Team Preparation

June 11, 2011

Hi All,

Just want to give you a quick update of this past week. Monday, Lucy and I headed to Tamshiyacu. The river is really high right now and has flooded many areas destroying their crops for this year. Please pray for the people that they have food and clean water. The other problem comes when the water begins to recede. Then there is usually an epidemic from poor sanitation conditions. Lucy and I had to get into a canoe to be taken to the boat that went to Tamshiyacu. It is a 5 hour boat ride on the slow boat so we just hung our hammocks and chilled til we got there.

When we got there, we took our things to the parsonage that the team built last year. It is so nice to have a place to arrive and not have to pay for the hospedaje or hotel. (Photo: Our mosquito net beds) That night we had a service and afterwards played games with the children. We had a lot of fun and it was so good to see the kids again. This church right now is without a Pastor but has been continuing on with a 17 year old girl who is faithful in teaching the children and an Aguaruna woman who does not know how to read but is faithful in prayer, opening the church at 6 a.m. each morning to have her time of prayer.

Harol, who is a student that we have sent to seminary in Chiclayo will be coming with his wife and daughter in January or February. He was to come last year but there were some difficulties and he couldn’t come til then. I spoke with he and his wife on the phone and they are very anxious to get here. Their baby will be born this month so they cannot travel til she is a bit older as the traveling conditions are not easy here. We look forward to them coming as the church in Tamshiyacu has many needs, especially the need for a consistent Pastor. (Photo: Some Children in Tamshiyacu)

Tuesday night we also had a service with an even larger attendance and quite a few adults. No one wanted to leave after the service so once again we played games then were all talking out on the sidewalk and I saw the Southern Cross constellation for the first time. It only appears in May til the early part of June. I was excited as that is something I have always wanted to see.

Wednesday before we headed to Santa Ana, we were walking around town and there was a big commotion by one of the people’s yards. They said there was a snake so I thought I would send a picture of it. It is not venomous but bites and can be dangerous to dogs, chicken and children so they were going to have to get rid of it. It started coming after me when I was taking it’s picture. My mother, if she weren’t already with the Lord, would have passed out. (Photo: snake)

After that, Lucy and I went and waited for a boat to Santa Ana, there was a small boat headed there so we got in and had to sit on the sides to keep from tipping. (Photo: Lucy in the boat) We got to Santa Ana and got to bathe and wash our clothes in their beautiful oasis of a spring. That felt absolutely wonderful. We then had a service that night and celebrated the birthday of one of the women there, played some games then hung our mosquito nets in the church to go to sleep. I could not sleep because the bats kept hitting my mosquito net and I thought they were going to get inside. (Photo: one of the children at the church service)

Thursday we made the plans for the team that will be here on Saturday and then held a service that night. The church in Santa Ana is struggling as Pastor Hildebrando resigned and is trying to start a different church in his home. It is a small village where many of the people are related so this has impacted the church there but after the service, many were ready to continue on in the Lord’s work. Lucy and I want to try to get to each of the churches this year and do a week of discipleship. It will be difficult with all of the teams coming but it is really needed.

Despite all of the struggles, i.e. the continuing struggles of the churches, the bats, the countless mosquito and other bug bites, the mud, the rain, sleeping on the ground, bathing, washing clothes and drinking from the river, I have to say that I love the work here and wouldn’t trade it for the world. The people here mean so much to me that at times it is difficult to see all of the struggles but through prayer and leaning on the Lord, I know that one day this area will take hold and flourish. I keep remembering Gal. 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” I know that God has His hand on this work through it all and it is His work and not my own. I know it says “How beautiful are the feet of him who spreads good news” but my feet are not so beautiful here.

I hope you are all well. I am excited to have our first team arriving next Saturday and am busy making preparations. I will leave you with one last photo of a little boy in Santa Ana, Anibal, that will turn 5 on Sunday. God bless you all. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and please write.

In Christ

Kayleen

P.S. It took me 4 hours to load this...that is how fast my internet is..haha