Restoration Equals Hope (36/40)

In my life God seems to be telling a story at every turn. I like telling His stories; it’s why I write. His stories bring Him glory, and even in the tiniest way, they exemplify His sovereignty over all things.

In Peru, God has been writing a story since the beginning of time. We just happened to enter the picture in 2004, but the story has been around a lot longer than we have. It’s a story of pain and turmoil in a place of poverty and violence, but it’s also a story of redemption, of hope in the face of that pain, of Truth taking its stand and blanketing Peru with “Amor Real”—True Love.

This summer a team came together from what would seem like random corners to establish a piece of that story in July 2018. How fortunate that Alex, Eden and I could be a part of it and witness God’s ever-unfolding narrative as He worked through us to accomplish His will.

As I watched the team prepare to leave home and venture to Peru, they donned these red shirts that spoke loudly of their purpose to join Amor Real Ministries in touching the lives of Peruvians on the mission field with a common mind, to “Imitate God, therefore, in everything that you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with Love following the example of Christ” (Ephesians 5:1-2), as is written on the back of the shirts.

These red shirts spoke to my heart even beyond that, serving as a symbol of God’s faithfulness to our ministry, telling of God’s favor and increased blessings as we have remained faithful to His call as well. Alex and I started Amor Real Ministries in 2016 trusting that we had heard correctly from the Lord about His plan for our presence in San Juan de Lurigancho and overseeing Pat’s Place, a shelter for abused women and their children which we were inheriting from another ministry. So these red shirts gripped my attention with wide eyes in proof that we had truly heard from, relied on and had confidence in that sovereign God.

Before Eden and I had the privilege of joining the team in Lima, they accomplished a great deal, including a spa day for the women of Pat’s Place, plus the building of three houses, vacation Bible school and other youth ministries . They spent a good deal of time in worship, prayer and devotions as they sought the heart of the Father for the people of that city. Alex was impacted deeply, reflecting that this was the best team he’d ever encountered.

When we finally arrived in Peru, that team was ready to have some fun in another city, Paracas, where we enjoyed some relaxation on dune buggies and a boat tour, plus fun shopping, good food and sweet fellowship.

As that portion of the team returned home, it was time for our remaining team to get to work. We put together three days of free medical clinics in various locations with several specialties, including general medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, dentistry and ophthalmology.

We partnered with local medical personnel, pastors and lay church leaders to care for the physical and spiritual needs of the different communities. We saw more than 500 patients and recorded at least 72 salvations as a result.

This was the first time Amor Real Ministries had attempted medical clinics in San Juan de Lurigancho. However, Alex and I had served in medical clinics before in our previous ministry between 2004 to 2008. Seeing these medical clinics begin again was another moment of great significance, indicating that God was beginning to restore old dreams through new relationships and fresh efforts.

After the clinics concluded, our team had the opportunity to build a fourth house on a mountaintop in the community of Paradise. Our Director of Missions, Tim Koenning, began a tradition of marking the house doors with a phrase, “Hecho con Amor Real”—“Made with True Love.”

Finally, on our last day in Peru, we attended the Christian Missionary Alliance Church of San Juan de Lurigancho for Sunday morning service, the place where it all started for us back in 2004. The previous ministry had just built a fourth floor onto the church to serve as a soup kitchen, but it was also where our old teams would eat their meals. The church became our central meeting place where much of our ministry occurred. I also taught English there when we lived in Peru as missionaries (2007-2008). When we moved back to Atlanta, however, the ministry and that church no longer worked together. But on this particular Sunday morning, the pastor officially announced in front of the congregation their desire to work with our new ministry to reach the people of San Juan de Lurigancho. After service we had lunch with all the pastors that work with the church and several other staff members, including four original faces from all those years ago. It was the most powerful moment of the trip for me to see the restoration that provided such hope of renewal. It is a day I will never forget.

In the meantime, while God was renewing the old relationships, He was also beginning a new story in the lives of two very special young people who feel the call of God to go beyond a simple mission trip. Ryan, who joined the team very late in the planning stages, was on his first ever mission trip, and yet he decided to stay in Peru as the teams left to see what more God might be calling him to. Another young woman named Kate was also on her first mission trip ever and has decided to return for a week in October with the possibility of moving to Peru in January! I am blown away at God’s goodness in calling missionaries to the field which is ripe for the harvest.

So much joy in so little time. Just ten days in Peru felt like a lifetime of God’s hand bringing that joy to so many. I have such delight in my heart considering all the details of the continued story of God in Peru. The devotion for our last day in Peru really captured God’s promises fulfilled in Psalm 30:11-12 (NLT):

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!