Northampton Presbyterian Mission Trip - Day 3

Well today was a day full of excitement and energy!  We started the day with breakfast and devotions.  This team can eat!  I told them that I was glad to see that we were getting our money’s worth at the buffet.  Surprisingly enough though, we boarded the bus for Yungar, and in moments they were eating again!  Snacks, candy, whatever was available, they are eating it.  I told Erick, our interpreter, that he had better not stand still for too long, he might end up being eaten.

We arrived in Yungar and met with Pastor Fausto.  As always, I thoroughly enjoy introducing teams to this man.  He is a meek man of God who loves people and serves the children well.  I love to listen to him talk with the people and then tell us what they are saying.  Fausto took us to a number of houses, and introduced us to families that had children in the center, or people who needed sponsors to get their children into the center.  The team was obviously impacted as we saw the poverty and the neediness of the people.  We prayed with them before we left each house, and I reminded the team that we needed to keep praying for them when we returned home.

We headed back to the church and began preparing for the kids.  While we ate, we talked about what we had seen so far, and I love the sensitivity of these young people. They were touched by the needs of the people, and were moved to want to meet those needs.  Only God knows what the long term impact these encounters will have on them.

After lunch, the kids started coming, and boy were they anxious to see this team.  I had warned this team that the last time we were here the kids were a little “standoffish”, but not today.  They played with the team, talked with them, spent time with them, tried asking them questions, etc.  They were excited about something.  And this was probably the highlight of my day when I watched them all enter the church with their completed books from the last team that was here.  Their excitement was a direct result of having completed the task they were assigned, and knowing they would receive a certificate and a candy bar for their efforts.  Pastor Fausto pulled me aside and thanked me and both groups for doing this – the kids benefitted from it, their families benefitted from it, the church benefitted from it, because the kids were encouraged to get into the bible stories and study them.  What a joy it was to hear that.

The team presented a game for the kids to play that they used for a teaching tool.  The kids had to jump from plate to plate on the ground and attempt to cross a field.  It was intended to be impossible without the help of Anthony, and that is exactly how it played out.  It wasn’t until the kids were told that they had to ask Anthony for help that any of them made it.  Colin shared with them (at the end of the exercise) that the purpose was to show them that without Christ, all of their “good works” will not get them to heaven.  He did a great job presenting that to the kids – and as the week progresses, every team member will have the opportunity to do the same.  I am looking forward to hearing from each one of them.

After the presentation of the certificates, the team introduced themselves, the children asked a few questions, and we headed outside to play again.  What a wonderful day of watching the team interact with the children.  From jump rope, soccer, football, volley ball, Frisbee, etc.  they had a great time!

We returned back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. Kevin, Anthony, Erick and I spent a little time working out at the weight room.  Eventually we headed for the restaurant.   During dinner, we had a wonderful time of talking about the “hi-lo” of the day, and rehearsing what we saw God do.  After dinner we did some shopping and headed back to the hotel.  This is where things really get interesting.  A couple of English students at the local university stopped us and asked us to take a survey that they needed to do for their class.  We obliged and 2 of the team answered their questions.  From there they asked if we would be willing to come to their class.  Jeremy and I discussed it and we thought it would be an excellent opportunity.  So we went.  The team had a wonderful time as the table was turned, and no longer were they the ones who couldn’t speak the language, but rather the students struggled – and boy did they struggle – to ask us questions and try to speak with us.  The team was very gracious and encouraged these students.  We were able to share why we were here in Peru.  I pray that God uses this “touch” for future connection and who knows, maybe some will even come to know Him as a result.

Well, we have an early morning tomorrow, so it is off to bed.  Chiquian is tomorrow, and apart from house visits and some soccer with the teens there, I am not sure what all God will do, but I know it will be amazing.

Thought for the day: Oh, you are going to love this one…  This morning we were waiting for Erick to make it to the hotel, and we all had stepped outside the locked gate, and little by little the team made their way back inside, leaving me alone outside.  All of the sudden, this little boy (maybe 5 years old) across the street starts to pee into the street.  As if that wasn’t odd enough, an older woman (probably in her 50’s) was walking behind the boy, and he turned around and tried to pee on her.  As if that wasn’t enough fun to watch, she picked up her pace and continued down the street with the boy trailing right behind her peeing the whole time!  I couldn’t help but laugh.  This kid was literally trying to run and pee at the same time.  It was hilarious!

What thought does that bring to me?  Well, have you ever had such a bad day that it just seemed like nothing was going your way and the whole world was just dumping on you?  If you have, keep this poor woman in mind – at least you have never had a little boy chase you down the street trying to pee on you.

Seriously, no matter how bad it gets, as James reminded us in our devotions this morning, we have the opportunity to “consider it joy”, or rule over our emotions and thoughts and choose to find joy in every circumstance of life.  Even if a little boy tries to pee on us!