Rich & Ramona WagnerNovember 8, 2008Greetings from Farmer Rich and Chicken Plucker Ramona in Cusco PeruIt was a simple plan really. Raise a few Guinea Pigs, maybe some chickens. Just enough so that the Casa Josefina would be able to have eggs and some fresh meat for the abandoned children we are taking in. As I write this we have a tractor tilling up the field next to our house so that we can plant a larger crop of alfalfa for the Guinea pigs and other animals. That’s in addition to the other two fields of alfalfa we are already cultivating. (Photo Bucket) Several weeks ago you may have received out MTW newsletter for Fall 2008 describing how we are providing clean water for a 300 family village called Altiva Canas. When we built the platforms for the 2500-liter water tanks, we had some concrete blocks left over. The tanks were installed in a walled compound that houses the community center and a 20 child pre-kindergarten. We used the extra blocks to make an outhouse for the children to use while at school. (I’ll spare you the details of what they used before the outhouse.) The outhouse drains into a dirt pit and has an “S” trap so it actually flushes using a bucket of water. At a community meeting some of the people became upset over the outhouse (it flushes) because what many of them have isn’t that nice. This opened the door to talk about installing a sewer system in the houses in the village. The nurses from our MTW clinic have been talking to the health care providers in the village that they had been training about sanitation, so the meeting turned into a continuation of that training. The end result was that the community quickly got a grant from the government to buy all the drainpipes they need for the village. Labor is free. Rural communities here have what they call a “faina.” It’s a peer pressure rule that requires everyone in the village, regardless of age or stature, to contribute a minimum number of hours each month to community work. It could be cleaning the roads or paths, or whatever else needs to be done. They used faina workers to help us build the roofed platform in the community center. (Photo Bucket) Now they have people digging trenches for the sewage pipes. It makes driving my truck full of clean water from the community center to the children’s homes a 4-wheel drive challenge, but it will be well worth it in the long run. The village now has clean drinking water available to all who want it, and directly provided to the three children’s homes. Outhouses draining into sewer lines will lead to real toilets and an increase in personal health and hygiene. So what does our MTW Clinic, Guinea pigs, clean water and flushable outhouses have to do with preaching the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ you might ask? Everything! People who are sick don’t want to hear the Gospel, they want to get well. People who are hungry don’t want to hear the Gospel, they want a full stomach. By meeting some of these needs we not only fulfill commands of Scripture but see cultural and spiritual barriers come down, allowing us to share why the God who created everything is different from the gods they believe in. We are following up all of this with small group meetings in homes, and events like showing the Jesus Film in Quechua and Spanish, for adults and children. We introduced you to Beltrán in previous updates. He is a 5 year old tiny little boy with spina bifida. This week he turned over in his crib and fractured his lower leg. I looked at his x-ray, and it was so discouraging, I could almost see through his leg bones they are so thin and underdeveloped. (Photo Bucket) In spite of this setback, he is doing better overall. The Josefine House staff assigned to him talk to him all the time. Now he is starting to mimic single words they say. He only repeats words he hears. So far he doesn’t generate any speech on his own or string together words. He does laugh and giggle a lot now. He was completely silent when we got him. But progress is progress and we will take what we can get. The orthopedic that worked on his leg says that with good nutrition and care that he may even walk someday. He has come a long way from not being expected to live when we got him. God is so good. The seminary classes I teach continue to average about 16 people each week. We have completed a 12 week class on “Building Your Theology”; a class on “Why Do We Baptize Children?”; an 8 week class analyzing the meaning of Genesis 1–11 called “The Primeval History”; and we are now halfway through an eight week study of “Kingdom, Covenants & Canon of the Old Testament”, introducing Old Testament theology. Please pray for these students, and for me as I strive to keep the classes interesting and thought provoking. Ramona is spending a lot of time at our orphanage, working on making the interior a more “homelike” atmosphere. Although I’m not there all the time she is, I’m pretty sure she spends equal time loving on the babies. She loves it, and they desperately need it. Born unwanted, abused and unloved, all of this attention and nutrition is new to them, and they respond very positively. I recently made a survey trip to the jungle. An independent missionary family we work with also has an orphanage, but with over 50 children. They have outgrown their house near Cusco and are moving to the jungle for more room. Ramona politely declined to make the 18 hour no paved road trip, that ended in a 4 kilometer drive through virgin jungle to what will be the new home site for this family. Now I remember why we never went back to the Colombian jungle! (Photo Bucket) We have all been impacted recently by the economic and political events that seem to overwhelm us every day. It’s discouraging to look at retirement accounts and the increased cost of everything we do. As God’s Chosen People we can be encouraged that He is in control of all things. Chaos, indifference and being caught unawares are NOT His attributes! He knows how many hairs are on our heads, and He has our days numbered. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, He chose us and made His plan for us. Be encouraged that He has and will continue to provide for all of our needs. In the midst of the economic crisis we also now have a new president. You may or may not be happy about the outcome of the elections. Remember when Daniel praised God and said that God puts kings and rulers in place, and removes them? I encourage you to pray for our new president, and all those who are in authority over us. God IS in control!
There are some new pictures on our Photo Bucket page:
Our MTW Webpage with newsletters: Thank you for your continued prayer and financial sacrifice, especially in these difficult financial times. Please continue to pray for the ministry here, and that God will continue to open doors to share His Gospel. Lord Bless,
Rich & Ramona Wagner
Pictures of our work:
Our Peru mailing address: - November 8, 2008 |