Hope in the Highlands – Part 2 – Making New Friends

David Scott Fields II, Senior Writer • June 22, 2022

One of the things I learned very quickly on my trip is that Peruvians, especially Peruvian believers, are very welcoming. I, a “gringo” foreigner and complete stranger, was greeted by many with a hug, and they were most gracious to me as I practiced my limited Spanish. Two of the first new friends I met were Emilio and Ayde, local Peruvians and dear friends and disciples of the Sheets. Ayde wanted to share her community with me, so we set out exploring. Something you quickly learn about Arequipa is that walking is the most efficient way of getting around. The traffic problems are enough to test even the most patient driver, and public transportation…well more on that later.

So off we went – Ayde and her two sons, and Sarah and her youngest son Andrew, and myself. Our trek began down the Ejército, the main street on the Sheet’s side of the city. We stopped by a few monuments, including one depicting the popular bull fights and another representing Don Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray, a president of Peru during the 19th century and national hero.

What were the most impressive, however, were the cathedrals, the most stunning being the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, which we toured later that week. These towering and ancient stone structures are works of art in themselves, and Arequipa has several of them. As the Sheets explained, Arequipa is full of religion – Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Animism, Catholicism. In fact, Sarah recounted one point during the height of the pandemic when the image of the Virgen de Chapi, a sacred image of Mary, the mother of Christ, was flown over the city by helicopter. Thousands make pilgrimages to this icon each year to pray for healing, but because most were restricted to their homes, the statue was flown over the city for people to pray up to from wherever they were.

Unfortunately, no religious practice outside of biblical Christianity provides the true means of salvation – faith in Jesus Christ. As Ephesians 2:8-9 explains, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (ESV). Also, Acts 4:11-12 which reads, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (ESV) As I saw all the various idols and icons in the cathedrals, the worship of which the Bible forbids, it was hard to believe the faith of many in Arequipa is properly placed.

Eventually, Ayde led us to the San Camilo Market. The best way to describe it would be a huge flea market with everything from vegetables to souvenirs to animals for sale. It was an incredibly exciting place, and for the avid souvenir hunter, one need look no further. I personally wasn’t ready to buy souvenirs at that point, but we couldn’t leave before I was introduce to the animal market. One type of animal for sale there was the Guinea pig – which is actually a Peruvian delicacy, but at this point I have not worked up the courage to try it.

By the time we were finished at San Camilo, we were all pretty tired. We had walked several miles by that point, so Ayde and Sarah thought it best that we take public transportation back home. The next thing I knew I was jumping onto a bus packed to the brim with people with only standing room available (and that just barely). I, of course, snagged a spot right in the open doorway. It was all I could do to keep from falling out of the moving bus back out onto the street. Thankfully, I eventually got to take a seat, but with all the bumps, hills, blasting horns, and defensive driving, traffic in Arequipa is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Despite the bumpy ride, we made it home safe and sound that day, and getting to spend time with my new friend Ayde was a true blessing – the first of many such blessings I would experience in Peru.

References

Scripture quotations are from The ESV ® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.