Day 25: Friday, July 23, 2010
It’s hard to even know where to begin divulging today’s events to you. Proverbs 16:9.
Because the well-digging equipment had not arrived and the issues across the river had prevented us from ministering there last night, our plan this morning was to pack up and head to Nueva York to continue evangelism and other kinds of outreach.
But, at breakfast, Clever arrived with the necessary well-digging equipment. Since we had promised this village a well, Julio convinced the team to stay another day in order to dig and build the well.
After we ate, the team split up – some to remain in San Jorge to dig and others to cross the river to minister in San Paradiso. I went across with the team on my first peki-peki (which is basically an enlarged canoe with a “motor”-if you’re lucky), where we were literally sitting along the rim of the boat. The village across the river is beautiful. The community sits on a large hill at a bend in the Tigre River. Coming along shore it was obvious that the village was hosting many visitors because there were tarps pitched as tents everywhere. However the atmosphere was not nearly as serious as it had appeared the previous night.
The team went up a hill off the shore and stopped just off the path to start singing. A girl from the team gave her testimony then we talked to some of the people. We spoke with a group of ladies and young men who claimed to be Christians and were from another village. They had clearly come for the blockade. We sang a few songs with them (some of them even joined in), told them we’d be back that evening to show the movie, then choked our way across the river (the pastor’s peki-peki literally died 3 times).
It was nearly lunch time and the team in San Jorge had already finished drilling the well and were waiting to install the pipes. So encouraging to see a well progress so quickly!
This afternoon we swam/bathed in the river, held a baptism for 4 guys, then like all good Baptists must do – we had a team meeting.
We left for San Paradiso about 5:30 pm. The community was very lively, people milling all around and an annoying man constantly muttering over a megaphone. We headed up to the top of the hill to set up our equipment at the school. I snuck off with Magly and Sarah to find a bodega with a cold drink, our mission was futile. As we walked about some guys said they wanted us to play the movie closer to the water (probably so the men could enjoy the movie AND watch the barricade). So we moved all our equipment down and set up.
The team first sang some Spanish songs, then performed “Shackles” (unfortunately not the same version I learned in high school). Marie shared her testimony before the team started the Narnia movie projected onto a white sheet hung over a dead electricity wire. The crowd was massive. 200 hundred plus, easy. No more than 15 minutes into the film we were forced to stop it because of the annoying man on the megaphone shouting constantly. Later we discovered that all the while he was telling the “barricaders” that they should no longer be watching a movie because it was distracting them from the “war.”
John quickly blurted out the gospel, while we packed up and began boarding the boat. Once we were all loaded, we moved just a little ways upriver to dock and distribute clothes and other necessities. While we sat there we heard loud cries and shouts from the center of the village shore. Then we see a laden peki-peki cruise by, followed quickly by a speed boat laden with armed and hot-tempered Latinos. They force the boat to return to the village. Apparently they were supporters from another village that wanted to go home before the strike had ended. Clearly that was not part of the deal since they were unable to leave the chaos.
Not long after we returned to San Jorge, we received word from Julio that the situation has intensified. We were told to pack all our stuff except our tents and hammocks and other essential stuff for tomorrow. The logos has to cross the blockade now then tomorrow we will hike through the jungle to a launcha (public boat).
So after we pack and load our non-essential items onto the boat, the majority of us gather outside the school and sing old school worship songs a cappella as we gaze at the low hanging stars and wait for Julio to return with news. We all knew there was a possibility that we might have no other choice but to leave immediately.
The team’s leader, PR, and translator, Cesar, return with “bad news, bad news, and more bad news.” Pastor Julio knew about the blockade when he brought the team but been promised safe passage by the pastor but apparently the situation has escalated and they are adamant about not letting anyone pass the blockade. Today is only day 2, so it’s looking like it’ll be Monday or Tuesday before it’s over.
Bad news #2: We can no longer take the Logos across to Paradiso or it may get confiscated.
#3: We have only 1 jug of clean water left.
Here are the options as they were explained:
#1 Coast the Logos to the line then gun it across and hope you don’t get caught.
#2 Take peki-pekis to Iquitos.
#3 Call for YWAM’s rapido boat to come to the border, carry luggage over and go – problem – it only holds 8 people without luggage and costs about $900 to fuel.
#4 Essentially bribe “the blockaders” with support and money for sage passage.
So literally we’re stuck in the jungle. =) Our plan is to pray and our leaders go talk them in the morning. Psalm 91.
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