Chapter 38: A Family Trip up the Morona River in the new Houseboat
AS TOLD BY JOHN AGERSTEN
Traveling on the rivers without a houseboat
Traveling on the rivers came with certain challenges, especially now that the houseboat “El Sembrador” was no longer usable. It had capsized at Tigre Playa while we were in Norway. Whether the trips were short or long, we now relied on the speedboat or the open, wooden boat we had acquired. On trips that required overnight stays, we would pack a waterproof bag with an air mattress, sheet, and the indispensable mosquito net. I would then set up my makeshift "bed" in the palm hut of whoever offered me lodging along the way. Typically, I would spend the night in the house of one of the new believers. I sometimes cooked my food over the fire where I stayed, but often the household would share their meal with me. The menu usually consisted of bananas, cassava, fish, or an egg. There were no toilets or outhouses; nature had to serve as a restroom! Just as the natives did, I would have to venture out into the jungle and find a suitable spot. Toothbrushing, washing, and bathing were done in the river or a nearby stream. There was not much privacy nor quiet time to be had in these conditions. It was not uncommon for someone to sit around my "bed" in the morning waiting for me to wake up. These challenges made it difficult for us to travel as a family as well, so the decision was made to purchase a new houseboat.
Traveling on the rivers came with certain challenges, especially now that the houseboat “El Sembrador” was no longer usable. It had capsized at Tigre Playa while we were in Norway. Whether the trips were short or long, we now relied on the speedboat or the open, wooden boat we had acquired. On trips that required overnight stays, we would pack a waterproof bag with an air mattress, sheet, and the indispensable mosquito net. I would then set up my makeshift "bed" in the palm hut of whoever offered me lodging along the way. Typically, I would spend the night in the house of one of the new believers. I sometimes cooked my food over the fire where I stayed, but often the household would share their meal with me. The menu usually consisted of bananas, cassava, fish, or an egg. There were no toilets or outhouses; nature had to serve as a restroom! Just as the natives did, I would have to venture out into the jungle and find a suitable spot. Toothbrushing, washing, and bathing were done in the river or a nearby stream. There was not much privacy nor quiet time to be had in these conditions. It was not uncommon for someone to sit around my "bed" in the morning waiting for me to wake up. These challenges made it difficult for us to travel as a family as well, so the decision was made to purchase a new houseboat.
Alli Shungo (Meaning: The Good Heart)
Rudolf and I traveled downriver to Iquitos in the summer of 1973. There we purchased the houseboat “Alli Shungo”. It had previously been used by some American missionaries working out of Yurimaguas on the Huallaga River. However, in recent years, it had been functioning as a tugboat in Iquitos, and quite a bit of work needed to be done on it before we could take it back upriver. Rudolf and I spent many hours under the scorching sun in Iquitos to prepare the boat. Finally, we docked at Tigre Playa on Peru's national day, July 28, 1973, after the long journey from Iquitos up the Amazon and further up the Marañon. The journey upstream took seven days. It takes only about half that time to travel downstream with the current. A family mission trip up the Morona River
On August 20th,1973, a few weeks after Rudolf and I returned home from Iquitos, we embarked on our first missionary journey with the "Alli Shungo" as a family. Since our return to Peru in August 1972, I had traveled to some of the villages in Morona with the speedboat, visiting both mestizo and Shapra communities. However, I had not ventured to the more remote upstream villages, where the predominant inhabitants are the Wampis and Achuar indigenous peoples. We had not visited them since our final journey with "El Sembrador" before our trip to Norway in the spring of 1971. |
|
This time we would be traveling as far as we could go which was to the border of Ecuador. We were excited about this long-awaited opportunity to revisit some of the many places that had extended invitations during our earlier trip. We were also excited about traveling in the new houseboat. Compared to the wobbly and narrow wooden frame of "El Sembrador," the sturdiness of "Alli Shungo” an iron vessel, made us feel quite safe. Morona flows calmly and is a picturesque river, snaking through the lush jungle. However, the river's winding path significantly extends the length of any journey, making the trip much longer than if one could have traveled in a straight line. We would be traveling for two weeks.
Gro writes about the trip in a letter to her parents:
"It was an experience to be back and visit the villages in Morona. There was a special joy in reuniting with those who had received Jesus on our first journey. They were very happy to see us again but felt that too much time had
Gro writes about the trip in a letter to her parents:
"It was an experience to be back and visit the villages in Morona. There was a special joy in reuniting with those who had received Jesus on our first journey. They were very happy to see us again but felt that too much time had
passed since our last visit - and we had to agree. At every place, they wondered if we would return soon. John promised to come back in November. He is planning to travel together with Rudolf, who has not been up to Morona yet. We sold Bibles at cost and gave away many Bible parts and New Testaments on the trip. There was also a high demand for the medicines we had brought with us. Often, we received eggs or a chicken in exchange. Most households have a few chickens roaming around the courtyard. It was a good addition to our food supply on longer journeys along with the canned goods we had with us. Salted fish was also often part of our menu.
In the Wampis villages, we needed an interpreter. Fortunately, some of the men were quite fluent in Spanish. Those who had not met us the last time we were there had never heard of God or Jesus. They listened attentively as we read from the Bible and explained the Gospel simply to them from God's Word. In almost every village, we prayed for several people who wanted to receive Christ. Among the population in the jungle, there is a lot of superstition. They fear evil and dangerous spirits they believe live in certain animals and trees and that can cast sickness on them. The medicine man "el brujo" has great power. Those who receive the gospel need a lot of teaching and prayer so that Jesus, who is the light of the world, can enlighten their minds and hearts.”
In the Wampis villages, we needed an interpreter. Fortunately, some of the men were quite fluent in Spanish. Those who had not met us the last time we were there had never heard of God or Jesus. They listened attentively as we read from the Bible and explained the Gospel simply to them from God's Word. In almost every village, we prayed for several people who wanted to receive Christ. Among the population in the jungle, there is a lot of superstition. They fear evil and dangerous spirits they believe live in certain animals and trees and that can cast sickness on them. The medicine man "el brujo" has great power. Those who receive the gospel need a lot of teaching and prayer so that Jesus, who is the light of the world, can enlighten their minds and hearts.”
Our first visit to the village of Tipisca Cocha
John continues the story:
On our way up the river, we visited a village, Tipisca Cocha, which we didn't even know existed when we were in Morona on our previous travels. Many villages are located on tributaries to the main river or by small lakes further in the jungle. They are not visible from the Morona, but narrow paths through the dense forests lead to these places. While visiting the Shapra village on the Pushaga tributary, they told us about this place. It was supposed to be a narrow opening into the lake
-"cocha" -which used to be a bend in the river in the past before it changed its course. We carefully followed the riverbank. It wasn't easy to see the entrance to the lake, but finally, we caught sight of it and steered the boat slowly in between the grass and bamboo. We were greatly surprised when we saw a fairly large village beautifully situated on a hill by the lake. The Wampis people who lived there came to the shore when they heard the engine. They had heard about us and welcomed us to their village. We were informed that they had a school with 50 students. These schools usually had one to two teachers for children from 1st to 5th grade at that time. Most of the schools among the indigenous peoples were started by the Wycliffe mission. They gladly offered us the schoolhouse for a service a little later in the afternoon. People listened with interest and commented amongst themselves during the preaching. The meeting ended with a prayer for those who desired it. We had to promise to stop back by on our way downriver.
We were able to keep that promise after having visited many other villages upriver as far as Triumfo, the military base at the border with Ecuador. The teacher and several others in Tipisca pleaded with us: "You must stay with us for at least a month. We need to learn more,". We would have liked to stay longer, but it was impossible at that time; we had only planned to be away for two weeks. The following year, however, in September 1974, I was able to spend three weeks in Tipishca getting to know the people better, providing Bible teachings, and holding services.
John continues the story:
On our way up the river, we visited a village, Tipisca Cocha, which we didn't even know existed when we were in Morona on our previous travels. Many villages are located on tributaries to the main river or by small lakes further in the jungle. They are not visible from the Morona, but narrow paths through the dense forests lead to these places. While visiting the Shapra village on the Pushaga tributary, they told us about this place. It was supposed to be a narrow opening into the lake
-"cocha" -which used to be a bend in the river in the past before it changed its course. We carefully followed the riverbank. It wasn't easy to see the entrance to the lake, but finally, we caught sight of it and steered the boat slowly in between the grass and bamboo. We were greatly surprised when we saw a fairly large village beautifully situated on a hill by the lake. The Wampis people who lived there came to the shore when they heard the engine. They had heard about us and welcomed us to their village. We were informed that they had a school with 50 students. These schools usually had one to two teachers for children from 1st to 5th grade at that time. Most of the schools among the indigenous peoples were started by the Wycliffe mission. They gladly offered us the schoolhouse for a service a little later in the afternoon. People listened with interest and commented amongst themselves during the preaching. The meeting ended with a prayer for those who desired it. We had to promise to stop back by on our way downriver.
We were able to keep that promise after having visited many other villages upriver as far as Triumfo, the military base at the border with Ecuador. The teacher and several others in Tipisca pleaded with us: "You must stay with us for at least a month. We need to learn more,". We would have liked to stay longer, but it was impossible at that time; we had only planned to be away for two weeks. The following year, however, in September 1974, I was able to spend three weeks in Tipishca getting to know the people better, providing Bible teachings, and holding services.
Finishing the trip with grateful hearts
During those two weeks, we were able to hold a total of 20 services at 15 different locations and prayed with many people. Time passed by very quickly, with many experiences. We especially appreciated having been able to be together as a family. Maino had some schoolwork to do along the way, but both she and Lewi enjoyed watching the jungle and the river go by from Alli Shungo’s wheelhouse. It was hard to see much wildlife along the river because the sound from the engine announced our arrival and the animals had time to hide. Nevertheless, if we paid close attention we might spot a monkey or a colorful bird up in a tree, or it could be a snake, an anteater, or a “ronsoco”(capybara) crossing the river in front of the boat.
During those two weeks, we were able to hold a total of 20 services at 15 different locations and prayed with many people. Time passed by very quickly, with many experiences. We especially appreciated having been able to be together as a family. Maino had some schoolwork to do along the way, but both she and Lewi enjoyed watching the jungle and the river go by from Alli Shungo’s wheelhouse. It was hard to see much wildlife along the river because the sound from the engine announced our arrival and the animals had time to hide. Nevertheless, if we paid close attention we might spot a monkey or a colorful bird up in a tree, or it could be a snake, an anteater, or a “ronsoco”(capybara) crossing the river in front of the boat.
The final stop on the trip before we turned down the Marañon River was in the village of Puerto America. We stopped there and spoke with people who approached the boat. It was quickly decided to hold a service in the small palm church that same evening. We had a service there on the way up as well. In Puerto America, there was already a group of believers, some from the very first visit we made to the village when we were on our "getting to know you trip" in late 1969 before settling at Tigre Playa. It was a nice gathering where some also expressed their desire to accept Jesus and believe in the Gospel. We distributed many parts of the Bible, and several people bought Bibles and New Testaments.
We arrived back home in Tigre Playa thankful to the Lord for the work He had done, for Alli Shungo, and for His protection over us as we traveled.
We arrived back home in Tigre Playa thankful to the Lord for the work He had done, for Alli Shungo, and for His protection over us as we traveled.