PROVIDING A CUP OF WATER IN JESUS’ NAME | SPRING 2010
A Light
in the Darkness
SPECIAL
PERU
EDITION
The Screaming Candoshi Lady
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE | Meet Jorge: Continuing Tommy’s Legacy | 2009 Review |
W
We’ve been hearing beautiful stories of transformation out of Peru ever
since Tommy and Angela Head took on the daunting task of bringing clean water to remote villages along the upper Amazon River. They trained up a Peruvian team and set out—healing communities,
restoring relationships, confronting conflict, and saving lives. When Jesus sent out the disciples during his
own lifetime, he instructed them “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke 9:2). This two-fold ministry is the pattern throughout the New Testament story. When a visionary is outlived by his vision, we know it’s something special. Tommy’s vision, inspired by Jesus’ instructions, was to reach remote tribes—particularly the Candoshi—with healing water and the good news of the kingdom of God. When he died last April, there was no doubt that his work would continue. As you read the stories that fill these pages, we hope that Tommy’s vision is contagious, and that his passion for these overlooked tribespeople captivates you. We are committed to empowering Angela, Jorge, and the Living Water Peru team to carry on Tommy’s work until no one on the upper Amazon is left untouched. Will you be part of his legacy?
VOLUME 9
NUMBER 1
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL Chairman of the Board
Gary Loveless
Executive Director
Gary Evans
President
Jerry Wiles
Senior Vice President
Mike Mantel
Vice President
Lew Hough
Vice President
Tim Mulville
Vice President
Brad Saltzman
Vice President
Bruce Whitmire
Living Water International Headquarters PO Box 35496 Houston, TX 77235-5496 877.594.4426 www.water.cc Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and experience “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst. is published quarterly by Living Water International to raise awareness about the global water crisis and to inspire Christians everywhere to respond with compassion to the needy of the world. We welcome your stories, comments and/or address changes. Send them to: The Editor, Pipeline, PO Box 35496, Houston, TX 77235-5496 or email the editor: pipeline@water.cc. Living Water International is a nonprofit Christian organization and tax exempt by the IRS under code section 501(c)(3). Gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. Contributions are solicited with the understanding that the donee organization has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version™ TNIV Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. All photos by staff and volunteers of Living Water International unless otherwise noted. COPYRIGHT © 2010 BY LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL INC.
| A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Combined Federal Campaign # 10788
| THE SCREAMING CANDOSHI LADY | 2009: THE NUMBERS | MEET JORGE: CONTINUING TOMMY’S LEGACY
EVANGELICAL
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Join Team Living Water and run, walk, bike, swim, or climb for water. The possibilities are endless! It’s a fun way to raise awareness and funds. Team Living Water member Chris Juhasz, from St. Louis, recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise $16,000 for a well in Tanzania! Read his story, “Climbing for Clean Water” on www.water.cc. To learn more about Team Living Water, visit www.water.cc/team-lwi.
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Annual Houston Gala celebrating our 20th anniversary! Friday, September 17, 2010 6 p.m. Reception • 7 p.m. Dinner Hilton Americas Downtown • Houston, Texas
Represent Team Living Water at these or other marathon events near you. Individuals who set a fundraising goal of $500 of more will receive a free Team Living Water running shirt. It's a functional conversation piece that looks great on the course! Contact Cheryl for more information: cheryl@water.cc | 281.207.7856. Saturday, March 13: Bentonville, AR Half Marathon
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world water day
2010
03.22.10
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Spring 2010
A Light
in the Darkness author’S NOTE: Tommy Head of Living Water Peru was killed in a motorcycle accident on April 25, 2009. Just a month before, I had the privilege of taking a trip with Tommy in search of the story of the Candoshi, a tribe with a special place in Tommy’s heart. The trip brought Tommy a renewed desire to continue working with the Candoshi, a desire that his wife, Angela, and Jorge Alvarez of Living Water Peru continue to carry out today.
BY MELANIE DEWVEALL
a
As we floated along the dark, twisting river, surrounded by lush jungle, I couldn’t resist the temptation to think of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” We made an intrepid group: Tommy, the old hippie; Jorge, his right-hand man; Edison, our guide; Jonathon, my husband; and me. Harmonies of the jungle enveloped us—the murmur of the river, the calls of exotic birds, splashes of what I sincerely hoped wasn’t an alligator or anaconda—sounds that I hadn’t been able to hear while our boat motor was functioning. Now that it had just given up, we floated along with the current, listening to our symphony but praying that Jorge and Edison would miraculously fix our outboard motor. In Conrad’s story, an Englishman stationed in the remote jungle
goes mad—forced to realize his own capacity for savagery, evil, and darkness in the absence of hope. Conrad’s story made me think of the Candoshi—the tribe we had just visited. Their story was a story of darkness, savagery, and hopelessness, but on our trip, we discovered something wonderful—a light in the darkness. When Living Water Peru began working with the Candoshi two years ago, Tommy said sadness, fear, and an emptiness that he could not describe lurked in their eyes. “The look in those eyes,” he recalled “testified to the true darkness only hopelessness can bring.” Rumors and reputation had preceded the tribe, but Tommy and Jorge both felt a deep burden to help the people. Inexplicably, they felt it was where God
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64,000 meters The Candoshi live along the Chuinda and Chapuri river systems in Peru’s northern department of Loreto.
Rio Pastaza Rio Chapuri
Rio Chuinda
The Candoshi The Candoshi work communally to tend one another’s gardens—a practice called minga. Like most native tribes, the Candoshi wait to name their children until they are 2 years old, because when a child is born in the jungle, its chance of survival is about 50%. This is a stark contrast to Peru’s national infant mortality rate of 29 deaths per 1,000 live births—a survival rate of approximately 97.1% About 30% claim to be Christians. The traditional Candoshi religion is centered around one Supreme Being, Apanchi (Our Father), who controls the universe, but is not traditionally worshiped or appeased. Evil spirits called yashigo cause all death and illness and can only be appeased by taboos. Shamans call upon them for healing and bewitching. Spirit power can be obtained individually through ceremonies, and is strengthened through killing.
Spring 2010
wanted them to be, despite all the obstacles. Disease, tribal wars, and confrontations with rubber and oil companies have decimated the Candoshi population. Once a group of 10,000, they number 3,000 today. The Candoshi live along the Chapuri and Chuinda river systems in northern Peru, farming cassava, plantains, and maize, and selling salted fish and wild meats to Spanish-speaking traders. Their location is so remote that few aid workers ever reach them. They are a forgotten people. Historically, they are also a very violent people, whose culture is largely steeped in fear and intimidation. At one point, they shrunk the heads of their defeated enemies. Today, they are known for their revenge killings. But on both river systems, things seem to be changing. The people seem to be changing.
Puerto Unguri We arrived in Puerto Unguri (Oon-gur-ee) as the team was finishing up the new well. The village greeted us with open arms—a far cry from the welcome Tommy, his wife, Angela, and their team received two years ago, when Tommy was run out of at least one village and received a death threat from another. The people here were extremely grateful for the well. You didn’t have to understand Candoshi to know that. It was written all over their faces and sung through their actions. That night, by candlelight, we all sat together beneath the thatched roof of a large house, the night breeze blowing through the non-existent walls, and sang songs. The high-pitched falsetto of the Candoshi women rang out as Lydia, a Peruvian missionary, sang traditional Candoshi songs and hymns. My husband and I even got to play a few songs. It turns out The Beatles are a huge hit in the jungle. When we played one of our own songs about forgiveness and losing someone you love, we didn’t completely comprehend its significance in that moment. You see, the chief’s son, who lived in another village, had just killed his wife. People from that village had visited Puerto Unguri earlier in the day looking for him. If the chief’s son didn’t turn up to face his punishment of death, then someone from Puerto Unguri would be killed and the cycle of revenge killings would begin. The chief (apu) told us that he had not seen his son since the crime was committed. With a somber face, Chief Fidel confessed that if he did see his son, he would be forced to turn him in to be killed—it was the only way to prevent more deaths. A few Christians lived in the community, including Chief Fidel, who was due to teach at the Candoshi Bible Institute in Puerto Matina. Another Christian brother, Janderi, spoke to us all that night. With deliberate, heart-felt words the Candoshi missionary encouraged his brothers and sisters not to get discouraged in the gospel, but to put their hope in God.
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Above: Janderi, 35, with his infectious, ever-present smile. Right: With Chief Fidel at his side, Janderi preaches by headlamp and candlelight. He encouraged his brothers and sisters in Puerto Unguri that night to not get discouraged in the gospel, but to put their hope in God.
Spring 2010
Left: Two little girls watched from the river bank as we left Nueva Alegria. Most of the community was gone when we visited—off to tend to their gardens. Below: The oldest man in Huambra Coasha Viejo. Bottom: A little girl drinks masatto, an alcholic concoction made from yucca and spit. Women chew manioc or yucca, spit it into a pot or hollowed-out log, and allow it to ferment for a few days. Masatto is popular among many tribes in the Amazon because it’s considered safer to drink than the river water.
Person of Peace There aren’t many Christians among the Candoshi, but the few we met seemed to have an unshakable faith and a joy unlike anything I’ve seen before. Janderi smiled constantly. The joy of the Lord never seemed to leave him. When we met him, he was ill, but you would never know it. The smile never even faded from his face when he told us he only had two years to live. Like most Candoshi over the age of 19, he had Hepatitis B—something extremely treatable in our world, but a death sentence for them. Candoshi mothers only have three days to get their newborns to a clinic in Ullapaycu (Ush-pay-a-cu) to be vaccinated against the disease. If they don’t, the child will most assuredly develop Hepatitis B. An anomaly in his culture, Janderi was ostracized from his community when he refused to participate in a revenge killing.
When we met, the 35-year-old husband and father of five lived among a community of Candoshi Christians in Puerto Matina. Janderi comes from a family of Christians—something extremely rare in the Candoshi culture. Together with his brother, Gunter, he traveled the two river systems teaching the gospel to anyone who would listen and baptizing new believers. He traveled with Tommy’s team when they first started working with the Candoshi, to help make the necessary cultural connections and to be a voice for Christ to his people. “My hope for the Candoshi,” he said, “is that someone will help with the word of God. There are still many that don’t know the gospel. I also hope that every Candoshi will have clean water.” Janderi died in November from Hepatitis B. He will always be known as a great fisher of both fish and men.
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Spring 2010
Though there is darkness, there is always hope. I can’t explain to you the joy and renewed hope I felt when our boat motor started. We were only stranded for an hour or less, but I was already planning for the worst. My experience absolutely pales in comparison to the joy and hope that clean water and the gospel bring to the Candoshi. “That’s our prayer,” Tommy once wrote. “We want to use well drilling, not only to improve the physical quality of life, but also to share about the love of Jesus Christ. More than the water, the Candoshi need hope. They need love. They need forgiveness. Whenever we ‘provide a cup of water in Jesus’ name,’ we trust that these things can be restored, and that transformation can come to the lives of the Candoshi…” Though we’ve lost our brothers Yanderi and Tommy, the work with the Candoshi cannot stop now. A light is shining. Transformation is happening. God’s light is more powerful than any darkness. Jorge, Tommy’s right-hand-man, now runs Living Water Peru
with Tommy’s wife, Angela. He sees God moving among the Candoshi. “[They] are giving God the glory for bringing them clean water,” he said. “They have waited and waited, some 40-50 years to have a well… You can see it in their lives and in their hearts that they have waited so very long for clean water and Living Water brought it to them… Now, many of the villages are changed, their hearts have changed through hearing about the love of Jesus Christ.” It’s clear now that God is most definitely at work and hope is showing up where hopelessness reigned. The Bible Institute in Puerto Matina is training Candoshi believers in the ways of God and translating the Word into their native language. Gunter, Janderi’s brother, continues to travel the rivers and spread the gospel. Living Water Peru continues to drill wells in the name of Jesus for the Candoshi. There is a light shining brightly in the darkness of the Candoshi. The light of hope now glimmers in their eyes.
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Spring 2010
The Screaming Candoshi Lady By Tommy Head
NOTE: This was written in February 2009, a few months before Tommy tragically died in a motorcycle accident.
Puerto Hangara is a Candoshi Village located on the Chapuri River. I met the chief in February 2008. He came to the village where we were working and strongly insisted that we drill a well in his village. At first I would be, honestly, a little annoyed when I was approached by someone with this attitude. However, I had to remember that their culture differs so much from ours, and their culture dictates that when they want or need something, they use intimidation. From our perspective, this is hard to understand. We are essentially giving them a well with a lifetime guarantee, and perhaps, we feel that they should even be grateful. But the leaders of these villages are under tremendous pressure from those who live there. We are talking about a tribe that has lost thousands of people to Hepatitis B and now numbers around 3,000. They have seen and still see much tragedy. Everyone over the age of 19 has Hepatitis B, and that’s a death sentence. They are a desperate people group. Sometimes we might catch ourselves thinking, “You’ve been without a water well for hundreds of years. Why can’t you be patient and know that within a couple more you will all have wells?” Makes sense, right? But their take is different. For them, it is a life and death matter. I want to take you to a meeting we had with all the available Candoshi chiefs. I was seated with my translator at the front of the room. My team was sitting off to the left, and in front and all around us were 30 chiefs, some other authorities, and a few women as well. It was one of these women that made the biggest impact on me and my team. During the meeting I told them that many were not going to leave happy. We had over 150 well requests, some dating back as far as 2006. Any new requests would have to go to the back of the line. When I was saying this a woman in the back started screaming. At first I viewed it as a cultural reaction that I was not aware of. Then this lady approached me at the table and yelled, screamed, and shook her finger in my face for at least four minutes. I had no idea what she was saying, as she was speaking
in Candoshi, and my translator couldn’t keep up with her. There were tears in her eyes. She was intense and passionate about whatever it was that she was saying. I just sat there. I did my best to stay cool and just listen—God gave me that grace, as that is not my nature. When she finished I looked at the translator and he gave me a 45-second rundown of what she said, obviously omitting some of the finer points. I asked what village she was from and—this was the odd part—we had already done a well in that village. I was a bit confused, but her point wasn’t that her village didn’t have clean water, but that I was taking a “We’ll get to it when we get to it” attitude, and in the meantime, their children were dying. I know with every decision we make to do a well we are also making a decision NOT to do others. We don’t take this lightly and ask for wisdom from God in making these decisions. When the meeting was over my staff was amazed that I just sat there and “took it” from her, especially when we had already put a well in her village. I told them that it was true that her village had a well now, but we had recently drilled it. We don’t know her situation now or what she has been through in her life. She may have lost a child to a waterborne disease a month, a week, maybe a day before we drilled there. She was angry that we didn’t make every effort to put their people above all others and focus on them till we had at least one well in every village. It was odd, but even as she was screaming at me I somehow understood her anger. She has every right to be angry— which of us hasn’t been angry, even at God for something that has happened to us? Her outrage touched my heart. It didn’t alter my plan of action, but it does impress upon me the tremendous needs that are here in the Amazon Jungle, and that we, in our lifetime, will never reach all those needs. I have learned to live with the tragic fact that we can’t do everything for everybody, that we are a small group with limited resources, but people like this lady remind me of the urgency to do all we can the best that we can and pray that God bring others to expand our efforts.
“I know with every decision we make to do a well we are also making a decision NOT to do others.” www.water.cc
2009: THE NUMBERS
2,105,903
PROJECTS COMPLETED COUNTRY
NEW WELLS
Angola 15 Brazil 22 Burkina Faso Central African Republic 34 El Salvador 34 Ethiopia 19 Ghana 8 Guatemala 37 Haiti Honduras 17 India 115 Kenya 26 Liberia 46 Malawi Mexico 73 Namibia 21 Nicaragua 17 Nigeria 20 Peru 42 Rwanda 45 Sierra Leone Sudan Tanzania 16 Uganda 17 Zambia 15
TOTAL PROJECTS
639
2009 EXPENSES
PEOPLE SERVED
REHABS
IN 25 COUNTRIES
12 2 165 4
5,685 BIBLES DISTRIBUTED 190 PROCLAIMERS DISTRIBUTED
22 6 240 55 21 5 67 151 18 19 96
787 PEOPLE WENT ON 91 MISSION TRIPS PEOPLE TRAINED IN
23
HEALTH & HYGIENE 191 PUMP REPAIR 30 SHALLOW WELL DRILLING 99
93 24 25 20 58
1126 2009 REVENUE
81% Programs
34% Individuals
12% Development
26% Foundations
25% Churches & Schools
14% Corporations
7% Administration
Spring 2010
1% Other
MEET JORGE CONTINUING TOMMY’S LEGACY BY ANGELA HEAD
T
Tommy and I first met Jorge back in 2000. We were constructing a building for natives who were translating the Bible into their own languages. Jorge was well known in the missions community for his carpentry skills and repair work. He and Tommy became fast friends. Tommy recruited him to help us with church construction projects and Bible conferences because he is a natural evangelist. Jorge has the gift to connect with anybody. He has the joy of Jesus and exudes Christ’s love in his smile. He enjoys visiting the villages, being with the natives, and loves sharing Christ. At the time, Tommy’s work was to develop and disciple leaders in native communities while I provided medical care. Tommy tried to recruit Jorge to join us in full-time ministry, but he rejected the offer, afraid his workers would be out of a job. He served us when he could, all the while training his team in the various aspects of carpentry and business. After Tommy and I attended the Living Water drill camp in 2002, Jorge changed his mind. He had trained his workers well and decided to join us full-time, digging wells and sharing the gospel with native people groups. It was just the three of us for many years, until we were able to increase the workforce to assist more villages in different tribes. Jorge is the man. His day is not complete until he has shared the Lord with somebody. I remember how Jorge would tell Tommy a story about sharing Christ with someone he met. Tommy would think, “Well, how cool!” Then the next day, Jorge would come to the house with another story about sharing the gospel. Tommy would say, “Well man, that is wonderful!” And it would happen again. And again. Jorge has the gift of evangelism—the natural ability to connect and engage people of all walks of life—like nobody else I have ever seen. At 43, Jorge is self-educated and self-disciplined in his con-
“
WHEN TOMMY PASSED AWAY IN APRIL, JORGE LOST HIS BEST BUDDY.
”
tinued study of the Bible. He and his wife of 24 years, Ester, have four children, all in college. In addition to his gigantic role in Living Water Peru, he is president of an organization that provides food and lodging for the children of Shipibo (and other) pastors, while they attend secondary school in Pucallpa. When Tommy passed away in April, Jorge lost his best buddy. In Tommy’s memory, he has stepped up to the plate and has exceeded all our expectations. Jorge loves people. He loves to lead people to Christ. He has the best way to share Christ with others. While working with the local villagers, he befriends them, and develops a real relationship with them. He is able to share who Christ is, what he has done for him, and how they can have his love too. People see Jorge’s heart, and his words are just icing on the cake.
COMMENTS? We’d love to hear your thoughts on anything from this issue of . Send us an email: pipeline@water.cc.
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