4/18/04: After a cool, pleasent, three-hour ride in the boat, our team arrived this afternoon in our third Amarakaeri village, Masenawa. At first, I didn't see any houses or any sign of there even being a village when our boat pulled up. Then, I looked up.
Masenawa rests at the top of a high hill that seems a bit higher when carrying backpacks and water and fruit and stuff. Danielle, our friend from Shintuya and the chief of Masenawa, wasn't here today, but thankfully, he had told his family of our plans to come, and God provided us with a great welcoming to stay here. The Lord is daily teaching me that it is He who provides. I am to just simply go. We praise Him for giving us men of peace in every village so far.
I've heard it said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Well, Masenawa doesn't need one. Within my first few hours here, I noticed a few things about this community that made me automatically love it.
First of all, it turns out that there's one huge privlidge that comes with living so high; namely, the look-out! From up here, I can look over such a vast part of the jungle?seeing the tree-line, the long tranquil river in both directions, all sorts of birds and parrots, and the clouds and stars and sun and moon bending down just enought to touch the tips of the Amazon. The long climb, after all, is most definitely worth it.
Then, just a short walk down a trail on the East side of the village, I found a fresh and refreshing water stream flowing straight out of the ground. In the midst of a light rain that barely fell on me due to the canopy of the trees, I took a shower and filled-up some liters of water that should last our team nearly our entire stay here.
As if these precious two findings weren't enough, I soon learned that, though bilingual, all the families of Masenawa speak Harakmbut (their native dialect) all the time. How great it is to finally be in a place where I can just sit and listen to the heart language of the Amarakaeri.
Only one couple here are unable to speak and understand Spanish. They are the eldest couple, and the mother and father of some of the brothers here. It was so much fun to have them just talking away to me so fast in Harakmbut as if I could understand what they were saying. Hopefully, we'll be able to learn alot more of their language here in Masenawa.
Knowing that we were missionaries, the whole community wanted to get together as soon as possible last night to hear God's word. Sitting outside, with the beautiful jungle and the forever-stretching river as our backdrop, our team began telling the story of God's revelation tonight.
Timoteo and others translated for their parents, and all of them talked to one another with emotion about all they were hearing while they were hearing it. It was great! Afterward, they said that they wanted to get together later this same night to sing praises to God. By the light of one candle, we did.
They also asked for us to pray for their mother who has a distinct pain in her bones. We laid hands on her and asked our Lord, the Great Surgeon and Healer, for a miracle. With faith, we prayed.
This old, joyful lady is a woman who obviously loves God and prays often. When I think of her and our arrival here, I am reminded of the Ethiopian, Cornelius, and Lydia. The Ethiopian had just returned from Jerusalem where he had gone to worship when the Spirit sent Philip to him (Acts 8:27,29). Cornelius was a devout and God-fearing man who gave generously and prayed regularly, and then God sent an Angel telling Cornelius to send for Peter (Acts 10:2-5). Lydia was a worshiper of God, and then, God sent Paul and opened her heart to respond to his message (Acts 16:14).
I believe, that like these three, this older Harakmbut lady here in Masenawa is a worshiper of God, to whom, the Lord has now sent His message of Jesus Christ. This wonderful lady seems to have a like impression, for she said that she believes that God sent our team to Masenawa. I believe she's right. I have nicknamed her ?Lydia,' and pray that God will open her heart to respond to His message as well.
Many of the men here had several questions about prayer after we prayed for their mother, and most said they didn't know how to pray. We talked about what God's word says of prayer, and then before we all went to bed, Timoteo said that he would like to pray out-loud in his heart language. It was the first prayer I've ever heard in Harakmbut, and it was beautiful!
