Month one has come to an end, it seemed to be so long at some moments, but now it seems to have flown by, so many things took place this past month. I am in awe of God and what He is doing. I know this is just the beginning and I haven’t seen anything yet compared to what He has yet to do. We just finished our first debrief, which includes the whole squad getting back together, our full leadership team coming to meet us, and collectively processing the things that took place beforehand to help us work through the weaknesses and maximizes our strengths. It was so helpful and necessary especially after this first month in the field.
I have given month one a proper goodbye, accepting that I have learned many lessons from it about what I want to leave there and what I want to gain going into the next month as well. However, I will not be telling Peru goodbye just yet. We were supposed to go Bolivia this month, but Bolivia has recently issued a level 3 travel advisory. This means that the U.S. embassy won’t necessarily come to our rescue if anything is to happen.
Bolivia is experiencing civil unrest due to a recent election that was really close between two former presidents with two very different outlooks and strategies on how to run the country. Yesterday our squad took 24-hrs to intercede for Bolivia, praying that they will see peace wash over their nation, that people would be protected and provided for, and trusting God to use even this to draw people closer to Him. We are praying for the families of the three people that died from the turmoil and that the nation would be able to get food because it is hard for them to right now as a result of what is taking place there. So, please join us in praying for them until a shift takes place.
Now, for month one …
As I sit here trying to process everything that I experienced in month one, I find myself overwhelmed on where to begin. The first month of ministry was packed with so many things, both good and not so good. It makes me feel reluctant to write, because I love to be honest, but I also want to honor those that it involves. I also feel as if my perspective was slightly skewed, so I have been praying fervently about it.
I loved every ministry that I got to be a part of this previous month, I just didn’t always enjoy the people I had to do ministry with and I feel bad about that. I had a hard time with one of my hosts being rough around the edges, also three of my teammates and I didn’t always see eye to eye with each other. The four of us didn’t mix well and it made it tough at times.
Through prayer and fasting, I was able to find the root of the cause. Holy Spirit revealed to me that we all like control due to a lack of trust. Since then, I have taken it to my team and we all talked through it and have decided to release our control to the Father. We have decided to do our best to be more intentional and aware of the ways we interact with one another. I can’t say that it is all smooth yet, but I know God is working in each one of our hearts and we are growing.
Enough of that, the ministry was awesome and we celebrated two of my teammate’s birthdays, April and Simona.
We participated in Tuesday morning prayers with the church and in the afternoon, we went to the orphanage to do crafts and help the girls with their homework. Wednesday’s consisted of mid-week service, Friday’s were youth group nights, so we had children from the community come by the church for fun nights of worship, testimonies, and games. One of the nights we had a home-made pizza party, another we roasted marshmallows, another a camp-fire with a popcorn bar and karaoke. There was one Friday that was originally a young ladies tea party, which was transformed into a Beauty for Ashes event. Saturday’s, we did different outreaches, one consisted of fundraising to help a family from Venezuela be reunited, another was us going to the countryside to play with a bunch of cute little kiddos.
Other projects consisted of repainting the sanctuary, deep cleaning the whole church, and refinishing a china cabinet for the girls at the orphanage. I created a curriculum for the kids that come to church since their schooling isn’t up to par with ours, April took part in the worship ministry, Adi made all the videos for our hosts and art for events, Catherine made a nutrition program for the children in the community, and Simona was our translator. We stayed busy the whole time, which was pretty cool to know they needed something each one of us had to offer.
We also went to a boy’s second chance home to look after a boy with special needs. He was such a sweet boy, so full of joy and only 8 years old. He was a new addition to the home, it was their first special needs child and they needed a few extra hands to keep him occupied and safe while they handled the everyday tasks. It was definitely a learning experience trying to keep him occupied for 8 hours at a time, but there was never a dull moment.
Belleza Por Cenizas, or Beauty for Ashes, was our biggest event which turned out to be so beautiful. My team and I decorated the sanctuary with fresh flowers, hand-made a cross with two logs and a rope, made origami flowers with scriptures inside, made a fruit salad, chicken salad sandwiches, and apple crisp, set up a spa, then went out into the city and invited all the young ladies we could from a local school and the girl’s home. We had a great turn out of 30 ladies that night, even the school director came.
We served them the fruit salad, sandwiches, chips, and a lovely homemade passion fruit drink. Afterward, we worshipped then we put on a skit about the bleeding woman to symbolize worth and new identity. I then shared my testimony and the first lady followed up with a teaching about the storyline. It was then each lady’s turn to receive their new identity from Christ, so we all got in line and chose a flower from the cross, opened them one at a time and shared them amongst each other. It was beautiful to see the smiles on each face. To finish the night, we served them apple crisp, then gave them hand massages and painted their nails. As they left we handed them flowers to take home with them to help them remember their beauty and worth. It is amazing to be a Beauty for Ashes coordinator, but I can’t take the credit for that one, my team came together to make that event come to life. I am thankful for them.
Mondays were our sabbath and Thursdays were our adventure days. One Thursday I was under the weather, so I missed the rainbow mountain hike, another we toured the downtown area and went to eat guinea pig (cuy), and during debrief, we had a squad adventure to one of the world’s seven wonders: Machu Picchu. It was one of the toughest things I have done. We took a 6-hour bus ride on one-lane mountain cliff edges through the high jungle, then a 7-mile hike to Augas Calientes. At 4a the next morning some of the squad hiked the Inca steps, about 1,600 steps (1,280 feet), which took about 1.5-2 hours. I took the 30-min bus ride up to reserve energy because we hiked around Machu Picchu for 6-hours. I did decide to take the stairs down thinking it would be easier and almost died in more ways than one, it was rainy, steep, and long. It was worth the pain I still feel today though. Then we had to trek back to Cusco. It was by far one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, just as beautiful as it was difficult, and I loved every moment of it. I am grateful my aunt afforded me the opportunity to experience that in my life time.
The hardest part of this past month besides the differences on our team, were the goodbyes. Saying goodbye to the people we got to see all through the month that we built connections with and then seeing our squad altogether after not seeing them all month and having to say see you soon, was rough. I think it was really hard to say bye to the people we grew to love in ministry without being able to say see you later.
However, just because we leave doesn’t mean Holy Spirit does, so I keep them in my prayers. I am so grateful to be living this life and to think once upon a time I tried to end it. I would’ve cheated myself out of so much had I succeeded, I thank God for saving me that day. One day I will share my full testimony, so you all can understand the depth of my gratitude. It is so hard to share everything that has happened in life or even in this last month through a blog post because it has been so full. I barely scratched the surface, but I hope you all get this gist!
My team and I are currently traveling to our next ministry host in Pacasmayo, Peru where our focus will be helping with a preschool program, tutoring children in need, teaching English, children’s ministry, health monitoring, feeding those in need, and evangelism. I am excited to meet all these beautiful children. I have high hopes of enjoying all the laughter and smiles that they bring. We have an 11-hour bus ride there in a few hours, so please keep us in your prayers!
Prayer Requests:
- Bolivia
- Please continue to pray for team unity
- Fundraising:
I have to raise $2,430 by the 30thof this month. Would you prayerfully consider donating any amount the Father may place on your heart or become a monthly donor of $5-50 to sow into His kingdom, so that the love of the Father can continue to reach those that haven’t been fortunate enough to experience it yet. I thank you in advance!
Thank you for reading! Below is a video of the previous ministry, check it out. It is a video one of my teammates created for our former hosts to share with their community.
