By Andreas (Andy) Moritz, Climbing For Christ

Tuesday, June 3

Edwin and his girls. Nicole captioned this “Bella famille.” Translation: Beautiful family. (Photo by Nicole)

Editor’s note: Andy and Nicole flew from Huaraz to Lima this morning. They had connecting flights which will return them to their respective home countries – Andy to Germany and Nicole to Canada. We thank them for giving their time, energy, and love for Jesus and lost people.

“There were several moments that left a profound mark on this trip,” said Edwin Milla, Climbing For Christ’s Peruvian Kingdom worker, who is based in Huaraz. “One of the most notable was seeing how, despite physical exhaustion, each team member found the strength to keep going. The solidarity that developed among everyone was something very special.”

Monday, June 2

Today was primarily a rest day. Although I typically wouldn’t get up before 8:30 a.m. on a day off, I found myself awake before 7 a.m., perhaps not surprising after 10 days of rising around 5:30 a.m. to trek.

The day was spent resting, completing various tasks, enjoying a hot shower, and packing and cleaning. Nicole also took some time for a walk. For lunch, we visited Edwin’s home to share a meal with him and his family, where we enjoyed delicious trout.

After lunch, we took time to pray together regarding Elisabeth's ongoing health situation. Nicole led this time, and with guidance from the Holy Spirit, Elisabeth was able to identify the roots of her condition, looking to the first time it occurred, and to surrender the pain of that situation to Jesus. Throughout this process, I felt a strong presence of the Holy Spirit in the room. Nicole also provided her with practical tips for declaring truth when faced with lies from the enemy. It was evident that something had shifted, as Elisabeth appeared different – better! – after our time together.

Please pray that this change will be lasting and that her sickness will not return.

Sunday, June 1

Nicole embracing her ride out. (Photos by Edwin)

Today, we approached things a bit differently. With time being a factor, Edwin and I set out on our own at 6:30 a.m. while Nicole rode down on horseback with Gregorio.

We completed the 11-kilometer trek (6.8 miles) with 759 meters/2,490 feet of ascent and 816 meters/2,677 feet of descent in 3 ½ hours. We went from Laguna Jahuacocha at 4,066 meters/13,340 feet over Paso Sambunya at 4,750 meters/15,584 feet to Ronday at 3,500 meters/11,483 feet. Edwin and I arrived half an hour ahead of donkey drivers Adan and Horacio, with Nicole and Gregorio following one hour and 20 minutes later.

We had about four hours of driving ahead of us before we could enjoy a warm shower and a comfortable bed.

As promised, I’d like to share what happened yesterday afternoon. The first audio Bible we distributed was to Davis, whom Nicole began talking to just 50 meters from camp. Although his English was limited and Nicole’s Spanish was not much better, they managed to communicate through gestures, and he happily accepted the Bible.

Nicole and Andy with (left to right) Inocente, Malvinas, Elizabeth, and Wilber.

Later, the three of us set out to visit Eliu and his grandfather, but first encountered local neighbors Wilber, Elizabeth, Malvinas, and Inocente engaged in conversation. We joined them and discovered they were all Catholic and open to discussing faith. We talked about the differences between evangelical and Catholic beliefs, emphasizing that the Bible clearly shows we should pray to and worship God and Jesus. They listened attentively and seemed to agree and were pleased to receive audio Bibles. We concluded our time with prayer, and Nicole encouraged Wilber to take on a spiritual leadership role in the community, suggesting they gather regularly to read the Bible and pray together.

Afterward, we inquired about Eliu and his grandfather but instead met Albertina, an older Quechuan woman living alone since her children had moved away and her husband had left her. We shared encouraging Bible verses with her, prayed for her heart and her leg (which causes her pain when walking for extended periods), and gifted her an audio Bible. She was so grateful that she offered us one of her homemade cheeses in return.

Mattheo, center, with Edwin and Andy.

We also had a brief conversation with Mattheo, whom we met on our way to the next house. He identified as a Seventh Day Adventist and immediately tried to convince us that Saturday is the only biblical Sabbath. I explained that the specific day is less important than actually observing a Sabbath and, more importantly, that we need to seek and follow Jesus. He seemed to agree and was glad to receive an audio Bible.

Finally, we visited Milda, a middle-aged woman who initially appeared reluctant, perhaps thinking we were part of a sect. However, she opened up about being evangelical and shared how God speaks to her in dreams. Nicole interpreted her dreams. She seemed greatly encouraged and accepted our prayers, which she had initially declined. We also left her with an audio Bible.

By the time we finished, it was getting late, and the weather was turning for the worse. Although we didn’t find what we originally set out for (Eliu and his grandfather), we were content with everything that transpired.

Saturday, May 31

Nicole during today’s hike. (Photo by Andy)

We were blessed again this morning that after a mostly rainy night, we woke up to dry skies which cleared while we started walking. We walked 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) with 502 meters (1,650 feet) of ascent and 957 meters (3,140 feet) of descent to get to our last camp, Laguna Jahuacocha.

New believer Eliu, left, with his grandfather holding an audio Bible given to them by our team, and Nicole. (Photo by Edwin)

When we arrived at camp Nicole and Edwin talked with Eliu and his grandfather, and Eliu accepted Jesus after praying together with Edwin. Hallelujah! They invited us to their house this afternoon.

This evening, before we had dinner, we first started to give our thanks and appreciations to our two donkey drivers, Adan and Horacio, and the cook, Gregorio. Then Adan gave his appreciation and said that this trip will stay “engraved on his heart.” We then shared some words of scripture with them (Matthew 7:7-12, Matthew 5:13-16, and some other verses), Edwin shared the Gospel and then we prayed and blessed all three of them.

Next to the tips we also gave them audio Bibles. We hope and pray that these seeds will blossom into much fruit and that these things we’ve shared will really stay engraved on their hearts.

After this we also turned the tables and served them this time, but they did not allow us to go so far and do the dishes as well.

Tomorrow will be a really early day, hiking to the car and then driving back to Huaraz. Once we are in the car I will also share more about the great things that happened this afternoon. You can look forward to that.

Friday, May 30

View from Camp Cashpapampa. (Photo by Andy)

How good is God?! As I wrote yesterday it had been raining since arriving in Huayllapa and that continued even when we got up this morning.

But after breakfast and getting ready it stopped - and it stayed dry for all six hours of walking 13 kilometers (eight miles) with 1,530 meters (5,020 feet) of ascent and 492 meters (1,615 feet) of descent. Praise the Lord!

We arrived at Cashpapampa, had lunch, and after finishing the meal we were just sitting a bit outside when it started raining. Up until now, more than two hours later, it hasn’t stopped. We are truly blessed and grateful for all the prayers.

There are no houses here in Cashpapampa, so there is no planned outreach for today. Hearing the rain in my tent while I am writing this I am not so upset about it.

Thursday, May 29

Huayllapa as the weather turned bad.

We walked 16.68 kilometers (10 1/3 miles) from Elefante with 145 meters (475 feet)of ascent and 1,157 meters (3,795 feet) of descent in wonderful weather to reach the village of Huayllapa.

On the way we first met Matheo, a farmer, who turned out to be a Christian, taking care of his sheep by himself. We talked a bit with him, encouraged him, gave him an audio Bible, and prayed for him.

Matheo, above left, with Andy and Nicole. Below, Jesus and his wife with Nicole and Andy. (Photos by Edwin)

Some hours later we met an older couple coming up the mountain, Jesus and his wife. Really surprisingly they also turned out to be Christians and were really happy to find out we were missionaries. We gave them an audio Bible as well, and then I had the impression that they should pray for us, which they happily did. Before we parted ways they invited us to the church service in the evening.

Shortly after we arrived at our accommodation the rain started – and hasn’t stopped since. We are really grateful to God for blessing us so richly by letting the rain wait until we got to our dry home. (It’s a “hotel” in name only – four beds in a room without windows. But it’s reasonably clean and much better than staying in a tent in this weather.)

Everyone is a bit nervous about the weather tomorrow, but I want to trust that the Lord knows best, especially as it might be our hardest day, with around double the meters of ascent that we have done so far.

We got to the church late, but they were very happy to have us. At some point the the lady in charge asked me to share my testimony, so I briefly summarized how I ended up in their church on this day and encouraged them to go where Jesus leads them. We then took some photos, and everybody greeted us heartily. I also felt I should encourage a young girl named Maira, who was very joyful, to follow in the ways of Jesus. He will use her in great ways. She was very happy about that.

Wednesday, May 28

We made our highest pass today, Paso Cuyoc at 5,020 meters/16,470 feet, to reach our next destination Campamento Elefante at 4,700 meters/15,420 feet. We walked 9.16 kilometers (5.7 miles) with 753 meters (2,470 feet) of ascent and 582 meters (1,910 feet) of descent.

I was a bit disappointed that our route this morning didn’t take us by the houses we saw on the way yesterday, but even that is in God’s hands.

Unfortunately, there are no people living here, so we didn’t have any planned outreach. But while Edwin and I were scouting around the area, Nicole prayed for an Argentinian lady who had sprained her ankle. Nicole said she said that it felt a bit better afterwards.    

Everybody is doing well, and the weather has been really nice, apart from being rather cold in the morning.

Tuesday, May 27

Team C4C: (left to right) Andy, Nicole, and Edwin.

We walked almost 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) with 624 meters (2,050 feet) of ascent and 653 meters (2,150 feet) of descent from Huayhuash to Laguna Viconga to Baños termales.

On the way, Nicole was following her evangelistic calling and sharing again with some other Israelis, of which one was very interested and even exchanged email addresses with her so that she could send him some Bible studies.

The weather was once again really nice, and after we arrived and had lunch we could even give our bones some relaxation by enjoying the natural hot springs in this place.

In the afternoon, Edwin and I went out to see if we could find any local people, leaving Nicole to get some well-deserved rest. We had to walk some hundred meters to arrive at the house of Julio Callupe, a sheep farmer who currently is living by himself. His wife went to Lima for an operation on a tumor in her stomach. He was really interested in what we shared and asked us some questions. We explained the Gospel to him, gave him an audio Bible, prayed for him and his wife, and in the end I felt that I should share the story of the lost sheep. He was seemingly impressed and told us that he didn’t want to take this lightly; first taking more time to think and talk about it with his family, and also listening to the audio Bible.

We saw some other houses on the way to camp, but since they were farther away and we will pass that way tomorrow we will see if we can find somebody there tomorrow.

Monday, May 26

Camp Huayhuash. (Photo by Andy)

Today we walked from Laguna Carhuacocha over Paso Siula – a pass at 4,800 meters (15,750 feet) – to Campamento Huayhuash (4,350 meters/14,275 feet). Altogether it was 14.61 kilometers (nine miles) with 915 meters (3,000 feet) of ascent and 734 meters (2,400 feet) of descent. This was our most difficult day yet, but we did really well, completing the whole hike in less than six hours.

Unfortunately, after we settled at camp we found out that the Quechuan houses, which are in this place and which were formerly inhabited, have now been abandoned. So, there was no outreach to those people possible.    

Nonetheless Nicole once again used every opportunity to share her testimony with two girls from another group, while we had a break at the top of the pass.

Edwin also started a conversation with a female Peruvian guide and found out a bit about her state of faith (nominal Catholic). She agreed to talk more later, but so far Edwin assumed she is busy with taking care of her group and cooking. This is still in God’s hands.

Sunday, May 25

Camp at Laguna Carhuacocha at 4,138 meters/13,576 feet. (Photo by Andy)

Today was a rest day, with no planned hiking, evangelism or other program. It was really nice just to be, to enjoy Gods wonderful creation, to rest, to read, to pray or to wander around. Tomorrow will be our first harder day, so hopefully this day will help in giving strength and endurance for tomorrow.

I just found out that Nicole has sown some seeds sharing with two Israelis from another group.

Saturday, May 24

We left camp this morning at 7:15 as the main donkey driver advised us to reach Laguna Carhuacocha early because as many other groups would also come there.

The hike was pretty easy – only 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles) and 907 meters (2,975 feet) of altitude change – all with good weather. That brought us within four hours of the lake.

On the way, we passed part of another group from Lima, who had been driven up to the last two kilometers. Edwin and I passed them just with a greeting, but Nicole, ever ready and keen, started to share with two women, one of whom understood English.   

I have to admit that while Edwin and I waited for her (they had stopped when Nicole started talking to them) I got a bit impatient. “Why can’t she wait till we reach the lake and then share?!” I thought. But after Nicole again caught up with us she told us that in that time she shared the Gospel with the one girl called Annalo, who then prayed and asked Jesus into her heart. Hallelujah!

This for me was a humbling reminder that we really always should be ready and wanting to share, even when it might seem better to do so another time.

In the afternoon we went out again to visit the people living in this place. We seemed welcome at the first houses we visited. The people were Catholics, and Nicole started to share about her journey from being a religious Catholic to having a living relationship loving Jesus. The kids and adults started to disperse, and then the main woman asked us to wait five minutes, after which she never came back.   

At the next house we met Sonia, who also was Catholic but seemed to love the Lord. We prayed for her. Nicole also prayed for her house to become a house of prayer. Nicole started to sing some worship songs, then we went on.

She was very welcoming, friendly and open and received the audio Bible, and our prayers happily.

Friday, May 23

Queropalca. (Photo by Andy)

After a good night’s rest, we packed our camp up and left for Queropalca, which we reached after around three hours of driving. Just as we set up tents, the weather turned and it started raining.

Edwin spoke with the local ranger, and he strongly advised us against trying to share with the people in the village here. He said that people here really don’t want to listen and might even throw stones at us if we tried.

So, after tea we decided to go for a prayer walk through the village and then up a hill overseeing it to also pray over it from there. We prayed for freedom from control, joy and that these people will get to really know the King of kings.

Thursday, May 22

Today, we met Gregorio, our cook, and Victor, our driver, in the morning. The weather had changed completely; as we left Huaraz, we were greeted by a cloudless sky.

After approximately five hours in the car, we arrived in Huánuco Pampa around 2:15 p.m. and set up camp. Following that, Nicole, Edwin, and I went out to share with the local community.

The first person we encountered was Dalila, a friendly Quechuan woman who had some knowledge of God and acknowledged that He created us and everything around us. We prayed for her and gave her an audio Bible, which she accepted happily.

Paolo, Miguel, and Jasmin hear the Good News with Edwin. (Photo by Andy)

Next, we visited another house where we met a boy named Paolo, a girl named Jasmin, and her little brother Miguel. They had heard of God but had little understanding of who Jesus is. We shared the Gospel with them, and both Paolo and Jasmin prayed the sinner’s prayer with us. Nicole spoke with and prayed for Miguel, who had been sling-shotting stones at the dogs when we arrived. By the time we left, he was smiling. We also learned that Jasmin has a brother named Anderson, who has been missing for two months, so we prayed for him as well and provided them with audio Bibles.

On our way back, we met a man named Luis. I struggled to understand his Spanish and missed that he identified as an Israelite. He was open to prayer, and I prayed in the name of Jesus, emphasizing that it’s not about the congregation we belong to, but about our belief in Jesus as our Savior who died for our sins. He seemed to agree. It was only after we left that Edwin informed me of Luis's background.

Overall, our first day of outreach was quite eventful, and we trust that God will continue to work in the lives of these individuals.

Wednesday, May 21

Andy and Nicole ascending to Laguna Congelada at 4,526 meters/14,850 feet. (Photos by Edwin Milla)

This morning, we began with breakfast at 7:15 a.m. before departing around 8:00 a.m. for Laguna Paccharuri. The weather brought light rain, but since it was a relatively easy hike of only three kilometers (less than two miles) with a 400-meter (1,300-foot) altitude change, we were able to enjoy our ascent to the second, higher lake, Laguna Congelada, at 4,526 meters (14,850 feet).

While at the lake, Nicole struck up a conversation with a member of another Peruvian group, discovering that he is also a Christian. It’s always encouraging to connect with fellow believers.

Team Acclimatization: Edwin, Andy, and Nicole.

On the car ride back, we took the opportunity to worship God, expressing our gratitude and adoration. Being in such a beautiful setting made it easy to reflect on the many things we are thankful for.

The remainder of the day was spent resting and preparing for the two-day car journey that begins tomorrow. We plan to have another early night to ensure we are well rested.

Tuesday, May 20

Hiking toward Laguna Llaca. (Photos by Andy Moritz)

I arrived at the gate at the Lima airport just as the plane was boarding, having mistakenly confused the departure time with the arrival time. Fortunately, I met Nicole, who was already in line, ready for the journey ahead. It was good to finally meet in person.

After arriving in Huaraz, we met Edwin, completing our team. Following a breakfast at the hostel, we set out for our acclimatization hike to Laguna Llaca. The weather was pleasant, and the views were quite nice, making for a solid first hike together.

Laguna Lagoon at 4,470 meters/14,655 feet.

I felt the effects of the altitude with a slight headache and dizziness, and Nicole realized she would need to adjust her usual pace to maintain a steady rhythm at this elevation. We covered approximately 5.25 kilometers (3.25 miles) with an elevation gain of 740 meters (2,425 feet), completing the hike in one hour and 47 minutes – an acceptable start to our acclimatization.

During the car ride back, Nicole and I took some time for prayer and intercession, entrusting the trip, the country, and our surroundings into God's hands. After dinner, we have an early night ahead to catch up on some much-needed rest. We are grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Monday, May 19

Landed in Peru after flying Frankfurt-Sao Paolo-Lima. Nicole is in the air from Montreal, scheduled to arrive in Lima tonight. We are scheduled to fly to Huaraz tomorrow morning.

Introduction

Mission: Peru 2024 had to be cancelled after a tragic accident during a scouting trip, in which Edwin Milla – our Kingdom worker and mountaineering guide – was seriously injured in a bus accident. Sadly, three other people lost their lives.

Now, one year later, it’s finally happening. Climbing For Christ’s Mission: Peru 2025 is about to begin. Nicole Durocher Beaulne (Canada) and I will be leaving our respective countries on Sunday and Monday to travel to Peru, where we’ll join Edwin for an 11-day trek through the Cordillera Huayhuash. This will be C4C’s ninth mission to Peru, taking place from May 18 to June 4.

This past week, just before departure, has probably been the most stressful I’ve experienced in a long time. I’ve had several personal matters demanding my time, energy, and attention. Just when I thought everything was resolved, something new would come up the very next day.

As I write this introduction, I’m on a train, starting the first leg of my journey to the airport. I’ll be stopping at my girlfriend’s before continuing on Sunday. But even getting on this train wasn’t straightforward – two earlier trains were cancelled, so I tried to use a ride-sharing app. I responded to two different offers, but neither was accepted. Eventually, I had no choice but to take a much later train. While walking back and forth between options, I suddenly felt a burning pain in my left foot: a blister had appeared out of nowhere.

To say the least, this wasn’t the smoothest start. And yet, even now, when I feel exhausted and drained, I believe these difficulties are signs of something important. Clearly, the enemy is not happy about this trip. Clearly, he is doing all he can to distract, frustrate, and discourage us – because he is afraid.

When I asked Edwin what his main concerns are for this mission, he said:

“My concerns revolve around health and the safety of the group in remote areas. But I know we don’t go alone – the Lord goes before us.”

That is so true. The Lord does go before us. Even when things are hard and uncertain, we can trust that He will guide us, if we choose to follow and persevere.

Please pray that we will do just that, so that we can see Edwin’s hope for this mission come to life: “My greatest hope is that the name of Christ will be known in every community we visit,” he said, “and to see people giving their lives to the Lord.”

Amen!