Need some good luck?

The beautiful village of Quinua, an hour’s drive from Ayacucho, Peru, is known for its pottery.

One of the specific types of pottery that is especially popular are figures of houses and churches. The tradition is to place these on the roofs of homes and other buildings for protection. They are supposed to bring good luck to those inside. Even the church in Quinua had these cute replicas on its roof.

Now, I may be wrong here, please let me know. I certainly understand that everybody needs good luck; I know that I sure do. But instead of counting on an inanimate object to supply that luck shouldn’t I be praying to God instead. If I think that putting something on my roof is going to help me out, isn’t that idol worship? I shouldn’t be turning my attention to a cold piece of pottery. Instead, I need to turn my eyes to my Lord and Savior.

So be careful not to commit the sin of worshiping idols. Don't make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women, animals, birds, reptiles, or fish. And when you see the sun or moon or stars, don't be tempted to bow down and worship them. The LORD put them there for all the other nations to worship. But you are the LORD's people. Deuteronomy 4:15-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Quaint Quinua

On Wednesday afternoon, while I was in Peru in 2009, Rudy, the director of CCS in Ayacucho, took us for a ride into the Andes Mountains and the small town of Quinua. Quinua is an absolutely adorable little town, right on the edge of the cocaine trade. That just doesn’t seem right, does it?

Above the village, is the site of the Battle for Ayacucho, which won independence for Peru in 1824. In 1974, this obelisk was built in commemoration of that time in South America’s history.
After Rudy told us all about this victory, as well as pointing out the trails out of the mountains where cocaine was trafficked, we walked into town where we purchased the delightful pottery which the town is also known for.