PVT is one difficult thing to put words around. I’ve been wanting to write about it for 2 months now…and haven’t gotten very far until sitting myself down and forcing it out.
The Parent Vision Trip is a week where parents have the opportunity to fly out and join us Racers for a week of ministry. Our PVT was spent in small town Peru, where we spent our time together drinking coffee, chatting about family, visiting where we lived and worked for the month, met other Racers, and did different forms of ministry together.
I say that it’s difficult to put words around because a lot has happened in 9 months time. A lot has happened with my family at home while I have been gone… relationships have ended, new ones have begun, people have moved, changed jobs, our family dog died, people have grown, changed, matured. And in the same way, a lot has happened with me since leaving… I’ve seen the Holy Spirit move in powerful ways, I’ve been brought to my knees before God, I’ve seen too many beautiful sights to count, I’ve received more clarity and understanding about my purpose in life, and I’ve experienced new bounds of freedom and truth. (And I chopped my hair…minor detail)
We were able to have conversations about things God has taught me, how He has been using them at home, how our family is doing, and our desires for the future. It was great to talk about things on the field, but I loved hearing even more about the things God was doing at home. It’s easy to say that I’ve missed home, snuggles with my dog, working for an income, my mom’s cooking, going out with my sisters, early morning Scuba dives, and driving my car.
One of the best parts of PVT for me was doing different types of ministry with my parents. Growing up in the church, it was “normal” for me to see my mom and dad praying over people and sharing Christ, but it was a totally new thing doing it together. One afternoon we had a time to go door to door just talking and praying with people. The very first home that we went to, we were invited in by a friendly woman and her older father. We told them that we were working with the local church and would love to chat and pray with them. Turns out, the family had a lot of questions relating to Catholicism, death, and eternity because close friends and family members continued to pass away around them. It was awesome to see my dad be able to relate to the family through his Catholic background and time spent studying the Bible. Most stories don’t end this way, but we walked away after both of them prayed to receive the Lord and be sure of their place in heaven with Jesus Christ. Such a great day!
I also asked both of my parents to write a little something about their experience at PVT so we can have the full picture.
Here are Betty’s thoughts:
“I was so blessed and impressed by all that the Lord has done and is doing, in and through you and all the racers. To see and experience just a glimpse of what you’ve been involved in was very informative and convicting. The Lord gave me a burden to pray for revival for the people of Peru as I was walking through the streets. He showed me that they’re as much in need of His love and redemption as anyone else. I was also encouraged to hear, from some of the people, how they had such great faith in God and were happy to talk and pray. Everyone was friendly and cordial with us Gringos, as we walked by them. I saw the faithfulness, love and compassion of the Lord, through all of the Racers being poured out to the Peruvians.
You all have been gifted with such joy and strength in this journey. What a blessing to my heart to witness that and to see such selflessness, sacrifice and maturity! God is a good “Papa” and so faithful to us! As I reflect back, some of my favorite moments from the trip were: hugging and seeing you, talking at the coffee shop, group times of awesome worship and amazing testimonies, watching the kids run up, calling you “Daborah,” seeing you playing the guitar, singing in Spanish, praying and ministering together with the people, witnessing the fruit of the Spirit’s work, and your labor, as you prayed for a girls salvation. I loved the crazy dune buggy ride and sand boarding, spoiling you with lunch at Astrid y Gaston, and getting to know some of the Racers and their parents.”
And Dave’s thoughts:
“I loved it…but if you want more specifics I liked the balance of ministry time doing door to door evangelism and time we could spent getting a good cup of coffee and getting some quality time together. I’m glad we were not doing construction where we are focused on things or projects and we were able to spend more time loving people. Construction comes so much more natural for me, but relying on the Holy Spirit for our next opportunity together, with us serving by your side was a beautiful experience that I will never forget. I’m so proud of the way you allow God to use your time and your talents.
The conditions geographically were more basic than I thought, I expected there to me more natural beauty, but the accommodations were nice for the area that we were in. I was pleasantly surprised how nice all of the parents were; we got along so well with everyone. The staff did a nice job organizing the chaos the best they could; glad the church was there to handle all the meals on our behalf. I’m sure that had to be a huge job for them. It was nice that we all took turns serving each other. I enjoyed the teaching and skits by the racers; they had great content and gave me an idea of what your community is like when parents are not around. It didn’t feel like a show, but more organic and real life.”
So there you have it! PVT in a nutshell from the Gordon family!
Check out the video below of our time together at PVT and a quick visit to Machu Picchu after!
