I look out, across the swiftest moving navigable river I have ever witnessed. The sound of water rushing past the boat gets drowned out with sounds of natives paddling hollowed out canoes upstream of the mighty Rio Marañón where it meets the Rio Chamibira to form the Amazon River. Am I really living on a houseboat on the Amazon river? Yes, two weeks of my life are spent living with the locals in Nauta, Peru…my home is a houseboat built for missionaries on the Rio Marañón. Car horns are a blast from the past, the sound replaced by loud boat motors powering small boats up and down this mighty river. The mosquitos took my leg and lifted it off the ground last night.
My sister and parents like to refer to this boat as my cruise ship vacation for the month…let me paint a picture of this cruise. We have 31 people living on this houseboat, a boat with what I would approximate to be less than 1,500 square feet, with a whopping 2 bathrooms. The girls got the penthouse suite, a covered balcony that is now a field of mosquito nets, barely room to move. The guys went down under to the bottom quarters, much like an unfinished basement of the boat…shared with the engines and pumps of the boat. The sound of a gas powered pump filling up one of our water tanks at 4:00 am is a good wake up call, it’s too hot to sleep anyway! We must stand guard on our cruise ship throughout the night too…you know, protect it from pirates and intruders. We take shifts protecting our boat…anywhere from 1-2 hours a piece sitting on the front of the cruise, protecting our fellow vacationers with a machete in hand. A typical shift, from 2:00-4:00 am involves seeing a few locals power their canoes upstream, or disappearing quickly drifting downstream. Often locals are walking along the river…so far no real exciting action…we’ll see what tonight brings! Our shower water is straight out of the Amazon river, not filtered at all…oh, and to wash dishes? Dip a bucket into the river and get some water…yeah…I guess that’s safe.
There is no real recreation on the river, the current so swift that you can only swim in protected areas along the bank for fear that the undercurrent will suck you in. It is a large banana shipping channel, with locals going upstream empty, often in a motor powered canoe with 3-4 other canoes aboard, and drifting back with a boatload of bananas. Our partyboat host Jorge Montero T. has informed us that most of the boats we see throughout the night posses drugs, ready for marketing around the world. There is also a market for timber from the Amazon Jungle, many illegal logging businesses do their work throughout the night as well.
Our ministry here includes helping the Tempa de Mais (Church of the Harvest…I think). Most of us are assisting with Fiesta con Dios (our replacement name for Vacation Bible School…meaning Party with God), and a smaller group of us are working with the youth of the church (12-20 years old). Fiesta con Dios has somewhere around 100 kids, and the youth group consists of around 12-15 so far (more are coming as time goes on). We will continue to bring joy and Bible stories to the Fiesta con Dios, and encourage the youth to reach out to their community of Nauta and grow close in community with each other. The youth of this town invite spirits into their lives with the use of Ouija boards, coming in contact with dangerous spirits. The church is growing here in Nauta, in a town of 18,000, there are approximately 15 churches servicing the area. The vision of Tempa de Mais is to grow and service the town with small groups in the different areas of town.
Our time on Nauta started Monday, February 18th, and will end February 29th. A short trip to the village, but with our cramped living conditions it is probably a good thing it is a short stay! Our community of World Racers grows closer every day, praying for each other, celebrating with each others (birthdays and accomplishments) and encouraging each other. It is great to get to know these people so quickly…waking up the the same 27 people every day is trying at times, but it is great to always have friends nearby to laugh with. Our days are filled with much laughter, which is great amidst seeing some of the most poverty stricken areas in the world. Our time in Peru is quickly ending, with Africa quickly arriving in our sights (april 18th (ish)). Our next destination is Bolivia, where we will end our time in South America. I have learned tons, and helped many in our month and a half of serving God this year. THANK YOU to all of my supporters who are making this possible. The world is becoming a better place, and Jesus’ love is being shared everywhere we go!
P.S. NEW PICTURES of Nauta, Peru posted at MarkStratmann.com … in the Nauta Peru folder!
