A Future and A Hope

Aug. 5th, 2009

No matter where we arrive, Iquitos or the jungle, there is always news to be received. In the city, we get the pleasure of knowing what is going on back home in the USA with our loved ones. Such as the news that my little brother got engaged! Congratulations Timothy and Erica!! When we get back to the jungle, there is always something that has transpired in our absence. Unfortunately, the news out here this time was not as good as the news from home.

Dora was a 12 year old girl I met last summer. She traveled with us on one of our ministry trips to help in the kitchen. She was quite, shy, reserved, and kept her distance. She was a gril who caught my attention. It’s not uncommon for people here to be quite or reserved, distant or shy, those traits are exhibited in almost every person, so that wasn’t unique to her personhood. I’m the odd ball out because of my outgoing unrestrained exuberance, and often find it difficult to break through the mask and see the real person. It was no exception with the girl named Dora.

Yet, I distinctly remember desiring to find out what Dora was all about, I wanted to link with her. Especially after finding out she was only 12. I managed to be unsuccessful for quite sometime, until I discovered my front porch art ministry mid-summer. I had brought colored pencils and plain paper and found a crowd of kids easily drawn anytime I would break them out.

On the first occasion we had art, the first kid to complete his drawing presented me a picture of a house. I encouraged him and praised him for his drawing, he swelled with pride and satisfaction at his accomplishment. It wasn’t long before the next kid produced his drawing, a house. This continued through all 25 kids, until I had a reasonable collection of jungle houses in a variety of colors and forms. They must have figured the American liked houses. I tried to encourage the kids to use their imaginations and draw something else, but no one ventured outside of the norm set by that first child, except Dora.

Dora had a gift for art. She would always use her imagination and draw spectacular pictures. This was were we began to connect. At the start of it all, she would bring her drawings to me, a little bashful, only to surprise me with how good they were. She took the praise to heart and continued to gain confidence and by the time I left, she was not bashful whatsoever about showing me the pieces she had created.

I was looking forward to seeing her again and continuing our relationship, however, she was in one of the families that left Estreno. One night on the trip with the D.R. team after the service in a neighboring village, I heard someone call my name, which surprised me because I didn’t know anyone in that village. As I got closer I realized it was Dora! However, we were heading to the boat to leave, so I could not visit with her. I saw her briefly on one other day, but no other contact. I only anticipated their family moving back to town when the school got up and going.

The news that we received upon arriving in Estreno was that the family had moved back. A man in the village took an interest in Dora, now only 13, and asked permission from her father to take her as his wife. Permission was granted and so Dora was taken back to the neighboring village as this man’s wife, shattering her dream of receiving and education and someday becoming a doctor. Her occupation would now be one of bearing and raising children, taking on the burden of the household chores, and pleasing the man who got her.

I am troubled in my spirit for the lifestyle in the jungle. Dora is not the first girl who has been given as a wife to a man. For the most part, girls are burdens to their families out here. They given away with relative ease because it means one less mouth to feed and one less person to provide for. The males on the other hand seem to be more valued because they are providers in the families.

Many girls have the only aspiration of finding a man who can take care of them, and then start families of their own. When their periods start, they are considered open game for men. What does this mean? One day they are a girl, the next they are thrust into the world of womanhood with no development in between.

Another girl in our community is in love with the Lord. I have connected with her heart since my first time here and had a vision of seeing her and others like her become missionaries to other lands. Her mother is a believer, but I’m not even sure what that means here anymore. No doubt, it means that you show up to church when the doors are open and worship, which they do well. But the faith hasn’t found it’s way to spill out into the lifestyle of the people. I do suppose, if I am to be realistic, that this is a global problem.

Anyway, there was a young man in the community, at least 24 years old, the girl, a mere 14. The mom desperately wanted her daughter to be with the man, as he had a good job. She didn’t really want anything to do with it. I learned today that the mom would go so far as allowing the man to go to her in her room when he wanted!

Giving the girls away at a young age only depicts the lines of the picture, the color often comes in black and blue. I have not yet witnessed the abuse, I’m not sure if anyone really witnesses it when it happens outside their home, or if they only know it because they have lived it. The assurance of abuse for a Peruvian woman or child can be likened with the average American’s assurance that they will have their next meal with no concern of where it will come from.

This is only confirmed by stories I have had relayed to me, or by the way I watch and hear Ketty minister to the women in women’s meetings. She talks and relates to them about abuse like American women go on about their appearance or the latest fashion. There isn’t yet a freedom for the women to talk about it and open up. And when one does, it’s all facts, it’s just what happens.

I would venture to say alcoholism is a partial contributor to the abuse, but the main cause of its existence is probably by and large due to the acceptance of it. Like I said, it’s just what happens.

I am happy to report that in our village abuse isn’t common, but then again, we don’t live in every house. There’s no telling what goes on behind closed doors. It was in our village that the chief murdered his wife.

Now for the better news:

Willie has had a vision of establishing a secondary school for quite sometime now. They are currently in need of a teacher. Paulette knows I enjoy teaching and asked me if I would be interesting in filling in as the teacher after Nelton and I get married. I accepted without hesitation. Willie and I went over a lot of the material and I started to grow accustomed to it. We are using the “School of Tomorrow” system, and my homeschooling experience will help me to run the way the school works. In addition, the fact that I have a degree helps me with the government. So I guess degrees come in handy, even out here in the jungle!

The greatest thing about this school is that it gives the people a hope to go beyond a 5th grade education and it gives us an opportunity to connect with the kids on a deep level. Plus, of my six students, four of them are supposed to be girls! Which will give them an opportunity to break away from years of the way life was.

Please, Please, Please, pray with me for this opportunity. Pray for my teaching, that it will be more than just showing up and performing duties, but that I will have the creativity to really connect with these kids and get into their lives. Pray for the girls that are in it, that they will be allowed to stay and finnish, and that God would protect them from being married off right away.