Matt and I just left behind one of our favorite months of the whole race. Turns out Jesus was saving the best for last.
How did it start?
Well you probably already read that we were able to do ministry with my youth pastor, Brent and his team from the states. We had been to Peru with some of this group before and we were so excited to see some familiar faces. We want to take this time to thank you for all your prayers and donations. We wouldn’t have been able to work with Brent and his team if it wasn’t for all of you.
It was an amazing week. Matt and I got to our hotel a day earlier than the rest of the team, which was great. He had a day and a half to rest and get better once he got to the lower altitude in Lima. One thing that we were extremely excited for was that some of our bests friends were coming to Lima, Peru to work with us, Kaitlyn and Stephen! We met both of them through CRU and FCA and we lived in the same apartment complex, in Raleigh last year! We knew that it was God who provided a way for them to come because it was all decided really last minute! We were so excited to see our friends!!
The whole team arrived really late at night and we got started right away the next morning! Brent brought a man who writes and raps His own Christian songs. He also brought a man who is super strong and can lift a lot of weights and push busses. These two people were great at gathering people everywhere we went which was awesome!
Here is a list of some of the things we did…
- Went to several different schools to perform, love, play and share the gospel with the kids. They all loved the rapping and strong man acts!
- We went to a special needs therapy center and passed out so many homemade quilts made by some hardworking ladies in the church.
- Played volleyball, soccer and shared the gospel.
- Fed, prayed and shared with the homeless.
- Fed, prayed and shared with the prostitutes.
- We also sang happy birthday with cake to both of those groups to remind them that they are not forgotten and loved.
- Had worship, prayer and devotions up on the roof every morning
- Lastly, of course because it was with Brent, we ate lots of good food.
This week was packed, but it was so beautiful. My favorite part of it all was having Kaitlyn and Stephen there and Matt being able to be around guys who know him, love him and care about him.
The hardest thing we did was definitely sharing with the prostitutes. We obviously were not allowed to take any pictures, but I will try to describe it the best that I can.
There were two specific streets that they hung out on. You could see them everywhere, and it was very obvious who they were and what they were doing. Most of them had hardly any clothes on. The one “girl” I talked to was wearing a shawl as a shirt draped around her, and you could tell that she wasn’t actually a women because of how short the skirt was, if you get what I am saying. I would say about 65 percent of them were actually men who had things done to themselves to make them look like women. It was really hard to tell. It was heartbreaking. As we walked we could see the pimps. They wore headsets and were communicating to each other and their girls. The girls would stand on the side of the street and try to solicit men. One thing that Kaitlyn later pointed out to me was that it was like they were all in a competition with each other. Who wore the most seductive clothing. Who had the most attractive body. Who could get the most men to go into a room with them. I cannot imagine the emptiness. The pain. The heartache. The struggle of comparison. One girl that another friend talked to said it was her first night on the job and she could see fear all over her. As we talked to them we could see them looking around scared, it was almost as if they were making sure their pimps weren’t coming over to yell at them for not focusing on the men. You see, for safety purposes, only the ladies were allowed to talk to them from our group. We went in groups of 3 or 4 as women and each group had two or three men, but the men were instructed to be at least 6 feet away at all times. So they were there to protect us in case something happened, but stayed far back enough so that the women didn’t get any ideas about them wanting services.
I wish that I could share a radical come to Jesus moment with you about how the ladies accepted Jesus. That they finally realized the thing they need is Jesus. That He is the only one that can take away all their pain and fill it with His love. As far as I know, that didn’t happen. But seeds were planted. Food and Bibles were given to them, the gospel was shared and all of us were reminded that Jesus loved the untouchables, and the power of prayer is so important. I felt like Jesus was telling me to simply look them in the eye and tell them that Jesus loves them and they were not forgotten. Please let this be a reminder to you, as it was to me that people everywhere are lost and hurting. Don’t just avoid them or look the other way. Love like Jesus even if it is hard or uncomfortable. We don’t know people’s stories unless we ask. People want to be known and heard. I wish I could have spent more time talking to these ladies. Getting to know them, asking what their favorite color was or their favorite memory as a child. Unfortunately we were in a really dangerous area and the church we were working with told us we were not allowed to do so. Please get to know the people around you. God is just waiting to use you to share His love.
If you have any other questions on this please let me know.
It was sad to see the team leave. Matt and I wished they could finish out the month with us but God had other plans… and to avoid this blog getting super long I will share about the rest of the month soon!!
Matt and I are currently in the airport waiting to take a plane back to the States!! Our journey has come to an end. The things we have seen, lessons we have learned, and ways that our faith has increased this year in invaluable. It couldn’t not have happened without your prayers and support and we are beyond grateful.
From the bottom of our hearts… THANK YOU!!!
To God be the glory!!!
Kalyn & Matthew Ledford
