Since our arrival in Peru, we have lived theater. We not only had the wonderful blessing of working with the Crosswave team and going to the streets of Lima with them, but we have also been teaching dramas at several churches here in Lima and working with their youth groups. Our vision is to teach the Peruvians how to minister on the streets and to raise up drama teams within their churches so that when the American missionaries return to the states, the Peruvian Christians can be missionaries in their own country.
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| In front of the Presidential Palace |
Chris graduated from Georgia Southern in May with with a theater degree. He is animate and passionate and absolutely crazy when it comes to drama and everything else for that matter. It is one of the things that I love the most about him. I am so blessed to work by his side as he leads the kids and calls them to a higher level of relationship with the Lord. One of the main dramas we have taught is called “Tomame” with means “Take me” in Spanish. Chris wrote the drama one night while we were in the hostal and it is beautiful and anointed and all about the message of love. I am so proud of the kids we have been working with because they have showed up, worked hard, and learned the drama from start to finish.
My heart is filled to overflowing as I watch them practice. They are in love with the King of Kings. They are answering the call of missions. They are anointed and they are walking in the path that God has for them. We tell them that being a missionary does not always mean going to a foreign land or taking a plane to another place. Being a missionary means giving up everything to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It means being His hands and feet. It means emptying yourself so that He can fill you. We are missionaries in Peru and they are missionaries in Peru. We are of one heart, one spirit, one mission. This is what Jesus meant when he said “Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation!”
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| With our sweet friend, Noemi, at New Life Church the night Chris preached his first message in Spanish! |
And then one day you realize that giving up everything has a whole different meaning than you first thought. You learn that giving up everything simply means saying yes to the Lord. Saying here I am, Lord, use me. And then the Lord begins to reveal your heart to you. He begins to reveal your truest desires, piece by piece. At the end you realize that He knows you so intimately and wonderfully and that His plan for your life is so much better than anything you would have ever planned yourself. This is the beauty of giving your life to Him. His plan is perfect. This is what our Peruvian friends are realizing- that the more you give, the more He gives. He is waiting for us and we are standing before him as one. Our skin is not the same color. Our accents are different. Our culture is far from the same. But we were created in the same way and the same manner. We were all fashioned by the hands of God and we are His children. We are the body of Christ.
I write to you with such joy in my heart because the Crosspoint team is on the way to Peru RIGHT NOW!!! Tonight we are going to the airport to pick up the team, some of whom will be traveling to a foreign country for the first time. Some of them will be seeing real poverty for the first time. Tasting different food. Entering into a country where no one speaks their language. Sleeping on hard beds. Giving up the luxuries of their normal lives. They are laying down their lives for Christ in another country, being the hands and feet of Jesus. Lift them up in prayer, dear friends. Lift them up to the King of Kings. Your prayers are enabling the Lord to work in the lives of every missionary and every person who needs the love of God here in Peru. Your prayers are so vitally important in the kingdom of God. When you begin to pray, the Lord begins to move and work. The gift of prayer is an incredible honor.
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| We celebrated our one year anniversary of being engaged! |
This will probably be my last blog until we return to the United States on July 23rd. For the next 20 days we will have limited or no Internet access and we will also be working from sunrise until well past sunset with the teams! The first team of 26 arrives tonight and then on the 10th another team of 24 people will come! We are so incredibly excited to work with them for the next twenty days and we know that the Lord is going to do amazing things! Lives will be changed forever, hearts healed, forgiveness given, love shared. Nails will be painted, cheeks kissed, laughter shared. The love of God will be spread and preached and shown with actions that speak so loudly. How blessed we are to be a part of such love.
5 senses Wednesday, a reflection on the past week (experiencing Peru and life in general)
Seeing:
beautiful colors and vibrant flowers in the city. The Bridge of Sighs in Barranco. The pacific ocean. A group of teenagers raising their hands in worship to the Lord. Soccer games. Trash filling the streets of San Juan de Lurigancho. So many stray dogs.
Tasting:
Fried plantains. Caramelized sugar cane. Tres leches with cinnamon on top. Rice, rice, and more rice. Aeropuerto dish ( rice, sprouts, eggs, and chicken all stir fried into a delicious mix of Peruvian flavor ) Aji sauce. Strong coffee in the morning.
Hearing:
My husband preach in Spanish for the first time. A man playing his guitar and singing on the bus. Horns honking outside of our window. The dogs barking. The prayer of a sweet friend, offering our time to the Lord. Street vendors selling fruit, bread, candy, calling out their prices. The children at El Renuevo Church reciting verses in Spanish. Roosters crowing in the morning.
Feeling:
Giddy because we have been engaged for a whole year. Sad because I miss my sister. Humbled to be called here to this huge city. Hope because God’s promises never fail. Hot tears in my eyes because of the 11 year old girl selling her body in central Lima. Rage. Forgiveness. A boy tugging on my hand and asking me for money. So excited because the teams are coming to Peru.
Smelling:
Fried rice. Bananas. Chris’ cologne. New lotion that reminds me of my grandma and being 12 years old in her house in Rincon.
