I've just seen the team off at the airport. The two weeks with the BCEF Church Peru teams each year are always a full time of stretching, but they're also always a blessing. I mean, living here long-term always has it's times of stretching. But, my day to day schedule doesn't usually mean service work from 6 am to 10 pm for 7 days in a row.
I've lived in Peru for two years now and been home once in that time. Facing the reality that we won't be going home to Canada for a while, it is encouraging to have my culture here with me in Peru, even for a short time.
The team have been taking turns blogging their personal, often comical experiences which are always intriguing to me, to get an idea of how each one responds, reacts or is affected by a culture completely different from their own.
Some of my highlights from these two weeks:
Taking the team to the three orphanages to meet some of my favorite little people
Of course, I loved introducing my little babies and kids from the Casa J, and ensuring that each baby was held for some extended time was a blessing to their little selves, I know.
Our church service with the El Arca family of over 45 was really inspiring, singing together and listening to a message in both English and Spanish. I know that they also were encouraged by the personal testimonies that a couple of the team members shared. El Arca is a home with little materially, but rich spiritually. I am always blessed to spend time with them, and they generously served us lunch, sharing the little that they have.
Our church service with the El Arca family of over 45 was really inspiring, singing together and listening to a message in both English and Spanish. I know that they also were encouraged by the personal testimonies that a couple of the team members shared. El Arca is a home with little materially, but rich spiritually. I am always blessed to spend time with them, and they generously served us lunch, sharing the little that they have.
It was especially encouraging for me to see how all of the team and the children from the Azul Wasi boys home connected and had fun together. They are a home with very little, but rich in gratefulness. And, Alcides, the director, is a man growing in his love for God, just wanting each of his boys to know more of His richness, despite their material lack. He told us that their biggest need is for food. They have about 60% of what they need for their monthly food costs.
A few days later, I took Pastor Bill (he drove) and Reyna to the local market (where we also buy our Casa J groceries each week). With previously given support just for this home, we bought large sacks of rice, beans, sugar, dehydrated potatoes, salt, noodles, oatmeal, canned milk and cartons of eggs.
Pastor Bill and I didn't get to take the food to the home, as he was teaching that afternoon, but we were blessed to hear of how thankful and happy Alcides and the boys were to receive the dry goods from the team, which will last for some time in what was previously a nearly empty storage room.
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| The team gave each of the boys these cool airplane toys which the boys loved |
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| BCEF team and some of the Azul Wasi family |
Translating for the Pastor's Conference
Okay, so, I can say that I am fluent in Spanish, but that doesn't mean that I'm not lacking in my personal storage of vocabulary, nor that my Spanish is always good. When I first heard, a couple of months ago, that Pastor Bill would be teaching a Panoramic Study of the Bible, I was reasonably a little daunted. That's a lot of lingo that's just not every-day. However, like last year, feeling much like inadequate Moses, this time I trusted more quickly that God would be my strength and supply my lack. After-all, the speaking isn't about me, but about transferring God's message through Pastor Bill to the Quechua Pastors and leaders attending the conference.
It's not about me: that is a good reminder, though I will say I have learned a lot in the past week, both biblicaly and in my Spanish.
Last year Pastor Bill and I were in the department of Livitaca. While half of this team traveled to the same area to help with a youth conference, we spent the week from Monday to Sunday teaching the group of leaders and Pastors from two departments of Peru who had come to be involved in this heavy two-week conference at ATEK.
One of my highlights was translating for Santos, from the region of Tambobamba, who sat with us over one lunch. He told Pastor Bill of how he had walked one full day to get to a town where he could then take public transport to get to ATEK for the conference. Another Pastor had walked two days over high Andean hills to get to public transport that then took another half day before reaching the city. (And I find my minimum one hour of daily walking tiring!)
Santos was so excited as he told us about the first conference ATEK held in February. The schedule was rigid, and a lot was expected of them. These new Pastors and church leaders come from impoverished Andean homes. They are farmers. Some speak Spanish and Quechua (like Santos), but many only speak and understand Quechua. Most of them can read and write, but not all. Many have not had full schooling. They arrived at that conference wanting to understand the Bible more, but were expected to wake up very early for morning devotionals, to sit through various training all day long up until late evening for two weeks. Some days they were given much to eat, and other days little. (The ATEK staff told us that they did this to see how the men would react in different situations, and to work on different areas with them accordingly). They were given large amounts of reading and homework to complete each day. Santos told us that it felt really overwhelming for most of them, and that many of them wanted to forget about it: leave and go back home, but they had the thought that they should stick it out. And he said, that as they did, they started to find that by organizing their time, they really did have enough time in the day to complete the tasks given to them, and that by staying, they started learning more and more, and developed such a hunger for God's Word, that by the end, they didn't want to leave! He said that although many of the brothers came back for this second conference, there were many who couldn't come. Farming does not supply a regular income, and for some the 100 Sole cost to attend (just to cover a portion of food costs) and transportation costs are just too much. But, they are seeing great changes in their communities as their churches grow and people are changed. They are so excited about the gospel that they have grown multiple new churches in the past couple of years throughout villages in their region. Santos said that his family life has changed significantly since he found Jesus, as he has learned to align his family-life with how the Bible teaches. (Spousal and child abuse runs rampant in Peru, as well as infidelity and broken families). His enthusiasm and love for God was so evident and infectious.
It's not about me: that is a good reminder, though I will say I have learned a lot in the past week, both biblicaly and in my Spanish.
Last year Pastor Bill and I were in the department of Livitaca. While half of this team traveled to the same area to help with a youth conference, we spent the week from Monday to Sunday teaching the group of leaders and Pastors from two departments of Peru who had come to be involved in this heavy two-week conference at ATEK.
One of my highlights was translating for Santos, from the region of Tambobamba, who sat with us over one lunch. He told Pastor Bill of how he had walked one full day to get to a town where he could then take public transport to get to ATEK for the conference. Another Pastor had walked two days over high Andean hills to get to public transport that then took another half day before reaching the city. (And I find my minimum one hour of daily walking tiring!)
Santos was so excited as he told us about the first conference ATEK held in February. The schedule was rigid, and a lot was expected of them. These new Pastors and church leaders come from impoverished Andean homes. They are farmers. Some speak Spanish and Quechua (like Santos), but many only speak and understand Quechua. Most of them can read and write, but not all. Many have not had full schooling. They arrived at that conference wanting to understand the Bible more, but were expected to wake up very early for morning devotionals, to sit through various training all day long up until late evening for two weeks. Some days they were given much to eat, and other days little. (The ATEK staff told us that they did this to see how the men would react in different situations, and to work on different areas with them accordingly). They were given large amounts of reading and homework to complete each day. Santos told us that it felt really overwhelming for most of them, and that many of them wanted to forget about it: leave and go back home, but they had the thought that they should stick it out. And he said, that as they did, they started to find that by organizing their time, they really did have enough time in the day to complete the tasks given to them, and that by staying, they started learning more and more, and developed such a hunger for God's Word, that by the end, they didn't want to leave! He said that although many of the brothers came back for this second conference, there were many who couldn't come. Farming does not supply a regular income, and for some the 100 Sole cost to attend (just to cover a portion of food costs) and transportation costs are just too much. But, they are seeing great changes in their communities as their churches grow and people are changed. They are so excited about the gospel that they have grown multiple new churches in the past couple of years throughout villages in their region. Santos said that his family life has changed significantly since he found Jesus, as he has learned to align his family-life with how the Bible teaches. (Spousal and child abuse runs rampant in Peru, as well as infidelity and broken families). His enthusiasm and love for God was so evident and infectious.
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| Santos is a Pastor for a small community in Tambobamba |
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| Pastor Bill handed out materials in Spanish relating to the study |
On Thursday we ended our Panorama sessions and planned a Friday trip to Huanca Huanca with the 2nd part of the BCEF team. After being in Huanca Huanca last fall where the team helped put up the rafters, it was really great to see the church now complete. Bernaldino, ATEK's agriculturalist, and some of the Huanca Huanca church members took us on a tour of their garden plots. They have all benefited greatly due to the help in agriculture in their community over the past few years. For me, one of the highlights was watching the young girls with their dads. I have never before seen family members, but especially fathers, so affectionate and loving to their kids in public. Due to the family counselling and healthy home-life teaching themes from ATEK, their families are growing and thriving in the way God intended.
Our time at ATEK hadn't ended yet. Friday, Saturday and Sunday continued with early devotionals and other teaching/ question and answer periods with Pastor Bill. We wrapped things up on Sunday night with a church service, singing worship songs in English, Spanish and Quechua. Pastor Bill ended his message with an invitation for prayer, and the room came alive with the most hearty prayer time that I have ever experienced, leaving hardly a dry eye in the room. It was powerful. And God was so present.
As it all came to a close after 10 pm, each of the groups wanted to share some departure (despedida) words with our team, and then one Pastor (you can see him in the center of the photo below, holding a book and a bible up) asked if he could please have a photo with our team. That started a slew of photo sessions as each group wanted their photos with us, and lots of cellphones clicking to capture the moment.
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| The men hold their Panorama Study Books gifted by the team. |
These past two weeks have been challenging and rewarding. The constant demands to translate, and the lack of sleep were draining mentally and physically. The unity of the BCEF team and their good spirits in serving even in the most menial and repetitive ways was such a good example to me. The heart and energy of these Quechua people to know more of God and to spread more of His goodness throughout the Andean mountains is so inspiring. The constant devotion and giving of the ATEK staff to serving the Lord is so overwhelmingly unselfish. And the way that we connected with these people in such a short time will leave lasting memories and impressions on my heart forever.
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