At an altitude of 3,827 meters (12,556 feet) and a population of
221,800, Puno is a city like no other. Beautiful Lake Titicaca,
the highest altitude navigable lake in the world is the natural
lake barrier between Puno City and its neighbor nation Bolivia.
One of the most awe inspiring traits of Puno is the native tribe
called the Uros. The Uros live today as they have for the last 3,000
years, in villages floating on Lake Titicaca. Over 45 independent
clans totaling 5,000 people live in houses
floating on real estate made of roots and lake reeds. Each clan
lives out their day making food, clothing, boats and artisan products.
Aside from the houses, sitting on the gentle waves of the lake includes
a primary school (pictured right bottom is a mother's day program
put on by the students at their floating school with moms watching
from their boats) and a medical clinic. The tragedy is that only
one church, a Seventh Day Adventist Church, is trying to serve all
5,000 native people. Away from the lake and the busy Puno City exists
hundreds of small towns and villages that have no access to the
gospel and suffer from the darkness of Pagan Inca customs. Their
religion instructs them to conduct animal sacrifice and torture
and even murder the mentally handicapped. The city of Puno also
suffers from instances of extreme poverty which lead to petty crime
and drug and alcohol abuse.
Pastor Herman Alcántara (pictured right middle) was the first Nazarene Missionary
to enter into Puno. He arrived on scene in January 2008. The people
of Puno have been very open to the gospel and after just three months
of work in Puno, a mission church is already
baptizing and discipling several adults.
