On the 9thof December, we traveled out of Peru and headed to our third country of the race, Guatemala. Our travel day turned into a travel experience, but that will be addressed in another blog. This blog will be continuing my thank you letters to the places I have been, the people I have seen, and the love that has been shared. SO without further ado, Thank you Peru and month three of the race.
Thanks, Centro Infatil//
Thank you for making me uncomfortable. You taught me how to love outside of that; to love outside of my comfort zone. Centro Infantil was where we lived and did ministry every day. It was an old orphanage that now hosts an after-school program/tutoring place where we taught English to K-2ndgraders. We played games with them, colored with them, and tried to teach English. Emphasis on tried. Becoming an English teacher taught me that I don’t want to be a teacher, but God will still use me in my not-wanting heart. English teaching taught me about patience and having a love for the learning process. Sometimes, when we do kingdom work, we never see a harvest. Sometimes, we taught a lesson and an hour after class they wouldn’t remember a single thing we taught. I learned that regardless of the English harvest, we were still planting seeds. We loved those kids, played games with them, helped them cross the monkey bars, and also just happened to teach them a few English words. Our job as teachers wasn’t just to teach them the English word for eyes, it was to show them we can love them right where they are at, and God will too. Thanks squeaky tables and screaming kiddos.
Thanks, Iglesia La Antorcha//
Thanks for also making me uncomfortable. Thanks for showing me when I am uncomfortable, God won’t stop working. We taught English class here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We did youth group evangelism here Tuesday and Sunday nights. We learned and worshipped here Sunday mornings. Here, we were awkward. Our crowd was older for English class and was always filled with awkward small-talk. The youth group taught us like 8 HARD dance routines and three skits that we would perform for evangelism on Sunday nights. They laughed because we couldn’t keep up, and gave us the best high-fives when we finally got that one move. Celebrating a church anniversary taught me a lot about my questioning of God. Sometimes, I just need to trust, and not question. If God wants to move, He WILL move. Through La Antorcha, we made relationships. We laughed, hugged, praised and loved. Ministry here looked like creating friendships that thrive despite the language barrier. Ministry was dancing horribly in the back row of the crowd at the beach trying not to be seen. Ministry was trusting the spirit in our selves so we could pour out to others.
A cool testimony involving the church. We celebrated the Trujillo church’s 6thanniversary on our last weekend in Peru. Anniversaries are a BIG deal here, so we honored that with a three-day celebration. To spread the word, my team was asked to hand out fliers to the community. I went out with SJ and Olivia and we started seeking out people to invite. I am pretty shy, and speaking Spanish is something I am still working on. SJ and Olivia knocked out their fliers so quickly and I still had four left. I finally worked up the courage to hand out three of them, and I was so proud when I only had one left. As we were walking down the street, we saw a man coming towards us smoking a cigarette. I looked at him and thought to myself “He looks like He would not go to church.” Immediately judging Him, and then immediately hearing God say, “give Him the last invite.” So I did. I nervously walked up to Him and in broken Spanish, invited Him to the celebration. He looked at me and said “Thank you, I am from Venezuela (huge crisis going on there causing people to flee) and I have been here for 14 days. This whole time I have been looking for a church to go to.” He asked for directions and said He hoped He could come. That night, He brought a friend and sat throughout the whole service. He and His friend got saved that night. In my judging and discomfort, God still used me.
Thanks God for showing me that you are still faithful, and you will use my Broken-Spanish to form friendships and bring your people back to you.
Thanks Wendy + Auden + the Lujan Family//
The Lujan family were our hosts and gave us the lay-down of all things Peru. They schooled us all in Dutch blitz. They provided the BEST thanksgiving dinner away from home. They loved us and treated us as their own. Auden showed us the gospel in the kindest way. His words were soft but filled with power. Wendy was filled with wisdom and never failed to share it with us in the sweetest way. Keili was quiet but had the best laugh and loved telling stories. Josiah was a man of MANY words and loved to vigorously shake hands. Lucy was just stinkin’ cute. The Lujan family showed me how the love of the Father is poured out in a family setting. They were slow to anger and quick to love. They helped me see God as a Father, and told me there was never anything to be afraid of when coming to your Father. Ever fear is silenced, and every prayer is heard. Thanks Lujan’s for bringing heaven to Pacasmayo and Trujillo and for allowing me to be a small part in that.
Thanks Julio+Flor, Beckham+Betsy, and every person we met and instantly loved//
Thanks for accepting us and having conversations with us that were sometime awkward but always filled with heart. Julio+Flor were our home protectors, dining partners, and our site parents. Julio would check-in on us every night. The first night we met him, he called us his “hijas” and he told us if we ever needed anything, to scream or knock on the wall and he would be there. Julio never failed to stop communicating with us even though we could hardly ever understand what he was saying. He loved us persistently and intentionally. He loved us like God loves us. Flor was his trusty wife and loved us from afar. She had the kindest heart and had the sweetest smile. Beckham was our little brother and Betsy was our older sister. Beckham was our guard to the beach on our first outing. He showed us how to get there and stood on the beach while we jumped recklessly into the water. Finally, he decided he wanted to swim and made his way into the pacific. He stayed several feet away from us and didn’t say anything. I went over to him, handed him the boogie board I was using and he said “for me?”. I nodded and the biggest grin crossed his face. After just minutes of riding the waves, he exclaimed “MUY DIVERTIDO!” and laughed. Ever since that day, he became our best friend and little brother. Always greeting us with our signature handshake and conversations were always filled with giggles. Betsy worked at the school and with the youth group. She always instructed us about when English classes would be and she was one of the best dance teachers. Betsy was quiet but loved so loud. You could tell from the way she loved the kids, how she loved us. Betsy became an older sister to us, ad always wanted the best for us. God, thank you for giving us relationships that will last forever. Thank you for friendships across countries.
Thanks Peru//
Peru, you were hard. You were filled with tears and uncomfortable ministry. You were filled with goodbyes and hard love. You were filled with sorrow and pain, but you were never not good. Just like the Father, He is always good. If not, He is still good. This month was filled with laughter and family dinners. It was filled with beach sunsets and bingo games. It was filled with awkward dances and big bear hugs. It was filled with quality team time and deep conversations. It was filled with growth. This month, God grew up gardens. He showed me my heart for new, uncomfortable, things. His love never fails. Thank you God for the memories, and thank you for bringing me to Peru. I will be back one day.
