Piece by piece

I've thought a lot today about how to blog about Peru. I have always been one to struggle with telling a story. I guess part of my "dental" personality is attention to detail which leads me to tell very detailed sometimes long and boring what was my point again stories. It's also why I love photography.  I was so thankful for my camera on this trip. This world that God created is so beautiful, the people so unique, so extraordinary, so indescribable. I know that it is too much for me to process in one day. It is inevitable that, as most of my stories are, this story will be written piece by piece, detail by detail. Most of it will be told in photographs. I am by no means a professional, however, I am much better with my hands on a lens than on a keyboard. I did write some on the trip and I'm debating sharing some from my journal. It is so hard to be truly transparent, truly vulnerable even with people who you know love you, much less for strangers, acquaintances, and friends. So if I do put an excerpt of my much less than professional, emotional outpouring on this blog, please be gentle with my sensitive heart.

I digress. I had so many teachable moments during this trip, many that taught me about myself, and many that taught me about people in general. The very first lesson I learned was that boys are fundamentally the same. Mischief must be coded on one arm of the Y chromosome and sweetness on the other.

Mischief 

Sweetness (This photo was taken by the lovely Mrs. Mandy McMillan)

Mischief

and sweetness

I think all boys are a little bit of both.

Case in point.

Two boys walked up to me in one of the villages. They pointed to a tree and asked me if I liked it. I said yes. Trees are nice. This one had flowers. So this boy climbed the tree and brought down fruit to give to me. 

So sweet, right?

And then he asked me for a football.