Jungle Living

The Nanay River, viewed from an animal sanctuary we visited upriver from Iquitos.

In Spanish, the word selva is used to describe the landscape surrounding the city in which we currently live. It translates best to “jungle,” and that, along with my (Serena’s) odd love for alliteration and the word “journey,” is the reason behind the name of our blog. But what is it like to live in the jungle?

In truth, Our Jungle Journey is a bit of a misnomer, as we are living in a city and rarely see, much less enter, the jungle that surrounds us. The only reminders of the rainforest are the constant heat and humidity and the sandy soil that coats everything. There are also, of course, palm trees and other tropical plants scattered about, as well as occasional birds – most often parakeets or vultures.

For the most part, we had expected this. What we did not expect was the noise. In a city where the roads are dominated by motorcycles, silence is pretty much nonexistent. And if someone is playing music, it has one volume: loud. This is true even in church on Sunday morning and children’s ministry on Saturday, though despite the excessive volume, I do appreciate the passionate, worshipful atmosphere, and we are beginning to remember the words to the songs.

Dancing and singing during children's ministry in Rumacocha.

Getting around the city is quite easy, as motocarros – motorcycle taxis – are abundant and inexpensive. The buses are even cheaper, and we often take one to the outdoor Belen Market to buy produce at some point during the week. They are much shorter than a typical city bus in the U.S. and built with wooden ceilings and floors to prevent the inside from getting too hot.

Riding in a motocarro with John Lapp, who visited for a weekend along with Linda Shelly (both MMN staff).
(photo by Linda Shelly)

We were noting recently the lack of colonial architecture here, though Iquitos has its roots in rubber production, and we saw much of this style in Lima and Cusco. Instead, the buildings are typically plain cement and brick structures. Houses tend to be made of the same materials with iron grates over the windows and doors (often with decorative patterns), though in the areas where we work, most houses are wooden and have either cement or dirt floors. Nearly all buildings, residential and otherwise, have corrugated metal roofs.

One day in early October, we did head upriver in a boat with our friend Freddy (who happens to be a tour guide) to see a bit of the jungle and visit some touristy locations. Our first stop took us to a mariposario to see and hold butterflies, moths, and caterpillars, as well as to a Kukama village where we watched traditional dances and bought a few handmade souvenirs. We then visited an animal sanctuary, where we were encouraged to hold many of the animals that our guide showed us, including, to my great delight, a three-toed sloth! It was a welcome opportunity to get out of the city and be tourists for a day.

Our routine remains much the same as it is described in our previous blog post, though the lessons with Juan Carlos have been put on hold while he and Cielo are in Colombia for a few months, and we haven’t scraped any paint for several weeks. We appreciate your continued prayers as we teach and serve and navigate life in the jungle city of Iquitos!

Daily Life

Iquitos across the Itaya River, as viewed from La Isla.

Before we left for Iquitos just over a month ago, many of you asked us what we would be doing here, and though we responded as best we could, the real answer was we didn’t really know for sure. Such is often the case when you travel somewhere as a volunteer. So now that we are here, what does a typical week look like for us?

On most weekday mornings, we scrape paint off the walls in preparation for repainting them. Serena also has Spanish lessons with Juan Carlos three days each week. Weekday evenings we often have free except for Paul’s English conversations with Juan Carlos and a prayer meeting on Tuesdays, which takes place in the gathering space here at home.

In the afternoons, we teach English classes: Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church building in Rumacocha and Wednesdays and Fridays at the church building in Monte de Sion. We also plan to start a morning class in Rumacocha for students whose school schedules conflict with the afternoon time. Between the two classes, we have about 40 students, though not everyone shows up to every class—anywhere from six to 15 in Rumacocha and typically 14 to 18 in Monte de Sion.

English class in Monte de Sion.

The children’s ministry takes place on Saturdays at four different locations. These include Monte de Sion, Rumacocha, San Juan (in our home), and La Isla. The first three occur at about 9:00 in the morning and conclude around 10:30 with an early lunch. The fourth, on an island in the Itaya River, takes place in the afternoon twice each month. Since the church doesn’t have a building there yet, the children meet on benches outside someone’s home, and we hand out a snack at the end. All of the programs begin with singing and dancing, and then the children split into two or three groups (based on age) for Bible lessons.

On Saturday evenings, we participate in a young adult group that meets here, and on Sunday mornings we attend church in Rumacocha (David also leads a service in Monte de Sion on Wednesday evenings, but we do not typically go). The rest of Sunday is unscheduled, and we have Mondays mostly free as well.

In addition to our regular activities, we have gone out to eat a couple of times, explored the city a bit, and visited three of the four ice cream shops surrounding the nearby plaza. We also attended several birthday parties—including Paul’s, which was a small affair involving a handful of friends and a delicious chocolate cake.

Paul's birthday party, with Cecy, David, Juan Carlos, Cielo, Daniel, and Sofia.

Arrival

We arrived in Iquitos on Monday, flying in over a seemingly endless sea of trees—the Amazon Rainforest. David, the pastor, met us at the airport along with his brother Juan Carlos and a friend who drove us to our new home in his motocarro (a motorcycle taxi, called a “tuk-tuk” in other parts of the world).

The compound where we live is home to David and Cecy, Juan Carlos and Cielo, and their children. In addition to their apartments and our small studio, there are also two separate bedrooms for other service workers, one of which is currently occupied by a young man from the church. Aside from the people, we also live with a dog named Amber, two cats, and a large turtle.

Our first few days have been spent acclimating to this new place, which involves lots of napping alongside the exploring. On Tuesday morning, we were given a tour of the city by motocarro, from the poorer district of Belen with its stilted homes and floating houses to the Plaza de Armas at the center of the city, which is surrounded by shops of all kinds. And, of course, we stopped at an overlook of the Amazon River itself.

We attended a weekly prayer meeting Tuesday night, which is held in a small gathering space just outside our studio, as well as a Wednesday evening church service in the neighborhood of Monte de Cion. Also on Wednesday, Serena went with Cecy to the women’s group that meets in Rumococha, another part of the city.

Our transition here has been as smooth as could be hoped for, and we are extremely grateful to our hosts for helping us ease into our new lives slowly. It is always a challenge to adjust to a new place, especially when operating in a less familiar language. Thank you for continuing to pray for us as we settle in!

The Countdown Begins . . .

Our journey to Iquitos is becoming more and more real as it draws nearer, and we are happy to say that we finally have a departure date! After visiting family on the East Coast for two weeks, we will leave from there on August 19 and arrive in Iquitos (after two layovers and many hours in the air) on August 20--less than a month away!

In the meantime, we are paring down our belongings, wrapping up our work, and preparing to say farewell to many beloved people, places, and pets.

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, support, and overwhelming generosity. Your enthusiasm fuels our own, and your donations to MMN have surpassed our fundraising goal. A month from now, we'll be on the other side of the equator, and we couldn't have done it without you.



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Preparing for the Journey

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

--from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Although we applied to go to Iquitos, Peru, through Mennonite Mission Network in the spring of 2017, our journey to the Peruvian Amazon began long before then. Paul and I have been looking for the right opportunity to serve together in Latin America since we married nearly five years ago, and indeed for both of us, that dream began well before the two of us met. In fact, I have been dreaming specifically of the Peruvian Amazon since I was about 9 years old.

And here we go.

Later this summer, Paul and I will be setting off for the city of Iquitos, Peru, to serve with Iglesia Cristiana Menonita del Peru (Mennonite Christian Church of Peru) through children's ministries, education, and gardening. We hope not only to experience a new place, but also to learn and to serve in whatever capacity we can. We invite you to follow along on our journey through this blog, and you can sign up for email updates in the sidebar.

We would also like to ask for your support as we embark on this journey. Most importantly, please pray for us as we prepare and as we serve. As much as we have been looking forward to this, we know that it is a big leap and that there will be some challenging moments in the months ahead. We humbly recognize that we cannot do this alone.

We also ask you, if you are able, to please help us reach our fundraising goal. We need to raise $28,000 for MMN's work in Iquitos before our departure this summer, and every little bit helps. Please consider giving a one-time donation or setting up a recurring monthly gift by visiting our donation page at the following link:

Donate Here

You can also send a check made payable to Mennonite Mission Network, PO Box 370, Elkhart, IN 46515 with "Peru -- Manickam" in the memo line.

Your prayers, encouragement, and financial support are all very much appreciated. Thank you!