"On the dot...At the latest..."

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Meat wagon

Feed oats

Waiting for the bank

Blind mandolinista

Precarious

A field of dreams

The news

Bread boy

Morning sun

Sacks of live chickens

Chicks

A happy guy

Pups

Spoon art

Springs

Carrier

In her finery

Bags of bile

Snouts and hoofs

Walk the walk

We had a good work day on Monday and attended our district meeting Monday night. We have been changed to the Picchu Alto district and now walk to the Tullumayu chapel for our meetings. We miss the missionaries in Urubamba but not the three plus hours of travel time. We are happy to be closer to home. We showed up at 6pm, punctually. The elders with the keys arrived at 6:15 and then the Sister missionaries arrived at 6:45 due to transportation issues.

Rich left for Andahuaylas Wednesday morning for meetings in the evening with the branch and district presidencies. He rode with President Reátegui to Abancay, then caught a bus for Andahuaylas. It’s about a 7-8 hour road trip from Cusco and Rich was pretty wiped out when he arrived. 

The hotel we use in Andahuaylas is fairly decent but you have to ask to have a heater brought to your room and they charge you an extra 5 soles/night (about $1.65) It’s totally worth it. When the girl brought the heater to his room, she plugged it in for him. They usually send a guy who just drops it off. When she turned it on, she bent down and pushed a button in and a fan started to whir. It made Rich think of the joke about the guy who only cuts half the wood the chainsaw specs say it will cut. When the mechanic fires it up, the owner jumps back and says, “What’s that noise?” He felt sheepish that he had not discovered the heater fan before. It actually blows warm air out. It was toasty in the room.

When he walked back to the hotel after his meetings, he stopped off to have dinner. When he left, the road ahead looked suspiciously dark. When he got to it, it felt like that part in “The Year of Living Dangerously” when Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver drive down the Thai road in the dark… Anyway, nothing so dramatic, the power had gone out and he had to muddle home in the dark. And the heater became moot. However, it came on after a while.

Julie stayed home Wednesday because the internet people promised they would come to change our internet provider. The provider even used the words, "Wednesday, at the latest..." Surprise, surprise no one came and we still have the same unreliable internet. Our landlord is, "Communicating," with the new company Claro, but we still don’t know when they will come to make the change. We do know that the order is in…. at least that’s what we were told. Customer service is sorely lacking in this country.

Suddenly we have been pleased to discover REAL white aged cheddar cheese, and swiss cheese from a New Zealand provider. This showed up very unexpectedly  a few weeks back. We have regularly gone to the store to ask when they will be getting more. The cheese counter ladies always tell us, "Next Thursday at the latest." We are not sure why Thursday is the day of choice, but it never has actually shown up on Thursday.

Then on Saturday, we had friends call and ask if we would be in to bring by an invitation to their wedding. This had all of the same conviction as other commitments. "We will come by between 1 and 2pm at the latest..." These communications always have an, "On the dot," or "At the latest," component that lulls us into a false sense of security, stupidly... At 5:45, we have still heard nothing.

Julie worked on Thursday and Rich called to say that he couldn’t leave Abancay until noon as the road between there and Cusco would be closed from 6am to 12pm for construction. Even when he did leave at noon, the traffic was held up for more than a half hour because of this construction. He slept in a little, ha ha ha... Rich slept in until 4am, then left Andahuaylas about 8:30am for the three hour ride to Abancay. He was able to get right into a car and arrived home about 4:30pm. Traveling here is so beautiful but the switchbacks and hairpin turns, the narrow roads and shear drop offs traveling through the Andes leave us completely exhausted. Rich received a call from his good friend Lee who told us of the passing of his father. We were sad to hear the news but also relieved for him and Lee and his family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Petersen family.

Julie worked Friday morning and Rich had a missionary release and other things to do at the mission office. We met for lunch, did some grocery shopping and had a relaxing evening at home.

Saturday morning we got up early and walked to the Baratillo. It’s always an adventure as we walk past all the chickens, ducks and guinea pigs for sale on the railroad tracks. The noise and smell is overwhelming and it’s never the same. We walked from there to the San Pedro market, not an easy feat as the streets and sidewalks are jammed with busses, people and vendors with their wares spread out anywhere and everywhere. It really is an assault on the senses in every way possible! The privilege of serving where and when we are is never lost on us. When we get to the weekend, we always ask, “What happened this week?” When we take stock, we come away astounded at the wealth and richness of our lives. We have been blessed by wonderful family and friends who give us joy and make our service a possibility. We love it here and thank you for all that you do!