Fancy A Climb?

"For you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James Ch1 v 3,4

Black trainers, now brown and falling apart; black trousers...also now brown with 'spikies' in them; cut hands and a heart with an irregular beat. Are you wondering why yet?! These are the consequences of climbing a mountain in Huycho that even the Inkas themselves would have raised a smile at us climbing.

Over the weekend we were staying at Casa Girasoles in Huycho, a little province about one hour outside of Cusco. We're were there spending time with 11 boys that Union Biblica are rehabilitating, educating and teaching them about the gospel. Casa Girasoles is a bit off the beaten track, planted in a gorgeous valley hugged by mountains and decorated with lush greenery and a sparkling river. As soon as you arrive here you are smacked by the beauty of the mountains and instantly you feel the creative side of you starting to tingle. The poetic side of me yearned to write about the mountains; the big ones, small ones, the ones that you couldn't see the top becuase they were in the breath of the clouds and the ones that we're frosted on top with snow.

And so i started to write....

'Over the mountains and the sea...'
'Over the white cliffs....'
'I went up to the mountain...'
'The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handyworks too...'

Ah...ok yeah, I was nicking lyrics from other songs! So I tried to write my own lyrics...
"The mountains are big..big..really big"
"We have a big God..that makes big mountains..."

They were feeb! I asked God "Why can't I write anything? You've blesed Erica and I with such a beautiful vision and yet...nothing comes out!"

I was staring to worry...thinking that I had a cold heart to the things that we're being shown to me. And so, I left my paper and pen under my bed with the stolen one lines dedicated to beautiful mountains.

That was until yesterday, I took out my book of thoughts and I will tell you why. After church the children invited Erica and I for a walk up Montana Zero. Sporting our climbing gear, my fetching red anorak ( in appreciation of my mum - she always wears a red anorak when we are walking!), our cameras in hand we were definatley ready to go for a walk up the hill and take some photos; hopefully getting that 'one' photo that would capture the beauty so we would be able to show you guys.

Before Erica and I had even started our walk, I looked on the mountain and saw some of the children stuck like little alpacas - designed to trot up mountains with ease on the side of a mountain not designed for humans to trot up...with ease.

Things started quite nicely. A few kids were holding our hands on our easy walk; Erica was joking with the kids as she took photo's of them 'jokingly' trying to scramble up the mountains 'death' face.

"Eh, they have to be careful - there's no way that they can get up the mountain that way," Erica said rightly in innocent unaware of the adventure ahead of us. So we called the boys back down the face of the mountain and they continued to lead us on the correct path.The gradient started to get a bit steeper, but it was ok, I was feeling quite fit and was happy that I had put on my comfy shoes that I knew would stay on my feet until I had reached the top (to see what happens when I don't have my comfy shoes on when climbing, refer to the blog in New Zealand.)

The first 'challenging' thing that happened was passing a very angry (unchained) dog that was on our path. I don't know why the dog was angry but I was very sorry for anything I had done to upset it. With my eyes closed tightly the children helped me pass the dog and shouted 'Ugly dog! Ugly dog!' that actually calmed the dog down! Leaving this first challenge behind, we continued merrily on our adventure.
Thankfully Gideon, a child of nine years, lead me up the hill. He turned and faced the already weak Lorna and said, "This is where the steps end!". I smiled back and gave a wink, assuming we'd probably just about reached the top. Hmmmm...no! I was about to have my first encounter with 'the spikies' and experience humility at a new level!

Further up the mountain we climbed without steps...or actually anything that would help my sliding feet grip at all. This was when I had my first hand shake with one of the spikiest plants that I've come across - it wasn't a cactus, but i'm pretty sure that it was one of it's family members - to me I saw it as it's naughty little brother - looks pretty innocent but plays tricks on you if you come too close.

All glamour (if there was any) was taken out of the jaunt in the Peruvian mountains as I found my technique for getting up the mountain. I was on all fours as I found myself mimicing the 'montbaca', a technique I found to be a pretty successful way of getting up the mountain!

My feet lost their balance on the sliding stones and my free hand (the other one had the camera in it) reached out in desperation to grasp anthing that would stop me from seeing the bottom of the mountain again and so in my head there was two options; grabbing a smaill child and risking both our lives was one option, but the other option that would only hurt me was reaching out for the plant - 'spikey'.

Squeezing my lips in pain and pretending the tears in my eyes were tears of laughter, joining the boys that we're breathlessly hee-howing at me I pulled out the spikes that pierced my wee hand and whimpered as i realised that we were now walking up the 'death' side of the mountain.

The mounmtain was getting steeper and the 'spikies' were overtaking the ground. I felt the pressure in my throat, my ready to stomp a tantrum believing that I couldn't do anymore, when suddenly I saw a hand reach out for mine.

My knight in a dusty blue t-shirt, a pair of nike shorts and flip flops was called Jose. Jose is a helper at the boys home and has many a time, strolled up this mountain - I think for fun - and so knew the best way to lead me up.
And he did, although the way up the mountain was full of 'challenges' Jose took me around them and made sure that I reached the top of the...alive.

I met back up with Erica at the top of the summit. We furiously started taking pictures like the view was going to disappear at any moment. In this moment of flashing lights and smiles, Erica stood on 'spikies' cousin 'sharpy' now this cousin was out to kill. I heard Erica squeal and all eleven boys ran over to her rescue. 'Sharpy' had made his way through Erica's trainers into her foot; in her pain Erica must have forgotten her spanish and cried out 'What in the name?! It's in ma foot!!' The children trying to respond to her call picked up her foot and Erica was now balancing on the peak of the mountain on one leg. " I cannae go back any further, or I'm gonna fall of the mountain!"

I wasn't too sure what to do. I would have run over to her rescue as well if it weren't for two things.
1: Me dying of laughter because Erica was talking to the children in broad Scots language.
2: Me actually dying if I tried to run over the hair pin top to get to where she was!

But hurrah for the boys as they carried on whipping the spikes our of Ericas foot. After the chaos of the accident I finally had time to take in the blessing that God had put in front of me.

Describing what it was like at the top of is difficult. I don't think I would do the view any justice with words so I will let the photos speak for themselves. I may not know how to describe the beauty but I do know that I would have shaken hands with a thousand 'spikies' to reach the top just to see it. In this moment I finally heard the word that God was waiting to tell me about the mountain.

If you want to write about the mountain - you have to experience the mountain.

To reach the top of the mountain was to experience everything that the mountain had to offer; to see the land below in all it's glory and the other mountains that joined in union. I was seeing the full picture; recieving the full gift that the mountain wanted to give...the reason it was there. We had endured the climb and reached the top, and this was our reward.

I believe that God gives each one of us our own mountain. God wasn't wanting to give me inspiration of the mountain by what it looked like but he wanted to give me the gift of the mountain by what if felt like to experience it.

With the mountain that God gives each and everyone of us we choose to either stay at the bottom and imagine the top, never fufilling our full desire to know what the mountain could offer; some of us start climbing the mountain but either stand still or even give up climbing because of the 'spikies. But let me tell you what happened to the pins in my hand that the 'spikies' had left. I took the pin out, wiped away the blood and was only left with a little mark - probably couldn't even see it! I still had both my hands and they were there ready to grasp the hands that were there to help me. Some of us are making it up our mountain. We are holding onto Jose's hands. Holding onto people that have been through the tracks before and making new tracks together.

Jesus will never leave you to climb your mountain alone. Infact he wants us to join hands and help each other up the mountain. Because at the top is our reward. He doesn't want one person to miss out on it. And no one has to miss out if we just take the hand of the person that is holding out theirs to help.

And if you do miss the hand and put it in a 'spikey' - keep going, it might hurt, but pull out the pin, wipe away the blood and realise its actually nothing - don't let 'nothing' stop you from getting that full gift.

Going down the hill is another story. I was going to put my full Gold insurance in use and call for the air search rescue to come and find us but Erica didn't have any signal on her phone. So instead I grabbed the hand of Jose and also Edgar (The 'pappi' for the home) and together we made it down the mountain. My technique for getting down the mountain was more of a slide and if I was lucky my foot would hit a rock to support me; and if i wasn't , it was my toosh that was feeling the consequences.

So for me now - thinking about super gluing my pair of trainers, giving my trousers a scrub and my heart a check over. I loved my mountain walk, but if the kids offer us to go on another one I might have to pass - hey I've experienced it! If I need reminding - I've got the pictures!

Big God love

Lorna xxxx

Wonderful Chaos

I´m finding it difficult to compartmentalised everything that is in my head right now so please bare with me as i try to relay the wonderful chaos that has been our lives for the past few weeks, since our last entry.

Starting with the most recent and unbelievably, unexpectedly wonderful birthday. I never imagined turning twenty five would be such a joyous event but the boys in Casa Girasoles, Kawai (y mi mejor amiga, Lorna) managed to make it exactly that, ensuring I had a birthday I will never, ever forget. The festivities kicked off at 3am...yes as in the middle of the night. I´m assured that serenading random Scottish girls is not something the children do often but rather their singing is part of a custom they have here and a special treat for loved ones on their birthdays; that and throwing eggs at them. Thankfully I managed to avoid the latter despite the efforts of the little ones. I felt completely blessed (if not a little tired) that they would do that for me and so I actually loved every second of their singing. I will never forget all thirty boys, washed and smartly dressed in their school uniforms, no doubt having completed their morning chores and breakfast early in order to perform the torture...I mean treat, is a sight for which I will be eternally grateful.


The festivities did not stop there infact that was only the beginning. The day went from wild to wilder. Cancelling afternoon classes - a bit too eagerly I might add ( Lorna and I were teaching the boys English in the afternoons after school) the boys set about organising a surprise party! It started with pass the parcel, musical chairs (carnage), pin the glasses on Raul (the house Padre) and I even had a go at wrecking my very own, first and I´m sure last, piñata. Sharing a house with thirty boys meant that we did¨t get any of the sweets from the hanging Spiderman but that didn¨t detract from what really was an amazing birthday. Thank you all so much for sending sweet messages and pressies (thanks Drummie!) I feel far too old...I mean loved.
And so as you can see we´ve delved into the second part of the Soul Touch mission in our typical style - chaos... wonderful chaos!

For those of you who we did manage to see on our wee week in Bonnie Scotland will be able to testify it never really stopped. Arriving in Edinburgh to long awaited smiles, cuddles, tears and champagne on ice Lorna and I soon forgot the troublesome 48 hours + that it had taken to get from Bolivia, including cancelled flights, 13 hours in a taxi through Bolivia on what they assured us were roads, a long nights wait in Lima airport and a hospital visit. Don´t worry we´re both well. We were there awaiting the arrival of Marisole and Emilio¨s fourth baby but sadly baby Gabriel didn´t arrive until after our departure! (Welcome to the world gorgeous! We can´t wait to meet you!).

The weekend that followed was full of the excitement of seeing our families and participating in the conference...we know you´ve all been waiting to hear about the World Without Walls conference and so we won´t keep you in suspense any longer.It¨s an event that we and I know many of you have been praying for, for a long time. Over 300 churches from around Scotland participated, each purchasing a tent. The proceeds from which along with the actual tent were sent to partnership churches in the developing world. Each congregation presented information about their church lives inside their tents, sharing faith stories!

As Lorna and I walked round the tented village so many of our anxieties were stilled; prayers were answered and realities were confirmed - Firstly the anxiety, or rather excitement that we had for the event itself. We´d been reading about the preparations from afar and so it was a real blessing to see so many come together. We´ve actually been praying since the beginning of this trip (and many of you have prayed with us around the world), for the churches in Scotland, that we´d see a revival, an awakening in that place. Well our prayers are always are heard!

And then finally our wee reality check. The reality that the church in Scotland is wonderful but that the best is still yet to come. We recognise our part in the body of Christ but we also recognise where we´ve been wounded and where we need help being healed. The most awesome thing about the conference was that it was confirmation that the healing has started.

One of the best moments for me was being given the opportunity to sing with my stunningly talented sister something I´ve longed to do the whole time we´ve been away, singing songs she has composed:
"Lord of the broken hearted. Lord over all. We are here waiting to hear your call.
Though we are broken hearted, though we may fall - we must be willing ready and listening, trusting you Lord over all.
For only you can restore in us hope
Only you can revive us again
Only you that can answer the prayers of our hearts so Lord we cry out to you (Lyrics Eliza Bonnar)
As I stood hand in hand with my sister and Lorna looking over our nation, Ian gently echoing this chorus behind on his guitar, I was touched by God¨s grace, so thankful for the humility he gives his people.

The Church of Scotland gathered together in that place crying out for revival, recognising that it is only God that can send it but they were most definitely making sure that they were ready and waiting for it to come!

Lorna and I spoke a lot over the week we were there, at every given opportunity. Not in the limelight (although given the chance...) but to the people. We shared with them stories, stories you´ve shared with us. We shared testimonies, testimonies you´ve shaped by sharing your faith, homes and lives with us on this indescribable journey.

Lastly we shared with them our vision for the future, a vision we share with you. Of seeing justice being brought to the nations. We¨ve simply been given, the responsibility, the girt and the massive privilege of being the intermediators.

And so we celebrated with our friends at home about what God is doing in the nations, reuniting with friends we made in Uganda and Argentina. The celebrations for me were almost overwhelming.

Finishing the week witnessing my brother marry his beautiful wife and best friend Fiona. Lorna and I we´re with them in the Jungle in Peru when they met and even the monkeys were talking about their flirting. It was a complete joy to be part of the ceremony - a privileged to share their special day and a complete riot on the dance floor! Needless to say little sleep was had but lots of love was shared in that week.

We truly thank God for the time we had at home - maybe not sleeping but we both definitely left completely energised and elated by what God is doing in Scotland!

We are now, as you know, in Peru working with Union Biblica. Some of you will probably know of their work, although possibly not directly. They work in partnership with The Vine Trust. An organisation also birthed out of Bo¨ness Scotland. In previous years Lorna and I have only really participated in the work they do with street children and the medical teams. These ministries in themselves reach hundreds of thousands of lives. The work that is going on out here really warrants its own TV series.....oh and it has one. I know many of you have been enjoying the Amazon Hope series on ITV. Lorna and I enjoyed it from Australia thanks to technology! In the next few weeks we hope to get a little more insight into the other work they do within schools aswell as visiting the numerous homes they now have in 6 different areas of Peru. Homes for children who once lived on the streets. Children like those who sang to me and partied with me on the 19th of May. Children, whom given the opportunity to shine, brighten up lives. Being here with them has certainly brightened up mine!


Love from Cusco
Erica xxx