Originally Tim and Dave P had planned to fly to Lima and take group taxis all the way inland to Mazamari, which would have entailed 2 days of travel each way. Thanks to Dave Speyers for offering to fly them straight to Mazamari, and in particular his willingness to stay with them through their time there! Dave S's generosity thus cut the cost of the flight in half and made it affordable to do the traveling via SAMAir. Their travel time instantly went from 4 days to 2 hours.
While they are in Mazamari, they guys will be checking in on the Ashaninka Bible Institute, which serves pastors and church leaders from the Ashaninka tribe (50,000 people in the jungle regions of Peru). Last year the Ashaninka Bible Institute couldn't operate due to lack of funds, but with generous contributions from some American donors, they're up and running this year with an extra-large class (20?). The students contribute by paying for their transportation to the school (sometimes days or weeks on the river) and a small fee.
I'm a little lonesome here at home but so glad that Tim has the chance to go visit Mazamari-- a new area of the world to explore and an exciting ministry to witness. I can't wait to see the photos and hear the stories! I told him to take notes for a future blog post :-)