Day 6 Part 1

This morning we went to Las Palmas for VBS. That village made it easy. Anderson already had the kids singing when we arrived. In the other villages we were laying groundwork for new churches, but in Las Palmas we were helping, what seems to be, a sister church. It's just different. The teenage class felt like a youth group. The children seemed like they know what church was about.

In the adult class we had worship. I told them the story behind "It Is Well" and they learned it in Spanish. Worship has a way of crossing cultures. Oh, I forgot: To start the day, I usually do a few songs in assembly. Today, they sang us a song. It was beautiful! It wasn't one of our English songs that had been translated, but was one of THEIR songs. This is more proof that they have been working since the November Team left. The goodbyes were sad, but I hope to return.

This is "The Amazon Project"

So today I'm going to deviate from my journal. There are still a few days left to post, but I thought it would be beneficial to give you guys the big picture view of the Amazon Project.

At the Peruvians request, we are going to establish a seminary in the jungle. We found a group of pastors and churches deeper in the jungle who have little to no training. It seems(and we still have to research all this) that someone came through and planted these churches in short order and didn't return for training. This may have been because they didn't have the resources or because they didn't know any better or because of any number of good or bad reasons. Regardless, there is a situation now in which there are pastors who have very little bible training and who strongly hunger for it.

In a small village called Cabo Pantoja(which is centrally located), these pastors offered to give Youth Frameworks enough land to build a seminary and a lodge to hold any teams or teachers we may bring. They also pledged half of the materials for the (Peruvian style)structure. In an adjoining property, one church member is already seeking a new home so that we can have that plot if we need it. They are willing to put their effort where their mouths are. They really want this. The people of that area claim that anywhere from 30 to 100 students would take part in any training which is offered.

While this was not the purpose of the trips taken to the Amazon thus far, it seems that God has opened a door to great potential. I lay awake at night imagining what it might be like when 60 pastors who can't take a Bible and find the Great Commission suddenly find it and memorize it. What will happen when these small congregations suddenly discover that they are called to reach their jungle? What places hidden in the Amazon that a white face will never see will now be reached? Will alcoholism continue to plague the villages when it ceases to be an American speaking against it and begins to be a native who is fully capable of showing in Scripture what God requires of a man? Will sexual immorality still be the norm when there are teachers who can not just give good advice but show with authority the Word of God's idea of what is right and wrong?

There is a village called Yanayacu Timicuro that is down river from General Marino(where the pastors met with Robert). Robert asked his translator to ask the men who would be willing to go to Yanayacu Timicuro and help start a church there. The translator, knowing the people's wishy-washy way, worded the question this way: "Which of you would build a bolsa wood box to hold your bible and swim to Yanayacu Timicuro once a week to help start a church there?" Eight hands out of eight were raised. Then one said, "I would, but God gave me a boat, so I'll use that." There is a desire to learn and a desire to do.

Later in the trip, Robert met a pastor from the large city of Iquitos. He discovered an interesting fact through talking to this man. Every Monday in Iquitos, a group of 80 Pastors and Church Leaders meet to pray specifically for the jungle area outside Iquitos. In fact, they have been praying that God would establish a school that is accessible to the people of the jungle who are unable to travel all the way to the city. This conversation happened after the meeting with the jungle pastors. Coincidence?

Was this just a short-term mission trip? Yes. Did we expect to see doors opened? Yes. Did we expect the doors to be so wide and hold so much potential? Well, no. Once again, we find that we can't out give God. We made ourselves available, we believed God for big things, and (in God-like fashion) He supplied even bigger things.