Peru Update from Charles Musil

Blog post from Charles Musil:

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!

Peru Update 3

This update is from George Cheek:

The attached photo a good story the illustrates the opportunity we have to help in church planting on the Be3 Peru trip.

The area my part of the team worked in was primarily Quechuan.  To communicate with those who did not speak Spanish some times took two translations.

What I said was interpreted into Spanish by young Laura, older Victoria than spoke Quechuan to the elderly lady.  She did pray to accept Christ's shed blood for her sins.  Later in the conversation Victoria mentioned her father had been born in the village.  In the conversation she discovered the lady was actually her father's brother's widow!   Victoria is also part of the church planting team that will be coming back each week to help disciple the believers for the church plant.

A "picture perfect" situation.....  many more such experiences to share.

We had only one day to be tourists, but spent it well..... our ministry location was only two hours from Machu Picchu....

Today the rest of the team are on flights back to their home places.  

I will be a few days more in Lima, Peru meeting "extended family" at LaRoca church ministries where SportReach did the first international outreaches.  ---From George

A final update is still to come...

Until all the nets are full,

The Peru Team

Be3 Peru trip - first field update

We have had a strong start in a very tough area.  The Sacred Valley is known for its challenging environment.  Here are some of the reports from the field over the first few days....

Update from Greg Krips:

Our sub-team trekked from a school up the mountain from the town of Maras. We spent the morning at the school having sport clinics, playing with and sharing with the children from 4 mountain villages. We traveled from 11,000 ft at the school to 12,500 ft at the village. It was difficult for us all but God had mercy, gave us his grace and strength. We upgraded this expedition to an extreme expedition. In the village we spoke with a few families we found home. We shared the gospel and had a few professions of faith. We will return there tomorrow, Wednesday to continue working. 

From Alexis:

This morning we read about the story of Zaccheus found in Luke 19:1-10. Alexis had been praying that like Zaccheus, he would find a family that seeks Jesus. He felt that God had put it on his to find this family, or a person of peace. This person of peace is someone who can have and influence on my people and is will to host people in their home.  So today Alexis’ we up far into the mountain and had the chance to speak to a family. This family would end up accepting Christ into their lives, which was amazing. However, the story doesn’t end there. After accepting Christ and talking some more, the family said that they would like to start a church.  This was a literally a direct answer to his prayers, and the thing that was most on his heart. God led him to the person of peace.

 From Brandon:

This morning we we’re playing soccer with some kids.  The kids were very intent on what the ball meant and the story it told. They were silent and completely focused.  They were praying and were very engaged.  All of the kids that were present proclaimed faith in Jesus Christ.

From Mar E.:

We were able to talk to a man who then received Christ. Later in the afternoon, he joined us for SportReach. After we finished playing, I shared the e-cube. After this, the man shared the cube with his son. His son came to Christ as well. It was really cool to see this man, a new Christian, sharing his new faith with his son. 

Thanks for your Prayers!

Team Costa Rica . final update

Our final day serving alongside the Costa Rican churches was capped off with a "VICTORY CELEBRATION"! (see Facebook link below for pics)

All 5 mission points were represented well by the people of their churches! As we shared with each pastor how God had worked in our week, tears were shed and relationships were celebrated. We sung praises to our GREAT GOD, we were overwhelmed by how people who could not speak the same language were able to worship Jesus together and praise Him for what HE did! Thank you, to each of you reading this--as our prayer and support team--for the opportunity to meet and serve with Costa Rican brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank You Jesus for using people like us to help further Your kingdom.

Here is the summary from the week...

New Discipleship Groups started:  21 groups with 393 participants

Number of people that heard the Gospel message:  746

Number of new believers:  232

VICTORY CELEBRATION pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.473744666053813.1073741826.100002548517003&type=1&l=0220da2391

Headed back home tomorrow!

** More Team Costa Rican Pictures **

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.473744666053813.1073741826.100002548517003&type=1&l=0220da2391

Team Costa Rica . update 3

Yesterday was an amazing day! We had many people come to Christ and had a great day doing discipleship follow up and getting to know our translators. One group did a foot washing ceremony for the translators and the pastor at their church. The sports ministry teams had a great day as well, sharing the evangeball with several groups of teens. You can see a presentation, here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn21mQdL-ts. For several of our student athletes on the team, It's good to find something that they can relate to the people with. We have many amazing stories to bring home about how God is working in Costa Rica. We're  reminded to not only share with the Costa Ricans, but also the American tourists we are meeting while we're down here. Today is our second to last day, thank you for your continued prayers. Our overarching goal over the next few days is to focus on equipping the Costa Rican believers for the work of the ministry. 

Also, here is a blog that one of our team members is keeping as well.  http://www.e3partners.org/roxanne

Team Costa Rica . update 2

Our first real day doing door-door evangelism is behind us.  Even though we have prayed and prepared to knock on that first door, nerves and fears of the unknown always seem to creep in.  But God our protector and provider once again showed himself faithful.  Two teams went to parks and set up sports camps and the rest of us went off to different churches to help them evangelize there neighborhood.  It is funny how in ones mind we have a mental picture of how we expect the day to be. I praise God that He has a plan that is much more exciting than my small mental picture.  We have all reported that we feel that God has not just called us to minister to the un churched people of San Ramon but also fellow believers who need prayer, encouragement to continue the fight and to "not grow weary in doing good"   Last night during the evening "Wrap uptime"  I could feel the energy in the room as we shared stories of the awesome amazing things God had done during the day.  The harvest is ripe.  Some of us were blessed to be the reapers of the harvest, others were blessed to plant the seed, fertilize the seed and tend to the seed.  Today with the nerves and fears of the first day behind us, feeling full of the blessing of yesterday!  We are rearing to go this morning to see how God will open the doors of opportunity!  Oh the blessings of being in the center of Christ's work... it's beyond words!!

For the team, Renee Brooks

Team Costa Rica . update 1

Greetings from Costa Rica!  We finished our first two full days on the ground having landed here 5AM Saturday. We rested a few hours and then spent the afternoon in orientation.  We wrapped up having supper with the pastors/ leaders who we will help with the church planting outreach this week. On Sunday we attended the churches we will working with throughout the week. We were blessed by their vibrance and passion for the Lord and one another. In the afternoon we spent several hours at a city park and town square, sharing the Good News of Christ and playing sports to build bridges with young people.

It rains nearly daily here for a few hours.  Look carefully at the photo of the Catholic Church on.... our team is assembled to bring light to a region of this country that is watered with some knowledge of God's Word but many without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Your part is to help provide the umbrella of prayer covering to bring God's protection and blessings.

Love you all!