P.E. Church Net - Herbert and Elaine Trzos

P.E. Church Net

TESTIMONIES
Herbert & Elaine Trzos
Missionaries from Port Elizabeth now working in Peru

Dear friends, brothers, sisters and members in Christ.

Quite a few of you have asked for a more detailed information about us, the land and the people here. Why, How, Who, What & When? I hope this review and basic introduction, will make us more understandable:

Herbert, born 1941 in Berlin Germany immigrated in1966 to South Africa. He met Elaine, born 1943, in Port Elizabeth and they were married in 1982. Their son Jonathan was born in1984 in Durban.

Letter of Introduction (shortened) from Pastor Erroll Mulder of Westway Bethel Baptist Church in Port Elizabeth. 26 November 1998

Herbert & Elaine Trzos have been faithful and effective members of the above congregation for many years. Since their earliest years with us they developed a particular interest in prayer and world missions. This was intensified through their involvement with Bless the Nations East Cape. Herbert has completed a two-year Diploma in Missions in conjunction with the BTN World Missions School & the Bible Institute Eastern Cape. (Elaine also attended most of the Missions School courses)

More recently, this couple has experienced a definite call to work in Peru among the unreached Morochucos people, a subgroup of the Quetchua people, living high in the Peruvian Andes. To our knowledge, this people-group is without any viable Christian witness whatsoever.

Earlier this year Herbert, together with another missionary of ours (Danie van Huyssteen), visited the area of concern. They thoroughly researched the work in Lima, Ayacucho, etc. It was a most fruitful time, many miracles were witnessed, contact was made with key-people reaching out to the Quetchua (Runa Simi Mission), the door to the Morochucos was opened to the Trzos's. Our church and Bless the Nations EC see this as a way of fulfilling GCOWE 97's vision of "a Church for every people & the gospel for every person by the year 2000", if not by then, as soon as possible.

Westway Bethel stands fully behind the Trzos family. They covet your prayers. At this time they are planting a cell in a local township & then visiting Jivannadi Mission in Natal.

Your sincerely, signed Pastor Erroll Mulder (on behalf of missions committee)

The Land
Peru, even about the same size than South Africa, has 3 climatic zones. The desert, all along the coast, is between 20 km & 50 km wide. This makes about 15% of the area, yet over 50% of the population live there. Some places never experience any rain. Lima & Chosica are part of this desert.

The jungle & rain forest to the east takes up over 50% of the country, yet only about 15% of the people make it there home. This is also part of the huge Amazon basin. In these two regions, most missionary efforts taking place.

The rest of the country (35%) is made up of the great Andes Mountains, which run almost through the whole of South America. With few exceptions, the red Indians (descendants of the Incas) live there. Ayacucho (Corner for the spirit of death) are part of this region.

The People
The name "Morochuco" is derived from the 2 Spanish words "moro" meaning colour and "chuco" meaning hat. Yet in quetchua the meaning is checked helmet.

The Morochucos are a mestizo people and live in the high Andes south of Ayacucho in central Peru. Unlike most Peruvians of mixed Indian & spanish blood, the Morochucos are believed to be direct descendants of the handful of "Conquestadores" who seized control of the powerful Inca Empire in 1532.

To the people of the highlands they are a living legend. The Morochuco men are known throughout the Department of Ayacucho as hard drinking, hard riding with a fighting spirit. Indeed, in the Peruvian struggle for independence in the early years of the 19th. Century, the Morochucos took part in many of the battles against the spanish royalists+ADs- but in Nov.1820 many of them were massacred when Rocafort attacked the separatists on the Pampa of Chapas+IBk-congas.

The Morochucos were persecuted by the royalists until independence was gained, but eventually, when the Republic of Peru was founded, they were honoured by General San Martin and Simon Bolivar, "the Liberator."

Since that time they have been almost forgotten by the outside world, leading a cut-off existence in the Pampa de Cangallo, a broad valley lying at an altitude of 4000m (13000ft), overlooked by peaks over 5100m (17000ft) high.

Like most Indians Morochucos are strongly conservative, particularly as regards religion. The Spanish destroyed Indian Culture and exploited the people and their resources. The result is a profound suspicion of the white race.

One of the Spaniards first concerns was to "CONVERT" the Indians to "Christianity"

They build churches & monasteries even in the most out of the way spots. The Spanish destroyed the Inca temples, but the walls were often used for building churches. Millions of mountain Quechua, Aymara & Morochucos are still bound by superstitions of pagan and "Christian" origin.

Pray with us, that these people will be reached with the Gospel.

The Trzos's

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