We serve an amazing, all powerful, all knowing, all hearing, and all seeing God! Sunday, I saw both ends of the spectrum here in Peru.
First of all, Rachel and I set out for church! Sunday school with pastor Eric is always really good. You start out with a few people, then more keep coming in. We had almost 50 in SS and all the benches were full! We are working or way through Acts. Everyone is learning the chapter themes, and a memory verse. He is very interesting to listen to, and does a great job.
Hein gave me the music for Sunday morning... Drumroll... Thursday! That has to be a record for the most time ahead! I enjoy the challenge of playing on short notice, but it also is nice to have a bit of time to prepare. I played all morning, and all the praise to God, I did my best, and it went well. I never heard a song before, but I counted and plunked it out for a few days. I didn't know how fast it was, so played that part by ear. ;-) Raquel and I played "In Christ Alone" or "Solo en Jesús". I played that song from memory the first Sunday I was here, and every time I'm on the piano, someone asks me to play it. It's definitely their favorite! Like Christin and I do sometimes, she played the right hand part up high, and I played chords down below. It's a very beautiful song with beautiful words! We played well, and I really enjoyed it. I don't want to seem like I'm coming in to dominate and I want to include people here for sure!
I watched a few people for when to do what. In the states, you play your intro and go straight into the song, and when you finish one song, you go straight into the next song. Not so here. There is a break between every song. When you start a song, you play your intro and stop. The person leading will say "cantamos" or "dos, tres, cantamos". The morning went very smoothly, for which I was very thankful! I sat with some girls towards the front because I needed to play at the end. Pastor Samuel preached on Acts 4. Very soon, they were at the end and I went to play the closing hymn. They couldn't get the words to work I later found out, but they didn't sing it, so I played that while everyone was leaving. It all worked out!
We went to lunch at this one really good restaurant that we have gone to before. We both got basically extra large extra good chicken nuggets with rice and French fries and a salad. We got to watch part of the world cup. I think it was 0-0 and then with 5 min left, one team made a point to win the game.
The festival celebrating El Señor de Torrechayoc is coming to a close, and after lunch when we were walking back home, we heard some commotion in the town square. We walked down because it seems that I have missed a bunch of the festival. We usually hear it when we are trying to sleep or when we are in church. We really had perfect timing. Later we asked someone, and they said it was the last day, and what the people were carrying was the "real thing". (People will have miniature ones, or flags from their church or that they got made because they contributed to something. They will bring them to the festival and carry them in the parade. Because they carried it the whole way it is supposed to be blessed)
When we got there, it was passing the catholic church in the main town square. There were older prominent men in suits who carried it slowly with solemn music past the church. People were in front with candles and burning incense. The cross itself is on a carved wooden platform. It takes at least 10 men to carry it. It's so heavy, and they think they are partaking/helping with Christ's sufferings. They will load it down extra with bricks and rocks to try to please God more. At the very top of the cross, there is a small picture of Jesus. The Torrechayoc is kinda like Urubamba's picture of Jesus. He has a crown of thorns, but his eyes are not painted really. They are weird to look at. The coverings of the cross are very ornate. On the back though were 2 pictures of a car and a bus. Rachel said that the person that had that covering made wanted it, and had a better chance kinda of getting it.
Once they passed the church, the younger men took the statute and the music changed to more lively music. We went on ahead to the chapel where they keep it, because Rachel was trying to figure out of that was the real thing. The church was empty... It's not a holy festival worshipping God. It's an excuse to mix what they want with God. Drunkenness and immodesty are rampant. And the church is empty. There is no hope.
Right by the chapel, there are booths selling candles and pictures of the Torrechayoc and rosaries. The different colors of candles you can buy to light mean different things. Yellow is for health, white for peace, green for money, blue for work, and then there were other colors and meanings too. We asked a few people selling them, but could never figure out what the orange meant. When we were walking back, the statute was making its way up the street. A few dancers were out, but not as many as other days. Rachel has some more pictures on her computer, so I am going to get those sometime.
We headed back home for a afternoon of skyping, a little dishes and room arranging, and relaxing. Ariel is coming Saturday, and we had to get a bed in here and have enough space for all her stuff. I talked to my mom back home for a while, and got to hear all about your VBS. Sounds like everyone that came had a good time. I'm sad to miss it. It's hard to imagine 100 degree weather when I wake up to 40 degrees in my house.
If you Google "El Señor de Torrechayoc Urubamba Peru" you will get some pictures and video. Watch at your own risk. It's very different than anything in the states. (Some people aren't so modest, btw)
Sunday evening was... Unforgettable and very...special. We got there early and people were watching the world cup on Mr Rojas computer. US vs Portugal. That was fun. I asked Cassandra if she had the songs and if she wanted me to play anything. She ended up getting a list of numbers 5 minutes before. I had never heard of half of them. I told Cassandra if she needed to go out, I would play at the end. When we were signing, I think we sang 1 song from the list, and then other ones. The guy leading singing didn't strike me as to prepared, and he definitely liked the sound of his own voice! He is slightly charismatic ish... I told Rachel that I didn't think I could ever play with him leading. He was so unpredictable!!! He works talk soooo much between songs, if you found the right place to play the intro, he would be "dos....... Tres........... Cantamos....." And then start of at a flying speed! It struck me funny. :-)
At the end, Raquel motioned the "you go play" motion to me and the Rachel got out of the row, so I had to and wanted to go. I walked up not knowing how things were going to end up and not knowing what I was playing. I turned to the last song on the list, but we ended up singing a different one. I had heard it before, but never played it. It only has 3 flats. The main trouble I had was trying to figure out when to play my intro. I really didn't know what he was saying, so that complicated things more. Whenever he stopped talking I would be ready, then he would start taking again. :-) That song went OK. They sang some choruses not from the hymn book, so I didn't have to play those.
Then came all the birthdays. Remember, I can't understand him. Rachel motioned to me that the song was 633 so I knew where to find it. He kept stopping and starting his talking that I really couldn't tell when I was supposed to come in. He raised his hand and stopped talking, so I started my intro... And quickly ended with a C chord when I could obviously tell I came in at the wrong time. :-) :-) it was hilarious and awful at the same time! This gringo was trying so hard and was doing my best, and right then it didn't work out. I waited until I knew for sure it was my turn, then tried round 2. I did it at the normal speed I had heard it sung, he did his slow dos, tree, and then took off 5x faster than normal. I was very surprised, and for the first line I was playing catch up. Other then those minor details, piano went great! I've learned to look at the director not the slides to determine how many verses to sing. That's improvement from the beginning. I'm really appreciating all the work and organization Mrs Tracy does. It's a pretty awesome system when you can get your music a month ahead. :-) :-) thanks!
I played the closing hymn, and then played around afterwards. Like I said, their favorite song is "In Christ is Alone" so I played that with guitar and violin and Raquel. Hein in the back was messing with my volume, and after that song, in a funny way was like, "I quit, no more piano tonight!" All in all it wasn't too awful. Part of the fun is learning to play on the fly, and there is a lot of that over here!!!
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