Psalm 46:10: The Journey Home...

Oh my… a week, it has been, in the immortal grammar structure of Yoda. I’m sorry to have kept you all in suspense, disappearing (more or less) for a week from the blog world, but I promise you will not be let down.

A secret plan two or three weeks in the making went into action last Thursday as I grabbed a bus (after sleeping in later than I would have liked) from Riobamba to Guayaquil, a HUGE city (twice as big as the capital I’ve been told) 5 hours away that has an airport. I caught an overpriced taxi (the taxi from the bus station to the airport cost $3 for a 10 minute ride while the five hour bus ride cost $4.5) to my terminal and flew from Guayaquil to Lima, Peru. What might I be doing in Lima, Peru, you ask?! Keep reading…

That night I had the privilege of meeting two pretty cool dudes, Danny and Roberto. The initial plan was that because I really wanted to watch The Dark Knight (still had yet to see it), I would stay the night in a cheap hotel near the airport. Problem was that there were no cheap hotels (all in the 40-50 dollar range) except for one that Danny had a bad feeling about (security reasons). So I went back to Danny’s place in an insane commute (not because of the distance, but the Peruvian driving). There is no such thing as “defensive driving” in Peru. If you give an inch, they’ll take a foot. Where the road is marked for three lanes, four can usually be found. If you don’t aggressively bully your way through traffic, you will go nowhere fast. Hah.

Anyway, at Danny’s house I watched “Man on Fire”, an alright Denzel Washington movie that disappointed me a bit with the end of the movie. I found myself waiting for the climax forever, and when it came, not being satisfied with the result. Too much revenge. I also watched “Head of State” with Chris Rock and was also disappointed with that. Maybe it’s just not my type of humor, but I found the movie to be pretty dumb.

Anyway, after a work out, sleep, and a quiet time, Danny and I embarked on errands. We went to pick up Bibles for a missions trip (hmmm…!?) and then we were supposed to go see the Dark Knight that afternoon. The story goes that the movie theater took off all the subtitled movies for that one day. That one day. So we went all across town in search of a movie theater with the subtitled Batman, but when we finally found one it began too late. So we headed off to the airport to wait for some people to arrive… those people including HUNTER AND MY DAD! Yes, I surprised Hunter (my Dad knew) by flying down to Lima to join he and my Dad on their missions trip for a few days… they arrived that night, but a combination of my nifty disguise and some miscommunication led to them passing right by me, going out the door, and right to our hotel! I saw them leave, but couldn’t leave the luggage (Danny had gone with the trip leader, Dan Hitzhusen, to grab a bite). When they returned, we all searched the airport for them and finally discovered they’d gone on to the hotel. We waited until another father-son pair, Ben and Sam Clark, arrived, then all journeyed to the hotel (ironically one of the ones we had looked into the night before and decided was too expensive). Once there, well… just watch the clip below (coming soon)…

I had a great reunion with Dad and Hunter, he was super-surprised and thankful, and it was just such a blessing to be with family again. We went to bed, got up early the next morning, had a so-so breakfast and then flew to Cusco, Peru, the site of the missions trip. Dad, Hunter, and the team (a combined effort of E3 and Unveiling Glory) were going to use the Evangicube (a nifty little device) to evangelize Cusco Peru and help plant two daughter churches! Once there, we checked into a too-nice hotel (I felt a little spoiled- my wallet also didn’t like me when I paid the extra money for our room), and then walked around the town. Super-gringo. I was in Lima 4 years ago with Teen Mania (a GREAT trip) and got to see a different side of Peru and was a bit sad that my family wasn’t getting that experience, but this was just the first day. At the Italian Restaurant where we ate lunch, Hunter beat my butt at a Rock-Paper-Scissor tournament. Darn it. Did I mention that he’s getting huge?! Hunter is well above my shoulder-level now and his voice is nearing the deepening stage (it’s in the process… hahaha)… ladies, all I have to say is WATCH OUT. This brother of mine is a stud. More importantly, a stud for Jesus.

We went to church that night (the band played “One Way” in Spanish- pretty sweet) and then I began to think of going to Macchu Pichu. The rest of the team is going today (Friday), but I was only staying until Tuesday. It would be an expensive venture, but, as the Pastor of the church said (in Spanish), if I came to Cusco and didn’t see Macchu Picchu, it would be like “a sin”. So the final verdict was that I would go the next morning. And now begins the journey of Luke Sjogren to Macchu Pichu (with video footage and an exclusive, never-before-seen tour of the World Wonder)…

I awoke at 4 AM, grabbed some breakfast (the staff was still asleep when I first got into the lobby, but one guy woke up, went to the dining room, pulled a napkin off my food, then left), then headed off to the bus station. I, praise the Lord, was fifth in line when the doors opened, but the first four people took an HOUR to get their tickets (5-6… the train to Macchu Pichu, the only way to go, left at 6:05). So when I finally got to the desk (after some good time in Joshua), I purchased the more expensive ticket (no cheaper ones were left) and then was told that the train had left but stopped about two minutes (driving) away, so I could catch a taxi. So I ran from there, caught an over-priced taxi (a theme in this trip- overpriced) to Poroy where I waited in the cold for the train to arrive. Once it did, I found my seat across a table from a nice young couple, Ryan and Shannon, and enjoyed another breakfast nearly identical to the first.

Ryan mentioned to me that he and his wife wished they had brought their “travel scrabble” board on the trip, so my mind got to thinking, I pulled out my notebook, and we created a scrabble board. Oh yes. It was sweet. They play enough that they were able to remember how many of each letter (accurate guessing) square and how to draw the board. We had a great time playing, with me barely edging Ryan (a 1 pt victory) right as we pulled up to the “Aguas Calientes”, the end of the train about a 20 minute bus ride (or hour and a half hike) from the ruins. Of course, yours truly was NOT about to pay for an over-priced bus and I do enjoy hiking, so I began the hike with Ryan and Shannon (they were kind enough to invite me along with them). What a hike it was…

We walked the road to the actual mountain (about a 25 minute walk) and finally made it to the base of the mountain. We began to ascend the hike and, well, it just kept going and going and going… I have lived at 9500 feet for the past 8 weeks and I was hiking with two mid-late 20 year olds that ran 3-5 times a week, yet all three of us were breathing pretty hard and taking a few breaks along the way. Only in the strength of the Lord were we able to make it all the way up (at least that’s the strength that I relied upon)… Once at the top, you still couldn’t see any ruins, which held true to the title of “hidden city” Macchu Pichu was given when it was inhabited. I bought my ticket, but also had a bit of trouble with that, as student price for admission was half of the regular, but with my wallet being stolen, I had no evidence of my student-ness-hood-ish. I couldn’t prove I was a student. And the lady wouldn’t accept my notes, notebook, or college sweatshirt… so that was a bit frustrating.

I entered the cultural reserve (as it is known) and started to explore, many times going against the suggestions (suggested ways of exploration were followed only a part of the time). I had a blast exploring parts that were somewhat-pretty dangerous and just hiking overall. The ruins are pretty cool, but I was simply reminded about how they pale in comparison to the Amazing God we serve. His glory was fully on display with the BEAUTIFUL views from Macchu Pichu, especially from the “IntiPuku”, a 30 minute hike away from the city that gave a spectacular view of the city and of just Peru in general. I found myself, when I was exploring the “dangerous” parts, getting a little cocky and big-headed, but the Lord was gracious and humbled me by just revealing His glory through nature. Praise You, Father…

The hike down was pretty brutal, especially on the knees, but I made it down and in time for my train ride home. I had a wonderful talk with “Ivan Gonzalez”, a Spanish Journalist writing stories about the Incas. We had a lovely talk about soccer, life, and eventually faith. He’s an agnostic but respects what I believe in, which I appreciate. Please keep him in your prayers…

We caught a taxi back to Cusco, I grabbed some food and then met up with my family, skyped with the Sjogren Women at home, checked up on sports stuff (oh, Brett Favre... why?!) and then hit the hay.

Monday was a great day! We slept in (compared to my other mornings), ate breakfast, and then went out to a village (the REAL Peru, in my opinion) to begin evangelizing after a short team meeting. We had some prayer and then started going door-to-door sharing the Gospel with the Evangicube! For more info on this really cool tool, go to www.e3partners.org. Hunter was the first to share with a woman (we had two translators) and she professed faith in the Lord! Next, I shared with my broken Spanish, and she, too, professed faith! One after another people were praying to accept Jesus in their hearts! It was SO exciting! Our two translators, Hernan and Gabriela, were very helpful (they did the important stuff- the prayer, Quechua) and it was just such a blessing to be used by the Lord with my brother by my side! Praise YOU God! Dad was off with Danny and the pastor, Timoteo, sharing… we broke for lunch (potatoes, chicken, rice, and other stuff) and then had a siesta which wasn’t really a whole lot of rest because Hunter and I played around for the first half-hour… then evangelized some more ☺. At the end of the day, 18+ people had professed faith in Jesus Christ! Please pray that those who have prayed would really get serious and not just blow it off… we had a follow-up meeting at 4 and only one family came (although some said they wouldn’t be able to come). Dad, Hunter, and I had a lot of fun playing with the two young boys, Davis and Cristian. We traveled back to the hotel, rested for a bit, then went and Dad spoke to the congregation about Godly Men (he spoke 4 times overall but I only had the privilege of hearing him once). He did a great job, praise God!

After that, we grabbed dinner (Hunter got an ice-cream filled pancake with chocolate syrup for dinner), skyped with the fam, and hit the hay. I was truly humbled that night (still am) that the Lord can use such regular ol’ guys such as us for His greatest glory and the spread of His kingdom! I thought planting two daughter churches was pretty ambitious, but I am sold on E3’s methods for spreading the Gospel. The Lord really has blessed their ministry and I pray that they will continue.

The next morning I awoke around 5 AM to catch my flight… and this was a crazy day, as well. I got there in plenty of time, told the Star Peru check-in guy that I had a connection flight and tried to see if I could forward my baggage on to my next flight, but because it was two different airlines, this was not possible. He gave me a “priority” tag to help me get through faster (it didn’t), and with the flight delay, I ended up missing my connection flight. This led to me being told I had to pay a penalty to change flights (I wanted to get one to Quito later in the afternoon), so I walked right over to the Star Peru desk and calmly told them I expected them to pay for the penalty because their delay made me miss my flight. They considered it, looked at many different things, and long story short said no, because they called the attendant in Cusco and he said I never told him anything about a connection. The lady at the Lima counter told me that she believed me but said that because the Cusco guy was not saying I told him about the connection, there was nothing they could do. 140+ dollars spent for no real reason… thanks, Star Peru. But God knows and it’s all a part of His perfect plan for my life… I believe I was able to be a witness by just keeping my cool and not going ballistic. So thanks, Lord, for that…

The flight back to was fairly uneventful after that, and once I arrived in Quito I went straight to the “Plaza de las Americas” once again and bought a ticket to “The Dark Knight”. Oh yes. I had been waiting for this for a while… and it was worth it. Ladies and gentlemen, if you have yet to see this movie, put your computer in “sleep” mode, go to the theater, and watch it. It lives up to the hype. It’s just so great. I want to watch it again…

I arrived in Riobamba around midnight and then went to bed… just to wake up a few hours later and get ready to go see my World Vision child, Juan Edison Yaguachi Guambo! I was stoked to have the opportunity and just excited overall. I went with the WV employee, Elena, to the community of Cebadas, which some of you may remember was one of the communities JM and I visited! We arrived, toured the school and then waited until a pick-up truck pulled up with a few passengers. The little boy that jumped out of the truck looked a little different than what I remembered from the picture, but I figured that people change and the picture could be pretty old, so I rolled with it. It was a bit different/interesting, though, when I asked the kid what he prefers to be called, either “Jhon Edison” or “Jhon Yaguachi” or what, he responded “Jose David”. What?! We proceeded to play a bit of soccer and then just have a nice time of talking before heading over to his house. In the back of the truck, right before we left, I asked him the same question about his name and got the same response. So I told Elena about this, she showed him the name on the sheet, and he said “That’s my brother”……….. uh oh.

And so, it turns out, I spent the morning with his brother. While I did think he looked a little different, I never really thought it was someone else, and for that I am a bit embarrassed. But honestly, I am more embarrassed for World Vision for sending me the wrong kid. There was some miscommunication between the family and WV, and my real sponsored child was in another part of the country, so I never had the privilege of meeting him. Although I was a bit sad for not getting to meet him, I am thankful for the privilege of meeting his family and seeing where he lived and slept. I found that the money I give to them is being well spent as they were all dressed well and ate well (at least when I was there). Praise God for that… “Rejoice in the Lord always!” (Philippians 4:4), so I’m rejoicing.

I came back to Riobamba, packed a fair amount during the afternoon, and then headed off to Tae-Kwon-Do for my last class there. It turned out to be somewhat of a parents meeting, and since I was a bit late, all I did was stretch for about 45-50 minutes. Afterwards, Henry and I ate “Chifa” and during the prayer he cried a bit (because I prayed about his well being after I left)… after dinner he accepted a few gifts I left with him and then we had a sad goodbye, for he really was my closest Ecuadorian friend this summer and he said again that I was his only and best friend. He left me with a nice note and we parted ways… please keep him in your prayers as he seeks to live for the Lord and not fall into temptation. He’s still a very young believer and I’ve tried to connect him with a few of my believing friends, but he’s not super-motivated… may the Lord bless him.

My evening was spent at the Maust house skyping a bit and hanging out. I went back to my room, finished packing up, and went to bed.

The morning involved driving up to Quito with the Maust family, chillin’ at the Equator (traditional- about 150 meters off the true equator because this equator was found using the stars and other older devices, not GPS). After a meal at the Equator, I said goodbye to the Mausts, was dropped off at the airport, and began the journey home. Please pray for the missionaries still in Ecuador, that the Lord would strengthen them, bless them, and they would glorify Him in all they do…

Two flights later (uneventful flights), I arrived in Dulles Airport to find that one of my bags didn’t make it. I did arrive to a wonderful reception of my family (sans Dad and Hunter) and my two best buds in Virginia: Brett and KJ. We had a blast hanging out in the airport, messing around, and then drove home… where I am typing this last blog entry about Ecuador.

Thank you so much for keeping up with me this summer. I pray that the Lord has taught you a few things through the words He’s given me, for I have learned a TON! I plan on continuing this blog every now and again and posting what the Lord teaches me at my next big missions field: James Madison University…

May the Lord be glorified through everything we think, say, and do. To HIM be all glory, honor, power, and praise, forever and ever… Amen.

In His strength alone…

Luke Sjogren