Wealth beyond measure

By Andrew Early

In the mountains of South America, far away from the complications of modern life, I learned some important lessons. The trip I took there was, so far, the greatest time of my life.  

Last summer, I traveled to Peru. Our group was going to build a classroom for an impoverished community. 

It all began outside the Cuzco airport. Our group, fresh off the plane, was immersed in the bustle of retrieving our luggage and finding the bus. But despite the excitement, the minute we stepped outside, we were struck by what we saw. The city stretches on a broad, tan-colored plain in every direction, lapping at the feet of the mountains like an incoming tide. Once on the bus, we wound our way through the mud brick houses, past the endless parade of soccer-related graffiti, over the mountain passes, and into Urubamba, our host town for the next two weeks. 