"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
My
first trip to Peru was forty years ago. I was impressed then, but I
am even more amazed at the people of Peru since I have been leading
tour groups there for the past few years.
There
is a 78-year-old lady from South America that lives in my
neighborhood. She works at Grand America, a local hotel. After her
shift she gets off the bus and slowly walks home about three blocks,
which is mostly uphill. If I see her, I will offer her a ride home.
She
is very short and her skin is brown. Her English is broken and I did
not know much about her because it was so hard to communicate with
her.
One
day on the way home I asked her where she was from. In her broken
English she said Peru. I could hardly wait to ask her if she was
Quechua, which are the indigenous peoples whose ancestors built Machu
Picchu and all the incredible wonders of the Incas.
Here
I have been going to Peru and meeting these lovely people and I did
not know that one of them lived just a block from me. Tonight as I
was working in my flowerbeds she came walking up the road on her way
to her house.
Knowing
that she was from Peru, I invited her into my home to watch a video
about her country and her people. This video was
just released 24 hours ago on YouTube and it has already had more
than 130,000 views.
As
she sat and watched this YouTube video tears began to run down her
face, “It is my people, it is my country,” she said.
I
saw in her the love of her homeland and her countrymen. My heart was
so touched. I said to her, “Will you go back? Then in her
very broken English she said, “I live here 15 year, no work for
me in Peru.”
I
see so many of these beautiful people each time I go to the
countryside in Peru.
Devon
Graham was on my trip June of 2013. He is a professional
videographer who is a returned missionary and has attended BYU but
has had so much success with his videos he is now traveling the world
and making incredible works of art.
His
videos on YouTube have had more than 175 million views. Sit back and
enjoy this beautiful video
that brought tears to the eyes of my dear friend.
Dian
is a tour director that leads trip to Peru, South Africa, China,
Nepal, Thailand and Europe. To learn more about her trips, go to
http://www.dickjensentours.com
or write to Dian at info@dianthomas.com.
If you would like to go on any of Dick Jensen’s tours just
mention Dian Thomas and you will get a $50.00 discount.
Dian Thomas was blessed with the good fortune to be born near and raised in
the remote, breathtaking Manti-La Sal National Forest in southeastern Utah,
where her father was the forest ranger. She took the skills she learned in the
outdoors and turned them into a New York Times best-selling book, Roughing It
Easy. Her appearance on the NBC's "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson
boosted her into the national media scene, where she became a regular on
NBC's "Today" show for eight years and then ABC's "Home Show" for six years.
After more than 25 years of media exposure and 19 books, she now shares her
practical insights and wisdom with audiences who want to savor life.
A former Relief Society president, Dian is currently serving as a visiting
teacher. Visit her website at www.DianThomas.com