A year and a half ago, I learned about my church's heart for Peru. I listened in church as they shared something and immediately, my heart stirred to go. For one, I was drawn by the fact that they were not going there to Americanize the people, or even just share the gospel and leave. The church was invested there, tangibly impacting their lives in practical ways, and showing the love of Jesus as they preached. It was amazing to me they had gone to this area for 15 years straight, to share Jesus and show people how God loved them by building a school, helping them with farming, and building a church building, starting a ministry providing meals, and making a difference in the lives of the region. I prayed about it and immediately God said, "This is not the time." And I let my pastor know to put me on the list for next year. Little did I know that meant getting emails about Peru all throughout the year along with testimonies of what happened there. When January came to sign up for the trip in June 2018, I was ready.
It took me four attempts to get a passport ever since 2008. This time it finally arrived in 4 weeks--2 weeks sooner than I was told. I supposed I had donated enough fees that it bought me two free weeks. Support raising was interesting to me in that God connected me with people who were willing to support my trip and the process went smoothly. When it came down to getting everything I need for the trip, again God was faithful and provided exactly what I needed from borrowing suitcases to getting a great deal on sunblock.
As I have been prayerfully preparing my heart for Peru, I have been struck by how much I take for granted. Maybe it is because I have spent the last 4 days packing, moving, and cleaning, but I don't have a lot of things and yet, I have a lot of things. I found myself asking, "Do I really need that?" I even asked myself, "What if I only had one paint brush and one color of paint?" God's reminded me of how blessed I am. I am going to an area where the people do not have much and maybe do not even realize what they do not have. Water is held in a cistern at the church for example. When we moved to our house in 6th grade, where my parents still live, there was a cistern that the rain water was connected too. It blew my mind that this was their method for water sources. Plumbing pipes are a lot narrower, so we have to toss toilet paper in the trash. The water is very unsafe, so we have to make sure not to drink anything, use it on our toothbrush, or even keep our face out of it in the shower. Then, I learned we will have clinics in areas where there's no plumbing. Bathrooms are a squatty potty system above a hole in the ground. I immediately started working on my squats, which outside of a pool are still pretty pathetic. I even get to help people see with glasses in the optical clinic, something so simple but so life-changing.
Our pastor talked about how we are partnering with a church there. It struck me about what a privilege it is to be invited by the church to come and serve in such a way. I'm not coming with anything to offer but Jesus and His love. I don't have any other agenda. We were also asked to start thinking about our testimony as the why we chose to spend time in Peru. Why? For me, I would rather spend time helping others and showing them the love of God than going on a vacation in the USA. My calling is to serve God, preach the Gospel, and inspire others to sojourn forward on their faith journeys. What a perfect way to step into my calling by serving people in Chincha!
I believe the command by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 was not optional for a Christian. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." There's no option to opt out, just like there's no qualifier for the location which you're to go. What I mean is, we were not given a choice to not go, just like we were not restricted to where we were to be going--we were told to go to make disciples of all nations. Some misuse this verse so much and it hurts my heart. I have even seen folks restrict themselves on the places they should go based on statistics of reached or unreached countries. God's placed it on my heart since high school to just go when He calls and be obedient to this command, don't complicate it or find excuses not to go.
I leave in three days and I'm excited, but I don't think the reality that I am actually leaving the USA for the first time ever has really hit me yet. It started to when I got my antibiotic prescription in the mail last week, just in case I get sick. It also started to when I realized the temps are 50s-70s! God is so kind that my first trip overseas has no jet leg and no extreme heat, unlike my present life in Texas with highs in the 90-100s! I also started realizing the reality after I finished packing last night. I am so excited to experience another country, another culture, and meet people I would normally never encounter.
If you're reading this please pray for our team of 90+. We are doing medical, optical, and dental clinics, ESL in a school, and construction. We leave June 7 and return June 22. Pray for supernatural core and leg strength for the squatty potty (yes, legit request), no adverse health issues, and for safety. Pray for the people we encounter to have needs met and a soft heart towards us. And pray we would all be loving to those we encounter and with each other, reflecting only the best parts of ourselves and God. We will travel Thurs, June 7 from 130p leaving Waco and arrive in Peru around 12pm or so on Friday, June 8. Right away we will have a day of reception at the church and getting settled in. Saturday is a time with getting familiar with the area and our surroundings at the church and some team time from what I understand. Sunday is church day, which is literally multiple services throughout the day. Then Mon-Wed will be my optical clinic days both weeks. In the evenings on Mon-Thurs, we will return to the church and spend time doing the Cup of Milk ministry with the kids in the area, providing them loving connection and supper. Thurs and Friday each week will be our tourist days in Lima, which is the capital of Peru and where we fly into. The airport is about a 6 hour bus ride to the church in Chincha, so there's a lot of travel. We say overnight at a hotel and will get a solid day of just enjoying Lima. Then, those leaving after the first week will leave Friday, June 15. I am a part of the two week team, so I will be rejoining the team at the church and reconnecting, then repeating the same schedule. My return flight is on Friday, June 22, but I do not believe we are actually back until Saturday, June 23 as the flight from Lima to Dallas is about 8 hours. Your prayers are so welcome.
