Hermana Ostler’s
Update – February 3, 2014
Just call me Noah.
Who would have thought that
excessive rain equals rivers flooding? Apparently nobody thought of that before
they built Pueblo Viejo, the village that snuggles right into the armpit of
Madre de Dio and Tambopata. But really, they live in the middle of two GIANT
river beds.
We started the week off BEGGING
people to move. The water was up to our waists but they were just content to
wait it out, to live in that sewer water until it went down again. Va a bajar.
Va a bajar. I felt like Noah yelling at the people, “Come to the Chapel! Come
to the chapel with all your things before it rises even more! The rains are
coming!”
And... what does everyone do
with prophets like Noah or white missionaries like me?
They ignore us. They decide it’s
better to live in the sin and dirtiness of this world. That there is time to
move or to repent or to fix the problems with their families. There is
time.
Fast forward to two or three
days later. Again we came down to Pueblo to help. But this time it was a little
too late. The water was above the head, it was cold, it was fast... it was more
than a big puddle. The river had come with full force into Pueblo. At this time
we really couldn’t help anybody. It was way too late to help move things or to
help them come to Christ, the river had come and it was way way way too late.
Oh how the people cried! Really, I have not seen that type of suffering before.
People losing EVERYTHING because they would not heed the call when there was
time.
We went down and had to come
back up, because WE heeded the call. We knew that the river and the rains were
coming, that this life is much more than waiting to change. That this is the
time to be the person that God wants us to be. That one day the river will come
and that river will be full of crocodiles (no joke), boas (no joke), and other
dangers.
I learned a lot this week. How
we really do not have the time to wait, to live in filthy water. That we need
to climb up and out of that to live on a higher plane, where the river cannot
touch or affect us.
Now there are 11 families
living in the church. They heeded the call. Let us all do the same!
Love, Hermana Alex
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