By Vanessa Ruiz Gamero, Lima, Peru
Our participation in sharing the teachings of The Urantia Book at the Cusco Book Fair took place in the Gallery of the Benemérita Sociedad de Artesanos de Cusco (Distinguished Society of Artisans of Cusco) from August 30 to September 8, right on the Plaza de Armas, the main square of this ancient, historical, and touristic city.
In this splendid space we not only shared information about the book, but we truly lived an experience of building bonds of brotherhood, as well as cultural and spiritually driven exchanges. We discussed the content of the book and its interpretations with artisans from the gallery, with exhibitors at the book fair, and with local, Latin American, and other international visitors who were curious. For this purpose, we not only had samples of the book in the Spanish language, but also in English, Portuguese, French, German, and Dutch.
We gathered a team of people that, besides speaking Spanish, also spoke English, Portuguese, and some German: Fanny Chuquilín from Trujillo; Rita Barreda and Alonso Gonzales from Arequipa; Rubén Rodríguez from Lima; Lourdes Burga-Cisneros (President of the Perú Urantia Association), who currently lives in Cusco; Gustavo Quispe, also from Cusco; and the writer of this report, Vanessa Ruiz, from Lima.
Throughout the event, the people that approached our booth were from a variety of countries, including the United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, South Africa, China, and Japan. We also had contact with Peruvians from different provinces such as Huánuco, Huancayo, Puno, Ayacucho, and Lima, among others. Cusco is a cosmopolitan place that attracts people from different parts of the world in search of spiritual growth.
This opportunity allowed us to accomplish several things: distributing leaflets with information about The Urantia Book; making contact with foreign and Peruvian tourists as well as with local residents, some of whom were teachers and students on field trips to the book fair; introducing the book and its teachings; and promoting the next Urantia Association International Conference, to be held in the Sacred Valley of the Incas near Cusco, Peru, in April of 2021.
Of course, we also took time to walk around and enjoy the sun and the beautiful Andean sky, as well as to get to know this captivating and magical city—the capital of the ancient Inca Empire, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This experience has motivated us to persevere in the dissemination of the priceless teachings of The Urantia Book, and moreover, to seek to put into practice the book’s teachings of respect and love for our fellow men and the experience of living its ideals of brotherhood and sisterhood.
Urantia Peru at the Cusco International Book Fair 2019