I fell in love the first day…
Maybe it was the towering mountains, the rolling foothills of farmland, or the river that flows through it all. Maybe it was the burros and sheep lining the dirt road that leads into the small village. Maybe it was the beautiful old ladies waving at us or the adorable children yelling “gringa!” from outside their mud-brick homes. Whatever it was, this place has captured my heart.
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This is the story of what God is doing in the mountains of Peru…
This is the story of Tumpa: the village in the clouds.
There are app
roximately one thousand citizens in the small village of Tumpa. They are an indigenous people, speaking both Spanish and a regional language called Quechua. The women are adorned with a brightly colored wardrobe, along with hats carrying big flowers. The people of Tumpa work hard, young and old alike. I have seen eight-year-old girls preparing meals and eighty-year-old women harvesting vegetables in the fields. Every household owns a small piece of land. Because the soil is very fertile (the town rests on a mountainside), they are always gathering a harvest. The young kids go to school in the morning and the older children in the afternoon. Whoever remains at home is responsible for preparing the meals for those working in the fields. The routine for teenage girls here rotates between school, homework, and chores. Of course, they also find time to talk about boys.
Being just one week in, we find ourselves immensely blessed. It is obvious to us that we are called to this place for such a time as this.
“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” (Psalm 2:8)
Though we are currently living in a town called Musho, we have spent most of our days in Tumpa. We have made many friends, we have spoken truth, and we have prayed. Through the combination of the work of the Holy Spirit, the fervent prayers of the intercessors, and the bold conversations from the teams, we have daily seen people give their lives to Jesus and accept His all-surpassing love for them. The Church is growing.
There is still much ground yet to be taken for the Kingdom. With three weeks left, we are looking to press in further. Our message is simple:
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
Amen.
