Leopoldo says: ‘Here, death is a part of life, illness is brought about by “losing your spirit”, and the understanding of modern medicine is very limited. The families would seek help from the witch doctor, paying him from the very little they had, leaving nothing for a trip to Apolo to see unknown doctors they didn’t understand or trust.’

However, a doctor could go to Munaypata, if Pete could take him in the truck. The doctor was received with some reserve in the village, but they allowed him to examine the 2 sick children. He was worried: the symptoms were consistent with an outbreak of bubonic plague, and he wanted the children hospitalised in Apolo. The families refused: the witch-doctor had already cured their children! They did not have the $4 needed to buy the antibiotics that the doctor brought. Pete offered to pay, and the parents accepted the antibiotics.

A week later, the Latin Link team team returned to Munaypata to continue training in agricultural topics. They found the children back to full health, and chocolate plants are also doing well! ‘However,’ Pete says, ‘these events in Munaypata brought home to us again the darkness and fear that so many of our friends live with.’

He continues: ‘Please pray for the families there as we continue our work, that the people would accept the light of Christ in their lives, truly transforming Munaypata into a beautiful place, where people live in joy and peace with God.’

If you want to know more about the work Pete does, visit www.latinlink.org

The churches, especially in the rural communities, are often poor and struggling. Pete and Linda’s vision is that these churches can be encouraged to become involved in agricultural development work. Pete says: ‘In the villages, people don’t produce much that they can sell except coca leaf – apart from that, they just grow food for their own consumption. The churches in the communities are very weak for lack of good leadership. The church needs to seek ways it can be really relevant in people’s lives here.’

The indigenous peoples of Latin America have often been left to fend for themselves in the more remote parts of the continent. Their life often consists in subsistence farming on poor soil, and can therefore suffer from malnutrition, especially when crops fail. Part of Pete’s work will be to establish a garden so they can experiment with growing various crops so that the local people can produce more nutritious harvests, both for themselves and for sale in the towns.

Of course, this doesn’t just involve working on the land. The churches themselves also need training so that they can be active in their communities.

Although Apolo is a town ‘at the end of the road’ – from the main city of La Paz, a mere twelve hours away, the road climbs to 4500 metres, before dropping down again towards Apolo, – it is in a lush valley with a tropical climate; even in winter you can spend a pleasant afternoon sitting outside. Pete and Linda ask for prayer that they might ‘work out where the main needs are and how to address them, and find a few good people to work alongside us – as well as being able to communicate well in the local Quechuan language.’

For more information on Pete and Linda’s work, go to www.latinlink.org