Peruvian Mail

Well, the money I sent to our Peruvian partner for him to reserve our hotel never quite made it.  I have been researching the mail system in Peru and have found that about 1 out of 20 mailings actually arrive.  The mail men steal anything of value.  I have a Peruvian friend named Rolos that lives on a ranch near me.  I asked him about the mail system in Peru and why the mail men always steal everything.  He simply said that they need money and that our money is worth more than theirs.  That is a simple reason yet funny and sad.  I guess this shows their need for Jesus Christ, which is why we are moving to Peru. 

Another bizarre fact about the mail system in Peru is that there are no numbers at the post office.  When I mail something to Cusco, I just simply write the person’s name, the central post office and then Cusco, Peru.  That is it.  When our friend Walter feels like checking his mail, he walks to the post office, stands in line, and then asks if there is any mail in his name.  The post office personnel walk back to the mail, which is in alphabetical order, and they search for his name and if he has a letter then they give it to them.  I guess this is why Peruvians have 4 names, their first, middle, last, and mothers maiden name. 

Our other contact in Lima Peru, Walter Isse, is having me order him a book from Amazon and bring it to him in Lima when we meet him on March 18^th.  The seller on Amazon doesn’t ship to Peru.  I guess this doesn’t surprise me since most of their packages wouldn’t make it to the buyer.  I will have to find clever ways to get books and packages from the States.  I will probably have people that are coming to visit us bring stuff in their suitcases.

It is a whole different world down there and will be one of the many different adjustments that we will have to make, but praise God, Jesus is worth it.