Chapter 46: Another visit to the Cahuapanas River
AS TOLD BY JOHN AGERSTEN
In May 1975, I embarked on a fourth trip to the Awajun tribe in the Cahuapanas River.
Marcial, a member of the congregation in Tigre Playa who feels called to preach the gospel, came with me. We traveled in a small wooden boat that a neighbor in the village built for us. Not long before the trip to Cahuapanas, we constructed a corrugated metal roof over the back part of the boat. It would make traveling more comfortable as it shielded us and the luggage from rain and the scorching sun. However, the roof would not make it back home to Tigre Playa again; the weather caused this trip to be much more eventful than expected.
Our first stop was in the village of Barranquita. This is a village where both people from the Shayawita tribe and mestizos live. Many people gathered that Sunday afternoon in one of the homes. There was no seating, so children and adults sat on the floor, and others stood along the walls. Some of these were believers who had accepted the Lord during one of our previous visits to this location. Everyone participated in the singing with great joy and enthusiasm. We sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, but suddenly the meeting was interrupted by someone shouting and screaming that there was a fight outside. Most people ran out to see what was happening and did not return, so the service ended abruptly. However, we had conversations with several attendees before we left, and everyone wanted us to return to teach them more from the Bible.
On to the village of Kaupan
The day after, we continued our journey toward the village of Kaupan. Since our last visit there, they had built a church using materials from the forest, in the same style they constructed their huts. We held Bible studies every day and many stayed in the village during those days to learn more from God's word rather than going out to work in their garden plots. These indigenous people were often looked down upon by the mestizos, who often dismissed them as lacking souls and likened them to animals.Therefore, they were eager to learn more about God's love for all people and that Jesus gave His life for them as well, to bring salvation and eternal life. We were also able to help with medications. Many people had severe colds, and many children suffered from bronquitis and pneumonia.
On Tuesday morning, we could see that the river had receded significantly. Our boat was tipped to the side, allowing water and sand to enter the engine. With a lot of help, we managed to get the boat and engine ashore. I had to dismantle the engine, clean the parts with gasoline, and reassemble it before it would start again. Fortunately, I always carry tools with me on my travels, and they proved invaluable now. There were many interested onlookers! But our troubles were not over!
Marcial, a member of the congregation in Tigre Playa who feels called to preach the gospel, came with me. We traveled in a small wooden boat that a neighbor in the village built for us. Not long before the trip to Cahuapanas, we constructed a corrugated metal roof over the back part of the boat. It would make traveling more comfortable as it shielded us and the luggage from rain and the scorching sun. However, the roof would not make it back home to Tigre Playa again; the weather caused this trip to be much more eventful than expected.
Our first stop was in the village of Barranquita. This is a village where both people from the Shayawita tribe and mestizos live. Many people gathered that Sunday afternoon in one of the homes. There was no seating, so children and adults sat on the floor, and others stood along the walls. Some of these were believers who had accepted the Lord during one of our previous visits to this location. Everyone participated in the singing with great joy and enthusiasm. We sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, but suddenly the meeting was interrupted by someone shouting and screaming that there was a fight outside. Most people ran out to see what was happening and did not return, so the service ended abruptly. However, we had conversations with several attendees before we left, and everyone wanted us to return to teach them more from the Bible.
On to the village of Kaupan
The day after, we continued our journey toward the village of Kaupan. Since our last visit there, they had built a church using materials from the forest, in the same style they constructed their huts. We held Bible studies every day and many stayed in the village during those days to learn more from God's word rather than going out to work in their garden plots. These indigenous people were often looked down upon by the mestizos, who often dismissed them as lacking souls and likened them to animals.Therefore, they were eager to learn more about God's love for all people and that Jesus gave His life for them as well, to bring salvation and eternal life. We were also able to help with medications. Many people had severe colds, and many children suffered from bronquitis and pneumonia.
On Tuesday morning, we could see that the river had receded significantly. Our boat was tipped to the side, allowing water and sand to enter the engine. With a lot of help, we managed to get the boat and engine ashore. I had to dismantle the engine, clean the parts with gasoline, and reassemble it before it would start again. Fortunately, I always carry tools with me on my travels, and they proved invaluable now. There were many interested onlookers! But our troubles were not over!
The Big Storm
A storm hit on the night to Friday, bringing thunder and a torrential downpour that lasted all night. We had noticed in the evening that a storm was on the way, so before settling down for the night, we went with some of the villagers to the river to secure the boats and canoes. We drove the stakes the boats were tied to, deep into the ground high up on the bank. However, it turned out not to be sufficient!
I was awakened at dawn by cries that all the canoes and boats had disappeared, swept away by the river that surged like a tidal wave overnight, taking with it the stakes and everything tied to them. The only thing left was an old canoe that lay far up on the shore. The narrow river near the mountains had risen sixteen feet overnight! Together with some villagers, we paddled down the river in the old canoe to search for the boats. The water had already receded by a 5-6 feet, but the river current still flowed like rapids, dragging entire trees and shrubs along with it.
We first found the teacher's boat, unharmed but full of water. Most of the canoes were eventually located as well. We paddled quite a distance farther until we reached a spot where the river split around a small island. At the tip of the island, a large pile of trees and debris had accumulated, and amidst this mess, we caught sight of the bottom of a boat and some parts of a roof a little beyond. The current was very strong, making it too dangerous to do anything that day, so we paddled back. The next day, the water had receded even more, and we set out once again down the river with a total of ten men who wanted to help.
The boat was still in the same spot, upside down amidst the pile of logs and branches. We stood on the logs and were able to maneuver the boat almost halfway above the waterline. After much effort, we managed to tie a rope around the motor. But suddenly, a powerful whirlpool swept the boat and the motor away and with a crash, they disappeared beneath the timber pile. We had to give up for the day, and went back to the village a little discouraged, but determined to try again.
A storm hit on the night to Friday, bringing thunder and a torrential downpour that lasted all night. We had noticed in the evening that a storm was on the way, so before settling down for the night, we went with some of the villagers to the river to secure the boats and canoes. We drove the stakes the boats were tied to, deep into the ground high up on the bank. However, it turned out not to be sufficient!
I was awakened at dawn by cries that all the canoes and boats had disappeared, swept away by the river that surged like a tidal wave overnight, taking with it the stakes and everything tied to them. The only thing left was an old canoe that lay far up on the shore. The narrow river near the mountains had risen sixteen feet overnight! Together with some villagers, we paddled down the river in the old canoe to search for the boats. The water had already receded by a 5-6 feet, but the river current still flowed like rapids, dragging entire trees and shrubs along with it.
We first found the teacher's boat, unharmed but full of water. Most of the canoes were eventually located as well. We paddled quite a distance farther until we reached a spot where the river split around a small island. At the tip of the island, a large pile of trees and debris had accumulated, and amidst this mess, we caught sight of the bottom of a boat and some parts of a roof a little beyond. The current was very strong, making it too dangerous to do anything that day, so we paddled back. The next day, the water had receded even more, and we set out once again down the river with a total of ten men who wanted to help.
The boat was still in the same spot, upside down amidst the pile of logs and branches. We stood on the logs and were able to maneuver the boat almost halfway above the waterline. After much effort, we managed to tie a rope around the motor. But suddenly, a powerful whirlpool swept the boat and the motor away and with a crash, they disappeared beneath the timber pile. We had to give up for the day, and went back to the village a little discouraged, but determined to try again.
Three Weddings and a Baptismal Service
That Sunday, which was the concluding day of the Bible course and meetings, three couples were married in the church and later baptized in the river. These were the first six members added to the congregation in Kaupan. They had accepted Jesus as their Savior during our very first visit. It was a significant and joyous celebration. It was wonderful to see God’s Kingdom moving forward, and well worth any troubles we might experience along the way.
A Dangerous Salvage Mission
It wasn't until two days later that the water had receded and the current calmed enough for us to make another attempt to salvage the boat. When we got back to the island, we couldn't see either the boat nor the roof in the timber pile. However, by using poles to probe between the logs, we located the boat, which had flipped over and was now facing the right way, but completely full of water. It was held down by the logs intertwined across and around the boat, yet also kept in place by the buoyancy of the wood. I jumped into the river and swam underneath the logs toward the spot where the boat lay trapped.
That Sunday, which was the concluding day of the Bible course and meetings, three couples were married in the church and later baptized in the river. These were the first six members added to the congregation in Kaupan. They had accepted Jesus as their Savior during our very first visit. It was a significant and joyous celebration. It was wonderful to see God’s Kingdom moving forward, and well worth any troubles we might experience along the way.
A Dangerous Salvage Mission
It wasn't until two days later that the water had receded and the current calmed enough for us to make another attempt to salvage the boat. When we got back to the island, we couldn't see either the boat nor the roof in the timber pile. However, by using poles to probe between the logs, we located the boat, which had flipped over and was now facing the right way, but completely full of water. It was held down by the logs intertwined across and around the boat, yet also kept in place by the buoyancy of the wood. I jumped into the river and swam underneath the logs toward the spot where the boat lay trapped.
With water above my head, I braced myself with all my strength against the bottom of the boat to free it from the timber pile and allow it to float up downstream. It was quite a dangerous task, but I succeeded! I felt the boat loosen beneath me as I followed it in the current out from underneath the timber pile. It was such a relief to have my head above water and take a breath again! Fortunately, there were no alligators in sight or any signs of them in the murky water. Some of the villagers managed to grab the boat before it floated further down the river. The roof was gone, but otherwise, the boat was intact.
The motor had been dislodged from the boat, but after a while, we discovered that the rope had gotten caught around a log and we managed to pull it up. It had sustained more damage, but after dismantling it and cleaning out the water and sand for the second time on this journey, it started again. The air filter had been torn off, so I fashioned a new one out of a tin can. The electrical system had been underwater for so long that I consider it a miracle that it started at all. With a refill of oil and gasoline, it ran as it should all the way home. I later recognized parts of the roof on a chicken coop belonging to a mestizo living further down the river.
There have been many perilous journeys on small and large rivers over the years. We thank God for keeping us safe through both accidents and illnesses. We visited the villages in Cahuapanas multiple times, and over the years, work there has progressed. There have been both setbacks and advancements. Many years ago, they built a fairly large church from wooden boards with a corrugated metal roof in Kaupan. The village has also grown during these years, despite some people moving out to other places. However, the Lord has kept His hand over the congregation of faithful believers in the villages along this tributary of the Marañon.
The motor had been dislodged from the boat, but after a while, we discovered that the rope had gotten caught around a log and we managed to pull it up. It had sustained more damage, but after dismantling it and cleaning out the water and sand for the second time on this journey, it started again. The air filter had been torn off, so I fashioned a new one out of a tin can. The electrical system had been underwater for so long that I consider it a miracle that it started at all. With a refill of oil and gasoline, it ran as it should all the way home. I later recognized parts of the roof on a chicken coop belonging to a mestizo living further down the river.
There have been many perilous journeys on small and large rivers over the years. We thank God for keeping us safe through both accidents and illnesses. We visited the villages in Cahuapanas multiple times, and over the years, work there has progressed. There have been both setbacks and advancements. Many years ago, they built a fairly large church from wooden boards with a corrugated metal roof in Kaupan. The village has also grown during these years, despite some people moving out to other places. However, the Lord has kept His hand over the congregation of faithful believers in the villages along this tributary of the Marañon.
The following photos were sent to us by Manuel, the pastor in Saramiriza. They were taken during some visits and Bible days in Kaupan in 2017. Several youth were baptized, and many children were brought forward to be prayed over and to receive a blessing. Pastor Manuel and his team traveled with a new boat belonging to the congregation in Saramiriza. It is much farther to Cahuapanas from Saramiriza than from Tigre Playa. The village and church maintain contact with San Lorenzo, which is closer, but the leaders still come to the annual conferences and Bible weeks in Saramiriza.
