The old has gone. The new has come.
For me, this phrase has had deep and meaningful application in life over the course of the last month. I have so much to fill you in on…
The phrase also means this:
Peru has gone. Bolivia has come.
We are officially done with our time in ministry in Peru on The World Race, and have moved on to La Paz, Boliva for our debrief. I’m currently sitting in a café, sipping on some hot chocolate milk, binding away altitude sickness with happy thoughts, and swirling in the state of processing the last 2 months in Chincha, Nauta, and Iquitos.
I know its been a while since you’ve heard a real update from me regarding our ministry. I sincerely apologize for my lack of communication. Truth be told, I’ve written blogs and made videos, but with the slow internet connections in the jungle, I haven’t posted much. I intend on filling you in on the last month over the course of the next few days!
Brief synopsis: The Lord has done great things. In ministry, and also in our group, great strides have been taken in claiming life and freedom in people and places. Glory and praise be to God for that… or as we’ve come to say in Peru: “Gloria a Dios”.
We spent 5 weeks in Chincha, Peru, helping with the relief efforts of damage caused by the earthquake in August 2007. We established relationships with the people, both young and old, and sought to bring hope where there was little.
Next we traveled to Nauta, Peru, a small village on the Amazon River. There, we dove into intense children’s ministry and put on a program called “Festival Con Dios”. We played with the kids, memorized Scripture, taught with skits and songs, and loved these kids with Jesus’ love.
Iquitos, Peru was where we spent the next 3 weeks, with a church called Berrea. These people have made a special place in our hearts, and we truly feel a family connection with them. We had experiential church services, brought in people from the community, had another “Festival Con Dios” for the kids, and helped them to build up their church. Saying goodbye to these people was difficult… but what a beautiful thing to see God’s Body come together, different cultures, different tongues, but ONE GOD. ONE SAVIOR. ONE CHURCH.
Peru was hot. It was hard. But the Lord taught us about Sonship and Daughtership in His Kingdom, and about how we function within the Body. This was a precious country, and though I will miss it, I’m excited for the next phase of the World Race, and the next phase of our lives.
The old has gone. The new has come. Welcome to Bolivia.
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**Stay tuned for a series of Peru fill-ins……….
