It isn’t often that a person gets to experience jungle life, but for me, I had the opportunity to immerse myself into the dense jungle bush and spend time with the Torewa Village. This village is not your average jungle village. It is a mix a nomadic people from various parts of the jungle from all different types of tribes. Seven years ago, they decided to settle down, and how it came to be I could never tell you, but what I can tell you, is that I am not cut out for jungle life, nor will I ever forget the things I saw and experienced. I want to share with you a family and child who changed the way I see.
Friday morning, my team and I left our host family and headed down to Rio Buena – the river. We began loading our equipment and gear into a 25 foot long hand carved wooden boat, and soon enough, we ourselves were loading onto the boat to head up river. The ride was going to take about three hours, so we got as comfortable as you can get on a piece of ply wood that improvised as your seat. As we moved up river, I began to lose myself in the lush greenery of the mountains, the red slabs of rock that layered onto each other over and over again, the milk chocolate river that raged and rushed into pockets of whirlpools and then suddenly settle into a peaceful calmness of smooth current. I lost myself multiple times, and found myself in the presence of God soaking in adoration due to His amazing handiwork.
Around 6:30 pm we arrived at a very muddy cliff bank. The hike inland only took about 15 minutes, but hiking in the dark, my senses were working overtime because every creature possibly imagine awakens in the nighttime. Once we arrive we said our, “Hola, Buena Noches. Mucha Gusta.” to the villagers who came to see the gringo(a)s aka white people. Home in the jungle consisted of our tents set up on muddy floors, in a run down wooden shack and old school room. Our first night we ate and went to bed because the night activity within the village is hiding from the vast amount of misquotes, that carry diseases and enjoys sucking your blood.
The follow morning we began by doing house visit to evangelize and pray over the families. Philippi (missionary in Bolivia who organizes missions and host families) informed us that there were several children within the village who were sick, especially one child who had serve diarrhea filled with blood. We split into two teams, and as my team arrived upon the first house my heart shattered. My nose was overcome with fowl smells. I could see the filth of dirt that was caked, layers upon layers on the children and the parents. Fleas and flies ate at open wounds of the children and found homes within their clothing and hair. The children’s’ hair was turning light reddish brown due to lack of nutrition, their legs were the size of a one year old and they had potbellies that were bloated because of malnutrition. Their homes were simply made of wood slats, bamboo and clay and they slept on bamboo mats onto of the mud ground. They did not have much belonging other than the worn out, oversized or too small clothes that were on their backs.
My team began talking with the family and we learned all about their lives. The Father’s name was Selso and the mother’s was Agostina. Their family tribal heritage were hunters, but ever since settling, they adjusted to become farmers – they grew papayas and bananas. They would use these to trade amongst the community and when “walking” meat presented itself they would hunt. We learned more and more about Selso family and why he moved into the Torewa Village. It was intriguing to hear about their daily lives, but I couldn’t help feel a pit in my stomach because how they lived seemed so hopeless and a struggle to make it day to day. While I was complaining about all the insects sucking my blood, and the humidity that caused me to be drenched in sweat, here is a family that barely knows if they will eat today, or if their children will survive. How can I complain, when I know I will have more than enough to eat and a sleeping pad to sleep on inside of a tent that protects me from insects? The reality is I can’t complain, but I seem to find myself doing it anyways.
Later on we learn that two of Selso, children have Puchichi. This is a boil infected and full of pus that is caused by eating fruit that is unripped and carrying parasites. Even more, it causes a lot of pain in the area it is found. For his son, who looked to be about six, had a boil the size of half a baseball on the right side of his neck. His daughter, who was probably only three, had one the size of a golfball on the back of her head. Selso, informed us that they will eventually go away on their own, but that they take a long time. In the end we spent about 45 minutes with this family and ended by praying for them.
We return back to our “home” area and I was so disturbed. I felt useless and no sense of hope for these people. This themed carried all throughout the day of hearing about families and their illness and me knowing that I can do nothing for them. I was frustrated and annoyed that people live like this and I know this isn’t even the worse conditions in which people live. I remember praying throughout the day, asking God why. Why was I brought here to see this? What is your purpose for me during these days? How can I even help these people?
Later in the evening my team was eating dinner and Philippi shared with us what a villager told him earlier in the day. He said, “Your presence today was as if Jesus himself visited Towera.” All my frustration and bitterness towards feeling useless fell away and I instantly praise God because that was our purpose. That is why we are out here. Yes, to physically help the people if we can, but the main reason is to represent Christ through our actions and words with them. We are called to love without stipulations, to give without hesitations and to be ambassadors for Christ. These are things I already know, but things I easily forget.
The following day was Sunday and as we were waiting on the Pastor of the church to arrive (which could take hours because in the Jungle there is no sense of time) a couple of us decided to go back to the family we visited the other day and care to the wounds of the children. I got the puchichi wound. In the midst of us cleaning the outer boil and wiping away the layers of dirt, the mother grab a leaf steam and poked the boil! Instantly pus starting oozing out. With everything I had, I had to hold back my need to gage. In that moment I wanted to walk away, but I began to see this boy as Jesus would. A child in which He loved and sees as pure and holy. A child who has nothing, but with Jesus has everything. A child who is in pain and suffering, but with Christ their is eternal life free from pain and suffering. As I continued to gently push on the boil and more and more puss continued to come out, I continued to pray over the boy. I spoke words of encouragement and love to him, even though he could not understand a word I was saying. I do not know how long it took to drain that pus pocket, but all I know is that pus pocket gave me the eyes to truly see these people in the Light of Christ. Because of this puss pocket, I was able to love for not my own gain, but simply to express Christ love to others.
Once it was drained, I applied antibiotic ointment and bandaged the wound up. We educated the mother on how to take care of the wound and clean it, and gave her some resources to do it correctly. The pastor arrived and my team gathered within the church. I was so happy to see Selso family attending as well. As we began to sing and praise God (in Spanish), I did my normal routine of praying during these times. A lot of times on the race I have found myself thinking of how I am not being challenged and feel as if no impact is truly being made to expand the Gospel. In this moment, I reflected back on my previous months and saw it all in the Light of Jesus. It took for me to clean a nasty infected puchichi, pus pocket, to realize the works that God is doing in and through me. Wether that be through finding new contacts for future World Race teams to partner with, loving on orphanage children for a couple of days, doing Bible skits for red light district children, who parents are associated to drug gangs, painting walls, fences and tires for a day care, day after day, or cleaning out a puss pocket. These are the moments I signed up for.
So, now whether I am home in the United Stated or sitting in the stifling humidity of Bolivia, I am choosing to see with the eyes of Christ, so that I may do everything with genuine love. My prayer is this, that I never fail to see myself as inadequate because Christ has equipped me to fight the Good Fight. That I remain positive and joyful in all He calls me to do, even when it is hard because He has already gone before me and won. Lastly, that I remain centered around His love for me, so that I may love others like Christ continues to love me day in and day out.
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who make us, and we are HIs, we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” – Psalms 100
