We all enjoyed a family day in town yesterday. It turned out to be a good bit longer than we expected: We left at 10:00 and got back after 6:00. But we really enjoyed ourselves. And our sleep was sweeter because of it.
We wanted to have a Christmas day with just our family. We had thought to go to market on Christmas day, but Christmas eve and Christmas day are under strict lockdown here. They say the fines area extremely high.
So, we went yesterday, and everyone in Izcuchaca had the same idea. There were loads of families out buying Christmas food and gifts. The restaurants were full of people celebrating. Market was incredibly full, and they had filled the entire plaza with tents for vendors.
I am not an expert in virality, but I think that closing the country for Christmas actually forced or encouraged more people to come out everywhere yesterday. I imagine it backfired.
We started off by walking around the plaza, selling bread and cupcakes and caramel. The caramel didn’t sell well, but everything else went. It was hard to keep the children focused on selling with so much activity around us. Anne and Abbey sold cupcakes; Steph, Walter, and Dane sold caramel; and Shawn, Seth, and I sold bread.
We had fun. At market we found everyone a jacket or coat as a gift. We also got gifts for Percy’s children and for Maria Gracia. Our children enjoyed being able to pick out their own coats, and they were all thrilled to find gifts for their friends.
We dropped our purchases off at the truck and stopped in to visit Elisabet. She says she’s very sad to be alone without Rafael. She put up security cameras because she’s scared.
It was after 2:30 before we stopped for lunch. We found a restaurant near the plaza. We ordered three dishes for our whole family and still didn’t come near finishing it. The potatoes they served were a like au gratin potatoes, delicious.
On the way back to the truck, we stopped at a vendor selling turkey. We got one that was almost 10 kilos (~20 pounds)! After having searched all over Cusco for Thanksgiving, we found one right in town this time. I’m looking forward to preparing it.
We then went grocery shopping. Steph took a moto down to the mercado while I took the children in the truck to make various other stops. We then picked Steph up and went to Victoria’s to pick up the order Steph had left with them.
Next, we went hunting along the railroad tracks for pillows and mattresses. We were wanting some crib-size mattresses, but there were none to be found. I found pillows, but I couldn’t decide how many to buy. As I stood there thinking, the price kept dropping and dropping as the lady tried to get me to buy. I think I should think more often.
We were stuck in traffic for a long, long time on the way home. As we were parked in traffic, horns blaring all around us, we saw Fernando, Esmeralda, and María Gracia. They had been out shopping. They came and stood by the truck and talked awhile.
We finally got moving, and as we went slowly up the street, we passed Fernando’s, parked on the wrong side of the street, facing the wrong way, blocking traffic. He’d left his car there while they were shopping, and that had backed up the whole street. He waved at us sheepishly as we went past.
At home, we were blessed to find that Percy and Lucrecia had taken care of the goats without being asked. They helped us unload the truck and take everything inside.
Steph worked on a cake while the children put groceries away and put the house in order. I worked on making yogurt. We then had a snack and were ready for bed, which we actually made on time.
All of Andrew’s family tested negative for Covid. They also have all their certifications of good health from the doctor. Thank you for praying. And thank you for those who messaged to let us know you were praying.
They have received some email updates for flights that seem to indicate that things are looking good. Keep praying that the Lord keeps the way open for them. They should be in Cusco 46 hours from now.
Rafael says the brain imaging scan for his mom is scheduled today for 10:30 EST.
Juan David 