22, April 2001

Happy Easter to all the faithful,

Another report from Peru is here. I had the great experience of spending Holy Week in the cozy mountain town of Huaraz in Peru. They call it the Switzerland of Peru and it is known for its Holy Week devotions. On Holy Friday they carpet the streets with painted sawdust and flowers in images of Christ and the Sacraments. Later in the day they have a long procession with a statue of the Virgin, then of Christ carrying the Cross. There are many Peruvian tourists in town but not many foreigners, which makes it all the better.

I arrived to Huaraz on Thursday morning with my fellow volunteer Gary and then we met up with David, a volunteer in Lima. We were able to see some of the highest peaks of the Andes and of the Americas. We saw the buried town of Yungay which was covered with a mudslide after a massive 7.9 on the Richter scale earthquake in 1970. More than 20,000 people in that town were buried that day, and ironically some of the few people that were saved were those visiting their deceased relatives at the cemetery on hill that still exists today.

Friday, we attended the liturgy of the Passion at a local parish and then participated in a night procession with a statue of Christ in the tomb. We prayed stations of the cross while walking down the main street. The local businesses would sort of pause and turn down their music as we went by. It was a beautiful experience. On Saturday, Gary, David and I went rock climbing in a nearby town. In the evening we attended the Easter vigil which was beautiful. The local youth group acted out some of the readings and it made for a great mass.

Finally on Resurrection Sunday we went on a hike to see Lake Churup at the foot of a peak of the same name. We hired a guide and started up the trail at about 8 in the morning. After 4 hours of hiking and a little bit of climbing we made it to the lake where the altitude was 4700 meters, or close to 3 miles. We had our packed lunch there, rested, prayed and headed back down the mountain. I have put up some pictures of the weekend on my webpage (The address is at the end of the email.)

Meanwhile I am back in Chimbote where I continue my work at the school. This last weekend we had a retreat for some students and it went really well. I have also recently gotten involved teaching a moral responsibility class with some young men at the trade school affiliated with the school. Most of the young men here have very poor backgrounds and are exposed to drugs, alcohol abuse, and broken families on a daily basis. However, these guys are extremely smart and are trying to better themselves learning automobile repair or electronic maintenance.

The political situation in Peru is becoming more interesting and kind of scary. The latest presidential elections have pitted Alejandro Toledo against former president Alan Garcia. Toledo is the candidate widely believed to have been cheated out of the presidential election when Alberto Fujimori won his third term as president. On the other hand, Alan Garcia was president of Peru during the late 80's. During this time the country suffered inflation of more than 1200% He actually fled to France seeking asylum after his term, when he was wanted for embezzling millions of dollars. Amazingly he was recently pardoned and allowed to run for president. Having great speaking skills, he has wooed many lower class Peruvians to support him, even though his past presidency was characterized by long lines for rice and bread, and a disastrous economic record. Most educated Peruvians are fearful of the consequences if he wins the runoff that will take place in the end of May.

Thank you for all your emails and prayers. I ask all of you to pray for the future of this country as well as its leaders, that they may act honestly and with genuine care for the poor.

In Christ,

Gerardo

p.s. the web site address is: www.geocities.com/cfcperu/gerardo