Becca happy to be back in Peru!

 Final Itineration

      We spent nearly all of September and the first half of October in Oklahoma. And the churches were extremely good to us.  We were blessed to go to many churches for the first time.  We even snuck over to New Mexico and Arizona for a week to visit supporting churches (and let Grandma and my brother and sister-in-law see baby Justin for the first time).  

Robbery

      The last half of October was rough. The Peruvian consulate in Dallas refused to accept some paperwork for Justin, which required us to travel to Austin, Texas. And while we were in Austin, our van was broken into and most of our stuff stolen-over $4,000 of our belongings including our  laptop & projector. The trip plus the police report and the time in trying to replace what we could caused us to lose precious time.

     Once we arrived to Houston, we had been setback by several days. So, we only had three days to pack and store our belongings-a process that normally takes at least a week. 

Travel Day

      The morning of our travel day found us feverishly driving around Houston trying to find a AAA office to replace our International Drivers' Permits that we assumed were stolen during the robbery. We hadn't realized they were missing until the night before. By the time we got new permits, and got back to the trailer, we were late in getting to the airport. So we loaded 16 pieces of luggage, 8 carry-ons and 9 backpacks into our 12-passenger van plus our  family of nine and a friend and headed to the airport.  

      Imagine how long it would take your family if you had all that luggage and seven children to get boarding passes, check in the luggage, make it through security and arrive at the gate! When we did finally make it to the gate, the plane was boarding. We had to board almost last, which made it tough to get to our seats and find space to store our carry-ons. By that time I was physically wiped out from three days of sleep deprivation and we still had 24 hours of travel ahead of us. Of course, the small children insured that we would not get a nap during the long flight. :)   

       One of the unique blessings during our full day of travel occurred in the Lima airport during our 10 hour layover at around 3 am. As we were waiting to check in, a retired chiropractor struck up a conversation with me. He was in Peru with Joni Erickson Tada's "Joni and Friends Wheels for the World" ministry to deliver wheelchairs to handicapped children. When he learned we were missionaries, he gave us free neck adjustments, which were great and so appreciated.  "Doctor J" came back a little later and gave us a gift and $100 in cash. How thoughtful God is!  

       At about 8:30 the next morning, I scraped the children off of their seats in the terminal to board our final flight to our jungle home. The flight was wonderfully uneventful.  We finally arrived to the heat and humidity of the Amazon.  We were met at the airport by Jim Brannan, a missionary friend, and Joel, the director of the girls' home. They helped us load up all our gear and took us to our home in short order.  How great it was to be met by friends!

First Trip Upriver

       This last Tuesday was the first day I was able to get back on the river. I visited the Amarakaeri tribe with my son, Isaac. Murphy's Law prevailed. The sky quickly filled with clouds and dumped rain on us for several hours. The first person I met once we ambled up the bank was Manuel in his wheelchair. Maybe I should say, we met him. He was fast asleep, and when I cried out the hearty customary greeting, he nearly jumped out of his wheelchair. 

       It only took him a few moments to figure out who I was, and with a big smile he said, "I'm going to die soon." I asked to look at his leg that had the huge festering sore when I last saw him six months before, and he just said, "Hmmmmpphhh. It's no good." I'm surprised to see that he is still alive. But, how wonderful it was to see him again this side of Heaven, and to visit these dear Indians that I love. They are looking forward to my return in a few more days to have a church service with them.   

Wanted: Prayer Partners       

       We are especially desirous of some of you to commit to praying for us and the work on a regular basis. We are already facing the oppression that has always been so characteristic of tribal work here in the Amazon. We long for a breakthrough, and believe it will come through prayer. To this end, I will be working hard this year to communicate to you as vividly as possible regarding the work to provide you ammunition and motivation to pray.

A Final Word from Becca Jonell

     Becca was extremely eager to get, "back to Peru."  When we arrived in Lima, the capital of Peru, I told Becca, "We're in Peru." She insisted we were not. "No, Daddy, I want to be back in Peru." I tried to instruct her that she was thinking about the Amazon, but I could tell she was not really listening.  When we got off the plane, arriving to our home town, Becca looked up at me and said, "Yea, Daddy. We're back in Peru."