Tarapoto

We are in Tarapoto. Yay! Finally the warmth of the Amazonian jungle. Tomorrow we spend here, too and then on Thursday we head off to Nueva Vida.

Please pray for great flying weather (cessna pilots fly by sight not instrumentation) and safety as we travel.

Indigenous Representatives

3 Indigenous Representatives

(Candoshi, Cocama-Cocamilla and Chayahuita)

Today we, Ken, Irma and I, were able to meet with 3 of the Indigenous representatives that presented before the government yesterday. We spent several hours listening to them and hearing what they had presented for debate before the Peruvian Congress.

They have so many days to collect and present all the facts to the government and this leads to discussion. Since I really don't understand how this all works in the Peruvian government I won't even try to tell you when each step has to be done by. I do know that we all need to really pray for God to intervene between the two groups (Indigenous and government) and for real understanding on both sides to take place. Otherwise, there will be civil war eventually which won't be good for either side nor for the country. So, will you please, please keep them in prayer?!

Thank you.

Lima

We are now in Lima. It is, of course, overcast, but the temperature isn't bad at all in the high 70s. We have plenty to accomplish before the teams come in. Yesterday we were able to get our resident cards back from the lawyer and we're good until the first of the year when the government requires our next "donation". Today will be spent looking for parts for the lawnmower back in Yurimaguas and with Irma as we see what needs to be accomplished on this next phase of her apartment remodel. The team working on that arrives tomorrow from SC. We are praying they will be able to get her apartment completed enough for her to start living in it. The last team did a really great job getting the roof on. A large task for sure.

We are also trying to get ready for a college team coming from Colorado. It should be a great adventure for them as we head to Tarapoto on Tuesday and then on to the jungle for about 5 days. Pray for travel safety for us all. Pray for great times of true communication between us and the Chayahuita in Nueva Vida.

Off Again!

Well one thing for sure we have no time for moss to grow under our feet! We are off again. We arrived in Tarapoto on Monday. We brought Pancho and Martha and the two youngest kids with us. Pancho and Ken went to Oro Verde (a company specializing in coffee and cacao) to speak to the ones in charge to get the Chayahuita started in the production of these 2 products. They will be helped with soil evaluation ( to know what if anything they will need to do to it for good growth), training (from how and where to plant to harvesting) and mentoring. It will be a process of about 4-5 years but this will provide them with some very good cash crops. We received a donation to start them in the first phase. Very exciting! Total it will require them to pay out about $4000-$5000 but the return will be great.

Martha & I spent some time with the kids up at a lookout overlooking the mountains in Lamas. It was a fun time just being together. We all ate lunch together and off they went returning to Yurimaguas.

In Yurimaguas

Nice and sunny! Nice and warm! Yes, we do love the jungle! It was nice to be able to be with Pancho and family last night. We had saved the articles about the strike for them. They poured over them all.

Then to keep the kids occupied I blew up some balloons for them. Many of them exploded before they could be totally filled with air which caused some excitement. The boys finally started a “sword” fight with Ken and just laughed their heads off. Tonight it will be cake a Pancho’s house. I’m making a pineapple upside down cake to take and share. Good to be home!

Peace in small doses

It's hard to believe that it's been 2 weeks since we have written. Many, many things have happened. I'm sure most of you will hear the stories from those that will be returning from their trip here. But for those that won't I'll try to share some for you.

We were able to fly everyone (31 people) into San Antonio but it took 2 days to do so. I (Terri) got to go in on the first flight which was a first for me going in first. When I arrived the women grabbed me and started hugging and kissing me (which is not a normal reaction for the Chayahuita). Then they had me sit down with them for about an hour just to talk and it was evident that they were sad and hurting over the events that had happened in Bagua recently. They were also scared that it could happen to them. The whole village really wasn't as social as usual either. Those on the team were able to do some fun things even though we were there only a couple of nights. Some went to a place where they could jump off a rock into the water from about 15 feet up and then went swimming. Others took a hike to a wonderful waterfall. Then unfortunately things changed very quickly. People starting getting sick. Shelley, Jared and I flew out that night on the cessna as well as 4 others that were not feeling well. It turned out to be a blessing because it would take quite a while to get everyone out the next day.

Some of the group remaining had to walk 3-4 hours to Soledad to be flown out of there. All the luggage was sent on a canoe downstream to meet up with them. It would take most of the day to get everyone into Yurimaguas plus the luggage. Thank you Craig! By the time everyone got in it was evident that a good portion of the group had gotten whatever it was that was being passed around. By around 3PM even I was not well. All I remember was Shelley continued to keep up with all the sick passing out meds and water and I thought that if I could just get a few minutes rest I'd feel better. Then I woke up around 7PM to Shelley knocking on the door. Yep, the bug got me, too. By next morning the majority of us were feeling much better. However, there were a few still kinda not quite up to par.

We had been told the night before that we would be able to travel as the roadblock would be over. We received a phone call saying that it wouldn't be over until around 10AM. The bus company also wanted security that there would be no problem with the indigenous at the block. Ken was able to get permission from the Chayahuita (Shawi) in charge to pass through so we were on the road by 8:30 AM. It was not easy getting through but we did. Arriving in Tarapoto was a blessing since it gave those not feeling well a few hours to lie down and sleep.

There are many other stories to be told, but you'll have to ask those on the trip. They need a chance to share their experiences with you. Just ask! Thanks for your prayers.

Update!

I promised not to keep giving strike updates, so what are we doing now? Well, a week ago Rick's small group made it to Peru. Originally we had planned to head to the jungle on that Tuesday. However, there had been utter chaos in the area and some killings. The Indigenous were in mourning over the deaths. Then an indefinite strike was called which really had us all doubting about the trip into any part of the jungle. We all decided to wait that out in Lima and the group got to take in some of the sights. On Thursday we rented a tour bus to take everyone downtown Lima. We rode around almost 2 hours just trying to find an open route to that part of town. When we finally got close to the Presidential Palace we got off the bus to start walking and there was a wonderful aroma of tear gas. The police told us to get back on the bus since there had been some riots. So basically we spent 3 hours seeing Lima from the bus window. Many took advantage and just napped. :)

The good news is that on Saturday evening we were able to fly into Tarapoto to start the jungle part of this journey. The SAM pilot is spending the night so that we can get as early a start as possible. It will take 7 flights to get everyone into San Antonio. Everyone is excited. The road to Yurimaguas is still blocked. Ken had planned on going to Yurimaguas by road today but wasn't able to do so. He will be dropped off there on the first flight, get our things and then come back to Tarapoto until the last flight to help everyone.

Please pray for safety and an enjoyable time.