El Triunfo

Across the river from Puerto Maldonado, is a tiny village called El Triunfo. It so reminds me of lots of bush communities in Alaska that sit across the river from the main village. To get there, you have to cross the river on one of the many ferries. They are installing a bridge that will connect the two and provide a transportation route to ship goods to and from Brazil. They have power, but no water or sewer services.

We are starting a church plant in El Triunfo. On Thursday, I went with our two 40/40’s, Ana and Elisa, to go visit their a couple of disciples and recent converts there. The first visit was to Charlie and his wife. Charlie’s wife is disabled and can not walk, and was suffering from Dengue fever. About 50% of those we visited were down with Dengue, a disease carried by mosquitos, and is very common this time of year due to the rains. She lays all day on her mat under her blue mosquito netting. But her spirit is strong and she continues to tell of the goodness of God. We did a short Bible lesson with her and Charlie, and spent some time in prayer. When we asked what prayer requests they had, they did not ask for themselves, but asked for their 20 year old son to come to know Jesus as his Savior. As I was praying for them, God spoke to my heart about how the daily struggles we all go through, no matter where we live, are nothing compared to an eternity of not knowing Him.