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