I spent the last month watching and learning from one of the most godly men I have ever met.
Meet Pastor Nestor:
Nestor speaking at church one night
I met Pastor Nestor the day I arrived in Chincha… in fact, I thought he was trying to steal my backpack! He was so excited to see us that he had come to meet us with the Cooleys at the bus station when they picked us up. BUT he forgot to tell me who he was! OOPS! Once I realized who he was, my eyes began to see who Nestor REALLY is. He immediately regrabbed my bag and gently set it in the back of a van, turned to me and gave me a big hug. I loved him from that moment on.
As I started to work with Nestor over the short amount of time I was in Chincha, I noticed something different about him. Nestor is a small man. Ya, physically, but its also just him. He speaks softly. He isn't overbearing. He simply loves people and is a humble, humble man. And he LOVES Jesus. Nestor is a small man, but he is a giant.
Nestor passing out bananas to hungry kids
Nestor does things in Christ's name that most people wouldn't really enjoy doing on a regular basis. Let me give you a picture. At 9 every morning, Nestor comes to knock on the church door. Immediately when you open it, he greets you with a big smile and a hug, always asking how you are…and he really wants to know! Then he leads you out and down the street to one of his neighbor's houses. "This is where you will be working today", is the gist of what he says. But he doesn't just leave you high and dry at that point to go do "grander" work. He picks up a paintbrush or a shovel and begins to work along side you. And when Nestor works, he puts everything he has into it. Nestor will work twice as hard as anyone else because he keeps his mind focused on who the work is really for, Christ.
After a long day of work, Nestor doesn't just stop at 5 pm. He then either holds church services where he shares his passion for Christ from the pulpit or he sets up a volleyball net and plays until all hours of the night….all in order to build relationships with young adults in his community.
When Nestor passes someone on the street, he doesn't just walk by them. He stops, turns to smile at them, and begins a conversation. WITH EVERYONE. If he is invited inside, he will always turn the conversation to Christ. He wants everyone he knows to love Jesus.
And when he is exhausted and is taking a day off from doing work, he takes time out of his schedule to plan a fun day for your team. AND not only that, but if someone on your team has to go to the bathroom and the people at a local restaurant aren't too keen on it, Nestor immediately offers to help the owners out for a few minutes with whatever needs to be done so that you can go to the bathroom.
Not only all of this, but Nestor LOVES Jesus. You can see it in his eyes. You can see it in the way he talks and the way he works so hard. You can see it when he worships.
Nestor gives away love every chance he gets. He works extra hard so that his community can continue to rebuild their lives (after a devastating earthquake 5 years ago), but also so that through him they might see Jesus. I've never heard him complain. Nestor doesn't have to be a loud and "big" man. He quietly goes about his work as a pastor. But his servant's heart speaks volumes for him. It makes you want to know him. It makes you want to know more about the God he follows.
I want to be like Nestor. I want to put others first, to put the kingdom of God first. I want to love people so well that they can't help but be curious about Jesus. I might never see Nestor again on this earth (although I hope I will), but I will never forget the things he has taught me over the last month.
Love you, dear Nestor.
Team Veracity with Pastor Nestor (3rd from left) and Joel, his brother- in -law and our translator (2nd from right) at the Inca ruins in Chincha
