wrapping up

Our last day in Lima was very relaxing and refreshing. It was at least 10 degrees cooler there and breezy instead of humid. The winds from the Pacific Ocean keep it nice and comfortable. While Iquitos definitely had a tribal feel to it, Lima had more of a European flavor.

Our great tour guide Ysabel took us to a Catholic cathedral that had the bones of 25,000 people in its catacombs and 25,000 books in its library. Then we saw the governmental plaza with its distinctive architecture and colonial feel.

Next we drove up a narrow, winding road to the top of a mountain to see the huge cross at the top and the expansive view of the whole city. Then we went to the beach, which was covered in colorful, smooth rocks. They were purple, black, grey, yellow, pink and very smooth, about the size of eggs or larger. The water was surprisingly cold, as Art, Jack, and Derrick found out by wading in.

Then we headed to the market to go shopping, and the crafts there were BEAUTIFUL. I was stunned by the artistry of the colorful paintings, the detail of the ceramic sculptures, the warmth of the hand-made llama-wool clothes, and the variety of the keepsakes there. The prices were appealing too.

Lastly, we went to a city park with huge fountains that gave us an awesome laser and water show synchronized to music. That was very memorable. Derrick got it all on video. He is in charge of condensing his hours of video footage into a short movie-montage film of our experience in Peru.

Our flights from Lima to Atlanta and Atlanta to Greensboro went well and were fairly uneventful, although we wound up delayed by about an hour or two. We are so thankful for the safe and happy trip and for all the amazing people we met in Peru. Thanks also to each of you who supported and prayed for us each day while we were gone!

Arriving back at the Greensboro airport was moving. Thanks to all the friends and family who came to greet us upon our return!

Now that I'm back to my routine world, I will miss the camaraderie of getting to live and work in a group and serving others in such a tangible and rewarding way. Praise be to God for blessing us with this experience and protecting and providing for us so faithfully!!