Refreshing retreat!

So I had mentioned that our Reap North team was heading out of town for a weekend team retreat....it was a great time! We arrived mid-afternoon to a sunny, warm Ica, which is about four hours south of Lima. The rest of the afternoon we just relaxed, soaking up the sun (there is no sun in Lima now). Jeff, our team leader, led us in a great group Bible study about having a divided heart.

Saturday was an awesome day! We spent the morning in individual quiet time, which was a sweet time. So Ica is in the middle of the desert, and is famous for a place called the Huacachina. At the Huacachine, you can go out through the hills in a dune buggy, as well as do some sand boarding on some of those hills. So that afternoon, our team set out to conquer this adventure. I'm not gonna lie, when we first got in the dune buggies, I was a little nervous! We were about to go speeding up and down the sandy hills in an open vehicle! But once we got started, that nervousness was immediately replaced with thrill! The only way I can really describe what this ride was like, is it was like being on a roller coaster, but in a dune buggy and on sand. Some of the hills were that steep! We stopped on three different hills so that we could do some sand boarding. You lay on the board, then just slide right on down the hill. That was fun too! All this lasted about an hour and a half, and when we returned to the start, we were all covered in sand! But it was an awesome time!

The next day, we also started the morning out with another sweet personal devotion time. And that afternoon we set out on another adventure. We drove further down the desert to Nasca. Nasca is famous for the Nasca lines, which are shapes of animals and different objects, that were supposedly created by the Incans (before Christ) and have survived to this day. I and four others had the opportunity to go up in a tiny 6 passenger plane to fly over the desert and see this famous lines. That six passenger plane is little different than a regular plane! We floated from side to side, so we could see all the figures on the ground. By the end of the flight, I was a little nauseous. But man, it was a cool experience!

Our final day, we took another few hours in the morning for personal devotion in the beautiful sun! Then we packed up and headed home.
Last weekend was a much needed weekend after a busy summer! We had such sweet team fellowship, devotions, and a lot of fun! Oh, and some much needed sun time! hehe. I miss the sun already....


In the dune buggy!

Me and Mindy at the top of the sand dunes

Loading back into the dune buggy

David about to slide down on the hills on the sand board

Our 6 person plane to board to see the Nasca lines

In the plane waiting for take off

Look closely and you can see the shape of a monkey

view from the plane