Peru: Field Day 4 & Conclusion
We are currently on the way from Lima to Fort Lauderdale as I write this. Words cannot describe how wonderful this trip was. Mar E. and I have tried to do it justice, but you really have to experience it for yourself. We recorded a video update on Thursday night about our last field day, but it didn’t turn out very well. We were on our Machu Picchu trip from 5am to 10pm yesterday so that left little time to write. Sorry we are a little late, but I still think you deserve an update (late or not) after being so faithful in prayer support.
Thursday was an challenging day at first. That is really the only way to put it. We all had our own agendas going into the last day, but God had different things in mind. Being the last day, we assumed that we would have a pretty quick start to the day. But we stayed at the house for quite some time as they tried to figure out the plan. After our late start, there were a few things I wanted to accomplish. I had two scheduled follow-up/discipleship visits. One man was busy and the other was not home. That was a bummer and I asked God for just one solid visit as we were nearing lunch. We headed up the hill into the more rural village area. We met a man who was around 65. It would end up being one of the coolest parts of my trip.
I began by sharing my testimony with him. He told me he was a Christian and then asked to share a story of his own. He works as an artist as a living. He said he had misplaced a piece of art a few weeks ago. He looked everywhere for it; even going back into town to look for it. One day he decided to open his Bible for the first time in a few weeks. When he opened the Bible, he found his piece of art in it! The art was in between the first few pages of Ecclesiastes. The passage talks about vanity and the dangers of it. He said this wasn’t a coincidence. God had a specific message for him. He needed to be less prideful. He then wanted to do some further bible study, so we picked Luke 18:9-14. This story is a parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee talks to God by proclaiming his “strengths” and lifting himself up. The Tax Collector then speaks to God as a sinner begging for mercy. In the I Am Second format, the first question is, “What did you like about the passage.” In response, the man said, “nothing.” I looked at my translator thinking this isn’t good. But he then said he didn’t like it because it spoke to and convicted him. He realized he was the Pharisee more often than not (aren’t we all!) and he needed to repent of this. It was a very neat moment. We could just see him get it and see it all coming together. He then prayed that God would change him to display the attitude of the tax collector. I told him I was leaving in a few days, but Fernando said he would come back next week for further bible study. He was so excited and on fire for The Word. It was a huge encouragement for me to see. That was definitely the coolest part of Day 4!
This trip exceeded my expectations by a huge amount. I hoped that I would be able to return to Kenya this year, and when that didn’t work out, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go on one. I really felt called to go back to Kenya and I wasn’t sure if my heart would be in it as much in another country. I prayed for a while and decided to come to Peru. It was definitely worth it. I saw God at work even more than I ever have. I saw a team with very different personalities become a very close knit group with the sole mission of proclaiming Jesus. I witnessed people come to Christ who you never would of expected. I saw our team passage, Psalm 67, come full-circle and be fulfilled. This trip was amazing on so many levels. Personally, it really challenged me. I felt my heart for missions grow during this trip. I spent some time with Chad, James, and George talking about possible mission opportunities in the future, and I am pretty pumped about that. I also felt more of a burden for sharing the gospel with those who I am close to. It can be difficult, but it is something I am really going to focus on in the future.
I had a personal goal that I thought about a lot on this trip. When I left the country, I didn’t want to have any regrets. I didn’t want to miss opportunities to evangelize, discipleship, or to spend time with team members. I wanted to cherish every moment. Looking back, I think I can confidently say I don’t have any regrets. Whether it was sharing the gospel, hanging out with translators, or visiting Machu Picchu, I enjoyed every moment of the trip. Thank you so much for your prayer support. The results of our trip are directly related to the tremendous amount of prayer we received. I would also encourage you to consider going on an e3 trip. Sharing Jesus in a foreign country is one of the coolest things you can ever be a part of. Again, thank you for your prayers and keeping up with our updates. God did amazing things in Ollantaytambo, Ukay, and Maras, and He isn’t done yet!
