Over last weekend, our work with the city teens and leaders came to a peak as we finally put on three VBS programs nearby. One was up in a hill next to the Buen Pastor church, one was out in a town called Chuchopompa, and the third was in a little village called Yanamayo. All three of them required us to work together with our local friends, lean on eachother and be extremely flexible as we poured our hearts into the kids we were teaching. Our theme was "¿Quién es Dios?" or "Who is God?" This was the question that the teens pointed out to us as crucial for the children to understand here- starting with the basics because chances were the children would know very little about Jesus, the Father, or the Bible. We started with games, performed a puppet show that the teens had written themselves, and then step by step explained who God was from the Bible story..."God is creator", "God is Just", "God is Jesus"....It was a blast, interactive, and more than anything a chance to do ministry alongside the teens that we've been building relationships with this summer. I sit smiling as I write, being reminded of their hearts for God and joy in doing whatever He invites them to do. The people here are precious.
The second big adventure we've had in the past few days was a trip to village of Agua de Nieve (Snow Water), a coffee-farming village out in the heart of the Peruvian jungle. It took three or four hours for us to get there, winding through the mountains and stunned speechless as we gazed out our windows. The grandeur was overwhelming, and by the time we reached our destination I was deeply humbled by the God who can move those same mountains. The people who hosted us were beautiful and so welcoming, showing us their crops, their way of life and their world. We were able to have dinner with the "Pastora" of the village who shared her testimony with us, as well as lunch the next day with another village friend who served us jungle fruit, fresh cheese and fried bananas. Everything from their own gardens and everything served, not out of abundance, but out of a sincere desire to bless us. We also helped sort through bags of coffee beans in the local church and learned much about how hard these farmers work for the coffee they serve us- note: literally the best coffee I have ever tasted in my life. It was a precious adventure and time to really learn of J.R.'s ministry in agriculture there. It brought smiles to our faces as we paused along our way time and time again to greet another friend, another familiar face, listening to J.R. shouting out name after name and watching the brilliant smiles unfold on each face as they received that remembrance and love. Beautiful for countless reasons, Charis and I returned blessed to overflowing from our jungle journey.We have exactly a week left in Peru as I write this. On one hand, it seems absurd that six weeks have flown by so fast. On the other hand, I can't believe that the abundance of things I've learned here could have been stuffed into that short of a time. The next few days are simply crammed with last moment adventures and goodbyes so we'll see if I have time to write again before our plane takes off. As for now, thank you for your prayers over the VBS programs, thank you for your prayers during our sickness, and above all please be praising God for the answers He has poured out in response to those petitions. You have blessed me richly- thank you for such beautiful love :)
In Jesus Christ,
Kelly
