Well, we were able to catch an earlier flight, and so left Iquitos on Tuesday evening instead of Wednesday morning. Good thing, since we heard that the roads in Iquitos were closed as of midnight last night in an attempt to prevent violence from occurring in the area, and we would have had a very difficult time getting to or into the airport this morning. As our airplane descended into Lima, we could see the orange street lights stretching out in front of us like a huge carpet. Lima is a city of about 10 million people packed between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. Stepping out into the evening air from the airplane was a terrific feeling – the coolness of the ocean breezes refreshed us after the heat of the jungle, though Roldan was cold and put on a jacket! Our taxi driver had to stop to ask for directions a few times to get us to our destination, but we finally arrived at the home of our host for the next 24 hours, Rev. Daniel Cueva. He is the pastor of the Bible Presbyterian Church here, in the Callao province, La Perla district of the city. He and his family live in apartments above church.  

In the providence of God, the Cuevas had another visitor last night as well, a police officer who is a friend of Daniel’s. This man is spiritually tender and searching for peace with God. It happened that he was here from an outlying area, staying with the Cueva’s, as he took part in the police efforts to control the strike situation! Roldan spoke at length with him about faith, the Word, the gospel, and he took it all in very thoughtfully. No accidents with God – if we had come to Lima this morning as originally planned, we would have missed this man.

We also talked with him about the strike, and we now understand that the leftists plan to target only certain areas with their activities, and that the general flow of life here will be uninterrupted (unlike in Iquitos, which is much smaller, of course). It was as if the Lord sent us this man to assure us that we need not fear what men can do, and that the Lord’s work will not be hindered by the rage of men however misdirected. We’re even going to take a bus over to Roldan’s house here later today, so that I can meet his wife and other family members, and see a bit more of the city.

I’ll also be talking at length with Daniel today about his ministry here, and together explore how the Lord will lead in any future work or relationship together. In the little time that I have known him, he strikes me as a fervent and warm-hearted man. He and his young family are a delight. If nothing else, my own life and ministry are blessed for their entrance into my circle of friends and co-laborers. I trust that I shall be the same to them.

It’s official – I have a cold. Not a great way to start off a Team Timothy ministry, but I trust the Lord’s timing to accomplish his purposes. I’d sure appreciate your prayers that it wouldn’t last long, or keep me down. So far it hasn’t wiped me out too badly – just the typical head and chest kind of cold. I really will be working hard not to lose my voice! I’ve got a lot of singing and preaching to do over the next two weeks!

I wasn’t much company at Roldan’s house – slept most of the time, and ate! Still, his wife and daughter and grandkids are terrific, and very understanding. A very pleasant, light and open house. They rent the upper story out to another family, and so the place is like a very homey and welcoming Grand Central Station. It was a long, long bus ride to the other side of the city to get there, and we took a taxi back to save time. The only evidence we saw of the strike, by the way, was one parade over on Roldan’s side of town, very peaceful and orderly, and not very long. Praise the Lord for his protection and ordering of all things.

Hoped to have a chance to get online at the airport tonight, but it didn’t happen. Just not enough time. We’re all squared away for our flight tonight, though, and all is ticking right along.