Hola from Lima!

Hola amigos y familias!
Brendan here, reporting on behalf of everyone. We all made is safely and without issue to Lima yesterday morning. We landed around 7:00 local time at the airport here in Lima. No baggage was lost, no travellers misplaced; all is very well! We are staying at Oscar Romero House in Lima Norte right now, hosted by a wonderful community of missionaries. We have already seen shocking poverty, even within the confines of the city. The neighbourhoods of Lima are as diverse from one another as they are from our cities back home. Within the last few hours we have travelled from dilapidated shack housing, through colonial churches and municipal buildings, to the ritzy, high-end shopping district next to the Pacific Ocean. The variety of experience in this densely populated city is overwhelming.
The food so far has been incredible - we are appreciating it while it lasts, because once we head up into the mountains there is no telling what we will get. The coffee is to die for, as would be expected! We are all eating well, and nobody has felt sick at all so far! (knock on wood)
It is one of the greatest feelings in the world to wake up each morning and step outside to a view of mountains. It was finally clear enough this morning that we could see the peak of the mountain immediately to our north - the start of the Andes. We have already taken so many pictures that you will be exhausted when we make you sit through them all.
I have to say personally that I could not be happier with the group we brought here. We have all gotten so much closer over the past few days, and we get along so well that the Peruvians think we have been best friends for years. We will get each other through, no matter what we encounter. Glen and Rebecca are wonderful guides and friends to all of us, and each of us feels like an integral part of the team.
So, families, until we find internet again, be well! We will take care of each other and continue to create memories to share. Keep praying for us, and see you soon.
-Brendan