First Presbyterian Church
Peru Mission Trip
2005


Sent: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:20:10 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Greetings from Peru

Hello All,

I hope that all is well in the States.....we are having many adventures here in Moyobamba. I am sorry it has taken so long to write, it seems that each day is full of so many things to do. We arrived in Moyobamba on Friday evening, and since this time I have been trying to spend time with each of those who became my family when I was here last year. It has been a blessing to be a part of their lives once again...to share our experiences of this year, and to know how to pray for one another better. It seems that many things have changed since I was here last, and it gives me sadness to see the struggles of those I love. I am grateful however that their hearts are still strongly intertwined in their love for Christ.

Saturday morning was spent helping in the construction of a new church. There is a new region of development outside Moyobamba, and this Church will be a home for many people who can not travel such long distances to come into town. The walls of the church were basically completed, so we helped to mix cement for the floor. I think that it was an eye opening experience for those that have not come to Peru before. It is hard to understand without seeing first-hand, how things are done here. With no machinery everything is done by hand....shovels and wheel-barrels.

Sunday was more relaxed as we went to church in the morning and the evening. Monday morning a group of us left at 6:00 A.M. to go to an Aguaruna community. This was a step of faith for many....going into the jungle far away from anything familiar. The only trouble encountered on the way to the river was a farmers strike that had closed the road. As we expained our situation, we were able to pass....only by the hand of God. In typical Peruvian fashion, we arrived at the river around 8:30, and waited for the boats to arrive. Around noon they came....one boat continued down the river with half of the group, and the boat that I was in continued to wait for an hour for our driver to arrive. Finally we had begun our journey.

The river was very low, and we often had troubles passing. Several men helped by jumping out of the boat to push. Once the darkness of night came it became very difficult to navigate. When the jungle gets dark....it get dark quickly. 2 hours into the darkness we arrived safely at Nueva Vida. It was a surreal experience.....the bank of the river lit up with fire, and the entire village waiting for us to arrive. They immediately grabbed our belongings and carried them up the mountain side to the village. We followed...exhausted and concerned for the other boat that had not yet arrived. Our sleep was welcomed, and we woke very early in the morning for a worship service. The children of the community sang for us and we talked about the problems of the village. The water system that is being built is nearly finished, and the members of the community are worried that we will not have any interest in a relationship with them once this project is finished. Often times groups come along to ““fix““ something, and then they lose interest in the people. We assured them that we love them, as members of our family in Christ, and we are interested in helping with their many concerns. We were able to look at the water system....a solar powered pump will bring water up the mountain to a large tank where it will be distributed to each home. I was happy to be able to spend time with the engineer in charge of these projects. Lilliana became a dear friend to me last year as we traveled to different villages together.

We ate armadillo for lunch, and headed down the mountain to return home. The boat ride was quite similar to the first one.....many times we had to push ourselves along the river where it was too low. Once night arrived, with several hours left to go.....the storm came.....rain so strong that we were unable to see. I dont know how our boat driver was able to navigate. We covered ourselves in ponchos, but were still soaked. Lightning on the horizon.....and rain, rain, rain..... The moment we arrived at the bank of the river...our landing spot, the rain stopped. The only problem now was that there was no car to receive us. We walked in our wet clothing, with our wet bags.....and finally found our ride back to Moyobamba......

When it seemed the adventure could not become any more exciting, it did.....but God was watching for us through it all. We all returned safely to our homes....to hot soup for dinner, and a warm shower.

Today has been a day of rest, as we prepare to go to Cusco tomorrow morning. I am so sad to be leaving Moyobamba. It truly is a second home to me. Please pray for our safe travels tomorrow.

Many blessings, Lorien