Pastoral Care

Being a pastor in the Amazon jungle is not an easy task. Not that it is in the US either, but at least in the US there are other pastors that can be talked to by phone, there are retreats geared at building up and encouraging pastors, there is internet to keep in contact, etc.

There are about 50 Chayahuita pastors. Many of these are extremely isolated. Not only do they have no phones nor internet, they are days away from the fellowship with other pastors. Most only have once a year to get together at the annual conference. We'd like to spend the next couple of blogs just sharing the photos of these men. Please pray for them and their families. None receive a salary as a pastor and many have little formal Bible training, but are faithful at sharing with their communities the Gospel of Christ.

This is Eliberto Pua. He is the pastor in charge of Children's ministry in Nueva Vida. This is a village of about 600 people. It can be difficult to teach the children because they don't have the supplies that we have available in the US. (crayons, glue, scissors, paper, etc) We left some materials with him in January to help out.

Amazonian Appetizers

Have you ever watched Fear Factor and squirmed? What would you do if you had to eat some of those gross things? Would you go hungry? There are several unusual dishes that are eaten in Peru without a second thought or a grimace.

On the coast ceviche of course is the dish with its fish "cooked" only with lime. Then in the low mountains the favorite is "cuy" or as we call them guinea pigs. Yes, those cute little critters become a fried or barbecued delicacy. Then we get into the jungle cuisine. Some are not so unusual like pirahna (afterall they are plentiful) or fried alligator nuggets. Fried plantains are great especially the sweet ones. However there are some foods that take a bit to get used to.

These are grub worms that usually are found in the coconut tree. They are put on skewers and grilled. They really don't taste bad once you get over the thought of what they are. They taste like very greasy fatback. But they are full of protein.

This is a type of ant that the locals love to eat. They are usually around an inch long. One day a year these ants sprout wings and fly to form new nests. On this day they are caught and eaten. Some fry them while the natives love to eat them as is. Ken was told they taste like lemon so he ventured to try one and said there was no taste but they were crunchy like popcorn.

Fortunately there are more conventional foods available, too. We are very thankful of that.

PARTNERING WITH THE CHAYAHUITA

Have you ever wondered how YOU can partner with this ministry? As we look over the notes from the meeting with the leadership several ideas stand out.

We are trying to provide the Chayahuita with tools that will help them advance. A prime example: for years they have been using a typewriter to document their meetings and requests. Well, it finally died and it is really difficult to find replacements these days. It would be much more beneficial for them to move up to using a computer. They would also like their children to develop computer skills. So, we are looking for some used laptops that could be fixed up for their use.

Another request is providing first aid kits for each of the pastors to have in their villages for times when there is no other available help. We aren't talking about much: aspirin, ibuprofen, bandaids, antibiotic cream etc. We are buying plastic boxes in which to place these items for each of the 50 pastors.

These may not seem like major things to all of us, but they are to our Chayahuita brothers and sisters. Thank you for considering becoming a part of their growth in these areas. Please write us an email if you would like to help and/or need more information.