May 2010

the C U S C O
c h r o n i c l e s
Introduction
Brief intro to some of the work
we have been doing here in the
area surrounding Cusco
Page 1-2
Monthly Activities
Summary of some of the major
events that have happened in
recent months
Page 2
Supporter’s Spotlight News and Notes
A list of our supporters with a A description of a series of
photo of Cusco and a special service projects we are doing for
Peruvian recipe flood relief
Page 3 Page 4

imagine
THE POSSIBILITIES
Our future church in Cusco now has a
home! God has once again exceeded our
expectations and provided us with a
fantastic building and location.
Location is always important, but the culture here in Latin America dictates that it is nearly
Barton, Allison, and Cole Kizer
essential for any successful business, or in our case, church. In a city like Cusco, public
Overseen by the Chase Park Church of
transportation is so affordable and available that even those that have cars often choose to take it.
Christ in Huntsville, Alabama
And many times, people choose to walk. So when we decided to look for a place to plant the
church, we scoured buildings on main avenues, near transportation hubs and business areas. We
cuscomission.wordpress.com
couldn’t have been more fortunate when we encountered a building that was a former movie
theater on the main avenue in town, right across from the main university and blocks away from Mailing Address in Cusco:
several of the main markets-not to mention within walking distance of several prominent
residential areas. The streets are busy nearly any time of day. The inner part of the building is Barton Kizer
also a great blessing, although it still needs a lot of work to make it P.O. Box 707
functional. The guys have been extremely busy the past few Cusco, Peru
weeks, hiring architects, plumbers, electricians, and many
other workers. We also have a construction campaign
planned for mid-July, where a group of around 30 workers
from different congregations that support the three couples
on the team will come and make further progress on the
building. We are continually amazed by how God has provided
for us the past 6 months of our lives here in Cusco, and we can’t
wait to see what He has planned for the coming months and years.
The Cusco Chronicles • May 2010 • www.cuscomission.wordpress.com
 May 2010

THE CUSCO CHRO NICLES

In April, we celebrated our first Easter here in Peru. We learned about some
of the traditions they have here, and the most interesting one was eating 12
Cultural Corner
special dishes on Good Friday. The guys made a special trip to Puerto Quechua
Maldonado to see the jungle area of Peru and they also went on a tour of Spanish is the main official
some other parts of the Sacred Valley to see some interesting Inca ruins and language here in Peru, but
also some ancient salt mines. I may have mentioned before that this year is many people may not know
devoted to learning the language and culture of Peru, and besides being fun t h a t Q u e c h u a i s a l so
and exciting, travel really helps us to understand the people and traditions of considered an official language. Over a quarter of
Peru in a different way. Our Spanish classes have really progressed to a very all Peruvians speak Quechua fluently, and among
conversational level, and in my classes I am currently learning a lot about those, one third are unable to converse in Spanish.
Peru’s history and culture. At the end of the month we had another planning Quechua is over 1,000 years old and was the
retreat in the nearby town of Pisac. language spoken by the Incas. Today it is the most
widely spoken Amerindian language, with over 8
milllion speakers. Some English words that have
their origins in Quechua are condor, jerky, lima
(bean), llama, and
puma. Of all the
places in South
America that speak
Quechua, the dialect
spoken here in Cusco
is the most famous
and widely known.
Three vowels are more commonly used in Quechua:
a, i, and u. The letter q is widely used and
sometimes is pronounced with a throaty, Arabic
sound. If you walk anywhere near the downtown
area of Cusco, you will probably notice that the
street signs mainly have Quechua names. We’ve
been told by several people that
Quechua and English have a similar
structure, so I hope that if we attempt to
learn the language, this might make it a

Welcome to the Jungle little easier on us.

PUERTO MALDONADO, PERU

Matt’s brother, James, is here with us for a few months to keep Matt
company while Charla is awaiting the birth of baby Gabriela in the US.
The guys decided to take advantage of him being here and go on a trip to
the jungle that they have been interested in for some time. They got to see
all kinds of wildlife, hike across some swampy territory, and even climb
across a very scary looking swinging bridge over the jungle canopy. They
enjoyed some of the local cuisine and slept in mosquito nets at night. The
trip looked like a lot of fun, but definitely more of a “guy’s trip”!

! T h e C u s c o C h r o n i c l e s • M a y 2 0 1 0 • w w w . c u s c o m i s s i o n . w o r d p r e s s . c o m! 2
 May 2010

THE CUSCO CHRO NICLES

Recipe of the Month: Causa

This dish is a popular appetizer (although it can be eaten
for a main dish), especially along the coast. It’s a bit like
a casserole with mashed potatoes and chicken salad.
This dish dates from Peru’s colonial period. Its name is
derived from the Quechua kausay, which translates as
necessary sustenance.

The Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds potatoes, peeled (preferably yellow Yukon gold)
Salt
3 teaspoons dried yellow aji chili powder*
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
The Chicken Filling
1 cup cooked, finely chopped light and dark chicken meat Our Monthly Supporters
1/4 cup finely chopped celery heart We are so thankful to all of those who are partnering with us in the
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt work in Cusco. We feel that God will be able to do great things through
1/2 cup mayonnaise the work in Peru, and we are so grateful for all those helping us with
Kalamata olives and hard boiled eggs for garnish that opportunity.

Cook the whole potatoes in water over moderate heat •Chase Park Church of Christ, Huntsville, Alabama
until soft. Mash until relatively smooth. Process the aji
chili with 2 tablespoons water, the turmeric, salt, and oil •Ashville Road Church of Christ, Leeds, Alabama
until smooth. Stir the spice paste into the potatoes and •9th Avenue Church of Christ,
mix well. Haleyville, Alabama
In a bowl combine all the chicken filling ingredients until
smooth. •Adamsville Church of Christ,
Spread half of the mashed potato in the oiled dish. Adamsville, Alabama
Spread all of the filling over the potatoes. Cover with the
remaining potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill •Roebuck Parkway Church of Christ,
until cold. Serve cold, with a hard boiled egg slice and Birmingham, Alabama
kalamata olives.
•Hoover Church of Christ, Hoover,
*The aji pepper is native to Peru and may be found at Latin Alabama
American grocery stores or online. However, you can substitute any •Hamilton Church of Christ, Hamilton,
kind of pepper local to your area. Keep in mind that the aji pepper is Alabama
not very spicy, so choose a pepper that doesn’t have much spice to •Jimmy and Judy Finney, Howe, Texas
keep the traditional flavor of the dish.

! T h e C u s c o C h r o n i c l e s • M a y 2 0 1 0 • w w w . c u s c o m i s s i o n . w o r d p r e s s . c o m! 3