Peru Update #5 (Nels)

Dear Family and Friends, Greetings on this the first day of April! How quickly time goes by! It is hard to believe that a quarter of 2009 is already past! God's faithfulness and goodness have been made so real to me the first three months of this year. What a blessing to know that He has worked and will continue to work in my life. It is to Him that I look with expectation for whatever may lie ahead. The fact that I have been on my own here in Velille for the last two weeks has not at all resulted in a sense of having too much time on my hands, if anything the opposite has been true. I have had plenty to keep me busy and am not suffering from any feelings of boredom or isolation. (Thank you for your prayers and concern in that regard!). The last few weeks have gone very well, but I am still very much looking forward to the Wengers return a week from tomorrow. I am definitely anticipating the Christian fellowship as well as the relief it will be to not be solely responsible to lead out in everything here! What I have enjoyed about this experience though, is a closer bond with many of my acquaintances here in Velille. I have had to depend more on my interaction with them to provide for my social needs. The benefits this opportunity has afforded in adapting in a greater way the peoples lives here, has far outweighed any sacrifice in making such adjustments. By no means am I saying that I now plan on living off of chuño for the rest of my life, but it does mean that I have in a greater way come to appreciate different aspects of the Andean lifestyle. A good example of the way in which I have been blessed by my interaction with those here, would be the time we had together over my birthday. It was a blessing the way so many participated to make it a very special experience. It was definitely an authentic Peruvian birthday party (although in this case there was no alcohol served!). Besides the fact that it was an all day event, it also was very authentic in that I had the honor of getting an egg cracked over my head! A birthday celebration would never be considered complete without doing so! I also would like to thank those of you back home who were thinking of me here, on my birthday. It was definitely a surprise as well as a blessing to hear from so many of you! The last week that Merlin Yoder was here we where able to spend some time in Cusco. It ended up being a rather quick trip, which I am not sure is due more to the fact that Merlin was anxious to get back to Arequipa to finish up with his dental work, or the fact that my bank card was eaten and I ran out of money! (FYI it is always a good idea to write down your PIN if it has recently been changed and you have not been anywhere that has ATM machines in several months!). Anyway, we did have time to visit everyone we had planned on seeing and the fact that we were running low on cash only made us feel that much more like Peruvians, and that much less like rich American tourists! As it was we did end up doing a little tourism while there, which left me with the realization that all there is to see is a lot of uniquely cut stones which people come from all over the world to study. All that the stones prove is that the Incas at one time were master stone workers, but that after there conquest by the Spanish and the passing of a few hundred years their temples are for the must part rubble. So what am I trying to say? The thing which impressed me most about Saqsaywaman was not the archeological treasure that it is, but rather the vanity of man's accomplishments. Sure, the fact that one of the stones there weights 70 tons and fits beautifully into the adjacent rock wall is impressive, but of what value is that when the temple itself that previously sat above the wall was completely destroyed by the Conquistadors almost five hundred years ago? How short lived is the glory of man! Also, to think that not one of the builders of the that temple ever heard of the salvation offered to humanity through Jesus Christ is sobering, more than that, it is convicting. It is not just a thing of the past that souls are heading into eternity without once ever hearing the Good News. True, each one of us has a unique calling from God, but may that never negate the fact that such a calling is to come from the One who said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Maybe what I saw was not through eyes of the average tourist. That is ok with me. What I did see has left me with a greater purpose in my work here. In the least it has helped me to have a renewed vision in prayer for the un-reached. For in reality, the souls which surround us daily who do not know Christ are in no better condition to meet their Creator than those which have never heard His Name. The fact that I am daily living in the midst of lost men and women should be no less of an inspiration to share Christ than those involved in pioneer work. The Incas lived and died without a true knowledge of the Savior. That was then, this is now. What am I doing about it? It looks as if we will be having an early potato harvest this year. For one, we have had a fairly good year of rain, though people are always saying we could use more! Secondly, the insects are doing a pretty good job of starting on the harvest themselves, so if we wait too long the harvest will be scant. I already have had several opportunities to dig "papas" this last month. By the amount of people who have asked me to help it looks like I will be staying pretty busy for the next two months. As far as vocation goes, I would not say it is the most thrilling work to be harvesting potatoes. There are some things I do enjoy about it though, most of all, the chance to be out working with the local people. Working the soil and eating fresh dug potatoes also has its own sense of accomplishment which only those who have done something of that sort know what I am talking about. I can not help but thinking of the curse God placed upon the ground as the result of mans fall when I see how hard it can be just to survive. Life down here is in a very literal sense, "by the sweat of the brow". Besides harvesting, I have also been doing a few odd jobs here and there as I have had the opportunity. I do thank the Lord for good health and for the strength to work physically. My only prayer is that the contacts made in this way can see that I am not doing it for the money. How dumb could one be to leave a good job in the States for the three and a half dollars I make for a days work here? Well, hopefully there is something in what I am doing that is worth more than my pay! I trust the Lord that there is. Please do pray that as I do work, Christ would be working through me, drawing hungry souls to Himself. Also, for many opportunities to share Christ as I work, and for the words to speak when the opportunities do come. This last week a Peruvian brother was able to spend a couple of days with me. While he was here we were able to do a live radio program in Quechua, from which I have gotten very good feedback. The radio program is continuing to go well, I very much appreciate your prayers as the Word goes forth every Tuesday morning here in Velille. I am not exactly sure what to write in this regard, but I would ask for prayer for Daniels father. He has been in poor health for quite a while now, but is still looking to the traditional methods for healing. He told me awhile back that all he did was waste time and money by going to the city to consult a health professional there. He has at times shown an interest in following Christ, and even recently said that he wants to be baptized once Gordon gets back. Obviously, he does not know what that really means, neither does he really understand what he is doing in having the local medicine man read coca leaves to tell him what he needs to do to get better. Do pray for wisdom in dealing with Zacharias and understanding on his part what it truly means to follow Christ. Daniel and Maria are also in the dark on much of this issue. Please pray that that might see what the Bible has to say on the subject, and not just form convictions from what the missionary has to say! I feel that if they were to clearly explain biblically to his father why this is wrong, it would go a long ways with him. This is not just a cultural tradition, it is sin! But first, they need to see that for themselves. Thank you all so much for your prayers and the important part they play in the work here. I praise the Lord for the work He is doing, that it is His work and that He upholds all things by the word of his power. What a blessed truth and precious promise that Christ said, "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." May my nothingness be evidenced through Christ's fullness in my life. Love in Christ, Nels

Everyone who serves as a soldier avoids becoming entangled in the affairs of civil life, so that he may satisfy the officer who enlisted him" (2 Tim. 2:4, Weymouth). The disciple of Christ learns to be intolerant of anything that might stand between his soul and complete devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is ruthless without being offensive, firm without being discourteous. But as has one passion and one passion alone. Everything else must be brought into captivity. War demands courage in the face of danger. "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore..." (Eph. 6:13,14a). --William MacDonald

Nels R. Klewin Correo Central Dept. de Cusco Yauri, Espinar Peru SA