Feeling more at home in Pampallacta

I went again with Dina to Pampallacta - after last week's success this time we planned to go early and walk back. it's lovely now to arrive and be greeted by people we know in the village.

I haven't yet  managed to coordinate with the local government water rep for the district - partly because I'm disorganised and partly because he is! - but in the meantime it's great to be able to visit and build up relationships - and participate in the amazing work of evangelism that Dina is doing.

We visited many of the same families as last week, but also visited a couple who had been away.  it was very encouraging for me to see that here, in a non-literary culture, they had clearly been studying the Bible - it can only have been bought 8 months ago and is well-worn.  We talked about how to grow in Christian maturity from babies to adults - that this is a long process but one that we can work towards.

One of the sights of Pampallacta - getting ready to kill a cow.

This time we took with us some more of the food boxes that AIDIA had received in November (containing rice, beans, pasta and other dried foods, for the neediest people in the communities). Dina had spoken with the president earlier to ask who these should go to and he'd given various names of widows, or single parent families, or people physically unable to work. The boxes are heavy! We reckon each one is at least 6kg, and we had brought 4 to carry down the very steep hill between the new and old parts of the village! Eventually unpacking 2 of the boxes into our rucksacks we managed - just.

We started our walk home. The first part is the most annoying because you can see straight from A to B but walking you have to go via H, Q and W because of the lie of the land. We had got just about over halfway, to the top of the zigzags, when we heard an engine above us - but we'd already left the road. I scrambled up a VERY steep bank at top speed and just about managed it in time to get us a lift in the back of a lorry. I was home in time for music practice!

   

"Abancay" street                                  Lower Pampallacta                                    Winding mountain paths

 

 Sheltering from the rain and having lunch                  Our lift down the hill!                           

Unfortunately the people who we were travelling with last year have sold their truck and are no longer visiting. AIDIA works in partnership with the local church and not independently, so without their involvement we can't sustain the work. Dina is visiting the church leaders and we are praying that God will raise up more people who can commit to visit regularly so that this work can continue.