Peru: Second Update...

**Sorry Bryan O'hare (and others) I could not make this any shorter, God put a lot on my heart and I could have easily written more, but I could not have written less, I hope you will still read.**

My second week in Peru has gone by much faster than the first. The days are starting to blur together and it's getting more and more difficult to recall the events that took place on a particular day. I'm going to need to start recording everything I do at the end of each day for myself If I'm going to be able to continue writing weekly reports.

I'm writing to you now on the fourth day after coming down with either a terrible stomach virus or food poisoning, I'm not sure what it was, all I can tell you is that it was the absolute worst case of either that I've ever had. I am just now able to keep some food down. I've spent the last 3 days in my bed without stepping outside even once. At one point everything started getting blurry and then it all turned black, I sat down because I thought I was going to black-out and fall down or something but eventually everything went back to normal and I could see. At that time it was the beginning of my sickness and I had absolutely no idea what was wrong with me, for all I knew I had gotten some virus or disease that people who aren't from Peru are vulnerable to, I really had no idea...but there is one lesson to be learned from all of this that I want to share with you. I was not worried, more than that...I still had joy. Yes, even as the whole room turned black and I thought I was going to pass out, I was singing “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and is to come...” among other hymns and quoting scripture.

I am not telling you this to boast about how great of a Christian I am or anything of the sort because believe me I have many areas in my walk with Christ that need help and I could surely take a lesson from most of you who are reading this. I am telling you this because I want to share with you something that is promised to ALL Christians. The promise I am referring to is the promise of joy. Joy is different from happiness. Happiness is situational, it is dependent upon your current predicament, it comes and goes, it gets tossed too and fro by the wind and is not something you can ever hope to grab hold of because it always finds a way to escape your grasp no matter how tightly clenched your fists may be. Joy is different. Joy is not focused on the here & now, joy cannot be dampened, tarnished, or destroyed by your current predicament.

There are many scriptures that attest to this but I am not trying to write a sermon here, though I will show just a couple of examples. Jesus himself says, “...No one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22. But lets look at what James said for some more detail. When the world (those who do not know Christ) looks at the following passage, they probably consider it absolute foolishness, it goes against everything we've ever been taught, “Count it ALL (emphasis added by me) joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4. The world tries to evade trials or get out of them as quickly as possible, but what does the Word of God say? It tells us to count it as joy when we fall into trials, because trials have a purpose...and that purpose is beneficial to the Christian. Certainly this lines up with the famous and often-quoted scripture of Romans 8:28 which states that, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good (emphasis added), for those who are called according to his purpose.” You read that correctly.... Paul did not say “some” things, or “most” things, he said “all” things. For the Christian there is no such thing as a tragedy. Just because you don't understand God's plan or purposes, or you don't know of any immediate good, don't assume that God is not working good in your life. For one thing, his plans and purposes go far beyond your own life, he is far more complex than that, and ultimately he does all things for his glory and his pleasure.

Look at what Paul says in Romans 11 verse 33, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways!” And then he quotes from Isaiah 40 saying, “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has ever first given to him, and has to be repaid?” Point blank and simple... you're going to drive yourself crazy if you always try and figure out God's reasoning, purposes, or plans. You have a finite mind, God is infinite and his ways are “untraceable.” That being said, we know that God is for us and not against us, and we know that he only ever does Good, he never does evil, in fact he is incapable of doing evil because that is against his nature as being God. This brings my to my next point, please continue reading.

The Sovereignty of God. This is the absolute most comforting doctrine/aspect of God for me. What does it mean? Well, truth be told it means a lot, but in a nutshell I would describe it as meaning this, “Nothing has ever, or will ever happen without God either directly causing it to happen or allowing it happen.” It means that God is in absolute control at every single moment of the entire universe, if he was not then he would cease to be God. If their was one moment that he was not in control, or one molecule over which he had no power, that moment could be the moment his plan of redemption is destroyed, or that molecule could be the molecule that destroys his plan, in fact, if anything was outside his power, whatever it is, it would be God. Satan can do nothing without God allowing him to do it. But just as in the story of Joseph, what Satan means for evil, God works into good. I would love to type another 8 pages about this but I know not all of you would love to read another 8 pages about this so I will try to bring this to a close.

Why is the Sovereignty of God the most comforting doctrine to me? Because I know that God knows exactly what I'm going through at all times, and I know that if I'm going through it he has either caused it to happen or allowed it to happen, and if it's happening I know that it's for my good, and for his purposes, even if these purposes are never made known to me, but they often are... Think about it, would I be writing any of this if I had not gone through that sickness? Maybe one of you is encouraged by what you're reading, does that not mean that God made my sickness work for good? Worst case-scenario is that I die, but wait, is that really the worst-case scenario for the Christian? No it's not, what does the bible say, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain (emphasis added).”

I had the privilege of talking with a group of students at the university of San Marcos about life in general, and ultimately about Jesus Christ. These students did not know him, most of them believed that Jesus was just a “good man,” and the others said they don't believe in any God. One student even said he believes that we are all our own “gods.” One common theme that stood out to me after hearing some of the responses to the questions we were asking them was the fear of death. I guess I'd be afraid of death too if I didn't know what was going to happen to me after I died. In fact, I used to be terrified of death before I knew Christ. But what does the bible say about death for the Christian? Paul quotes Isaiah and says, “Death is swallowed up in victory...O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” John MacArthur comments on this passage saying that, “The latter quote taunts death as if it were a bee whose sting was removed,” it has no hold on us who are in Christ. After hearing about Christ, all of the students gave us their email addresses, one of them who especially expressed concern about death, provided his phone number (which is rare here) and asked to meet with us again, we are still waiting to hear from him so please include him in your prayers (his name is Jerson).

In conclusion, I just want anyone who reads this to realize that they too can have joy in the midst of suffering or doubt. Thankfully I'm ok. I've been blessed to be friends with a doctor here named Dimas who took a day off to tend to me and get me all the medicine I need and gatorade, as well as say a few prayers for me. I feel better already and I'm starting to get my strength/energy back. But when I was ill, and when everything was turning black, I did not know how sick I was, what I had, or how much worse it was going to get. In my mind, I could have been dying, but I was not afraid in the least bit, I was singing songs and quoting scripture, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. I find my rest in his sovereignty because if he has ordained it to be then it must be for a reason, and if it's for a reason I know it's for a good reason, and that is enough for me...may it also be enough for you.

Dios te bendiga (God bless you),

-Chris

Peru: Week 1

**I apologize ahead of time for this post (and probably all subsequent posts while in Peru) being very un-polished, I simply don't have extra time to devote to editing. 

Greetings from Peru!

Today is Martes (Tuesday in Spanish), which means I've already been here for a whole week. My time here thus far has been spent more by adapting to the culture and getting used to my surroundings than it has in outright ministry. Part of the reason for this is because of Ingrid's plans for me and the other reason is because there was a recent strike on the campus I'm supposed to be working on and it's been closed.

Before I go any further I have to first thank everyone here who has welcomed me. Ingrid has been a great host, going out of her way to provide more than I need, and cooking some of the best food I've ever had. I've been introduced to some of the guys I will be helping to disciple and they have all been very nice as well as very interested in squeezing every bit of English teaching out of me that they can. The names of some of these men are Elvis, Neder, and Carlos. So far I have spent the majority of my time here with Elvis. The time we have spent together has been very exciting because he knows almost no English at all and my Spanish communication abilities are very limited, that being said, you can imagine what it might be like spending an entire day traveling around the city with someone who cant speak your language. I must say that it has provided much more laughter than frustration, and Elvis is very dedicated to asking me what everything means in English, and I have been learning a lot of Spanish from him as well.

Sunday I was blessed to attend the church here that is pastured by Pastor Luiz Azenero. He's a great man of God that I had the privilege of spending half a day with a couple days prior to church. We had a ridiculously funny moment while we were eating at a plaza. He spilled his juice all over his jeans and his shirt...as I was laughing at him I picked up my Chicha Morada ( a purple drink sort of like tea made with boiled corn + sugar) and the lid came off... I spilled it all over the place though didn't get as much on me as he got on him. It was quite the scene...you would have thought a bunch of kids sat at our table with the mess we had all over the floor/table/chairs, but nope...it was two full grown adults. His 4 year old son Esteban (Stephen in English) was laughing at us and told me in spanish that I needed to hold my cup from the bottom, and that his father needed to be more careful, cute kid...and obviously more wise than the both of us.

Anyway, back to Sunday at the church. Pastor Luis called me up to the stage and introduced me to his congregation, and also allowed me to attempt to introduce myself to them in Spanish! The people were very welcoming and I look forward to getting to know them better and serving them in any way that I can. After church a few of the members took me out to lunch where I had the Peruvian favorite “Pollo a la Brasa.”

The Culture

The culture here is very interesting, it's like night and day from being in the United States. Surprisingly enough, I haven't really experienced any sort of “culture shock,” on the contrary I've been enjoying every minute of it. I feel right at home here, perhaps this is a sign that this is indeed the place of my future ministry, only God knows the answer to that right now though.

I'm living by myself in a small room with a small bathroom, I guess it's comparable to a studio in the United states but maybe a little smaller. There's a security guard booth right outside my window where a guard is stationed 24 hrs/day. The funny thing about it is that often times at night I can hear the security guard snoring away...I wish I got payed to sleep haha. My windows have iron bars going across them and my door has a very large lock on it that I keep locked all the time, though I do not feel in danger at all. One interesting thing about all the houses here is that they all have prison-style security, iron fences with iron spikes going in multiple directions at the top...it's virtually impossible to climb into somebody's yard.

I really need to get adapted to the sleep schedule here, I hear people walking around and talking right outside my window at 5-6 am every morning along with the loudest birds I've ever heard chirping away like there's no tomorrow. Another interesting part of the culture that I'm fascinated by is the significance/importance of music. I hear music playing probably 24 hours/day, the security guard has his own radio that he's often singing/whistling along with when he's not sleeping, and you can often hear other families playing their music as well.

One of the biggest differences between the culture here in Peru compared to the United States is the interaction between people. In the U.S. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves unless they absolutely have to talk to someone else, most of us don't know our neighbors, we never stop and have conversations with people that live in our neighborhoods, and though we're often in close proximity to others we never speak a word. None of this applies here in Peru. This culture is much more outgoing, affectionate, and outspoken. It's as if everyone is family, now this doesn't apply to everyone but on a large scale it seems to be the case. I often see “strangers,” mingling in the streets, stopping to talk, people don't seem to be afraid of addressing others like they are in the U.S. This is one of the traits of this culture that I admire the most. Another thing to note is that while in the U.S. we greet the opposite sex with a hand shake or possibly a hug if we're good friends, in Peru the opposite sex is always greeted with a kiss on the cheek. I keep forgetting this and extend my hand out for a handshake only for them to lean in for a kiss.

The other greatest difference in culture here is in regards to the traffic/transportation. I am not lying nor exaggerating when I say to you that I honestly think 90% of the cars on the roads here are taxis, buses, and “cambis” which are like small buses. The majority of people here do not own a vehicle. They commute by doing a combination of taking a form of public transportation and walking. Most people take the buses or cambis because they are cheaper than taxis but taxis here are still far cheaper than they are in the U.S. People generally take taxis when they want a more pleasant ride because you can go directly to your destination in one vehicle, it's not crowded, it's safer, more comfortable (more room), and often times faster. To give an example of the cost of a taxi ride... I was able to ride from Pastor Luis' house back to my place for 12 Soles, that's a 30 minute drive for about $4.30 in US dollars. You can take a bus for an even cheaper cost or the infamous “cambis” for even cheaper. Cambis like I said are like small buses, often packed with people, the room between seats is very minimal (especially for someone like me, I'm a giant to most people in Peru) but they are a part of the culture you absolutely have to experience if you come here. Yesterday while I was traveling with Elvis to take pictures of a couple of the high schools that our own church's high-school mission team will be coming here to work in, I was able to travel for about an hour in one direction for 2 soles which would be about .72 cents...try traveling anywhere in the US an hour for only .72 cents...not happening. An hour traveling in your own car and you've just spent $15 on gas which would be about 41.25 soles here.

The traffic here is (from an American perspective) absolutely insane. You know those movies you see of Tokyo where there's a thousand cars on the street an inch apart from each other? It's kind of like that. There is no such thing as lanes here, you have the entire road to be wherever you want to be, there doesnt appear to be any sort of order. In a typical 3-lane road in the US there'd be about 5 cars side by side here, all inches apart from one another. In fact at any moment you're on the road here, you're likely inches apart from another vehicle on all sides of you, I still cant figure out how there's not more accidents, there's no way I could drive here, I'd die in my first ten minutes. But everyone here is more alert, you dont see people talking/texting while driving, doing their makeup, downing a Big Mac, none of that, they expect cars to be very close to them so they constantly have their foot over the break ready to stop. The use of the horn here is also much different. In the US we only use our horns when someone just cut us off, we're mad at someone, or someone is sleeping at a green light. Here horns are an integral part of driving, it's a way of letting other drivers know where they're at in relation to them and signaling the right-of-way. Standing next to a busy street is like being in the presence of an orchestra with no director. You hear lots of noise but it has no order, which is analogous to the traffic.

Anyway, I could write a whole lot more about the culture here but I'm sure Bryan O'hare would agree that I've gone on far too long already :)

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the campus here (San Marcos University) and for the men I will be discipling, Elvis, Neder, Carlos and the others whom I have yet to meet. Also pray for a friend of mine Dimas and Pastor Luis. I'm sure Ingrid would also be very thankful for prayers in regards to her ministry as well...she really needs some men to step up here and be leaders, real men of God. She cannot teach a man how to be a man of God, pray for God to raise up a leader to take care of the ministry of the men. And please continue to keep Pastor Luis' church in your prayers as well, that they would be blessed with wisdom and understanding to grasp the great word he delivers week in and week out, that they would fulfill the great commission, and that they would continue to grow, not only in number but also in Godliness.

I ask also for your prayers for myself. I often feel ill-qualified to be here, or to be anywhere doing the LORD's ministry. I used to pray all the time that God would help me feel the weight of my sin, that I would be disgusted by it so that I would not become numb to it... I didn't want to be able to sin without being aware of it...and thus continue without repenting. God has surely answered those prayers and now it's like I had no clue what I was asking for. I feel a dreadful amount of weight from the “smallest” sins, and I'm made aware every single day just how far I fall short of his glory. Like Paul in Romans chapter 7, I often find myself doing that which I don't want to do. I feel like Isaiah (a man of unclean lips) and many of the prophets who, when shown the glory of God were made to feel like dirt, unworthy of being in God's presence. I know all the correct answers to this, but I need to know it not just on an intellectual level, but to feel it in my heart and my entire being, to live in the grace of God provided to me by the work of his son Christ Jesus. Pray that I do not waste my time here, nor waste this life that has been given to me yet is not even my own for it has been bought with a price..the blood of the lamb. I want to live for the cause of Christ, for his purposes, for his glory, in his will. In fact I'd rather not live at all than to live outside of his purposes, because outside of him there is no such thing as purpose. I want to know that I am here because he has sent me here, I want to know what he would have me do while I am here, and if I am ever to return I want it to be only because he has ordained it that I shall return, not because of any selfish desires or motives. I cannot be led by my heart, because like God tells us in Jeremiah...the heart is deceitfully wicked. My greatest longing in this life is for purpose, and the obedience to fulfill whatever my purpose is in his kingdom. I would greatly appreciate all your prayers in these areas, and especially in the strength/pouring out of God's spirit to aid me in walking by the spirit and not by the flesh, for the ability to resist sin and to set my mind on things that are above and not on things that are on earth (Col 3:2). Thank you.

I'm just a nobody, here to tell everybody, about somebody, who can save anybody