HELEN REDMAN, DIRECTOR
NEWSLETTER
October 2003
|
HELEN REDMAN, DIRECTOR NEWSLETTER October 2003 |
Helen's Testimony Board Members Our Missionaries Bill Burch Stephen George Jun Javillo Eric Kurfman Our Children Haiti Hebron Philippines Monthly Newsletters Most Recent January 2012 Archive 2012 Index 2011 Index 2010 Index 2009 Index 2008 Index 2007 Index 2006 Index 2005 Index 2004 Index 2003 Index 2002 Index 2001 Index 2000 Index 1999 Index 1998 Index 1997 Index Books 
 Helen Redman For Christian Search Engine visit: CrossSearch Copyright © 2001-2011 Christian Missionary Association Webmaster |
|
“CORNER OF THE DEAD” Few people even knew or cared much about Ayacucho. But then came 1980, and everything changed. The Maoist group, “SENDERO LIMINOSO,” Shining Path, started using violence in an attempt to upset the Peruvian government. Ayacucho, which means “Corner of the Dead”, in Quechua, began living up to it’s name. Terrorists and the military battled it out, and the biggest losers were innocent civilians. Of those same Quechuans, the rural poor, nearly 4000 people had died through 1984. Early 1980 statistics taken from a December 1984 forum, “21st Century Ayacucho,” showed only 36% of the population of 500,000 had access to health care facilities. The doctor ratio per person for Peru was one per every 1390 people. In Ayacucho, the ratio was one per every 18,000. Their average life expectancy was 48, compared to 56 in Peru overall. In late 1982, the government declared Ayacucho under a state of emergency. The entire region became known as the Emergency Zone. Residents lived under a virtual state of siege during 1983, with almost nightly bombing attacks. One day the terrorists even “took” the city, calling it a liberated zone. Peru’s president, Belaunde, said that between July 1983 and July 1984, terrorists launched 2657 attacks and killed 77 police officers and 30 political authorities. Just before the violence hit, Ayacucho’s Evangelical Churches were growing. The Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Pentecostals and the Peruvian Evangelical Church were strongest in the region. During the Guerrilla War, many Christians were killed and suffered great persecutions. Many kept their courage and faith amid dangerous, crushing odds. There were belivers who incarnated Paul’s admonition, “If one part (of the body) suffers, every part suffers with it,” and went to the aid of their suffering, fellow Christians. In the Ayacucho village of Santa Rosa, the terrorists slaughtered 20 Evangelicals. Pastor Vasquez tells in one incident at a prayer meeting on July 27, 1984, “while praising the Lord, the terrorists came into the church and began firing their guns and exploding bombs.” Vasquez continued, “The earth beneath the church shook. Two sisters died right there.” Before the terrorists had left town, they had killed six Evangelicals and one Catholic. Another seven Pentecostals received serious wounds, Pastor Vasquez being one of them. My late husband, Henry Redman, held a training Center on June 4, 1982 in Santa Rosa, Peru. It was the first ever held in Peru among the Quechua Indians. Sixteen of these workers were among those killed by terrorists. At that time it was believed to bee about twelve million Quechus’s in the High Sierra’s and in the jungles. Henry’s dialog stated that he went by boat into the interior of the jungles. He ate and slept with the Quechians, while jungle rats would play on him at night. He won their love and confidence, then he would tell them about Jesus. He saw whole tribes won for the Lord. In July 1988, I held my first Pastor’s Seminar in Ayacucho, Peru after my husbands death in 1986. I was very green in setting up seminars and had no idea the danger we were facing. I took a group of 10 from the States. As the plane banked the final approach, we saw the city spread out below us, Ayacucho, The Corner of the Dead. Little did I or anyone in our group realize how vastly different this experience would be. We were met at the airport by armed soldiers, one of which took our passports to record our names and passport numbers. The city was and remained in a declared “state of emergency.” Only our missionary contact Bro. Aliago had been permitted inside the terminal to greet us. Bro. Aliago helped us to bring 150 Quechan Indian pastors out of the jungle into Ayacucho. For hours every day, they sat listening, hanging onto every word of teaching. These were the workers, God’s mighty army, to reach the thousands of souls in their area for Christ. For all but a few, this was a first...for never before had a seminar been held in Ayacucho to help train them do a better job in reaching the lost. Military patrols had been increased as threats of new waves of violence had been made. But God kept us safe under the shadow of His arm. We left the town whose name means “Corner of the Dead,” knowing that for many, it was a “Corner of Life.” Bro. Syvelle Phillips of Evangelist Bible Translators told me that is one time God blessed ignorance, for I truly was ignorant in what I was getting into. Even Pastor Robert Barringer who lived in Lima said, “I can’t believe you did that.” Isn’t God merciful!!!
Ladies Meetings
It is a real privilege to work again with Pastor Robert Barriger and his associates in teaching the women of Lima and the surrounding areas. Sis. Esther McMasters of Walker, LA will accompany me to help with the teaching. Pray that we will be a blessing to the Peruvian women. It takes team work to do the job, we can’t do it alone. If you feel to be part of the team, please designate Peru on your check.
|
||||||
|
Your financial contributions toward travel expenses for the seminars are greatly appreciated. Please designate on your check the seminar you wish to help with. We'd love to hear from you:
|