"There are few people that we meet in life that make us seem to come aliveâwhere conversations seem more like adventures than a mere exchange of words. This was that."
There is no height nor depth that will put you out of His reachâŚ
Combining both real and fictional elements, our adventurer, a practicing atheist, makes his way to the South American country of Peru. What he thinks is merely a temporary escape turns into a powerful encounter with everything he truly desires--real faith, love, and purpose. He will be forever changed.
A year away in Peru to teach English in an Andean community turns into so much more! In this new novella from Eric Lovin, you will experience:
â Real places, streets, culture, and even people from the region of Cusco, Peru
â The powerful intervention of a God whose love knows no bounds and will always go after the one
â A beautiful and adventurous love story centered in Him
Be encouraged, and join us to âCome Alive in The AndesâŚâ
"There are few people that we meet in life that make us seem to come aliveâwhere conversations seem more like adventures than a mere exchange of words. This was that."
There is no height nor depth that will put you out of His reachâŚ
Combining both real and fictional elements, our adventurer, a practicing atheist, makes his way to the South American country of Peru. What he thinks is merely a temporary escape turns into a powerful encounter with everything he truly desires--real faith, love, and purpose. He will be forever changed.
A year away in Peru to teach English in an Andean community turns into so much more! In this new novella from Eric Lovin, you will experience:
â Real places, streets, culture, and even people from the region of Cusco, Peru
â The powerful intervention of a God whose love knows no bounds and will always go after the one
â A beautiful and adventurous love story centered in Him
Be encouraged, and join us to âCome Alive in The AndesâŚâ
Perhaps I missed out on something, I thought to myself. Have you ever had that feeling? That was the sentiment dominating my mind as I sat in the airport. Awaiting my flight, that thought hit me like never before. There I was, running from so many things as I started a new chapter in my life. I was headed to the South American country of Peru where I was to teach English for a one-year term in a rural, Andean school. I had recently graduated college, and, with my new degree in English, I had decided to spend the first year teaching the subject in a different culture. There was a lot on my mind including the many things that I left undone back home; however, I realized that I just needed to get away for a while. I had thought that, hopefully, a year would be enough time. Finally sitting in the airport, though, about to start the quest, I wondered if that was too much time. Second thoughts set in. It was December 29 th , and I was sitting in the terminal, still waiting. It was only a few minutes before the gate would open for me to board my flight. I gazed back down the long corridor to see if anyone had come to see me off, just by chance. It would have been good to see a familiar face, as I was already anxious about the journey. One face in particular, though, would have been even better. That face would have made me grin from ear to ear as they always said in the South where I grew up. For you to understand why that face would have been great to see, though, you will have to journey back with me to that summer, just a few months before the flight to Peru was to take place. Three awe-inspiring months is the only way to describe that summer after college graduation. Only days after graduation, I left for a town out west in Colorado with a group from my English department to teach and tutor at a summer-long youth camp. These were kids who were having problems at home, school, and, well you name it. It was an incredible opportunity for us to spend time with the kids and to teach them what we had been taught for the past 3, 4, or 5 years of college, in my case. There was so much more to that summer than just being a teacher, though. The teaching was fun, the kids were enjoyable, the experience was remarkable, but one person in particular made the time there even better. We had been in the same college department, despite her being a year below me, but had never really spent much time together besides the general âhelloâ in passing. Her name was Summer, a name that was going over and over in my head as I sat awaiting my flight and had been for those past few months after the camp. Summer was like no other person I had ever met. She had a passion for English and teaching just like me. She was a person who truly shared my goals, visions, and almost everything else. I would stop at times, during the teaching that summer, to look up seeing her give her all into teaching them, hardly ever taking breaks, and always going the extra mile to do what she thought needed to be done. She brought a smile to the kidsâ faces and to mine. We talked many times that summer, many of those times ending up in the very early hours of the morning, which seemed like only a couple of minutes. We shared stories, talked about the future and how we were both going to ultimately change the world. There was one side to Summer, though, that I didnât get. She was a Christian. A very proud and involved Christian, I might add. I think that this is the only place we didnât connect. I didnât understand her when it came to Christianity. I grew up around churches, attended them, and even considered myself a Christian once, but time and people had changed that. I shared this with Summer many times during that three-month period. I had been hurt, so many times, by Christians that I finally had given up on the whole thing. Not to mention the fact that what I read in the Bible, at the time, didnât seem to line up with what I saw in the churches and Christians that I knew. Interestingly enough, she agreed with me, and yet she still hung on to her beliefs. She always said that one day I would find that life again and that I would eventually find my true calling and purpose in God. I didnât understand that, but even though we differed on that one subject, she didnât hold it against me. We would just sit there and talk, enjoy each otherâs company, and gaze at the stars. Nothing happened beyond that. No kiss, no holding hands, nothing besides the occasional warm embraceâwhich happened a lot. That is the note that we left on. We both went back to our previous lives after that summer. I was back home planning for my one-year journey in Peru, and she had transferred out to a school in Oklahoma to finish the last year of her degree. We continued to talk during that transitional time, the occasional phone call and email to keep in touch. She, through all that time, continued to encourage me as our conversations deepened over those few months. As a matter of fact, there wasnât a day that went by that I didnât think of her. Still, my mind was fixed on her, and the thought of her was the one thing that I couldnât get out of my head as I sat in the airport awaiting Summer, in my mind, to see me off. That is what I meant by missing out on something. In a big way, my mind told me I had missed out on something amazing. Why did we both just leave and go our separate ways? Why didnât I try to do something? Why couldnât I get her off my mind? Why didnât I tell her how I felt? Why am I going to this place for a year? I started to wonder if there was, indeed, more to our relationship. That thought, though, was the last one through my mind as I was brought back to reality by the boarding call to Lima.
Have you ever experienced a moment or met someone who forever changed your life or left a lasting impression? In Coming Alive in The Andes- Finding God, love, and purpose in the heights by Eric Lovin, we meet a man who's had encountered both. In actuality, several points in his life, and the happenings centered around each time, have left a mark on him, shaping who he was then and now.Â
Eric spoke of a traumatic moment from his past (pastor and family dying in a wreck) and how the church reacted to the news, which, in turn, altered his perception of organized religion. When I was younger, we had an incident where I witnessed pillars of the church yell at the pastor and cast him out on the streets. Why? Because he asked for progression. That day was the last day I stepped into a church service. So, I can empathize with Eric's tale and his anger over the hypocrisy of the church's leaders.Â
When he went to Peru to teach English, it was quite a culture shock. No coffee shops. No Walmart. No tv or radio. Foreign language. The man questioned his decision, as would most. However, again, he met people who would change his life. One particular student gave him a reason to pray again. This student also made the teacher realize that he lived a selfish life before traveling to Peru. One devastating event in the book opened the man's eyes. Very sad, emotional scene. (no spoilers).Â
The man's journey was not complete. He met a group of other people that, through their journey, opened his eyes. They helped him regain his faith.
Coming Alive in The Andes- Finding God, love, and purpose in the heights proves that a person's path is not set in stone. Circumstances, people, and events shape who we are. The writer's journey took many turns. When he ventured to Peru, he intended to stay one year. Did he? Ah, you'll have to read the story to find that out.Â