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