We are now at the half way point in the lecture phase of our DTS, and we can´t wait for our outreach. We have been learning a lot any while not everything has been easy, we are doing pretty well. Last weekend we went to the a small river village for a mini outreach, and it went really well. We got there mid afternoon on Friday and stayed to Sunday afternoon. We held several services in cooperation with the local church, and everything went really well. For both services we put on dramas to help share the message of the redemptive power of Christ Jesus. I acted in the second drama which is called Champion. It is a drama about the spiritual battle between heaven and hell. It is a powerful drama with a powerful message and we believe it was well received. On Saturday we also held a childrens event that included singing, dancing, playing games, and clowns. Unfortunately, both Mindy and I were among the lucky ones selected to be clowns. We did it with good attitudes but it was difficult. I personally cannot stand clowns but it was a good experience because it pulled us out of our comfoft zone. The kids really seemed to enjoy it and we had a lot of fun as well. Later that night we got to play a friendly game of soccer against the young men in the village and to our astonishment, the gringos actually won. We had a lot of fun but it is difficult being in the Amazon jungle. It is extremely hot and the mosquitoes are horrendous. Luckily, we were smart enough to bring a tent instead of jungle hammocks like some of our school mates. They did not fare so well at night. Many people had their hammocks break during the night and other just simply could not sleep because it is so uncomfortable. All in all it was a good weekend but we were sure excited to get back to the base on Sunday and take a shower.
We are still in the process of deciding exactly where each team will be going for the outreach phase. We face many logistical difficulties given the fact that we are a large group so most likely, we will be splitting into three smaller outreach teams. We know it has to happen but we are sad that we most likely will not be on the same team as our other married friends. Over this time we have grown close with the other two couples. They are both great and we really enjoy spending time with them.
Our group could use prayer in several areas:
-Pray that we would maintain unity as it can be difficult at times to live in community.
-Pray that God would reveal to our team where exactly He wants us to go for outreach.
-Pray for our friend Ally who recently contracted Denge fever. She is having a rough time and could use prayer.
-Pray for the general health of the team as many people are feeling tired and sick.
-Pray that we would be effective in sharing the gospel and blessing the city of Iquitos in our upcoming mini outreach.
We love you all and miss you very much.
Charlie and Mindy Jackson
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
DTS in Iquitos
Hey everybody!
We are finally in Peru! We have been here for about two weeks and we already have many stories to tell. We will start with Machu Picchu. It has been a dream of mine to one day see Machu Picchu and about a week ago we made it happen. Some of you already know, but it was not easy to get there. We flew into Lima on the 21st with plans to immediately hop on a bus that would take us to Cuzco. It did not work as smoothly as we would have liked so we ended up spending a night in Lima and leaving for Cuzco on the 22nd. Luckily we decided to fly back or we might not have made it to our DTS on time. Our bus ride was supposed to be an overnight trip that would take roughly 22 hours, but it turned into a grueling 28 hour affair. On the road were numerous mudslides and river floodings that slowed us down. At one point our bus got stuck during a river crossing for which we all had to exit the bus to try and get in unstuck. We ended up spending an hour and a half trying to get the bus out of the mud. Despite the many trucks lining both sides of the road, no one would help pull us out. (we realized we are not in Montana any more) Finally it came down to myself and about 20 other men pulling the bus out of the water and mud with a tow rope. It was quite an adventure but we are glad it is over. We finally got to Cuzco from which we left the next morning for Aguas Calientes. Little did we know we were coming at the perfect time. We woke up at 3:45 a.m. on the 25th so that we could hike up to Machu Picchu before all the buses of tourists arrive. The first 400 tourists are given the opportunity to hike Waynapicchu, the lonely mountain that overlooks the city of Machu Picchu. We did the hike but at the top you could only see clouds. It was still well worth because we had an amazing time, Machu Picchu was everything we ever dreamed. We returned to Cuzco that night and we found out from the radio that they were closing Machu Picchu for at least a week due to flooding the day after we went there. What a gift from God that we were able to do it before they closed it down.
We are in Iquitos now and we are having an amazing time. There are 29 students from 6 different countries and so far it has been amazing hearing everyones stories. There are two other married couple that Mindy and I have been spending a lot of time with, one from Holand and the other is from Canada and Fiji. This was an answer to prayer for me because both couples are amazing people and they are close to us in age. Last week we went through orientation which was difficult at time because of the heat. (Iquitos is in the jungle and it is extremely hot and humid) We got to know everyone on our team in a much more personal way last weekend. On Thursday morning they broke us up into three different groups, Mindy and I were not in the same group, and then they gave us each a plastic sack that was a little smaller than a Walmart sack. They told us that we could bring anything we could fit in the sack, along with our sleeping bag, and nothing else. This was a big shock to must of us but we did what we could with the 5 minutes of packing time they gave us. They then put us on a bus and shipped us into the Amazon jungle. When we arrived they gave us our provisions for the next three days: a pile of wood planks, 3 2x4s, 6 shorts posts, a machete, a shovel, one hammer and nails, 4 bug nets, two cooking pans, plates, cups, and a variety of dry good including rice, noodles, two cans of milk, onions, and plantanes. They then lead us to three seperate locations and told us that we had to survive for the next two and a half days. Our groups each built a shelter, bathroom, and then cooked meals using river water for the remainder of the weekend. It was an extremely difficult weekend because of the intense heat, downpours of rain, and the billion upon billions of mosquitoes. We all survived and had to work together, but I can honestly say I have never been dirtier in all of my life. It was quite the adventure.
This week we are starting the first week of actual classes. To give you an idea of our daily schedule, everyday we have several lectures on different topics ranging from the voice of God to Intercession for the Nations. We have a different guest speak each week and this week our speaker is from Argentina. We also have work duties, dramatic arts practice, prayer and personal devotion time, and study time each day. Sprinkled throughout the week we have Spanish lessons, small group times, group devotions, and various social events. It has been amazing to see all that God is doing in each of our lives each and every day.
There are several areas in which we could use prayer. Mindy and I are really praying right now that God would reveal to us what He has in store for us after the DTS. At this point we are not sure if He is calling us into full-time ministry or if we are supposed to return to the States to finish Mindys school. We also ask that you would pray for our school as we are praying about what cities we will be doing our outreaches in. Right now it is looking like we will be doing it somewhere in the Amazon, a large city in Peru, and a large city in Bolivia. We also ask that you would pray for our health and the safety of our group. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of the people in Peru and that we would be bold in sharing in the good news.
We are finally in Peru! We have been here for about two weeks and we already have many stories to tell. We will start with Machu Picchu. It has been a dream of mine to one day see Machu Picchu and about a week ago we made it happen. Some of you already know, but it was not easy to get there. We flew into Lima on the 21st with plans to immediately hop on a bus that would take us to Cuzco. It did not work as smoothly as we would have liked so we ended up spending a night in Lima and leaving for Cuzco on the 22nd. Luckily we decided to fly back or we might not have made it to our DTS on time. Our bus ride was supposed to be an overnight trip that would take roughly 22 hours, but it turned into a grueling 28 hour affair. On the road were numerous mudslides and river floodings that slowed us down. At one point our bus got stuck during a river crossing for which we all had to exit the bus to try and get in unstuck. We ended up spending an hour and a half trying to get the bus out of the mud. Despite the many trucks lining both sides of the road, no one would help pull us out. (we realized we are not in Montana any more) Finally it came down to myself and about 20 other men pulling the bus out of the water and mud with a tow rope. It was quite an adventure but we are glad it is over. We finally got to Cuzco from which we left the next morning for Aguas Calientes. Little did we know we were coming at the perfect time. We woke up at 3:45 a.m. on the 25th so that we could hike up to Machu Picchu before all the buses of tourists arrive. The first 400 tourists are given the opportunity to hike Waynapicchu, the lonely mountain that overlooks the city of Machu Picchu. We did the hike but at the top you could only see clouds. It was still well worth because we had an amazing time, Machu Picchu was everything we ever dreamed. We returned to Cuzco that night and we found out from the radio that they were closing Machu Picchu for at least a week due to flooding the day after we went there. What a gift from God that we were able to do it before they closed it down.
We are in Iquitos now and we are having an amazing time. There are 29 students from 6 different countries and so far it has been amazing hearing everyones stories. There are two other married couple that Mindy and I have been spending a lot of time with, one from Holand and the other is from Canada and Fiji. This was an answer to prayer for me because both couples are amazing people and they are close to us in age. Last week we went through orientation which was difficult at time because of the heat. (Iquitos is in the jungle and it is extremely hot and humid) We got to know everyone on our team in a much more personal way last weekend. On Thursday morning they broke us up into three different groups, Mindy and I were not in the same group, and then they gave us each a plastic sack that was a little smaller than a Walmart sack. They told us that we could bring anything we could fit in the sack, along with our sleeping bag, and nothing else. This was a big shock to must of us but we did what we could with the 5 minutes of packing time they gave us. They then put us on a bus and shipped us into the Amazon jungle. When we arrived they gave us our provisions for the next three days: a pile of wood planks, 3 2x4s, 6 shorts posts, a machete, a shovel, one hammer and nails, 4 bug nets, two cooking pans, plates, cups, and a variety of dry good including rice, noodles, two cans of milk, onions, and plantanes. They then lead us to three seperate locations and told us that we had to survive for the next two and a half days. Our groups each built a shelter, bathroom, and then cooked meals using river water for the remainder of the weekend. It was an extremely difficult weekend because of the intense heat, downpours of rain, and the billion upon billions of mosquitoes. We all survived and had to work together, but I can honestly say I have never been dirtier in all of my life. It was quite the adventure.
This week we are starting the first week of actual classes. To give you an idea of our daily schedule, everyday we have several lectures on different topics ranging from the voice of God to Intercession for the Nations. We have a different guest speak each week and this week our speaker is from Argentina. We also have work duties, dramatic arts practice, prayer and personal devotion time, and study time each day. Sprinkled throughout the week we have Spanish lessons, small group times, group devotions, and various social events. It has been amazing to see all that God is doing in each of our lives each and every day.
There are several areas in which we could use prayer. Mindy and I are really praying right now that God would reveal to us what He has in store for us after the DTS. At this point we are not sure if He is calling us into full-time ministry or if we are supposed to return to the States to finish Mindys school. We also ask that you would pray for our school as we are praying about what cities we will be doing our outreaches in. Right now it is looking like we will be doing it somewhere in the Amazon, a large city in Peru, and a large city in Bolivia. We also ask that you would pray for our health and the safety of our group. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of the people in Peru and that we would be bold in sharing in the good news.
Monday, February 7, 2011
News
Hey everybody,
We have been having a great time in Guatemala, and right now we are in Chumelco with Kallie and Shane. We have done a lot of cool things and had a lot of fun. We spent several days in San Pedro and Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, a weekend in Monterrico on the beach, and two days in Flores where we got to go see Tikal. Tikal blew our minds. We spent over six hours climbing the pyramids and exploring and it was amazing. We even found a python that we got a couple of pictures of. After Tikal we came to Chumelco and we are now staying with Kallie and Shane. We are having a lot of fun with them and it is good being around familiar faces. We went to Shemuc Champey yesterday and it was amazing. For those of you who don´t know what it is you should google it. It is this cool place where a large river goes underground and creates a series of limestone pools. It was a lot of fun. We plan on staying here in Chumelco for the next two weeks and then its off to Peru. There will be more to follow. Thanks to all of you that have been praying for us, things have gone smooth so far. Love you all.
We have been having a great time in Guatemala, and right now we are in Chumelco with Kallie and Shane. We have done a lot of cool things and had a lot of fun. We spent several days in San Pedro and Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, a weekend in Monterrico on the beach, and two days in Flores where we got to go see Tikal. Tikal blew our minds. We spent over six hours climbing the pyramids and exploring and it was amazing. We even found a python that we got a couple of pictures of. After Tikal we came to Chumelco and we are now staying with Kallie and Shane. We are having a lot of fun with them and it is good being around familiar faces. We went to Shemuc Champey yesterday and it was amazing. For those of you who don´t know what it is you should google it. It is this cool place where a large river goes underground and creates a series of limestone pools. It was a lot of fun. We plan on staying here in Chumelco for the next two weeks and then its off to Peru. There will be more to follow. Thanks to all of you that have been praying for us, things have gone smooth so far. Love you all.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Hey everybody! We made it to Guatemala safely and so far it has been great. We were nervous that we might have a problem with our bags but luckily they came through just fine. We spentfour nights in Antigua at the Jungle Party Hostel. We had a lot of fun walking around town, seeing the sights, and enjoying the weather. Today we got to hike a live volcano that sits just outside the city. The bus ride was a little unpleasant because of the many turns and bumps. Mindy especially hated it because she gets carsick easily, but inthe end it was worth it. When we stepped off the bus we were a bit disappointed because it looked like every other mountain we have climbed. We were expecting Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings but what we got was a big hill in the shire. Then after about an hour of strenuous hiking we rounded a bend and our jaws dropped. Behold, Mount Doom! Or Pacaya as the locals call it. It was everything we hoped for and we even got to roast marshmallows over volcanic rock. Tomorrow we leave Antigua for San Pedro on Lake Atitlan. Sorry no pictures but we haven't found a way to load pictures without a laptop. We will keep you updated.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Great Begining
Tomorrow we set off for Guatemala. We will be traveling around for four weeks. We will start by spending a week in Antigua. Then we will spend several days around Lake Atitlan. Next we will be going to the big market at Chichicastenango. From there we will make our way to Lake Izabal where we plan on discovering secret hot waterfalls. Finally, we will spend a day climbing the ruins at Tikal. After Tikal we will be meeting up with Kallie and Shane for two weeks. Then its off to Peru.
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