gospelinperu

2011-01-02T14:44:00.004-05:00

"Chocolatadas". It is a custom here in Peru, everywhere. Yet, in the lonely mountains where the Quechua folk live it is something very special. Especially for the hundreds of children who may or maynot receive even one gift for Christmas. This has been our treat each year to the mountain communities where we are ministering. This year we have been to two of the five communities. It is a great time to tell the story of the birth of Christ and what that means for each one of us.
The chocolatada consists of Hot Chocolate and a special bread that is sold this time of year called Panetone. It has raisins and dry fruit.
Now making hot chocolate may seem to be something very simple. Not so in the mountain villages. It requires boiling water over a wood fire. Boling water is a challenge at 12000 ft. above sea level. Yet alone keeping the fire going with the low oxygen level. Once the water is boiling we add several cans of canned milk and then sugar. Finally the bars of chocolate which has cinnamon and clove spices. In the past we have encountered one problem: trying to make sure all who came would be served. Many would come with their own pale or bucket instead of cups. We have learned to bring disposable cups. :)
Today was we had planned on having the chocolatada in a small mountain community called Ututupampa. Once we arrived we found that most all the folks where up in their fields working and the word had not been communicated. This is not a surprize but was a disappointment. So we replanned it with a two week notice. I will return the day before to remind thema again.
So we passed out the panetones we had with us on our way down the mountain as we meet folks along the way. We also visited our friends up in another community called Huaycor where we have not been able to get into due to the heavy rains. Today has been one of those special sunny days in the middle of a very heavy rainy season. We actually almost got stuck with our vehicle today. After a prayer and four wheel drive we slowly moved up the muddy mountain road. Going back down is a little tricky.

2010-11-27T14:03:00.002-05:00

Warning signs? Just how much do you think you depend on them each day? I am not just talking about Medicine labels or the signs you see on buildings such as "Danger Mean Dog" or the safety cards in the airplane that no one ever pays attention to any more because they think they could respond automatically if there was a plane crash. I am referring to general road signs that you pass every day on the Highway. In the United States that is. Here in Peru as you may imagine, things are quite a bit different, especially when you take a side road, one that goes up to a mountain village. In fact the only road that goes in or out! If there is construction ahead, you may expect a sign indicating danger ahead. Or maybe a flag person indicating that you need to slow down or stop. Well, the speed is not an issue since you really can't go much faster than 15- 20 miles per hour on a straight away let alone a mountain pass. Here in the Andes villages, you will not find even a hint of what might be in,on or under the road ahead. It could be a herd of sheep, or cattle or a group of Quechua Indians on their way to or from the field with their plows and field tools in hand. It may even be another form of transportion headed toward you just around that blind curve you are going to take at 12 - 13,000 ft above sea level. In our case it could be a burro loaded with firewood used for cooking,or a sack of potatoes. It may even be a team of very large bulls ( they don't use oxen here) being driven by a little girl or boy to their final destination. Or a 2 ton logging truck coming down a steep mountain road toward you. The mountain roads are not built for two way traffic. The law of the land is that the one coming down the mountain is supposed to ease over to the edge of what could be a drop off hundreds of feet to let the other pass. This "law of the land" is ignored in many cases. When a large tractor trailer is headed your way with an enormous load of tree trunks or a bull dozer you don't want to think twice about whoes turn it is to get over. You just do it! Signs? Well,just plan on something new each day and be prepared to smile even if you don't feel like it.

2010-11-26T13:49:00.004-05:00

I just posted a video of the Shepherds of Lesotho who live in Africa. I could not help notice the similarities of the shepherds of Lesotho and the Quechua mountain people. They live in very isolated areas. Although they can come to Huaraz to sell their crops and animals they ares still very much a culture of their own. There are no active churches in the high mountain villages. Many of the young people have accepted the lie that they have nothing to offer. There is very little work for them other than being shepherds or working in their family fields. This has caused many families to abandon their mountain homes to a certain extent. There is much that can be done. The video casts a vision in which I partly share. These people who have given up hope and lost their identity as Quechua to a great extent have so much to offer. Yet they have many challenges to face each day. Their challenges are much greater than food or money. I would say the greatest challenge they face is sustaining their community keeping their identity as Quechua and teaching their children. I believe that using the Scripture in their heart language can have a powerful impact on their lives. They need to know the one true God through His Son Jesus Christ.

2010-11-26T13:45:00.001-05:00

Set Apart: shepherd boys of Lesotho from AIM On-Field Media on Vimeo.

2010-11-26T12:02:00.003-05:00

Thankful! Feeling better even with a low energy level! I have been reflecting much on the life of the Quechua. When they get sick and feel horrible where do they go? They have no resources for medicines and most likely will notlay in bed to try to recover.
Some have paid for a kind of health security however this only covers the consultation not for the medicine. Even beyond that they do not receive adequate medical attention. More than anything they are treated as lower class and as if they had no feelings. As animals or worse perhaps. For this reason, I look for opportunities to walk with them in their struggles where they live in their high mountain villages. They are real people with real hurts and real feelings. So I pray, Jesus help me to help them and then bring the greatest news their ears could ever hear. Let that message be sweet to their ears.

2010-11-12T14:52:00.004-05:00

Typhoid Fever? Yes, it is nasty stuff. Since we are in the flu season the question did not come up to anything more serious. However after my dear wife urged me to get a blood analysis... Bingo! Positive. It probably is more common here in South America than we think especially in the rural mountain areas such as where we live. Well, I am on antibiotics now in hopes to feel better by a week to ten days from now. Until then... more feverish days and nights.
This is potato planting season although the rainy season seems to be delayed from what we have known over the last 6 yrs. I help some of the local familes by planting "pullan pura" which is a Quechua term for half and half. I supply the fertilizer and if needed the seed and part of the labor. They supply the oxen and some labor. Half and Half? not really but the rewards are beyond measure. I get to spend more time with familes who have never heard the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also get the opportunity to bless many others, orphans, single mothers, etc.There are many more benefits, not one of the being: I learn what it is like to hurt where they hurt. Or to say it in another way: To walk in their "YANKIS" (rubber sandals).

2010-06-16T10:51:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went out to Collahuasi. I am so glad I went as well. Sandra has been going alone or with Jonathan and taking a combi or taxi(public transportation)to a bridge and then hiking up the mountain to the village.
This time we both went and Sandra had her class with what was supposed to be a couple of women and ended up being about 8 women who were in attendence. Maribel who is the adult daughter of Nicolas is in charge of teaching the women how to better feed their infant children. Maribel is growing leaps and bounds in her understanding of the gospel and has been our key contact in the village for years. She has a sense of how to integrate with people from all backgrounds and bring folks in who are from other religious traditions. Meanwhile, I went to visit Nicolas and his wife, Grimalda in their home while Sandra was meeting with the women. The picture shows Nicolas, Grimalda and one of their neighbors tying the corn in bundles to be hung in the rafters of their house for future consumption. Thsi type of dried corn will be used to make Cancha. Cancha or kamsa in Quechua is corn sauteed in a little oil and a very little salt.This is definitely something that all Andean folks know about and eat. If you come to Peru some time and join us in the homes of our dear friends I can assure you that you will have the opportunity to eat some. It is tasty!
So I spent the afternoon helping them tie the bundles of corn we had harvested the week before. Soon we will be getting ready for wheat harvest!

2010-06-10T18:36:00.003-04:00

Wow! Today we had a really busy day as well as yesterday in Collahuasi. We have begun harvesting corn now with Nicolas. Quite honestly he is more well known as Emiliucho. I have not asked him why yet. Our God is really amazing and is working on incredible ways. Well, maybe to you who are reading this it may seem like small peanuts but to us after six years of working here it seems like alot. It is alot! Grimalda, Nicolas's wife who has terminal cancer according to the Drs. in Lima is out working in the fields with us. She tells me that she would rather be doing something she has loved for years,i.e. working in the fields and therefore die there than in her house.
Today we began the corn harvest. Here once you go to the field you stay there until the day is done. That means that you also eat together with whoever you are working with. We have learned that here in Latin America, expecially in the Andean culture, relationships and time conversing while working is a main ingredient. Getting the task done is important but not the main thing. So we spent the day harvesting by hand. Our summer intern, Michael Blank is learning alot as well. It is quite an overwhelming culture shock as you can imagine. Please pray for him especially as well as our family.

2010-06-08T19:19:00.004-04:00

Went to Huanja today and it seemed that nothing worked from equipment to the horn and window on my vehicle. After packing up the equipment and taking a look at my vehicle I began the decent down the steep mountain through the age old village. Stopped to say hello to three Quechua women who jokingly accused me of trying to run over their toes with my car. They had not given thought to get up and move a little I suppose. So I asked the simple question to one:"Can you read?" "Yes, of course I can." She replied. I slowly got out of my vehicle and took out the Quechua Bible to test her confidence. She gave it a good try but then handed it back to me to read to her and the other two women. I did so and got the amazing response with a question "Ahhh, Were are you from? Where did you learn our language? Then one of the others asked o try to read it and gave her best. Afterword another man came by and he actually read a verse from it. After all was settled they I encouraged them and told them that if they gave their hearts to it I could have them reading it in a month or two. They were quite hopeful and asked me when I woud come back to their village.

So when things are broke and appear to be hopeless keep looking and hoping... something good is about to happen. The best thing of all... they all got to hear the Gospel for the first time!

2010-06-08T19:18:00.001-04:00

Above all our dear Quechua language has been rejected for many years until now.
Given that Spanish is the official language of Peru, then the majority think that every Peruvian should speak the official language of the nation and not the language that is not considered the official language. From this our language had been considered like the speech of animals to the point that much blood has been shed while trying to change the speech of thos Quechua speakers to what is a foreign language for them. However the rejection and discrimination towards the Quechua has not only been from the leaders of government but also from those missionaries who brought the Gospel in the first place. However, currently there are strong changes there the persecution is less than the past to the point that we can worship God, pray, and learn of the Word of God in our own language, Quechua.

¿Cómo es la realidad del idioma quechua el día de hoy en la Evangelización?
Sobre todo nuestro querido idioma quechua ha sido rechazado por muchos siglos hasta hoy en día. Puesto que el español es el idioma oficial en el Perú, pues entonces se pensaba que todos los peruanos deberíamos hablar el idioma oficial de la nación y no el idioma que no es considerado como el idioma oficial. De allí nuestro idioma fue considerado como el habla de los animales y hasta ha tenido que correr mucha sangre tratando de cambiar el habla de los quechuas a un idioma extranjera. Pero el rechazo y la discriminación hacia el quechua no solo ha sido parte de los gobernantes, pero también de aquellos que nos trajeron el Evangelio por primera vez. Sin embargo en estos tiempos hay fuertes cambios donde la persecución ya es menos que los años anteriores e incluso ya podemos alabar a Dios, orar, y aprender de la Palabra en nuestro propio idioma.

2010-06-07T16:24:00.000-04:00

#2 - How should the Word of God be presented to the Quechua?

Since the beginning when the Gospel was being presented (evangelism) our culture and language has been an object of discrimination and rejection. For hundreds of years the foreign societies have tried to exterminate the Quechua society. Even the first evangelists did not take into count the great cultural diversity that we have. Therefore many components of our culture such as apparel, ornaments and clothing etc. which are of our own culture were rejected and misinterpreted as demonic practices. That is to say that the gospel message came in a form of imposition and like a huge weight were one had to accept or reject the message of the evangelists. It is certain that there were many pagan practices full of animism, but also those first evangelists did not take sufficient time first to study our culture so that later on they could preach the gospel to us in the context of our culture. In other words, in order to sow the seed that is the word of God, they did no prepare the ground sufficiently. As a result, now the majority of the Quechua believers do not possess the real Gospel, rather we have a gospel of syncretism mixed with pagan traditions and culture from our forefathers. Therefore if someone wants to bring us the Gospel of Christ, then they would need start with our culture and language. That means that it requires taking the necessary time to learn our language, culture and thoughts of the Quechuas.

2010-06-06T17:54:00.003-04:00

In a recent interview with my dear friend and fellow missionary, Oscar Huarac who is a native Quechua speaker I asked the following question: Why is Quechua so important? "When we speak about Quechua we not only refer to a language or common speech of the people, we also refer to an immense culture that has history and traditions. That is to say we have many cultural riches.For this (reason) the Quechuas don't only speak our language, Quechua, but we also share like Quechuas, think like Quechuas and live like Quechuas because our culture is part of our daily life like any other culture in whatever human being in the world."
¿Por que el quechua es muy importante?
Cuando nos hablamos del quechua no solo nos referimos a un idioma o el habla común de la gente, también nos referimos a una inmensa cultura que tiene historia y tradiciones. Es decir tenemos muchas riquezas culturales. Por eso los quechuas no solamente hablamos nuestro idioma quechua, pero también nos comportamos como quechuas, pensamos como quechuas y vivimos como quechuas porque nuestra cultura es parte de nuestra vida diaria como la cultura de cualquier ser humano en el mundo

2010-06-05T18:21:00.003-04:00

Went back to Collahuasi Friday for Bible study and visit Nicolas and Grimalda. I was warmly greeted with corn tamalesood. Read from the Quechua New testament. One of Nicolas's married daughter's attended as well. Read from John 4,Woman from Samaria and Jesus as the well. Many comments... why didn,t Jesus condemn the woman after all she had lived with five men previously and the current one was not married to her. Mercy... truth... and grace.
Later Nicolas expressed his appreciation for helping in the harvest by giving me a bag of barley to toast and grind for breakfast. It is called machka in Quechua. Eaten with a little milk or yogurt if available ( but not likley in the Quechua community).
He also gave us a bag of dried corn on the cob to husk and sautee to make cancha. It is sauteed with a little oil and eaten as their daily bread.

2010-06-05T17:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday went back to Collahuasi and meet with Nicolas and his wife, Grimalda. One of his married daughters also sat with us as I read from the Quechua Bible to them. They asked me to pray for Grimalda again. She is in alot of pain and very uncomfortable. The adobe houses tend to be cold even in the day time when the tempurature is up to 70 degrees outside. Most do not havemuch sunlight because there are so few windows.
They greeted me with fresh made corn tomales. Later gave a bag full of barley and dried corn on the cob to make cancha. Cancha is dried corn sauted in a pan with a little oil and later with salt. It could be considered the poor man's bread. It is definitely a custom in the Quechua homes. Our family likes it. The barley will be toasted and then ground. We will eat it for breakfast with a little milk or yogurt. it is quite tasty but can take some time to get used to eating. Nicolas expressed his gratutude to me in this way for helping him in his harvest. They have had constant visitors to the house to visit Grimalda. A little overwhelming to say the least for her. She certainly appreciates the visitors but the comment was made:" People visit when you are sick or dead but when you are alive and well hardly anyone comes by.

2010-06-02T08:15:00.002-04:00

Finished harvesting the field yesterday. Today we will complete threshing using three burros. We have to drive them around in a circle for several hours to cause all the barley heads to fall off. Nicolas who is 77 yrs. old is holding up well. His wife Grimalda stays in the house now. Ate lunch with the family which consited of wheat soup with eggs cooked in it. Potatoes, and spagetti noodles with tuna.I have gotten to know Nicolas well enough that I can ask for a smaller portion witout offending him. He too asked for a small portion yesterday. I told him I normally don't eat lunch because it makes be drowsy but when you work in the fields at 12,000 ft. above sea level the appetite does grow.
Yesterday we had two extra workers to help. Their custom is chakchan ( chewing coca leaf) to keep them going and in this way they don't have any appetite. I wonder what that does to their stomachs.

Sandra came up in the afternoon about 2pm with Jonathan and taught her Bible lesson to Marie, Nicolas's older daughter. We headed home to Huaraz and ate dinner with my family then played with Jonathan for a short time before bed.
This morning at 530 went running, 38 degrees at the house, much colder up at he cross where I run to.

2010-06-01T10:01:00.002-04:00

Harvesting barley with one of the Quechua families in Collahuasi, Nicolas, whose wife has cancer. No machines or tractors, using a sickle. Nicolas had let the weeds (tares) get ahead of him. Reminds me of the parable of the wheat and the tares. "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away."

2010-05-24T17:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we visited one of our Quechua friends, Grimalda who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She just returned from Lima and has been given the diagnosis that her cancer is in the 3rd stage. Basically the Dr. told her there is no hope for her. She had invited us to come and pray with her and her husband and so we did. It was a sweet time and priviledge to care for her and share the promises from the Scriptures in hr heart language. She was very attentive and asked to know when we would return.

There is very little medical care for these folks and even when there is, they are treated unfairly with little respect.

2010-04-08T21:17:00.002-04:00

This will be the first post after a long period of silence. That does not mean we have been sitting around. Life here is always a challenge at this altitude. Yesterday we had a very hard hail storm and left many of the crops which were near harvest stage now damaged. The sweet corn which we had growing in our little garden is shredded. I was feeling a little sorry for myself until someone reminded me that our lives do not depend on that like the Quechua's lives do. My self pity turned to thankfulness but more than that an appreciation for what the Quechua have to endure every year.

2009-11-02T11:35:00.002-05:00

We stayed up in Huallcor last night by God's providence not necessarily by our choice.
Yesterday was a full day-- Church in the morning at Divino Redentor, afterward went to Huanja to eat a huge lunch as an invitation from some folks I am getting to know. Poured rain while we sat in the house with a 3X3 opening ( skylight?) in the center of the eating area. Made it down from Huanja by the grace of God. Had two good opportunities to give rides to Huaraz from Huanja for two different sets of folks who were Quechua speakers. Talked all the way down in Quechua. Next ,Scott, Mackenzie and I went to Huallcor to present the video series of Genesis. It had stopped raining but had been raining fiercely before hand. We made it up there without trouble. Showed the video and then prepared to come down the mountain. On our way down I noticed the vehicle was slipping and sliding some. We got down near the down hill portion before a wooden bridge and I decided to walk down to see how it was. It was like walking on ice. I could barely stand up. Decided o stay the night in Huallcor. Fortunately we had anticipated potential problems before going and had sleeping bags with us. Stayed warm the whole night. This morning we checked it out again and decided to wait until 10am then came down. Thankful...We did have opportunity to walk around and great folks in Huallcor and I shared with a man in his 20's from John and Acts some. Gave him a Bible and he asked if I would come back. He lives in Huallcor. Said the Jehova Witnesses had been after him. His name is Mitchell.
By the way, we learned that it is very quiet in the mountains at night. I was awake at 5am after several other times waking up through the night. The roosters were crowing and the folks were already leaving their houses to go to their fields. Walked about some to great the locals in the village and let them know we were there. There seemed to be a sense of joy on many of their faces to know that we did stay in their village. Hmmm...Keep opening up the opportunties, Lord, we thank you for them all.

2009-10-29T15:21:00.002-04:00

We recently took a necessary trip to Lima to complete the paperwork for what is equivalent to a "green card" for Sandra and the girls called Carnet Extranjeria.
On our return to Huaraz we had quite an adventure. The following is an account of what happened:We ended up stranded in the middle of the mountains at 13,500 ft. above sea level. Our vehicle had a problem with one of the radiator hoses that burst. We had left Lima at 830 am figuring we would usually arrive at the house in Huaraz at around 230pm or 3pm. Our trip always takes at least 7 hours or more from Lima to get home. The vehicle was overheating and we kept stopping to fill the radiator with whatever water we could find. One time we stopped and I gathered water from a spring aside the road. It was really dirty water but I had to do what needed to be done to try and get the family home safely. At that time it was probably around 230 or 3pm. Not really sure. The problem just kept getting worse. We prayed for the Lord to get us up over the steepest part , thinking we could probably make it if we got over the 13,500 ft. area since most of the rest of the trip would be down hill to about 10,000 ft. where we live in Huaraz.

Well, I am certain the Lord was and always is with us because He promises us this in His word. He will never fail us. For many reasons we are not sure of, partly due to the fact that we live in fallen world of sin and destruction we were headed for more problems we were not aware of.

Having nursed the car up to about 13,500 ft, running out of water and it began to rain hard. The temperature was going down rapidly. Large tractor trailers that work for the mining industry were passing us and not one would stop to help. I wonder what I would have done I asked myself. Sometimes it is not safe to stop and help people not knowing if they really need help or what. Finally I flagged down a bus and asked the driver if he had a set of tools. I had found the problem, it was a broken hose but it was so far underneath the air conditioner motor that I would have needed to pull the motor first. I did not have the exact tool to pull it take It out. So the driver offered to take me about 45 minutes away to a small Quechua pueblo where he said there was a mechanic. It was now getting onto 530pm and it gets dark here in the Andes at 6-630pm every day. I was also not real comfortable leaving my wife, Sandra , the girls and Jonathan alone in the car so far out where there was no one living. Many times people have been robbed in this route. There really was no other option though. So we agreed that I would go with the bus driver and get help. Lo and behold the bus I was about to get on is considered the worst line to ride in this area due to the condition of the buses and the way the drivers drive so fast and carelessly. I was praying all the way into the village for Sandra and family as well as for safety for myself. When I arrived to the village it did not look very promising. I asked around for a taxi to take me back as well as a mechanic to go with me. None were to be found. Finally one man suggested that he would take me back in his tractor trailer since he was going that way anyway. I did not know if to trust him or not. Trusting the Lord instead, I agreed however I still needed tools or a mechanic. He said he had tools. So we were going to go but he said he would have to wait another half hour which would eventually turn into a couple of hours if I had waited. He did loan me his tools with the agreement that when he came by where I would be he would get his tools back. So I had tools and still needed a ride back out about 45 minutes away. The road is full of large pot holes so bad that one has to go very slowly in some spots.

I finally got hooked up with a driver of a fuel truck that was traveling through. He took me to where Sandra and the family was at. At this time it was about 7 or 730pm. It was totally dark. Up here in the mountains where there is no electricity in some areas all you can see are the stars on a clear night. This night it was cloudy and rainy which made it even darker. Upon arriving to the vehicle I noticed that the emergency lights were still flashing. Having been on for so long they had drained the batteries in the vehicle. Now I felt even more uneasy. When the girls learned this they began to get very upset and crying. So there we were way out in an area with no battery power to the vehicle and still trying to get the first problem repaired. It was getting even colder now. The rain was tapering off which was good but the temperature was dropping due to the clearing of the clouds. Trucks were still passing by us but would not stop. I had a flashlight and a few tools to try to get the air conditioning motor off but found that one of the bolt heads was rounded off and could not remove it. At that point I felt helpless. I felt I could not let the girls know how weak and helpless I felt though. Finally I gained enough courage to flag down another truck that was passing by. They seemed very reluctant to help and at first would only talk from the window. I asked them if they could help or send help, like a police. There is no signal for cell phones out that far. We both agreed that a police would not want to come out. The did get out but it turned out they really had nothing to offer as far as immediate help. Finally, the first fellow that I met in the Quechua village and had loaned me his tools showed up. He was with one other man. When I showed him the problem he asked me what is the solution. I told him what I would do if I had the right tools. However, he had already gave me all he had and we still were unable to get the part out in order to reach the hose that needed to be replaced. After many attempts, he was able to get the old hose off. I actually had a replacement hose in my vehicle that the Lord must have advised me on at least four years ago. It was still there. So it to9ok another hour or so to get the new hose on. I did bring radiator fluid with me from the village as well. Now we had to find a way to get the vehicle started. We tried to push it by hand but unsuccessful. So when we were about to give up and decide to sleep in the vehicle until morning, the Lord sent another vehicle by which had a rope to pull ours enough so we could jump start it. After many attempts it finally did start. I paid the other fellows for their help and off they went. As we began to pull away from the curve, the motor started to overheat once again. This time I thought maybe it still lacked a bit of fluid. So I went to check the radiator fluid level. Knowing that it is dangerous to take the cap off when the motor is hot I waited a little while but apparently not long enough. As I twisted the cap to get it off, it blew so hard that it blew out of my hand. All the steam came rushing out off the radiator. At that point I know now that the Lord was giving me some supernatural wisdom because I was so tired I could not even think. I left the cap off for a moment and looked at the temperature gage. It was staying steady in the middle where it should be so I thought it must just need some more water or fluid. I had only put fluid in it and found that it needed to be mixed with water to be effective. So whatever the mixture ended up being, I seemed to be correct because I was able to fill the radiator again and the temperature stabilized enough so we could begin to drive the vehicle again. Cautiously we headed down the mountain towards our house. It would be about another hour and a half still to get home. The road condition very poor with pot holes all over the road. We finally arrived at the house at 1130pm. Everyone was exhausted of course.At the same time , Mackenzie is fighting a cold and asthma attack. Thankfully the Lord brought us all home safely. This morning after unloading the vehicle and checking to see if it would start which it did I noticed that I was missing a very special tool that helped me in this situation. It was a special Leatherman tool that had a vice-grip tool included in it. It appears that the gentleman that helped me also helped himself to the tool. The important thing is that the Lord brought us through it all. We give Him praise. We were never alone! So, will you please join us in thanking Him for His provision and care?

2009-09-23T11:43:00.002-04:00

Recently began showing a series of video based on the book of Genesis spoken in the Quechua language. In this particular village we have been loaned a house which we had been praying for for some time to use as a center for ministry especially during the rainy season. It is a very small humble adobe house and has two bedrooms where we can stay occasionally and for longer periods of time.
The first night the mayor came by to view the video. He later came by to thank us for being there!
The Lord is good!

2009-09-13T17:44:00.003-04:00

A fight at 530 am. in the morning? I had just left the house to go for a run. Still dark out for another 15 minutes but the street lights gave opened my path. As I walked the first 100 yards I saw a taxi driver stop abruptly. It was still very hard to see all that was happening but two men exited the car. One began to beat the other, throwing punches at his face. The other trying to protect himself. One was dressed in a sports jacket and white shirt, the other appeared to be the taxi driver in casual clothes. There were words, really bad words. The hits sounded like bones crushing. It was alarming to say the least. Then a woman stepped out of the taxi and tried to stop her "lover" from hitting the taxi driver anymore. I felt helpless but wondering if I should do something. There was no one else around... The car passed me again as I was approaching the top of the hill. It was going very fast.
Was he still alive? Was he hurt really badly? Only the God knows. It was dark. Nobody else was around. That is life here in Peru.

2009-08-29T16:32:00.002-04:00

We are back in Peru again full time. We arrived the 19th of July and have had two short term teams come and minister along side of us. We stayed out in a Quechua village for four nights and five days. It was a new experience for most this team but it seemed to be accepted very well with one exception, the food. Three of the team members were vegetarian and would not eat the meat that was offered to them. This was very awkward for me but I did not want to force anyone...
We had a great week overall and it as usual the team benefits more than the folks in the village. The Quechua all usually very excited to have "gringos" visit them and especially stay in their homes. In this case we all stayed in separate homes, dividing up in twos we slept in various families homes.
At night after dinner, the team presented one or two dramas which they had practiced and planned for with costumes,etc. They meet in a church and we had a full house every night.
It was exciting to see how many of the team members "dug" in and did whatever work the families had to do, from cutting and moving tree logs, milking cows, herding sheep and cattle even on horseback. Some of the girls took care of the children and helped around the house. We formed a mini-team to go out to a couple of the other villages and visit some sick folks and a few with broken bones.
The second team was just a ambitious and gave with their whole hearts to minister to the children in Huallcor. They had dramas set up and shared from the scriptures wach day. Their theme was the Good Shepherd and his true followers from John 10 and Psalm 23.

2009-05-12T09:53:00.003-04:00

I will be traveling back to Peru this Thursday, May 14th to help with a crew of folks coming to help replace the roof at the training center. We will have Sue and Don Gahagen joining us with some visitors from Twin Oaks PCA helping as well. Craig Gahagen, Missionary Pilot who serves in Pucallpa, Peru will be flying up from the Jungle with a crew of Shapibo Indigenous men to help also.
It will be a big task to do in a very short four days but if we are spared from any rains we should be accomplish quite a bit. Having injured my hand a few months ago, I am limited somewhat as to carrying much weight with that hand or using a hammer. It should be interesting. I am still wearing a brace which helps alot.
Last month I was able to travel to Peru as well. We harvested a field of potatoes and visited all three of the Quechua villages however on foot. Many of the roads are out and in very poor condition. Many landslides had blocked roads to the entrance of the villages. One road to a community we are working in had so much saturation from the rains that it caused what we refer to a huge "sink hole" which went down approx. 20 feet.
The potatoes harvest was abundant however many of the potatoes were infested with worms. I am hoping to help support a community of single moms and their children with the good potatoes we were able to save. Have you ever lifted a feed bag full of potatoes? I am not sure the final count but I wouold guess the final outcome was 40 to 50 large sacks.
It is a lot of hard work. However, I went away from there thinking of the Quechua folks who do this kind of work day in and day out. I was told that for the Andean person it is an honor to work in the ground. Their ancestors, the Inca named the earth "Pacha Mama" or Mother Earth. It is still referred to Pacha Mama, and many revere the earth as one of their gods rather than the creation from our one and only true God.

2009-04-19T18:37:00.003-04:00

The heaviest rains in 40 years. That is what some areas of Peru have received this year. There have been many lives taken and many spared as well.
In the area where we work we had heard that there have been several houses totally covered over due to the many landslides . Left my vehicle at the entrance to one village thinking that there may be some problems with all the mud and perhaps even a landslide in the dirt road that winds around back into its plaza which is about 4 miles in. As I walked in I meet several folks from the local village on their way to Huaraz. Not one mentioned to me that there had been problems. As we got closer we came upon a massive part of the road that was totally destroyed due to the wash out of the soil underneath the surface. In fact it took out half of an adobe house that sat near the edge of this road. It was not long before we could see all the evidence of the intensive rains that had pounded the area for the last three months, some weeks day and night. Huge trees taken by their roots. Massive sides of the mountains totally ripped away. Then one woman came and asked me if I wanted to go and see where six houses had been demolished. So we went up this steep side of the village and along a very narrow slippery path that took us around to the other side of a mountain. What I noticed as I was trying to catch my breath carrying a back-pack of 30 pounds was that the woman I was following was wearing plastic street shoes and moving much faster than I could. Then we arrived to the area where where the houses were.... where they were! My breath was taken away as I looked upon this area which was a huge mound of mud and trees. The whole side of the mountain had covered them over. Their fields which were near ready for harvest had been wiped out completely.
it was overwhelming to say the least. My heart raced as I tryed to think of what I could offer them. I still do not know. It is so huge.., they lost their homes, animals and mostif their crops.
I left them after assuring them that I would be back with help in some form. Yet, My heart was convicted of how empty that statement must feel to them. These people live in this situation day after day, year after year...

2009-02-25T14:41:00.001-05:00

Touch, smell, see, hear, taste and really feel. Maybe I am stretching it in terms of our recognized senses. I have to add one more- feel. What I mean by that is to have compassion for someone. When I read the gospel stories of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John I see one who has all of these senses and since He is the God man who is divine and holy and perfect he also has another sense: He knew what was in a man ( He knows the thoughts of man). That makes me nervous. He knows everything about me and my thoughts ( Psalm 139). Is this characteristic something to be feared? I think it is to some extent, in fact the Scriptures tell us to fear God. Or another way to say it is to honor Him and respect Him, to humble ourselves before Him. He is Holy and Righteous and we are not!

Yet, when I read the gospels I see one who looks at us with compassion, with more compassion than I could, more than one would imagine. He came to the sick and wounded, to heal and to give life. He came to give life to the lost sinner.I want to be filled with His compassion for His people. Lord help me to be compassionate and loving like you.

2009-02-18T10:12:00.001-05:00

Was blessed to be able to travel to this years Pastors Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. Whoa! Theme was centered around the Gospel. What impacted me the most was hearing John Piper give a biographical sketch of the life of George Whitefield. Oh, how I could use a George Whitefield in the mountains and valleys of Peru where I live. "He recounts that in Philadelphia that same year on Wednesday, April 6, he (Whitefield) preached on Society Hill twice in the morning to about 6,000, and in the evening to near 8,000. On Thursday, he spoke to “upwards of ten thousand,” and it was reported at one of these events the words, “‘He opened His mouth and taught them saying,’ were distinctly heard at Gloucester point, a distance of two miles by water down the Delaware River.7 [Do you see why I say such things are near unbelievable?] And there were times when the crowds reached 20,000 or more.

I cannot see God's hand in terms of spiritual fruit as I often would desire in the ministry among the Quechua people whom I know. It is hard and seemingly impossible to see the light of the Gospel make its way into the darkness of paganism. Yet, I believe according to Gods word that is is effective and will make its mark in their lives in spite of myself.

I look forward to returning to those isolated mountain villages with the hope of the Gospel leading us on, proclaiming the name of Christ and all that He is!

2009-02-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

I took a trip through the valley where the well known lake called Llanganunca sits between the massive mountains of Huazcaran ( 22,250 ft) and Pisco ( 18,870 ft.). Each time I pass through this particular area I am reminded of the 1000's of deaths that occured in 1970 as a result of a massive glacier breaking free from during an earthquake.

2009-01-06T18:40:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Arrived back in Peru yesterday ( last night at 130am) The flights seem long but really not as bad as they could be- total air time only 7.5 hours. It is kind of funny because it takes less time to get to Peru in the air than it does to get from Lima to Huaraz- 8 hours.

I picked up my vehicle which was being stored at a fellow missionary house here in Lima while I was in the states for a month. It was totally covered with dust even though it was under cover. I suppose much of that dust is what the people here breath everyday!

Tomorrow I have to get the engine checked also as it is giving indications that the rings are worn. Not bad for a vehicle that has 150,000 kilometers and has been up some very hard roads since ts arrival to Peru. I want to take care of it well - it is our only vehicle and it is a good one! We are thankful to the Lord for it.

Hopefully by Thursday I will be on my way to Huaraz! The weather there is completley different than here in Lima. In Huaraz we are in what they say 'rainy season' and here in Lima it is summer. In fact it was 77 deg last night on my arrival to Lima at night!

It has been really hard for us to adjust to being in the states - adjusting!

More later.

2008-11-12T10:51:00.000-05:00

Was back in Peru for a short time in October through November 7th. The rainy season is in full swing but the Lord have me many opportunities to make it out to the villages. My main purpose was to encourage brothers and sisters in the faith and continue visiting and sharing the gospel message to others. It was very interesting to me that even after telling all our Quechua friends that I would be back they still were amazed at my return visit. Almost all of them commented to me that they did not believe I would be back. Why? Simply because so many have come and gone for various reasons and never returned. I am hoping to return again in December.

With the rain coming in it make sit hard to get up into some of the villages but there are trails that allow one to hike in by foot. My time was also spent with Odilio, my Quechua translator and with the congregation meeting in Huaraz. All, in all it was a very profitable time. Jessie, our dog greeted me every morning and insisted on coming in the apartment at every moment she could...

I confess, I gave in.

2008-09-22T08:23:00.000-04:00

These days I am packing up and saying good-bye for a months leave to the states. It is very hard to leave even for a short time. Sandra, the girls and Jonathan are all in the states now. They will be staying longer but I plan to come back every month.
We will be on furlough and making visits to several churches and supporters.
One of my dear friends here in this picture speaks Kechwa language, her heart language. She enjoys talking even if you don't understand her.
She has a daughter who has epilepsy and is 41 yrs old. Unfortunately due to some of the false beliefs here, her daughter has been told many ridiculous things for the reason she suffers from epilepsy. Anything from not being married, to being possessed by the devil!
Today I will be visiting several folks, many in similar situations and trying to encourage them as well as pointing them to the one who can heal their hurts and pains and give them eternal life, our King who reins forever and understands all our languages in every part of the world even the cry of an unborn baby. ( Psalm 139: 13-16)

2008-09-16T20:08:00.001-04:00

Cooking like this is typical in the Kechwa homes. Here one of our friends is cooking "Cancha' which is a dried corn that is shelled and then heated with oil and a little salt. In many of their homes this is their daily bread. It is very good with Ceviche as well which is raw fish marinated ( they say cooked but never touches heat) in lemon juice. The wood used for the fire is Eucalyptus wood which is very abundant here in the Sierra region, although not native to Peru. It was originally brought in from New Zealand, they say. It grows quickly and reproduces from its own root system. The Kechwa use it for contruction in their adobe houses as well for the rafters. After harvest time it is common to see many folks cutting their wood for the next season which is rainy season.

2008-04-17T22:42:00.000-04:00

Taking time to get to know people is hard work at times. Here is may require a hike up to their home in the mountains at levels above 12,000 feet. This week I was invited to visit a home of a very humble Quechua family. They had just brought their animals up to graze and will stay in this home until October. It is a second home for them although both places are in the steep rugged areas of the Cordillera Blanca ( White Mountains). I meet these people through their son who lives in another Quechua village but attends the church that I teach and preach at on a weekly basis.

I tried to get to the top of the mountain near their home with a four wheel drive but it was too steep and it had rained the night before. So we arrived to a certain point and hiked the rest of the way.

It is very seldom that I leave a Quechua home without being invited to eat with them or take something home with me. In this case, we dug potatoes our of their field and then started a fire to boil them. While they were being boiled the wife was making a very simple sauce they call "Aji" which is a hot pepper sauce. Once the potatoes were ready and served we sat around and chatted about many things but mostly their animals and the weather. The meal was good and hot! As we sat under a thatched roof lean-too the rain began to come in ever so softly but enough to worry me a little as my vehicle was sitting on the side of a mountain road and I knew I was going to have to back down the mountain backward. It would be very slippery if the rains continued. Thankfully the sun was still competing with the rain clouds and it was actually semi- dry once we arrived back at the vehicle.

All in all it was a very pleasant afternoon and I was able to make another contact with a Quechua family who I hope to get to know even more.

2008-02-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

When we have opportunity to give to the children and familes it is a very exciting time. We had planned this activity far before Christmas and also decided not to connect it with Christmas. Our desire was to give the children new shoes but also make a teaching lesson around it. So we did. Most all of these children are faithful attenders of the Bible club my wife Sandra teached in two different Quechua villages. It was interesting to see how they responded both before they knew anythign about the shoes and two months later when they received them. We had to come up with a way to measure their foot size and try not to embarrassment. Many come with shoes that are very over sized or have been pass me downs for so many generations that they are totally worn out. So in the midst of the regular lessons that were being taught through the Bible, a lesson had to be especially planned that would relate to feet. So Sandra taught them about the passage in Romans 10.:9-13. Some of the children still felt uncomfortable taking their shoes off so we had to make a good guess. The ranges in shoe size were from size 0 to size 39, European size chart. We have shoes and clothes donated from time to time by teams that come to visit. However, it is very hard to find shoes sizes for little feet that the Quechua have. Many of the men for instance wear a size 6.5 or 7 USA. So we had to ask the Lord for His blessing in another way. Well, He did. We are thankful to God for our brothers and sisters in Christ at Scherer Memorial, Lake Wylie, SC. for the gift they gave to the children for this project.

2008-02-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

Keeping warm! It may be hard to imagine just how it is to be cold all the time. When I visit these Quechua families and see their children with shoes that they could walk through and some without, it really pulls at my heart. One of our supporting churches recently helped us with a gift to help with new shoes, socks and gloves. The faces and feet tell the story!

2008-01-25T10:13:00.000-05:00

Here are pictures of a few children who received new "Zapatillas" ( shoes). We have been teaching them about how God make sit possible that we can hear the "GOOD NEWS" ( Romans 10). As we bring the good news of the Gospel to another culture, sometimes we think they will understand it. Yet the Bible tells us that "not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says,'LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?' so faith comes by hearing the word fo Christ..."

Our desire is that God will give these little friends of ours faith and carry this message to their families.

2007-10-30T12:22:00.001-04:00

"Pishtaco"- has been a name given to foreigners from the US or Europe. As legend continues to take over the imaginations of young and old, many still believe that the "gringo" is a Pishtaco. I would wonder many times why the children seemed to be so shy and afraid of us. I later learend that this legend still impacts many of the mountain children and families. Pishtaco is a name of a person who apparently would take children and sell them for their body parts to laboratories. There is no wonder now that many of the children seemed to be terrified of any stranger. Fortunatley the legend does not hold it's power as it used to. I wonder what this little girl from Huallcor is thinking...

2007-10-30T11:54:00.000-04:00

Many of the Andean folks have discovered the uses of Herbs and wild flowers for their health needs. Here is a beautiful columnar cacti that I found in the Cordillera Blanca. I later leanred that the water boiled with this cactus may be used to treat diabetes. The cactus can alos be used in emegency situations for water by simply eating the heart of the cactus.

Its name in Quechua is Kuriikasha- it means ball of spines. This species grows on large rocks at the altitude of 11,500- 11,800 ft. above sea level.

2007-10-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

Rain has brought happiness to many of the Quechua folks. They depend on the rain as we all do. Some of the mountain tops have been blessed with fresh snow and will eventually bring fresh water to the surrounding areas. It is planting time again here now that we are entering "primavera" spring. I recently had the opportunity to preach at a very remote Quechua church and was reminded of the great "gap" that still exists between the Quechua culture and the mestizo culture. Most of the members in the little church could only understand Quechua.

I read to them from the Quechua Bible that is now in print in the New Testament. However, my Quechua language is still not "up to snuff" as my Dad used to say. As I began to speak after reading the scripture I noticed that soem of the Quechua folks hung their heads down. My tutor and disciple, Justino noticed and gladly helped me with his natural Quechua abilities. We were invited back to present the Jesus film in Quechua.

We recently enjoyed the visit of some friends we meet while in language school five years ago in Costa Rica, Terry Bloemsma and his daughter Libby. Libby is a friend of our daughter, Lynae. Terry is also a missionary who works internationally for Barnabas International, a mission organization that does just as the name implies: come along side missionaries to encourage and help. Teh picture is from his well skilled eye.

2007-10-20T12:31:00.000-04:00

We had several days some friends whom we got to know in Costa Rica and now live in the US. It was a great time fellowship and show them some of the areas around the area of Huaraz.

Here we are having our picture taken at a place called Querococha, a lake outside of Huaraz.

2007-09-16T21:35:00.000-04:00

Disaster relief- Ica, Peru.

I just returned from the San Clemente and Ica areas a few miles north of Pisco. We delivered large tents to individual families who are without homes. One lady, Victoria just could not express her gratefulness in words rather in tears of joy! The children seem to be doing very well considering the circumstances. Teh streets are full of piled rubble, adobe and other materials of fallen houses. I am amazed at how the people continue on in their daily lives.

Everyday there seems to be some aftershock and the people are frightened at every movement of the earth. Most of the people are not begging but rather thankful to be alive.

2007-06-13T12:42:00.000-04:00

The mornings are very chilly here in the Andes these days. I can only imagine how cold it is in the higher elevations while here it is in the mid to upper 30's by sunrise.
While at a Bible study I teach in one of the Quechua villages that sits at 12,000 feet above sea level I was distracted while seeing the children without socks and some without shoes. They seem to not mind but I wonder...
I could not let the thought go as I lay down in my warm bed last night. While none of us have heating systems here, we do not live in an Adobe home that is dark and cold most all the time.
The Lord is working in the hearts of His people; last night one of the fellows I have been visiting from time to time came to the study with his Bible. I could not help but notice how tired he was after being out in the field all day yet he seemed to be interested in the teaching. Please pray for Virgilio and his wife.
Please pray for us as we plan and prepare for a large short term team of 26 people to come from the States. They will be going with us to Quechua villages and ministering in three different ways: VBS, Medical care and for the first time a Vet. will come to help us minister to the animals of the Quechua. We are going to attempt to go in the "back door" so to speak and minister to the Quechua by helping them care for their animals.
This all seems overwhelming to me. Pray for needed national helpers, translators. We are few and cannot translate for all those who will be here.
Most of all pray that God would hear our prayers and open the hearts and minds of the people to receive the gospel!
The above picture is of Lynae, Mackenzie and Jonathan. The other is of a Quechua friend and I in a village I am currently working.

2007-05-12T09:14:00.000-04:00

It has been much cooler here nights. There has been precipitation in the higher elevations bringing fresh layers of snow near Huaraz. Although we have never sen snow down at the street level here in the town of Huaraz, the temperatures are dipping in the early morning hours.
My new friend Emilio comes here about once a week. He is blind and comes to pray with me in his heart language- Quechua. The other day he came with an old short wave radio. He tells me he uses it to listen to "Christian Family Radio" , a program that is broadcast out of California. He was pleading with me to tell them not to change the station. It is something he looks forward to daily.
Two days ago he invited me to his "house". We entered a short entrance made out of old feed bags and sticks. His "house" is a little shack, probably 12ft by 12ft. It is a dirt floor and the walls have large gaps where the rain comes in and most everything touching the dirt floor gets saturated. Therefore he hangs what few close he has on a board that extends from one wall to the other.
What impresses about Emilio is his faith in God. He leaves his "house" ealry in the morning and goes to the streets sharing his faith in Christ. He never begs for help but rather looks for ways he can help others. Emilio is a changed man because he is looking to Jesus.
When I find my self complaining about something I think of Emilio...

2007-05-04T21:29:00.001-04:00

Today marks the tenth day we have been without electricity here at our house. Our electrical lines were stolen during thr early morning hours. This happens quite often here. Apparently to sell the copper wires. We have been able to run the refrigerator a generator. While it is frustrating it also causes us to think of those who live out away from the city and do not have electricity and cannot afford. The power company tells me I have to purchase my own cable which will be around 60 meters of cable and then I have to pay for the installation as well. Well this is the way it is in Peru. We are learning to be patient with these kinds of trial but it is not easy.
This evening we went out to a restaurant to eat. As we sat there to eat, one young boy we have come to know came to sit beside me. He works in the streets and many times sleeps there as well. He has shined shoes to make a living and now sells Chiclets gum. As he sat with us he asked many questions about me and my family. My heart breaks for Lucho. As far as he is concerned he has no future he will always be working in the streets. His questions indicated his desire to be with a family and not have to suffer trying to find his next piece of bread.
The problem we are having without electricity seemed to drift into neverland as if it was not even important anymore. Lucho..., yes he is. Now I know why the Lord sent him to sit beside me at the table. I mentioned that it was getting warm. He told me he felt cold. I shared my bread with him in hopes to warm his stomach a little.

2007-02-10T07:59:00.000-05:00

Huaraz is approximately 420 kilometers from the capital city of Lima. We travel to Lima once every three months or so to purchase meat or have maintenence done on our vehicle. I recently made the trip to go and pick up our new two year missionary, Anna Echols. My daughter, Lynae and I made the trip in in 6.5 to 7 hours. The roads are generally good except during this time of year with all the rain there are many pot holes in the roads in some areas. The trip consists of 3 hours descending from Huaraz to the Pan American highway and then 3.5 to 4 hours on the Pan American highway to Lima along the Pacific ocean. It s always takes a few days to recover after each trip going from 10,500 ft to sea level.
The ride to Lima always broadens my vision into the lives of the people and their daily stuggles. It is common to see folks along the route waiting along side the road for a bus or someone to give them a ride to their destination. This trip we were able to help an elderly lady who return to her home. She had been waiting for several hours for a car or bus. However the most interesting part is listening to them tell their story. Many times their stories are very simple to us but are very important non the less for them. What do they talk about? Well, anything from how their crops are doing to how many animals they have and how they themselves are feeling.
No they do not discuss the stock market or their new house or car. They discuss the prices of potatoes or the next fiesta. Their lives are simple in some ways but culturally rich.

2007-01-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

Indeed it is a beginning of a new year. The city of Huaraz is very quiet today; I went in at 4pm to purchase some bread for Ermogenes and all the stores were closed as well as the bread ovens.
Many of the people were going to festivals and family gatherings.
Last night at midnight it sounded as if we were at war with all the firecrackers going off. They do celebrate New Years here as well!The days are getting longer here. The flowers are in bloom and many of the crops are growing steadily.

2006-12-23T13:20:00.000-05:00

Today the city of Huaraz is jammed full of people who have come from everypart around the city it appears. The parking spaces are all taken and the streets are buzzing with folks preparing for "la Navidad". I went to the mountain village of Jauna today to prepare what we call a 'Chocolatada' with panetones for the children. It was a little frustrating; the mayor called me to let me know I should rescheduel the hour from 11am to 8am. a few days ago. I arrived right at the hour. Time here really does not mean much. The men were all in a community meeting and arguing over the money needed to have a cannel put in to carry water through out the mountain sides and village area. We finally started heating the milk in avery large metal pot called an 'olla' pronounced 'oo-ya'.
We added 50 bars of chocolate with cloves and cinniman then 3 kilos of sugar. After arriving home my wife told me that we were supposed to add water. oops! The children liked it all the same. Probably the richest hot chocolate they have ever had. I then gave a message about the birth of Christ, read from the Quechua translated New Testament as well as the spanish version. We sang Christmas songs and handed out panetones, ( fruit bread). I then left but was tagged on the way down the mountain road to give a ride to a young man who was 23 yrs. old .While in the car I presented some of the Gospel message to him. The other delight was having the opportunity to give a ride to a man who is totally blind due to a mining accident with dynamite. he walks the mountain trails to get to his house by foot solely by feel. I asked him if he was a Christian he was very honest and said no but invited me to come to visit him and listen to the gospel message.
Exciting day...

2006-12-21T12:58:00.001-05:00

How about this washing method? The water is ice without a doubt, it is run off from the mountains. It is a good way to take out your frustrations perhaps, watch out for the club in her hand.
These people live very hard lives.

2006-12-20T07:56:00.000-05:00

Huaycor is one of the Quechua communities that appears to be very forgotten. It is not a large community, but still has a population of around 4000 people. Like many of the Quechua pueblos this one sits at around 13,500 ft. above sea level. The road is very steep and as it runs along side a very deep revine. Upon arriving to the small village,, there is a small plaza area with what appears to be an "old oak tree" athough it is of another variety. It has an old rusty bell attached to one of the thick branches that drap off of the main trunk. It was probably used at one time to call the member of the community together for an important meeting. These days, there are two very small family owned stores that keep the main necessities for the local people who live there.
Thsi past year we set up a medical clinic in the community for one day. It was a way to get to know many of the people. We encountered many very sick folks and many who have suffered for long periods of time. It makes you wonder, how do these people survive.
Yesterday, I visited Huaycor again to look after a lady who had a dislocated hip. She speaks only Quechua so I took along my tudor, Justino to help with the translation. Unfortunatley we did not locate the lady. We did run into a family that was working their fields with a team of bulls ( here they do not use oxen). They were very curious at to where I was from and where I lived. I even had a chance to plow a few furrows of ground. It made for a good afternoon.

2006-12-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

Reading about Hell? It was Friday, I was to direct a meeting in a Quechua village called Collahuasi ( co-ya- wa- si). I went to the village but did not find the lady who normally hosts us in her little store. The children and locals told me she was up in her "chacra" ( field) working. As I arrived in her field high on the mountian side , I could see a woman kneeling as if she was inspecting the ground. There were also two other people, one a young girl and the other a woman. They were cutting alfalfa in order to take back to feed their Guinea Pigs or other animals.
As I got closer to Nilla, the lady who was knelt down, I saw she was reading. She had been reading a little booklet about the realities of hell with Scripture references. I thought this to be very unusual. It gave me some insight into where here interests are though. Nilla has been attending the Bible Study in Collahuasi for almost a year now. The Lord is using His Word according to His purposes- it will not return void.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth. And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

2006-12-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

Work is hard. During this time of year until the end of April we have rain almost everyday. It sometimes only lasts an hour or so but other times all afternoon. It brings refreshment to the mountains After such a long dry season. Many of the Quechua arr out in their fields either planting new crops or working the ground. It is common to see teams of bulls plowing the ground pulling a one point wooden plow. Many times the youth are doing the plowing and working with their father in the fields. There are two well know sides of the Cordillera. The Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca. As you might guess the blanca is the side that has snow covered mountains and glaciers. Water is not taken for granted here. We depend on the water shed from these snow covered mountains. For those who live on the side of the Cordillera Negra, water becomes very scarce at times in the dryer season.
In this time, though the mountain sides are becoming very green with their lush crops. Most the crops during this time are potatoes, corn and beans. In Decemeber they will plant wheat and barley which are their two main grains here in the Andes.

2006-12-18T09:35:00.000-05:00

I never know what kind of surprise there might be in the coming day! Yesterday was the Lord's day- Sunday. I was in a hurry to be on time and suddenly felt a rock as is hit me on my head. I looked around and did not see anyone close by. It seemed to come with force, but any rock on the head would feel like it came with force, No? I actually caught the rock after it hit me and it was no small pebble.
This morning as I was leeaving to go meet with my Quechua tudor I was meet by one of the little neighbor girls , whose name is Ziamara. She is about 4 or five years old. What joy was on her face as she cried out to me and came to give me a big hug! She tells me many times she has to ring the intercom at our gate in order to check on us. This morning I coudl not resist giving her a little "paneton". Panetones are the tupe of bread that is especially made and sold this time of year for Christmas. It has dried fruit and raisins and sometimes they cover the top with chocolate. Here in Latin Amercia, the big day is Christmas eve, when all the familes, relatives and neighbors gather to have their meal and many will have hot chocolate and their panetones. They usually celebrate until the wee hours of the morning. For this, Christmas day is not a big day for most here.
We will be bringing making hot chocolate and bringing in Panetones to some of the Quechua villages we are currently doing Bible studies in.

2006-10-10T15:52:00.000-04:00

Quechua style wedding- we recently were invited to be witnesses at a Quechua wedding here in Huaraz. All the attendents were dressed in typical clothing from various regions of Peru. The most amzing part probably was the age of the bride and groom. The bride is 73 yrs. old and the groom 70 yrs. old. The service was humble and sweet. We all sat around in a large circle conversing and listening to music while a meal was being served. We did not have the traditional "cuy" which is guinea pig put did have chicken, rice and potatoes.
We were told an interesting fact that this type of wedding would not be allowed in a Mestizo (spanish/peruvian ) church so they had to have it privately among their Quechua friends. We felt very honored to be invited and be a part of it.

2006-08-21T20:45:00.000-04:00

It is not a Mcdonalds but... Many times we forget the luxuries we have and take them for granted. I was reminded that the mountain Quechua live very much like the pioneer days. You simply will not find a refrigerator or freezer where meat and other food items can be stored for a period of time. It is rather a kill and eat within a day or two. We have been invited to what is callled Pastsamanka. Patsa is a Quechua word which means soil or tierra in Spanish. Manka is a word that signifies a pot, in this case the food is cooked in a hole in the ground and covered with heated stones or rocks then left to cook. It usually consists of lamb, beans, potatoes and other vegetables. We have been invited to them a few times. One time the folks who invited us forgot the correct date and were not prepared. No problem! They quickly went out to kill a few chickens and dig up some potatoes and vegetables. It cannot get any fresher than that. The feathers are an extra blessing.

2006-07-18T11:04:00.000-04:00

Recently had a Pastors seminar in Conai. Conai is located about 360 kilometers North of Huaraz in the Callejon de Hualays. The need for Pastoral training is beyond words. The local Pastor was with tears in his eyes as he told us he had no members left beyond his own family. The small flock that once attending the little church in the valley now had fled for one reason or another. These Pastors do not recieve any formal income. They struggle in making a living off of their own land. This particular Pastor can hardly read and what he does understand is in Quechua with very little Spanish.
Though his cry for help is being heard he still needs education in literacy as well as basic teaching of the Bible and doctrine. While many well meaning folks believe that we can produce literature and Bibles and distribute them in communities this does not go very far. The Bibles end up in stacks unused and the people are left without any training in how to interpret what they read or where to start. It is like leaving a new car to someone that has never seen one in there lifetime. It will most likely be admired from the outside but never used.
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? " Romans 10:14

2006-06-25T18:12:00.000-04:00

The path is narrow lined on both sides by a stone fence. As Mackenzie ( my youngest daughter) and I walked down the trail to Ricardos house the sound of folk music could be heard. This afternoon was a typical visit to see Ricardo and his family as I had done several times before. It was agreed that I would make visits to them every other Sunday and we would continue studying the Bible and listening to cassettes of the Bible in Quechua. The family seemed so excited every Sunday to listen and discuss the scriptures. They had begun to learn the Quechua hymns we had been practicing. They were full of questions about what they had been taught previously in the Catholic church.
Ricardo is Quechua and has advanced much in his life to the point of having his own carpentry business . He makes stools and benches for schools and sells them wholesale. For a Quechua to have his own business like this is really quite impressive. His wife does not speak a lot of Spanish but does well enough to get by. There three children are very good readers and speak primarily Spanish but understand alot of Quechua through their mother.
Today was a sad day as I meet Ricardo's wife at the door. She told me that her extended family was threatening them for letting me come to their house talk about the Gospel. She even told me that they were threatening to stone me if I was to return. This is not unusual at all here in Peru. We are seeing this in every place we go. The Priests have given threats to the families if they were to listen to those "Evangelicos'. So I told Ricardo's wife that I did not want her family to suffer for my coming to the house. However, I did invite them to our house or another neutral place where they would feel safe to continue to learn what the Bible teaches.
She was very open to that option but felt under tremendous pressure to keep peace among her relatives. Leaving the Roman Catholic tradition can mean being cut off of the family for a long period of time or for ever. Please pray for this family.
We have had several visits prior to this day sowing the seeds. May the Lord cause it to take root and grow strong!!

2006-06-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

Radio could be such a powerful tool to spread a God-centered vision into the hearts of people. Here in the Andes there are radio stations of various types as well. For us it is still a dream and prayer to have a radio program that is saturated with a God-centered and God exalting teachings and music. Up to this point Heber and I are attempting to spread this vision among the Quechua folks through the means of community Bible studies, seminars, Jesus film, music and hymns that are translated in their dialects of Quechua. Today will be the second time we will have "on the air" through the partnership of a fellow believer and well known speaker among the Quechua communities-"Pushpi". He is a Quechua speaker and has his own radio program every Saturday at 5pm all in Quechua here in the Huaylas valley. Pushpi has invited us to come and participate in his radio program today to sing some of the Quechua songs we have learned. This will be my second time ever on the radio here in Peru.
The radio can be used in so many powerful ways here in the mountains and by-ways of the Andes. We envision it also as a means by which we could better make daily communications to the Quechua who live far from the city and those who live close. Keeping in mind that most Quechua folks do not have a personal telephone or other form of communication readily available to them where they live, the radio is listened to on a regular basis to send messages as well. It is not uncommon to hear birthdays being announced or special meetings and activities.
Music is also a very powerful tool in the Quechua culture. Sadly most of the songs that are available to the public are about the drinking or adulterous lives. How beautiful it could be to change the rhythm and tune of things. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God who said' Let the light shine out of the darkness', has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." In the Quechua songs we sing they are saturated with God exalting truths. May the reality of the light of Christ's gospel be poured into the hearts of the Quechua one day so that there would be true joy in the Andes!

2006-06-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

"Paro en Peru ", That means there is a strike. In Peru when there is a strike it may mean that a particular group of people want to make a statement about something that they want changed.
Many times it is hard to detect exactly what the issue is. Today the local "campesinos" - country folks held a strike. You may be wondering how this can be done. Usually it is formed by communities of folks who will stop all movement of vehicles in the highways. They accomplish this by placing large rocks, tires and all sorts of things in the road to prevent movement of vehicles. You may think this is easy to overcome. Not! Many times the locals will also throw rocks at your vehicle if you are out on the roads attempting to go against their wishes.
The police generally let the strikes go on as they are also planned and we hear about them over the radio. In this case it is regarding the abundance of robberies that are occuring. I mentioned the inicident of Mario's family in a previous posting. The locals have a right in this instance in that no one is acting for them and they have to form their own groups to hunt down the thieves. In one case the local community did catch five of the thieves who had been tying folks up and abusing them. They we turned over to the police and then marched through the city of Huaraz nude to shame them. The next time they stated they would burn the criminals. Here in the mountains of Peru anything can happen. I do not believe in burning folks even criminals but maybe some countries could something learn from these country folks.
We did visit a pueblo called Huallcoy today. It was a steep climb in a vehicle . I would not attempt it in the rain. The soil is a yellow type when the rain comes it turns into a greasy mud that is impossible to manage driving in. Since the mountain roads are very narrow there leaves no room for error. The pueblo looked almost abandoned but they say there are close to 1000 people including children who live in the area. The locals were few today as they were all out working in their fields. One of the first words I hear from many locals is "regalame" , in english this means "gift me". Or to put it more naturally they want money or something free. It calls to my memory what was said by Apostle Peter "I have no silver and gold but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus of Nazarath, rise up and walk!" Acts 3:6 This is what these people need the most to rise up and walk in a spiritual manner. They are very poor and it really tugs on my heart to see them as they are but what they really need is much deeper than any earthly good can provide. It is the heavenly manna that will bring eternal joy in the Andes!

2006-06-20T21:28:00.000-04:00

Ermogenes is a 35 year old man who came to the medical clinic. He has sever rheumatoid arthritus and is very limited in his travels. He prayed with us during the clinic to know Christ as Lord of his life. Sonce then he has invited us to begin a Bible study in his little adobe mountains home. Tonight was the third time we had beenin his home. He has been a little skeptical and even told us that he was for the very reason that he has had many come to his door who were from the Jehova Witnesses.
He has two daughters Vanessa age 12 , Janet age 9 and a son Yuler who is about 8 yrs old.
We have a time of learning Quechua hymns and then listen to Scripture on tape in Quechua language. Then we ask them to tell us how they understood it in their language so we can teach them the truths found in the passage. To me it is very interesting to see the change that is already occurring in Ermogenes life. He told me the last time he already has felt better and feels a joy that he has never had before. His body is still in "chains" so to speak but he says he is feeling better physically as well. His daughters and a couple of their friends attended this evening.
We sit in a little area in the back of his house with the chickens, ducks, dogs and a pig. As we sit their singing Quechua songs and then listening to the Scripture in Quechua I wonder what the Lord must be thinking. Here is a very humble man in a very poor home but now he is rich spiritually in Christ. He is free from the bondage he once knew. This evening we listened to two text from Luke chapter 7 and then part of 8. Chapter 7 was about the women who was probably a prostitute and came into the house of Simeon where Jesus had been invited. She was broken spiritually and the Spirit had obviously given her this knowledge of her sin as she came with such a repentful heart and pured perfume in the feet of Jesus. Washed His feet and wiped them with her hair. I can imagine Simeon sitting back in and looking down on her as he tilted his nose as her.
How I need this kind of brokennes in my own life. I see the Quechua people here and how often I judge them from my hard heartedness... Lord break me again and let me see my own sin and your mercy.
Let the joy flow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones which you have broken rejoice. Psalm 51:8

2006-06-20T13:25:00.001-04:00

Hopefully, Mario and his family will sleep well tonight... We loaded up the trailer with the few bags of belongings he owns and a couple of bags of potatoes along with their dog. Mario is a Quechua gentleman who lives with his wife, his son, age 18, and daughter, age 16. I came into contact with them through our daily travels in the mountains. He is a follower of Christ along with his wife and daughter. He had been a caretaker of a mountain property with a few head of cattle and crops. They do not have any property of their own and have lived off the land they care for in exchange for some of the crops but without any type of salary. It was April 18th and I learned that a group of 5 thieves had entered their property, tied them up, raped the wife and daughter and robbed them.
While the medical team from Twin Oaks in St. Louis was here they were able to attend to their medical needs and offer some prayers. Every ounce of their personal belongings was stolen including their official documents. It is a very isolated mountain property that sits at 13,000 feet above sea level. To say the least I was angry both for the situation that occurred and the fact that they are innocent people trying to survive. The owners of the property did not seem to care and would not get involved to help.

Joy was on his face as he moved to a different adobe home yesterday. A friend who is a Quechua pastor in another community welcomed Mario and family to come and live in an empty house that was near their church. The Quechua pastor, Raul, had no reservations at all in having these folks come. He offered them the opportunity to work with him in order to begin earning some money. His wife made it clear that every one helps each other with whatever needs to be done, whether it be cutting wood to cook with, caring for the animals, harvesting the crops or making meals. It is a humble adobe home not unlike any other Quechua type construction. As I unloaded the few feed bags of belongings Mario had left from his fields I thought, "I wonder if he is at peace with this move and I hope they can all sleep in real peace this evening." I caught a little bit of how "community" works among the Quechua brothers and sisters in Christ. The Quechua pastor, who also lives in very humble means, opened his arms to this family and was also encouraged to have them as new neighbors and fellow believers. We were able to get them some mattresses to sleep on and a few blankets as well as some clothing. When I drove away from the little Quechua community of Uquia last evening, I could see a new sense of joy on Mario's and his family's faces. They could all sleep with joy this evening in the Andes.

2006-06-17T19:11:00.000-04:00