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