Pachamaca in Huancayo

No this is not an out-house but rather a underground oven being prepared for cooking our food. This process is called "pachamaca".

 Much preparation is needed for this big meal. We were able to go shopping in the market for the ingredients.

 The special rocks need to be heated for about four hours until they are nice and hot.

 The ladies prepare the food to be placed in the ground with the hot rocks.

 This year we were cooking four different meats (lamb, chicken, pork, and guinee pig).

 Once the rocks were ready we began to arrange the food in the ground with the things needing to cook the longest (the potatoes) on the bottom until the things that were steamed (the vegetables) on the top.

 It's than covered with brush and tarp and buried with dirt so that no steam escapes.

 It takes just a little over an hour to cook in the ground which is just enough time to take pictures and play some table games.

 Uncovering and removing the food is an exciting time.

 Than comes the part of eating the food and enjoying the labor.

Thanks to all who made it possible to have this pachamaca at our house.

Serving in Iglesia Bautista El Alfarero

What a blessing to come back to our church in Huancayo and see so many faithful in the church. It was a privilege to direct music, scripture reading, special music, and have good fellowship with our friends in the church.

 It was good to see the Melgarejo family together in the church as the husband works in the mines and is away for a long time.

 

We enjoy the visitors that stop to spend time with us when we are home. 

Survey Missions trip to Oxapampa and Pozuzo

This would be our second time to visit Oxapampa. It's a mountainous jungle city that has a German touch to it. Back 150 years ago many German immigrants settled in this area. It has a mixed heritage with indigenous indians, German immigrants, and Peruvians from the mountains. 

 

 Many of the buildings are made out of wood rather than the adobe mud and bricks like the mountain towns.

 Just a few hours further from Oxapampa is a town called Pozuzo. It's more difficult terrain to arrive there but more beautiful scenery and waterfalls along the way.

The main city plaza offered many statues and structures for pictures.

Pozuzo from a scenic overlook.

Country taxi in the mountains as many people hitch rides on the back of pick-up trucks.

 One day while taking in the sights our van hit a rock which broke the oil filter and quickly drained out all the oil resulting in our van motor to lock up and freeze. We were stranded and needed to load our van onto a cattle truck and have it shipped to Oxapampa where a mechanic could diagnose it.

 Jon was steering the van into the back of the truck and needed to climb through and out the back of the van to get out.

 The girls rode on the top of the truck and played a new game they called "dodge or die" because the branches of trees that we were passing. The waterfalls and steep cliffs made it into an adventurous ride to be remembered.

We stopped for lunch at a german restaurant where they served schnitzel.

 This car was stuck and needed a push to get through the terrain.

 Remember the girls are riding on top looking down the side of the mountain.

 They pulled the tarp over top of them when it began to rain.

Back in Oxapampa waiting to hear what the mechanic can do to fix our van.

 

The things you see while walking through the market in Peru.

 Katie is very daring as she climbs trees and walks on the obstacle course.

 Oxapampa from a scenic overlook.

 The mechanic removed the engine from the van and will be shipping it to the capital city of Lima to have it repaired. It will take two to three weeks and required us to cut our trip short and return to our home in Huancayo on a bus until it's repaired.