Huanuco Round # 2

Hi all....We have just returned from our second trip to Huanuco, Peru where were assisting a small church with various projects and such. Our church - Mil Palmeras - was just there about a month ago as a 20 member team from Oct 29-Nov 1st. The projects we set out to do did not get finished. We had a small accident while in Huanuco during this trip. We had a 9 yr old boy run out in the street and got hit by a motorcycle (not going to fast - luckily). He had to be taken to the hospital for bumps and bruises, but turned out to be ok. Well, because this happened...we all decided to leave at the same time and get back to Pucallpa - hence leaving some projects unfinished. One of these projects was putting up a fence to separate the church (area) from the pool (as this location is to be a small YMCA type set up.

Soooo, Alwin and I last monday (Nov 16) headed back to Huanuco - across what is now an almost beautiful road as they are paving it completely for the first time ever - to complete our fence project. We put in three very long days - 12-14 hrs a day drilling, cutting, nailing and oh by the way.....slapping these white flies that are called "mata blanca" or "white death." Luckily we had some repellent but at times it did not help. We were able to finish and head home last friday...two very tired guys!

Our church is looking to invest in this small church in Huanuco, Peru.....where idol worship is very evident. Please pray for the salvation of those in Huanuco.

Above: The fence in progress

Above: Alwin, who traveled with me to Huanuco and the mastermind of the fence

Above: Left to right...Pastor Esaud of Huanuco, Alwin, and Doomer from Huanuco

Above: Ya know....there is nothing like nailing cheap nails into really really really hard wood

Above: The final product. The goal was to keep the little kids away from the pool because the church meets basically "poolside."


Please pray for Huanuco!

Marshall

First Mission Trip for Mil Palmeras - Oct 2009

Last week 10/29/2009 - 21 people departed from Pucallpa, Peru for the 8hr journey to the city of Huanuco, Peru. Pucallpa is in the jungle and is hot and everything is green with lots of trees. Huanuco on the other hand is at 6,100 ft in elevation and kinda in the mountains, is cool, and most things are brown with very few trees.

The road to Huanuco is only paved in parts and right now they are working on paving the entire road (for the first time ever). The journey takes about 6 to 8 hrs. We came in three trucks and the rest of the team went by bus.


Picture above: The road to Huanuco in the high jungle between Aguytia and Tingo Maria

The reason we went to Huanuco:
My pastor said something a while back...he said, "There is a problem with the Gospel in Peru...you see it came, but it never has left." Sooo, we are in the process of beginning to take the Gospel to other parts of Peru as well as in the future planning an international mission trip.

In Huanuco:
We helped a small church with evangelism (a drama we did in a school and in a public market), small projects (painted walls and built platforms for the praise band and pastor), and teaching as Julio and myself both spoke.


Above: Paco carrying a bucket of paint aside a well scrapped wall ready for painting in the church.


Above: Alwin is the master carpenter. Here is in the process of creating three stages/platforms for the church to use. He and I will also be returning to Huanuco November 9th to finish some work there.


Above: Fabiola is scraping paint off glass on the door.


Above: Pastor Julio( in gray) and pastor Esaud of Huanuco (in red) are talking about side as the team is working on the outside all of the church.


Below is the drama our team did - it was to the song "Everything" by Lifehouse. If you have not seen the skit - there is a link on youtube where a church team in the US has done it really well go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVJqRLU3J0I&feature=related


Above: Man is between God and the the world and the world pulls hard.


Above: Satan is behind all that is evil


Above: God is bigger than the evil one and rescues his children.

In Huanuco there are many many idols that are worshiped and the people are in SUCH darkness. While we were there over the Halloween weekend - there was a festival to "Senor de los Burgos. The idol looked a lot like Jesus, and even though it appeared they were worshiping Jesus...they were not.

Below is a pic of "el senor de los burgos"

For our group - this was an amazing first trip. Everything that could happen both good and bad did. And God worked it all out for good (Gen 50:20). We saw people working together, work getting done, encourgement being given, love being shared, frustration, bad attitudes, thefts (our new sign was stolen and recovered), and the son of our carpenter who was on the trip was hit by a motorcycle and taken to the hospital - he is ok. (Two other events happened in Pucallpa around the same time this accident happened - one of the men on our team - his son fell off the roof and hurt himself and another one of our pastors who was in Pucallpa was crossing the street with his three children (his wife was with us in Huanaco) and the three were nearly hit by a moto-taxi here in Pucallpa. Then, then night...we had a man to man talk...and things were getting heated...and at the end...we all met in the middle and praised God for what he was doing by bringing the Gospel to Huanuco and the enemy ("senor de los burgos") did not like that very much!

It was a great trip...a wonderful experience for our guys! Alwin (the father of the boy who was hit) and I are returning this coming Monday, Nov 9th to complete the work we were not able to finish.

Below: A group picture in front of the newly painted wall outside the church/house of Pastor Esaud (the sign was stolen later that day).

Below: Our group at a resturant south of Huanuco before returning to Pucallpa that evening.

We also look to send one pastor for a week every month to encourage this church and what it is trying to do in Huanuco, Peru.

Thank you for praying,

Marshall