Peru Update #8

DAY 7 -

The team begins the day today in worship with the members of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Villa El Salvador. We began worship with a time of singing, what beautiful voices and what a time of praising the Lord!  Two of our team members shared testimonies and as always, God knows the words He has for us to say for those who are present!  The  Pastor preached and the message was one about  teamwork and commitment - something we all need to be reminded of in our daily walk with the Lord. It was a great time of praise & worship with fellow believers!!  As we sat in the worship service in this beautiful church building, some of us were reminded of how far this little church has come, from three years ago, when they were meeting in a members’ home. 

In the afternoon one of our team members did a session on stress management.  It is evident that stress is a major issue everywhere!  She provided words of advice and encouragement in dealing with this ever growing issue in the lives of so many people!  We had a question and answer session along with some relaxation exercises - we all needed those!  While this was happening the training on the  sewing/embroidery machine continued and it was amazing how quickly the ladies picked up some new techniques!

Our evening worship service began with a time of song and quickly became a time of sharing.  The members wanted to tell us how much our being there meant to them. Many spoke with words of thanks. For others, smiles, hugs and tears tell the story. They presented us with gifts and some letters and drawings that the children had prepared for each member of the team.  We couldn't help but make the comparison that this will be like heaven - sharing love with fellow believers from all nations while worshipping our heavenly Father!

It is so hard to express that what we give/do for them is so small compared to what they give to us, the love they share with us.  The blessings we received by being a part of this mission is unexplainable, unless you have had the honor of experiencing God's blessing through a mission journey!  We will never be the same again!

Training on the sewing /embroidery machine.