Silva and Nace from Peru: Back to the Peruvian jungle

Silva and I have started our journey again. For quite some time we haven’t posted here, however, during this time, a lot happened to us and we did not lack work in Slovenia. We also traveled some since our last mission trip to Peru.

This intermediate journey to Peru and Colombia two years ago was not missionary and charitable in nature, but rather to ‘study’, if I may put it that way.

A Recap of Our Experiences in Peru and Columbia

We first went for three months in Peru, to the city of Piura (over 900 miles North of Lima), and from there to Mancora, which is the coastal part of Peru, hotter and more tropical than Lima.

We spent three months there learning Spanish and studying the possibilities of obtaining a kind of visa in Peru that would provide us with a longer-term stay in the country.

In the meantime, after the first stage of the missionary journey (during the pandemic), we discussed the work and possible projects that we could undertake in this part of South America, all within the framework of Operando.

If we have learned anything during our travels, it’s complete flexibility. This means being open to any new opportunities that may arise and may not be part of our original plan. We always want to act according to God’s will and “fix” ourselves as little as possible on our own desires and tendencies.

Those three months in Mancora were important to us. It was there that God revealed his plan to us – to some extent. Let me explain.

As we completed the final stage of our missionary journey in Peru, remember stories from native communities in the Amazon rainforest of Atalaya, we met the bishop of this part of Peru several times. We also visited the Franciscan Anton Žerdin Bukovec and his Nopoki University, which he founded and dedicated exclusively to the natives.

We met him several times and talked about the possibilities of our work. In addition to Atalaya, he often mentioned the city of Pucallpa as another great missionary opportunity.

Next Stop: Pucallpa?

The city about 300 miles from Atalaya is the tenth largest city in Peru. Pucallpa is also the largest city in the Amazon part of Peru and faces many social challenges without enough missionaries and charities to do the work.

At that time, we talked a lot about the fact that we really could continue our mission in Pucallpa. But, first, we wanted to go home to Slovenia. Before returning to South America, we wanted to see our family, friends, and loved ones again.

Arriving in Slovenia was fully in line with God’s leadership. A few months later, the pandemic broke out and we both know that it would have been very difficult if we had been forced to stay abroad due to Covid, especially in a country like Peru.

Peru was hit hard by the pandemic. Many foreigners remained trapped in the country, with no documents and no chance of treatment should the need arise.

A Week in Mancora

Two years later, we find ourselves in Mancora. The complex where we lived also housed a family for a while, who at first generously gave us smiles and friendly gestures. Soon we immersed ourselves in a conversation and introduced ourselves to each other.

It was the Reátegui family: Jessy with her son and with her most kind mother, Elia. We were told they came from Pucallpa. From Pucallpa! More than 900 miles away from Mancora, we meet a family that comes from the city where our next mission has been drawn for the past two years!

In this way, God guides our ways and connects us with one another so that His plan is realized. I like the thought that each of us lives the story of God, not our own story.

There is a God who writes his story, and then there are we, taking part of His story, who live this story, respond to it, and try (more or less) not to go astray, not to add words, phrases, or paragraphs that are not part of this story – which would only distract a reader – ourselves.

We were surprised, even though I don’t know why, because God kept pointing the way forward in this way. Without planning ahead, we traveled the world for three years. He never failed us. His plan was always crystal clear – clear enough to be understood and followed.

We spent about a week in Mancora with this family. Then we continued our journey in Colombia, where we were invited by Claretinian missionaries.

Six Months in Columbia

During the final stage of our missionary journey in Colombia, we spent quite some time with them. Further study of Spanish was offered to us in Colombia, in the Fussimania community in Medellin, which we knew from before.

For the next six months, we lived in Colombia, three months in Fussimania, and three months right in downtown Medellin with our friend Beatriz, a widow who has a big apartment. The company came in handy – we became good friends and we are still in close contact with her.

We may have started writing our own chapter in the great Story written by the Creator, or perhaps not, who knows. But, together with the Colombian Claretians and with the help of their lawyer, we applied for a volunteer visa in Colombia.

After three months of attempts and pointless refusals due to tiny errors in formalities, and new requests to pay for correction audits, we decided to suspend the procedure. Our tourist visa also expired, so we had to say goodbye to Colombia and came back home after nine months.

The Return to Slovenia

We stayed in Slovenia practically all year. We both had some health problems and, again, I could say that God’s pencil had nicely anticipated the right circumstances for our recovery. He opened the hearts of our friends in Slovenia so that we could live in their house and have excellent living conditions until we left again.

The goal was now clear. After things didn’t work out in Colombia, we didn’t really want to go back into a process of tedious formalities and dejection.

No, now we were determined to follow the original plan and go back to Peru, Pucallpa, where our Boss pointed his finger two years ago, then in Mancora. New friends, the Reátegui family, were waiting for us, and we stayed in touch with them until our arrival in the Amazon.

God Sent Us Back to Peru After All

Next time, I’ll tell you how we traveled to Peru, how we were welcomed to Pucallpa, and what life in the largest city in the middle of the Peruvian jungle looks like.