Chapter 13: North to Bagua
AS TOLD BY JOHN AGERSTEN
North to Bagua Chica and Nazareth
Even before we left Norway, we knew we were called to work in a field where there was no previously established ministry. We were considering working with the indigenous people who lived in the jungle regions rather than staying in the mountains or moving out to the coast. While we were in Tarma, we prayed for guidance and certainty about where we should work. As time went by, our thoughts were drawn more and more to the jungle areas of the northeast, particularly after we connected with an American missionary who had worked in Peru for many years. In his office in Lima, he had a map of Peru where he had marked existing evangelical missions work and congregations. In some places there were white spots or white areas on the map which indicated regions where there was little or no evangelical work. He showed us on the map a jungle area in the north-east of Peru that was marked completely white, telling us that he believed that there was a great need and opportunity for missions work here. Later I saw in a dream a map marked with the name Nazareth. The dream and the name stayed with me when I awoke, so Gro and I tried to find it on the map. After a while, we found a location marked Nazareth, located by the Marañon river, approx. 50 miles from the small town of Bagua Chica. I noticed that there was a road marked on the map that traveled all the way from the coast to the outer edge of the jungle, ending at a tributary of the Marañon river. The whole area to the east of this road was marked white on the missionary’s map. This area seemed very interesting to us, and after some time of prayer and discussion, we agreed that I should travel north to check it out.
It would be a long trip by car; first 190 miles west to Lima on the coast, then 500 miles or so north on the Pan-American highway to Chiclayo. From there I would have to head east, back over the Andes mountains to the settler town Bagua Chica. This stretch from the coast to the edge of the jungle would be another 190 miles. Bagua Chica was settled by indigenous people from the mountains and mestizos who were drawn by the rich soil and easy access to water. Coffee and citrus fruits were cultivated on the hillsides, while rice was grown on the valley floor. The forest had to give way to large rice fields. The farmers here also grew corn, although on a smaller scale.
I prepared the LandRover for the long journey, and left on May 12, 1968. I had packed an air mattress, sleeping bag, a Primus stove, a newly purchased coffee pot, and other essentials that would help me along the way. I expected to be gone 2-3 weeks. Gro and Maino had to stay home as the long journey would be too strenuous for Gro; we were expecting a baby by the end of July. I wrote about the trip in a letter to Norway once it was completed:
It would be a long trip by car; first 190 miles west to Lima on the coast, then 500 miles or so north on the Pan-American highway to Chiclayo. From there I would have to head east, back over the Andes mountains to the settler town Bagua Chica. This stretch from the coast to the edge of the jungle would be another 190 miles. Bagua Chica was settled by indigenous people from the mountains and mestizos who were drawn by the rich soil and easy access to water. Coffee and citrus fruits were cultivated on the hillsides, while rice was grown on the valley floor. The forest had to give way to large rice fields. The farmers here also grew corn, although on a smaller scale.
I prepared the LandRover for the long journey, and left on May 12, 1968. I had packed an air mattress, sleeping bag, a Primus stove, a newly purchased coffee pot, and other essentials that would help me along the way. I expected to be gone 2-3 weeks. Gro and Maino had to stay home as the long journey would be too strenuous for Gro; we were expecting a baby by the end of July. I wrote about the trip in a letter to Norway once it was completed:
“At four o’clock, after a short stop at the Scandinavian Seamen’s Church in Lima, I started on the Pan-American road that runs from the southern tip of Chile to Venezuela in the north. It is a nice paved road, but it can get quite monotonous as it continues mile after mile in straight stretches in the middle of the barren desert landscape here by the coast. Once in a while, the monotony is broken by a green and beautiful plain that is planted with corn, sugar cane, cotton and vegetables. This happens where rivers come down from the towering mountains east of the road. The water from the rivers is used for crops, and canals were built by the ancient indigenous cultures that ruled the land here centuries ago. The desert is fertile as long as it gets water, and very little of the water ends up reaching the sea. ”
I continue my letter: “Late in the evening I drove off the road and into the desert. There I stopped not far from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. The freshly brewed coffee and food I had brought tasted good before I went to sleep in my "bed" in the car. I was tired, but it was difficult to sleep because of the full moon which made it seem almost as bright as day. The sound of heavy traffic from the road and the waves rolling in from
I continue my letter: “Late in the evening I drove off the road and into the desert. There I stopped not far from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. The freshly brewed coffee and food I had brought tasted good before I went to sleep in my "bed" in the car. I was tired, but it was difficult to sleep because of the full moon which made it seem almost as bright as day. The sound of heavy traffic from the road and the waves rolling in from
the sea did not make it any easier. But in the end I fell asleep and got some good hours of sleep before the journey continued north.
The landscape here is completely flat, even the mountains have receded further east, moving away from the sea. The monotony made me sleepy. It was a relief when at six o'clock in the afternoon I exited the coastal road and began the ascent towards and over the Andes. Here the road was narrow and there were many potholes, but I had become used to that from the roads around Tarma. When I camped for the night in a dry riverbed, I had already reached the east side of the highest mountains, and there were only 60 miles left before I reached Bagua Chica.”
The landscape here is completely flat, even the mountains have receded further east, moving away from the sea. The monotony made me sleepy. It was a relief when at six o'clock in the afternoon I exited the coastal road and began the ascent towards and over the Andes. Here the road was narrow and there were many potholes, but I had become used to that from the roads around Tarma. When I camped for the night in a dry riverbed, I had already reached the east side of the highest mountains, and there were only 60 miles left before I reached Bagua Chica.”
Arriving in Bagua Chica, I found it to be a small place with a few streets, most of which were only dirt, a few shops and a gas station. There was a Baptist church there that I visited, and I was well received by the believers. There were also a few other small evangelical churches in the city.
I stayed there one day before I traveled the last 50 miles into Nazareth, returning to stay for a couple of days on the way back. Bagua Chica had 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants, electric lights in the evenings, and running water in some houses, though other households used one of the few water posts in the streets.
I stayed there one day before I traveled the last 50 miles into Nazareth, returning to stay for a couple of days on the way back. Bagua Chica had 1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants, electric lights in the evenings, and running water in some houses, though other households used one of the few water posts in the streets.
The family from the Baptist church that I became acquainted with said they would help in finding us a place to live if we decided to live there. I got their address, but I expected that the mail would take a long time to get there.
The road from Bagua and on to Chiriaco and Nazareth was not passable for anything but trucks and jeeps, so it took quite a few hours before I arrived. It was a narrow dirt road, which became like a muddy field when it rained. It could easily be said that Nazareth was the last outpost before the jungle. The road ended here as there was no bridge over the Chiriaco river, which flows into the Marañon river a few miles further down and later becomes part of the Amazon. The area I was in was only 5 - 6 degrees south of the Equator and at about 2500 feet above sea level, so it was very hot. The last few days I was there, though, the heat didn’t bother me, so either it cooled down a bit or I just got used to the heat.
The road from Bagua and on to Chiriaco and Nazareth was not passable for anything but trucks and jeeps, so it took quite a few hours before I arrived. It was a narrow dirt road, which became like a muddy field when it rained. It could easily be said that Nazareth was the last outpost before the jungle. The road ended here as there was no bridge over the Chiriaco river, which flows into the Marañon river a few miles further down and later becomes part of the Amazon. The area I was in was only 5 - 6 degrees south of the Equator and at about 2500 feet above sea level, so it was very hot. The last few days I was there, though, the heat didn’t bother me, so either it cooled down a bit or I just got used to the heat.
I stopped for a few days in the village Chiriaco to see if it was a place we could settle. I quickly discovered that there were no houses to rent in Nazareth or Chiriaco, and the conditions were such that I felt it was not a place we would want to live.
While there, I lived in a "hotel," if it can be called such, which was one of the few houses made of cement blocks. In the letter I continue to write:
“One night I woke up to the bed shaking a lot and I could hear screaming and yelling. Earthquake! We were all frightened and ran outside, but it did not last many minutes and then everything was calm. No damage had occurred, so we went back in to lie down again. I don’t think I slept much the rest of that night. It was the first time I experienced such a strong earthquake.
While there, I lived in a "hotel," if it can be called such, which was one of the few houses made of cement blocks. In the letter I continue to write:
“One night I woke up to the bed shaking a lot and I could hear screaming and yelling. Earthquake! We were all frightened and ran outside, but it did not last many minutes and then everything was calm. No damage had occurred, so we went back in to lie down again. I don’t think I slept much the rest of that night. It was the first time I experienced such a strong earthquake.
Chiriaco was a small trading center where the Aguaruna people came to shop. This was my first time to meet this indigenous tribe, which is one of the largest tribes in the jungle of Peru. The men wore long hair, did not have facial hair, and were not generally very tall. Several of them had tattoos on their faces, or they were painted red. The women were dressed in a dark reddish-brown piece of cloth, and several of them carried their babies on their hip. They seemed curious about all the things for sale and walked around looking, however, I don’t think they had much money to buy with. Something I noticed was that they smelled everything. For some of them, it was probably the first time they were in Chiriaco and saw things for sale like this. ”
To get deeper into the jungle you have to take a boat down the river, or go on a balsa raft as the indigenous people often do. I didn’t have enough time to travel further on this trip, but I was told that there were many indigenous villages down the river. I spoke to some of the Aguarunas in town who spoke Spanish, and it was interesting to hear more about how they live and work. Some who had heard that I was a missionary wanted me to go to their area to start a ministry there. "We need to hear the gospel and get a church to gather in" They had probably been to Bagua and visited one of the evangelical churches there, or heard something about it through family and friends.
As I started the long journey home, I had a lot of time to think. The trip became extra lengthy because I had problems with the alternator, so there were some delays. It was good to come home after over two weeks of traveling. We thanked God that the journey had gone well, and for what I had seen and experienced on the trip. We prayed about the possibility of moving to Bagua and have that as the base for our new mission field.. After a while we felt at peace to end our work in Tarma. We wrote to Salem about our thoughts, and got the green light from them to take up work in the jungle areas in the north.
To get deeper into the jungle you have to take a boat down the river, or go on a balsa raft as the indigenous people often do. I didn’t have enough time to travel further on this trip, but I was told that there were many indigenous villages down the river. I spoke to some of the Aguarunas in town who spoke Spanish, and it was interesting to hear more about how they live and work. Some who had heard that I was a missionary wanted me to go to their area to start a ministry there. "We need to hear the gospel and get a church to gather in" They had probably been to Bagua and visited one of the evangelical churches there, or heard something about it through family and friends.
As I started the long journey home, I had a lot of time to think. The trip became extra lengthy because I had problems with the alternator, so there were some delays. It was good to come home after over two weeks of traveling. We thanked God that the journey had gone well, and for what I had seen and experienced on the trip. We prayed about the possibility of moving to Bagua and have that as the base for our new mission field.. After a while we felt at peace to end our work in Tarma. We wrote to Salem about our thoughts, and got the green light from them to take up work in the jungle areas in the north.