Peru Trip
Pastor Roger and his two sons, Timothy and Jeremy left for a missions trip to Peru on Tuesday, July 17. We arrived in Lima early Wednesday morning and were met by SAMAir missionary, Tom Mitchell, who was with the Central Baptist Church family in May. Tom is a mechanic and pilot and with his motocross racing, was instrumental in starting a church in Pucallpa.
Our first job was to clear out the storage rooms in the hangar. Pastor Roger, Tim and Jeremy moved a lot of parts and equipment. Tim and Jeremy painted the storage room and then moved shelves and reorganized the shop. Jeremy later would remove more walls to make the space more efficient. It was great to hear one of the pilots thank Tim and Jeremy for all their hard work. Immediately they knew they were making a difference.
Tim also worked on putting screens on the new generator shed and staining it. Of course, what you might want to know is that we were in the jungle and for the most part, the temperature was always hot and humid. Tim and Jeremy did great work, without complaining about the heat.
Back to that generator shed, Pastor Roger helped a little, cutting some screens
Jeremy also worked with Tom building a railing for the stairs going up from the hangar to the offices. Every time someone walks safely up and down those stairs now for business with SAMAir, Jeremy can realize he had a part. Tim also worked in the offices helping one of the pilots install an air conditioner.
Jeremy was quite the mechanic these past weeks. He worked on motorcycles, boats, and airplanes. He can take apart anything! On the next trip he'll learn how to put them back together!
Pastor Roger might not be the mechanic, but his skills were put to use too. He had the opportunity to speak to missionaries with South America Mission, Wycliffe, the Swiss Mission, and Pioneers. It was delightful to talk about God's grace with some of his servants at their weekly prayer meeting.
We were also able to worship with the new church that Tom Mitchell helped plant through their motocross ministry. The name of the church is Milpalmeras. We felt right at home with the singing with PowerPoint on the screen, the celebration of community, as well as the message from the Word of God. (Pastor Roger's high school Spanish came back slowly!)
We had some fun too! Here you see Pastor Roger, the master New England fisherman, showing how it's done in Chipbocacha, the little village where SAMAir is based near Pucallpa. Yes, we did swim in the lake with the piranha, anaconda, and alligators (although we only saw piranhas!). Jeremy and Pastor Roger were able to go to the zoo, while Tim went with a missionary to a village. This missionary, Tommy Head, is with Living Water, a mission that helps villages by drilling wells and teaching them about Jesus Christ.
Pastor Roger was thrilled to see some of the missionaries he had met when he spoke at Pioneers and SAM Conferences. We made lots of new friends too. We met pilots, teachers, mechanics, translators and office managers. Here you see Tim with one of his new friends.
Tim left on July 31st, as originally planned but Pastor Roger and Jeremy decided to stay another week. We enjoyed spending time with the Mitchell family. Pastor Roger helped Kelly in the kitchen. Both boys enjoyed spending time with Emily, Bethany, Paulie, and James. Packing everyone in a vehicle was a challenge, but we were delighted to be with them. We went swimming and Jeremy and Pastor Roger had the opportunity to see waterfalls at the foot of the Andes and jump off cliffs into cool pools of water. Both boys had the opportunity to learn to ride motorcycles.
On Tuesday, August 7th, Pastor Roger and Jeremy said their tearful goodbyes to Tom and Kelly and the kids. We look forward to sharing more about the trip with our CBC family soon. Thanks so much for your prayers.
