In the spring of 2007, I went on a short-term mission trip to Peru. Along with three other adults, I helped lead a group of high school juniors and seniors during their spring break. I fell in love with the people of Peru, the culture, and the food. Of course, I love traveling anywhere new, but there was something special about the people in Lima. Another unexpected plus was the realization that I had just completed travel on my 4th continent!
The trip was a week of serving in orphanages, a prison, a shanty town, and the streets of Lima. Most nights, we held conversation seminars with college students who were learning English. One day, we took a trip to the beach to meet with a Peruvian youth group at their beach retreat. We were advised not to get in the water because it was contaminated by a chicken farm down the road, but it was still a pretty beach.This is a picture of me "holding" the setting sun.
I put "watch a sunset on a west-coast beach" on my list because I have been to the west coast of America only once (a trip to San Francisco) and I didn't think about watching a sunset there. My multiple trips to east coast beaches have afforded me the opportunity to see sunrises over the ocean, so I figured that sunsets would be just as beautiful. As you can see from my pictures, I was right! =)
That night, we had a bonfire on the beach and sang worship songs - some in Spanish, some in English. I loved worshiping with people from another country who love God just like I do - even if I can't understand a word they say (beyond "Hola!" and "Gracias!") =)This is a picture of my feet by the fire. I love fires. Don't worry, I'm not a pyromaniac, but I certainly enjoy watching flames flicker in the darkness. There is something peacefully hypnotizing about watching a fire. I hear it's cheap therapy. =)
