Dearest Friends,
THE WITCH’S PLACE
The witch’s house is across from our hotel. She offers many services including counseling for your love life and advice on how to improve your finances. Her door is always open. On the outside of her house, there is a Nazi swastika inside a Jewish star painted on the wall. She is an accepted part of life here for most people and that is a big problem. When a person becomes a Christian, they must be taught not to consult with her.
THE HORSE
Today, Saturday morning, we planned a trip up a mountain. After all, we are in the Andes. The scenery here is spectacular! However, it is a long climb and everyone knew that at altitudes, I could not make this walk. So, we decided that I would ride a horse. However we had a problem. The owner of the horse got drunk yesterday and the horse ran away. My friends are very sweet! They really wanted me to see the canyon, so they got up early and searched for the horse. After more than an hour of hunting they brought me a white and silver horse. Wow!
It took us over an hour to climb the mountain, but getting down proved more of a challenge. I rode for two hours. The views were incredible! We even saw where they moved the stones from to Machu Picchu. God’s amazing creation screamed His existence. Now I better understand Jesus’ words in Luke 19:40, the stones do cry out that God is God, that Jesus is the King. The canyon that we saw was awesome. I still can’t believe that we climbed a mountain in the Andes and that I rode a horse up and down the mountain!
On the way up the mountain we named him Lightning and on the way down, we changed his name to Cloud. We wanted him to go fast up and float slowly down the mountain. Carlos led the horse down for me and told me that I was the only woman he knew who could ride a horse down this mountain. Carlos is always very encouraging. He and his wife serve on the first team that we planted in Peru.
Gerson, our Brazilian puppet director told me that he was proud of me, too. His praise means more to me than many accolades others could offer. He and his wife are sacrificial in the way they live their lives for Jesus Christ, sharing with thousands of children each year in Brazil.
“MY FATHER BEATS ME”
We have been working with the local doctors and their after school clubs. I want to tell you about the children and young people that have been coming to our programs. Tina, a children’s doctor at the hospital told me that many children come to see her complaining of severe stomach pains, gastritis.
Time and again, they tell her the same stories. The children tell her that their fathers drink. They are alcoholics, using the precious little money the family has to get drunk. The fathers say terrible things to the children which wound them deeply, but they tell Tina that they can handle this verbal abuse. The father’s beat the children but again they say that they can handle the physical abuse.
Only when they speak about their mothers and how their fathers’ beat them, do they begin to cry. They seldom cry for themselves, though I weep at night in my bed for all they suffer. It is especially difficult for the boys as they feel that they must protect their mothers. Their deep pain is visible in their eyes.
Some of the young people that came to 2 programs that we did had been choked by their fathers. Many teenagers begin drinking here to escape their lives. Some 15 year old boys came to the show the other night that normally would have been out drinking. We all considered this an answer to prayer.
There is so much hurt here. Only Jesus can truly comfort these children and young people. They must be forgiven so that they can forgive or they will grow up bitter and angry. Pray for the children and young people to truly trust in Jesus!! He is their only hope! He is our only hope!
CUSCO AND PRAYER
After we share at a youth meeting tonight, we begin the trip back across the mountains to Cusco. We will do 2 street shows there tomorrow, Sunday and training the new team is scheduled for Tuesday. On Wednesday, we fly to Lima and begin 5 days of ministry there.
In Jesus, Linda for a very tired, dirty, and happy group of puppeteers from 3 countries !!!!!!!!!!!!!