Our Trip to Chivay & Colca Canyon
We have lived in Arequipa for 5 ½ months and have not had even a sprinkle of rain of any kind until Wednesday of last week. I was so excited when I heard the light drops on our roof, I ran outside and took a picture. Apparently, that was the beginning of the rainy season because it has rained every day since!
As the evening progressed, the rain increased in strength and lasted through the night. When I woke up Thursday morning, I chose to do my morning run up the hill so I could see if the volcanoes that surround Arequipa got some significant snow. I’ve only seen it in pictures, but I was hoping to see it for real. I wasn’t disappointed because it was spectacular! I ran home and drug President Chipman up to the temple to take some pictures.
Later that morning, we left for a branch conference that Dave needed to preside over in the small village of Chivay which is located high in the Andes. We were told that it is a beautiful destination so we decided to go a few days early so we could explore the area and to learn more about it. The branch president had contacted President Chipman on a number of occasions saying that they would love some full-time missionaries assigned to their branch because they have many people who are interested in learning more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
It was just over a three-hour drive to Chivay from Arequipa and the route took us over a pass above 16,000 feet (4900m). That is more than 2000 feet higher than any place in our home state of Colorado, so we were excited to finally go see it. Our car had to really chug to get over the passes, but we were met with beautiful vistas, snow, and large herds of vicunas, llamas, and alpacas.
Lucky for us, Chivay and the towns of the Colca Valley were having a festival held in homage to the Virgin Immaculate Conception. All weekend they celebrated with traditional dancing and marching through the streets. As we met people, we learned that some in these villages don’t speak any Spanish, rather they speak Quechua, which is an indigenous language found high in the Andes. Dave loved asking people to teach him Quechua words to add to his vocabulary.
We enjoyed driving through the villages that clung to the edges of Colca Canyon with their terraces. The canyon boasts to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, and it is framed by active volcanoes and mountains that reach higher than 20,000 ft.
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The canyon is famous for viewing the soaring Andean Condor (for which we saw many) and hiking to villages with hot springs and oases located 3700 meters below the rim. Being from Colorado, we felt obligated to hike to the bottom of course. Let’s just say that the descent was much easier than coming back up to the top! Our legs have been sore ever since.
On Sunday, we enjoyed attending the Chivay Branch Conference where approximately twenty people gathered. It was so good to be with them and to feel the peace and comfort of the spirit as we partook of the sacrament and sang hymns. I couldn’t help but think of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 6:32 where it it says:
Verily, verily, I say unto you,....where two or three are gathered together in my name, …..behold, there will I be in the midst of them–even so am I in the midst of you”.
Every Sunday, we meet with various congregations in remote areas of Peru and this week we were in Chivay. I am grateful to have this unique opportunity because I gain so much when I meet people who are very different from myself. I have learned that we are all Children of a loving Heavenly Father who knows and loves all of us personally, one by one. The Spirit testifies this truth to my heart every week, and I know it is true. I get to see and witness that the Gospel of Jesus Christ works for every one, in every situation.
