This post picks up after my previous post: The Amazon River
The day after we arrived in San José, we sat down with Julio and Yola to make a plan for our time in the pueblo. We had come to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the church in the town, but the fiesta wasn’t until Thursday, our last full day in the town. Yola told me the party would start at around 6 pm with food and would continue until about 1 or 2 am (quick shout out to Yola who cooked most of our meals, they were all DELICIOUS. Even the fish that looked ugly tasted so good). Both believers and non believers would be there. Julio asked if anyone would like to preach, and I thought if this was an opportunity to give a message that might encourage and lead others to Christ then I should take it (even if I had to give it in another language)!
But before that time, we had a couple days of ministry in the town. Here is a quick overview of some of the highlights and what the town was like, leading up to our participation in the church service.
The people:
Incredibly friendly, inviting, and curious. Most people were happy to see us and open to talking. They would invite us into their houses, offer us gifts, invite us into their volleyball or soccer games, etc… Their way of life was much simpler than ours but they weren’t simple people. Hard work seemed to be a norm for their culture.
In the middle of the town was a nice filtration system that people could fetch clean water from multiple times a day. The men would hunt or fish from 4 or 5 am until 3 or 4 pm. Some would go into the jungle to hunt whatever they could find (monkeys, boar) and others would go fish or hunt (alligator) on the river. One day we ate some alligator that took 2 hours just to find. The women would sometimes take care of the fields where they grew yucca root, papaya or watermelon. They also took care of the children and cooked.
Another part of their culture was community fun. Though they worked hard throughout the day, they always made time for fun in the evening. In the evening a lot of people (men, women, and kids) would gather in the big field in the center of town. This was a time set aside just for community. They mainly played soccer and volleyball, both adults and kids alike. Most of the guys had their own soccer teams and would take turns playing each other. Other people would just sit around, watching and chatting while they enjoyed the night.
The village had about 500 people and most of the people I talked to knew of God and Jesus Christ, but I couldn’t get a read on if they really had a relationship with Jesus yet. Julio told me that, overall, most people are open and receptive to the gospel. I invited a few people to the church and got a mixture of responses. Some people told me no. Some of the men said they know the church and go sometimes, but normally they need to use the night to rest so they can work. This seemed to be the norm for most men and women.
The kids:
It was difficult to go anywhere without a herd of children following us. Whatever we did, they wanted to do also. At first, they were a little shy, but after we invited them to play soccer, they didn’t want to leave our sides.
We enjoyed dancing, swimming in the river, playing soccer, volleyball, and duck duck goose with the kids. Some of the girls were really good volleyball players! Catherine came up with a skit for us to perform in their school, it was on Jesus walking on water. One day I got out my umbrella hat and let a lot of them try it on. A lot of the boys were very rough with each other and our stuff. We often had to teach and remind them how to be kind to one another.
Though they never wanted to leave us alone, they were pretty good helpers. Sometimes they helped us carry water from the filtration system. Whenever we were with them, it often attracted a crowd of adults who would watch our interactions with them. I believe having fun with the kids left a positive impression on the townspeople, and I’ll definitely remember their smiles and laughter.
The church:
There was a service each night starting at 7:30 and going until 9:30 or later. About 20-30 people attended, including kids, the few nights we were there. This seemed to be the normal church members.
Each service started with a song that lasted about 20-25 minutes. Everyone was clapping and dancing for the whole time, very into the music. Then they read scripture and went into the message. Most people were very passionate and intentional about listening. The message was often accompanied by loud “Hallelujah”s and “Gloria a Dios!” from people in the congregation. At first, the experience seemed a bit strange to me, but after immersing myself into their culture, I realized they really have a passion for God.
The sights:
I’ll let some pictures do the talking here.
The stories:
One day I got out my camera to take around town. Of course I ended up with a herd of kids following me. I took pictures of them as well as other people around the village, provided they let me after asking. My goal was to try to evangelize and invite people to church, but as described earlier, I didn’t have much luck. I did meet a sweet elderly lady named Maria who graciously invited me into her house. She had a wonderful smile and laugh and already knew the Lord.
Walking a little further, the herd grew to about 13 kids. Now I was just looking for wildlife, and after the kids realized this, they were very eager to help point out different birds they saw. One of our friends from the church wanted some pictures with her kids and then ended up leading me down a little jungle trail that looped back into the other side of town.She only referred to me as “Gringo” and she would point to something random, hoping I would take a picture of it. Most of the time it was the ground. I saw couple cool birds with brilliant blues, blacks, and yellows.
(Some of the pics she wanted me to take)
Later that day, Nicole and I were welcomed into the home a sweet lady named Norma. Here is the experience described in the words of Nicole: “Norma is a follower of God who, before coming to relationship with Christ, was unable to speak. Her petite stature was full of so much joy as she shared with us the miracle that the Lord performed within her. She prayed to the Lord that He give her His language, that He allow her to speak and to be able to communicate with others. The Lord answered these prayers for her and she now speaks! She uses the gift of language that the Lord blessed her with to share her story and the love of God with others in her community. She prayed over us and encouraged us to touch as many hearts as we can with God’s love and truth.”
This lady’s faith inspired me. She prayed for us and also mentioned how she prays for her brothers and sisters all throughout the world: America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia. I was astounded how Norma, a woman who only knew two little towns in the jungle of Peru, seemed to really grasp the idea of how big the body of Christ is. This really pointed out something to me about the body of Christ and how we are all united. Because of this we need to be actively lifting up all of our brothers and sisters in prayer.
Lastly, we ended up having to leave early in the morning on Thursday. So we missed the big anniversary celebration. Julio and Yola’s granddaughter, 2 year old Mikayla, had been sick with a fever since the day we arrived in Iquitos, and she hadn’t gotten any better. I could tell they were pretty concerned. But the night before the team had the chance to participate in the church service.
I gave a quick 5-10 minute message. I preached on Matthew 4:18-22 and Matthew 9:35-38. Since most people in the town were either fishermen or farmers or both, I hoped this would resonate with them. I spoke about the importance of immediately leaving their nets to follow Jesus. I put emphasis on the power of the call of Jesus in hopes that there might be some new listeners (unfortunately I don’t think anyone I invited showed up). Then I encouraged those who had followed Jesus’ to continue being workers for the harvest of God. It was difficult to preach in a different language, and at first I felt ill equipped. I had planned a message primarily directed to people that hadn’t heard the Gospel, and not many showed up. But in the experience I had to let God use me as His vessel, and He showed me how all scripture is profitable for teaching and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Afterwards, both Nicole and Tom gave their testimonies and our whole team sang some worship songs that didn’t quite take 20 minutes.
The next morning we packed up and hopped back on the same lancha (boat) to take us back to Iquitos.
