The Doneskys Arrive

This past Tuesday night, the Doneskys arrived at the air base. Orville is the new pilot who will replace Beto in about four or six months. Odil will be our new administrative assistant and run the office. They have two kids, Andrew and Christina. They will act as our new special assistants.

They are a great family. The Lord has really blessed us by allowing them to come to Peru Projects. In addition, they have taken me in as their own. I'll get to join them for family worships and meals. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and becoming better friends.

That's all for now. I'll have the rest of the launch experiences up soon. God bless and remember to pray more!

Launch - Day 3 & 4

When the public launch landed at Puerto Enrique, we hurriedly got all of the supplies and bags off before it started down the river again. Our crew helped and fortunately nothing was left behind. Introductions were made, and everyone had a smile on their face. We walked about a quarter mile along the bank to were the launch was tied up and then met the rest of the crew. Everyone was so friendly. I didn’t know it then, but some of them would become good friends. The crew were so welcoming that the Launch felt like a second home here in Peru.
The other joyous occasion was my reunion with Kristen and Linda (the other SMs serving on the launch). It was great to finally see them in Peru and start catching up. The rest of the day was spent getting settled before we went into the village to play futbol. While I’m still not very good, I had a great time. Some of the local children played, and everyone really got into it. Afterwards, we played a little basketball - definitely a great experience.
The next day, I began taking pictures of the crew and helping in the clinic, though I was only proficient when behind the camera. It was great to spend time with the medical staff (Henrry, nurse tech Melita, Kristin, and Linda). While I didn’t feel like I could help much, Henrry made sure to include me. I even got the chance to put ointment on a boy’s facial burns. It made me realize how the Lord is able to use us. Sometimes the Lord allows us to directly touch the lives of others.

Launch - Day 1 & 2

So I said that I would write about my experiences from the launch and that was a few days ago. Sorry about that. Things have been busy.
So I arrived at one of the ports of Pucallpa to take the public launch down the Ucayali river. It was pouring, and we had to walk down this muddy hill to catch the boat. We also had to walk up this steep and narrow gang-plank to board. Did I mention we were also carrying heavy bags? At this point, I knew that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. After I got on, I put up my hammock in this big room along with the dozens of others. Little did I know that there would be over a hundred people in our living space. It got pretty crowded.
I was told to be very wary of thieves, so I kept a close eye on all of our bags. Fortunately, the Lord did not allow any of our bags to be stolen. Apparently, some people just grab a bag or box when they walk out while the boat is stopped at ports.
I traveled with Henrry (our nurse) and Lucy (the Pastor’s daughter). Though I had just met them, they were great to travel companions. Lucy speaks a little English, and Henrry knows a few words. We had a few really good talks, though sometimes I got lost in the rapid Spanish conversations.
I’ll just touch on a few high points, so this posting won’t get too big. I ate pretty much just potatoes, eggs, and crackers to avoid the launch food and diarrhea. Henrry and I gave food to this one family because they were quite poor and had very little to eat. I slept in my hammock with the dozens of other people each night (for 2 nights) some of whom were only inches away (there’s no bubble on the public launches). I made friends with two of the children on either side of me: Myli and Juan. We played some games and sang songs. I also had the chance to do a little witnessing.
In all, the public launch wasn’t too bad. It’s the Peruvian way. Maybe I had been prepared for worse.

Back From The Launch

Hey everyone. Hope you are doing well. I'm back from the launch. Hopefully I'll be able to email or talk with you soon. Stay tuned for more blogs about my experiences on the launch and in the jungle. Adios and God bless.

Leaving For The Launch

So I’m headed off into the jungle tomorrow to meet up with the launch. Huh? Well I live in the jungle, but the settled jungle is very different from the need-a-boat-to-get-there jungle. I think it will be a great experience. It’s almost like a vacation for a couple of weeks. I get to shoot pictures, journal about my experience, and experience the launch to write about it on our website. Plus, I get to meet up with Linda and Kristin, the two other SMs here. I haven’t seen them yet. It will be great to catch up and hang out with fellow Americans!

The only trouble is that I have to take the public launch/ferry to get there. It’s about a three day trip via the river. Apparently it’s hot and robbers abound. Henrry, the launch nurse, and I will have to guard our bags and supplies like hawks. Maybe I just won’t sleep? Lol.

So I’ll be gone for about two and a half weeks, but I’m sure I’ll come back with many exciting stories. I’ll have to tell you of my adventures hiding from flocks of mosquitoes, avoiding snakes (either poisonous or huge boas), and washing clothes in the river/lake. It’ll be an experience, but I know one thing, my Savior will always be by my side watching after me. It’s always great to know that the King of the universe cares about the little details in our lives. He loves us more than we could even imagine. Just ask Christ. He has the scars to prove it.

New Website Up and Working!

http://PeruProjects.com

A Busy Two Weeks

Sorry it’s been so long. A lot has happened in the last two weeks, but I’ll try to keep this posting short (they’re easier to read), though I might fail. A lot has happened in the last two weeks. I’ll probably just scratch the surface.

Elder Muir and his daughter and her family stayed with us for a week. He and his family founded the air base. It was a joy to meet him, hear his stories, and have more people on the base. Sometimes it can get a little lonely, especially when there are few people who speak English.

We’ve had our first and currently, second cold periods. It’s Peru though, and Peru’s hot; I know, right?! It’s in the mid-60s, which wouldn’t be cold except, we generally wear less clothing and our houses have screens for windows. Therefore the wind blows right through; it’s almost as if you’re outside all the time. The first time, I didn’t have my second bag (oh yeah, my second bag arrived about two weeks after I did), so I had only one pair of church pants. And I was cold! However, estoy feliz siempre!

Aner and I are becoming really good friends. We try to hang out at night whenever he isn’t in English classes and I’m not helping with the youth. My Spanish is coming slowly, but it’s still very hard.

I’ll tell you more later, but I’m headed off into the jungle to meet up with the launch. It’s about a three days journey by ferry. I leave on Sunday.

Great news! The website is almost done. Wow, I had forgotten how much effort it is to build a website. When you visit it, try to use Safari or Mozilla. I haven’t done extensive testing in Internet Explorer to see if everything looks as it should. Also, we have had a terrible time trying to get the old website down and our domain back, so the website is now at a new location. It should be up by the evening of Wednesday, October 8, 2008.

http://peruprojects.com

Keep praying for me as I pray for you. Also pray for the people of Peru. They certainly need your prayers. Remember to ask the Lord to direct you in everything you do!
Chao!