This month team Poiema was in Cusco, Perú working alongside Calvary Chapel Cusco!
One of our favorite parts about ministry this month as a team was working with the girls from the orphanage of Casa Verde. We established relationships with them and just poured out love to them that they so desperately craved. For me personally, one of my favorite moments this month was when Shelby, Em, and I went with two of the church interns to take some of the older girls on what we thought was a trip to the park to play soccer, but actually ended up being a very extraneous hike for over two hours. Just spending time with them, getting to know all about them while picking fruit from the side of the road and complaining about how far away the “park” was, was such a profound moment of joy for me this month.
The main ministry activities we had every week this month included youth service and worship & prayer service. The youth services were held on Friday nights and here we played games, provided a snack, shared testimonies, had a teaching, and we ended with worship. These nights were pretty powerful, especially for our team. We had a few girls teach and share their testimonies that hadn’t done so before (with anyone other than our team) and their obedience produced obvious fruit each time. The worship & prayer service was mostly just a time of intercession. We worshipped and prayed for one another but also for church leaders, the community/neighborhood, and whatever else the Holy Spirit laid on our hearts.
We also put on a three-day vacation bible school in a local park for one hour each day. The kids were just getting out of school and we rallied them up by playing jump rope- Peruvian kids are crazy obsessed with jump rope- and other games like fruit salad. We followed the games with a skit where each one of us (team Poiema) had a role that we ridiculously and overdramatically acted out. We used the Bible stories of David & Goliath, the Good Samaritan, and the Prodigal Son. After we acted them out we asked thought-provoking questions- our hosts explained when we first arrived that religion holds a lot of weight with the people of Cusco. They are more interested in following religious rituals than having a personal relationship with God. Knowing this, we were intentional about preparing questions that dug deeper than religion. For example, with the Prodigal Son, we were sure to ask about relational things: what makes a good father, why was the brother angry, etc. After the skit and questions we had a related craft and then we ended by handing out a snack and a flyer for the church.
Sunday’s were interesting for several reasons: 1. The sanctuary was tiny and we got kicked out of our seats on multiple occasions; 2. The message was delivered completely in Spanish so half of us had no idea what was being talked about; & 3. The door to the compound was left open so passers by could come in, but this always led to the janky street dogs joining the service.
Overall, this was a challenging month but one God used for His glory <3
Maci
