Wow where do I start. Peru is a whole lot different than what I expected and what I wanted. Peru is a beautiful country in all its parts and it took me sometime to see that this month. When I have thought of Peru I have always thought of Mountains and specifically Machu Pichu. Little did I know that a lot of Peru is coastal desert. My first reaction to seeing the place we were staying was its flat, dirty, and not the most attractive place in the world. I allowed my expectations of what this month would look like lead my reactions once I saw what this month actually looked like.
God reminded, or more, gave me a reality check that the reason I am here is not to have pretty views but to serve Him no matter where He has me placed whether that be somewhere I would choose or where He actually needs me.
We are overly blessed by the Ministry we serve here and they have so much love for myself and our team. They have poured their knowledge into us, led us, fed us, and love us so so so so much. This month we are serving a church La Entorcha Inglesia. The church is located in Pacasmayo, Peru and has a second church in Trujillo, Peru.
We have gotten to service them in multiple ways, in the mornings we do projects around the compound and the church. We have painted, cleaned, and organized many things to help them in their ministry.
In the afternoons we help with their after school program. They have an average of 25 children come from 2pm to 6pm every day. We help them with their homework, play with them, and teach them English.
In the evenings we teach English at the church to young children, teenagers, and adults. This time has allowed us to get to know more and more people in Pacasmayo and about their lives and things they love.
Every Tuesday we take an hour in the morning to do ATL “Ask the Lord” as a team. We will pray together and ask God who he wants us to talk to, love, and pour into that day. We will then take an hour to walk into the town of Pacasmayo and talk to locals. We will sit with them and ask them how we can pray for them and take the time to get to know them. This ministry has been amazing for our team to really dig into hearing God’s voice and acting on what He has asked us to do.
On Saturdays the church has a community evangelism outreach. The youth group has many skits and dances prepared and they will go into the city center and dance to Christian music, do skits, and share their testimonies. This ministry is one of my favorites this month because I have seen children be bold for the Lord and talk to strangers about Jesus, share their testimonies, share what God is doing in their lives. These children are on fire for the Lord and their biggest priority in life is to expand the kingdom and show love to all those they come into contact with. It is a blessing to be a part of this ministry and get to witness what God is doing here in Peru every day.
This month God has poured into me through the people around me. My team has grown stronger and stronger in our relationships together and at setting God as our priority all the time. While Pacasmayo, Peru may not be what I expected it is what I needed and it is beautiful in its own way.
