Village Life

Update Note:  This was written when we arrived back in town a week and a half ago but we didn't post because we were waiting to add another video.  Our internet is not the fastest and we have not been able to upload it.  After our time in Yuri of rest and rejuvination, we are headed back out the the village today for another 2 weeks.  Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

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We are back in Yurimaguas after a three-week stint in a village. We are here for about ten days before we return for another month; ten days to restock, recuperate and rethink.

Honestly, it was a tough three weeks. I (Josh) have visited villages over 50 times since moving here, but was still not prepared for the culture shock. Everything is different. Language, culture, way of thinking, worldview, social activities and the food are all so different that most days Jennifer and I just looked at each other and said, “What just happened?”

The challenges are too many to list. There is no internet, cell phone or electricity. As a result, we go to bed at 7:00pm most nights. There is no refrigerator so we eat rice and beans everyday. The bathroom is a hole in the ground that is difficult to use so Maggie decided to un-potty train. Henry struggled with the change and got shot in the eye with a slingshot. Jennifer had to wash clothes in the river daily. We all had to walk a half mile to the river to bathe every evening along side other people. The bugs are relentless. It is always muddy.

But those are the physical challenges and we can get over those but even harder is the cultural challenge. Most of the time I don’t understand what is happening. When someone kills a monkey or jungle rat they invite all their neighbors over to enjoy the feast. They sit around one pot and eat with their hands while the successful hunter tells the story of the kill. Whenever you go somewhere you announce it to everyone you pass. For example, when going to bathe I walk past 8-10 houses and each one I say, “I am going to bathe.” After the bath on the way home I then say, “I already took a bath and I am going home.”

Also in communal living there is no privacy. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. There are always children just sitting in our house. Food is almost always shared. They love to laugh at other people’s misfortune. It is not offensive to make fun of someone for falling in the mud or getting hurt.

Despite the challenges, it was a successful few weeks. Our goal going in was to learn language and culture; and that is what we are doing.  There were things we really enjoyed. We ate monkey, wild boar and jungle rat. There are some small monkeys that we often saw in the trees near our house. We found a boa constrictor. At night we could see the southern cross and the big dipper at the same time, although the big dipper is upside down. Lucy made some new friends. Henry loved climbing trees and swimming in the river. Maggie loved the boiled corn drink. I got to help the men work in their fields. Jennifer enjoyed homeschool al fresco.

Jennifer also brought some basic medical supplies and I am glad she did. She was able to help a malnourished baby get to Yurimaguas for recovery. She helped a man with boils on his legs. Another man fell out of his boat while driving and the propeller cut his leg in five places. At the local heath outpost, 25 minutes away, they stitched up two of the cuts without any pain meds and sent him home. Jennifer was able to help him clean and bandage his cuts as well as give him some pain meds. After a couple of days, he was back up walking and working in his fields again. 

While there, we took four days and went farther upriver to visit another community, San Juan de Paranapura. There we did vacation Bible school for the children. They told us there would be 60-70 children and over 100 showed up. It was just Jennifer and I and a translator. It was very difficult but worth the effort as there are only a handful of believers in the community. We had to stretch supplies for the crafts and stretch the food but it worked. We also showed the Jesus film twice, one time to over 50 adults.

We praise God for his provisions and protection during our time. We thank you for your continued prayers and support.  Please pray for us as next week we plan to head back out for another month.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

-Ephesians 3:20-21

Attached are some videos of our time in the village or you can check out our You Tube channel by clicking here.