Walking to Church

Getting to church takes time – one hour to be exact. Every Sabbath at 8am the walk begins. The area where the mission team lives and our church are on the opposite sides of town. To get there we walk up towards the center of town (where the market is) and then down and out of town. From the church there is a beautiful view of the hills and valley beyond. On clear days one can catch a glimpse of the mountains in the distance. The walk to church, being in the morning, is generally in a comfortable level of heat. The walk back is not so. Though the sun beats us down mercilessly in the afternoon the thought of lunch awaiting hasn’t failed to carry us back home yet.

The photo above was taken while walking home from the side of town nearer the church. The homes and shops that are on the sides of the photo are pretty typical of those along this road. In the distance you can see two of three apartment buildings built by the Russians. These are the largest buildings in town. There are quite a few Russians in Fria due to a massive mining operation/factor y they have here. They do a pretty good job at isolating themselves though; since being here I have only seen two Russians. Also, you can see the large Catholic church of Fria directly ahead. About half the roads we walk on are paved, the other half are dirt and rocks. Almost everywhere I go is on foot; luckily I enjoy walking – though a moto taxi ride is always appreciated!