The Urgency of Now: Life moves with relentless speed, like an arrow released from its bow. David understood this temporal nature when he prayed, "Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is." — Psalm 39:4. We often live as if we have an endless supply of tomorrows, but in the Word we are soberly reminded that our life is "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." — James 4:14. This isn't meant to discourage us but to instill a holy urgency in our hearts. When Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." — John 9:4. This wisdom isn't just about acknowledging life's brevity—it's about making each moment count for eternity. The ancient Romans had a saying, "Carpe diem" (seize the day), but as believers, we're called to something greater: to redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). Don’t let days, months, or years slip by without acting on God’s call—use this brief life to make an eternal impact.
Throughout Scripture, we see God calling His chosen servants into periods of solitude. These aren't merely moments of rest, but crucibles of transformation where the unseen work of the Spirit takes place. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before leading the Israelites. David, though anointed as king, spent years in caves and wild places, penning psalms that would echo through eternity. Even Jesus, the Son of God, "often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16). Consider Elijah's experience on Mount Horeb. After his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal, he fled in fear and discouragement. God didn't rebuke him but invited him to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord" (1 Kings 19:11). In the silence that followed the wind, earthquake, and fire, Elijah heard the "gentle whisper" of God, restoring his soul and redirecting his mission. These moments of solitude aren't about escaping responsibility, but about encountering God in the depths of our being. It's in these unseen places that we're stripped of pretense, faced with our true selves, and molded by the Master's hands. As the Psalmist declares, “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10. In our hyper-connected world, do we dare to disconnect, to seek the face of God in the quiet places? It's there, in the unseen, that our greatest victories are won.
In this fallen world, adversity is not just a possibility — it’s an inevitability. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, and trials come to all who draw breath. As we read in Ecclesiastes 9:2, “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean.” This truth may seem disheartening at first glance, but it carries within it a profound lesson.
How often do we find ourselves caught in the web of procrastination, pushing off tasks that weigh on our minds? This delay isn't just about missed deadlines or unfinished chores; it's a spiritual battle that robs us of our God-given purpose. The stress that gnaws at us isn't from the work itself, but from our inaction in the face of responsibility. Consider how swiftly our anxiety dissipates when we finally take that first step, make that call, or begin that project we've been avoiding. It's as if a burden lifts from our shoulders. This isn't coincidence; it's a reminder of our calling to be good stewards of our time and talents. The Bible speaks clearly about the dangers of procrastination. Proverbs 13:4 tells us, "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."
Spiritual Slumber: In our modern world, it’s easy to become entranced by daily routines and material pursuits. Many live in a state of spiritual slumber, unaware of the greater reality beyond our immediate perceptions. We rise, follow a routine, sleep, and repeat. In Ephesians we are told to wake from this spiritual sleep: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” — Ephesians 5:14. This call to awakening is not just for non-believers, but for Christians as well, who can easily become lulled into complacency by worldly cares. Jesus tells us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” — John 3:3. This rebirth is a spiritual awakening and salvation, opening our eyes to the truth of God’s kingdom and eternal life in Him. 2 Corinthians elaborates on this transformation: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Ushuaia: Lowest city on earth! The Gospel has no bounds. Made contact with local believers. Praise God, His Word is going everywhere! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsWpUoxtTY&rel=0]
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A quick stop in Uruguay to get contacts for future. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe4ARFZkrjA&rel=0]
Arrived at Atlantic Ocean via dunes after long Amazon journey. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnz0rvCrafM&rel=0]
In Buenos Aires for weekend to repair camera. Looking for a church to attend on sunday.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X7iYEgF8os&rel=0] These mighty falls are the dividing line between Argentina and Brazil. The area around the falls was once controlled by Guarani indians whom the Jesuits ministered to beginning in 1609. Watch movie The Mission to see events of jesuits in area.
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Crossed border into Argentina after a look around the falls.
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Once again on our journey along the Amazon food must be hunted. This Croc we caught alive, so we shut the snout with a rope. Just before this video was taken the massive reptile lashed at me (Tim). This area of Brazil has been a blessing to travel as there is such a movement for the Holy Spirit. We also came across an Assemblies of God in Tefe that was building a new church the size of a small stadium. The shocking thing is Tefe is only 80,000 in population. This must mean a large percentage of people attend regularly. Praise God!
The croc was cooked later in the day and fed 15 people. We were on river for 4 days at this point. No showers, hot sun, but good food. Praise God!
This is the baking and finishing room. There was also a press which compressed the cocaine to make ready for transport.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC7GtI-FSjs&rel=0] This is the wild pig that ran to us after we shot the monkey. Nasty teeth and they know to attack humans. Good meat as well.
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Journeying down river we had little food because you can only bring essentials. Caught a few after this video was taken. Piranhas are mean little fish and two days later our guide caught a huge one that made us glad we never took a dip in the water.
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This crusade/concert in Bogota was 40,000 persons or more. There is something awesome and amazing about massive corporal worship. The ground in the stadium shook when everyone jumped and praised in unison.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIf7OVg8QIs&rel=0] The chemicals of acids and kerosene make the fire explode. Everything must be destroyed. The blaze was very intense and put off a repulsive smell.
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Blaze gets going! You can see how fast the fire explodes. However, as we moved to seize another lab the fire was unrecognizable when we traveled 100 feet farther into the jungle.
After the mission we drove 4-hours back to Pucallpa in the night.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3ZqDI9ahSM&rel=0] Will at lab sight 2 minutes after seizure. You can see we are all out of breath and trying to take in everything that just happened.
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Immediately after the cocaine-workers were captured the Dinandro soldiers set themselves to breaking down the crude lab. The mounds of what looks like dead leaves are exactly that. Those are coca leaves awaiting processing from this lab.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_VYP6En678&rel=0] Here, we are shown by the Dinandro team what the end product of the labs is. The white balls which look like dough is brute cocaine paste. This is one phase away from being cocaine chloride, which is the white powdery substance mostly trafficked world wide. Drug cartels then will pick up the brute paste from these lab chemists and create the final product on their own.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C41HXOJrKSc&rel=0] March into jungle. This video was 15 minutes into our hike towards the cocaine labs. notice the clearing we come across. This is one of the many illegal coca fields we saw en route to the jungle lab.
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This next video is ten minutes before the first seizure. Many times we would halt for a moment in the jungle to maintain silence and the element of surprise.
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This boat was caught two days south of Pucallpa. It contained large amounts of chemicals used to create brute cocaine paste. This seizure was immediately following the new intelligence gained from the informants being held in Lima. The boat will now be used to police the waterways by the Dinandro (anti-narcotics division of Peru).
