January Update: Jungle Fever!

During my 26 months in South America I have lived for longish stretches in large cities in both the coast and mountains, however it is very evident that my heart is in the Oriente (jungle) part of the continent.

In the month of January I have had the sheer pleasure and delight of finding myself in the oriente (jungle) part of Peru, then Brazil, then Ecuador!! It has been an extraordinary month in that respect and a huge privilege, for which I am very grateful to BMS.

Peruvian Jungle - Iquitos

As Dave and I loosly explore options for working abroad in the future, BMS sent me for a week to Iquitos in Peru to look at possible work opportunities. Whilst I was on a fact finding (and soul searching) trip I also gave two days training, one to over 30 PEPE teachers, and another to over 40 Sunday School teachers.

Whilst it was fantastic to be able to go and see, it was also really hard to consider things for the two of us in the future when only my eyes were seeing everything. Dave, ever the positive, reminded me that at least we had the opportunity for one of us to see it all, most couples going to their new places of work don't get that privilege beforehand.

I know I was hit by a huge bout of culture shock... strangely more so than I have ever experienced here in Ecuador! The noise of Iquitos was like a complete onslaught on my senses and really shocked me. I decided it was noisier than Mumbai in India where I had spent some time previously!! There were motor taxis throughout the city and the noise of their whirring engines and beeping horns was a constant 24 hours long and it seemed that there were few places in the city to escape this noise, only the posh jungle lodges for the tourists on the outskirts were in tranquil surroundings.

Iquitos is a city of around 400,000 people but found in the middle of the Peruvian jungle with no road access and so everything has to be shipped or flown into the city. This obviously pushes prices up tremendously and what wouldn't necessarily be considered a luxury in mainland Peru seemed to be treated as a luxury here. For example the pastor I worked with during my days there informed me that he had noted that some previous western missionaries in Iquitos had luxury items in their homes such as fridges. No one has a car in Iquitos, everyone travels around on moped or in the motortaxis. Seeing everything with eyes of a possible future home (with the hope of raising a young family abroad) I afresh realised how much I am someone who needs my basic 'luxuries'.

It felt like a journey of self-discovery in so many ways. Over these two years Dave and I have both joked and seriously chatted about how we would find living and working in the Ecuadorian oriente areas in places like Tena. That is working from a town with shops, but no supermarket; a basic hospital and basic schools, but nothing at all on western standards; entertainment of swimming in the river and visiting friends, but no cinema or western distractions. Dave is a lot more laid back about these things than I am(!) and it has been a spiritual exercise for me over these years to work out where I personally, and us as a couple, can consider a future life. (We are also so aware that until we actually get married it is all very hypothetical and that there are many surprises in store for us in learning to live together that we won't even have considered so far! However it has felt wise to reflect and work through a lot of these questions in these years while we have had the south american link, and also several wise and experienced people around us to question and learn from.)

We are now in a place of peace to openly consider living in a place like Tena. However the thought of settling in Iquitos (with its cinema!) still felt shocking to me! In reflection we realised that in Ecuador, living anywhere in the oriente region, there is easy road access to the major cities; in Iquitos it was a 200 US dollar return flight per person (or a 4 to 5 day boat trip!!) to reach a major city. So 'escape' weekends away, which Dave and I have learnt are so important to us both, would be impossible regularly in Peru, yet are possible in Ecuador. Learning so much about the basic needs we each have in order to live peacefully in our souls has been a fascinating journey!!!

As far as work opportunities are concerned, Iquitos offers so much for both of us. They say it is the third largest city in South America for the sexual exploitation of children, and the opportunities to work with the local churches in this area are immense.

Discipleship work within the indigenous communities is in need of much input and encouragement.

And work within the poor communities in the city is vast. Dave and I would certainly not have a shortage of finding churches to work alongside.

All food for thought! Praise God for internet, even though Dave wasn't there with me, we have managed to chat through everything at length over skype, and I have also been able to chat with BMS in detail, which I found so helpful and releasing!!!

For those of you who pray:
Thanks for the opportunity to visit Iquitos and to consider future placements

For the people working and living there, with all the challenges they face

For Dave and I as we consider (very happily and without pressure) our future lives abroad over these next few years whilst we are based in the UK

Thanks for the wisdom of so many people here in South America and the UK who are investing in Dave and I as we consider our future

Brazilian Jungle - Manaus
Every year BMS workers are treated to a week of retreat. This year all the South American workers met in Manaus in Brazil (another place deep in the jungle, only possible to enter by boat or plane!!) Having arrived in January 2006 I have been fortunate to be on three BMS retreats! This one was by far the best for me and I left feeling so rested, revived in my spirit and that I had connected deeply with several of my colleagues. It felt life-giving in so many ways.

We stayed in a beautiful jungle lodge and for me, just being in God's creation is one of the most helpful ways of calming my soul and reconnecting spiritually again.

We even had a day trip out to see the famous 'meeting of the waters' which is quite remarkable! The two differently coloured rivers, the 'white' Solimoes River and 'black' Rio Negro run side by side for several kilometres before merging and forming the Amazon.

I also saw Macaws flying free in the Brazilian jungle, something I have never seen before! I can't tell you the excitement I felt when I saw them!!

For those of you who pray:

Thanks for such a life giving retreat time, especially deep conversations and laughter!

For my BMS colleagues working in Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and those on home assignment in the UK

Ecuadorian Jungle - Sacha, Tena and Puyo

This month I have been joined by Lizzie Hamlin who is taking over my role here with the PEPEs. She is a great person and we are getting on brilliantly. She comes out here with a very good level of spanish which will be such a help to her as she gets stuck into the work. She needs to visit the four Oriente PEPEs and we started this last week in Sacha, and next week she will travel with me to Tena and Puyo which includes staying overnight in the communities.

For those of you who pray:

For Lizzie as she continues to settle, get to grips with a new culutre and type of work, and that she makes good mutual friendships quickly

For myself as I say goodbye to people here and work situations that I have learnt to love deeply, that I end well