Por algo será, which loosely translates there must
be a reason, is one of my new favorite phrases. It is one that is necessary
when traveling here in Peru. There are always difficulties and problems and it
is easy to become frustrated. But when when we remember God’s sovereignty, we know
there must be a reason and we can find peace.
I just got back from six days upriver. I went with a Shawi
pastor and good friend of mine, Aru. We decided to go in canoe as the place we
were going was near the end of the river and the water is shallow and rocky. So
for two full days we traveled in his dugout canoe, under the hot jungle sun. As
we neared the village the river became less of a river and more of a small
stream. The last three hours of the trip was mostly pushing the canoe through shallow
rocky water. And this was not your typical fiberglass canoe, this canoe was a
36 foot-long, hardwood, dugout canoe. It was not light. We finally arrived,
tired and sunburned, just in time to change our clothes and start church service.
We had travel to the village for a church inauguration. Pastor
Aru had been visiting the village for a year and a half preaching and having
service outside on the beach in the rain and sun. His efforts were not in vain
as many in the village have come to faith in Christ. Now they had constructed a
simple building and had invited all the nearby villages for the inauguration.
 |
| The New Church |
When service began there were nearly 200 people cramped in
and around the building. They came from all around, some walking 6-8 hours just
to attended and hear the word of God.
It was a wonderful weekend. We had church service 6 times in
three days. Ten people came to faith in Christ and were baptized in the cold
river.
 |
| Baptism in the river |
For the closing service, each village present was given the
opportunity to share a song. This lasted for hours as there were people from
more then ten other villages and each special lasted 20-minutes or more. When
the special songs were over it was midnight and they announced we would take a
10-minute break before beginning again. I was exhausted but stuck it out until
the service finally ended at 1:30am.
 |
| Some of the new believers |
We were up at 5am the next morning to start
our journey home. Once again we pushed the canoe through the rocky river and it
was slow going. At 1:00pm, 8 hours into our trip, we came to a different river
and it was flooded. This was a blessing as with more water we could travel faster.
We stopped to fuel up and I had an idea. With the high water I could make it to
the Aru’s village by 3:00 and someone could take me to Balsapuerto by 4:00pm.
In Balsapuerto there is a road that connects to Yurimaguas and I could catch a
truck and be home by 8:00pm. I was missing my family and suddenly became
excited about the idea of returning home a day early. I discussed the idea with
Aru and he was in agreement, so off we went again. But we had not traveled 10
minutes when the motor began to spit and sputter. We had a problem. We pulled off
under a shade tree and began to tinker with the motor. For the next 2 plus
hours we changed spark plugs and fiddled with the carburetor. Each passing
minute my heart sank more and more as I realized that the timing of my plan was
falling apart. Finally, we got the motor running again and we arrived at the
village at 5:00pm, too late to continue on to Balsapuerto and arrive before
dark. I was tired, sunburned and heart broke. Aru just looked at me and said, “por
algo será,”
there must be reason. These three little words lifted my spirit.
The next morning, we left early. The strangest thing
happened when we arrived in Balsapuerto. Normally the trucks sit in the town
plaza until they are full with passengers or cargo and then they leave. We usually
have to walk up from the river into the town and find a truck to take us. But
when we arrived there was a man standing on the beach. He asked, “Do you want
to go to Yurimaguas?” “Sure,” I replied. So we loaded up our stuff and got into
the truck. I asked if he was going to wait for other passengers and he said no.
How strange, I thought, the trucks never leave empty. There were only three of
us, me, Aru and his wife. But we got into the truck and took off.
The driver began to ask us questions. Who we were and what
we were doing. We told him we were Christians and he told us that he went to
church we he was young but no longer was walking with the Lord. For the next
two hours we shared the gospel with him. He asked us questions and we explained
the love of God and the forgiveness of sins. He never slowed down to pick up
other passengers and he even brought us directly to my house in Yurimaguas.
Over lunch Aru reminded me of the motor breaking down. He
said that it was God’s plan. That man was waiting for us by the river, sent by
God to bless us with a ride while we shared the gospel with him. It was God's plan. There was a reason. Por algo será.
In their hearts humans plan their course,
But the Lord establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9
