The picture to the left is very typical of what the suburbs of Lima, Peru, where I am currently visiting, look like for much of the year.

It is cloudy, gray, and there is absolutely no natural vegetation, although you can see the Pacific Ocean stretching out on the horizon. 

I am writing this blog from only about a mile away from where this picture was taken. The view out our window is similar, although you cannot see the ocean from here.

I am staying at the home of the young man who is the current leader of our ministry in Peru of "raising up" future missionaries to the highlands of Asia.