so-journ

a travel blog by cjones

A year of exploration in the rural tropics, learning about places, people, the good and the bad, how I can help and what's next in this wild ride for me.

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us — yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalms 90:10 & 17
view all 298 photos for this trip

Tarapoto, Peru

Today is my last day in Tarapoto this year and I've been blessed with these 2 months of working with and getting to know Jose and others in this jungle city. In the work of A_Rocha, Jose took the lead on the educational and inspiration programs with the church and the schools, but I was able to help make some contacts with various organizations and individuals who could help provide opportunities for education and service projects.

Software training session in Tarapoto

The other aspect of my work here has been technical assistance to the government agencies and other organizations involved in conservation. Last Thursday, I gave an all-day training session on the use of 3 free mapping programs and their relative advantages and disadvantages for the users here. Then this Tuesday I gave a presentation to a group of 3 people from the regional government and 5 others from conservation NGOs that work with the government on alternatives for sharing maps and map data over the internet. There was a lot of interest in this discussion and 4 of the 8 people came from different cities to attend.

I also developed a couple of programs to supplement and convert the data available in the regional government so it could be used with the public domain software.

At this stage, the goal of the fledgling group of A_Rocha in Tarapoto is not to manage our own conservation projects, but to assist the existing projects of the authorities here in the best ways that we are capable. As a pastor with experience working with teenagers in the high schools, Jose is well equipped to spread A_Rocha's message of the biblical calling for creation care and to motivate the kids to join in the local conservation projects. With my background in software and in the projects I worked on earlier this year, I found an opportunity to help with my technical experience.

written by

cjones on December 5, 2008 from Tarapoto, Peru

from the travel blog: so-journ

Send a Compliment

1 comment...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Another rainy day in Rio and I'm at the computer making contacts and preparing for the next stage of my life, now that my financial resources for this journey are just about depleted. There is a lot of good work I could do but no funds to do it. In this fallen world, the economic system does not usually reward the work that is most needed and unfortunately often rewards the work that is most destructive - war profiteering and unregulated securities trading to name a couple of examples.

I'll be writing some grant proposals but this is a time-consuming process in which most attempts do not succeed regardless of the merits of the work proposed. In the meantime, I'll need to earn some income and return to the job market at what is now a particularly challenging time in economic history.

written by

cjones on December 16, 2008 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

from the travel blog: so-journ

Send a Compliment

2 comments...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In both Spanish and Portuguese, "esperar" means both to wait and to hope. I heard today that the same is true in Hebrew. One word with both meanings.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalms 37:7

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

_Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

Psalms 130:5-7

written by

cjones on December 20, 2008 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

from the travel blog: so-journ

Send a Compliment

1 comment...

a travel blog by cjones

Wrapping up

Tarapoto, Peru

New stage

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Esperar

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil