Week two in Peru!

Students at a local school

Everything God does is so special. So purposeful. We are learning more about His plan each day and how much He cares about each moment of our lives. When we came to the hostal in Peru, we met two different teams of missionaries from the United States. One of the teams, Face to Face Missions, is from Atlanta and took us with them to the girls orphanage that we told you about in our blog last week. The other team, CrossWave, is from North Carolina and they invited us to go out into the streets of San Juan de Lurigancho and do street ministry with their team. The Lord set all of this up for us and we are so thankful for the opportunity to meet other missionaries who love Peru and have such a sweet love and passion for the Lord. CrossWave brought a team of about 30 people, most of whom were high school students, and all of whom were prepared to do dramas and ministry on the streets. We were so blessed to go out with them and had the opportunity to go to a school in the city. The students came in and gathered around as the CrossWave team performed their drama “Spellboud” which is a portion of a larger drama called “Toy Maker & Son.” The drama tells the story of Jesus in a creative, unique, and action packed drama that is a wonderful tool for ministry! Along with the drama, they tell testimonies of how the Lord changed their lives and give a call for salvation. We saw hundreds of people of all ages accept Jesus Christ into their hearts for the first time. There is no greater joy!

CrossWave Drama Team

The people in Peru look just like we do. They are men and women, boys and girls, brothers and sisters. They are dressed in jeans and jackets and tennis shoes. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that their world is much, much different than our own. 40% of the population of the entire country of Peru lives in this city. Lima is home to 8 million people and San Juan de Lurigancho is the largest district of Lima with a population of more than 1 million. That is where we are. We are here with the children who cannot afford to go to school and are left without an education. We are here with the mothers who cannot feed their babies and go around begging for someone to take them. We are here with the families who cannot go to church because they cannot afford the bus to get there.

 These children captivate my heart. They capture my love more and more each day. I sat and watched the drama with them and they asked me questions about Jesus. They want to know about the Americans and how they got here. Did they ride here on a plane? I tell them the truth. That Jesus loves them so much that He sent the Americans here just so that they could tell them how much He loves them. Just so they could give them Bibles and hugs and precious love. This is the heart of Jesus.

We spent one morning at Pat’s Place. It is a home of refuge for women and children who have been abused. When we arrived, the women were having a time of devotion and they invited us to join them. We sang worship songs to the Lord who rescued them and we were so blessed to be a part of this intimate time of love and healing. Some sweet friends from home gave us coloring books with the song “Jesus Loves Me” written on the pages in Spanish. We took the books and the crayons and spent time coloring and playing with the beautiful children. Sometime the most important thing that you can give someone is not a physical thing but rather the treasured gift of time.

We gave these children our time and our attention and they flourished. Isn’t every child that way, flourishing beneath the covering of love? A child with her father’s attention begins to come alive, to share her passions and her dreams. By his response she is either taught to hide herself or brought to life. He has that impact. Our father in Heaven has given us that power, that authority, that impact on the world. We can bring people to life or let them live their lives hiding. We are the flowers in the field, here one day and gone the next, flourishing in the beauty of God’s love. It is what we will do for all of eternity.

Chris, JeanPol, Nahely, Lady, & Jacky

God has given us a family here in San Juan de Lurigancho. We met them three years ago and we knew that they were our spiritual family. Everyone that God created is our brother and sister and we have a family in the body of Christ. This time was specific because the Lord spoke to us and told us to pour into these children, to disciple them, and to build a relationship with them. Their names are JeanPol, Jacky, Lady, and Nahely. We met them three years ago and we have written letters back and forth and kept in touch. We took them to a park called Parque de Las Aguas or Park of the Waters. It is a beautiful place with fountains that you can walk beneath and play in. About 30 minutes from San Juan de Lurigancho, it is in a nicer district of Lima and is a tourist attraction. We returned home that night and took them out to eat at a restaurant called Norky’s. Chris and I saved money so that we could pay for their meal. For the six of us, I think we paid around twenty five dollars. We had chicken, salad, french fries, inca cola, and fried yucca cheese balls!

When we finished eating, Jacky began to cry and told us that no one had ever done that before. No one had ever taken them out to the park and out to eat. No one in their life or their family can afford to take four children out to eat. We are so thankful to the Lord that we were able to do that for them. Chris told them that the reason we wanted to take them out to eat was because they were worth so much to us. We told them that the Lord had blessed us so that we could bless others and that he loved them deeply and extravagantly.

We are blessed so that we can bless. Oh, how deep is the Father’s love for us! How deep His love is for our beautiful Peruvian family! Every moment is so important to the Lord. He would have sent us all the way to Peru even if it was just to take these kids out to eat and to tell them that they are worth far more than they realize. Even if it was just to do one drama on the streets and tell one person about Jesus. Even if it was just for one salvation. One heart to be healed. God is so huge, so incredible, and so intimate. There is no one like Him in all the Earth. We are forever in awe of His love and His plan, full of detail and surprises!

Love,

Chris & Ellyn