New Logo and more

This blog, as well as our social media, was launched with a logo that was not original. We found it on the World Wide Web, but we didn’t want to continue to use this ‘stolen’ logo. Since last week we have our own logo. We thank our friend Marco for his time, energy and idea! We are really content with the outcome, a logo that represents our “Heart for Peru.”

Our search for a place to serve continues…

Last week, we saw two missionaries of Latin Link in action. On Monday, we visited a training for children´s ministry workers. It was encouraging to see about 120 in attendance. This training is given every Monday for three months and each session the participant needs to pay an amount similar to two dollar. The missionary explained that most pastors and churches don’t really support children’s work that much, so many participants pay the fee out of their own pocket. The topic for that night was ‘prayer and praise.’ The missionary shared many ways to teach children to pray and praise God. She also had great ideas to create cheap instruments for worship. This missionary works for an organization that writes and creates material for children’s ministry in Spanish, which is also sold outside Peru even in the USA.

On Thursday, we went with a missionary to a church she planted south of Lima. (It was good to be in a rural area for a little while.) This missionary does mostly evangelism, discipleship and church planting. She shared with us some testimonies of the thirty years she has been in Peru. The church we visited has been there for several years, but it took quite some years before it was the church it is today. This afternoon we heard again about the importance of prayer.

We will continue to visit some projects. We feel and know that God directs and guides us through these projects and meetings to the place that He prepared for us. We put our trust in Him and know that He will show us.

-

We apologize if some pages are not up to date, but it’s just difficult to do all this and our email traffic in an internet café.

Many impressions…

The last blog I finished by mentioning about the meeting with the team leader of Latin Link Peru on Tuesday last week. This meeting was very informative about the work of Latin Link in Peru in general and about the several missionaries specific. The missionaries from different European countries do a variety of work and that’s what we are looking for. We also like the idea of having a mentor during the two years of their stride program.

He provided us with contact information of some of the missionaries, who we would contact for an appointment to visit the projects in which they work.

The rest of the week we moved slow and rested some more. For a country boy like me, the city life of Lima is much more vivid and alive than life on the south side of San Antonio. Every time we take another bus or walk another street my brain gets lots of new information that needs to be processed. On a day we have been out I am more tired in the evening. I am sure I will get used to it, but for now a little more rest is most welcome.

Last Monday, we met with the founder of “Operación San Andres.” This is a project in one of the poorest areas of Lima. The last part of the roads that took us to the project were unpaved and the houses very primitive. The project is like an after school program for—at the moment—40 kids. The mothers are also involved by cooking meals a few times a month on a scheduled base. Beside this program they host all kind of activities and workshops for the community. They are looking for a couple that can focus more in the spiritual development and discipleship as they see a big need for this.

The visits to these projects gave us many impressions of what God is doing in Peru. Now, the question is where God wants to use us. At the moment we are processing all the information and impressions, praying and seeking guidance. We know that God has a plan for our lives and we sense this is in Peru for now. Pray with us, that God may open the door and direct us to the place He wants us to serve Him.

Together in Lima

I am in Lima for three days now and enjoying the temperature here as I was looking forward to that like I wrote in my last blog. Friday, June 3rd, just before midnight I arrived at the airport. I thank God for a good and smooth trip. I didn’t have problems with the luggage and carry-on baggage. Actually, according to the website of AeroMéxico, I had to pay $140 for my third suitcase, but they only charged me for some overweight.

It had been my own fault if I was not in Peru by now… In the airplane from San Antonio to Mexico City I needed to go to the bathroom, but we were almost there and I had a window seat. I decided to use the bathroom at the airport, but first I wanted to pass customs and all checks, because I had only 1,5 hrs. I was glad the lines were short and the process went smooth. When I entered the terminal I saw a bathroom and took advantage of it. With my passport and ticket in one hand and my carry-on and backpack in the other I entered the bathroom. I put my passport on the wall behind the toilet and was able to put my carry-on with backpack on top against the wall. When I finished I rode my carry-on out, washed my hands and was ready for the next flight. After a walk through the whole terminal I arrived at the gate and wanted to ask for a seat at the emergence exit, but… where was my passport??? I checked my backpack, nothing. I checked my pockets, nothing. Wait a minute… the bathroom!!! I got my stuff together and ran through the whole terminal back to the bathroom. When I entered, a cleaning guy looked at me; he probably recognized that I my emergence was from another level than the regular visitor of his bathroom. When I checked the room my passport wasn’t there anymore. Then I walked up to the guy and said: “pasaporte?” He said: “Willem?” “Si,” I replied. He opened a little closet with cleaning supplies and handed me my passport and ticket. “Muchos gracias, señor!” That’s for sure going to be the happiest moment of the month!

I got in the plane tired and thirsty, but I made it! The good thing was that I had the whole row of three seats for myself and was able to rest some. As I wrote, I arrived close before midnight at Lima airport and after a green light at customs I walked through the door where a bright smiling Elizabett was waiting for me.

Today, we had our first meetings with the short term mission coordinators of Latin Link Peru and another organization here in Lima. The whole meeting was in Spanish, so I tried my best to follow the conversation. I got the overall picture and afterwards Elizabett shared the details with me. The organization seems to fit our ideas and ministries we have in mind—of which can be read more in the page ministries. After the meeting we had lunch with the missionaries from the UK. Then we spoke English. We had a good lunch and know more about Latin Link and the work they do in Peru. Again, we were amazed in what a small world we live. Also, we thank God for the many people He puts on our path. We left ‘family’ in San Antonio behind, but we knew He was going to provide new ‘family’ in Peru. Today, we already met some brothers and sisters!

Tomorrow we have a meeting with the team leader of Latin Link in the office here in Lima.

Please, pray for Gods guidance and direction during these meetings and the days ahead.