Carry Your Cross

Last week 14 men and 2 women traveled to the discipleship center to learn more about God. They came from 9 different communities in all corners of the jungle. They came by boat, motorcar, walking and in the back of pickup trucks. They came in through the rain and the sun to hear God’s word. It was a great week. We ate and fellowshipped together, played soccer, and spent many hours together in the word of God.

Eating Together

Watching the Jesus Film together

They were so hungry for knowledge of God. We would study all day together and then have church service in the evening until 9:00pm. Afterwards they would ask to leave the generator on until 11 or 12 at night to continue reading and studying. Then they were up at 5:00am singing hymns to start the day before digging back into the word. It was exciting to see their desire for God.

One afternoon we were studying together when someone read to Luke 14:27: And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

The question was posed to the group: What does this verse mean? What does it mean to take up your cross?

The room went silent for a few awkward moments as the men pondered the statement. Finally, someone spoke up and said, “I think that means as disciples we may have to suffer to follow Christ.”

Again the room went silent as that statement began to sink in to each of the new believers in Christ. Then finally someone spoke again, “We have come here to be disciples. We have come on long boat rides in the rain. We have walked through mud and rode in the back of pickup trucks in the hot sun. We have left our village, homes, families and fields to come here and be prepared for the work God has for us. We are carrying our crosses and following Christ.”

I was amazed by the statement.  Such deep understanding can only come from the Holy Spirit. These new believers understand what it means to carry the cross. They understand that a life devoted to Christ is not necessarily an easy life. They understand the cost of discipleship. 

Lucy helping prepare chicha

Jennifer helping clean fish

Henry with his pet birds

Thank you for all your prayers. Please continue to pray as we have scheduled the next discipleship course for May. Before then there is a lot of work to do to continue improving the facilities and preparing and translating materials.

Shawi Discipleship Center Update

Things have been moving along at the Shawi Discipleship Center. Next week we begin our first discipleship course and we are almost ready. New Shawi believers will come from all over the district to be taught God’s word in their native language. We do not know how many will come but it could be as many as 40 people. We have been working around the clock for a month to get ready.

First we had an old house with a thatch roof in bad need of repair. We took off the roof and removed all the interior walls that were full of termites and other jungle creatures. Then we built a new metal roof with a small porch. After fumigating and cleaning we now have a house for people to stay.

Next we had a kitchen and dinning room area that needed repairs. We sanded and refinished all the wood windows and rescreened the entire room. Having screens makes it a nice place to eat and hang out and not get attacked by mosquitos.

Then we needed water. This is one of the biggest problems at the center as there is no well. There was a water collection system that stored rain water in large tanks but all the pipes were broken and all the gutters were clogged and falling down. It took a few days to redo the entire system but we got it up and running again. Then we hooked it up to the old showers and rehabbed the showers. The tanks were full and everything seemed to working great when Thursday a cow got loose and somehow went into the water tank room and destroyed all the new plumbing. To make things worse we did not realize it until almost all of the 10,000 litters of water drained out of the tanks. We repaired the plumbing but suddenly had no water. We talked through back up plans that included bringing water from the river a mile and a half away. Then Friday it rained all day filling the tanks. God provides. But we still have an urgent need for a well.

Then there was the issue of power. There is no electricity at the center but there used to be power lines connecting a generator to each of the buildings. All the wiring in all the buildings was unsafe so we had to rewire lights and outlets in all the buildings. Then we had to install new poles and reinstall the power lines. After buying a small generator we have power for the facility.

It has been a lot of work but the work has just begun. Next week Shawi brothers and sisters will travel from remote villages to the center and the important work begins. Please join us in praying for this time. Prayer for safe travels of the brothers and sisters. Pray for the facilities. Pray for the provision of food and for the cooks. But most importantly pray that these new believers understand God’s love for them and would be equipped to return to their villages to share this new knowledge with their neighbors and friends.

Hope

Jamie is from a distant village that until recently was unreached with the gospel. The village is located on a small stream a day boat ride from Yurimaguas. Because it is so remote the people struggle and lack basic needs such as food, clean water and basic health care.

A little over a year ago a Shawi pastor friend of ours visited the village and preached the gospel. Jamie and his wife received Christ and changed their lives. They begged for the pastor to come back and tell them more about Jesus. The pastor started to visit them on a regular basis often bringing clothes or food to bless them as well as teaching them more about Christ. More believers came to Christ and last November they built a small church in which to meet. Jamie, being one of the most experienced believers in the village, was put in charge of the fledgling church. This new believer was now the pastor. His desire for God’s word grew and he began to travel to Yurimaguas every few months to attend Bible classes.

But about a month ago we received bad news. Jamie’s wife had given birth to twins out in the village and died from complications. The pastor that visits them came to Yurimaguas when he heard the news to buy fuel so he could go visit. Not knowing the situation with the babies, we sent him upriver to visit Jamie with bottles and formula as well. The pastor visited and Jamie seemed to be in good spirits. Knowing that his wife was in heaven was his consolation. He had peace that passed all understanding. But the twins were at risk. They decided to bring them back to Yurimaguas so they could be at the children’s home where they could receive regular nourishment.  Their aunt and her 2 young children came as well to help care for them.

They were in the home for a couple of weeks and all seemed well. They were taken to the doctor for check ups and were eating and growing.

Last week Jamie came to town for more Bible classes and to visit the twins. He was attending classes during the day and visiting the twins every afternoon and evening. One evening he noticed that one of the babies had diarrhea and shallow breathing. The staff sent the baby straight to the emergency room. It is common practice here to send babies with diarrhea or fever straight to the ER. We figured that they would treat the baby and send him back home. So we were surprised when we received a call around midnight that the baby wasn’t expected to make it.  Around 1:30am, the baby passed away.

The rest of the day was a blur. Jamie wanted to return home right away to bury his child. We spent the morning getting things in order. We prayed and cried. I shared with the other pastors at the Bible class what had happened and they took up an offering to help Jamie get home. Finally, I drove Jamie down to the port with a small white casket and we loaded it on a boat.  I will never forget the image of the boat pulling out of the port and Jamie turning to wave good bye with the casket by his side. He had a long journey before him to go bury his baby next to his wife.  

My heart breaks for Jamie. He returns home as a modern day Job. In the face of his trials he will be a witness to the many unbelievers in his village. But he needs strength. He needs our prayers. He has many difficult days ahead as he faces life, raising his other 9 children and leading his church without his wife. But there is good news, Jamie has hope. Knowing that someday he will see them again his hope is not in this life but what is to come.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  -Thessalonians 4:13-14

Shawi Discipleship Center

We have now been in Peru three years. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday that we arrived yet we have seen and learned so much.   Over the past few years, we have traveled to many villages in order to encourage believers.  We have done children’s programming, medical clinics, and visited on many front porches over a bowl of chicha.  This past year, we spent 4 months living in a Shawi village to learn more about their language and culture. 

It’s been a blessing to witness the work God is doing in the Shawi church over the past few years.  One of the pastor’s we work with is realizing his call to evangelize his own people. He often travels by river and walks many hours to visit remote villages with the gospel.  Through your support, we are able to help provide fuel for him to travel.  In the last few years, he planted 7 new churches.  And there are other pastors with the same passion who are evangelizing on other river systems.

We’re so excited to see God moving and hear testimonies of lives being changed.  Throughout our travels, talking with Shawi church leadership, and spending time in the village this past year, God has laid on our hearts a need for basic level discipleship and training for new believers.  Susan, the missionary we work alongside, hosts a Bible Institute in Spanish for Shawi pastors in Yurimaguas.  However, many of the new believers are from more remote villages, only have a conversational level of Spanish, and lack basic Bible knowledge.  Some of the Shawi pastors have asked us for help in discipling these new believers. Therefore, we’re seeking to add to the training offered by introducing a basic discipleship training course, offered in Shawi, so that new believers can hear and understand the truth of God’s word in their heart language.

Since many of these communities are remote, a day by boat and then a 3-9 hour walk, bringing the pastors in to a central location will be more effective for reaching and raising up new leadership in each of these remote locations.  Missionary Ventures owns an existing property outside of Yurimaguas, that was once used for discipleship and agricultural development.  The property has been let go over the last number of years but we’re planning to rehab the facility and begin to use it to make disciples.

We hope to offer several trainings yet this year using an orality based discipleship model.  We will let the power of the Holy Spirit work as believers hear Bible stories for the first time and discover the beauty within scripture.  Our first series will go from Creation to Jesus followed by stories of Jesus himself.  We look forward to using this model and facility to offer trainings in leadership, worship, and children’s ministry as well in the future.  We will continue to travel, taking our disciples along, teaching them and watching them practice new skills.  This will provide experience to them and help encourage the local Shawi church.

First though, there is much work to be done in rehabilitating the facility.  Our first 3 obstacles to begin hosting training are lodging, water, and power.  There is a wooden house with thatch roof that can be salvaged but will need a new roof and floor boards replaced.  We hope to put in a well but will also rehab old water tanks and guttering for collecting rain water.  We will either need to put in a generator and repair wiring or purchase and install solar panels to provide power so that we can hold church service after dark.  And that is just the beginning.  Screens need repaired, roofs need replaced, and additional housing needs built.

Over time we’ll work to beautify the property, but we’d also like to begin some subsistence farming to provide both income to offset the cost of our national staff and to provide food during training cycles and for the children’s home in Yurimaguas.

We have been so blessed these past 3 years by the prayer and financial support we’ve received as well as visits of encouragement we’ve had from family, friends, and the body of Christ.  We are so excited about this direction the Lord has given us and the opportunity to go and make disciples but we cannot do it alone.  We ask you to prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to be a part of making disciples among the Shawi as well. 

Perhaps he’s calling you to pray for strength for our new believers.  This past week we learned that a leader of one of the new church plants lost his wife minutes after she gave birth to twins.  He is now a single father of 10 children.  Please pray for strength for Jaime and that he may know peace that passes all understanding. 

Perhaps God’s laid it on your heart to come and work alongside us here for a time rehabbing the discipleship training center and seeing how God is moving here first hand. We are putting together a work team to come in the summer. Let us know if you are interested.

Or perhaps he’s call you to financially support the work.  Please visit this link to give directly to the work at the Shawi Discipleship Center. 

However it is the Lord leads you, we invite you to join us as we work together to make disciples of all nations.

“Notwithstanding any other statements in this communication, please remember that any contributions to MV are under MV’s full discretion and control as required by IRS regulations.”

Motor Problems

Here is a video with some of the challenges of traveling the rivers. Click here for the link.

Team Miller

What an amazing time we had! Blessed by team Miller - Joe, Danny and Ryan came down from Maple City Chapel to pour into the people of Peru. We saw sweat, tears, and miracles in just a couple of days. Here is a quick idea of what it looked like:

Monday:

Team Miller arrived in Tarapoto after 30 hours of travel. We boarded a van and headed over the mountains to Yurimaguas. Along the way we stopped and hiked to a waterfall to stretch our legs. Once in Yurimaguas we went to the afternoon market for a snack of grubs, ants, and exotic fruits. After dinner the team went back to the hotel but in typical Yurimaguas fashion the power went out, rendering the AC useless.

Tuesday:

Everyone got up early to head upriver. After breakfast we loaded everything into the boat and began the journey. We arrived in the village by noon and the Shawi brothers had been working all morning hauling sand from the river to the church. In the afternoon, we prepared the floor for concrete by leveling it out then tamping it with an old log. Then we mixed and poured five bags of cement. The sweat poured and we did not finish until well after dark. We all jumped in the river for a moonlight bath before crawling into our hammocks for the night.

Wednesday:

Ten Shawi men showed up to help with the concrete floor. Some of them are not believers in Christ but just wanted to pitch in and help. We worked all day mixing and pouring 30 bags of cement, a monumental task. We ate chicken soup for breakfast and rice and eggs for lunch. The new concrete floor looked great but we calculated that we are going to 5-6 bags short of completing the church. In the evening we had church service and Joe preached.

Thursday:

After a breakfast of sardines and a devotional led by Ryan we were back to work. We poured 24 bags of cement. It is so much work hauling sand, hand mixing the sand with the cement, and then hauling water to mix it again before pouring it into place and finishing it. Everyone worked hard. As the men poured concrete, the women cooked all day over an open fire. At the end of the day we calculated again and thought we might have enough cement to finish the church, a miracle from God as we should have been 5 bags short.

Friday:

We finished the floor and had four bags of cement left over! This leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that God did a miracle, providing what we needed and more. The floor looks great despite having to go back and fix footprints from chickens, dogs, cows, and small children. Team Miller was tired but full of joy. In the afternoon we went to the nearby village to visit with some people and we visited the pastor’s house and fields. We were planning on having church service in the evening but the rain moved in making it difficult for the believers to walk in the mud and rain. Instead we shared a meal with a couple of families living near the church and just spent some time talking and praising God for what He did the last few days. It was a beautiful time gathered around the campfire with my friends.

Saturday:

We were up early once again to begin the trip back to Yurimaguas. We stopped in Munichis to visit the mission owned farm. Once back in Yurimaguas, we were all glad to have a shower and clean up before heading out for a late lunch. We ate at the Rio Huallaga Hotel where we can overlook the Huallaga River and watch the boats come and go and enjoy the breeze. Afterward we walked to the port and ate ice cream.

Sunday:

It was another hot and sweaty day in the jungle. Joe gave the morning message. The pastor invited us back to share at the evening service as well. In the evening Danny, Ryan and Joe all shared. The believers were greatly encouraged.

Monday:

On the way back to Tarapoto we stopped at another waterfall. This one was a long, tough hike but worth it as Team Miller took turns jumping off the 30-foot waterfall into the fresh mountain water. After a nice lunch and some tourist shopping in Tarapoto the team began their long and difficult journey back home.

What an awesome week! We were so encouraged by the team’s visit. They selflessly poured into the Shawi believers, the Yurimaguas church, and our family. They endured long days, hot nights, loud roosters, bug bites, flooded rivers, mud and back pain, all with a smile on their faces and joy in their hearts never once complaining. They were an example of what it means to “Go and Be the Church.” Thank you Maple City Chapel and thank you team Miller.

Por Algo Será

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