Day Eight: Venice of Peru, Overflowing with Joy

We began our day in Iquitos and ended it in Lima, but what happened in between is something I’ll never forget. 

🛶 Morning in Belen (Bethlehem)

Our team climbed into dugout canoes in the rain to visit Belen, often called the Venice of Peru. It’s a community of homes built above the river—but the flooding here has pushed the limits. The waters were too high and unsafe for us to get out and enter homes, so we stayed in the boats and ministered from there.

One couple we met wasn’t sure when they’d eat again. We gave them food to last two months—and a Bible.

What happened next gripped my heart: the man carefully wiped the rain water from the Bible, sat down in his hammock, and began reading. He handled it like it was his most precious treasure.

Tears welled up. “I love you, Lord,” was all I could whisper.

⚡ Power Lines & High Joy

We visited a school and gifted a few soccer balls. The children beamed with joy and sang to us in gratitude. The power lines, now alarmingly low due to the rising water, were just another sign of how dangerous and extreme the flooding in Belen, Peru truly is.

🏠 Visiting the Vulnerable

We stopped to see Ashley, a girl with disabilities lovingly cared for by her older sister. Another elderly woman who cannot walk scoots around with her arms. We gave food and a small financial blessing—but the needs seem so great.

👧🏽 The Children and the Canoes

The kids… oh, the kids. They have nothing—but their joy was electric. They leapt into our canoes the moment they saw we had things to give. A pack of stickers, a frisbee, a paint set brought pure, uncontainable joy to their eyes. It reminded me that joy isn’t tied to wealth—it’s rooted in hope.

🧺 One Last Bag of Food

On our way back to land, we had one food bag left. We spotted a man washing in the river and decided to approach. Turns out, his family was in need too—and just like that, God connected us. That final food bag wasn’t leftover—it was assigned.

Kristy, one of our team members, said it best, “This was an experience unlike any we have seen during our time here. We’ve experienced flooding, but this was worse. We’ve encountered poverty, but not to this extent. We’ve heard stories that have broken our hearts, but nothing was quite like this…BUT – every single one of them had a beautiful smile. Every person we encountered wanted to pray blessings over US. The perspective of these individuals who are struggling to survive every day was joy. Images of their smiles will forever be ingrained in my mind.”

Sometimes, all it takes is small gestures done with big hearts to change lives. And it reminded me again of what it means to walk like Jesus.

✈️ From Iquitos to Lima

We returned to the hotel, packed up, and made our way to the airport. We had flown into the old Lima airport at the start of our trip—but today we arrived at the brand-new Lima airport, just five days old!

We ended the night with a sweet family dinner as a team—sharing testimonies, belly laughs, and words of encouragement over one another. It was a beautiful night of fellowship, and a perfect way to transition into the final stretch of our journey.