AUGUST 2, 2009
Can We Get There From Here?
Deadly Cult in Yurimaguas.
The “Hogar”.
So, after 14 hours of travel on Saturday and a 4-hour time for quick sleep, we were up again at the Hotel Melodia
in Lima. After a quick breakfast, we were back in the 2 vans and on the 20-minute ride to the Lima airport. It took
less time to clear the Security line here than it did in Orlando yesterday. They don’t worry about silly things like
shoe bombs and carrying liquids in big bottles onto planes here in Peru.
During the 55-minute flight to Tarapoto across the Andes (by the way, Susan tells us that it takes 24 hours to drive
from Lima to Tarapoto), we admired the 22,000-foot snowy peaks just a few thousand feet below us. Wow!
The trip from Tarapoto to Yurimaguas had always been at least an 8-hour ordeal….until April, when the paving of
the long-time, rut-filled, narrow mountain road was finished. Now….it’s less than 3 hours!
- - - - - - -
As we rode along this morning toward Yurimaguas, Susan confided in a few of us riding near her about the recent
cult activities in the town. Apparently, a charismatic leader had risen up out of the Jehovah’s Witness church in
Yurimaguas, had developed some very twisted thinking, and somehow felt that having his followers burn some
other local people to death was the right thing to do for his new brand of “religion”.
At least 10 Yurimaguas adults were killed in April before State authorities tracked down this cult leader and his
followers and hauled them away. Several children were orphaned, there was untold heartache in this town, and
many – including us – are left wondering how this type of evil could exist in the 21st Century.
Authorities have come to Susan to inquire about her possibly taking some of the orphan children to live at her
mission house, the “Hogar” (see below).
- - - - - - -
The “Hostel Akemi”….our new home.
We checked in to our hotel in Yurimaguas. It’s not a bad place: clean, a friendly front desk staff, and a locked
room for storage of our extras. There is working electricity, but no air conditioning or hot water. The hot water isn’t
really needed here, as the cool shower is welcomed each day after spending time in the hot, humid jungle climate.
Yurimaguas sits at the Southwest edge of the huge State of Loreto, which is essentially all rainforest jungle in this
Eastern part of Peru. Five rivers flow from the Andes and the highlands to meet to form the mighty Amazon in
Iquitos, the only significant city in Loreto. Here in Yurimaguas, we sit along one of those rivers in this Amazon
basin area. There are essentially no roads from this point on, except for a few miles of this sticky clay dirt from
here to the river….and this stuff turns to slippery, gooey clay mud with each rain (but this is the dry season –
right?). Travel is by river or by bush planes flying into little grass strips (we won’t get to try this during this
particular trip…).
Susan Holowecky has been serving the poor in this area for nearly 10 years. We will get to experience some of
her projects this week, and, this evening, got to see the “Hogar”, or “The Home”. This seems to be a combination
foster home-orphanage and a safe place for high-risk pregnant women to stay and be cared for until they deliver
their babies. She also takes in some of the worst of the malnourished kids from the jungle and nurses them back
to health (sometimes for several months before they go back to their village).
There were 4 bright happy faces that greeted us at the door; and they planted kisses on everyone’s cheeks. Two
of the children’s names that we remember include the more common Juan Carlos, but also an amazingly cute 6-
year-old named Elton John. Yes, Elton John.
We’ll get to see and hear about this operation much more as the week goes on.
The plan for tomorrow is to get up early (of course), and travel only about 30 minutes to work in a village named
Munichis. This is to be the easiest travel day of the week.
We’ll see…
Can We Get There From Here?
Deadly Cult in Yurimaguas.
The “Hogar”.
So, after 14 hours of travel on Saturday and a 4-hour time for quick sleep, we were up again at the Hotel Melodia
in Lima. After a quick breakfast, we were back in the 2 vans and on the 20-minute ride to the Lima airport. It took
less time to clear the Security line here than it did in Orlando yesterday. They don’t worry about silly things like
shoe bombs and carrying liquids in big bottles onto planes here in Peru.
During the 55-minute flight to Tarapoto across the Andes (by the way, Susan tells us that it takes 24 hours to drive
from Lima to Tarapoto), we admired the 22,000-foot snowy peaks just a few thousand feet below us. Wow!
The trip from Tarapoto to Yurimaguas had always been at least an 8-hour ordeal….until April, when the paving of
the long-time, rut-filled, narrow mountain road was finished. Now….it’s less than 3 hours!
- - - - - - -
As we rode along this morning toward Yurimaguas, Susan confided in a few of us riding near her about the recent
cult activities in the town. Apparently, a charismatic leader had risen up out of the Jehovah’s Witness church in
Yurimaguas, had developed some very twisted thinking, and somehow felt that having his followers burn some
other local people to death was the right thing to do for his new brand of “religion”.
At least 10 Yurimaguas adults were killed in April before State authorities tracked down this cult leader and his
followers and hauled them away. Several children were orphaned, there was untold heartache in this town, and
many – including us – are left wondering how this type of evil could exist in the 21st Century.
Authorities have come to Susan to inquire about her possibly taking some of the orphan children to live at her
mission house, the “Hogar” (see below).
- - - - - - -
The “Hostel Akemi”….our new home.
We checked in to our hotel in Yurimaguas. It’s not a bad place: clean, a friendly front desk staff, and a locked
room for storage of our extras. There is working electricity, but no air conditioning or hot water. The hot water isn’t
really needed here, as the cool shower is welcomed each day after spending time in the hot, humid jungle climate.
Yurimaguas sits at the Southwest edge of the huge State of Loreto, which is essentially all rainforest jungle in this
Eastern part of Peru. Five rivers flow from the Andes and the highlands to meet to form the mighty Amazon in
Iquitos, the only significant city in Loreto. Here in Yurimaguas, we sit along one of those rivers in this Amazon
basin area. There are essentially no roads from this point on, except for a few miles of this sticky clay dirt from
here to the river….and this stuff turns to slippery, gooey clay mud with each rain (but this is the dry season –
right?). Travel is by river or by bush planes flying into little grass strips (we won’t get to try this during this
particular trip…).
Susan Holowecky has been serving the poor in this area for nearly 10 years. We will get to experience some of
her projects this week, and, this evening, got to see the “Hogar”, or “The Home”. This seems to be a combination
foster home-orphanage and a safe place for high-risk pregnant women to stay and be cared for until they deliver
their babies. She also takes in some of the worst of the malnourished kids from the jungle and nurses them back
to health (sometimes for several months before they go back to their village).
There were 4 bright happy faces that greeted us at the door; and they planted kisses on everyone’s cheeks. Two
of the children’s names that we remember include the more common Juan Carlos, but also an amazingly cute 6-
year-old named Elton John. Yes, Elton John.
We’ll get to see and hear about this operation much more as the week goes on.
The plan for tomorrow is to get up early (of course), and travel only about 30 minutes to work in a village named
Munichis. This is to be the easiest travel day of the week.
We’ll see…
We've missed a lot of sleep already, so we take advantage of these travel moments...
...street in front of Hostel Akemi...
Travel is different around here....