Pucallpa- A Simple Life.

In the hustle and bustle of a city the size of Lima, it is very easy to get bogged down

with the day to day. Like most major cities, it has its trappings, distractions, poor air,

and smells. We are grateful that God has called us here for many reasons, but when

He calls us to the jungle, it is a special (and welcomed) treat.

A couple of months earlier we began talking to the leaders of a local church about the

potential of coming to visit them again to see what God is saying in terms of a

relationship. After a couple of years of outreach and communication by Mark and Anna,

we felt like it was time to see if God was calling us to invest in the people over the long

term, or if it was time to let them grow in their own fields, self-sufficiently.

In order to do that we needed to spend quality time with them, getting to know the

people. Obviously, the best way to do that is face to face, so we decided to spend two

weeks devoted to getting to know the people in Pucallpa.

The experience was eye opening.

We had two community focuses. The first is a community outside the city of Pulcallpa,

called San Juan. It is a small church community where they mostly farm and work in

wood factories. Our original thought was to spend time with them, let them ask

questions, we would ask questions, and then see if there were some areas that God

was telling us to help them. Letʼs just say it didnʼt start with a *bang*.

We found out that the Church was really struggling. People werenʼt happy. The Pastor

had disappeared, (which is not uncommon for church leaders it seems). Hardly anyone

was coming to the services and there was no discipleship going on.

That took almost three days of questions and teachings to find that out from the leaders.

Were we asking the wrong questions? No. Was it a cultural or language barrier? In

some ways, yes, because their first language is not Spanish, itʼs Shipibo, a jungle

language. However the real reason for the problems resulted in their lack of training in

ministry, and in communication.

No one had really taken the time to sit down with any of these leaders and explain to

them about ministry and leadership, and what a healthy church body looks like.

Discipleship, and what that entailed, had never even occurred to them. They were

obedient to God by planting a church, they just did not know what to do from there.

Once we realized their struggles, it gave us a ton of motivation to love on them more

and spend some time getting to know them and in order to make their ministry more

fruitful!

We had split up into four groups: leaders, women, youth and children. The youth time went

well, and we saw a drive and excitement as they kids sang songs and learned about

having a relationship with God.

The womenʼs work was altogether difficult. Many of the

women did not speak or understand Spanish. Some could not read or write, and they

had medical ailments that were bothering them. Yet Anna, Amanda, and Rosa worked it

out, teaching them about spending time with God, and listening to Him in their lives.

This is what they did (from Amanda):

"We used a seed to define our relationship with God. When a seed is

planted, it starts to grow roots. The roots signify the depth of our

relationship. But sometimes we come across "stones" or obstacles. One

day we focused on the obstacles. Each of the women took a paper "stone"

and drew what their obstacles were. We talked about how to overcome

those obstacles in order to continue growing deep. The next day we talked

about the "fruit" of our relationship. Each woman took a paper "fruit" and

drew about the good fruits that are grown from a healthy relationship

with God. It sounds very simple, but the women really connected with it!"

 

 

In terms of the teaching time for leaders, we spent a couple of days throwing things at

them, and we were hitting real walls. Nothing was sticking, and you could see it all over

their faces. Then one day God did something.

We were sitting on the porch of a shack because it had been pouring rain, and we

began teaching. We were teaching about church leadership, and what that looks like.

The men were really focused, and taking notes like crazy, which is not a cultural norm

with the Shipibo people, as we learned from previous experiences. The real spiritual

breakthrough could be seen because people from the community suddenly began to

arrive as we talked about what God calls the church to be. As we wrote on paper held

up by gum, people began gathering to see what these gringos were teaching. It was

encouraging to see the local ice cream man stop working so he could hear a bit more

about the Body of Christ.

We finished out two days with worship. In one of those days, Amanda and Ronald

began to sing, and the skies opened up and God let it rain. It poured and poured. As

the water hit the roof, it created a time of beholding Godʼs majesty, as we thanked Him

for salvation through worship. We prayed for people, laying hands on the sick, asking

for Godʼs healing.

To be honest, it was difficult, because this Church is fighting so much right now. There

is a lot of oppression amongst the people and the leaders. So whenever there seemed

like people might let their wall down, something would creep up, and the door would

shut.

However, there was one moment for me, as I was praying for one of the men whose

church title would probably be “Director.” He has a hard time reading his Bible because

of his poor eyesight. He is thirsty for the word of God, but sells himself short because

he is not “trained.” Yet, half the witch doctors in the area know him and his love for

Jesus. So as Amanda was singing, and Ronald was playing to God, I walked over

behind them, where he stood in prayer.

I began praying for God to put a fire in his heart. I donʼt know why completely, it was

just something that God convicted me to pray for. In my mind I figured it was because

he has so much contact with people that are living dark spiritual lives. Godʼs fire can

burn through that stuff like fatwood. At that moment, he started praying fervently to

God. I looked down at his crossed arms and I heard that small voice saying to

me to uncross this manʼs arms, and help him lift them up to praise before God. So I did.

Those moments of seeing him give his heart to God in real, authentic worship. I donʼt

have words for that...

click HERE for part two...

Comments

[Dick Laughlin]

Beautiful