The neighboring villages of Nueva Palestina and Libertad are six hours up the Ucayali River (south of Pucallpa). They can be found on the banks of the beautiful, 15 km. long, Tapishca Lake. We left Pucallpa at 9:30 the morning of Friday, Nov. 26th. The trip was uneventful except for the propeller work the driver had to do. We are now in high water season which means the river is full of debris that can damage the propeller.
We arrived at 3:30 the same 
afternoon, and brother Wilmer Valles, leader of the Nueva Palestina church, was waiting for me in the port. We greeted each other and he took me to the chapel, where I would be staying the night, to leave my things. Wilmer, Jose (another member of this congregation), and I then had a long visit.
Nva. Palestina’s congregation had once been very active. 
There were a lot of young people and their membership had reached almost 40 members, including adults and youth. But in this visit I found the sad reality that only 6 active members meet regularly. A good number of the former members have migrated to live in other communities in an effort to improve their conditions. Others, sadly, grew cold in their faith, and yet others returned to the evangelical church, leaving just this small remnant of 6 members.
It was really sad to hear these reports that afternoon; but, we also talked about many ways to improve the church’s situation. We had to end our conversation early because we needed to prepare for the soon-coming Sabbath.
The reception of the Sabbath was followed by our evening meeting. Later we had supper at brother Wilmer’s house: a delicious rice and fish dish cooked in banana leaf (patarashca de palometa y boquichico). 
Next I returned to the church to set up the mosquito net that the brethren had loaned me because I had forgotten to bring the tent this trip.
Rising early Sabbath morning I situated my bed and belongings and had my personal devotions followed by a delicious fish soup breakfast (timbuche de palometa y yulilla).
At the beginning of Sabbath School three brethren from Libertad, a nearby community with an Adventist presence joined us. This morning we rejoiced in the Word of the Lord and in His counsel. We also talked about how to continue with their missionary work in the community.
I was faced with a unique situation that day. Apparently one of the baptized brothers from Palestina has two homes – in other words he is living with two women. One is his legitimate wife and the other is his sister-in-law who is also his “woman”. Between the two he has 20 children. I had to intervene in the situation so I visited with the brother and afterward with the other church members. It is true. The brother continues his bigamous relationships even after baptism. I explained that he would have to enter into disciplinary action and would be removed from membership until he decided to resolve the situation. After giving him counsel from the Lord he accepted the discipline and said that he would begin to make the decision of which one to leave. We then began the process of his removal from membership as recommended by the Church manual. There are some very complicated situations in these communities. I ask the Lord to help him to make the right decision.
The church service was very 
nice. We talked about the Light that is the Word of the Lord and the need to always be connected to our Savior Jesus Christ so we are able to walk in this dark world without tripping and to be able to arrive at our final goal.
After leaving the service we had fellowship lunch with the brethren that visited us from Libertad. It was a pleasant visit while we ate, after which I grabbed my duffel bag and boarded the boat bound for Libertad with the brethren.
We traveled the half hour in a small 
boat to Libertad. The work here began in 2006 with 26 new brethren. The enemy hit this group hard, and with all of their trials there remains a remnant of 6 firm brethren. One of them is Segundo Eleazar Pinedo Rios who has a beautiful testimony that I want to share with you:
“I am 72 years old, and with all these years I can tell you that I have tried the world and its vices and it’s not what they advertise. I am native of Yurimaguas and our home was in the bush where I learned to be a farmer. When I was a young man I married and moved to the Aguaytia river area where I had many parcels of land in local produce. While I was prosperous and had a lot of money I wasn’t happy because I was a prisoner of alcohol and tobacco. All went well in the production of my land until the terrorism came and I had to leave all and run.
I went to live in Requena along the Ucayali River where I started a business selling sugar cane liquor. All the drunks from Requena hung out in my bar. Because I was also a drunk and didn’t want to put my business in jeopardy, I decided to buy a boat and work with it in transportation along the Puinahua River. This decision brought my ruin. I left my wife in charge of the bar but I didn’t realize that I was putting her in the mouth of the wolf. As I’m sure you know drunks are annoying and vulgar. After a year my wife got up the courage to tell me that she was leaving me for one of the men that frequented my bar. I was furious and wanted to hit her but she calmed me saying “what do you prefer, Eleazar? That I continue lying or that I am frank with you and don’t stay with you doing you harm?” With these words I didn’t have the desire to hurt her physically anymore. And this is how I left Requena. I sold my possessions and I came to the village of Libertad. I made my little farm and small house deep in the bush. For a long time I lived alone getting drunk to forget my pain. I went to community party after community party drinking and smoking until I would be lying in the middle of the path half way back to my home in the midst of snakes and wild animals. But God had a plan for my life and he was taking care of me even in these circumstances.
Even though I lived plunged in alcohol, inside of me there was a clamor that called me to change. Still in my drunkenness, I called out to God that delivers me from this, but I continued the same. I started to visit different churches in the nearby villages but none of them made me feel the presence of God. In fact, in some of them they danced and jumped like crazy people and in others their pastors insulted us from the pulpit saying that those of us there were demons. In 2006 the airplane from the Adventist church arrived in Accíon Popular. The couple, Alberto and Amalia Marin, shared the Word of God, showing the call of love that God is making to human beings. It was there that I felt that this was a church that preached a different message that until then I had not heard. I said to myself: ‘I am going to be a member of this church’. In this meeting they said that the next community they would visit was Libertad. Then, one Sabbath, while at home drinking I heard the airplane arriving in Libertad. I threw away my bottle and ran to the community. While I was running my body trembled from the effect of the alcohol. When I arrived the meeting had just finished and they were at the lake beginning the baptisms. I had decided to be baptized and still hadn’t received one Bible study, but I got in line and looked for the person recording names. This is how I was baptized. After I left the water my body that had been trembling from the alcohol was now tranquil and I returned to my house in peace. I proposed in my heart not to drink alcohol anymore. And so it was, with God’s help, that I kept that commitment. So much so that one day I was visiting a nearby community during their anniversary. I was standing there watching those dancing and some of my friends came and put a bottle of liquor under my arm. When I realized it was alcohol I said to myself ‘what am I doing with this under my arm?’ At that very moment I gave the bottle back to my friend and I left, realizing that I was putting myself in temptation.
This is how I began my Christian life. However, something that I hadn’t been able to let go of was tobacco. I no longer drank liquor but I always smoked cigarettes in my home. This was something that I continued after becoming an Adventist. But I am infinitely grateful to God for the invitation to the congregation of Libertad to participate in the ECLA (Laico training with Peru Projects) that was to be held in January of 2010. I decided to go to this event and after 3 weeks of training God worked a miracle in me in that I now understood many things that still needed to be changed in my life. And, thanks to the ECLA, when I returned home, I returned free of the claws of tobacco. Now I can say that every day I fight to be faithful to the Lord with all my being.”
This testimony of brother Eleazar is impressive - impressive because through his experience we can see that God acts in different ways to bring his children into His fold. For this reason we can’t limit conversion to any one method. God has different methods to touch the hearts of his children lost in sin.
The brethren of Libertad are very anxious to finish the Lord’s 
chapel. They have gone out to cut down the wood for the structure of the chapel. Our Air Program (Peru Projects) is helping them with boards to close the walls. This help is making their desire for a chapel a reality. 
They are doing the greater part of the work by getting the wood for the structure and are very happy to be well into their journey of raising their new chapel.
The congregation of Libertad is very active. Even though they are just a remnant they are sharing the Good Word with their neighbors and soon there will be fruits for the Glory of our God.
We pray for these two congregations on lake Tapishca that the Lord will continue guiding and fortifying them on the road to His Celestial Kingdom.
We had a meditation about Christmas, reading from the counsel of the inspired pen.
Then we asked the blessing for the food and “we all ate!!” as reported by our beloved brother Miqueas Rojas. 
Following our delicious lunch we passed out a small gift to each worker: and expression of our affection and gratitude for their support this year. (Translators note: the gift was the traditional Peruvian fruit bread call Panetone and the makings for hot chocolate, which is the traditional Christmas basket)
