The San Juan Festival

This is a time for celebration. We are still a little confused as to what we actually celebrate, but basically, it is a celebration to have a celebration (it was also mentioned that the celebration is for the patron saint of San Juan). The town, Iquitos, shuts down. The main road into town gets blocked off, the plaza in San Juan transforms from a drab, concrete laden park into a bustling, fair-like exhibit. Everyone, from all over the city, makes their way to the plaza. The day itself, June 22, is for everyone to eat Juane (chicken, flavored rice, and egg all wrapped up and cooked in a leaf), for all three meals.

There was obviously no school, so we took the girls down to the plaza in the evening. Some of our girls had the opportunity to go home, and spend time with family. The rest went with us. The plaza was mayhem, but it was fun to hang out with our girls.

The organization’s office is located a couple blocks from the plaza and traffic was blocked in front of the driveway. Taking advantage of the many pedestrians, Paul set up a movie projector, screen, and benches to show Bible movies. People filled all the benches and chairs to sit and watch the little Bible cartoons for hours and hours. It was awesome to see so many people, including traffic police, enthralled in something with such a good message, rather than getting wasted at all the bars nearby. Praise the Lord!