Dearest Friends,
Noqan kani kawsay goqqa, hinallatag wanusqakunata kaqmanta kawasarichiqpas. Pipas noqapi creeqqa wanusqana kashaspapas kawsarinpunqan. Juan 11:25 (This is in Quechua.)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…” John 11:25
THE STRIKE
This country has many problems, and presently there is an argument in the country over water rights. The police were sent in to calm the situation and some of them were killed. Though this was happening in another part of the country, not where we are, the trouble is spreading. A nationwide strike is planned for Wednesday that will shut down all kinds of transportation, including bus and air transportation. We have a problem. We are supposed to fly on Wednesday to Lima to work until June 30th. Tomorrow morning we will go to the office and try to change our tickets. Please pray that we will not have any problems doing this. It is very important to me that we are with the children on Thursday as we have planned. More, it would be better for us if we were out of Cusco as quickly as possible. Today we had to send the remaining members of the Chosica team a full day earlier than we had planned back to Lima. Please pray for their safe journey as sometimes they are stopping the buses as part of this trouble. We really need you to pray.
Today on the Plaza de San Fransisco, our program was interrupted by a huge crowd marching in support of this strike. Many policeman carrying guns were escorting them. The trouble does seem to be spreading. Today they were asking for others to join them as they marched. It is a time for prayer, not just for us, but for the dear people of this country.
PLAZA DE SAN FRANSISCO
When we began our program this afternoon, we only had about twenty people sitting on the steps in front of us. We began in faith believing that God would bring those who He wanted to hear. Within minutes, we had a crowd of hundreds. God can do anything. The crowd was very receptive and I heard some calling on Jesus, asking Him to be their King. Please pray for those who attended this program today to put their trust in Jesus. It was ironic that I was on the Plaza telling the children about the peace that Jesus gives as a crowd of hundreds marched by us, disturbing the peace.
FATHER’S DAY
Today is Father’s day in Peru, and we celebrated the day on a basketball court. We were not in church this morning, but we were out on the street doing a program for children who do not go to church. So many of them called on God to be their Father today. It is a great joy to serve God in Peru!
WONDERFUL THINGS, STRANGE THINGS, DIFFERENT THINGS, AND FUNNY THINGS
1) Logan stood to give his testimony. He said, “My name is Logan.” The translator said, “His name is Gloria.” I think that Logan is concerned that this name will stick.
2) In the market, I was almost knocked down by a dead pig. Let me explain. A lady had just killed a pig and had him loaded in a wheelbarrow, head and all. I barely avoided a collision.
3) There are hundreds of kinds of potatoes in Peru. Sometimes it does not even look like a potato.
4) Much of life happens here outside, as the homes are very small. It usually only rains in September or October.
5) There is a purple corn drink here that is served cold and is flavored with spices. The boys say that it is very good.
6) On the Plaza de San Francisco today, Logan amazed the crowd by greeting them in Quechua. He said: “Hola, allinllachu?”In English this translates, “Hello, how are you?” The crowd was so thrilled, and God used it to soften their hearts to the Gospel.
7) Malachi shares his testimony and then he does a trick for them. Everyone was watching as he ran across the plaza jumped up in the air and did a flip. God can use all of our talents.
8) Last week the team ate breakfast at a restaurant that was located in the middle of a meat market. They were surrounded by dead cows, pigs, chickens, and fish. They were either hanging in the air or chopped up, displayed on tables. You cannot imagine the smell. This seems a strange location for a restaurant to me, but they said the food was very good.
9) We have done so many shows where we were literally surrounded by the Andes mountains. God’s creation is awesome!
10) Some things are very different here. None of the school’s toilets and even some of the hotel toilets, have seats. I wonder what happens to all the seats. Why does someone steal a toilet seat?
11) The other night, Malachi thought that I was asleep. I heard him leave his room and I knew he was headed downstairs to the hotel bakery. Even I was surprised when he came back up the steps carrying an entire cake. Logan and Malachi actually ate half of it before they went to sleep. It is so much fun traveling with teenage boys.
In Jesus, Linda for the happiest group of tired and dirty souls you will ever meet
P.S. The water was off again yesterday!