Extreme Peru: Part Fifteen

El Centro Histórico

This is my favorite picture of the Peru trip. Sheli and I visited the Plaza Mayor in the historic center of Lima. As we approached the cathedral, a young newly married couple passed by. I stopped them and asked, "Will you permit me a photograph?" They kindly agreed and posed for this picture. It was perfect.

The rest of these pictures are from the Plaza Mayor.





The facade of the church.







Local people enjoying the afternoon.





The Government Palace.







The streets near Plaza Mayor.



Sheli taking pictures at Plaza Mayor.

Extreme Peru: Part Fourteen

On the last day, we also had the opportunity to visit an artist market. We found all kinds of great deals, including gold and silver. We also got to practice our bargaining skills.





We passed this church as we looked for the market.

Extreme Peru: Part Thirteen

On our last day of travel, we had the opportunity to visit El Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología, e Historia del Perú (The National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru), located in Plaza Bolívar. The museum is housed inside the former residence of the Viceroy of Spain. In this picture, Sheli is standing next to an ancient stone carving.



A woman watering flowers in Plaza Bolívar.



A carved tree trunk in Plaza Bolívar.



Another carved tree trunk in Plaza Bolívar.



Plaza Bolívar.



Inside the Viceroy's residence.



Ancient Peruvian pottery.



The founding of Lima.



The Viceroys of Spain.



The Incan Kings.

Extreme Peru: Part Twelve

Avenida Sucre

The Church of the Nazarene in Lima is located on Avenida Sucre. Between sessions, I had the opportunity to snap a few random shots of the street. In the photo above, my friend Sheli is marching off to lunch. ;)

Extreme Peru: Part Eleven

Extreme Continues

We left Puerto Maldonado and flew back to Lima. After many delays, we arrived at the local Church of the Nazarene at about sunset.







Just as we did in Puerto Maldonado, we facilitated a workshop with another group of 40/40 missionaries. This session was also a powerful experience.

Puerto Maldonado

During my stay at Puerto Maldonado, I had the chance to ride a motorcycle. Those things scare me to death, but I just had to face the fear and go for a ride around town. Besides, it only cost one Sol to go just about anywhere. It's hard to really visualize the dynamics of that place, so I posted this video.

Extreme Peru: Part Ten

On my last morning in Puerto Maldonado, I got up early to see some of the town. I hailed a motorcycle, paid one Sol (about 30 cents), and rode down to Plaza de Armas, the main square.



The Catholic Church...



The Plaza de Armas had all kinds of public service announcements hand painted onto little signs. The taller of these announcements says, "Don't step on me. I also have life." The second one says, "Practice your good actions through your example."





The Madre de Dios River...



Ferrying cars across the river...



Madre de Dios means Mother of God, which is the namesake of the river and the region.

Extreme Peru: Part Nine

The Training Experience

In Puerto Maldonado, we spent two days facilitating a training experience with the 40/40 missionaries. This event was the heart of our purpose for visiting Peru.

In my experience, these kinds of trainings open a space for people to share at a deep level. I think people crave connection with others, without pretense or masks, but our habitual way of relating often prevents us from seeing our true potential for creating meaningful community. Social conditioning tells us to be nice or to keep the peace by hiding our true selves. Maybe this is appropriate in some circumstances, but in the big picture, true community begins with honesty.

Likewise, conflict is a natural part of community building. Most of us resist conflict, and yet the very things that afflict us may also hold the greatest creative energy.

It's an honor for me to work with a group and to witness their growth process, through conflict, pain, and ultimately toward honesty and healing. Once given the opportunity, these wonderful people embraced their challenges and created a new space of mutual understanding and support.

Extreme Peru: Part Eight

Extreme Nazarene

So far I've blogged about the scenery, the hotel accommodations, the transportation, and most certainly our misadventures in far-flung airports throughout South America.

Now it's time to address the reason for my trip.

About fifteen years ago, I met Sheli Yerkes (Gartman) when we both attended Spectrum Trainings, Inc. in Boise, Idaho. Spectrum was a powerful personal growth experience for both of us, and since that time, we staffed a number of trainings together. After Spectrum closed, we also co-created our own workshop experiences.

A few months ago, Sheli called to say that she planned to facilitate a series of workshops in Peru. "Do you know anyone who speaks Spanish?" she asked.

"Are you kidding?" I said. "Spanish is my thing."

That conversation opened a door for us to create a new workshop experience in Peru.

Sheli is a member of the Nazarene Church. The Nazarenes have created a missionary program called "Extreme Nazarene" (hence the title of my blog posts). The organization creates partnerships between missionaries from the United States and missionaries from the host country for about 27 months. Of course, they evangelize in their chosen areas, but they also engage in charitable work, as I mentioned before.

Initially, I had some reservations, especially because I'm not Nazarene. But Sheli supported me through my decision-making process.



The missionaries live together in a house connected to the church. The 40/40 sign on the building has reference to the name or title given to the missionaries. They often introduce themselves as, "My name is ____, I am a 40/40 missionary."



When we arrived, a recent rainfall had flooded the church and living area with water. This became a serious problem for the septic system. Quite honestly, I'm not sure how they plan to resolve this situation.





I love taking pictures of the way people naturally live in their environments, like these pictures showing the laundry hanging out to dry, or the shoes piled up outside the door.

The Fox

I'm taking a brief rest from reporting my Peru trip.

Rhonda and I took the kids to McCall, Idaho for a family reunion. As her family arrived, a fox wandered into the yard and nearly walked up to us. No doubt someone has been feeding him. We didn't give him anything to eat, but we did get some wonderful pictures.

Extreme Peru: Part Seven

La Cabaña Quinta

In Puerto Maldonado we stayed in a hotel called La Cabaña Quinta (the Fifth Cabin). For being a somewhat rustic looking town, the hotel was quite nice. It had an internet connection and a nice restaurant. I was quite impressed.

The photograph above shows the main entrance to the hotel.



The walkway connecting the main lobby with the guest rooms.



The view from my room.



The view from the front of the hotel.



The electric shower in my room.

Ah yes... what happy memories I have of the electric showers in Guatemala. At least this shower has a plastic casing around the live wires to minimize the danger of getting a good shock.