Friday, June 12, 2009

Shooting for October!

Hey kids! Good news! Today was the day U2 tickets were purchased!!! I'm a huge fan and looking forward to the show in October in Tampa!!

I got section 216 for the show...hope its a good one!!!

I'll be back in Florida for two weeks in October - and also hoping to catch a Gator game!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

God's mercy...made personal...

Hey all...if any of you out there are keeping track of my blog...you might fall over at this is the second entry in three days! Crazy I know! I wanted to share about a recent "attempted trip" myself and two others took and how it turned out.

Being the missions pastor here at Mil Palmeras, it was time for our church to being to reach out. I recently have had the privileged of meeting a pastor from Huanuco, Peru who invited us to come. Well we made plans to travel the 8 hour trip in my truck June 5-8th. I had heard about a strike on the road...about three hours away...but thought that it would be no big deal.

Here in Peru, the people really do not have a voice...nor does the government really pay any attention to the people...especially, as you get farther and farther away from Lima. The people who grow the "coca" leaf are called "cocaleros" (coca-ler-os). And the cocaleros were upselt that the government has been selling off their land to foreign timber investors. Sooo....because their voices are not heard...they riot and block the only road connecting Pucallpa to Lima (which also includes Huanuco. These are called "parros or huelgas" and sometimes they can turn violent.

We decided to go...and found the blockade...and got into some trouble (nothing serious) but being in any area of unrest is not a good feeling. We were able to make it where the trucks were stopped, but later in the day, the road behind us was shut down. What I mean by "shut down" is... if you use any sorts of transportation during a "strike" of any sorts...you will be confronted/attacked - because if you use any sorts of transportion during the strike...you are saying you do not agree with why the people are striking. So, IF they can shut down the public access or public transportation...then maybe their voice will be heard and Lima might pay attention to the issue at hand. Honestly, we live in a soft anarchy...everyday. The law really isn't law here...really, anything can happen at any time...its kind of crazy. Though, that said, things are generally peaceful.

Jackson and Walter in the back of my truck at the stoppage.

Our Friday ended with a mob of 20 or so punks (15-30 yr olds) looking for a vehicle to use to help patrol the areaabout 3pm. I explained to them that I would like to return to Pucallpa with my two friends. That wasn't the direction they wanted to go, but decided on going the other direction as to patrol the road (because again, if you use transpo during a strike...you will be confronted). So, we had a "criminal" escort for about 20 km and then they got out and we were home free. Leaving behind us... close to 100 tractor trailers and buses full of people. I was told the strike lifted today (Sunday June 7th) - and it had stated last Tues June 2nd.

Jackson, Walter, and myself with lunch - sodas with 1 can of tuna and thing of crackers.

If you have every prayed for me (and the missionaries here) thank you. If you haven't...would you please start. Several people today at church came up and told me today that they had prayed for our trip...a lot. I believe God, sent the mob of people...to escort us out of there. He knows His children and where they are...every moment.

Would you please pray for the salvation of the lost in Peru as well as for those who are serving the Lord here....

We are planning on re-doing the trip to Huanuco the last weekend in June.

Marshall

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

He Gives and He Takes Away....

Again, I do have to apologize for those of you keeping track of my blog and it seems like I am not writing! Part to blame was the lack of high speed internet and the other part belongs to my unwillingness to wait for dial up to load everything. BUT now, we have high speed internet via a tower and the world of communication seems to be opening up!! Finally!!

This is almost two months late - but I would like to share with you all something that happened here in the mission community back in late April. It was a Saturday afternoon and our Board members for South America Mission had just arrived - I had just finished picking them up and dropping them off at their hotel and had come home to cook lunch. The phone rang and my roommate had answered it...(its always interesting when you are listing in on an incoming call...and you know the news is not good)...then my roommate said "he's dead?" My heart sank...obvioiuslly it was someone we knew...but who? It was another missionary here in Pucallpa - Tommy Head.

He was a part of the ministry team here in Pucallpa called "Motociclistas por Cristo." He was practicing at a track here in town with another missionary from SAM. He landed from a jump wrong and broke his neck and died on the scene.

Little do you know your impact on people's lives while you are living - it is only when you pass and your void is left in people's lives that your impact is revealed. The death of Tommy Head hit us all pretty hard as he has just preached the Easter service here at Mil Palmeras and his last words were "You better be right with God and know Christ, because you do not know how many days you have left." Little did he know that 13 days later...he would be in the presence of the Lord.

Tommy's ministry was with Living Water. It is an organization dedicated to the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as providing clean drinking water through the establishment of wells. One story I have heard about Tommy in his ministry was he had gone into a village here to speak to the chief and get permission to drill them a well. The chief and others talked it over and decided not to have this stranger come in their village (Tommy was 6'2" with long hair and about 280 lbs). He ended up returning to that village some time later and re-asked to drill the well and this time they said yes. As he and the chief were talking the chief told him a story. He said, "Remember when you were here last time and we said no we didn't want the well?" Well after you had left one of the guys in the group turned to me and said, "That is the ugliest woman I have ever seen in my life!" (Because Tommy had long hair!) I will always remember this story!

Tommy Head is no longer drilling wells - but in the presence of Jesus himself...the one whom he drilled the wells for.

See you soon Tommy....