A Slight Reprieve

This morning (the 11th day of the strike), we awoke early to try to get into town and buy some fruits and veggies. Since the strike started, there have been some opportunities to buy foodstuffs, but only early in the morning, and at very few locations. As we walked into town, we were amazed to find the streets FULL of people, motorcars, vendors, even the majority of the retail stores were clearly open and doing business! We went into the market area, and were able to find some much-needed fruit and a few veggies. On the way home, we stopped at one of the grocery stores that we frequent. The proprietor said that there was a reprieve until noon today, then the strike will resume. It was interesting to see the faces of people on the streets and in the market. They seemed happy to be out and able to have their old routine, if even for a few short hours. The other faces that were evident on the street were those of the protesters. They were obvious, as they were normally 3 or 4 men together, walking without a purpose – just waiting. Most of these folks aren’t from Yurimaguas, but have been brought in from the villages along the rivers. They are staying on the street, and have no place to go, until the strike starts back up. Then they will reconstruct their road blocks, reform in their lines to block traffic and generally be a nuisance to the Yurimagueños.

In the meantime what a blessing it is, for the people to be able to restock their shelves a little and do some much-needed business in town. Praise God that we have food in our cupboards once again! In a way, we see it as a blessing, and in a way not. To us, it clearly sends the message that the strike is nowhere near over, but will probably continue on for another period of days. Keep up your prayers!