Adventuring for Christ in Latin America
Market scene in Ecuador with snow capped Andes in the distance.
Final Installment of the Travel Diary of Dr. Louis T. Talbot and J. Russell Davis
Saturday, May 10, 1951: Dr. Talbot left on an early train for the Indian Market stop of the Andes at the village of Huancayo over thè highest stand ard gauge railroad in the world. The trip was a real experi ence as almost everyone on the train suffered from altitude sickness caused from lack of oxygen, which is worse than seasickness! High up in the mountains a landslide blocked the tracks, and everyone had to leave the train, and most folks left their last few meals on it too, to walk around the land slide to another even more crowded and dirty train on the other side! At last they arrived, tired, dirty, and still sick, at the mountain top, ready to visit the Indian market the next morning. The little hotel in the village was crowded, but Dr. Talbot'and his traveling companion, Chris Shelton, man aged to get a bed and a few hours’ sleep. Business arrange ments relative to getting film into the country made it necessary for me to stay in Lima, so I took advantage of my presence there to see some of the ceremonies in connection with the 400th anniversary of the founding of San Marcos University, the oldest university in the Western hemisphere. Sunday, May 11,1951 : Dr. Talbot spent th‘e morning in the market at Huancayo, as this famous Indian market is only held on Sunday morn ings. Indians from many villages scattered through the moun tains around come into the town for market day. If' they are to be reached for Christ, missionaries must make the long trip up the mountain to preach to them in the open market on Sunday mornings. Thousands throng into this village. They are very colorful with many interesting customs, and they also display for sale many fascinating items of their handi work. The women wear their wealth in the form of layers of skirts, some of them being clad in as many as seventeen! After visiting this market, and securing pictures of the Indians for the Institute, Dr. Talbot came back to Lima by car, as the railroad train had not yet been put back into operation. He arrived about 11 p.m. after a long drive from about 18,000 feet to sea level amid breath-taking beauty. With Dr. Cameron Townsend and several other members of the Wycliffe Translators, I visited the famous ruins of Pachacamac outside of Lima. Here we saw the massive ruins of the old Inca civilization, surmounted by the Temple of the Sun atop a hill, in a spot of great beauty, overlooking both the old city and some very scenic seacoast. The Court of the Virgins is being restored, and we saw the spot where ages ago the most beautiful virgins of the land were kept to be offered as willing sacrifices to the Inca gods in their cere monies. In this horrible ritual of sun worship, the hearts were cut out of the victims and placed in a cavity in the chest of a stone image. It is considered the greatest honor to be selected for this sacrifice. What a lesson in consecra tion to a cause! What a tragedy that men and women thus blindly worshipped the sun, and without ever hearing of the true Sun of Righteousness, God’s own Son. While we were there, the mummy of one of the victims of this ancient sacrificial rite was found and unwrapped. Page Eight
Monday, May 1U, 1951: Our last day in Lima, and of necessity we spent it in final business arrangements of confirmation of plane space and tickets, as well as in visiting a few more things of interest. In the evening a group of missionaries from Lima gathered in the Wycliffe Home and we had a happy time of fellowship together, and said our good-byes, as we had to leave the next morning at three a.m. for the airport, so did not expect to We were up very early this morning and long before day light we had safely cleared customs, immigration, and were through all the other formalities necessary to leaving Peru for Ecuador, which was to be our next stop. From a position out over the Pacific, we watched a never-to-be-forgotten sun rise over the snow-covered peaks of the Andes, as we flew up the coast. The first part of the trip was in good weather, but when we had to go inland among the Andean peaks, we were closed in and had to fly in thick clouds. Our God watched over us and our plane made its way safely between the peaks to a beautiful landing in the city of Quito, Ecua dor, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. We were met at the airport by Dr. and Mrs. Donald Turner, Biola graduates. In the afternoon the Turners gave a lovely tea in their home where we met most of the staff of the Voice of the Andes, Radio Station HCJB, as well as missionaries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance who are working in this beautiful city. We had a fine time of fellowship with the group. see any of them then. Tuesday, May 15, 1951:
Quito, Ecuador, where the Christian radio station, HCJB, is located. T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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