asuncion trip

We had an interesting trip to our isolated group Asunción. We were able to go and come back all in one day, because one brother who is a taxi driver took a bunch of us in his car. We all just split the price of the gas. We had a really fun/laughing time out, because everyone in the car has a good sense of humor.

When we got there we ate lunch in the house of the sister who always cooks for the visiting brothers. She made duck. It was really good.

It was the visit of the C.O. and we've been wondering if things are going to change with Asunción. It seems like policies are changing toward the isolated groups. Before, the focus seemed to really be on doing everything possible to work unassigned areas, start a group, travel there to conduct meetings. But lately, we've been hearing the C.O. has been taking a look at the groups, seeing if there's been any progress in the years that brothers have been travelling from the city to support it, and closing down the unproductive ones. In Asunción there has not been a new publisher in the 2 1/2 years our congregation has been taking care of it. Even the baptized ones there are not supporting the preaching well, coming to the city for assemblies, or even very strong in their attendance of the meetings right there in Asunción. We had the sub-C.O. there this weekend, and in the last few minutes of his talk he spoke right to the 7 publishers there from Asunción, and explained that they would not always have the brothers coming from the city to conduct Bible studies, do the preaching, and conduct the meetings. The purpose was for they themselves to take charge of their own territory and not need help anymore. It was really motivating.

So, on our way home, it was just me and Forrest and the brother driving his car, because the rest of the car group stayed for the weekend. We picked up 2 men along the road who were travelling to Cajamarca, so when they paid their fare it wouldn't cost us all so much. Well, after going through a little pueblo called San Juan, still about an hour away from Cajamarca, the car broke down. I always wondered what would happen if we broke down in the middle of nowhere. It was about 8:00 by now, and things get pretty scary after dark in Peru. The brother and Forrest and the 2 men all got out to try to figure out what happened. Me and Forrest were both praying. They figured that it was the timing belt that had broken. The brother took it off, and the car started ok. He said, "We can probably make it back without it." But the fan wasn't working either. So the brother found a piece of wire in his dash, and just wired the fan directly to the battery, holding it together with stiff plant stems the man found and pieces of paper. When the fan started running, we jumped in the car and took off. So we made it back just fine. Who needs Advance Auto Parts in an emergency? Just think like McGiver and look around you.