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July 10-18, 2009
by Pastor Evan
Dennis Riley and I recently returned from 11 days in Peru. Many people have been asking, "How was the trip?" Well, it was wonderful. It was "stretching." It was eye-opening. It was exciting. It was hard work. It was emotional. It was spiritual. All those things and more. Bottom line: it was a great trip!
One of the projects that Dennis and I worked on while we were out in the barrios was replacing old, yucky, roach-infested thatch roofs, with new metal roofing. We literally peeled back the roofs of people's homes and entered into their personal world. It felt to me like we were being rather invasive of their privacy (how would you like to have your roof torn off?) but for them the prospect of having a better roof was worth it. For us, we got to see how they really live.
In some ways their lives are so different from what we’re used to: dirt floors, no running water or sewer, perhaps 64 square feet of living space (8' x 8'). But in other ways, their lives are just the same as ours: everyone has to work, eat, sleep, do laundry, take care of kids, etc.
And, of course, spiritually, we all have the same hopes, fears, desires, and needs. And we all need Jesus.
I think every American Christian should go on some kind of trip like this. More specifically, I think you should go. It takes all kinds of people. Our team consisted of 30 people from all walks of life. The ages ranged from 14 to 76. There were some husband-wife teams. There were some father-daughter teams. One church brought 10 of their members. By the time we left to return home, we were all united together as one family helping to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Trujillo.
And again I'd like to say a big THANKS to all of you who helped make the trip possible.
You can see Evan's Peru Trip Photos of "An Average Day in the Barrios", and hear Evan's and Audio Description.
And you will want to listen to the sermon to hear the story of the Peru Wrench (see the amazing photos of The Peru Wrench. )
Also learn about the 16 year old boy who wanted to know if this gringo (Evan) knew Jesus. His is the story of true desire to spread the salvation story.
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