Trujillo, Peru has been an interesting place. I think I like it though. We are partnered with Inca Link and staying in a compound. Most of the time I feel as if I'm being held in a prison camp. We do manual labor most days in the hot hot sun. We are fed plan rice and potatoes for every meal with a pinky size portion of chicken. The chicken given can be any part. Some times it's the throat other times its their feet. We are also unable to leave the compound most of the time because its unsafe. But for some reason I really like it here. I think because God has been most evident here even though this city in really corrupt. I got to watch someone except Christ when I shared my testimony!
I think about dangerous parts back home but nothing compares to this. This city is run by the gangs. Like real life ones. I'm staying in the worst area of town. The taxi's don't like to take anyone here. They have to pay someone off in order to come. The ones that do pay people off won't come after 7pm. The leader of the compound left a couple years ago because someone stole his car by hitting him over the head with a gun while he was driving, almost killed him, and tried to take his little boy. The thing was that they even knew the person that did it. They played soccer with them every week. When we go sand boarding with the kids in the area we walk past the field where a name trains 10-17 year olds to kill white people…And on top of this when you think it wouldn't get any worse. Two American girls were raped at 3pm and we they went to tell the police they didn't even write a report because they needed to go to lunch.
But I don't feel hopeless for this place. There are some of the most beautiful people here doing amazing things for the kingdom.
Meet Stephany and Joca.
Stephany is around my age. She grew up in Trujillo and has a college degree. She also speaks English and had a very good job. She saw the hurt in the city and knew that God wanted her to quit her job. So she did. Now she plays with the kids in the dump all week. It is becoming a beautiful place. I don't even smell the trash or feel the dirt. The kids live in the dump and some work in the dump. It's not a real job but they get money to recycle so they go through the trash. It does break your heart there but The light is there. She started a childern program. They sing songs together, play soccer, have snacks, and make art! These kids have nothing but hopefully this will give them hope. Most don't even go to school.
Joca has a similar story. He grew up in Trujillo as well and is 25. He went to college and got a really good job. But God told him to quit his job. He had nothing but God told him that he had the sand. So he started the sand boarding ministry. He takes kids from the ages of 10-17 out sand boarding. He teaches them about the Bible and loves them. This is a way to get the young boys away from the gangs and provides them with the opportunity to maybe think there is more to life. When to ask these kids what there dreams are they just stare blankly at you.
If you would like to support Stephany or Joca let me know and I will send you more info! These we just a couple kingdom brings that really do live radically for Christ. They are really an inspiration!
