Peruvian Way

River Trip 2:
On our second river trip we added one more person, a friend of mine (Mike Lidinsky) that was an intern for a year at the Bible College came out for almost two months to help along with the ministry, to his surprise we had just the trip for him to break him in, our second river trip.

We were on a 14 hour boat ride back out to Requena where we would start and go further up on the Ucayali river inviting pastor’s. We now went with just a little bit more experience from the last trip but didn’t know what to expect as before, totally just walking by faith and waiting on the Lord for open door’s. It was crazy b/c we thought we would be out on the river the next day when we arrived but to our surprise we didn’t leave Requena until after 3 days of staying there. We had visited more pastor’s there and even got to share at a church, but our main focus was out on the river.

But let me tell you, waiting in a town that really had nothing exciting to it but the river, was quite the experience and Mike could tell I was ready to leave; ready to get out on the river and start the adventure. I am an outdoor person, so for me to just sit and wait in a hotel for three days was a little challenging. But I made it through and with good ole Mike teasing me about it, how I just waned to get out but couldn’t, it was like hurry up and wait. But don’t worry I got him back plenty of times when we stayed a couple of days out in the middle of nowhere and for him that was stretching b/c it was his first time in the jungle but for me and Albert we were used to it.

So after waiting to see what the Lord had us do we decided to go another day up river on a big boat to a town called Juancita and then from there cross over the Ucayali river to a little village called Berlin, out in the boondocks as us Texans would say. There Albert knew of a pastor and had not visited him for several years so we thought we would go and tell him about the conference we were having and encourage him and the church.

When arriving it was a big surprise for him to see us, him and his family welcomed us in there little hut house and that is where we stayed the night with our mats and mosquito nets. For our meals we had soup, and soup and more soup, that seemed to be the meal for the week I guess. Our time was three days, fellowshipping with the pastor and his family, some of the community, teaching at there church, playing and having a kids program for the kids. Learning truly how it is to live with nothing in the middle of nowhere, as I was there and observing how they live, it blew my mind in the faithfulness of the Lord and how they live off the land to survive; from eating to building there houses. As well me and Mike got to go fishing with some of the boys, and we caught……, well you could say bait.

The traditional friendly welcome to the jungle is of course the mosquito’s, here they were more fierce and bug spray, yeah forget about that, it seemed with some of them it didn’t even faze them. Mike had a great time with learning how to live with bugs everywhere and spiders the size of almost your hand crawling and starring you down as you get ready for bed and even so curious that one decided to crawl into is bag.

We also had the chance for us to take a little canoe to a village that was 1 1/2 hours away with paddle’s but with a motor 15-20 minutes maybe if that. It was so funny seeing three Americans rowing a canoe up a river that was pretty big and with not much experience, we were going from one side to the other but praise the Lord no one was watching. And yes we did make it to the community but that was with getting stuck once in the mud and it coming up to my thigh.

After our 3 days we decided to head back, we got on a boat at 4am from Juancita that would take as all the way back to Iquitos, (36 hour boat ride). It was a lot of sleeping in our hammocks, reading, listening to music and walking around in circle’s, I mean what else can you do.

Our plan was to visit village to village but God had other plans, but along the way back Albert was able to hand out flyer’s for the conference at every stop as they picked up more passenger’s. Not fully understanding why it went the way it did but I know it was blessing for us and the Pastor in Berlin as we were there to come along side him and encourage him in the faith. Even if we only invited one pastor it was worth it. I am reminded of the story where, “If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?” Not to say this pastor was straying, but I could tell that he needed encouragement and the Lord knew that, He knows us, He knows our needs, our weaknesses, and our strengths, His timing is always perfect.

For me these two trip’s were amazing and will never forget them, I will always treasure them and know that it was all the Lord!!! Even if at times it was hard I can still praise Him and know that He was in control the whole time.

“My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever.” Psalms 145:21