Looking ahead in Peru
O Donesky
This email is coming from the non-flying member of the family, Odil. Those of you that prefer to know about flying, do not despair, I will update you on what has been happening since we got back.
First of all, our vacation was better than we had ever anticipated. Thank you to all our friends and family for making our stay so memorable. Our home base was at our friends, the Eckharts, and they had the whole kitchen supplied with food we hadn’t seen in a year! We even celebrated Thanksgiving ahead of time! Needles to say we all put on extra pounds while in the States. We got to go on the road from Tennessee all the way to California and back and were able to visit with many friends and family along the way. Now we have many good memories to keep us for another year, thank you all for your friendship and support.
While in the states we would refer to Peru as “home”, when we are here we call the states “home”, where is home??? I think all of us would agree that this world is not our home and we are all awaiting for that great day when we will finally see Jesus in the clouds and He will take us to our Heavenly Homes. I hope this week you had time to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas and it is our prayer that your lives will continue to be Christ centered throughout the New Year.
We are excited about the new year’s plans for our program. We have a committed group of Bible workers. This past year more than once funds were low and they continued to work even when not sure of their stipend. Come January we have a three week training program planned for them. What is also exciting is that church leaders from around the jungle have been invited and many plan to attend. Some of them have already left their homes since it takes days to get here by boat. We have an experienced team coming from USA to teach health, simple remedies, how to prevent disease, how to live healthier happier lives, etc. To complete the team we have pastors from the Mision del Oriente, who will be focusing on the spiritual aspects and give them a hands on learning tools on how to present the gospel more effectively. Our Bible workers will be equipped to enter a village and not only point them to Christ but also teach them how to live healthier, happier lives. These dedicated men leave their families ten weeks at a time and with sacrificial hearts give of themselves to reach out to their people, God’s people.
In the meantime, the Missionary Launch continues to enter new territories. This past year the crew focused on four new villages. They left behind new congregations, two of which have already been assigned Bible workers to continue the work and we hope to do the same with the others soon. The new members are saving money to build their own chapels to worship in and we are so encouraged with their excitement. The medical team in the launch has seen more than 2,000 patients and extracted many rotten teeth. They have made many new friends by helping them not only with their physical pain but also showing them a loving Savior and Friend.
And what is our role in all this? (Here comes the flying part some of you were waiting for) All this work happens in remote places and the airplanes shrink the distances. Every weekend Orville has been gone to take pastors to conduct baptisms, church dedications, marriages and child dedications. In fact there are not enough weekends, so as pastors are available we also go during the week and visit multiple villages at a time. Since we have been back, every flight has been carefully planned as to stop in as many villages to encourage the brethren and invite them to our January Training Seminars. Thursday we had a bit of excitement, we heard Orville coming and as usual the kids ran to the hangar to open the gates for the plane, but he kept on flying and did a fly by. Next thing he lands on the water (he was on the amphibious plane) the kids run down to the lake, all I see is Orville motioning to the kids and next I see the kids in the water checking something under the plane. Apparently, he didn’t get the landing gear down confirmation light, so instead of messing with it, he just put the gear up and chose the water option. Once he was in the water he had the kids check the gear down, before taxing up the boat ramp and into the hanger. Of course, as soon as Chris, the mechanic, checked into it it would not misbehave again. But you know, everything happens for a reason. Earlier that day I received a visit from an individual asking for our help. His brother had been murdered and thrown into the river. He wanted to bring the body into town for an autopsy. The next day was Christmas and I really wanted to help this hurting family. I told him to call me back since the pilot was gone on a flight. I kept praying about it and still had an uneasy feeling about it. Why was this man killed, it happened four days ago, with the heat of the jungle I can only imagine the condition of the body, are we going to get in trouble with the authorities, what do I tell the brother, Lord what do I do? After this mechanical problem I felt that it was my answer. I could truly tell this man that we were not able to do this flight. I told him to call the other float plane operator in town, he said he had and they were unable. “Lord, you are in control, thank you for keeping us safe.”
The airplanes are here to help with God’s work and we pray that we can serve those truly in need. Please continue to pray for our ministry. We need wisdom from Above to make the right decisions.
We love hearing from you, please drop us a line. If you have questions feel free to ask. If you want to come visit, don’t hesitate. If you want to know more about Peru Projects, visit our website www.peruprojects.com
Thank you for your prayers and support. Have a Christ centered New Year!
Odil and the rest of the family