Touchdown In Peru!

Our team of 32 touched down in Peru late last night! We have 4 Berean Churches represented from Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. Kelly Jessen met us at the airport after just returning from India with Mark Carlton and team; pray for Kelly's endurance this week. After a short night in a hotel in Lima, we boarded an eight hour bus ride this morning to Huancayo (read a little about this region of Peru @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huancayo). The elevation of Huancayo is above 10,000 ft, so you can imagine we had some elevation sickness along the way and when we arrived. Pray for the teams health and adjustment. This evening we gathered with representatives and leadership from six area churches that have a desire to plant cell-based churches in outlining areas where there is no local church presence. We sang, prayed, and got acquainted with one another and our translators. Tomorrow morning we break down into 6 different teams and worship together with the churches across Huancayo, as well as make preparations for door to door and street evangelism, discipleship, cell group training, and sports outreach. Here we go!

For the team, Kris

Stories from the field in Iquitos, Peru

After a long cold winter heading to the jungle of Peru was a breath of fresh air. Okay, maybe fresh is an exaggeration... more like 90 degree 100% humidity air. Our sports team of 10 joined a medical team to work with four mother churches to help each begin a new church. The four areas were in squatter villages where living conditions were very poor but the people were friendly and welcoming.

A typical day was to go home to home in the mornings sharing Christ alongside a local church member. For many people the news of Jesus Christ was new as they had never heard the whole story before and for those who had heard of Christ had a desire to know more and more about Him. Many times our team would spend and hour or more talking with and discipling families. After lunch our team would set up for a time of sports which drew people of all ages. In the evenings we would have an evening service or training time.

One of my favorite moments on the trip was our second location, where during our time of sports, a massive downpour started. That didn't stop the young men playing soccer which turned out to be a hilarious slip fest. However due to the large amount of rain the roads were flooded and that meant only the faithful showed up to the evening service. The delight was that the 12 that were there were hungry to learn how to use the Evangecube so I had the precious privilege of teaching how to do evangelism. After the end of the time the very humble pastor asked the group to stay later to begin to strategize how to use their new evangelism tools to reach their neighborhood during the upcoming Holy week.

As a leader of many short-term mission trips I always like to say that the trip is usually just as much about the people that go as the people we reach. It was very cool to see a mom and two teenage sons be stretched into obedience and by the end of the week serving boldly. Or the young married couple on their first mission trip who wanted to serve together. Or the young man who is pursuing a career in missions. God is always at work in each of us so that ultimately He'll be glorified. Here are some of their stories:

“Many experiences during my week in Iquitos impacted me and are stories I will share for a long time to come. There are stories of salvation, answered prayers, and lots of joy. It’s the joy in Iquitos that stood out, especially on our last ministry day. I was able to meet a young man named Michael on that day who had already accepted Christ and was clearly living his life with passion of Jesus. His excitement over a small group of Americans sharing the Bible was incredible. He said that he had been praying for his village and that someone would come to share the Gospel with everyone there. Michael became even more excited by the new church being planted there and thanked us for coming. God showed me two huge truths through Michael. The first was that God uses simple people to answer prayers even if its in another part of the world. The other is that God will us passionate people like Michael to spread the Word long after the mission team leaves. My meeting with Michael served as an exclamation point at the end of the week saying ‘Yes, I will use you for My Will!’”

“…she had so many questions as she pulled out many books and her Bible. I did by best to answer all of her questions and we talked of many things; children, life in the community, church, faith, God, the Bible, and family problems…our surrounding bodies may have looked different but we were very much alike.”

“…the most memorable experience was being given the opportunity to share the Gospel to a primary school. To walk in and ask the director and 5 minutes later speaking to all those precious children was and amazing privilege. I’m humbled and grateful to our gracious father for letting me be a part.”

In the end our sports team did 361 in home visits where 145 people gave their lives to Christ. We also had a great time building relationships, sharing Christ and beginning discipleship in our sports clinics with 510 people in attendance. With the Holy Spirit guiding us we were privileged to see Jesus build four new churches that are now well on their way to making disciples and reaching their neighborhoods.

Kelly for the team
e3 Church Planter

What a week!

As we pulled into the airport in Lima where our journey together had begun, I don't think anyone could believe it had been a week already. I guess it may be a glimpse of eternity because when you are in the presence of the Lord time passes quickly and there's no other place you'd rather be. So, I (Kelly) would like to close out this trip with some memories from the team and then I'll share the numbers from the week.

I had the same national with me each day. She was from a town called Pilcomayo and her name was Esmerelda. I have never been around a young believer that was so hungry to learn God’s word and he taught to share the Gospel. Each time I used a scripture while sharing the Gospel she would write it down. She was very eager to share the Evangecube and God used her to bring at least 10 people to Christ. My most memorable moment occurred on Wednesday. I was having an off day. while sharing the Gospel there was two occasions that day when I forgot a scripture that I was trying to use. Esmerelda jumped right in and quoted the verses that I had forgotten because she had memorized them. I had much fun sharing the Gospel this week, but my best memory will be the disciple that I was able to make in Esmerelda. We were able to plant a new church in that area and I can’t wait to come again next year and see how Esmerelda and the church have grown. All glory to God.
Jeff Thompson

I think my most memorable time was after a soccer game when I was able to share the Gospel with a group of guys we were playing with. Some other curious onlookers came over to listen too. I shared with them then I challenged them that it was a big commitment, and that Jesus asks us to do difficult things so don’t make decisions unless they truly meant it. I asked them to be bold in front of their friends. Three guys indicated that they had chosen to follow Christ. It gave me great joy because they seemed to be genuinely authentic. We talked some more and got them connected with the new church.
Josh Luse

It was the middle of the week, and I was teamed up with my translator and a national woman, Lina. We were going door to door sharing our testimonies and the Evangecube. We were going past a bar and met a man named Edgar. At first he seemed like he was a little drunk and he was making comments about wanting to marry one of us. We ended up sitting down and talking with him. He wanted to know how to have the hope we had. I shared the Gospel with him and he told us he wanted us to come to his house and share it with his mother. After spending some time with them they shared that he struggled with drinking but wanted to change. They bothe prayed to receive Christ as their Savior and as they prayed both weeping. The national stood over Edgar and continued to pray, her voice raised till she was almost shouting. Each of us was praying over them and they were crying and even thought I had no idea what anyone else was praying, I could just feel the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
Mary Kinberg

My favorite memory on this trip was my follow up visit in Huancayo. I knew ahead of time that I wouldn’t see many of my prior contacts. Most were kids and people off the streets. So I along with my interpreter hit the streets to do more discipleship. While concluding prayer with a young couple a man named Antonio came yelling down the street, “my friend Londa”, it was then that I knew I had made a connection with the people and what I was doing. Gods work touches everyone. Antonio might have been on the street the first day and my chances of finding him were slim. God was accepted into Antonio’s heart and grace brought us back together for an amazing follow up. Thanks be to God.
Laurie Jackson

On Tuesday evening at the local cell group meeting we encouraged the group to consider that they were the start of a new church. At first they kept saying we need leaders and pastors. Yet after God’s Word was exposed to them and after they did the evangelizing, they began to realize that they could do this. When the light came on in their hearts and they realized they were chosen, what a great joy it was. A new church was born and I was allowed by God to partake of this blessing. May Jesus Christ be praised!
Tim McDowell

Working with Pastor Louis from one of the new church plants in Huancayo was an amazing and memorable experience! On one of our door-to-door evangelism days Pastor Louis knew exactly where he wanted to go. When we asked the Pastor where we were headed, he boldly expressed that he wanted to go to a specific area to speak to some terrorists! As we walked Pastor Louis informed my translator and me that the areas we were in was once very dangerous. Years ago, he had been a part of a team of 9 missionaries evangelizing in this community. 8 of these team members were killed during the campaign. Pastor Louis was the only survivor from the group. I was in awe to see his passion to return to this area to continue to bring the Good News to the very remnant of a group that murdered his friends.
Julie Christensen

Well, those are just a few of the stories and the rest we will all recount together in Heaven. As for the numbers, which please understand it is just part of the job no our focus. This week through door-to-door, on the street, in the markets, in cell group meetings, on the courts and on the fields, we shared the Good News of Jesus Christ with 1675 people. Of those people 806 decided to begin following Christ. Now for some other cool numbers, 391 discipleship/follow-up appointments were completed. Also as a why of continueing the work in Huancayo 83 nationals were trained, 7 churches were started and 2 were strengthened. Please continue to pray for this work.

Nine months of work and prayer has gone into this week and the Lord has blessed our efforts by showing off and bringing fame to his name. So what now? So many more need to hear, is the Lord calling you?

A Church is Born Today

Nothing can prepare you for what God can do through the simple and ordinary until you surrender control to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to move through you. Walking in to a small store on the corner felt, to me, like an intrusion to someone’s privacy this morning, but the owner welcomed us with open arms and encouragement as she assured us that she was a born again Christian. As my translator, national Peruvian partner and I were about to exit the store, we were stopped by a woman curious to know what we were talking about and what that cube was in my hand. I asked her if she wanted to hear a story of how I became a Christian. “Oh yes!” she exclaimed. “My husband is a Christian but I am Catholic. I have wanted to know about Christianity since I was a young girl.” As I proceeded to share my testimony, I was led by the Holy Spirit to share parts of my testimony that I had yet to share with any other Peruvian. The Evangecube was shared, but not in its entirety as she was eager to accept Christ as her Savior and only path of salvation before I had reached the last step in the cube. Hosea, my national partner, was able to pray with her and lead her into a saving relationship with our Heavenly Father. After “Amen” she could not help but ask question after question about temptation, and sin, and how to pray and read the Bible. As we were concluding the visit she looked me in the face, held my hands, and said, “Thank you so much for traveling so far to share your history with me. I relate to you. I now have Jesus in my heart because of you sharing.” I could not hide the goosebumps on my arms. Why God would choose to work through me, a sinner, never ceases to amaze and humble me.

But the story does not end there. Estelle, our new sister in Christ, attended the cell group meeting this evening and brought her young eight year old daughter. She busily took notes, answered questions, and looked up answers in the Bible. Her daughter volunteered to read over 80% of the verses during the study. Praise God for the work that He is doing in the hearts of the Peruvians in Huancayo. His power is so evident as He works through ordinary people to reach a people for Himself.

As we shared during dinner the stories from the day attests to what God is doing in the hearts of the people here.

From another part of town here is a overview:
Our team traveled to a rural area just outside Huancayo, a place near Chupaca. A local cell group really wanted this area reached for Jesus Christ and wanted a church to be planted and started here. The sites were very rural but the homes were very open to guests, such as us. I remember one house I went to with Ricardo my translator and Theo, the local, was quite a ways up a hill. We traversed a long path, scrambled up the rocks, and were greeted by two brothers. We were invited to sit on the grass and we shared our testimonies. I shared the Evangecube and both of the brothers trusted in Christ for salvation. After we left that home, I looked up the hill and saw another of our team sharing with some children, I looked down below and saw two others sharing the gospel, and so on. God was moving mightily. I rejoiced in that many of our young missionaries were bold to share. One of the thoughts I had was, how can our churches back home remain the same? If we do, how sad. Yet, I am confident of this one thing, that He who has began a good work in our homes, will complete it until Christ returns.

During our sports clinic, we had shared the gospel with around 80 people and I would say about 60 accepted Christ. Just as Jeff Thompson got a group hug from the children, the rain began. God held off the rain to accomplish His plan. We then went to one of the local believers homes and held a cell group meeting. There were many new people that attended and God moved in such a big way, that what the local believers prayed for was accomplished. A Church Was Born Today.

Pray for this new church that they would be strengthened with God’s enduring power, and would continue to meet and reach out to their community. Pray that they would realize that even though they don’t feel adequate to do this outreach, that they are just the right ones God has chosen for His work. Praise God that in this area of Huancayo, God established a new church, and many will for generations to come, will see new life in Jesus Christ.

Brokeness Restored

The Lord was truly at work today as our team dispersed throughout Huancayo for door-to-door evangelism, sport clinics and small group (cell group) meetings. The Blue Team spent time on the outskirts of Huancayo for the day. Upon our arrival, we spent time in prayer over the community and then hit the ground running. Each team member was paired with their translator and a national from the community. As we approached our first home, we were very anxious and excited to see what the Lord had in store for us. The national I was paired up with, Zak, knocked on the door a few times with no response. As we were about to leave for the next door, an older woman in her late 40’s peaked her head over the top of the roof and agreed to speak with us for a few minutes. Miriam, my translator, was very warm in greeting the older woman and soon after introduced her to myself. The Holy Spirit was speaking through me as I shared my testimony and shared the Gospel with her. Towards the end of our conversation, she made it known that she wanted to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

After she prayed to accept Christ, she stated that she wanted her father to hear the Good News as well. She then said we would need to walk to where her father was located because he was very old, sick and had a broken back. As we walked down the street and around the corner, we were praying for a breakthrough with this family. As the older woman opened the door to her father’s backyard, you could see older women doing laundry, a few kids playing and two older men on a flat bed, one of which was laying facedown with his legs hanging off the bed. The daughter who had earlier accepted Christ walked us over to her father and gently turned him over and sat him up. The father was visibly in pain after being repositioned. We exchanged introductions as all the other family members gathered to hear our story. I again began with my testimony and shared the Gospel…everyone listening intently, especially the father. Following our discussion, the entire family accepted Christ as their Savior. As the older man prayed to accept Christ, he discretely turned his palms sky-ward in a form of worship. Before departing, we asked the family if we could pray over the prayer requests they mentioned earlier. We then prayed for their family, friends and the older man’s health. As we opened our eyes after prayer, the older man had tears streaming down his face. It was truly one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Praise Christ for His continued restoration of the people of Huancayo!

Huancayo, Peru in the Field: Day 1

From the very moment that the Peru team embarked on this journey, God has taken care of us. Traveling to Peru has just been awesome. God allowed for every flight arrival time to be earlier than what was planned in the flight itinerary. All 3 flight connections the team made their arrival points early! As far as the 8 hour bus ride from Lima to Huancayo, it went very smoothly. We did not have anyone get altitude sickness. One person had some motion sickness from the bus, but other than that God has been extremely gracious in keeping all team members healthy.

After having arrived in Huancayo, our first day objective was to get out to the 7 churches that have been planted here and start helping equip their team leaders for ministry. The morning was started with educating our churches in how to use evangecubes and strategies in going out to their local communities for Jesus. Many of the team members did prayer walks through the local streets. Some of the local Peruvians were outside in the streets playing volleyball and God provided an opportunity through the volleyball for some of the team members to build relationships with those people. I, Chris Brink, my first experience in the Huancayo mission trip was sharing the Gospel with a local store owner just down the block from one of the local churches. We had been waiting at Pastor Agusto’s church in the morning for Pastor Hugo, to go to Pastor Hugo’s church, and God led my translator Alfredo and I to this local store and I shared the Gospel. I shared the Gospel with the grandmother who ran the store, her daughter, and her daughter’s children. The grandmother was thankful to hear the Gospel story of Jesus Christ, which she had heard before, but she has not been to church in awhile. She is coming to a get-together that the team is holding this Thursday to hear more about Jesus Christ. In fact, she is going to close her store down early to do so!

Please keep the Peru team, the nationals, as well as translators that God has put together in your prayers as God teaches us to become fishers of men.

Chris & Nessa Brink

Todd's story from Peru

Check out this story from Todd:

Hello Prayer Team, I was able to visit our church plant in San Jacindro earlier today. In this tiny village live Aymara Indians that have migrated from the harsh climate of the high Andes town of Puno. The people here worship and celebrate the idol, San Jacindro. Monday was San Jacindro Day and the believers were noticably absent from the celebration.

Today, I joined Pastora Rosa as we visited the home of Rosela. Rosela was a sweet spirited young believer that knew the Pastora and the church at the top of the hill above her home. However, she did not attend because her husband oppossed the Gospel. As we visited with and invited Rosela to join us later today for discipleship, her husband, oddly enough named Christian, stormed out of the house began yelling at all of us. "F... You all. Why do you come here and waste our time." To which I responded, "God Bless You!" To which he responded, "F.. You!"

Ahh, it is good to be deemed worthy of persecution, no matter how minor it might be. It tells you that the enemy has noticed you and identified you as a threat. I wish I could say it happened to me more frequently than it does.

Anyway, Rosela was so embarrassed by the conduct of her husband that she broke down in tears. We were not able to comfort her, but Jesus told us to pray for those that oppose you, so we prayed for Christian, that the Lord would open his heart to receive the love of Jesus. We also prayed for Rosela, that she would be the light that would shine into the dark places of Christian´s heart.

Pray for the town of San Jacindro and the stringholds of idolatry that Satan has established there.

For His Glory,

Todd Szalkowski