Knock, Knock, Knockin on Heaven’s Door…

...Anybody else having trouble getting Guns N' Roses out of their head?...Didn't think so.

Clean Undies: (essentials for the skimmers)

• New photos on flickr! ( Puerto --> Pucallpa, Saman and the Well, Shave and a Haircut, Knots Tied in Spanish, Tigre Quichuas second trip)
  
• While passing through Saman, we encouraged the brothers and dug a well for this old lady.
• Jeff and i are preparing to head to the Tigre River!! Quichua land!
  
• PrayeRequests below.

Crotch Rot: (extras for the non-skimmers)

Dear fellow hypocrites for Jesus,

The joys of Pucallpa were short lived. Now it's back to work... We were able to leave Pucallpa on a barge headed north, downstream on Saturday, the 7th.

What a blessing it was to be back in Saman! We stayed in the church's building and were invited to share with the congregation on Tuesday night. The Lord had been telling me all day to wash their feet, but you know how you try to reason out of stuff with the Lord. When i sat down, painted in big letters behind the pulpit read (in Spanish) "HUMILIATION 2007." I took it as a confirmation, so i slipped out and prepared the water, soap, and towel, returned and read the story from Scripture. As i washed i told them how it feels a little awkward to have your fee washed. In the same way we feel weird and ashamed to bring our filth to the wash basin of Christ. Nevertheless, it is a pleasure for me to wash these feet, just as it is for Christ to forgive us of our daily filth. What an honor to bring a basin to each foot in the room and clean it! To humble myself like our Christ is something i need to experience more. Obedience to humiliation... hmmm. Think about it.

While in Saman, we were surprised to find a missionary named Joseph Shunskis and his assistant, Jeff McClain, digging and maintaining wells. He invited us to help and we were blessed to do so. I think it was a divinely planned encounter as i learned a skill that could really help down the road in whatever country the Lord leads me to in the future. As Mr. Shunskis says, "Everyone needs clean water." You can make some spiritual application to that without thinking too hard.

Once back on another barge, i found my hammock neighbor to be a long haired, long bearded, Chilean traveler named Patricio (In English, Patrick). He knew a lot about the Bible and we instantly dove into Scripture together. I was having an excellent philosophical discussion with him until he told me that the " sign of Jonah" was actually talking about God Himself. He told me God's name was Jonah, that the Bible wasn't true, and that Jesus was merely the salvation of 144,000 souls. Turns out he is in a cult called the Israelites and wears a shirt he painted himself that says in Spanish, "JONAH, JUSTICE, DEATH," and "YES, JONAH IS MY GOD." Weird stuff, to say the least. Sadly, Patricio and i reached an impasse and walked away from it.

Jeff and i reached Iquitos at the head of the Amazon River on Sunday, the 14th. We've been here ever since trying to leave on a boat headed to the Tigre. Looks like one will push off tomorrow night, but we won't know for sure 'til she leaves. You see, for the last three days now, we checked the boat staff to see when it planned on leaving and every time they said, "Tomorrow night." We will for sure leave the moment the Lord ordains.

Ah, it's back to the end of the earth for Jeff and i. We've already seen some freshwater river dolphins. The stars, once you get 2 days out of a small city, seem to overcome the dark spaces of the sky between them. However the Tigre River is not all stars and dolphins, i'm afraid. I'm sure the Quichuas haven't forgotten all those faces Drew and i peeled last time. They will no doubt be suspicious of us. They will probably get drunk a lot and annoy horse manure out of me. They will most definitely call me "Meestair!"

I prolly won't be able to tell yall when the time comes so i'll go ahead and wish a happy Halloween and Thanksgiving. We plan to return to Pucallpa just before Christmas.

PrayeRequests:

• Pray for God's son of peace (aka. "man of peace") to be getting ready.
• Pray for dreams and visions from God among the people to help them be more accepting of us and, more importantly, the Gospel.
• Patricio (see above story)
  
• We'll be starting to learn the Quichua language again.
• We've got many stories from the Bible we're going to memorize in Spanish and lace Quichua nouns into.
• The students are still in training in Pto. Maldonado.
  

Quote of the Week:

We were on the river barge and met an old Peruvian man with a cane who knew a few phrases in English like "Hello," "How are you?," and...
"Are you married, or are you still a happy man?"

"In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my Light, my Strength, my Song
This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ i stand"

heart,
†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass

Adios, Puerto Maldonado. Hola, Pucallpa.

What: (essentials for the skimmers)

• I got the results from my MRI on my knee and the results say...(drum role, please)...SOMETHING IN SPANISH! Muah ha ha ha!
  
• All my photos are on my new flickr.com account! Come, see, enjoy. Here's the photos from the Chayahuita trip.
  
• Jeff and i are moving (photos) to the city of Pucallpa. NEW MAILING ADDRESS BELOW!
• Jeff and i are preparing to head to the Tigre River!! Quichua land!
  
• Let me know if you are a Skype user so we can call for free.
  
• PrayeRequests below.

Why : (extras for the non-skimmers)

Dear The Who's Who,

That's right, i got my results back and my medical vocab in Spanish is low so i really can't say for sure what has happened to my knee. I've tried to get them translated several times and can't seem to get Peru to work with me. Torn ACL or not, i feel fine to travel by bus, boat, piggy-back, etc. on the next voyage. My knee feels okay and pops and aches like the rest of this earthen vessel. Time to suck it up and share the Word.

For those of you who have long been waiting for all the pictures, they are up and running on my Flickr account. If you want to see the Brewsters' kids (which you do), you'll have to get a Flickr account yourself and become my Flickr friend. Those photos are protected from strangers.
Coming back from Yurimguas, i landed in the metropolis of Lima. I was welcomed by Joe and Megan Brewster, my new bosses. That's right. I'm leaving the Pto. Maldonado team and moving to Pucallpa. We've actually been planning this move for a long time but are making it now as Joe and his family of four are returning from their State-side furlough. I'm really excited about being on the Pucallpa team!

That means my address is changing. Please, don't mail me anymore in Pto. Maldonado. Here's my new address:

corey reid pendergrass *
Apartado 89
Pucallpa
Peru

*If sending a package, please add "(or Joe Brewster)" in case i'm out of town and someone has to show their ID to receive it. Thanks!
Also, if you are still trying to send mail or packages to the trainees, send them to the old address:

Jeremy Taliaferro
Apartado 111
Pto. Maldonado
Peru

Speaking of which, i want to thank those of you who have sent gifts for the trainees. We have been so blessed by the giving of these needed items by numerous ministries and families that it has become impossible for us to keep up with all the sources, praise God! The draw back is that we have been unable to send out thank-you cards. Please forgive us! Also thanks for writing them! What a blessing. Those who have received letters really appreciated them. Several trainees have not received letters yet. There names are:

• Isaac
• Fausto
• Eno
• Amparo
• Tatiana
• José
• Eliaser
• Fernando
• (Sorry, Sixto was unable to continue the training.)

Some stories for your reading pleasure:

In the last update, as you remember, i had just sent away the prostitute-intruder from my room. When i finally made it to Pucallpa, i was preparing my new home. I thought it a good idea to install a porch light to be able to hold late night chats. Knowing that a white light would attract the skeeters, i negated buying one. However, i recently had heard that red lights don't attract bugs. Now, i know what you're thinking. No, i did not put up a red light! Instead i opted for a more culturally-sensitive green one thinking it might have the same affect…on the bugs, of course. Soon after, a local friend and pastor informed me that in Peru the green lights have the same meaning as the red. Sure 'nough! Soon after I started taking notice of all the motels in town with their green light bulbs shining the way to skanky establishments. I suppose that you could say that in just a week I went from naively inviting prostitutes in my room to going into business for myself. (That was a joke, for the frozen chosen who weren't aware.)

Jeff and i were traveling via bus from Pto. Maldonado to Cuzco. It's not uncommon to see someone in the isle demonstrate a product to sell or give a speech in order to incite donations in order to make money. On this particular voyage a man told us he had nothing to sell, just some information on where to buy some books. He demonstrated 5 books about the history of the universe and world, highlighting the evolution of man and the Big Bang theory. He informed us we humans actually descended from bacteria. He wrapped up his shpeel giving us a few God blesses and a reminder to pray for God to guide our bus driver safely. He then proceeded to pass out his books and collect a fee from buyers. The Lord stirred in me. I knew exactly what He wanted me to do. The man took his seat. I left mine. I faced the passengers from the front of the bus and told them the Lord has given me a Word for them. "I am a messenger of God. I am hurt that i have heard two lies this morning. The first is that this man told us he didn't want to sell us anything. But, how many books did he sell?! How many?! The second lie is he spoke of god blessing us like it had meaning. Then he rejected the Word of God and told us we came from bacteria! We did not come from bacteria! We are children of God, the Lord! Listen to the Word of God!" I then recited the story of the creation. The people locked eyes with me. They nodded in agreement when i told them that God formed the man from the dust and breathed life in them.

PrayeRequests:

• We gave Wadee, a Thai lady in Pto. Maldonado, her first Bible. She had never heard of Jesus. Pray this Buddhist woman and her culturally Protestant German husband (who should be getting a Bible soon also) will find Christ through His Word.
• We're dealing with some minor health issues (infected toe, sore throat, diarrhea, etc.) that need to be cleared up before we leave for the Tigre River. Pray those clear up in the Lord's timing.
• We'll be starting to learn the Quichua language again. Eeep!
• We've got about 20-30 stories from the Bible we're going to memorize in Spanish. Eeep! Eeep!
• The students are still in the heat of training in Pto. Maldonado.
  

Quote of the Weeks:

"Hey Jeff, why don't you get up and share the creation story with 'em or something." -me as i unsuccessfully tried to ignore the direction of the Lord to prophecy on the bus. How often do we do that?

les amo,
†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass

"More Cowbell"

"I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell." Perhaps these words have meaning to some of yall. For those who are in the dark, feel free to take a few minutes to watch some pointless SNL humor. Jeff and i quoted these words to one another at one point on this last trip as we laid in adjacent beds, sick with various infirmities, apparently including dementia. But, before i share that tale, let's go back to the beginning... Antibiotics: (essentials for the skimmers) * Jesús Púa, Maximo, Jeff, and i were blessed to visit and speak to the churches of Nueva Vida, Samaria, Sachavaca, Mira Flor, and Palmiche, sharing Bible stories with them and encouraging them to reach out to the Chayahuita (formerly misspelled as "Chaiauita") communities where the Gospel has not yet taken root. * As most of you have heard, i have unofficially torn my ACL. That means i haven't been to the doc yet, but i know what one feels like. * Jesús and Jeff are still continuing the work we were doing among the Chayahuitas until September 15, when they will come to Puerto Maldonado. * I just got back from the Paranapura River and am in route to Puerto Maldonado, warding of prostitutes and the like. * I attached a photo of the folks in the Xtreme Training in Puerto Maldonado. Their names are listed below. * Also attached are a letter, a flyer, and a brochure for this years Valley River Road Race, hosted by SWO. Please consider getting involved. You won't regret it. * PrayeRequests below. Pain Killers : (extras for the non-skimmers) Dear world-wide Temple (the House of God), in whose hearts God dwells, The last time you heard from me i'd just bid farewell to the fam and was about to head up the Paranapura River, bound for Nueva Vida (S 053°29.778' W 076°.45.605', for the Google Earth junkies) and the Chayahuita people. It took much longer than expected. The boat from Yurimaguas (S 053°53.096' W 076°.06.924') to Panan (S 053°38.701' W 076°.32.232') lasted three days. It was supposed to take 1 day, but the owner of the over sized, underpowered canoe thought it'd be a great time to make some extra cash by taking more people than it could hold. Much to his (and our) chagrin, it's dry season in Peru and the river was shallow, causing our heavy craft to get stuck about every 100 yards. When this would happen, all the men got out to push. He also wanted to save gas money, so instead of helping us push by revving up the motor, he'd shut 'er down. We finally made it to Panan and would have to walk the rest of the way to Nueva Vida due to the ever-shallowing river. Alas, Jeff became ill with malaria-like symptoms, giving me a scare (since several malaria victims have died in the area recently). We opted to go back down stream to Varadero, the next town, where there is a better health post and a hostel. There, i fell sick with some violent diarrhea (at which time we discussed the above SNL skit). He tested negative for malaria and so we caught the next canoe up to Panan again. Feeling better, we set out for a two-day hike to Nueva Vida (which is suppose to last only a day if your guides don't leave you and you don't get lost, like what happened to us). There, we were welcomed with the generous hospitality of a home to stay in and the best of what little food they had from the Chayahuita believers. What a blessing! The Chayahuitas i encountered are so different from the Tigre Quichuas. The children stare with curiosity and rarely run away in fear. I even met one boy named Cory, which is evidently an ordinary Chayahuita name! Everyone addressed me as "hermano" (brother) instead of "mister," face peeler, or "gringo." Jesús (who you should remember from my training), Maximo (his cousin), Jeff, and i made a week-long hike through Chayahuita country, staying in the villages of Samaria (S 053°24.035' W 076°.49.747'), Sachavaca (S 053°20.925' W 076°.47.183'), Mira Flor (S 053°19.248' W 076°.47.083'), and Palmiche (S 053°14.729' W 076°47.040'). We shared some Bible stories with the churches in those places and stayed in their homes. It was truly a blessing to listen to these believers and encourage them to reach out. Some are already looking for ways to get to the unreached towns cheaply, as money is an issue. Others were discouraged that they didn't have a professional, educated pastor or a church building. I explained to them that they are more like the original churches of the New Testament because of that fact. In all, we walked some 57 miles (according to the GPS' straight lines. You could easily ad a half to that number as the trail curved along.). Something went wrong on the way back from Palmiche. I simply stepped down off a log that was about waist high and my knee buckled and bent inward. I heard that all too familiar "snap," and that's all she wrote. I had about 8 miles left which it hurt along the way. What frustrates me more than anything (well, it's second to the fact that i've had 4 surgeries in the last 5 years and i live between operating tables) is that i wasn't doing anything that was out of the ordinary or stupid. I wasn't picking up a pickup truck (no pun intended). I wasn't playing full contact soccer. I just stepped down from a log old Chayahuita women scale every stinkin' day. After discussing our options with our leader, Jesús, we decided it would best for me to come back early since more longs hikes would be very difficult and completely unnecessary. Well the Devil surely hasn't wasted anytime in trying to tempt me while i am partnerless. Last night he decided he would trap ol' corey in a predicament where a male traveling partner would have been a big help. At 9:00pm i got a knock on my hostel room door. I opened the door to find a mild attractive Peruvian girl dressed... how can i put this delicately?... in "special" street attire. She quickly asked to use my bathroom and appeared in great haste, so i stepped aside as she ran past me. I thought it wise to not be alone with a girl so i waited in the hallway with the door open so i could keep an eye on my things. She finished her first order of business and then proceeded to lie down on my bed and invite me back in. I assured her i would be fine in the hall. "What are you afraid of?" she asked, "Come in and talk with me. Don't worry. I'm single." My tired, stressed mind was thinking what-the-donkeys is going on and what can i do. I asked her to leave and she changed the subject to what i was doing. Noticing my Bible still open on the bed beside her, i pointed to it and confidently replied, "Studying the Bible." I thought that would deter her, but not so much. I would have ran downstairs for help from the management, but my ipod, camera, GPS, cash, and Gold Bond were all sitting on the table next to her. Thinking she would surely rob me, i stayed in the hallway keeping an eye on my belongings. After a mirage of pleas to leave and stern looks, she finally gave up and left. Pray for Jessica... and me. I really want to thank organizations like SWO and the IMB who have given me rules in the past against being alone with the opposite sex in a room. By now, it's second nature to question such situations. When the danger was there, the red light blinked on in my head and said, "This is not right. Get out now!" It's humbling to think that a couple of years ago a less mature, more naive corey would have sat down with her innocently thinking, "This girl needs Jesus and i can share the Gospel with her." The wisdom handed down to me from those organizations has taught me that there is a time and place and a person that Jessica needs to hear the Gospel, but last night in my room was not it! Praise God! PrayeRequests: * Pray for the trainees in Puerto Maldonado. DON'T FORGET TO WRITE THEM! There names are (according to the attached photo, left to right)... Top row: Amanda Brock, Sixto, Graham "gush-gush" Michael, Isaac, Fausto, Eno, Trent Jones Middle row: Zacharias, Hagler, Amparo, Tatiana, Mariela, Esrom, Jose, Kay Jones, Eliaser Bottom row: Fernando, OZ * Of course, my knee situation. Things are up in the air right now as to what all this means for the future. Pray for us as we decide where to go from here. And for you baptists, don't be afraid to get a little charismatic and pray for some supernatural healing. * Jeff and Jesús while they're out in other towns and their return trip to Puerto Maldonado. * God is doing some amazing stuff through Bobby and Efraín. Pray the Spirit would continue to accelerate among the Yaminauas! * We met some Swiss missionaries who have been doing a lot of work among the Chayahuitas and were able to see the fruits of their labor. Even though i disagree with some of their traditional strategies and misiology, they are preaching the Good News and we should thank the Lord for the Swiss! Quotes of the Weeks: "Here's to eating what's put in front of you... and dysentery." -Jeff, as a Panan family offered us some river water to drink (See Luke 10:7) "That stuff pours through the turns of my intestines like Mario Andreti!" -Jeff, in reference to his diarrhea xoxo, †il the whole world hears, corey reid pendergrass

In my mind i’m goin’ to Carolina…

"...Can't you just see the sunshine?"

The Will of God: (essentials for the skimmers)

• I'm off again on another venture to the Paranapura River. Never heard of it? See the attached map.
  
• We'll be there 'til late September and won't have outside contact. Well, maybe the town's phone, which i haven't found cards for it yet.
• I updated an old blog entry if you're interested.
  

...In My Life : (extras for the non-skimmers)

Dear Rope Holders,
And just like that they were gone once again. My family got to step out of and back into the "real world" these past 2 weeks. Now it's back work...for all of us, i suppose. I really don't think i could begin to do such a visit justice by describing it in a quick email. We did make a less than legal run across the boarder of a large South American country. I don't think i should name the country involved over the internet, but i'll hint to you that there are a lot of Brazilians that live there. If you want a good laugh, i suggest calling my dad to get the "Butch Pendergrass version." We even paid the federal police a visit that night.
Okay, time for a call out! It's that time again: time to pray for and write your brothers and sisters in Christ in the Southern Hemisphere in training to become missionaries. Being that i won't have access to the internet, i wanted to go ahead give you this list. Though not complete, this a list of some of the trainees for the Xtreme Training that starts August 20.

• Esrom
• Zacharias
• Hagler
• Mariela
• Graham Michaels (from AL)
• Amanda Brock (from TX)
• Trent and Kay Jones (from TX)

Write them encouraging letters! Tell them how much you're praying for them. Share what the Lord is teaching you these days. Ask them about their lives. The thing is, for some reason, the families and churches of these South American missionaries-in-training usually don't write them to encourage them. You all have an opportunity to fill that niche and love on your extended family. If you do know Spanish or someone who can translate for you, it would help us save time if you sent the letters in Spanish. Please write even if you don't know Spanish because we can translate if need be.
This week Jeff Hill and i will be headed to the Paranapura River. There we'll hookup with Jesus (the guy who was in our training last Spring) in Nueva Vida and will hopefully train some of the other Chaiuita believers there to reach out to the other groups in the area. We hope to also do some research on a couple of other people groups. We should come back out in late September. Talk to you then.

PrayeRequests:

• Pray that the Lord would use us to train and encourage the Chaiauitas to reach out to surrounding communities who don't know Christ.
• Pray that the Lord would glorify Himself through Jeff and i on this next trip.
• Pray for the hearts of these new Xtreme trainees to be ready to learn and cope with a new environment. Pray for the instructors to have wisdom.
  

Quote of the Week:

"I'm taking the family to Topsail Island on Monday. There was a shark attack there a couple of weeks ago." -Brody Holloway, phone conversation

love yuns,
†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass

A Sabbath (period of rest)

The Love of My Family: (essentials for the skimmers)

• Butch (Pop), Jennifer (Momma), Lena (Sister), and Bobby "Rupert" Lane are in town! What a blessing!
• Jeff Hill and i are heading out next week to go to Nueva Vida, a community in northern Peru.
• We are asking individuals and churches to support your brothers and sisters in training that are native South Americans. Please, see the letter below. Please let me know if you or your church decide to participate or would like more information.

The Ability to See It: (extras for the non-skimmers)

Last Saturday, my wonderful family rolled (or rather flew) in to Puerto Maldonado where tears of joy flowed. It was a blessed reunion. My sister was the first out of the door and as she leaped into my arms and we kissed and hugged one another with inhibition, the many taxi drivers encircled around us began wolf whistling, assuming we were lovers or what have you. They have been staying about 50 yards from my house at the Anaconda Lodge. We've been thoroughly enjoying the past week buzzing around Pto. Maldonado. They been discovering new foods, customs, places, and people. What a blessing to see them again!

Jeff Hill, who i trained with in the Spring, and i just found out we'll be heading out together on our next trip. Since Levi has not returned, i won't go back to the Tigre River right away but on the following trip, Lord willing. Jeff and i will go into the northern Peru jungle to a community of Chiauita (CHAI-AH-WEET-AH) indians called Nueva Vida and will possibly be discipling some of the believers there and in surrounding areas, encouraging them to reach out to the lost. I will leave Pto. Maldonado next Wednesday to go.

As in the last Xtreme Training, which i participated in, several South Americans will be attending in order to be trained as missionaries. I want to ask you to pray for those still making final decisions and preparations to come. We already have two indigenous guys that came in yesterday from the Marañon River. Sorry, i forgot their names. Soon, i'll have yall a list of names for people in this training so that yall can be praying for them and writing them letters by name. Yes, i want to ask yall to write letters to them this time. Very few of the trainees last time received letters from their loved ones. I want to invite all of yall to reach out to your brothers and sisters here in Peru and write them encouraging letters (¡ESPECIALMENTE SÍ TÚ HABLAS ESPAÑOL!). Please see the letter below for more information on supplies they need.

PrayeRequests:

• Pray that my family and i would well spend some precious quality time together until they return to good ol' NC.
• Pray that the Lord would glorify Himself through Jeff and i on this next trip.
• Pray for the hearts of these new trainees to be ready to learn and cope with a new environment.

Quote of the Week:

"I can't believe i flew 3800 miles to wash your dishes!" -Butch Pendergrass

love yuns,
†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass

Dear Church,
We are about to begin our next 3-month Xteme Taining session August 20. During this time the participants will learn how to share the Word of God through storying and how to plant reproducing, Biblical churches. Most, however, come from indigenous communities and cannot afford certain items necessary to complete the training.

The items they need are:

• Nalgene bottles: 1 liter, wide mouth, hard
• Headlamps: uses AA batteries, small and durable
• Good cotton socks
• Pocket knives

If you would like to help these future missionaries by sending the above items, please address the packages to:

Taliaferro
Apartado 111
Pto. Maldonado
Peru

The packages must be less than 2 pounds and placed in 8.5x11 envelopes with or without bubble wrap. Thank you for your support.

Xtreme Team

Ummm...

Equipo: (essentials for the skimmers)

• We are finally home in Pto. Maldonado, resting for a few weeks.
• The teachers are still holding demonstrations and are on strike all over Peru, but i haven't heard news of violence this week.
• The Pendergrass clan will reunite in the 27th of July, here in Pto. Maldonado! I can't wait!

Extremo: (extras for the non-skimmers)

I want to send a big thanks to all of you who sent mail while i was out. I've replied to the letters (and packages) i got, so some of you can look forward to that. It was a real blessing!

There's not a whole lot going on in Puerto Maldonado these days. They closed down the amazing Brazilian restaurant (best food in town) since we left. I'm still in shock. I'm may get sporadic in my updates unless something interesting happens.

Bobby Lane and his partner, Efrain, are on his way back to Puerto Maldonado and should get here about July 26, so i hear.

PrayeRequests:

• Pray as i study the Quichua language.
• Levi is having personal issuses that i feel that i shouldn't go into at this time. He may not come back to Peru. I can't go out again without a partner. Pray God would work it out to His glory.

Quote of the Week:

Sorry, no one said anything funny this week. (That's not true, but i'm pretty sure many of you would be offended if i said it. Haha!)

love yuns,
†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass

As the Road Moves Underfoot…

Modes of Travel: (essentials for the skimmers)

• We made it to Lima, thus far, halfway home.
• There are strikes all over Peru. A number of people were killed in the violence. Travel is restricted and frustrating.
• My photos are not longer at Yahoo! Photos because Yahoo! Photos is closing. Find my photos, old and new, at my Photobucket.

Strikes: (extras for the non-skimmers)

Dear apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, (see Eph 4:11)

I wanted to take a second to explain what the purpose of this trip was. I imagine some of you might be wondering, "Aren't they going to witness to people and share the Gospel?" The answer is "YES!," but we want to make sure we take care of some things first. This trip was to study the culture and language so that we can present the Gospel in a relevant and understandable way. For instance, even though many Tigre Quichuas speak Spanish as a second language, they are more likely to miss understand the teaching in that language and develope a bad understanding of the Gospel and doctrines. That's why we didn't share with the people so much this time.

I'll stay politically nuetral on what's going on and stick to the facts surround the strikes. There are union-organized strikes and demonstrations of teachers demanding higher salaries all over the country. Long story short, some of the demonstrations escalated to violence in some of the cities including rioters throwing rocks at police, people trampled in the rush, a bus being forced off a mountain road (killing 16, injuring 6, so i hear), and the train to Machu Picchu (one of the New 7 Wonders of the World) being over taken and stranding thousands of tourists. All that being said, we haven't been able to travel via land since Iquitos. We secured a flight to Puerto Maldonado that leave Lima on Monday. Just have to wait now.

Instead of paying for our transport from Intuto to Iquitos, we opted to work as cargo movers on the boat in order to get free passage. We bore large bundles of fruit and other goods for about 20 hours, loading them on the boat by hand at every village we stopped at. Poor Drew had his wallet and about $70 stolen from his bag on the boat coming from Intuto last week. When we got to Iquitos, he found an email saying he'd lost his job at VA Tech and possibly his on-campus housing. Since he's a volunteer, most of this trips expenses, expected and unexpected, come out of his pocket. Not a good day.

I can't wait 'til the 23rd when my folks and sister are coming to visit me in Puerto Maldonado. We are going to have such a time!

PrayeRequests:

• Pray that we would form a functional and relevant Bible story track for the Tigre Quichuas now that we have lots of info on their culture.
• Pray as i study the Quichua language.
• I hear Levi should come back from Ecuador on July 31st!! Praise God he was able to gather enough funds. He even found 3 or 4 other young people who speak Quichua who might be coming!
• Drew and i will leave, Lord willing, this Monday morning around 9am via air. Pray for opportunities to share with other travelers and decision making as we choose our path.
• Pray for the people involved in the strikes and riots on both sides to have wisdom to do what they need to do and not turn to violence, if possible, at the same time.

Quote of the Week:

Upon reflecting how the indigenous communities act toward our presence... "I feel like a black person visiting my church." -me

love yuns,
†il the whole world hears,
corey reid pendergrass