On July 27, ten members of Westbrook Community Church left Minnesota on a mission trip to Lima, Peru. It was an amazing week as we built relationships and worked to complete three work projects for our ministry partners, Peruvian Partners, based in Flores de Villa.
Peruvian Partners serves disadvantaged families and children in Flores de Villa which is a community in Lima, Peru. The mission of this ministry is to promote the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being by training up the body of Christ through discipleship and uniting the community into a family of believers. They are doing this through education, health outreach, evangelism, and building huts to homes. This ministry seeks to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
One of the ways Peruvian Partners serves people in this community is through the Casa San Jaun and Darling House. These two homes are for at risk youth who have suffered emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. These homes provide a safe environment for the teenage boys and girls to receive counseling, discipleship, education in life skills, and vocational training. During our time in Flores de Villa, we worked with teens from these two homes and together we completed three projects which impacted the community for the better.
The Westbrook team was split into three groups and each group was assigned a project. The first of the projects was to paint the wall around the school which was filled with graffiti. The school wall now stands out and will be a wonderful welcome to students as they head to school in the morning. The second project was to paint the interior walls of Casa San Jaun. And the third project was to replace the roof at a home of an elderly couple. That elderly couple now has a home that no longer has water dripping in the house every time it rains.
In addition to the projects, we had several evening outings. One evening we had dinner with the teen boys and another night with the girls. Both of those nights we heard amazing testimonies from the teenagers. The Westbrook men got to attend a men’s Bible study where over 60 men meet each week to study God’s word. A group of us also attended the weekly women’s Bible study where there were over 80 women in attendance. There is no doubt that God is at work in that community.
From the minute we landed in Lima, we were met with excitement and love. The teenagers welcomed us at the airport like we were family with flowers, signs, and hugs. Every morning, when we arrived at Casa San Jaun to go over the daily assignments as a large group, we were greeted warmly by each teenager. Saying goodbye at the end of the week was emotional. The love we experienced from people was truly overwhelming. The lessons we learned over the course of the week were life changing.
As far as communication, there were some challenges, but we had interpreters in each group. Of course, the two Westbrook interpreters, Bertha Marahrens and Kaitlyn Hanson, were amazing. They were busy interpreting all day long. They helped us in so many ways and it was so fun to watch them engage with the Peruvians. And on behalf of the Westbrook group, I want to thank them for helping us order food when we went out to eat. Though the language barriers were frustrating at times, I realized that I could give the teenagers the one thing that is so needed in their lives – love. I realized that a warm greeting, a smile, a hug, and genuine kindness was essential in building relationships with them. It is amazing how we can communicate so much when not saying a word.
As far as the projects, the teenagers were responsible for leading and directing the work. Okay, that was the hard part of the trip. As adults, we had to sit back and let the teens lead. Though we may have done somethings differently, we learned to follow their direction. Our reward for working alongside the students was watching them interact with each other. The support they have for each other is amazing and it was so fun to see. I was also impressed by their desire to work to the best of their ability. They took great pride in what they were doing, and it was very impressive. They wanted to get the projects done and they wanted them done well.
The Westbrook team helped complete three projects and built relationships in Flores de Villa. What we got back from that community was more than words can express. The love and appreciation from the people who live in that community was amazing. In the end, we all saw that we serve a big God who is at work everywhere and all the time.
The Westbrook members who travelled to Peru were Mark Danielson, Kaitlyn Hanson, Terry and Deb Hieserich, Bertha Marahrens, Tom and Kimberly Moorse, Randy and Amy Nelson, Kevin Sharpe
Komentarze