Iquitos
With a population of 400,000 in the greater metro area, Iquitos represents almost half of the population of the state of Loreto (2005 census = 884,144). Outside of Iquitos are mainly smaller towns and hundreds of native villages that dot the riverside and even appear inland in the thick remote jungle.
The Nazarene Church officially started work in Iquitos in 1989 by Dr. Larry Garman. Within the state of Loreto, the Nazarene church currently has 18 organized churches. Half of them are located within the city limits. Pastor Miguel Hervach is the current District Superintendant of Nazarene Church operations in Iquitos. People in this region of Peru are receptive to the gospel. It is just getting to them that is difficult. Often times, villages are separated by many miles of river or jungle.
Iquitos has a certain rustic charm to it that explains its burgeoning tourism industry. Thousands of people fly or float into Iquitos every year, braving the year-round rain, heat and humidity to partake of the natural wonders and vibrant culture that makes up Iquitos. However, despite the beauty of Iquitos and the Loreto state, it suffers some dramatic social challenges such as sex tourism, alcoholism, drug addiction and extreme poverty. The extreme poverty fuels the flames of malnutrition, water borne illness, petty crime and even domestic violence. One community that is literally floating on the Amazon river, called Belen (translated: Bethlehem), is one of the poorest communities in Peru. Here, sewage is dumped directly into the river water that is also used for drinking, bathing, washing food and cleaning clothes.
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Love Extreme 2 - June 26, 2010 in Iquitos (Posted 6/26/2010 5:21:00 PM)
Today we went to the poorest part of Iquitos (Belen) to the home of the women who has the church service in her home. I think today impacted the group the most.
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Love Extreme 2 - June 25, 2010 in Iquitos (Posted 6/26/2010 5:20:00 PM)
We took another boat ride to a small place that is an established Nazarene Church. The pastor opened it up for us to use as a dental clinic.
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Love Extreme 2 - June 24, 2010 in Iquitos (Posted 6/26/2010 5:15:00 PM)
We took motorcars to a less fortunate part of town that did not really have a town plaza in it. It was mainly an open area of dirt and some grass. This is the section that Katie is planting her church in.
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Love Extreme 2 - June 23, 2010 in Iquitos (Posted 6/26/2010 5:00:00 PM)
We took a boat ride to a small island off the Amazon today. This is where Drew is planting his church. We were not immediately swarmed like we were yesterday but children and adults did start to gather around us slowly.
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Love Extreme 2 - June 22, 2010 in Iquitos (Posted 6/26/2010 11:15:00 AM)
We started out our morning at a school that Brittany and Esther have started a relationship with. Upon arrival the children swarmed all the Extremers wanting us to take pictures of them. The school teachers got the children back onto the bleachers, giving Esther a chance to explain what we had planned for them.
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