May-July

Worship Wednesdays

There have been times since my arrival to Peru that I really wondered about the work we were doing here. Were we in the right place? Were we doing the right things? Were we wasting time doing one thing when we should have been doing another?

And that's the way it is in the life of any Christian I think. We wonder if our Christian witness is doing anything. We regret not saying something more or wish we would have done things differently. And that's why I've found so much comfort from 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

We also remember what Jesus told his disciples in John 4:36-38: "Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." Sometimes we are the sowers and never see the harvest, and other times we see the harvest and didn't have to labor sowing.

Praise be to God when we get to be a part of the sowing and the reaping in the ministries God has called us to! That's exactly what happened last Wednesday, July 6, in Lunahuaná. We had our very first Wednesday Worship there, and we were all truly blessed to be a part of it!

Anthony picked up the rental vehicle at 6 a.m., we loaded up the van, and then went to pick up the Eisold family. The Walls will eventually come as well, but since Sarah will be giving birth to their third child any day now, they stayed home this time. We arrived in Lunahuaná at 9:30, and we started canvasing and inviting people right away. While Katie and I canvassed, the others got things set up at our worship location, Hotel Las Brisas. Once that was done, we broke into three groups and continued canvassing the valley. Sandi and Annalise went with me, and they were great helpers. Annalise listened to what I said a few times and then started inviting people herself without any hesitation. She was great!

After lunch and a brief rest at the house where Katie and I used to live, I hit the streets canvassing again with our friend, Miguel, while the rest of the team went to Lúcumo (an annex of Lunahuaná) to hold children's ministry there. They sang songs, played games, and read a Bible story.

We all met back up at Hotel Las Brisas where we had a few kids waiting for us when we got there. Katie and Anthony led the children's ministry, Amiguitos en Cristo (Little friends in Christ), and I taught the adult Catechism and Bible class. We had 35 people in attendance for that hour, 14 adults & 21 children. Right after that we transitioned into the worship service for everyone. About 7 people left before the service, but 3 more trickled in later, giving us 31 people for worship. Pastor Mark did a great job with his first sermon in Spanish, talking about what it means to build your house on the Rock of Christ and His Word. We all participated in the service leading songs, prayers, and the Creed. We even had some of the people who came to our Thursday night Lunahuaná Bible study read the Scripture texts during the service. It was such a joy to see Katie's students, our Bible study family, and other friends Anthony and past short-term teams have made coming to learn more about God and worship with us! What a gift to actually SEE that our labor was not in vain and be reminded of God's faithfulness.

We said our goodbyes, packed up, and got back to Lima around 11:30 p.m. We were exhausted, but we can't wait to do it again on July 20. We'll be going there the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Thank you so much for being part of God's work in here through your prayers!

In everything we do, we remember the words of 1 Corinthians 3:7, "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." What a privilege it is to be working in God's fields!

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." -Philippians 1:6