Dearest Friends,
A SPECIAL PLACE
We have been given a sweet privilege. We are in the Andes in a small place called Oripessa. You can stand on a road and look up and it seems to climb forever. The road descends forever too. It is a very quiet place where people work hard to live. Many of the people that we have spoken with often skip many meals. Life is not easy here, but there is sweetness in the people that is often missing in western towns.
We visited a bakery where they make giant bread, about 18 inches across and flat. The pastor brought me one that had a big flower carved on it. The lady gave us a tour of the bakery and you felt that you had gone back in time 100 plus years. Almost everything was done by hand on giant wood tables. The floors were all dirt and that is where the flour bags were stacked. It was wonderful to smell the fresh baked bread, but nothing like an American bakery. I enjoy the differences!
People walk everywhere here. When we did the show in the square yesterday, we carried all of our equipment. It is very cold in the morning and in the evening , but no one has heat in their house. We are staying in a little hotel, but again, nothing like what you are thinking. There is a communal shower for everyone to share and it only has ice cold water. It was so cold that one of the young people on the team tried to persuade me that he really did not need a shower. There is no heat in the rooms. When we asked, the hotel owner kindly provided toilet paper and soap. Please understand that this is one of the nicest places here. Comfort has a different definition in Peru and in all developing nations.
Women walk down the streets with their babies wrapped in a large blanket and tied to their backs. Children play in the streets with little concern for their safety. All of the older ladies wear tall white hats with big bows on the side. They wear their hair in 2 long braids tied together in the back. Everyone has a dry, sunburned face. Their staple foods are white rice, bread, a little chicken, and soup. I have not seen any vegetables other than potatoes and palm, nothing green. People do not seem to complain here, they are happy and grateful. I have met many sweet believers.
I really love this place and am so grateful to the Father that he sent us!
A Street Show
More than a hundred people gathered in the square and many more stood just a bit a way from the crowd to listen. There were children, teenagers and adults. We had a great opportunity, but we had a big problem. The translator is a precious lady, but she struggles to translate. She admitted to me that she did not know the English word for Jesus. She is a believer, but works in the tourist industry. I told one story and she told another. The problem was so obvious that after we finished, the pastor called the team together for an hour of prayer. He says that there is no one else. I really need you to pray. The children cannot hear the gospel like this. I need a translator! We ahd this problem the last time we were in Peru, but this is worse. She could not explain the Gospel. Please pray.
My heart was so broken when we finished, but God redeemed the day. The children were drawn to us and would not leave after the program. We began to share with them using balloons and simple Gospel illusions. My Portuguese friends speak limited Spanish, but the children were able to follow them. We tied balloons for over an hour and even spoke with many older people. God always makes a way! PRAY!
In Jesus,Linda for Logan, Malachi, Fabianna, and Gerson