Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Our week

So this last week has been a full week. We have been really busy getting our house to a stage that we can move back into it, and on Thanksgiving Day we were able to do just that!!  What a wonderful thing to do on Thanksgiving!! Now when I say livable I mean a roof over our heads, a small enclosed room for our beds, toilet/shower, running water, three outside walls, and a handy makeshift kitchen to cook in. Every woman’s dream right? Ha-ha No really it is coming along great and we are starting to get things put away and settled in.  I am so grateful because the work that has been done looks great and I am starting to see how it will all come together and am really excited.
I was also able to go to a pastor training class to hear one of our new South African friends, Danja, teach on Romans. She has three degrees in theology and it was wonderful to hear her talk and teach the local pastors here in Nauta. I feel very blessed to have been able to attend this class. It was nice too because she spoke in English!!
Joel spoke at a family class on being a Godly husband. Although it was primarily women; there were a couple men. I was very proud and he did wonderful.  Crystal, another local missionary, and I felt that even though all the husbands were not there; it is important for the women to here this message also. But, this class did lead to a motor maintenance class that Joel will be teaching on Dec 13th. So please be praying that this is something that will turn into what Joel is looking to do here in the jungle. Joel was saying to me how amazing God is to give him the chance to not only work for JungleMaster but, to also do something he is so passionate about. PTL!
One of the many things I have learned about myself during this adventure is that although I loved reading the books; I now know why I never wanted to be Laura Ingles Wilder! I will do anything that the Lord asks of me and I will do it with a grateful heart {even if I do complain a little}. But, I know without a doubt I do not ever want to be a pioneer woman!! I knew there was a reason I loved the Anne of Green Gables series more! I would be great being Anne Girl any day. Ha-ha
As for Carmen, she is so amazing! Everyday I am in awe of how she is handling this whole thing. She has to work harder helping me than she has ever had to do before. She does it with out complaint, mostly. I have had some guilt over this fact but if she doesn’t help it would take us twice as long to do some of the simplest tasks like washing dishes. But, again God is gracious in showing us that it will all be good. I see this when she will just out of the blue say things like, “I feel really responsible.” Or “I enjoy cleaning with you, Mom.”” She is just so resilient and strong. She can just roll with the punches and keep on going. Joel and I check in on a regular basis and make sure we are not asking too much of her but, she always jumps right in with both feet. She is putting together a small children’s bible study. She is trying to get lessons in Spanish and putting a schedule together for snacks and songs and games. I think we will try that next week if possible. I just love that girl!

So that’s life so far….it is frustrating at times and so gratifying at times but through it all I see God.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Church Tonight




Tonight as I [Amy]sat in a tiny section of a dirt house…. I mean a real dirt house, dirt walls and dirt floor…… and listened to  a small group of Christians [10 + us] worshiping with old church hymns and a humble pastor speak about glorifying God in all our struggles; I was overcome with emotion.  Pastor Juan spoke about what a privilege it is to suffer for the glory of God because of how Jesus suffered for us. That we should rejoice in our difficulties because God gives us strength and power through these times.  To take up our cross and follow in Jesus’ footsteps. I listened and was so humbled when this man said “How can I complain when I haven’t even come close to what Jesus suffered for me.”
Are you kidding me?! You have so much more of an understanding than I will EVER have for the suffering Jesus went through….and you are glad in it!!! It made me feel about the size of a pea because I am ashamed at the times I have complained over the most trivial thing and felt justified in complaining about it. And, here I was listening to Pastor Juan encourage his congregation to rejoice in the sufferings and know that their reward would be great and the God would give them strength and power. Oh boy, will their reward be great in heaven because they have suffered and continue to thank God everyday in all circumstances. He spoke to them about not searching for the “cheap church” that only preaches about feel good things and to look for the true gospel that teaches love and growth and strength in God through all things, good times and bad times. I’m sure I am totally butchering his sermon but, I just can’t explain how his words struck me to the core.

I saw faith, hope, and love….and the greatest of these was love.  They love each other so purely and fiercely. I thought tonight that this must be what the first churches were like and I could see why they have such a strong faith. When the people here read the words of the Bible they are not that far removed from the people of that time. They are suffering with just trying to provide food and shelter for their families. They have to work hard for everything they have and work in harsh conditions. The fortitude that their world instills in them lends them the grace and power to comprehend God’s word in a way that my privileged life has not allowed me.  I see now why THEY must be the ones to spread God’s word. And, how important our role here is in helping them to do that…..So I leave you tonight with a heartfelt THANK YOU!! Each of you are doing this work with us…you are allowing the strong faith and love of these people to flow up and down the river and far in the jungle.

Friday, November 7, 2014

How I love thee.....

How do I love thee……
Let me count the ways….

That is what God has been quietly whispering to us in this past month.  We arrived in Peru to a whirlwind of activity and inactivity at the same time. From days on end sitting around feeling useless to times of constant go, go, go…God has continued to love us and bless us. This past month has been a time of being still, building relationships, counting our blessings, being frustrated, feeling useless,  from questioning our purpose to knowing without a doubt, mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, moments of pure joy and wonderment to moments of heartbreak and sadness. But, through it all I can see the blaring light of my Father in Heaven. His quiet gentle reassurance that He loves us and is always with us.  The ways in which He has loved us in just the past month are too numerous to count but, the joy, peace, and love I have felt goes beyond words and are so much more than I could ever deserve!

The first 2 ½ weeks in the midst of some frustration with wanting to be on our timetable and things to go the way we planned…I know, what were we thinking?!… He settled us in to a place that we were only able to just be patient and still. He allowed me to find some confidence and strength in the relationships I built in Iquitos. Giving me the courage I would need for moving to Nauta on our own. Also allowing us to keep in contact with family regularly to make the transition maybe slightly less painful. Again the blessings too numerous to count and so many that I am sure I can’t even realize at this moment. 
He has given us amazing relationships already in Nauta, amazing neighbors, great contacts for help, and even strong Christian missionaries. We have been prayed over and blessed and offered helped and support so many times now that I am overcome with emotion when I think how God could spend so much time crafting this journey for us…really? Wow!

As I am watching how God is changing and growing Junglemaster Ministries in just the month that we have been here….I am again overcome with emotion. He is moving in BIG ways here in the jungle! He has big plans for this powerful ministry and I cannot be more full with gratitude that I get to watch and pray and that you all get to watch and pray with us.

God has invited each one of us, you reading this blog, you praying for the ministry, and us to come alongside these people here and watch what He will allow them to do for His glory.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Progress


Some might say it’s just me becoming acclimated to the culture and environment. I say no; it’s knowing I serve a mighty God and He gives me wisdom, encouragement and strength when I need it the most. I had hired Miguel, a brother from the church in Santa Rita, to help me put up some walls and do some other odds and ends to get the house in Nauta more comfortable for us. Miguel is a carpenter and storeowner in Santa Rita. For him to come help me means he has to leave his wife with his three sons and she would also have to run the store for him. He said “not a problem I’ll be there Wed. morning.”; this was Sunday. I have to admit I was a bit surprised when early Wed. morning my phone rang and it was Miguel saying “Joel I’m getting on the boat in Santa Rita right now I’ll be there in 4 hours can you pick me up at the port and help me I have all my tools” Miguel showed up with all his tools, a tent to sleep in, a big smile, and a “lets get started”.
We started by framing up a wall down stairs to support the upstairs floor. When we wrapped that up I decided it was time for us to go get some dinner. At dinner Miguel, in his timid, not sure how to tell me voice began. “Joel, I am very concerned about your house. I don’t think it’s safe for you and your family to be living upstairs because it is been badly damaged by termites.” He went on to explain to me that the lower part of the house had been built by lumber that the termites wouldn’t touch but that all of structural framing upstairs was built with lumber that termites love and they had damaged it badly. To top this off he said where we live has strong windstorms and structurally it’s not safe. We finished dinner and went home and decided to do a little more extensive looking the next day. Sure enough the next day he showed me all the damage and the difference in the lumbers that had been used. That afternoon I asked Miguel if he would get me an estimate to complete the repairs needed and he agreed. He wrote me up an estimate and told me he had three guys that we could hire to help do the work. They could get started in 10 days all we needed was to put half down on the lumber so that the sawmill could start cutting lumber.
Another project we are working on at the moment is getting running water from our existing in ground storage tank into the house. The way that is achieved here in Peru is to elevate a ¾ ton water tank elevated on a tower 30 feet in the air. I have been very concerned with the safety of this especially after learning of the termite issues, seeing as how they build the towers out of wood. So, in my research I have found the latest Peruvian technology, a pressure tank system! Very similar to what we would use in the states. The cost is the same as doing the elevated tank just much safer and more efficient. God once again has stepped in and blessed me with the help I need to install the running water. There is a local Bellingham team coming from Laurel Community Baptist Church coming on Nov 7th to help us complete the water project.
We really need all of our amazing prayer warriors; please be praying that the funds can be raised to meet our current needs. We need to raise about $4,500.00 to complete both of these projects. Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers. We feel them daily and they are such a strength and comfort to us.






Tuesday, October 28, 2014

You're supposed to eat the peel….

So below is a video I shot of me trying a new fruit. They gave it to me without any instructions but said it was really good. For some reason I thought..."Hey, I'm going to video myself trying this fruit because, in the past the fruit has been really good. So, after watching them cut up and cook various fruit and veggies; I knew you were supposed to wash and peel pretty much everything. So after washing the fruit I hit record...and well this happened.

 

 So afterwards... I was told that you are supposed to scrape the skin of the fruit off with your teeth, it is tangy and sweet. The actual fruit itself is bitter. Oh now you tell me.....LOL!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

A day in the life.......Peru edition

October 26, it’s been 26 days since we left our house to start our lives as full time missionaries. We woke this morning and Amy asked me “what is the plan for today” my reply was I am scared to make a plan due to the fact that I had made plans for 26 days so far and not one seems to have come through. After probably the most epic of frustrating days being yesterday I could hardly even think about getting out of bed knowing that if I did things might continue from yesterday. Amy suggested maybe we should just take today off and spend it catching up on some communications with home. GREAT IDEA NO PLANS FOR TODAY.
I write this knowing that God has blessed us greatly through this time but I would be lying if I wrote this talking about how great we were doing when in actuality I’m not. Amy and Carmen seem to be taking all this a bit better that me. Maybe it’s the weight of being responsible for my family. It feels like every thing I do gets us no where or even further backwards. I’ll write a bit about yesterday just to give an example. Yes yesterday was an extremely frustrating day and I know that someday (maybe some year] we will look back on this and laugh.
I needed to put more time on my phone so we could continue to use it as a modem for internet this is how we are able to communicate with home. I gave the lady my money wrote my phone number down she did her thing and I didn’t receive a text, which is how you know you received the minutes. I questioned her and she shows me the number that she put the money towards and it happened to be one number off. This has happened to me before so I knew there is nothing you can do just pay the money again and hope she gets it right. Now off to the house to make a list of things we need to get. When we get there I discover there is something wrong with the lock on the door of the front gate and it won’t unlock. No problem I will pry some fence boards apart and Carmen can squeeze through and open from the inside. As I am doing this and Carmen is squeezing through I notice we have gathered quite a crowd of neighbors across the street watching us. I start getting real nervous knowing what they are probably thinking and knowing I have no way of explaining to them that we live there and are not thieves. Luckily our neighbor Miguel showed up at that time and helped me and sat the other neighbors’ minds at ease. Next step go to the bank and get money so I can purchase mattresses and mosquito netting and now a new lock for the gate so we can stay in our house and quit living in a hotel. Oh the ATM machine is broke and this is the only one in Nauta. I ask how long until its fixed “we don’t know, it hasn’t worked for a week”. A slight panic starts to set in because I’m not out of money yet but I don’t have enough money to buy mattresses and the stuff we need to start living in the house. I find out though that the banks in Iquitos are open and I should be able to get money there. This is like driving to Seattle to get money! I decide to leave Amy and Carmen at the house have the neighbor Miguel install the new lock and take Eric a Peruvian I have hired to help me in Iquitos. We catch a cab to Iquitos get there 1 ½ hrs later and head to the bank insert my card enter my pin and the machine reads bank will not accept this card. Then off to another bank; same thing. By this time my cell phone battery has died and I need to talk to Tom so he can maybe figure out what is going on. I ask Eric if I can borrow his phone and he says yes but I have no minutes on it. Off to phone recharge store put minutes on his phone call Tom found out there is an issue with the card and its not going to be able to be fixed until Monday. I now need to race back to Nauta because I am worried it is going to get dark and In my rush to get to Iquitos I failed to show Amy how to wire in the one and only light we have in the house. On my way back to Nauta I decide there is no way we can stay at the house tonight and that we need to go back to the hotel. I get back to the house in Nauta and explain to Amy that I had been gone for four hours spent 50 sole in cab fares (this is what I mean by going back wards at times] and I am still empty handed. I than tell her I think we should go back to the hotel for the night. She is such a trooper! She says “why we can all squeeze into the one man mosquito net tent for one night”. This is when I lay down the law and say NO WE CAN’T! So as we head off to get to the hotel we had been staying in I try and lock the new lock Miguel installed to discover the keys they had sold us with the lock were wrong and wont lock it. We secured the gate as best we could and left for the hotel. Guess what? Yeah that’s right there is a festival going on in Nauta and they are sold out of rooms. We spend the next while checking every hotel in Nauta (which surprisingly has a lot of hotels] for a room discovering they are all sold out. Luckily we found one. Got checked in and went to get something to eat. Got back to the hotel and I don’t even remember going to bed. These kind of days make it hard for me to even get out of bed the next day for fear I am going to have a repeat. Amy, next to the Lord you know me best. What a great idea. Maybe we should take two off.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

A Mother's Thoughts

So I know we need to do an update on our journey...two weeks in and a lot to tell. Next post. This morning I woke up and had some thoughts to jot down. I will probably mess them up and even forget out half of what I want to say but,  here we go....
It's pride.....not because of anything I have done, not because I am even responsible; just pure pride for the fact that my Father in heaven decided that I was worthy of one of His angels. She is absolutely amazing!! Everyday I am in awe of who she is and how she navigates the world. Especially since we have embarked on this journey I am even more impressed with her.
Proverbs 22:6 says : "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." We do live by this but, right now I think that applies more to me as a parent. Because she is showing me how to be; not the other way around I think. I am so proud and impressed in the way that she is whole-heartedly involved in this whole process. She is not complaining or gripping or arguing or anything. She is all heart and soul and thoroughly experiencing the whole adventure.
What kid would go on a 4 hour, sit-in-your seat, do-not-move, one-bottle-of-water, a-few-snacks,  bumpy, hot, sweaty, hole-in-the-floor-bathroom-at-the-back-of-the-boat, boring, no-kids, cargo-leaing-against-you, not-comfy-seats, and more boat ride and not complain once. In fact she seemed to enjoy the quiet time.This all after spending from 11pm to 4am throwing up from some stomach bacteria she picked up in the village. Not one complaint!!!! REALLY?!!? Not me!
And, we had nothing to do with this...this is all the heart and soul of God. He has brought this amazing, inspiring girl into our world so that those who are blessed enough to watch her can learn what it truly means to live. What I am learning about her is that when we are complacent she gets bored, she sort of loses herself.. she becomes bossy, reactionary, hyper, and a little negative. She can be precocious and headstrong. But, this is just because she is meant to do....she is an action girl, she is organized, she is an idea person, and she needs to be doing something with her life. She is constantly looking for a new way to forge the world and she won't settle for the same old same old way it has always been done. She wants to do it a better way, she wants to find a way to do it better  for everyone. She still believes in the good of mankind. She believes everyone is good and just and kind. Even when she learns different she still believes they are a good person deep down and she can help them find it. Wether it is through being a friend or just lots of prayers. She loves the Lord with all her heart and wants to share His love. She is totally compassionate, fair, loving, loyal, smart as a whip, generous, full of joy and laughter. But, she knows herself. She is no doormat and will not back down from what she believes in. She is strong and self assured and self motivated. She is very internal and not afraid of her emotions.
I am so on-the-edge-of-my-seat, riveted, and excited to see what God has in store for her life. I only hope I don't get in the way too much and mess it up. Thank you, Lord for blessing me with the gift to watch her and learn from her. Bless her footsteps, Lord, as she continues to navigate the world, watch over her as she makes choices, fill her Holy Spirit and help her to know the path to travel, steady her heart Jesus as she takes on this life you have given her. Amen

Friday, October 3, 2014

And the adventure begins.......

So after several extremely emotional days we finally took off early Wed morning. In the still of the early morning as many were just waking up we said a few last tearful goodbyes and as we were driving out of town we watched the sunrise on our new adventure. Little did we know just how that adventure would unfold......
After a pretty uneventful flight from Vancouver, B.C. to Dallas, TX we met my mom at our gate. Since she flew in from Little Rock, AR she was able to meet us as we departed the plane. It was a great gift for Carmen to get to experience the joy of seeing a loved one's smiles as she came off the plane. I remember this being one of the best parts for me when I traveled as a kid. Most of our kids will never experience this joy because of the security issues we face. So, I was grateful that God allowed this small moment for Carmen and my Mom.
We spent the night in Dallas getting to spend time with Mom before we left the US. The next day we arrived at the airport and headed to drop Mom off at her gate. At this point the weather took a turn for the worse...Mom's flight was cancelled. The Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma areas were hit by horrible storms and tornados. We proceeded to all go to our gate as Mom headed off to wait on Standby to get out that night. Joel, Carmen and I settled in for the wait to board. Finally four hours later our flight was cancelled. Now here is where we truly see God's love and mercy in our whole situation......
Before the flight was cancelled Mom ended up being grounded in Dallas until Friday morning so she headed back to us to wait things out. As she was watching Carmen, Joel and I walked to the ticket counter to ask about how we could rearrange our tickets because the delay was going to cause us to miss our connecting flight from Lima to Iquitos. We were the 3rd person in line just wanting to ask a quick question. While waiting the airline cancelled our flight. You can imagine the pandemonium that ensued after the announcement was made! But, God knew this and already had us established in line! We were one of the first people to get flights booked out on the exact same flight just for the next evening as many other had to be re-routed through several airports or fly standby. This normally would have caused us to be quite stressed but we felt a peace in the situation that was only God. I immediately started to call hotels but everyone was booked because all the flights that night were cancelled. Again, God stepped in.... As the ticket agent was getting us booked another lady approached the counter and was being very hostile. the agent helping her ended up having to call security to talk the customer down. While trying to help the customer; the agent found a hotel room but the customer refused the room because she expected the airline to pay. (which they don't do for weather issues) The agent helping us was very nice and since we were being very understandable and accommodating (because it wasn't their fault!!) so he immediately asked us if we wanted that room! Again, God took care of us!! It even had a shuttle which was also a blessing because many people were having to pay cab fare to their hotels. Although we weren't expecting to have to pay for a hotel we took the blessing offered and knew God would take care of us. We were able then to spend a little more time with Mom and get a good nights rest! God is good, All the time.....And All the time, God is good!! As our adventure begins with blessings we are excited to see where God is going to take us and the blessings to come....

Monday, September 15, 2014

Two weeks and counting

Two weeks and 1 day till we board an airplane with all we can stuff into 4 bags. Suddenly things are starting to get really real so I thought I would take a quick few minutes to catch you up with where we are at so far. As many of you know on August 28th I quit my job of 9 years at Hertz Equipment Rental. Having this time has been a huge blessing for which it has allowed me a little time to just wrap my head around the idea of not going to a 40+ hr a week job but now it is time to transition into a different , definitely more out of my comfort zone type of work. I knew I needed to get with people and tell my story of what God was doing with us as a family. How was I going to do this? All I had to do was be led by the Lord and He would open the doors. I have had more opportunities in the last two weeks to tell people about what God is doing through us and Junglemaster Ministries it is unbelievable. On top of the one on one opportunity;  we have also had the opportunity to get in front of two churches and tell them about the journey. Thank you to Christ Community Church and Cornerstone Church for the opportunity and the support.
Now onto the next hurdle, our house, it still has not sold and we are now in the transition of figuring out the possibility of renting it. Wow, another spot we will get to see what God will do!  I’m trying not to get  hung up on this one and I seriously can hear God saying patience and trust Joel, Patience and trust, my ways not yours.  So, all I ask in this area is for lots of prayer, especially for guidance.

They continue to make progress on the house in Nauta, Peru (where we will be living). If you don’t remember what the house looks like take a look back at older posts and we have pictures of it there.
Here are the completed projects:
In ground concrete cistern for water storage, we will collect rain water off the roof to fill this, that the water will be pumped from this to a smaller elevated storage tank so we will have water pressure inside the house (yeah bonus running water)
Security wall around perimeter to keep things safe while we are traveling up river
Government electricity hooked up to house (another bonus electricity for fans)


For those of you who have asked for specific things that we will be buying; here is a list of items and pricing in U.S dollars of the things we are going to need to purchase as soon as we get there:
Refrigerator $490.00
Oven range $325.00
 If you would like to help with these items you can use the link to the Junglemaster  webpage and click Donate or send a check with McGee Peru support in the memo section to Junglemaster Ministries and you will find the address on our blog.
Thank you to everyone who is praying for us and for all the encouragement and support we have received.
Joel
MY CUP RUNNETH OVER