The 20 hour trip

This is Yauyos, a small town at the top of a mountain, about 7 hours from Lima.


When we began our trip yesterday we thought that this was the final stop and we would discover why the Lord was calling us to go there to help. When we arrived the town seemed to have little damage from the earthquake. Jaime went to find the civil defense minister of the town to find out who had the greatest need. He wasn't there, so we had some lunch and returned to the defense ministers office. He informed us that there was another small town close by that had a lot of damage and very little aid. He said that Cusi (Coo-see) needed the most help. We all were a little confused why the Lord had brought us to Yauyos and then to another place instead. Anyway, we purchased some food for the people and began our journey once again. The mountain trip was beautiful, but he roads were rough and hard to pass. A couple of miles would take 30 minutes to travel. We traveled for nearly an hour more before we came to the turn for Cusi. At this point, the time is nearly 5:00pm and we began our journey at 5:00am. We were beginning to not understand this trip, the time, the money, it seems that this was a waste of valuable resources. Shortly after, we arrived in Cusi, at the top of another mountain. When we arrived the people in the town looked like they were waiting for us. They were all gathered in at the base of the town, distributing some food that someone had brought earlier. When we pulled into the square the people begin to cheer.

Brian and Jaime talk to the men of the town, to tell them why we came and to find out what the need was. The people in this village were poor and didn't have a lot of supplies. They had some rice and sugar that was brought in a few days ago, but no one else had come to help them. During the earthquake the town's school was demolished and the people of the community came together to build a new one. After talking to them and seeing the need, we realized that what they needed was the love of Christ. Christ sent us here to encourage the people and remind them that He loves them.



Here the people wait for the food to be distributed. They had a couple of guys who were distributing the food by using a microphone and a scale. A name would be called and each person would receive their measured portion. The people were calm and waited their turn.

After looking at the demolished school and walking through the town, it was time to distribute the blankets, food and bibles that we brought. They had a system that kept peace, so the town officials handed the microphone to Jaime and he explained why we came, because Christ loved them. He was able to share to a whole village using a microphone. What an awesome opportunity. After sharing that these items that we brought were from the Lord and not from us, we began to bring out all the items. We made a large stack of blankets in the center of the square and returned the microphone so they could distribute the items. Beautiful.

We also met a baptist preacher (Peruvian) in the village. Maybe the Lord sent us to encourage and remind him to keep on pressing forward.

When it was time to go, each person in the town wanted to say thank you and give us a hug and a kiss. They were so appreciative for the love and to know that they had not been forgotten.

Glory to God, because he knows the end of all things. He knows exactly what we need and how to perfectly orchestrate a plan. In the end we returned to Lima at about 1:30am, making about a 20 hour day, but it was worth it to see the joy that these people had while we were there, and to know that the glory of God shown brightly in the small village of Cusi. Pray for this small village and other opportunities to take small groups of Peruvians to minister there.

Robin

Jaime has some more photos of the trip to Cusi. Check out his blog: http://koinonia-canete.blogspot.com/