Ines Izarnotegui Lay

This is the first day in Cuzco, and my 7th year doing mission’s trips.
I flew in Cuzco this morning. 11 800 feet high. Feels so good!

I was surprised when I was told we were doing VBS today because we used to take the first day to just aclimate and maybe walk around the area where we would work.
Also, we split the team in two and work at two sites at the same time.
The site I am in charge of is a new place. The church has a couple cell groups here and this is the first time we do a kid’s program.
Peaje is the place. Most of the people work in farms, so the kids are left alone all day long.

We are basically in the outskirts of the city of Cuzco. Surrounded by high mountains with some trees at a walking distance (I already know which one I want to hike the last day we are here) we can see one that has some ruins… they look like houses build with clay bricks with some walls and ceiling missing. Tambos is what they are called, they were used as refrigerators way back. The road is really uneven. Houses around us wigh a cow or two outside. Silence… no one is home. Until we bring some real american noise of course! hehe…

Around 35 kids were waiting for us already when we arrived. Sweet… small group, I have handled over 100 in the past so this is so cool!

I really enjoyed this day. Even though the manual has an aproach that is more citylike than country in my opinion, part of my job is to help the kids understand why we are here, other than play, entertain them and do a craft.

The kids responded so well! Oh my! I just realized it is the same number than the amount of students I had in my class the very first time I started teaching kids when I was 16…. hehe… oh! Here tears come again!

When I fnished doing the kid’s program with a prayer, I told the group we could have the bus drive behind us and we could walk out to the road while we invited kids for Monday. And then we all got in the bus and it was such a beautiful sunset in the mountains… I sang that song
“I love you Lord, and I lift my voice, to worship You, oh my soul rejoice. Take joy my King, in what You hear, May it be a sweet sweet sound in Your ear…” Oh God…. I am so humbled doing this job. It might be my last time though… I love my life!

Yesterday I left Pachacutec crying inside my heart. No one knew. Only Christian, my good friend, he is so nice coming and asking how I am doing! He didn’t know I was this sensitive about children, but he listened. And I am thankful for that. I have visited Pachacutec for a few years now. This time I noticed how much some of the kids have grown up.
Junior! He was a tough one. He would start hitting his brother hard in the middle of the program. Little by little I gained his friendship. The love I see in his eyes when he calls my name and hugs me is like no other. I have to say I am proud of that one.

How do we get to meet these precious ones and be able to pour into their lives? This is huge! Who am I to deserve their attention and respect? They teach me so much! The unending size of their faith. The infinite power to forgive. The deep understanding of grace… the pure and inocent freedom they enjoy and that I will have to wait to heaven to recuperate…

I owe them so much. If there is anything good in me, is because God whispered into my heart to listen to them, and see how much they are like Him. All I have left to do, is listen and learn.

45 degrees and I have to walk 3 blocks to my room

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 5th, 2009 at 2:54 am and is filed under Missions, Trips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.