My name is Pela.  I am three.  I have black shiny hair and I love to smile. I sleep on a wooden floor in a tent with my Mommy, Daddy, and two older brothers.  I love playing with them and chasing butterflies and bugs.  We usually take a bath all together once a week in the river, which is fun, but we have to watch out for the snakes in the water.

Every day, I eat two bowls of hot beans with fish that the men catch in the Ucayali River. I never feel hungry because there are always enough fish and greens for us, but sometimes I worry about drinking the water because two of my friends and a baby I knew got very sick after they drank water that wasn't good.

We don't have something called electricity here but we don't really need it anyway.  The Mommies in my tent spend their days making pottery and beautiful rugs to sell at a market.  Sometimes groups of people come to my village and help us.  They talk to us about the water and they help us repair our homes when the river floods us.  I don't understand all of their words, but I feel so happy giggling and playing ball with them.  Will you come to see me next?  I sure hope so.

Thanks for your help,

Peru Mission Trips

What if you were alone?

The people of the Shipibo tribe in Peru live in about 300 tiny villages scattered along the Ucayali River in the Amazon rainforest.  Approximately 35,000 villagers speak the Shipibo language.  They produce renowned textiles and pottery and slash clear patches on which to plant beans.  They thrive off of the Ucayali River and all it has to offer and they also suffer from the temperamental nature of the precious water.  The water is their life blood and their death knell, all at the same time.  The river teems with fish and other food sources.  It brings support teams from all over to help the Shipibo people.  But the very same river overruns its banks frequently, flooding their homes and it constantly crawls with parasites and diseases which frequently kill those who drink from it.

Are you ready to join us in helping these special people?  On your Peru mission trip, you'll travel to the capital city of Lima.  You'll spend the night in Lima then fly to Pucallpa where you'll transfer to a three story river boat captained by a friendly river captain named Eduardo.  He'll bring you safely to your destination with the beautiful Shipibo people on the Ucayali River.  This majestic riverboat will also serve as your clean and safe accommodations during your week of service in the Amazon rain-forest.

Your role on our Peru mission trips, if you choose to help these wonderful people, could be to build a house of worship or to educate them about the role water purification plays in their very survival.  You'll teach young mothers about hygiene and nutrition and the spread of disease.  You'll grab a hammer and build a church.  And all of these jobs require no special skills - just bring a willing heart and we'll teach you what you'll need to know.

With Lifetree Adventures, innocent children like little Pela don't have to be alone.  And on our Lifetree Adventures Peru mission trips, you'll never be alone either.  Now's your chance to make a difference in Pela's life - don't delay.