Peru 2010

I would like to start by thanking everyone who supported me both financially and through prayer. The success of this trip would not have been possible without both.

My purpose in this blog post is threefold. I would first like to show you the ways in which Christ is redeeming this world. Through His church, and through His people, Christ is working to spread the gospel to all of the nations. I would also like to show you specifically what He is doing in Trujillo, Peru through an organization known as Peru Mission. And thirdly, I would like you to see how He used this third world country, these broken people, and this beautiful community to show me his love and his grace in a way I have never known before.

Lima

Our trip got off to a flawless start. We faced no delays, and flew into the Lima airport late Friday evening. We rushed off to bed and began our next day by having breakfast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After breakfast we made our way to some of the local market in downtown Lima. This was the first of many times I would have to reflect upon my Spanish deficiency and communicate through a limited number of nouns and hand motions to haggle with the local merchants and purchase a few gifts for friends and family. Following our shopping extravaganza we made our way to the airport to fly from Lima to Trujillo where we would be spending the remainder of the week.

Our Group from OU RUF in front of the Pacific Ocean.

A New Church

On Sunday morning I decided to try out a new church since my home church was around 3000 miles away. We attended one of the local churches started by Peru Mission in Arevalo. Although I could not understand much of the service it was beautiful to be in another country, on another continent, and be worshiping the Lord with native Peruvians. The rest of our day was spent going through orientation of what we would do for the rest of the week, as well as spending some time getting to know some of the local missionaries.

The Church plant in Arevalo.

Manual Labor

One of our main tasks for the week was to repaint the sanctuary, and a portion of the outside, of one of the Trujillo church plants. Every morning we would make our way out to a church in Wichanzao and begin our day with some old fashioned manual labor. In February a storm came through the city and dropped two inches of rain on a community that averages only around a half an inch per year. This left the church sanctuary with a lot of mold damage where the water had gotten inside. We spent the first two mornings merely scraping and plastering the concrete walls to prepare them for the painting that would follow in the upcoming days. While painting I had the chance to get to know other members of our team, which included our group from OU RUF and a group from the University of Alabama RUF.

Before

After

Clementina

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to go with about 10 other people from our team to a squatter community outside of Trujillo known as Clementina. In Clementina families are welcomed to come and settle, setting up shelter generally in the form of a thatch hut structure. If they remain on the land for two years it becomes legally theirs. As the family becomes more financially stable within the community they will make mud bricks and create a safer, more stable home for themselves. Peru Mission was able to go into this community and gain a piece of land where they have begun to develop a church. One of the future goals in Clementina is to get a concrete floor inside of the current dirt floored church. In order for this to happen they needed to dispose of about four inches of dirt from the sanctuary. We were able to dig this up and use it to level out a road that ran right beside the church. While the work we did in Clementina was great, this was not why I fell in love with the place. As our bus drove through the streets of Clementina all I felt was sorrow for these people. I saw a broken people, stricken with poverty, living in shanties, and struggling to meet the basic needs of their families. I secretly wondered to myself how they could live this way. Throughout the day working, many of the local children came and played with us as well as helped us with our work. They were full of joy and life. We returned to Clementina Thursday evening for a service at the church. A local band played worship and the pastor of one of the other churches led a sermon. Many from the community gathered around, singing songs of praise and listening to a sermon in a language that was little more than gibberish to myself. This place, which nearly brought me to tears of sadness on the way in, that tore my heart into tiny little pieces, had effectively put it back together, teaching me what true community looks like. Showing me how to be content in God’s blessings!

My buddy Anthony

Jahad

An example of one of the homes

Anthony loved the camera

Even in Peru...

English Classes

After our work in the mornings we went to the National University of Trujillo where we met with and had conversations with many of the local students who were studying English. Most of them were in their third or fourth year of studying and spoke English very well. The majority of the students had never been outside of Peru and enjoyed the opportunity to practice their English with native speakers, and for us it provided a great opportunity to learn more about the Peruvian culture from students like ourselves who had grown up in the country. It was amazing to see how many similarities I had with these students. One of my favorite conversations I heard about came from my friend Andrew who did his best to describe what a catnap is to one of the Peruvians.

Some of the Peruvian students I got to meet and have conversations with

Peru Mission

The organization and effectiveness ministry of Peru Mission amazed me. They were meeting the Peruvians on their level and helping them not only in the gospel, but also through all walks of life. One of the ways they minister to the men of Trujillo is through a woodshop. They consistently employ between five and fifteen men and teach them carpentry skills. While working in the woodshop they teach them how to run an honest business, including all of the financial aspects of the local industry. After they have mastered the trade, they help them to start their own business and bring in more Peruvian men to train. Some examples of the furniture can be seen at www.parishfurniture.com. The mission also offers a great opportunity for the local women through a micro financing organization they call Sinergia. They allow women to come in and take out loans to help them with their local businesses and are able to give them a much better interest rate than the local banks. They are able to take this opportunity to offer classes to theses women about things such as effective business management. One of the other opportunities they offer for Peruvians of all ages are English classes. These classes range from the basic phrases such as, “My name is ______,” to conversational classes. To find out more about Peru Mission, visit www.perumission.org.

The Gospel

The Gospel is true. It is true in Norman, OK as well as in Trujillo, Peru. This may not come as a revelation to you, but this was something hard for me to truly grasp until I returned home from Peru. Christ died for my sins, as well as for the sins of my brothers and sister in Peru. Before I left for South America a friend told me that he believed most individuals benefited more from a short-term mission trip than the place they actually went to serve. I was determined not to let this happen to me. I failed. The people of Peru and Peru Mission have opened my eyes to a world I have never known before. Although this single experience will undoubtedly last a lifetime, I have a strong desire to stay involved with Peru Mission. At the current time I don’t know what this will look like, whether it will be through financial support or more manual labor, but I trust that God will provide the right opportunity at the right time.

Thank you again for your lasting support throughout all of my endeavors. It is through the support of my friends and family that I continue to strive forward. Without this support I could would have never gotten to play a role in what God is doing in Trujillo, Peru.