Plumbing, Plantains, and Police

Well, despite a brush with the police and a brush with a snake we have survived week two here in Yurimaguas.  We are still living here at the Hogar which has been a blessing. We have been able to spend more time working with the kids and mothers here and working to finish and move into the new building. We moved the administrator’s office into the new building and out of the conference room, and we took over the conference room. Which means we now have an indoor living room! It is a great space for home school and to sit in the evening and not get attacked by ants or mosquitos, but I miss watching the bats.

A new baby was brought to the Hogar this week. Elixson is 8 months old and was born with a cleft pallet. When he was 15 days old his mother dropped him off at the Hogar. He had surgery to repair his pallet and the staff had to feed him with special bottles. He recovered well and about 6 weeks ago he went back to his village. This week his mother brought him back because she is struggling to take care of him and returned to her village. He is due for another surgery in November in another city and one of the staff will accompany him. Please pray for Elixson and his mother.

On Thursday I was invited to help with a construction project here in town. A local church is adding classrooms behind their current building. The problem is the current building is built into a hill so a lot of dirt needed removed. I showed up along with another missionary and most of the church. Many of the church members took the day off to join the work day. This is a big sacrifice to loose a day income but they are willing to sacrifice for the Lord’s work. We spent the day hauling dirt. I would shovel dirt into a wheel barrow, wheel it through the church, and dump it on the street, then repeat. It was grueling and difficult work in the heat but everyone worked hard. Men worked with pick axes to dig. Woman would fill buckets and carry out buckets. Other woman cooked food and prepared refrescos (juice). I don’t think I have ever sweat so much in my life. For lunch some of the ladies served boiled fish, rice, plantains and yucca along with a toasted barley drink. It is a traditional meal here but I think I would rather go hungry.

Friday we decided to take a trip to see the farm. The kids had not been there and Henry wanted to see the jungle. Now I currently do not have a Peruvian drivers license but plan to get one. I was going to get one in Arequipa but was advised to wait and get it here. In Arequipa there is an optional bribe to pay. Optional because you can choose not to pay the bribe but you are guaranteed to fail. Susan has a truck just sitting here needing used and the road to the farm is 8 miles of rutted dirt road with almost no traffic on it so we decided to give a go. Lucy prayed for our trip before we left.  She prayed that only one tire would go flat because we only had one spare, that our water wouldn't run out, and that we wouldn't get pulled over by the police.  So there I was driving in Peru for the first time and there at the edge of town was a police checkpoint.  At first a stern man walked up and asked to see our paperwork.  I didn’t think it was possible to sweat anymore than I already was but I did.  We explained it wasn’t our truck and that we were borrowing it from a fellow missionary. Thank goodness I had brought the insurance paperwork with us because they checked to make sure our insurance was current and told us to continue. They didn’t ask for license or visas or anything else.

After 45 minutes of bumping along the road we made it to the farm. We talked to the workers, saw the cows, chased the chickens, and petted the horses. Then we went on a hike. About half of the farm is cleared for pasture and half of the farm is jungle. We hiked along a jungle path and stopped and had a picnic in the shade. After our picnic Lucy saw a trail of ants on the path ahead. She started to run toward it when she realized it was not ants, but a black snake crossing the path. The path was about 5 feet wide and the snake covered the whole path so we don’t know how long it was exactly, but it was long. At least it didn’t appear to be very thick like a boa, and when we asked the farm workers later they said that the snake was not dangerous.

All in all, it was a good day capped off with dinner cooked by other missionaries here in town. They are from Alabama so they love good barbeque and even have a smoker. We ate enchiladas, smoked peppers wrapped in bacon, chocolate chip cookies and sweat tea. It was a welcomed change from rice, fish, plantains, and yucca. Most of all we have made another good friendship with people that have a passion to serve the Lord. The kids already call them aunt and uncle.  

Saturday I learned how to be a plumber in South America. I had some plumbing that needed work here at the Hogar so I went to the local hardware store looking for some fittings. When I asked for a union they just looked at me and said “no hay” or there isn’t any. I was somewhat confused and trying to figure out how to work without a union when I found out here they make there own. There was a fire already at the Hogar as the staff was cooking fish for lunch so I stuck the end of the pipe in the fire for a minute until it was soft and the shoved another inside of it and next thing you know I had a union. I am enjoying learning new things and even had an indigenous woman teach me how to sharpen a machete with a rock and some water. 

The kids are enjoying new adventures as well such as playing at the only playground we've found so far, playing in the rain, or playing with the toilet paper.  Lucy and Henry are enjoying doing school each day and we often include a girl from the home here who is struggling in math so we have a class of at least 3!  Maggie is loved by all and often carried off by one of the teenagers here at the home.

Week one update

Well, we have lived in Yurimaguas a little over a week, and what a first week it was. Here are some of the highlights and low lights.

We spent a lot of time this week looking at houses. On Monday we found a really good house and we told the owner that we would take it. We were set to return the next morning to sign a contract. But that night we had no peace about the decision and the more we prayed the worse we felt about it. We felt that we had made the decision without God’s leading. So the next morning we called the owner and told her we had changed our mind and why. We instantly had total peace about it, and I am so glad we did. If we had signed the contract we would have spent Tuesday cleaning the house, installing mosquito screens, and moving in. Instead God had different plans for the day. Jennifer was able to go to the hospital to assist a 17-year-old Shawi woman in child birth. The woman had never been to Yurimaguas or a hospital and was very scared. The hospital was very different and scary for even Jennifer so I can not imagine how the woman felt. But mother and child are doing well.

 This morning she left for a 3-4 hour canoe ride back to her village. In the afternoon a 14 year old Shawi girl came to the hogar. She is pregnant and running away from home because her parents want her to abort her child.  It is rumored that in the villages unwanted babies are killed at birth instead of in utero although the Peruvian staff here cannot confirm that.  The young age of the pregnant woman is common as most Shawi woman are married by age 15-16.  She does not want the baby either but does not want an abortion. She came to Yurimaguas to look for work when someone told her to come the hogar to receive help. We called the local authorities because in Peru you can receive medical treatment at little to no cost if you are a citizen but you must have documentation. Obviously this woman had no documentation but the authorities can give  the native people the proper documentation.  She spoke no Spanish so we had to have the help of a translator. She was put in the custody of the hogar until she could be processed. She lived in a remote village and has never received any education or health care.  She is approximately 30 weeks gestation.  I am struck by her bravery - to save a child she doesn't want to raise, she left everything she's ever known and broke ties with her family.  Today she left the hogar and said she was returning to her home village. Our hearts our broken.  Whatever path she chooses, the decisions and consequences will be difficult.  Please pray for strength and wisdom for her as she navigates this difficult road.

So instead of moving into a house we spent the week loving the woman and children here at the hogar. I am so glad we did not take that house. It seemed like the logical thing to do but we would have missed out on some amazing opportunities. I was able to spend time talking with a ten-year-old Shawi boy named Percy. He was here in the city for the first time. I asked him many questions about his village and life there. I learned a lot, including some Shawi words.  Jennifer spent a lot of time talking with the hogar staff, playing with the children, and painting fingernails. She learned a lot as well. Sometimes following God does not seem logical but He always knows what is best.

This is Percy doing the limbo.

Now for some culture highlights: One Monday we saw a naked (and I mean stark naked) man just casually walking down the street. I don’t think that is a highlight but I was surprised. I would expect to see nudity in the native villages but not in a city of 30,000 people. At the market I saw grilled rat.

I asked twice to make sure I understood what it was although it was obvious because it still had the head on it. Wanted to buy one just to show Jennifer but decided to take a picture instead. Henry and I held a monkey. Almost bought that too but was wiser.

Also saw a boa constrictor skin.
Right now is a 15-day celebration in town. Every night there is a huge party. It moves around town and they close the roads and set up a huge stage with loud music in the middle of the road. Last night was our neighborhood’s turn, it lasted until 4am so not much sleep for us. At the party the people celebrate traditions from the jungle which include a parade led by a cow and dancing around a totem pole.

Overall we had a good week. Still don’t have a house but that’s ok. God will provide, He always does. 

Maggie has adjusted to the heat and is feeling much better even though she still has a heat rash. 

Lucy started home schooling and that is going well. Henry made friends with the Shawi children and shared his toys with them.

We are homeless, hot, and struggling to understand the culture. Life is hard but we are doing exactly what God has called us to do and therefore have peace.

Que Dios les bendiga.

New and Different Beginnings

We are finally in Yurimaguas and I am just going to take a minute to reflect on that last couple of days. When we arrived on Thursday we were meet at the airport in Tarapoto by Mike and Katie Ewing and there three children, fellow missionaries in Yurimaguas that we had meet only once. This was an unexpected blessing. They had a van waiting for us full of food and cold drinks, and they showered us with gifts. I cry when I think of what a blessing that was to me and my family. 

On the drive to Yurimaguas we stopped at a waterfall and enjoyed a swim in the cold water. It was raining but no one seemed to care, we are in is the rainforest. After arriving in Yurimaguas we settled into a hotel for the night, the kids enjoyed their first cold shower, Maggie cried. 

We walked to a local market in the evening where we saw monkeys, turtles, macaws, parrots, piles of fish, and many other new and different things. Friday morning, we moved into the Hogar Materno the base of the mission here. We expected to work on preparing the rooms but the staff had the rooms ready with fresh towels and sheets, another blessing. We are staying in two bedrooms on the second floor. 

There is a laundry area between the rooms that we have made into a living room with the help of some plastic chairs. Jennifer and I enjoy sitting out there talking after the kids go to bed. The fresh air is nice; I just hope it doesn’t rain as our living room lacks a roof. Currently there are 18 women and children staying at the Hogar. 

Henry is a little scared of the Shawi children because they don't smile often and stare at us with blank faces, but otherwise the kids are enjoying playing and making new friends. Of course everyone loves Maggie. One of the workers told us that Maggie was the first white baby she had ever seen. But Maggie is struggling with the heat. She is grumpy, doesn’t sleep well, and has a heat rash. Please pray for here. I have experienced many 95 degree Indiana summer days with stifling humidity, but somehow it is worse here. The heat is unrelenting and there is no escape to air conditioning. The good news is that everyone says this is the hottest time of year and we will adjust. 

We spent Friday afternoon house hunting. Doesn’t work quite like in the states. Mike and Katie helped us again as they have been looking for months for a house for us. They took us around town and showed us all kinds of places. Some were very nice and others were very strange. Overall it was an awesome chance to see the town, ride in motorcars, and visit with some locals. House hunting is a little different here. You drive around until you see a house that has a sign that reads for sale or for rent and a phone number. If no one is there, you call the number and ask to see the house. You wait twenty minutes or so until the owner shows up and then you see the house. Often someone is already in the home, sometimes the taxi driver knows where the owner lives and goes to pick them up, sometimes you just talk to the neighbors, whatever works. 

Here is a picture of a house we found that we really like. 

It has a back yard with a couple of fruit trees and it is only four blocks from the main market in town. It is also only a couple hundred yards from the Huallaga River, the biggest river in town. It is almost everything we want in a house and we are praying about it for a couple of days. Please join us in praying for God’s direction in this decision. 

Friday evening, we had our first taste of street food.  Here many woman cook in their house and set up a stand out front to sell the food on the street. Often they even have a table and chairs where you can sit like a little restaurant. The food off the street is amazing! We had grilled chicken, piles of rice, boiled plantains, and juani. Juani is rice and chicken cooked inside a leaf. It is a traditional dish in Yurimaguas named after John the Baptist. The best part of street food is the price. We ate with Mike and Katie and their family so we bought seven meals, it cost 41 soles or $12.42. That works out to $1.77 per meal, and we had loads of leftovers! I am not sure how the economy works here but it is cheaper to buy food on the street then to buy the supplies and prepare it yourself. I need to figure out how that is possible.

Saturday morning, I woke up and realized there were bats in our bedroom, there were six of them in the corner. They were separated from the room by a screen which made us feel better until we realized that there are holes in the screen.  So I learned the Spanish word for bat.  We traveled around town Saturday and bought a few supplies, in the evening we went to a local church. The service started at eight o’clock and was very lively. It was some good preaching from the word of God, but the pastor jumped around the old testament. I struggled to follow along so I guess I need to work on memorizing the old testament books of the bible in Spanish. Henry couldn’t follow along either and since it was so late he slept through the whole service. We went to see some dancing. Susan’s five kids are involved in a Christian dance club that travels to different churches to preform. The thing that amazed me was that the kids were dancing like crazy and not even sweating as me and my family were just sitting there dripping. But they keep telling us that we will adjust, hope that happens soon.

Please pray for us that we can find a home. Pray for Maggie that she can sleep and adjust to the heat. Pray for Lucy and Henry as they make new friends. Pray for the staff of the Hogar as they minister to and meet the needs of the women and children. Pray that God is glorified here in the jungle.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:31-33

Giving Thanks

We left Arequipa this morning and wanted to take a minute to share what we're most thankful for as we look back over the last 6 months. 

The Basilica in the Plaza de Armas, downtown Areequipa

Josh is thankful for:

• A great school for learning language and culture
• God's provisions, no nos falta nada
•  A healthy family that has transitioned well to life in South America

  

  Josh giving his Independence Day presentation.

Jennifer is thankful for:

• Precious dedicated time with the Lord to renew my soul
• Wonderful friendships made with Godly families from around the world who will be serving the Lord all over Peru
• Delicious fresh fruits daily
• Technology and how it allows us to stay connected and feel the love and support from those far away
• Beautiful weather everyday

  

  Mommy & Maggie at the park.

Lucy is thankful for:

• Good friends, especially some who speak English
• School and making crafts in my class
• Warm weather

  

  Lucy's "All About Me" day and goodbye party at school.

Henry is thankful for:

• Family movie night (we often watched a movie and at popcorn on Sunday evenings)
• Eating salchipapas (a typical dish here of french fries with hot dogs cut up on top)
• Spending time at friends houses

  

  Enjoying Henry's favorite food.

Maggie remains sweet and joyful.  She has grown so much during our time in Arequipa.  She is jabbering away and says "mama, dada, and night night" and signing several others.  She eats anything and loves the fruit here as well.  She crawls everywhere and is standing alone.  She is still adored by her siblings but she has also learned how to irritate them!  She has developed a will of her own and understands the word no. 

Maggie standing.