Twelve students and three teachers from Vancouver College have finally returned home after an unexpectedly long stay in Peru.
Three weeks ago, the school’s Faith in Action Team flew to the South American nation for a service trip and were due back March 18. But due to COVID-19 measures including a 15-day ban on flights out of the country just before their departure, the team found itself trapped inside Peru’s borders.
Vancouver College contacted the Canadian Embassy in Peru and said the authorities transported the team from a hotel in Ollantaytambo (near Machu Picchu) to Cusco, where they waited for a flight back home. Finally, March 28, they landed at Vancouver International Airport to the joy of family and friends.
“Thank you to our community for your prayers and support throughout this time,” the school said in a statement. “We’re so happy to finally be able to welcome our team home!”
They were the second archdiocesan high school mission trip affected by the pandemic. Two weeks earlier, students from St. John Brebeuf Secondary in Abbotsford considered returning early from their mission trip to Belize. Although they ended up staying to complete the mission, they ended up in self-isolation once back home due to recently imposed border requirements.
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