Rich & Ramona Wagner

Greetings from Rich & Ramona Wagner in COLD Cusco Peru.  We are moving into winter down here, so while you are in shorts and going to the pool, we are bundled up trying to stay warm!

You may remember that we had to postpone our jungle trip because of the accident I had.  We were supposed to install a water system, help with some construction on the Noah’s Ark Orphanage, and deal with some local wildlife problems, i.e. wild hogs and boa constrictors that were getting too close to the small children for comfort.

Because of his heart attack Bud Lentz couldn’t be out there either, so some of their older teenage boys from the Noah’s Ark Orphanage and a huge male Rottweiler watch dog stayed out in the jungle to protect the property from vandals and animals. 

Sometime late last Monday night a jaguar killed and almost completely ate the Rottweiler!  You can’t make this stuff up!  Local Indians are concerned that if the jaguar will attack and kill a mean watchdog the size of a small cow when people are around, it will make short work of a small human being.  The Indians and farmers have no experience or resources to deal with this kind of problem.  There is not a police or military presence in this rural jungle area so they are on their own.

If you know me, I suspect you see where this is going.

I’m told it will take 3-4 more months for my broken ribs and collarbone to heal.  In all I’ve done over the years this is the worst that I have ever been hurt.  Every breath, every time I move, all the broken bones move as well.  After six weeks I’ve decided that it was time to stop taking the pain medicine.  It either had no effect at all or so much effect that I would stand up and fall right back down from vertigo.  With care I can handle the pain.  I’m still doing all my work, except for heavy lifting; it just takes a little longer to do it.

What gives me some pause for thought is an 18-hour unpaved road trip to the jungle.  I can do it, I’ll just have to go slower and have others help with the driving.  So as soon as we can set it up, within the next couple of weeks, several of us will make the trip to the jungle.  Please pray for healing, and a safe, successful jungle trip.

Ramona and I continue to care for Fabiola, the weakest of the children entrusted to us by the government.  She is 2 ½ years old, but the size of a 9 month old baby.  She has Downs Syndrome, a problem with her spine and a hole in her heart.  We are in the final stage of testing this coming week for her heart problem.  If what is called an “AV Defect” is “complete”, like most doctors have told us, she will only have maybe two more years to live.  If it is not “complete” we are still looking at surgery to repair the defect, maybe in South Carolina.

She has gained almost ten pounds since we took her out of our Casa Josefina Orphana ge proper and into our home.  She is not exposed to all the colds etc. that occur in groups of children so she is really growing, maturing and developing her own personality.  She doesn’t constantly vomit or have diarrhea any more.  She rolled over on her own this week.  That is major.  She has also started to smile, just a little, briefly, but she is doing it.  She has become very vocal.  She doesn’t crawl yet, but her legs are getting stronger.  Westminster PCA in Lancaster Pa is coming down this summer to work with us and is bringing some things that we pray will help continue to develop her physical and mental condition.

It’s really sad, but we are still asked by people here why we bother to invest so much time, energy and emotion into this child.  After biting our tongues, we explain about what Christ did for us and why we are here.  Even after 30 years it’s still hard to hear how Indian babies have no value and should be thrown away.

Fabiola is just one of, at today’s count, 14 children that our Josefine House has been entrusted with.  Most of those 14 kids are “challenged” either mentally or physically.  That’s just how God has done it.  Most children without some form of handicap go into our sister orphanage, Noah’s Ark.  They have over 50 kids right now, and live in our Quechua Training Center until their new home in the jungle is finished. 

The Josephine House continues to operate with very little income.  If you would like to be part of this work, the project is: Cusco Mercy Ministry Project 94721.

Several of our supporting churches, like Westminster PCA and 1st Presbyterian Church Chattanooga, are coming down this summer to help with our work.  Chattanooga will be doing a medical brigade in a very rural area, just as they did last year.  That trip has opened up opportunities for church planting, as well as meeting the physical needs of the Quechua people.  Please pray that God will use these teams for His glory, to expand His Kingdom.

Ramona and I want to thank you for your continued prayer and financial support.  Your help allows us to shower extra care on Fabiola, provide guinea pigs, chickens and eggs for the kids to eat, and materials for our evangelism outreach and seminary classes.  God uses YOU to help keep HIS work going.  Thank you!

Rich & Ramona Wagner
The Hinterlands Ministry
Casilla 985
Cusco Peru

Support account # 18100

Emails:
RichWagner543@aol.com
Grammyof5inperu@aol.com

Our Photo Bucket Page for pictures:
http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd146/WagnersinPeru/