New Ministry Opportunity

   With our transition to South America Mission and our move to Pucallpa, our ministry is going to change quite a bit. Brenda is getting involved in the crisis preganacy center and also has interest in studying. I am still going to be focused on construction of the SAM Center but there are going to be smaller projects that we will have the opportunity to be involved with. We both have interest in local church involvement in some way, maybe leading a small group study, and we have interest in learning more about SAM's indigenous center to see if there is a way we could minister to the people there. Today I wanted to share with you about a ministry idea I have had for a couple years but it seems more likely to be a fit here in Pucallpa than it has before.
   As many of you know, I have been involved in competition archery in the past and have taught archery at a local high school in Guelph and at a children's summer camp. I have heard about a ministry that is available to run in churches that uses archery to reach people with the gospel. I am currently trying to figure out if that ministry is something that I would want to incorporate into mine or just use some of their ideas and customize it to fit the culture here. The latter is the way I thinking of going.
   I have talked with several people who are interested in the ministry including school directors, camp directors and tribal leaders. The way I can see it working is I would buy the needed equipment with ministry funds and write my own curriculum that would link the sport of archery with real life, Biblical truths to help relay the message of the gospel to the young people involved.
I would then travel around to local schools,

I would run an extended program at a local camp here in Pucallpa,

and I would offer to go to tribal villages who are interested in renewing the interest of the young people in their communites in the use of bow and arrow as part of their heritage.

 

All of these opportunities and more would open up several ways to share the gospel with people who need to hear it.
   Some of you may be saying "Why archery?", "what does it have to do with the gospel?" or "What if the kids are not althletic?" The answer is that archery can be related to Biblical truths in many ways. For example the first thing taught in archery when it comes to actually shooting is that you need a good stance, a firm base. That is true too in our Christian lives, we need a good base or firm foundation in our faith to be able to share the gospel. Archery also takes a great deal of responsibility to ensure safety. That resposibility can be useful in many other areas of your life. As far as the kids being athlethic or not, the fact is that archery is a sport where it doesn't pay to be fast, you don't need to be strong and many kids can excel at archery even if they have don't do well in other sports. It is an activity that can include the entire family as well which goes well with what the Bible teaches us.
  So as you can see this could be a ministry that opens up many opportunities for me. I would not actually buy the equipment until we were back in Canada in June but you could be praying about it today.

Introduction to Pucallpa

Well here I am sitting inside on another rainy day. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. After four and a half years of living in Lima, where it never rains, I am happy to see it. In fact here in Pucallpa we are only a month and a half into our four month long rainy season. The rain doesn't have to keep me indoors but today I have decided to use it to repair some dining room chairs and make coleslaw. I am getting off topic now so let me get back on track.
   Pucallpa is a city in eastern Peru, is the gateway to the jungle, is on the shore of the Ucayali River, and has just over 300 000 people. The main industry is logging and fishing is a big part of the culture.

   Above is a picture of some cargo boats that go to and from Iquitos Peru and other villages along the river. These boats carry everything from fruits and vegetables to cars and trucks even tractors. There are no roads beyond Pucallpa so if you need to send something it needs to go by boat or plane.
   Since arriving here in Pucallpa we have been getting to know the other missionaries within our community and finding our way around town. There is no grocery store here like there was in Lima so we need to visit several markets and small stores to find the things we need. Our fellow missionaries are very nice and we have made lots of new friends already. Our time has also been spent reading, studying, and getting our family adjusted to life in a new place. I have been able to help a friend, named Vann Brock, who is preparing his property so that he and his family can leave to go on furlough. We have been finishing a wooden tower that will primarily be a water tower to get pressure to the property, but will also be used as a climbing wall and a launch point for a zip line.

 The tower is approx. 55 feet high and offers a great view of the surrounding property including Cashibococha which is a big lake at the back of the property. Our daughters have been enjoying lots of swimming since arriving in Pucallpa both in a pool as well as in the local rivers and lakes.
   So there you have my introduction to Pucallpa. This is also an introduction to my new blog. I hope that you will check it out frequently so that you can stay up to date on what it is that our family is doing here in Peru. As we get more involved in ministry and we grow more in the Lord I would like this blog to be an encouragement to you as well as a way for myself to relay information to you.