Scripture Distribution Trek Photos

Photos from the 2-week trek through the rainforest. Read the full account of this trip on our travel blog. If you haven't already seen them, there are other photos from the trip as well.

Trek Day 1: Joe, Katie, Daniel & Andy about to depart. This motorboat took us 40 miles from K-town to W-village, where we would begin the hike.
Andy, Daniel and Joe with Andrew, one of the key translators and dear family friends, in L-village.
Joe, with arms full of the surprise we found in L-village: old Parable Books, Gospels of Mark, and reference books we found sitting in the Peckhams' old house there. We were able to bring the Gospels and Parable Books along for distribution, and the reference books were sent back to Dad in K-town by motorboat (he later gave most of them to educated Sera men who could use them in further study and teaching of the Bible).
Joe on the morning of Day 2 ... he felt awful.
Katie hiking on the nice trail we started off with on Day 2.
In a dugout canoe, crossing the First Lake.
Katie & Daniel with guides on Day 3, as we cross the Second Lake. Usually there weren't enough paddles for everyone, but we would all take turns paddling.
Our first night in the jungle, Day 2. We came to this hut around 3 pm, and although we could have gone much further that day, we stopped early so our guides would not have to sleep in the rain (since they had no tent). They would not let us pitch our tent on the ground outside the shelter (to allow them more room under the roof), because they were afraid we would get bitten by snakes (this is why all Sera sleep on raised platforms).
The garden village where we rested on Day 4, while we waited for a boat to arrive so we could cross the third lake. This day was a huge blessing, because it was one of the few days that we actually got to spend time with the people in the village (as opposed to arriving at dusk, handing out Bibles and crashing in bed, then departing at sunrise). The purpose of the trek was to make ground and get Bibles out, but oh how we would have loved to spend more time in each place, as we were able to here!
A beautiful Sera woman in the garden village on the shore of the Second Lake.
Katie reads the story of Jesus casting the legion of demons out of the demoniac to Sera people.
Two Sera men look at the Sera New Testament, while others peer in through the window.
A Sera man forming the handle for a knife.
A garden house. We took naps here (lying on the raised platform) on Day 4. Notice the deer antlers in the apex of the roof - they often stow small trophies from hunts within the woven walls and ceilings of their huts.
Katie waking up from her nap. The sarong on her lap helps protect her from the flies.
Two Sera children with their mother, bent over a cooking fire. These kids' distended bellies were a common sight, due to malnutrition (too much starch, not enough protein).
Our tents at dusk.
Daniel, Katie & Andy with our guides as we left the garden village on the Second Lake, Day 5.
A common encounter while hiking - balancing on logs.
Katie & Daniel at the Second Lake. The unique landscape (flat, with hillocks) is due to the fact that this is actually a dried-up lake bed.
Andy & Ben, carrying a stalk of sugar cane as a treat for later.
Daniel tries to get a heading on the GPS.
This wonderful man ran several miles through the night to get us a canoe, since we could not proceed without one.
At the Third Lake, Katie cuts up some sugar cane while the owner of the machete watches tentatively.
Arriving in A-village, Day 5. Ben gives Bibles to the headman, along with Parable Books, Answer Books and literacy T-shirts.
The A-village headman commissions his 8 literate villagers with learning and teaching the rest of the village about Jesus.
Boaz reads the story of the man with the legion of demons.
Katie lends light to an A-villager who earnestly reads about Jesus.
Our guides hiked with their bows and arrows. Often they would hunt while we hiked.
Day 6. Katie, halfway up a steep Class 4 scramble over limestone and roots, with Ben close behind.
Making a clearing for a campsite in the jungle on the 6th night. You can see the stumps of saplings by this man's knee, as he chops down trees to make some space for us.
Palm fronds laid out in the clearing for a bed in the jungle.
Arriving at the end of Day 7 in O-village, the most remote and difficult village to reach.
Sera New Testaments, with Parable Books. Some were for O-village, the rest would be taken by O-villagers to another nearby village.
Eating the evening meal in O-village. Although the language barrier was felt between us and our guides for much of the trip, on some occasions like this one, exhaustion and the joy of eating brought us together. You can see the boiled cassava and sweet potato we were served. (What you can't see are the small minnows they served us ... whole.)
Stuffing our faces after the long walk.
Breakfast in O-village on Day 8. You can see the raised platform/table we sat on or at to eat, and the communal style of eating (no individual settings or utensils).
Ben reaches for more. The lighter-colored roots are boiled or roasted cassava, the purplish ones are taro, and the green is a spinach-like, leafy vegetable.
Consulting the map to estimate whether we would make it all the way to the next village from O-village that day.
Camping in the jungle on Day 8. This was a tough night, which we weren't prepared to spend out. Thankfully, God provided us with enough water and food, and the Sera men caught a morning meal the next day ...
... tree kangaroo! Our guides hunted and killed this animal for breakfast on Day 9. Such tough animals! (Ask us for more details if you are interested - I'll spare sensitive readers the details here.)
Andy, Boaz and Daniel with their kill.
The men were so hungry, they insisted that we cook the kangaroo ASAP. So we stopped hiking for a few hours. They ate half of the animal, and blackened the rest to carry onwards.
Katie with the paw.
Ben indulges his honorary right as eldest man: eating the heart and liver of the kangaroo, on a stick (apparently the most savory part of the animal).
We crossed many rivers and streams on the trek. This one, en route to S-village on Day 9, was a particularly treacherous one. The log on which we crossed was submerged (about ankle-deep), and the water was fast. Thankfully, the algae that can sometimes make a log much more slippery, made this one more grippy.
A beautiful Sera girl in S-village.
Meeting the people of S-village was another highlight of the trip. They were so glad to have us, and so eager to hear Ben tell about Jesus and about our purpose in coming.
Young Sera women, dressed in traditional sarongs.
Ben explaining to S-villagers how the Gospel came to the Sera people, and who Jesus is, as they listen intently.
Ben later reflected to us that the story he chose to share here made a significant impression on the people. He told them how he suddenly lost his 2 children many years ago, when he was working with our parents on the Scripture translation. Many unbelieving Sera blamed him for their deaths, because of his work on the translation - You've angered the spirits by worshipping this Jesus instead of them! He was crushed. But he refused to give up responding to God's call, and persisted in the work. Later, God blessed him with several more children. This spoke powerfully to the people - that God might be stronger or greater than the spirits that control their lives.

Recent photo comments

A common encounter while hiking - balancing on logs.

Katie: Thankfully, this log was not slick ... I never enjoyed finding out if a log was slippery or not, because the only way was to find out the hard way!

MOM Peckham: Good balance! I praise God all the time that you all did not have serious injuries, or illness. It's truly amazing, and God's hand of protection was obviously with you.

When Dad and Joe met up with us on Day 13, we saw this iguana(?). He silently danced around this tree trunk, always staying on the other side of it from Daniel, until Daniel finally had Dad stand on the other side of the tree so he could catch a picture of it.

Aaron: Neat! I just happened to notice a very similar creature from Queensland called a Boyd's Forest Dragon on a calendar in my office. So apparently this is some kind of Hypsilurus (genus name). Maybe it is an unknown variety that you could name the Lloyd's Forest Dragon.

Daniel: Ah, interesting. Thanks for the help in identifying it. Sounds like a good name! =)

Daniel: Ah, interesting. Thanks for the help in identifying it. Sounds like a good name! =)

MOM Peckham: I love all these pictures and your great comments. Thanks for sharing these.

Daniel: Thanks, Mom.

Hey, I'm impressed to see that you're using Firefox instead of IE. Way to go! =)

Daniel tries to get a heading on the GPS.

MOM Peckham: I think I see some trail mix... Ymmm.

adam: cool shot. Love the light coming through the leaves.

... tree kangaroo! Our guides hunted and killed this animal for breakfast on Day 9. Such tough animals! (Ask us for more details if you are interested - I'll spare sensitive readers the details here.)

Aaron: Nice! A tasty jungle treat... it has been too long since I last enjoyed the generosity of the rainforest.

Katie reads the story of Jesus casting the legion of demons out of the demoniac to Sera people.

Daniel: Katie's really good at reading out loud in the Sera language, even if she doesn't understand most of it.

Sharon: That's awesome, Katie. How incredible to read something you don't understand, but to know that the people listening are drinking in every word...

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