Dearest Friends,
TERROSISTS IN THE JUNGLES AND THE HIGH MOUNTAINS
Many things happen in Peru that are never reported on the news in America. The terrorists here did not disappear because they are no longer on our evening news. They are very active in the jungles and in the high mountains. People die. We spent Sunday morning doing a program for children, teenagers, and adults who fled their homes seeking a better life outside of Chosica. They wanted to be safe.
They live in a place where no one else wants to live. It is an area plagued by rock and mud slides. It is so dusty there. We set up our equipment on the ground outside of the playground. We tried three times to reach the little church on top of the mountain. There was simply no way. We got as close as we could and sent friends to gather the children.
They live in little houses, about the size of a large American bathroom. They are poorly built, and will not withstand the storms when they come. There is no running water. Life is hard in this place. The parents came to the city with unrealistic expectations. They did not understand how much it costs to live in the city. The parents are poorly educated, and can only work manual labor jobs. They make about ten dollars a day, and this is simply not enough to live. The children are always hungry.
Our friend, Pastor Samuel, started a feeding program at the church. An American helps with this outreach. Three days a week, the children eat a good meal.More, there here about Jesus.
As I watched the children watch the program, I did not see what I expected to see. They did not laugh or even smile. I can only imagine the terrible things that these children must have seen. They looked at me with old eyes as I told them about Jesus. Only after the prayer, where they could ask Jesus to be their Savior did some of them begin to smile.
Please pray for these children. Please pray for their parents. Please pray for the little church.
I told the children that God sees them. I said that He knows their names. This is really important because most people do not know that these children even exist. Touch them with your prayers. God can do anything.
OUR LAST SHOW
We finished our time in Peru by going to an orphanage. Some of the children have lost their parents because of terrorism, but others were just abandoned on the streets. As soon as we walked through the doors, the children rushed to give us hugs. They were so desperate for someone to see them, to love them, to imply give them a hug. Their need was so great that it was most overwhelming to all of us. One of my Chosica team members was so sad when she got in the van because she could not stop thinking about the children. They have so many needs!
They live in a miserable place where most people do not want to live. The area is always cold and dusty. In fact, there is so much dust in the air that it always looks like it is a very cloudy day. You never see a blue sky. You would not have thought very much of the facility, but one family is doing the best they can to care for forty children. Their only other option is to live on the street.
These children were also very slow to respond to the puppets, the balloons, and the story. They have simply had too much hurt in their short lives. If you feel their need as we felt their need, would you please pray for these children? Many of them asked Jesus to be their Savior today and the family that cares for them are all Christians. Ask the Father to meet their daily needs. Ask the Father to give them the desires of their heart. Ask the Father to keep them warm tonight.
HOME
This afternoon we will travel to Lima so that we can go to the airport tomorrow. There is a national transportation strike, and it is causing us great difficulty. Malachi, Logan, and I fly around 11:30PM Tuesday night. However, we will have to go to the airport very early in the morning with Faby and Gerson. We expect to wait 12-16 hours for our flight. Please pray for us during this time. Please pray us safely home.
In Jesus, Linda for,
Logan Souther, Malachi Armstrong, Gerson and Fabianna Simioni