Chapter 17: Early Days in Bagua Chica
AS TOLD BY JOHN AGERSTEN
A rice farmer wants us to visit
I often received invitations to visit small groups of believers in the area around Bagua. One of the places I was invited to shortly after the New Year of ‘69, was located at a two-hour drive by car from Bagua Chica down to a river. There I had to leave the jeep and take a raft across. On the other side, my guide and I walked for an hour uphill before reaching a cluster of houses where a believer named Mario lived. He was the largest rice grower in the area and had 60 employees working for him. Mario was illiterate, but a fervent Christian. He had won many of his workers for Jesus. At his own expense, Mario had built a small place where the believers could gather and the Gospel could be preached. I was told that thirty people gathered there for regular services. Several had received Jesus, but few of them had been baptized. Many others saw the change in these new believers and wanted to have the same experience. I stayed a week and it was great to see young people come to the services and Bible studies. I was told that the oldest in the group that attended was 33 years old. It would be hard to find a more responsive crowd. They accepted the message and several gave their lives to Jesus during the week.
There was a great need for Bible teaching in these places where very many were new to the faith. Many of the groups I visited were outposts to churches in Bagua Chica. Just as we had experienced in Tarma, there was good cooperation and fellowship between missionaries and pastors of different denominations here in Bagua as well. It was a pleasure to work together with a common goal to make the gospel message known.
I often received invitations to visit small groups of believers in the area around Bagua. One of the places I was invited to shortly after the New Year of ‘69, was located at a two-hour drive by car from Bagua Chica down to a river. There I had to leave the jeep and take a raft across. On the other side, my guide and I walked for an hour uphill before reaching a cluster of houses where a believer named Mario lived. He was the largest rice grower in the area and had 60 employees working for him. Mario was illiterate, but a fervent Christian. He had won many of his workers for Jesus. At his own expense, Mario had built a small place where the believers could gather and the Gospel could be preached. I was told that thirty people gathered there for regular services. Several had received Jesus, but few of them had been baptized. Many others saw the change in these new believers and wanted to have the same experience. I stayed a week and it was great to see young people come to the services and Bible studies. I was told that the oldest in the group that attended was 33 years old. It would be hard to find a more responsive crowd. They accepted the message and several gave their lives to Jesus during the week.
There was a great need for Bible teaching in these places where very many were new to the faith. Many of the groups I visited were outposts to churches in Bagua Chica. Just as we had experienced in Tarma, there was good cooperation and fellowship between missionaries and pastors of different denominations here in Bagua as well. It was a pleasure to work together with a common goal to make the gospel message known.
The family Anderås come to visit.
One day in early February we got a big surprise. When I was out an early Sunday morning to buy bread, I met the Anderås family on the road. They were driving slowly around looking for our house when suddenly they saw me right in front of them. Gro was surprised but delighted when I came home with Per and Brita and their two youngest sons, Pepe and Lasse. We were certainly glad that the house was so finished when they arrived, and that we had electricity after almost five weeks without. Usually, we had electricity in the evenings, but the kerosene lamps had to do the job while the power was off. Fortunately, our kerosene fridge and gas stove did not require electricity.
The family Anderås were due to have a vacation, and they had decided to head north to see how we were doing. Because communication with the outside world is so difficult
One day in early February we got a big surprise. When I was out an early Sunday morning to buy bread, I met the Anderås family on the road. They were driving slowly around looking for our house when suddenly they saw me right in front of them. Gro was surprised but delighted when I came home with Per and Brita and their two youngest sons, Pepe and Lasse. We were certainly glad that the house was so finished when they arrived, and that we had electricity after almost five weeks without. Usually, we had electricity in the evenings, but the kerosene lamps had to do the job while the power was off. Fortunately, our kerosene fridge and gas stove did not require electricity.
The family Anderås were due to have a vacation, and they had decided to head north to see how we were doing. Because communication with the outside world is so difficult
here, they had decided to just set out and hope that we were at home. If we were not, they would at least have experienced a part of Peru that they had never been to before. We had some nice and lively days together. Pepe and Lasse invented many games and played with Maino. They are much older than Maino, but she remembered them from visits while we lived in Tarma. appreciated their visit very much, and Maino was completely inconsolable the day they left. She wanted to go with them and see Samuel and David, the Lindgren boys. They had become good playmates when we first arrived in Peru, and she probably missed them. We comforted her that we would travel and visit them in not too long. Brita and Per had invited us to their eldest daughter, Kerstin's wedding that would take place on the first of May in Huancayo. We intended to take a vacation at that time; it would be our first since we arrived in Peru. Maino was her happy self again the day after they had left. She played and had fun with the neighbors' children and entertained Lewi in our small backyard garden.
Travel into the jungle
I had been wanting to visit the Aguaruna tribe for quite some time. The tribe lives along the Marañon River. I was finally prepared to go after celebrating Gro's 25th birthday and left on the 20th of February ‘69. It had been raining heavily lately after many months of drought,
so the journey took longer than usual as the road in places was almost completely impassable. After four hours of riding on the bed of a truck along muddy roads, I arrived in the village Chiriaco. From there I was meant to take a boat down the river Chiriaco right away. Downriver it flows into the great river Marañon. But it turned out that there were no boats there that could take me further that day. I was going to have to wait for two days. I used the time while I waited to talk to people and encourage them to gather for a service one evening. I knew there were some Christians in this place as well as I had met them when I was on a little visit here and in Nazareth in December. As we started the service, the rain poured down and drummed so hard on the corrugated iron roof that it was difficult to be heard. But we had a long and good prayer meeting. Eventually, the rain subsided, and we continued the meeting with singing and preaching.
I had been wanting to visit the Aguaruna tribe for quite some time. The tribe lives along the Marañon River. I was finally prepared to go after celebrating Gro's 25th birthday and left on the 20th of February ‘69. It had been raining heavily lately after many months of drought,
so the journey took longer than usual as the road in places was almost completely impassable. After four hours of riding on the bed of a truck along muddy roads, I arrived in the village Chiriaco. From there I was meant to take a boat down the river Chiriaco right away. Downriver it flows into the great river Marañon. But it turned out that there were no boats there that could take me further that day. I was going to have to wait for two days. I used the time while I waited to talk to people and encourage them to gather for a service one evening. I knew there were some Christians in this place as well as I had met them when I was on a little visit here and in Nazareth in December. As we started the service, the rain poured down and drummed so hard on the corrugated iron roof that it was difficult to be heard. But we had a long and good prayer meeting. Eventually, the rain subsided, and we continued the meeting with singing and preaching.
Cheim
On Saturday, the third day after arriving in Chiriaco, I finally set off down the river in a riverboat, it was about 23 feet long and 6 feet at its widest and equipped with a 40 hp outboard motor. Fortunately, it did have a roof; the rain was still heavy. After a half-hour drive down the river, we came out into the Marañon. The river was running very full after all the recent rain. We passed through strong eddies and a few rapids, and after five hours of travel, we arrived at Cheim, a small Aguaruna village where a Swiss missionary couple, the Oberhanslies, lived. I stayed with them for two days and got to see how they worked and lived. It was amazing to see the work they did with the sick on their porch, treating many diseases, including typical tropical diseases. Some of those who came were from the surrounding area, and they would stay a few days while they were being treated. In the afternoon, people gathered and heard the Word of God and sang songs in their own Aguaruna language. There was also a local pastor who worked with the missionaries. The Oberhanslies had learned the language of the Aguaruna tribe and were obviously a great help and blessing to the people of this area. The missionaries lived in a large bamboo hut with a palm roof. I don’t think there was a single nail in the whole house; it was tied together with vines. One room in the house was completely protected by mosquito nets and this is where they slept and stayed in the evening when the mosquitoes come out of the jungle. They told me that it had been eight weeks since they last received mail.
On Saturday, the third day after arriving in Chiriaco, I finally set off down the river in a riverboat, it was about 23 feet long and 6 feet at its widest and equipped with a 40 hp outboard motor. Fortunately, it did have a roof; the rain was still heavy. After a half-hour drive down the river, we came out into the Marañon. The river was running very full after all the recent rain. We passed through strong eddies and a few rapids, and after five hours of travel, we arrived at Cheim, a small Aguaruna village where a Swiss missionary couple, the Oberhanslies, lived. I stayed with them for two days and got to see how they worked and lived. It was amazing to see the work they did with the sick on their porch, treating many diseases, including typical tropical diseases. Some of those who came were from the surrounding area, and they would stay a few days while they were being treated. In the afternoon, people gathered and heard the Word of God and sang songs in their own Aguaruna language. There was also a local pastor who worked with the missionaries. The Oberhanslies had learned the language of the Aguaruna tribe and were obviously a great help and blessing to the people of this area. The missionaries lived in a large bamboo hut with a palm roof. I don’t think there was a single nail in the whole house; it was tied together with vines. One room in the house was completely protected by mosquito nets and this is where they slept and stayed in the evening when the mosquitoes come out of the jungle. They told me that it had been eight weeks since they last received mail.
One of the Aguaruna men took me on a little hunting trip in the jungle. The weapon was a “servatana”, a blowpipe with poisoned arrows. The pipe is about six feet long, and quite a lot of force is needed to blow out the arrows. We did not find anything wild to shoot that day, but he let me try to blow an arrow at a target. I did well to hit a banana leaf at a distance of 32 feet. The natives shoot birds that sit between the foliage up in the trees up to 200 feet away! They use the bird's feathers to make headdresses and decorations on jewelry. We did bring home some crabs that we found in a creek and some large snail shells. They were cooked, and tasted pretty good, especially the crabs!
There was a service on Sunday, and many natives showed up. Three young men had been walking all day from a village to come. When I spoke to them, they said they had come to receive the faith in Jesus. It was an unforgettable moment
There was a service on Sunday, and many natives showed up. Three young men had been walking all day from a village to come. When I spoke to them, they said they had come to receive the faith in Jesus. It was an unforgettable moment
In Cusumi
Monday, Oberhansli took me on a trip a couple of hours upriver to visit a medical missionary and his wife working among the Aguarunas at a place called Cusumi. The Garmans were from the United States and worked for the Nazarene Mission. They lived in a house made of strong chipboard with a corrugated iron roof, mosquito net in the windows, linoleum on the floors, and electricity from a diesel generator. Because of that, they were able to have a number of electrical appliances such as a washing machine and not least, a communication radio. Through the radio, they had regular contact with other missionaries as well as their parents and others in the United States. This made a great impression on me!
Doctor Garman and his family had worked in Cusumi for well over three years, but another missionary from the same mission had started the work and lived there for several years. They took me over to the clinic, and there was certainly no shortage of patients. There I got to see various treatments and minor surgeries. I could see that there was a big need for medical work among the local inhabitants. The Garmans were very hospitable to me, told me about the work, and showed me around the area. They gave a lot of good advice too when they understood that we wanted to work among the population in the jungle.
Garman also ran Bible school several months each year. A course was in session at this time, and it had twenty students. I attended some of the classes that were taught in Spanish and felt it was rewarding and interesting. Many of the natives here, especially young men, speak Spanish in addition to their own language. One of the days there was a baptismal service where ten natives were baptized, and several gave their lives to Jesus in the meetings.
Monday, Oberhansli took me on a trip a couple of hours upriver to visit a medical missionary and his wife working among the Aguarunas at a place called Cusumi. The Garmans were from the United States and worked for the Nazarene Mission. They lived in a house made of strong chipboard with a corrugated iron roof, mosquito net in the windows, linoleum on the floors, and electricity from a diesel generator. Because of that, they were able to have a number of electrical appliances such as a washing machine and not least, a communication radio. Through the radio, they had regular contact with other missionaries as well as their parents and others in the United States. This made a great impression on me!
Doctor Garman and his family had worked in Cusumi for well over three years, but another missionary from the same mission had started the work and lived there for several years. They took me over to the clinic, and there was certainly no shortage of patients. There I got to see various treatments and minor surgeries. I could see that there was a big need for medical work among the local inhabitants. The Garmans were very hospitable to me, told me about the work, and showed me around the area. They gave a lot of good advice too when they understood that we wanted to work among the population in the jungle.
Garman also ran Bible school several months each year. A course was in session at this time, and it had twenty students. I attended some of the classes that were taught in Spanish and felt it was rewarding and interesting. Many of the natives here, especially young men, speak Spanish in addition to their own language. One of the days there was a baptismal service where ten natives were baptized, and several gave their lives to Jesus in the meetings.
One of the young men, Fernando, wanted to show me his home village, so we left in his canoe, a hollowed-out tree trunk, up a side river to a small village. Fernando stood in front of the small canoe and used a pole to pull us along the river bank. I thought it was very wobbly. We left the canoe by rapids where the current was too fast for us to continue on the river. We walked for about an hour, frequently wading across flooded streams, and finally, we arrived at the village. In Fernando's home, we were served fish with some kind of river grass and a cold white "soup" that did not taste good. It was my first taste of "masatto". It is cassava (or yuka as it is called in Peru) that is boiled and then mashed. Part of this "porridge" is chewed by one or several of the women in the house, then spit back into the pot and mixed with the porridge. When it is left to ferment, it becomes like strong beer. But it is also served fresh. Then it is even given to babies if the mother has little milk. I did not know how it was prepared when I drank it on this journey!
On the way back we were eight people in the canoe with approx. 1 cm freeboard. As we approached some rapids, I was asked if I could swim! I was a little apprehensive, to put it mildly. But we did arrive safely at the mission station in Cusumi, albeit somewhat muddy and wet. It felt good to take a bath in the river and then lay down in a good bed at Garman’s house.
Back to Bagua Chica
The trip home up the Marañon took time as the river had risen 23 feet after all the rain,
but the boatman was well acquainted with the rapids and backwaters of the river. After ten days' absence, it was good to come home to Bagua Chica and see that everything was fine with Gro and the children. For me, this had been a very educational journey, and not long after, I went on a much longer journey down the Marañon River, which I will write about in a different chapter.
On the way back we were eight people in the canoe with approx. 1 cm freeboard. As we approached some rapids, I was asked if I could swim! I was a little apprehensive, to put it mildly. But we did arrive safely at the mission station in Cusumi, albeit somewhat muddy and wet. It felt good to take a bath in the river and then lay down in a good bed at Garman’s house.
Back to Bagua Chica
The trip home up the Marañon took time as the river had risen 23 feet after all the rain,
but the boatman was well acquainted with the rapids and backwaters of the river. After ten days' absence, it was good to come home to Bagua Chica and see that everything was fine with Gro and the children. For me, this had been a very educational journey, and not long after, I went on a much longer journey down the Marañon River, which I will write about in a different chapter.
