The Past Week

August 22, 2010

Hi All,

I wanted to write you a quick update before the team gets here next Saturday. We have been busy here buying all the building materials and getting it out to Tamshiyacu. It isn’t as easy as it seems as once you buy the materials, you have to get them to the port, then you have to get all the materials down this big hill to the boat then travel in the boat for about 6 hours then get all the materials up another huge hill and about a half a mile to the church. Thankfully Pastor Leiter and Juanvolunteered to ride with the supplies and help get them delivered. I was very grateful as there were 40 bags of cement plus a lot of other supplies. Most all of the supplies are now there in Tamshiyacu and we have someone keeping an eye on them but please keep this project in your prayers as it seems every time we start a project such as this, something always seems to happen. I therefore covet your prayers for this team.

The team arrives this Saturday and we will be traveling out to Tamshiyacu that same day. It will be a lot of hard, hot work but will be a blessing to the church and to the new Pastor that will finish seminary in December.

Yesterday Lucy and I made a quick trip to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy to visit the church plant and eat Caymito which is a fruit that is in season right now. We also went to inform Lucy’s brother who is in charge of the work there that their father is not doing well. (Picture: Caymito)

We had a longer walk than usual as the water has dropped so much that we had to get off the boat on the Amazon instead of entering the Sinchi Cuy Creek. It was really a beautiful walk except that the bridges have gotten even worse—there are more broken boards making some of them very difficult to cross.

I wanted to write about this trip as I really felt a great joy as I looked out across the group of children and adults gathered at the service last night. A year and a half ago when we first started going to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy, the children were frightened and the adults were suspicious of us. They did not know any Christian songs and the adults did not really want us there. There was a real resistance to the gospel and we had to go house to house to invite people to the service.

Last night I truly recognized the changes that have taken place. We didn’t even announce that we were having service; instead everyone was asking us what time we would have the service. We had a children’s service in the afternoon and then a regular service that night. The children all had their favorite praise songs that they wanted to sing. We had a two hour service and they still did not want to return to their homes. It was truly a blessing for me to see this. My heart is still full of joy today—nothing huge happened, but to see the children and adults singing their hearts out and receiving us with such acceptance just brought me an inexplicable joy and I am truly grateful. (Picture: Lucy speaking to some of the children)

Today we left at 5:30 am so we could get back to Iquitos as tonight is the anniversary of the church in Iquitos and we had to help with the preparation. As we were getting off the boat in Iquitos , one of the members of the church from San Juan de Sinchi Cuy helped carry our things to the moto taxi. As he left he said take care of yourself Kaylita and asked when we would be coming back—that we needed to visit more often. This also touched me as most of you probably know; Kaylita is an endearing form of Kayleen. It just felt wonderful first of all because I didn’t even know that he knew my name and second of all, these were the people that once upon a time did not want us in their village. I just am thankful to the Lord that he is faithful to His word as in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

(Picture: Youth Group dancing)

As I mentioned above, tonight we had the anniversary of the Iquitos church. We have owned this building since 2001 which is ironic as 2001 is the first year that I came toPeru on a short term mission trip. The festivities of this evening were great. The youth group performed some dances, a Colombian Pastor who is our next door neighbor, delivered the message and of course the food. My heart is very full of gratitude in this night that God has given me this opportunity and honor to be able to share His word in this part of the world. I hope this email also finds you all very blessed. (Picture: Gladys'--our cook for our mission teams grandson singing for the church anniversary)

In Christ,

Kayleen

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Tamshiyacu

August 13, 2010

Hi All,

Hope this email finds you all blessed. Lucy and I returned from Tamshiyacu yesterday afternoon. We had anticipated being in Tamshiyacu one day, then going on to the Tahuayo River to visit San Carlos, Nuevo Triunfo and Santa Ana. It was not meant to be though. There ended up being too much for us to do in Tamshiyacu to get ready for the team that is arriving two weeks from today.

(picture:the church in Tamshiyacu)

Lucy and I went to Tamshiyacu with Hermano Edgar, the man that will be in charge of the construction, to get the measurements of the church and parsonage to know how much cement, roofing tin, sand, bricks, nails, lightbulbs, electrical wiring, ect. to get for the project. Lucy and I will bring all the supplies out on a boat next week so that it will be there when the team gets there. Until I came down here to stay, I never knew how much work there was in getting prepared for a team to come. We are usually exhausted by the time the team gets here and they are usually anxious to get to work.

(Picture:the ground where we are going to build the parsonage)

This next week, we have to get 40 bags of cement, 250 bricks, the roofing tin and other supplies up a big hill and to the church in Tamshiyacu. We are of course hiring some men to help us but it still ends up being a big job.

Hno. Edgar left later that day and Lucy and I went looking for the man that is cutting the wood for us. It was a bit upsetting that he had only cut one half of the wood as the wood needs time to dry. He promised it would all be ready by Saturday—tomorrow, so we shall see. We had a man dig a well but he dug 4 meters or 12 feet down and there was nothing so we decided to put the bathroom over that hole.

(Picture:the dirt floor of the church that we are going to put cement)

We then had to talk to the man who is going to be getting the sand for us. We are going to need 8 meters of sand for the project. He has to go across the river in his canoe, put the sand in his canoe and bring it up the hill to the church. I am so glad this is not my job.

That night we held church services and as usually had a lot of kids in attendance and we had a lot of fun.

The next day we had to go to City Hall to get some measurements of the land so that we know exactly where our land ends. Then once again we had to talk to the woodcutter and the man carrying the wood. They now have running water for one hour a day in Tamshiyacu so we started the paperwork involved to get running water piped to the parsonage. We had to go to one office to get the paperwork typed up, then had to take 2 copies of that paper to the governor’s office but since all of the officials are in campaign, he was busy and we had to take the paperwork to another person to follow up with on Monday. We didn’t have services that night as there was a big political campaign in town so most of the town showed up for that.

As I said in an earlier email, the political fury is very high in Tamshiyacu. The quote is 3 dead the last time, 6 dead this time so the political groups are battling it out right now.

Wednesday we continued working on all of the paperwork and getting all the logistics lined up for the team to come such as the lodging for the team ect. In the afternoon we went and burned the trash that was behind the church. We were cutting down some banana trees that had fallen and other dead brush so that night in the service, I talked about John 15 , where Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches”. We had a great time and a bunch of the kids walked back to the lodge with us and we played until it was time to go to bed.

(Picture:Some of the kids)

Thursday we took care of last minute details then caught a boat back to Iquitos . Today we have to start the purchases and find boat prices. I sometimes get tired just thinking about all that is left to do but I know it is in God’s hands and it is His work and not my own. Well, it is 6:15 a.m. so I better get busy, daylight is burning. Hope you are all well. Please pray for this team that is coming, that we be a blessing to the people in this town and that the name of the Lord be glorified.

(Picture: Tamshiyacu at sunset)

In Christ,

Kayleen