Obstacles

I was headed for what I thought would be an easy journey. Relatively close compared to my last few trips, I was bound for Campo Verde, only an hour and a half in the back of a pickup truck and a three hour walk. I was planning on going in on Saturday and returning on Sunday.

It is hard to imagine that this type of trip seams normal to me these days. As we bumped along the rain soaked road passing through holes the size of a Volkswagen, I do not even bat an eye. I have traveled the road enough that it doesn’t scare me anymore so I enjoy watching the faces of the other 12 passengers standing in the back of the truck with me as we approach the bad parts of the road. I am amused to watch their eyes grow large and their jaws drop as the hold on for dear life. In one particularly bad part the driver made us get out and walk about a half mile as he was worried that the truck could roll over.

After an hour and a half, we arrived in the community of Nueva Yurimaguas. First we had to cross the Armanayacu River. It was flowing fast from some recent rains and the raft we had to cross on was nothing more then four logs loosely tied together. As a result, I stepped in the water up to my knee filling my rubber boots with water. What a great way to start a three-hour hike, with wet socks.  Little did I know that was only the beginning.

On the other side of the river we met up with Orlando, a Shawi pastor and our guide for the walk.

The first half of the walk was uneventful. Traipsing through the mud in dense jungle, passing trees as tall as 10 story buildings, breathing in the sweltering humidity. Then we came to a particularly difficult stream. It had a log across like most of the streams on the trail but this log was smaller then most and with my muddy boots I became worried. I asked Orlando how deep is the water and he replied, “not too deep.” Well I soon found out as I slipped and fell in. I don’t know what his definition of deep is, but I was glad I was close to the edge as I did not touch the bottom. The water was fresh and cool so beside the phone in my pocket I was no worse for wear.

As we continued on we came to a low lying area and the trail was flooded. “Only 300 yards,” said Orlando as we plunged into the knee deep water. He was correct but the problem was that at the end of 300 yards we came to a flooded stream. It had a log to cross but the log was under a foot of quickly flowing water. “Be careful, it is deep,” said Orlando. This worried me as I was still unsure of how deep is deep. After a short prayer I shuffled across and finally reached dry land.

Then Orlando said, “that was only a little water, the next one is much bigger.” And boy was he right. Soon we came to another section of knee to waist deep water that was at least a half mile long. The rest of the journey was more water than land but we finally arrived in Campo Verde.

The people welcomed us warmly and declared I was the first white person to ever visit their community. I had come to see their building project as they are constructing a new church. I had also come to get to know them better and encourage the believers.

Later that evening after church service I sat around with some of the men drinking chicha in the dark. We retold the story of the difficult walk and they all got a good laugh at the part when I fell in the water. Then we talked more metaphorically about the dangers of the journey and how every journey has obstacles. Some of the obstacles are put there by Satan to block our road but the obstacles always make us stronger. We discussed the story of Job and how God allows the obstacles in our life to strengthen our faith.

Sunday after church service they fed us a big meal and sent us on our way. The walk back to the road was worse as it had rained all night causing the waters to rise more and the rain continued during the walk. The three-hour walk felt like a whole day but finally we arrived in Nueva Yurimaguas. “I should be home for supper,” I thought but I was very wrong as my day was just beginning. We sat by the road and waited for a truck but there was no traffic on the road, a bad sign. After three hours of waiting a truck finally passed but it was full to capacity. We only had one option, stand on the back bumper and hang on for dear life. We arrived back at the particularly bad section and the driver told us to get out and walk. He said that the reason there was no other trucks on the road was because they could not pass this section but he was going to try it. He didn’t make it.

He somehow got stuck with one side so buried in mud that the tire on the other side did not even touch the ground. I don’t know how he didn’t roll it. The 16 passengers were soon pushing and shoveling and doing everything we could. At 9:00pm I gave up. We were only a few miles from the small town of Munichis and I know someone who lives there. I decided to walk to his house to see if I could spend the night. So there I was walking again in the deep mud but this time in the dark.  It gave me time to think and I could not help but think of what God said to Ananias about the conversion of Paul.  “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:16. I was hungry, wet, alone and exhausted, I was suffering for His name but there was no other place I would rather be.

I spent the night on the floor of my friend’s house with two other passengers that had came into town as well after me. At 6:00am I walked outside and just down the street I saw a truck, and not just any truck but the same truck from the night before. It was backed up to a house loading a pig. The driver explained that he had work almost all night in the mud to get the truck out. I was feeling bad because I had no more dry clothes and had slept in my muddy wet clothes from the day before but I felt better when I saw the driver. He was naked, except for his underwear. Covered in mud he had stripped and threw his clothes on the floor of the truck. His hair and face was still covered in mud. Most of the passengers had deserted him in the night so I was able to sit inside the truck for the ride back to Yurimaguas. After getting stuck twice more I finally arrived home at 8:00am, more than twelve hours late.

The point of this story is to encourage. I know that many reading this are facing obstacles as well, financial obstacles, work obstacles, health obstacles, family obstacles, addiction obstacles, faith obstacles. These obstacles are bigger than what we face here in Yurimaguas but you can overcome. There were times on my journey that I was suffering but I was joyful, filled with the knowledge that I was on the right path despite the obstacles. If you are suffering today, know that your obstacles will make you stronger. 

“Because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  Romans 5:3-4

Miracles in the Jungle

When they set the plate before me filled with jungle rat, boiled plantains and a side of grubs, I knew I had finally arrived in Nueva Era. We had come for the church anniversary. The trip was difficult, two days of travel, but the last four hours were the worst. We had traveled up a small jungle stream full of fallen trees and sharp curves while ducking under thorny vines and wasp’s nests. The pastor of Nueva Era had met us at the mouth of the stream to guide us, I knew we were in for an adventure when I saw him carrying a chainsaw and machete to help clear the way. The stream had many forks and alternate routes and without our guide we would have never had made it to Nueva Era.

The worldview of the Shawi people is very different than that of us North Americans. They live in an animistic culture. The shaman is the center of their spiritual world. If they are sick, they visit the shaman, if they need guidance, they visit the shaman and if they want someone killed, they visit the shaman. The shaman has the power to kill and it is very real. They never would doubt the existence of the spiritual world because they live with it everyday.

The Church in Nueva Era

How does the shaman kill? If you pay him to kill someone, the cost is often a bull, then he will enter into a spiritual trance. He then enters the spiritual world where he finds the spirit of the one he wants to kill and does “damage” to their soul. Without fail within two to three days that person becomes incurably sick and dies.

Baptisms in the creek

If this sounds crazy, I agree. But the good news is that many of the Shawi now believe that there is one Creator God and He is all powerful. This is changing their worldview. In Nueva Era they pray to God for healing as opposed to seeking the shaman. Last time I visited we prayed for a one-month old baby. The dad told us that the baby was not eating and was so sick it wouldn’t cry. My first response was to tell him they need to walk three hours to the nearest health outpost for the below average treatment they can receive there. But instead the elders and pastors of the church gathered together and we all prayed for the baby. The baby was healed. I, in my weakness, doubted and upon returning this time I asked the man how his baby was doing. “100 percent healthy,” he replied. I was surprised. Lord help my unbelief. Another man we had prayed for had bloodshot eyes and terrible headaches such that he could not sleep at night. Again I was surprised to find he had received healing. But the craziest thing was the man who brought his blind wife to the anniversary. They had walked from a nearby village because they heard that people could be healed in Nueva Era. She had slowly been going blind and was to the point where she could only see a few feet. We prayed for her at the evening service and the next morning when she woke up her vision was completely normal. 

Some of my friends from Nueva Era

After service one evening I sat and talked to the leader of Nueva Era. He looked around the church and began to tell me stories. People had come from 8 different communities for the anniversary, all walking. Some where 2 or 4 or 6 hours walk, but one community was a day and half walk away. He also told me about their stories, that man in the red shirt was sick and God healed him, that man in the corner had a sick child that was healed and his entire family are now believers. On and on he went and I began to realize that God’s healing was common place in Nueva Era but as a result God’s glory is extending into unreached communities. You see, when people are healed they believe in God and receive Christ. It is showing that God is real and more powerful then the shamans.

And the shamans are not happy about the Christians of Nueva Era. They are trying to kill them but upon entering the spiritual realm they say that the souls of the Christians are surrounded by fire and they can not touch them. They openly admit that the God of the Christians is more powerful then the spirits they serve. Suddenly Romans 8:31 has new meaning: If God is for us, who can be against us?

Rainbow over the nearby mountains

Going to Nueva Era reminded me of James 5.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  

God is healing people to show his power and the people are responding. During my time in Nueva Era 12 people came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

April in Yurimaguas

What a crazy month it has been. We have been very busy and I just wanted to share a little of the happenings here in Yurimaguas. 

In the beginning of April we held a cacao training for the men of Nuevo Junin. They had many problems with disease and fungus in their cacao fields so we hired an engineer to go to the community and train them. I went along and helped prepared the lunch of boiled yuca and piranha over an open fire.  The 20 men that attended learned how to maintain their fields with pruning and composting practices as well as how to prepare organic pesticides and fungicides.

For Good Friday we were invited to attend services in Nueva Pachiza. Lucy was sick so I went by myself, with 7 other Peruvians. It was amazing to see believers travel from all over the Balsapuerto district to attend. Some traveled 4-5 hours in canoe. It was an amazing time of worship and celebration.

On Sunday we celebrated Easter with our missionary family here in Yurimaguas. We all got together for lunch and the kids hunted candy afterwards.

For our 13th wedding anniversary we took a weekend off and traveled to Tarapoto. We stayed in a hotel with air conditioning, hot water, a pool and a television. It felt strange to sit in cold air conditioning and then take a hot shower as opposed to the other way around. We even went to a swimming hole up in the mountains with some missionary friends. I think the kids enjoyed swimming in the river more than the pool. We even enjoyed a snickers bar together which has become our anniversary tradition.

Then we hosted a Sunday School training here in Yurimaguas. We invited anyone interested in teaching and had a good response as 26 attended. Jennifer worked hard for weeks preparing materials and translating the teachings. Our goal was to teach them how to tell stories, do activities and memorize verses creatively using only materials they have available in their communities. It was a lot of work but also a lot of fun as we watched them act out stories such as the Good Samaritan and Jesus washing the disciples feet. Many of those who attended have no Sunday School for the children in their community and returned home planning to start one. Please pray for them as they bravely embark on their new endeavor.

This past week we traveled to some nearby communities as a family. Ricky and Carol Hendon, missionaries here in Yurimaguas, had visitors from the states that brought water filters. What a blessing it was as they built the filters and taught how to use them. It was a beautiful thing to see my family serving together as Jennifer taught about hygiene and hand washing, Lucy handed out soap and Henry played with the boys.

Thursday we spent the day preparing clothes for the community of Naranjal. If you remember from our last post it is a community that is mostly nude and very isolated. I will deliver the clothes next week to the community of Nueva Era and some Shawi pastors will carry them in from there. The pastors then plan on spending a week in Naranjal sharing the gospel with the people for the first time! There is so much that can go wrong with sending such a large amount of clothes so far away that we are asking for prayers. Protection against the weather, injuries, sickness, snakes and the many other unforeseen things. But most importantly we are praying that the people are not only open to receiving the clothes but are also open to receiving the gospel. I will be gone a week to deliver the clothes and attend the church anniversary in Nueva Era. The pastors continuing on to Naranjal plan on being gone two to three weeks as they will stop and preach at other villages on their return journey. 

It has been a busy month and not without difficulties as we have all struggled with illness in one way or another. There is a lot to do and it can be overwhelming. Yet...

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has call me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Phillippians 3:13-14