Hello!
I hope you all are doing well. For my first blog, I just wanted to give you an update on what has been happening since October.
First, my first month in Peru was…like getting back on a bike, for lack of a better phrase. It is my second time in Peru doing ministry. Last year I lead a high school team into the northern jungle of Peru for two weeks that turned out to be a very life-altering trip. It launched me into a season that has brought as many challenges as much as it brought growth.
So what did I do this month? well, I was with two of the four teams on our squad. However, there was a considerable distance between the two. The first team, team J-walkers, was partnered with a ministry called Inca Link. Inca LInk has multiple locations all over Central and South America including. I had the pleasure of visiting Inca Link Ecuador at the final debrief of my last squad in August. At Inca link Peru we worked mostly with the youth in the city and occasional women’s ministry. Most days included Maintenance/ cleaning around the compound and sports ministry with kids playing soccer or “Floorball” (which was essentially hockey without skates). When my time ended I left Trujillo(the city where Inca Link is located) and made my way to the second team, Team Scelte(Scelte is Italian…i’m not entirely sure what it means). I took one bus 10 hours to Lima and then another 24 hours through the mountains to Cusco. It was the longest travel day I have had in-country and I was riding solo which made it feel longer than it was, which was still very long.
In Cusco, Team Scelte and I(and my co-leader, Landry) were partnered with a church called Calvary Chapel. We helped with church services on Wednesday nights and Sundays, did local outreach in nearby communities and even held a “Beauty for Ashes” event. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Beauty For Ashes is a woman’s specific ministry that Adventures In Missions offers for women who want to minister to and empower women. Naturally, being the only Man present on the team, I hid in my room and interceeded for the event and entertained myself in my room. Its a wonderful little church that is trying to be a light in a dark place. One of my favorite things we did was drive to a town on the mountainside and play games with some of the local kids. Most of them were very young. I have never experienced so much joy and laughter. It was contagious. All we did was show up and love on them for an hour and it was one of the most life-giving things. A bunch of little moments that can change the course of your day or even your month. I have never been comfortable with kids ministry but in that moment I didn’t want to do anything else. To feel such a deep love for children(or people) you just met is hard to describe and I never want to forget that feeling.
It was a privilege to be apart of these ministries and I am grateful to have been able to serve them in the way that we have. But my main focus is ministering to the teams I am with and to disciple them to grow in the culture we are trying to create as the body of Christ. One where they will disciple each other by pursuing the kingdom of God through intimacy, community, and mission. Every month will look a little bit different as we move forward. My co-leader and I will pray and seek the Lord in which teams we are supposed to be with and for how long. So far, we have agreed that we are being lead to travel(separately) between teams to spend as much time pouring into the teams to teach and impart as much as we can so that our squad will be set up for success down the road when we let them go to do it on their own. We are observing the spiritual mental, emotional and physical health of individuals, teams, and the squad as a whole making sure that individuals and given space and time to heal, process, pray, talk through whatever the Lord may be doing and assist in whatever way we can. It’s a journey, for me, in how to love people well every day. Daily I find a new depth of love for others and I am constantly humbled that God has asked me to journey with these people as they become who He has made them to be. It’s an incredible experience that I don’t share about as often as I should. I will do my best to try to articulate this journey as it unfolds. Thank you so much to all of you who have been following this journey so far. I hope that we can continue to journey together as God continues to lead me into His will.
Thanks for reading!
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Fundraising Update: I am currently at $1,260 of the $8,000 that I need to raise for my time with Z-squad. $5,000 is needed for my Time on the Field and another $3,000 is needed to visit the teams for debriefs on the field after I have left. I am confident that God everything that I need to be fully funded. Thank you all who continue to invest in this ministry. I am beyond grateful to have you all along with me. If you haven’t donated and would you please pray and consider partnering with me? I am looking for one-time donations and monthly partners to continue ministry in this capacity. This is an incredible ministry discipling young adults and adults alike to live life on mission where ever they are.
Please be praying for the squad that would be press into the work that the Lord is doing in and through them, that our leadership team can lead and love the squad well, that we would carry the vision the Lord has given us for this year, for fresh revelation of the Holy Spirit, For His provision (financially, and spiritually), for wisdom, discernment, and peace as a leader! Love you guys!
