Our first debrief in Cusco, Peru has been full of rest, reflection, and revelation about all God has done over the past month. It has been a time to invest in community and engage in worship. I could talk all day about the ways in which my team and I have grown and the realizations I have had about what God is doing in my own heart.
In this blog, however, I want to zoom in on a specific interaction that I had the privilege to take part in at our hostel. Although I came into debrief with an expectation that God would work within our team, I overlooked the fact that He would still use us to impact the people outside of our group. God continues to blow away my expectations and show me that He is so much bigger than my own plans. He gently reminds me that ministry is not simply something we do within the confines of a church or a specific organization, but rather, life is ministry and ministry is life.
My friend Maia and I woke up early on the first day of debrief to find a man painting a giant mural on the wall of our hostel. Maia absolutely loves art (and is one of the most talented people I know), so she insisted that we stay to watch him paint. We went upstairs to read our bibles and observe his painting. Shortly after, he came upstairs to check his progress, and I was able to start a conversation with him in Spanish. He told me that his name is Pedro, he is from Brazil, and he doesn’t know any English. As I got to know him more, we talked about why I was in Peru, and I was able to share about the ways Jesus has moved in my life.
Suddenly, he pointed at the key around my neck that I had received from Keys for the Journey. The prophetic word stamped on my key was “believe.” He instantly knew what the word on my key meant in Spanish, despite previously telling me that he could not read or speak any English. He went on to explain that he loved keys and that they were the inspiration for most of his art. He loved the fact that keys opened new doors, and he showed me a collection of old keys that he carries with him everywhere he goes. As I thought about the interaction, I felt God leading me to pass off my key to Pedro. When I asked if he wanted my key, his eyes filled with tears, and he gave me the biggest hug. I told him that God sees him and loves him and that he can always remember to “believe” when he looks at his new key.
Over the course of the week, I was able to continue building a friendship with Pedro while he worked on his paintings. He even got to come to Machu Picchu with us! Just one week later, Pedro approached me in the hostel and told me he had something to give me. He pulled one of his favorite keys out of his pocket and made me a new necklace out of the key. Again, tears filled his eyes, and he thanked me for seeing him and reintroducing him to the heart of God. God was able to use this one small interaction with something as small as a key to profoundly impact both of our lives. As we move onto our next ministry site, I will continue to pray that God moves in significant ways both in Pedro’s heart and to communicate the good news to many through the influence of his art.
