Livin the Cause: Peru Recap

Just about a week ago I returned from my ten day mission trip to Callao, Peru. 203 people from Grace Church partnered with hundreds more from our sister church in Callao, the port city of Lima (the capital of Peru), working "hombro a hombro" or "shoulder to shoulder" telling people about Jesus.

Seeing my brother and sister for the first time in three years

Each day we went out into the streets, parks, hospitals, and barrios to share the love of Jesus with others. Our goal was not humanitarian, but evangelistic. Every night we held a larger scale performance or two at the church, which can hold up to 2,000 people. At each venue we would put on a mini performance of songs, puppets, clowns, dramas, illusions, and unicycles to catch people with their eyes, so they'll listen with their ears, so God can touch their hearts. After the performance, a pastor would share the gospel. He explained that God sent His son Jesus to earth to die on a cross for all of our sins so we can be forgiven and spend eternity with Him in heaven.

We would stress to the Peruvians that we are not "selling a religion," but offering them a free gift of salvation and a loving relationship with Jesus. The hunger for truth and love that these people had moved me every time. I had the opportunity to share with many people, each with a unique story. Katty and her four month old baby living in a very poor neighborhood, Juan, a 60-year-old homeless man, Fanny and her one month old baby in the hospital...

This was my second time in Peru for a mission trip and God worked in and through me in ways I never could have imagined. The highlight of my week was getting to know a man named José. A group of ten people, both Americans and Peruvians were going door to door when we met José on the street. After talking with him for only a minute or two, he invited us into his home. We learned he is a body guard and has recently killed three people as a result of his job. He told us he was not going to heaven and God could not forgive him for what he had done. Every night he would wake up sweating and seeing the faces of the men he had killed. After talking with him for over half an hour, explaining just how much God loves him and can forgive him, José agreed to let us pray for him. We gathered around him and we each laid a hand on him and began praying simultaneously for him. I could feel such a burden on his shoulders and a deep sorrow. I could see the pain in his eyes and the longing to be freed. My prayer was that God would open his eyes and soften his heart to God and that Satan's grip on his life would be released. And just that happened. While we were praying for him, José broke down and cried out to God for forgiveness and gave his life over to God. After praying with him, I could see peace in his eyes. He was exhausted from the experience, and his whole countenance changed. God did an amazing work in his life in those short 45 minutes. We were all crying by the end of our time together.

Over the course of the week, we saw over 3,250 people come to saving personal relationship with Jesus. This could not have been done on our own. With God's help, we were able to accomplish great things to bring Him glory. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to once again go to Peru to share the love of Jesus with the Peruvians.

While I was there, I was able to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. The relationships I've built over the past three years with some people really make them feel like brothers and sisters to me. And I look forward to continuing those relationships and building those that were started during my short visit. I had such a great time with my friends and will have many great memories I can always look back on.