Ministry for our last week in Peru looked like handing out 17,000 flyers for a big event that our ministry, Zona Zegura, is hosting on November 9th. Now, for my sake, the next time a person tries to hand you a flyer- just take it! Or at least say no thank you and acknowledge that they are in fact a person and not a pole with an attached arm. I swear, I’ve almost clotheslined people with flyers because they try not to take it when I am holding it out in front of them but don’t say not thank you or try and move out of the way. And then, there are the awkward moments when I start to pull my hand back because they don’t seem interested and about that time, they start reaching to grab it. I can’t win. Like I said when you find yourself in this situation, just take the flyer.
Ministry on the World Race looks very different each month. This month, though we have been working with the same overall organization, we have split time between the orphanage in Cachora and handing out flyers here in Cusco. Both have been extremely different experiences but both have been rewarding in different ways. Seeing the fruits of our labor when we are cooking or cleaning is easy- it happens immediately. Even while playing with the kids, you can see how much fun they are having. Here in Cusco handing out flyers, things are a little different. We know we are helping publicize an outreach event that will hopefully bring people to know the Lord. There tends to be a much greater delay in gratification but it will be so worth it when the event is a huge success.
Now, just because a great deal of the fruits of our labors won’t be revealed until later, doesn’t mean that we can’t meet awesome people and have great conversations along the way. One thing about handing out flyers is that you get to interact with a ton of different people. Today, a man handing out flyers of his own, asked if I had the Holy Spirit inside of me. I assured him that I did but he insisted on showing me scripture passages and asking me more and more questions to make sure. I guess I convinced him eventually cause he shook my hand and smiled when he walked away.
We have also gotten to know a few of the street vendors, especially the ones by the mall which is a popular spot for us to hand out flyers at night. One vendor in particular, and her young daughter, Isabella, are some of our favorite people to spend time with at the mall. Isabella helps us hand out flyers and we love buying delicious arepas from her mother. My teammate Lyndsee has developed an awesome relationship with this little girl and her mother and it is all because we were handing out flyers.
Two of my teammates also had the opportunity to talk with and pray over a pair of blind musicians while we were walking home from one of our flyer locations. This just goes to show that if you are willing and make yourself available to the Lord, He can always use you in ways that you may never expect. Even with a language barrier, God can find ways to use each one of us to glorify Him.
By the end of today, we will have handed out about 17,000 flyers for Zona Zegura’s Unidos event and even though we won’t be here for the actual event, we know that the Lord will be present and that it will be a huge success.
