Well it has taken a bit to get some stories to you from Peru because of some sickness and so many events going on here...my apologies. I don't want to let this opportunity pass though as there were so many things that God showed us about Himself and how He is desiring to work in this part of His world. There will be some follow-on stories but wanted to first share what God taught us about being the 'hands and feet' of Christ.
The backdrop for Urubamba is definitely amazing. This cluster of villages is set in what is called the 'Sacred Valley' with massive mountains all around. Even though our family lives in the rocky mountains I was astonished by the beauty there. With all the beauty we still felt a little hesitant, as for some time we had been preparing for an area that was somewhat hostile to talking to outsiders and the Gospel in general. A different team had come the year before and met with many 'slammed doors' and a lack of desire to hear about the hope of Christ. Many of the people there have Incan ancestry and still make much of their living from the tourism that comes to see attractions related to this history. They seemed to be fearful of anything that would jeopardize their identity or income, as we all would.
As we began the week, we started to hear some similar stories of 'hardened hearts' but by the second day it seemed very obvious that God had answered the many prayers for this area and was changing hearts to be open to the Word of God. Some of the changes I think came from the ways we tried to build relationships through sports and the youth that were on the team, but the strongest relationships seemed to form when we showed a desire to help them right where they were at. It was when we 'displayed' Christs love for them by working alongside them to help them with their day. Below is one example from the week where we saw this in action:
It was mid-week when Ashton noticed a man working hard at breaking down a wall close to where a new church was being established. He approached the man and asked if he could help in any way and the man said, "sure". Ashton picked up a piece of rebar and started hacking away at the wall not realizing that his hands were being torn up in the process. Through this display of love Ashton and the man struck up a relationship and Ashton was able to share the Good News with him.
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men.” – Philippians 2:3-7
What a great reminder that God shared with the team. Jesus first sought after people and relationship then moved to the life giving message of Himself. Here are some other testimonies of the team from the week:
From Leea -
Today, through the amazing efforts of others, I was able to meet again with the young woman from the store. My translator, national, and I all went there again today. When we first arrived there, she was sitting on the curb with one of her friends. The national shared the gospel with her friend while my translator and I talked with the young woman. She was very happy that we were there, and she shared with us that after we had left last night her boyfriend had asked her, “ Why do you believe this? You’re a Catholic and are not supposed to believe this.” My first thought was, “ Does she still want to go through with this?” But God must have given her a great amount of courage, because she didn’t even have a second thought about continuing to grow with Christ. That response showed me how powerful her newly found faith is, so much so, that she could stand up for what she believed in. Then we shared with her John 3:16-21...My national confirmed with me that she would like to continue to follow up and build a relationship with her. That was so encouraging, knowing that even though I would be leaving, someone will always be here for her. Then I left her with a word of encouragement, and the promise that she will be in my prayers...God is doing incredible things with the hearts of these people, and God continues to open up doors.
From Sean-
Today I made a disciple of a nation. I was in the town market with my translator and my national. We walked around the market looking for someone to share the Gospel with and we found a young man sitting by himself on a bench. We went over and shared the Word with him and told him that Jesus was the way. Right after we finished he wanted to accept Chirst as his Savior and he wanted us to go to his town that was an hour away to share the Gospel with his people. Since we must stay in Urubamba we had to politely say no, but I felt the Holy Spirit come down on me and I told him that he could share the Gospel. We gave him 3 spanish Bilbles, and eCube, and a couple of eCards. We showed him how to look up verses in the Bible and how to preach to his people and that no matter what he did, Jesus will always love him. Once we said that I could tell that he wouldn't ever forget it. Today was a day that I will never forget either.
Blessings,
-CT
