Peru

How beautiful it is to be brought face to face with people, languages and cultures that are so different. Every country is richly painted with colours of its own, every language with uniquely shaped sounds we’ve never heard before…

Our encounter with the Quechua people up in the mountain village of Inkawasi was one of many experiences, that opened our eyes to the vastness of cultures that walk on this earth and the various traditions that root themselves in each of those cultures.

One of the things we experienced most during our time In Peru, was seeing believers that have emerged from their culture. Believers that call upon the same God as you and I, yet they live and look completely different…

Being brought face to face with such begs us to question…What does a Christian look like? Slowly but surely our minds are being reshaped into the true answer to this question. No longer is it just the conventional western church that comes to mind…we are seeing the beauty of His body in all the different nations and tribes and how they bring Kingdom culture into their society…

Peru was a time of plenty of travel and encounters with different angles to a single culture. We went from the infamous Cusco and had our adventure of one of the wonders of the world, Macchu Picchu…we then travelled on several buses to Lima, Ferrenafe and Inkawasi. We were privileged enough to experience the contrast held between the various places we visited. Lima which is the capital city is characterised by buildings and a more western appearance, whereas Inkawasi is a few hours drive deep into the mountains where one of the tribes of the Quechua people lives. There you bear witness to simple living, traditional daily attire, and a collection of closely packed homes with mud floors.

What made Peru a particularly unique experience for our team was the fact that it is the birth country of one of our teammates. Nyasa was born in Peru during the time that her parents served as missionaries there. All the places that the team visited were places where Nyasa grew up and had spent most of her childhood years. We were privileged to be received by her parents in Peru and to see the work that the Lord had enabled them to do, while also helping around with whatever we could.

Our interactions with the Quechua people were different and refreshing…it was completely different to anything that we had been exposed to up until that point and it definitely caught our attention. We were educated on the prominent animistic views amongst the Quechua people…and occasionally had interactions with the few believers that had risen up amongst them. Listening to their testimonies was refreshing and encouraged us in our faith…simply because they had chosen to follow a God that opposes the very core of the view that is at the foundation of their culture and upbringing. It’s truly inspiring. We may never understand the true implications of such a choice  Especially because we grew up in a western world where Christianity is a common term, however, understanding that is not what matters…what truly captures us is God’s pursuit of us and those around us and the result of what a revelation of the truth looks like…that’s what made encountering believers in this culture so unique.

Peru was truly an all-rounder in terms of ministry…we learned choreographies to present to school kids while we evangelised, we made posters, practised dramas, sang, unpacked and packed books, played with kids, picked up rubbish in the streets, and of course because of all the travelling we did between areas inside the country, a lot of our ministry was as simple as listening and sharing the gospel with the person sitting next to us on the bus.

Although our time in Peru has come to an end, we leave with an extended  Spanish vocabulary and memories of the richness that is the Peruvian culture. We are so thankful that the Lord used this time to show and teach us what long-term missions actually look like and how God uses people in the field to spread the truth even amidst difficult circumstances and environments. Beyond our conversations with Nyasa’s parents, it was a privilege to see their passion for the community that surrounded them, I believe our team was truly impacted by that.

We continue to marvel at what the Lord shows us and where He takes us…all the diversity and what that brings along with it…we’re excited for what He has in store for us as we move forward into the next Leg. We know He isn’t done yet.

How beautiful it is to see all the colours that clothe your Kingdom Lord

Amen