In November of 2010, Chris and I went on our first mission trip to Peru. The series of events leading up to the trip were magical and divine. God’s fingerprints were on every moment in those days and looking back I see how perfect His plan was. It was perfect in the way that I had prayed for months about going on a mission trip and then how I met Mrs. Alison at a Statesboro High School baseball game. It was perfect when God sent her to be the Missions Director at our church and how her son and my little brother became best friends and roommates. It was perfect how the Lord completely intertwined our paths and I remember how clearly he spoke to me about Peru. His plan unfolded the day at Starbucks when we drank coffee together and she told me about Peru for the first time and my answer was already yes because she was an answer to my prayers. It was as if my heart began to unfold for the first time and I realized that this was my truest and deepest desire. I had no idea what I was doing but I knew in the deepest part of my soul that I was meant to go, and sometimes, that’s all you need to take a leap of faith.
We raised money for months and we prayed and we fasted and we hoped that we were ready. And suddenly the day came and we said our goodbyes and boarded the plane in Faith that God would use us to bring His love to Peru. 7 hours later we stood on the soil of South America and it was as if we had walked into another world. The next seven days changed our lives forever and for me, it was the most incredible, earth shaking, life changing week of my life. Being a short term missionary is incredible in so many ways. In Peru, running water is a luxury and most people don’t eat more than one meal per day. We were blessed to have running water and adequate food but so many of the precious people around us were not so fortunate. I saw so many things for the first time in my life- children starving and breathing in glue to stop their hunger pains, a 12 year old girl selling her body to provide for her younger brothers and sisters, abuse so rampant and written on their faces, people living in unimaginable conditions, a single mother and her 4 children sleeping in one room no bigger than my bathroom. We went there to change their lives, to give them a better chance, but the reality was that they changed my life forever and gave me something that cannot be bought with money. They gave me love and compassion. They taught me that the things that really matter are not things at all, but people. I fell completely in love with the Peruvian people and left my heart in Peru as I boarded the plane to come home.
Coming back to the United States was so surreal. Home was the same but I was different. I knew then that Peru would always be a part of my life and in my heart I planned to go back again and again and at every chance. I spent all of my time praying for Peru, writing letters to my friends there, raising money and supplies for the next trip. Chris and I traveled to Peru together again in June of 2011 and I traveled to Peru a third time with my daddy and my little sister in November of 2011. It was in November that everything changed. We had spent another week feeding the hungry, ministering to the broken hearted people, holding orphaned babies and loving precious children. I had painted tiny fingernails, played games, handed out medical supplies, laughed and cried and not slept very much for about ten days. The week went by in a whirlwind like it always does and I spent my last morning in Peru standing on the roof of an abused women’s shelter and talking to the Lord. From my place on the roof I could see the whole area of San Juan de Lurigancho and all of the world waking up to the beautiful gift of another day. The Lord spoke to me in that moment and told me that I would come back to live in Peru as a full time missionary when I graduated. I felt peace in my heart and I kissed their cheeks and waved goodbye and left Peru with a promise from God that I had never even imagined.
During the next year I trusted God that His promise was true and that there was a reason that He wanted me to finish school. It was during that year of trusting in the Lord that Chris and I got engaged and that Chris was also called to be a missionary to Peru. Describing that year would be another writing altogether but I will say that every day has been more incredible than the last and that the Lord has been our rock and our provider throughout it all.
Today, Chris and I are planning to be married in May and spend the Summer in Peru. We will be there for 6 weeks teaching dramas and working with the local church in Lima and also working as forerunners for the mission team that will be traveling to Peru in July. After spending this summer in Peru, we will be coming back to finish our last semester at Georgia Southern and graduating together in December 2013! During this time we will also be using the information gathered this summer to raise awareness and funds for ministry in Peru with the goal of helping to educate Peruvian children and also teaching them self worth and value based on God’s word and who they are as children of the King. We are so excited to announce that after graduation, we will be moving to Peru in January 2014 as full time missionaries! We are not sure about all of the details yet but we are trusting in the Lord and in His perfect plan! The desire of our heart is to be a representation of God’s love through the giving of our time and service to the Peruvian people. We feel that this is only the very beginning of an incredible adventure and we are so excited to see what God has in store for the future! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to go into full time ministry. We are so blessed to have all of you as a support team and we thank God for you every day! We love you all!
Love,
Ellyn & Chris
