Have you seen one? They are pretty rare except in zoos. Here in the Patagonia it is considered to be a stroke of luck to ever see one. Those who live and work in the Torres del Paine National Park are constantly on the look out for them, but rarely see them. It is a moment of excitement to see one. The question arises: "why do we get so excited about seeing the marvelous creations of the Lord, yet show little emotion as we see the Lord working in and through the lives of people?"
July 18 volunteers from the Cumberland Baptist Church of Knoxville arrived in Punta Arenas to work with the missionaries during winter vacation. The team didn't come to see pumas, they came to lead children’s day camps and youth and adult meetings in the evenings. Four of the team members were coming for the second time and one member, emeritus missionary Ruth Anna Driggers, was returning to Chile after an absence of nearly two years. All were enthusiastic to begin, while exhausted after traveling for more than 24 hours from Knoxville. Snow and cold temperatures greeted the team. It was good that they had left their jackets and parkas unpacked. Marcela Pereira from Concepción joined the team on Monday to help with translation and to renew friendships with long time friends.
First stop for these Tennessee Volunteers was Las Vertientes Baptist Church on Sunday evening. More than 70 people participated in the evening’s activities which included making Origami penguins and hearing the message through song and testimony. The congregation especially enjoyed the Spanish choruses sung with a very strong Tennessee accent. Pastor Eliseo Merino worked with the team throughout the week, making sure of the places and times for every meeting.
The team came loaded with hand work activities such as beaded Chilean flag keychains, the wordless book as a necklace, butterflies and lion heads. Each of these gave opportunities to share the Gospel. On Monday afternoon Solcita (AKA Tami Hurst) told Bible stories and brightened the day with her balloons and smile. There were children from the neighborhood who came to the church building for the very first time and left with a new knowledge of Jesus' love for them. In the evening Marcela and others shared games, crafts and God’s word with the adults and youth, sharing how one can find true direction and purpose through Jesus Christ.
Early Tuesday morning with the sun rising over the Straits of Magellan the team left the hotel and arrived at the barcaza (ferry) to make the 2 ½ hour crossing to Tierra de Fuego and the town of Porvenir. The ferry crosses the straits twice a day except when the wind is extremely strong. The night before there had been such a wind, but the Lord blessed the trip with barely a breeze and the Dramamine was not needed. Some slept, some looked for dolphins and some visited with one another during the journey , but all were pleased to have a safe and smooth crossing.
In Porvenir the local public school was loaned to the team. The local radio station had announced the activities. Many were in Punta Arenas or further north, taking advantage of the vacation days, so on the first afternoon there were not many in attendance except for the boys who had been playing in the school’s gym. One boy had his best friend Toby with him. Toby stayed the course and behaved as well as any one could expect. That evening with 16 workers prepared to work with the young people, only one young man, Rodolfo appeared. He received personalized attention to say the least. He returned the next morning with a brother and a friend. The team began to realize that it might be a better plan for future projects to stay in one place for several days since each day the group increased as word spread in the community. Pray that good follow-up will be used by the mission in Porvenir to reach the children who heard the message during these two days.
After lunch the team left for the ferry to return to Punta Arenas. The trip began quite well and the team could appreciate the beautiful sunset (4:00 p.m.) as the ferry steamed its way back to Punta Arenas. On this leg of the trip the team was more awake and ready to talk with the many other folks on the boat. Around the deck of the ferry volunteers, missionaries, and translators were visiting with fellow passengers. One such passenger was Eduardo. Steve and Margaret had met him out on the open deck and shared a tract and some food with him. Later other volunteers had opportunity to share with him, until with the help of Annette he was able to hear the Gospel message. Eduardo promised to meet the team the next day and to attend the next meeting. Many seeds were sown during the crossing and only the Lord may know the results of the time spent. Pray that the seeds sown will be watered and harvested in time. Many suggested that we have a future project where everyday the team would go back and forth on the ferry, sharing the Gospel with those who literally are a captive audience.
Thursday morning the team was invited to go to the Miraflores Children Home which is operated by the Catholic Church. Once again with the help of Solcita the children heard the story of David and Goliath and heard how God can use even the smallest of folk for His purpose. Children, workers and volunteers all spent a lot of time hugging and sharing with one another. An opportunity has been offered to return to the home and work with the older girls, helping with their English tutoring and in Bible studies. Pray that we will be able to take advantage of these opportunities.
After lunch Eduardo met up with the team and stayed with them during the afternoon classes in the Horeb mission. There the team met quite a few children and some women who had never attended before. Pray for the leaders of the mission in this economically challenged neighborhood, that they will be able to reach these unchurched women and children. And pray for Eduardo, as he continues to be in contact with the Raceys, that he will understand and respond to the Gospel that he has heard from so many.
On Friday morning the team packed up their many bags and set out for the bus terminal to travel to Puerto Natales where they would have a bit of relaxation and visit the Torres del Paine National Park on Saturday. We had a new tour guide, Christian, who drove the van as we visited this incredible spot. There was some opportunity to share with him about God’s plan for him, so pray that He will be able to recall what he heard and find it meaningful for his life.
You have probably been wondering about the title of this article. In the national park there are thousands of examples of animal life, from guanacos to condors, from pink flamingos to foxes, all within a hand’s throw, but hardly ever does one get to see pumas there. Yes, they do exist and one often sees signs of their presence, but they are not usually visible. As the van and car had stopped to watch another group of Condors flying close to the ground, Mike Racey ran over to the van and announced that Mark had just spotted a puma. Naturally everyone piled quickly out of the van to go take a look. Down a hill and beside the river bank there were not one, but four pumas, a mother and her cubs walking back and forth around the turns in the river. We stood in amazement of this sight for quite awhile. Christian shared that he wanted the team to realize just how special this day was. He had grown up in the park and had seen pumas, but never had the experience of viewing four pumas with a group of tourists before. This author can attest that she has been to the park 20 times and this was her first sighting. What a blessing to have experienced this extra special gift from the Lord!
But even more than the joy of experiencing the presence of pumas in the park, is the blessing that the team received by experiencing the presence of the Lord working throughout the week, in the lives of so many people, both adults and children. The Lord is good and as we are willing to bless others through our mere presence He will bless us with incredible and wonderful sights that will gladden our hearts and spirits. We can say along with the Psalmist: “Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders.”
If you’d like to see more photos from the week click on the following links.
Mike and Annette’s photos at: http://community.webshots.com/album/167552893HOcBrQ
and Jackie’s at: http://community.webshots.com/album/167785854NXdGlG
