a roller coaster of a "homecoming"

Imagine a typical thirteen year old… married.

Well, maybe she’s not so typical! But I finally got to meet the wife of good friend of mine in the jungle, Richard Nuñez. They got married two years ago, and she is now just 15 years old!!!! Crazy! (However, they do grow into responsibility much quicker in the jungle…)

The trip to Peru has been full of all kinds of unexpected twists and turns. John, Denise, Stephanie, and I arrived in Lima in early November and traveled immediately to the Andes Mountains, where we battled bed bugs and altitude sickness to catch the gorgeous views behind ever-changing, yet persistent, clouds. I lived in some small villages just beneath Huascaran almost 4 years ago, so it was incredible to go back, share such a beautiful place with friends, and relive some memories.

After the worst overnight bus ride in the history of terrible overnight bus rides, the four of us traveled back to Lima and flew to Cusco. Just outside the airport we met a random taxi driver named Carlos who took us on a whirlwind tour through the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Ollantaytambo, where we were able to rest for the next day’s excursion to Machu Picchu!

(Incans on their way to work)

Waking up at 5:00 am is pretty easy when you know you are just about to hop on a train and go to Machu Picchu! We got in before the huge rush and were able to lounge on the grass and hike around to most of the sites without being accosted by waves of tour groups.

(Denise looking for Machu Picchu)

Finally, about mid-November, we arrived in Iquitos, Peru! It has been a fun homecoming for me, and it´s been wonderful to introduce Stephanie to a great many friends in Iquitos and in the jungle. Sadly, on our first day in the city, we ate ceviche (raw fish that are ¨cooked¨ in acidic lemon-lime juice), and John got extremely sick and he had to fly home a few days later. Denise also had to go home leaving us at a jungle survival rate of 50%!

The following week, Stephanie and I had the chance to finally get out into the jungle to visit Richard’s family, his new wife, and their amazing new panaderia (bread store). The have a booming operation in their village of San Pedro where they buy ingredients and have them shipped on barges that go by their village. They make about 4000 bread items six days a week and deliver orders of bread to about eight villages up and down the river!! This has been a huge boost for them and their ministry, especially since Richard’s dad pastors the church in San Pedro and Richard visits several different churches that he himself has planted in other villages nearby. The bread operation allows them to make money as they travel to encourage their sister churches in nearby villages.

(Brothers Juner, Richard, Maria (Richard´s wife), Jerry, and Leon)

While in the jungle, I also got to visit Maypuco, the village just upriver of San Pedro where I lived with Ed MacQueen, Dave McInnis, and nine jungle guys (including Richard and his brother Ander). While in Maypuco I was able to see one of the guys we had lived with during that time, visit the house we built, and spend time with several other families and friends we were close to during that time.When we returned from the jungle, Steph and I spent a few days working with Chris, a missionary in Nauta (hour and a half car ride from Iquitos). We hung out with her, helped her fix up her house so it can be a retreat center for pastors from the jungle, and also got to know the families and kids on her street.And now, we’re back in Iquitos – civilization! We’ve got about two weeks left in Peru and will be spending them with Pastor Jorge Montero (basically my Peruvian dad) and his family as we travel on his annual Christmas trip to the villages. While there we’ll give gifts to hundreds (up to 2000 according to Jorge) of kids, paint a church building to weather-proof it during the upcoming rainy season, and visit old friends.

Prayers appreciated!!