Peru: Living Stones

Depart for the beginning of your Peruvian journey, with layovers along the way.

Arrive in the breathtaking city of Cusco, situated at 11,150 feet. Spend the day with your team leader learning about the communities we’ll serve and the week ahead. In the evening, take a walking tour of your surroundings. Opening devotional: what does it mean to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in a new culture?

Our week of service begins! Engage with communities in the Cusco area, many of whom have faced significant hardship. This is a region where traditional medicine and healing practices still play a central role, and we’ll have opportunities to learn from local healers about the botanicals they use. Evening: explore the cobblestone streets of Cusco. Evening devotional on cultivating a servant’s heart.

Continue community engagement. After the day’s work, visit the nearby Sacsayhuamán Fortress, an impressive example of Inca military architecture. Stop by a local craft market and learn how to spot true alpaca wool.

Continue community engagement. In the evening, take a short trip to Kenko, hiking through the hills to a site where the sun, moon, and stars were once worshipped. Watch for alpacas wandering the area.

Continue community engagement. Spend the evening discovering local artists demonstrating traditional work in silver, paint, and wood — a window into the intricate design and craftsmanship behind Andean textiles and art.

Continue community engagement. Enjoy a free evening back at the local craft markets and streets of Cusco.

Continue community engagement. In the evening, take a culinary class led by locals to learn how to prepare some of Peru’s tastiest cuisine.

Our final day of service wraps with a team debrief on the week’s work. Enjoy an evening feast of celebration with traditional Peruvian food.

Get to know the Sacred Valley. Stop at Moray to view the enormous circular terraces the Incas used as a botanical laboratory. Continue to Ollantaytambo, one of the most fascinating building complexes of the Inca Empire and the only “living Inca town,” with stone-paved streets continuously inhabited since the 13th century.

Catch the early morning train to Aguas Calientes, at the base of Machu Picchu. Explore the ancient Incan ruins and hear stories of how this city was built. Spend the evening in Aguas Calientes, enjoying Peruvian cuisine and perhaps a soak in the local hot springs.

Rise before the sun for a hike up the trail to catch sunrise on Machu Picchu, watching the morning fog lift from the mountains. Catch the train back to Cusco for your departure. Final group devotional and debrief: what did God teach us this week?

Travel home with layovers along the way.