[6:01 AM, 9/11/2022] Al Lotz: It reminded me of the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. This trip has been one of my more difficult adventures when it comes to ministry trips overseas. After a couple days of traveling I arrive in the heat and humidity, set up screen tent and bed, take my standard bucket bath and get to bed. From the beginning I had not felt 100% but figured it was just general stress and tiredness. I managed to teach the first two days as planned but my symptoms were getting worse rather than better so on day 3 I stayed isolated in my house/tent that felt like a sauna especially during the heat of the day. I maybe could have kept going but really felt quite lousy and more importantly I did not want to pass whatever this was to the natives. I have taken the COVID vaccine and two boosters but I knew some still get the breakthrough illness and probably the majority of those I was teaching had not had even the first vaccine. I had pretty much all the symptoms except loss of taste but what I had coincided with the previous experience of vaccinated family members so I thought it best to play it safe. So isolation for 4 days it is.
[6:54 AM, 9/11/2022] Al and Lori Lotz: Well I recovered enough to not be contagious and was able to teach the final 4 days- good questions , good discussions and I trust they gained some valuable deeper understanding of God’s word.

Back to the travels. The night before heading out we learn that the 6 hour boat trip down river is cancelled due to not enough passengers. My flight is scheduled for the next evening to Lima and the following morning home. I really don’t want to miss these messing up scheduled events at home and neither do I need the extra expense that would be. Scramble!! We get a smaller boat to a town an hour away and from there over an hour on a 3 wheel motorcar over a bumpy dusty road. Then a final boat ride to Pucallpa. As I write this I’m departing from Lima- homeward bound. Yeah!