Peruvian Way

Well praise the Lord I am safely home and didn’t get eatin by all the mosquito’s. My time to Panguana and my time there in Panguana was a time of adventure, fun, excitement, joy, hard work, and even life threatening. I bet i got you on your toes now, uh! Well let me explain, and just to warn you it might be long.

To start out with as I said I praise the Lord that I am safely home, all to say that after we loaded all the things on the boat to head out Thursday morning, just 10-15 minutes into our trip the motor caught on fire from a cable that broke and started to spark and caused the flame’s. At first i didn’t know what was going on, “We didn’t hit anything, the boat isn’t sinking…… OH MY! The motor is on fire.” All in the few minutes that this was going on, people screaming, kids and babies crying, people running to the front away from the motor (also keep in mind the more people up front the easier the boat will tip), I thought to myself, “Wow is this the way I am going to die, if this boat explodes, which any moment I was waiting for it to and just before it did I was going to jump out the window in the water that you would not want to jump into, or right when the flame was to big to control I was going to, but then I thought to myself, “what if i am to late, how will I know when to jump.” And then would I be able to help those who needed help, what about my family and friends, I don’t want them to deal with all this.” All these things were going through my head and more as the flame got bigger and waiting. And even at one point I asked my friend who was with me are you ready to go to heaven. Then shortly after that the flame was put out and a few boat’s were near by to help and see what was going on, which one was the Marines (which we were right in front of one of there stations).

After 30 minutes or so they checked the motor and yea sure enough it was toast, but we had another one on the boat so they said we could use that. Which some people just wanted to get off and go home for the day or get another boat, but we decided to go on. So we prayed and even the lady that was sitting next to me joined us in prayer for a safe trip.

I didn’t want to tell this story to scare anyone or for you to worry about me but to tell you and ask you are you TRULY READY? At any moment something could happen, whether on the mission field or at home, or wherever. Life is short and it could end at any moment. What is it that we are going to do? Are we going to fulfill what we are called to do, “GLORIFY our Father!” Making Him known wherever we are, or just go about our regular day that we always have?

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” -I Corinthians 6:20-

So Panguana, the trip was great we got there all in one piece, (hahahaha). There were about 8 men to help us carry the 25 bags of cement (42 kilos a piece), the wood, water, and supply’s. While we carried our bags, food, and etc… It was cool b/c we were able to bless them and pay them the work they did, which they are always looking for that and willing to work. And even through out the week we had others help and carry sand (about 150 or so lbs. w/ 30 minute walk) b/c we were short.

The work for us was fun and hard, working from sunrise to sunset. Mixing the cement by hand (no machines), laying the concrete, getting water which our supply was about 300 yards away (small river) using 5 gallon buckets to carry the water, digging a trench around the church for when it rains, digging a big 5’5″ whole for our trash and to add dirt for where we were short for leveling the ground, and probably now that whole will turn into our bathroom. But even while working we were playing around, making jokes, and taking a swim in the river with the kids as we filled the buckets, searched for fruit to eat, and just enjoying the time.

As well it was fun playing with the kids and seeing them help us, carrying dirt, washing our dishes, getting some fruit for use to eat (since they knew all the good spots), swimming in the river with us, or just entertaining us.

The FOOD! I did survive and didn’t even have to eat fish, well when they eat it I just made something else. But it was pretty good cooking overall, mostly chicken, lots of rice, chicken soup, yuca, fruit, and good ole peanut butter jelly and some other snacks that I brought. But when in need of food, you can always count on PJ sandwiches.

So the night time, it was great got cleaned up about 6 or so, set up or mosquito nets, talked for a bit and then went to bed about 7:30-8:00, not much else you can do in the dark. Then about 5 or 6 the next morning we got ready put our bed mats and mosquito nets up and headed back to work again.

And finally on Thursday night right before the Adult service started we finished the floor of the church.

Over all was a fun trip, full of memory’s I will never forget and am glad that I was apart of.

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”
-I Corinthians 3:11-

Jeremy

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