Our Trip Up the Mountain

As Phil promised, this blog is about our adventures out of Cochabamba this past weekend to Oruro and Llallagua. So 8:30 friday morning the seven of us, Phil, Dave, Terry, Phil's Dad, Rick, his grandparents Richard and Eunice and I all piled into Terry's jeep. We headed on our way up the mountain to Oruro, a city about five hours from Cochabamba. The trip was...how do I put it in a way that will capture the adventure without giving my parents a heart attack. . .um. . . a perpetual near death experience. Haha, O.K. maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but I'll have to admit that whipping around those corners not knowing what was ahead of us, only that we were a foot from the edge of a mountain was at times. . . how would I put it, exciting!

Along the way we threw buns out the window to stray dogs (actually that was a lot more fun than one would think) and stopped to take pictures and see some hot springs. Friday afternoon we stopped in Oruro for lunch but then continued on to Llallagua. There we stopped in Murka Myra where we visited a memorial church for six people martyred in the 1940's. We also were welcomed into the home of one of the local missionaries for some Coco tea. For me Murka Myra and visiting the missionary's family was one of the highlights of the weekend. Stepping into someone's home provides an entirely new look into a culture, and in this case, when we looked we saw the love of two people showing hospitality to others and the cutest little girl that I am pretty sure Amigdio would have taken home with him if he could. The home we visited was extremely humble in wealth but rich in love. Being in Murka Myra couldn't help but challenge my lifestyle full of luxuries I call necessities.

Later on we checked into our hotel in Llallagua where Willie, the old man we all quickly befriended that worked at the hotel, served us dinner. After dinner Phil and I toured the night life of Llallagua. Walking up and down the narrow, cobblestone streets jam packed with people, street vendors selling anything from washing machines to 80 brands of shoes, we couldn't help but think of how much the little yet lively town felt like a movie set. There were bright lights but you could tell beyond the busyness of the city it was dark, quiet and desolate. The next day we joined Terry, Ivan, Amigdio and the other ministry representatives from Cochabamba for a bit for a meeting they were having. After the worship was over we left to experience Llallagua a bit more, handing out gum balls with bible verses written on the packaging to children in the street.

Later Saturday afternoon we checked out and headed back to Oruro. Dave Phil and I, wisely used that time to cram for the testimonies we would be sharing in Spanish later on that night. Notice how I use the word wisely there, however the wiser thing to do, obviously, would to have it done before we left haha. Shortly after arriving in Oruro we ate dinner quickly and then headed to one of the local churches there. The Pastor of the Church, Pastor Alex, was one of Terry's students at the seminary in Cochabamba. Phil shared with the young adults group the importance of personal devotion with God and Dave and I shared parts of our testimonies that high lighted that. Afterwards they served pastries with super salty cheese and hot, cinnamony, blueberry smoothies. Yes, Bolivian food has been a new experience for us. Another high light for us all is coming up here. After the snack the Bolivians led us, yes all of us, even Phil's grandparents, in 'The Cheppycheppy', a song/dance duo.

Sunday morning Rick lead a devotional for adult Sunday School on God's process of reuniting man with God, with himself, with others and with the earth and Phil translated! Terry gave a sermon both in the morning and in the evening. After the service we went out with some of the ladies who had latched themselves onto the available gringos...ehem...Phil and Dave. We all had a laugh about that one. Especially when one of the girls asked if she could hold Dave's arm, and Dave afraid of 'offending' anyone was compelled to say 'yes'.

Driving home Monday morning, reflecting on it all, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we found more encouragement in the people of the two humble towns than we probably brought. Whether it was the warm welcome we received every time we entered the church, the offers to go to Chile, the candies non-shelantly passed to us during services or the warm smiles, I felt undeservedly loved by people I assumed were total strangers. The people we met in Oruro and Llallagua reminded me that I shouldn't view fellow Christians as mere strangers but as people who can provide an opportunity to build up and encourage the body and be built up and encouraged myself.

-Tarryn