Ashaninka volume25

Tonight was our last night with our Ashaninka friends.  The time has come for us to say goodbye and for them to welcome a young Peruvian couple who will be working with them.  We have learned so much from our time with this group of special people ~ generosity, honesty, thankfulness, simplicity and community.

Several of the kids dressed up tonight in the typical native dress and two little ones did a traditional dance for us.  They wanted to give us a "proper send-off" and this was their way.  (they even had Olivia put on a dress)

Our hearts are full of joy and hope as we leave them in the hands of our Heavenly Father.  Our hearts are full of sadness as we will miss all the hugs, kisses, and beautiful smiles.  Our fervent prayer is that this small group of believers will reach the other 65 families that make up this community for Christ.  We can't wait to go back and see what God has done there.

(For those of you who have asked, the little girl who was missing is back safe and sound!)

True story

Our year in the jungle is wrapping up.  We have learned so much, seen so much, and wouldn't trade this time for anything.  Here are the top 20 oddest/most fantastic/most shocking/most interesting things we've seen this year (that we could say/write in public):

20. disposable diapers washed and drying on the line

19. a woman with her baby in a stroller, on the back of a pickup truck

18. men walking around with bows and arrows on their backs

17. a 48 hr. wake in extreme heat (no embalming done here)

16. whole frogs blended up and sold as a health drink

15. a woman nursing someone else's baby, just to get him to stop crying

14. five of us big Americans in a 2 seater moto taxi

13. a mama cow meandering the busy market streets

12. a little boy urinating in the grass 5 steps from his front door (yes, there is a bathroom in his house)

11. a monkey wearing a diaper

10. dogs taking care of business on drying coffee beans (that are sold around the world)

9. barefoot kids shimmying up trees faster than a monkey

8. a little girl roller blading with a baby in her arms

7. a little boy walking around with fresh 3rd degree burns on his leg (uncleaned and uncovered)

6. a bonfire in the middle of someone's living room (works as mosquito repellent)

5. a man walking around town with a boa constrictor around his neck

4. 2 little girls "watching" their baby sister and losing her (we searched for hours)

3. 40 people standing and sitting on the sides of the back of a truck on the most dangerous roads

2. a pig in a moto taxi receiving a shot from the vet

1. beetle-like bugs being played with and eaten....alive

Ashaninka volume 24

A new school year started this week, so all the kids were abuzz with excitement and how unbelievable the amount of homework they had already!!  We were so happy to be able to give each child a packet of school supplies, donated by a lovely friend of ours from Mississippi.  They were very thankful.

We also took a cake and celebrated the "Day of the Woman" to the delight of all.  Some of the little boys didn't understand and I was wished a happy birthday several times!

We were so glad that Janet, Driu's mother, stayed for the adult study.  This is the second time she has come and we can only pray the seed is being planted in her heart.  We praise the Lord that Driu finally seems to be getting better after a serious and long illness that just wore out his little body.  He did, indeed, seem to have more life and color.

On a sad note, one of the little girls who we have known since the beginning and who always comes on Thursdays, is missing.  I hesitate to use her name, as the police have been involved and there is still no sign of her.  She is 8 years old and has not been seen or heard from for a month.  It appears that she left of her own free will, as she left a note and took some clothes from her house.  Some think she left because of her abusive father.  Some think she left because she stole a cell phone and the punishment for that is extreme in this community.  Some think her older cousin took her to the next town, because she is also missing.  It is all very strange and upsetting to everyone.  Her mother is worried, her siblings miss her,  and nobody knows what to do or how to find her.  She should be in school, she should be playing and being a kid, but there is no telling where she is or what she is going through now.  I struggle with wanting her back, due to her father's violence but we do worry and are praying much for her.

Until next week........

Behind the Eyes, volume 2

Her eyes are brown.  They always have blue eye shadow on them.  They smile easily but are also filled with pain.

Her mother took her two sisters and left her, her little brother and her father when she was 7 years old.  She didn't understand that her mother would never return.  She assumed responsibility of her brother's upbringing and grew up quickly.  She spent weeks in the fields taking care of her brother while her father worked.

When her father remarried, she turned into her brother's defender.....against their stepmother's beatings.

She married, had children, divorced, and is now in another relationship.  Marriage is really out of the question because she doesn't trust her boyfriend and he doesn't trust her.  They both have recently accepted Christ and know they should not be living together.  She wants to grow, with or without him.  She is hungry for God and to understand Him.

She still cries when she talks about her childhood.  She still doesn't understand why her mother left her.  But she has hope now.  She has a future.  Her eyes are seeing more clearly.

Behind the Eyes, volume 1

Her eyes are gorgeous.  Black.  Slightly slanted.  Soft.  She is gorgeous.  She is, by all appearances, an accomplished, independent and smart young lady.  The truth is, she is all three of these things.  She is also very sweet, loving and a bit shy.

She and her boyfriend plan to marry, but she is terrified.  She doesn't think she will be able to have an intimate relationship with him.....or any man, ever.  When she was 8, her 18 year old half-brother raped her.  Her parents did nothing about it.  She can't get over it.  She hates herself.  She thinks she is disgusting.  She thinks she is dirt.

In Latin countries, it is common for men to whistle at women and/or throw out a compliment as they walk by.  Sometimes it really is a compliment, other times it is a gross, unnecessary remark that leaves the woman embarrassed or even afraid.  The beauty of this young lady is obvious to all and she frequently hears remarks directed at her.  It infuriates her....to the point of throwing fists and/or rocks.  She has made men bleed by her rock throwing.  (I silently applaud her because someone needs to shut them up).  She can't stand to hear even a sincere compliment from a man or to be touched by one.

Recently, she received Christ as her Saviour, and is just beginning her new life.  She has yet to really see herself as the new creature she is.  She knows she needs help and is looking for it.  She is learning to look in God's Word for the hope and answers she seeks.

I have every hope that she will be a healthy, happy bride someday and will be able to help others who have gone through what she has.  I believe her beautiful eyes will shine even more when the truth of God's love and acceptance of her thoroughly permeates her heart.

Ashaninka volume 23

We were so happy to see Edison and Kati at church last week.  Their village is only about 5-7 minutes from the church in Pichanaki, so we're really hoping they will get into the habit of coming.  Edison has almost fully recovered from his illness, and has worked a temporary job this week, but is once again without work.

Baby Driu has gotten a little better, but is still very sick.  It's amazing how much his little body has taken.  His parents have taken him and his big brother, Linder, high up into the mountains to work in the fields, harvesting coffee.  We can only pray that God will touch Driu's tummy and heal him.

Lydia was telling us about her orchards that were flooded this past week.  There is a river behind her house, about a mile away.  There has been so much rain, the river rose and flooded her harvest and almost reached her house!  She said this only happens about every 4-5 years.  This is how they live and it is devastating when they can't sell all of their crops.  It affects their economy for the whole year.

Studying about our identity in Christ this week, distractions abounded.......the drunk neighbor who decided to lie down and sleep it off in Lydia's outdoor kitchen, the one, dim, green light bulb we tried to read by, the stray, skinny dogs wandering around, the kids yelling and playing ninja, the crying babies, the mosquitoes, on and on I could go.  It is so hard to concentrate and keep anyone's attention for more than five minutes here, but it is the best we have right now and it is good enough.  Lydia's hunger is obvious and she hangs on to every word, somehow soaking it in with all that goes on around her.

Please continue to pray with us.....

A few little things I've learned in 17 years of marriage

Married to the wisest and most godly man I know for almost 18 years makes me a happy woman.  Along the way, I've learned a few little things......and some big ones.

15. We do, indeed, act just like our parents.

14. Laughter smoothes over many irritations.

13. Each anniversary is worth celebrating.

12. There is always, always more to learn about your spouse.

11. Long, open conversations after the kids are in bed are trust builders.

10. Lack of sufficient sleep is a sure creator of unnecessary spats.

9. A good marriage is made up of two good forgivers (Ruth Graham).

8. Love is an action, not a feeling.

7. Staying in love is a choice.

6. The Bible has the most specific and simple instructions for married couples of any book out there.

5. Dreams shared make them more likely to be realized.

4. Parenting children together is a bond not easily broken.

3. Praying together regularly strengthens commitment and love.

2. Honest and pure intimacy is vital.

1. True love is a bud as newlyweds, but with time, becomes a flower in glorious bloom.

Public transportation in Lima

If you have a headache or even the beginning of one, don't board.  If you have personal space issues, don't board.  If you are a clean freak, don't board.  If you are impatient, don't board.  If you don't like to sweat, don't board.  If odd and varied smells bother you, don't board.

In Havana, Cuba, the ongoing joke about the public buses was that they were rated R for sex, violence and language.  The buses in Lima aren't quite that bad I don't think, but then, I've only ridden during the day.

On any given bus ride, you can buy anything from white-out to homemade cookies to ice cream to pens to cd's to parasite medicine, from the folks who use the bus as their sales floor.  You can enjoy live music from the young man who spends his day getting on and off buses and playing his zampona, then passing a bag, hoping for tips.  You can hear a version of the Gospel preached by the bus evangelist.  You can see someone get robbed.

You WILL get bumped, jarred, run into, be rubbed against, be leg to leg with the stranger next to you and you WILL smell a variety of body odors.  Your knees WILL be jammed up against the seat in front of you and you WILL lose your balance at least once, trying to stand or walk while the driver slams on breaks or jerks into traffic.

If you don't have a vice grip on the small child in your lap, he will, at least once, hit his head against the seat in front of you.

You may see a police pull the bus over and be bribed by the driver.  You may see the bus driver yell and gesture at other drivers.  You may see men taking advantage of the forced closeness of a female.  You may have someone's armpits in your face.  You may get nauseated.

My kids say it's fun.  That's probably the last word I would use to describe it.  Useful.  Cheap.  Convenient.  But fun?  The times we have to take a bus are the times I am most thankful for our awesome car.  Ride, anyone?

Ashaninka volume 22

Kati is a 20 year old Ashaninka woman, married at the age of 16, and has two children.  She is the wife of Edison, who the village families accepted just recently to be able to have his own property there and live among them.  Kati believes that Jesus died and rose again and was probably already saved, but feels so guilty about her sins that she was sure last night that she would go to Hell if she were to die.  I think she hasn't fully grasped what it means to be God's child.  Holding her small, cold hands, I fought the tears as she prayed and told God that she believed and wanted to be part of His family.  We rejoice with her and now, she and Edison can grow together.  Beautiful!

Baby Driu is still very sick.  His mom, Janet, finally took him to a pediatrician after 7 weeks of an apparently severe stomach infection.  The doctor scolded her harshly for waiting so long and gave her several prescriptions that she did not have the money to get filled.  I didn't know if she would want help from an outsider like myself, but I could not bear to see that baby so sick for one more day.  She graciously accepted our help and thanked me with a hug and a big bunch of bananas from her tree.  We are hopeful now that Driu will get better very soon.  More than that, we are hopeful that she will never go back to a witch doctor and that she will be open to God's love for her.

The Ashaninka communities have their own laws.  I really don't think they fall under the same laws as everyone else.  The police are intimidated by them, and for good reason.  This week, there was a protest march having to do with a new university in Pichanaki.  Well, the mass of people were getting too close to the village, they were blocking the road and the men at our little village, Bajo Kimiriki, did not like it.  They painted their faces, armed themselves with bows and arrows (and these are HUGE bows and LONG arrows) and went to "ask" the protestors to leave.  I have to chuckle.  The protestors left.

We learn every week just how different this life of theirs is.  One thing that's for certain, though, is that they are people who need Jesus and beyond the many barriers, He is allowing us to share Him with them.  May they hear and understand.

BE STILL

My 5 year old, Lucas, cannot be still.  Period.  He walks around while he's telling me a story.  He fidgets, changes positions and gets up regularly while he's eating.  He moves around, changing seats several times when watching tv.  He's five.  He's a boy.  It's understandable.

I'm an adult and still have trouble being still.  Oh, not in my chair or while eating.  In my heart.  "Be still my heart" is a well-known little phrase, usually used when we see or hear something we love.  For me, this phrase sums up a prayer of mine.  Why is it so hard to be still and know that He is God?

Being still means I am still and quiet before the Creator of the universe, able to hear Him.  I cannot hear Him clearly when I am not still.  Too much noise.  Too much movement.  I cannot be still when I am running around frantically, when I constantly either have a tv/cd on or have earbuds in my ears, when my most important goal of the day is to complete my to-do list before nightfall......when I am racing life.  I literally have to be STILL.  Like, not moving.  Open heart, empty of noise, a heart free of fear and doubt.  At peace.  KNOWING He is God....yesterday, today and forever.

He tells us to be still.  He reminds us to KNOW that He is God and He will be exalted.  When I bark at Lucas to "be still!" it's not life-changing.  When God commands me to "be still", it is.

Ashaninka volume 21

Update from last week: I saw baby Driu and he is a little better, but still has a fever and stomach infection.  He and his family have been gone for three weeks, unable to return home until the witch doctor received his pay.  Driu's father had to find work here and there until he could pay.  We will continue to pray for this family.

Edison is a little better but not completely and still has some odd and painful symptoms.  Although he was feeling poorly, he stayed for the Bible study and said he and Kati would try to make it to church on Sunday night, something they haven't done yet.  God is his Father now, and he did indeed seem like a different person.

Some people use bug repellent to ward off mosquitos.  Not Eduardo.  I was shocked to see a fire burning in the middle of their living room floor!  Granted, the floor is dirt, but the second floor is all wood.  Apparently, you can smoke mosquitos out of the house!  Who knew?

As we talked, Kelly was cooking supper in the outdoor kitchen.  I asked what she was cooking and she said "cutpe" - which is a huge mountain rodent.  Thankfully, we were not invited to stay.

Our hearts are more burdened than ever to reach these people.  Thank you to all who are praying with us.

Ashaninka volume 20

I write tonight with a heavy and happy heart.  I know, what in the world does that mean?!

Good news first......Edison, the 28 year old son-in-law of Lydia, is now my brother in Christ.  He has fought it for so long, but we found him a broken man tonight.

He and his wife, Kati, and their two little boys have no food in the house.  They have no money.  Edison has been very ill for a week so there is no paycheck for this missed week.  He has some very strange symptoms and has been told that witchcraft has been used against him and that he needs to go to a witch doctor to reverse it.  He doesn't believe that, but has no money to see a doctor or to buy a simple pain pill.  He has considered smoking marijuana to help with the pain and he's even thought about suicide.  His baby son, Jesus, turns one on Saturday and there will be no celebration.  This seemed to bother him the most.

Receiving Christ will not immediately change any of these things and Edison knows that.  What it will do is give him the assurance that he has the ear of the Almighty day and night.  It will allow him to see the value of his life in a different light.  It will give him hope.  It will give him peace in the midst of the turbulent circumstances.  It will change him.  We do pray for healing and provision and will watch how God chooses to work in his life.

Driu is a one year old baby who is the nephew of Lydia.  He has had diarreah and has been vomiting on and off for a month.  He is probably severely dehydrated and has lost a lot of weight.  His parents have indeed taken him to a witch doctor and have been told they are wishing harm on him and wish to see him dead.  Their house has been empty and dark for several weeks now.  They are trusting in the curandero to make their son well and it's not working.  I fear this baby will die soon and it breaks my heart.  We have shared Jesus with Janet, Driu's mother, but she has yet to accept it as truth.

So......overjoyed for Edison, although concerned about his health, and devastated for baby Driu and his family.  I realize not one person who will read this knows these people, but they are people just like us who love their families, who work hard for a living, who want to be happy.......please join us in praying for them and in doing so, loving them the best way possible, even from afar.

Over the mountains and through the tunnels

This week we made our 18th trip as a family over the Andes mountains.  Trips 19 and 20 are in a month from now.  This trip isn't just any old road trip.  It is an intense drive of windy, twisty turns, huge drop-offs with no guardrail, jaw dropping scenery, and crossing over "the top" which is at 16,000 feet.  There are 19 tunnels, roughly hewn from the mountains and at least 120 very annoying speed bumps!

We have our landmarks and we guage the trip, not by hours, but by these.  We try to leave early in the morning from Pichanaki and the drive starts out with a bang.  Dramamine is the only way Lucas can tolerate it and usually, there are headaches all around.  Our first landmark is La Merced, the town where we stop and buy organic coffee and jelly.  Next is San Ramon, next Tarma, with its beautiful little villages and fields of flowers.  Next is our "chicken sandwich stop" at the restaurant Tambo, in the town of La Oroya, which is freeeeeeezing every time.  The toilets are like ice cubes.....just a little t.m.i. there.  Next is "the top" called Ticlio, where there are almost always snow capped mountains to feast our eyes on and we have difficulty drawing a deep breath because of the height.  Once we start heading down, the trip is still wicked windy but starts to be a bit easier.  We always stop at "Mana" in San Mateo to use the clean bathrooms and buy imported snacks like Pringles, M&M's and really good cafe con leche to go.  After that, it's pretty fast into Lima where we're welcomed with the dirt and rock mountains and of course, the traffic.

Depending on how long since our last trip, we may head straight to McDonalds, Starbucks or just home (Brent's parents' house).  From Lima back to Pichanaki, our stops/landmarks are basically the same, with a few variations, depending on how hungry we are or how quickly we want to get back.  When we arrive back to our apartment, we are greeted with intense heat and a layer of dust covering everything.

We've decided the trip is just too easy as it is, so we've added traveling with a puppy, just to shake things up a bit.  Bella travels in her kennel, usually throws up at least once but sleeps most of the way.  We do take longer on our stops so she can take care of business.

I enjoy these trips because of the family time, the memories we're making, the laughs we have together, and the amazing creation of God, but don't necessarily like the danger of it.  Did I mention that it is all two lane and there is constant passing, jockeying for position, idiot drivers, etc.?  Yeah, there's all that too.  Praise God for His traffic angels......and I really believe we have them!

Ashaninka volume 19

It was so good to be back tonight and to see all of our friends ready to learn!  We sang, laughed, smacked at mosquitos, watched the chickens walking around, played with the puppy and the frog, learned more about God and got a little closer to this special family.

We were so encouraged at Eduardo's participation tonight.  For the first time, he stayed for the whole study, answered questions and accepted some reading material from a discipleship class.

For the second time in the last few weeks, we have been told about the pishtaco, which is said to be a white man who steals organs from chilren after he kills them.  He has some kind of backpack or jetpack that allows him to fly.  He has a watch that detects how many people are in a house and if they are asleep.  There are stories.  They sound fantastic and unbelievable to us.  I felt sorry for the kids as they listened to the scary stories tonight.  I felt like we were around a bonfire at camp telling ghost stories except these people really and truly believe this.  White men have been killed out of fear that they are a pishtaco.  

Recently, Brent went up onto the side of a mountain with some friends and a man there was afraid of him, asked if he wasn't a pishtaco and wrote down our license plate number, just in case.  Our friends thought it was funny because of Brent's being a pastor and all.  I didn't quite see the humor.

As always, we trust God for protection and trust in His perfect, loving will for our lives.  We also hope our Ashaninka friends will know a life with less fear because of their relationship with an all-powerful Father.

Resuelto ~ Resolved

RESUELTO ~ this was the theme at teen camp this year.  Resuelto means resolved....as in....God has resolved my sin problem, God has resolved my salvation....and because of this....I will be resolved to live for Him, I will resolve to make wise choices in my life.

400 people on a campground built for 200 max.  We do this every year.  Six pop tents for the 50 girls who didn't fit in the dorms, 20 girls packed into a room with 12 mattresses, 40 boys sleeping under a huge circus tent....on the grass.....ooooh, just writing this makes me cringe.  These kids have such great attitudes and are such troopers!  After all, they keep coming back and we keep squeezing them in!

It has been our prayer for years to own our own camp property and now, this has become a reality.  My in-laws, the Williams, missionaries in Peru for 40 years, have overseen the purchase of a property and now, we are all just anxiously waiting to get started building on it.  This will allow us to divide this large group of young teens into two different weeks of camp each summer and will open so many doors for other camps and retreats.

Out of the 40+ kids who received Christ this week was Flor, who turned 14 the first day of camp.  She is from Pichanaki and came with us this year, along with Kelly, our Ashaninka friend.  We don't know a whole lot about Flor because she is extremely shy and hardly talks at all!  We do know she lives with her father and little sister and that she loves to laugh and play.  Flor is now a sister for eternity and we look forward to getting to know her much better in the months to come and assisting her in growing in her new life.

Oh, the stories I could tell.......sisters who saved their money all year long to pay for camp and to buy camp t-shirts, the rape victim who finally got the help she needed, the 70+ raised hands saying they didn't have the money for camp but God had provided, the middle age lawyer who decided she wanted to spend the week sleeping on a thin mat in a roomful of giggling girls so she could counsel and befriend them, the American woman who didn't speak Spanish but shared her testimony from her heart and touched many, the boy who gave his life to serve God full-time when he finishes school..........and so many more.

What a blessing and a privilge to be a part of camp in Lima ~ Aukallama Radical 2012 ~ May God bless this outreach in ways we can't even begin to imagine.