing Morphing and Transformation. It was really cool because while I could barely understand these concepts in English, the students at the school just ate up all the talks and loved asking questions at the end. The last talk was on how the design of the Universe and everything in it proves our Universe has a designer (God) and how science itself points to this realization. This caused many awesome opportunities to talk with the students about God and the Gospel over lunch in the cafeteria and the next day when we rented out a restaurant close to the school to continue to discuss these important questions. At the restaurant Alex and I talked with two students about the Gospel, one who I will name Brayford did not believe in God, Heaven, or Hell and preferred to only live day to day and said maybe if he ever had a big problem in his life, he would turn to God but for now because there is no formula that proves tangibly God's existence, he choses to believe in nothing. Nihilism. We debated with him a long time and battled using the sword of Scripture and by the end of our talk he said after his final exams (this upcoming week) he would come to our church. The second person we talked to I will name Brusella. Brusella did not believe in the divinity of Christ. What she believed is he was a man who lived a beautiful perfect life for us to imitate, but when he died, he died and is not in Heaven right now on the right hand on our Lord and God full of life and pure power, pleading to the Father on our case as we enter coated in his blood. We debated with her and turned to the Gospel in Scripture found in Ephesians and John, and after a long conversation she said she too would come to our church after her finals. We prayed with Brayford and Brusella and then went with the team to dinner.

Yesterday we went to market and also down to the ocean to watch the surfers on the waves. In Peru there is not sand, just rocks. It was awesome to watch the surfers tear up the huge waves. I grabbed a handful of the rocks, they are composed of so many colors and while it is unlike any beach I've seen, this beach is absolutely beautiful. As the water touched my feet I was reminded of my past summer in Myrtle Beach, SC on LP and my night time walks on the beach singing "Jordan's Stormy Banks." To all my LP friends, I love and miss you all. I will be at Furman this upcoming year so we must meet up and yall ALL need to come to a football game at AU in the Fall!

Yesterday we also got to go to Peru's pyramids in the middle of the city, completely encroached upon by buildings but still absolutely beautiful. On the tour I met a man who was traveling alone around the world. He was from Germany so I told him I have family in Frankfurt and my Dad was born there. We talked a lot about Germany, USA, and Peru and also the Gospel. He was a Christian as well and it was encouraging to spur each other on. Thats what has been happening in my life, I only have a month and 2 days left here which is so crazy to me.

Mom and Dad and Leiron and Mimi and Pops and Uncle Houston and Cleo and Elvis and Charcoal I love and miss you all and can't wait to be at Rosies with yall when I get back! Anne, Lisa, Isabell, Kelly, Emily, Julia and Emily I miss hanging out on the mountain with yall, I love you all and can't wait to get back together. Landrum, Ruthie, Matt, Suzanne, Laura, Stephen, Michael, Olivia, Chelsea, Cameron, Quads, Spoons, Claire, Ian, Sasser, Jay, Mark, Ian, Jack, Susie, Cecil, Tay-Swift, Ashy, and any/everyone else that falls into the category of my AU people I love and miss you all and can't wait for this fall!

If you have any questions you'd like to know, just post a comment and ask!

Romans 15:13

-Chao, Cary