Short-Term Team Member Looks Back

        	              

Read the reflections of a recent short-term team member who traveled to Chincha, Peru, to help construct a community center. Work still remains — on the community center and within the community. Experience Chincha from one servant’s eyes, and consider how you can get involved in the ministry, too.



Short-term mission to Chincha, Peru 



Walking through the dusty, poor communities of Chincha, Peru, has marked my life in numerous ways. I do not want to forget the faces I saw and the people I met who are still waiting for help to recover from the devastating earthquakes of August 2007. It is too easy to forget. It is too easy to think that any help I could give would hardly even begin to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of thousands of people.



Why even try?Peruvian couple, new home



I must not slip into that mindset. The missionaries working there need me to remember. They need me to pray and to rally others to pray; to help send others; and to return to walk alongside and bring hope and new homes to these beautiful folks.




The children are so easy to love. They live simply and are seemingly content, happy with whatever they can find to play with; pretending, making up games, laughing and smiling with dirt-covered faces, hands and feet. The women work very hard at sweeping, cooking, washing and tending to the needs of their families in their "basket houses."




Due to the language barrier, it was difficult to communicate very effectively with my words but I prayed that the love of Christ would come through clearly as I smiled, hugged and loved the people.



Help build a community center



A community center building has been started and will provide a place for meetings, for youth group activities and for other services for the community once it is completed. It will be a beacon of hope for the people. I have been praying that my home church and other EFCA churches in our blessed country will be moved by the Spirit of God to remember… and to send… and to go… so that this community center of hope will be finished and more of these precious families can move from basket houses to sturdy homes of safety and security.



More information