Now we head up and up into the breathtakingly beautiful Andes mountains.. 
I cannot even express how God’s glory completely astounded me the two weeks we were in the Peruvian Andes. It was magnificent to see God’s absolute majesty draped over these mountains. It was so special to me the way He blessed us with witnessing His creation in such a way that I was completely encompassed by how ginormous He is. And if I really believe that He is so great…. Why do I still struggle to trust Him? The Bible says that heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool and that He made all the things on earth. Does not the Maker have dominion and control over everything He makes? He holds the whole world in His hands. So why can’t I trust Him with something so little as finances or protection or the healing of my cold? God is HUGE!!!!!!
Ooh it was so cool to see the way they dress and we even got to put on some of their traditional wear! We got to hang out with Jaime and his family and just have fellowship with them.
Another very memorable cultural experience was when we partook in their annual ¨shared lunch¨.
What this entails is once a year the whole community gets together, just after the rainy season, and the clean the canal where they get all their water from. When they finished cleaning, the whole community eats a lunch together... but it´s not your normal lunch. All the ladies bring their food in their rainbow ponchos and lay it out in front of themselves. They sit in two looooong rows.
The food consists of potatoes (all different kinds), sweet potatoes, corn, wheat, cancha (Peruvian popcorn), cheese, tortillas, and yuko (a root which I am not certain of the spellingJ ). Next the husbands walk around and fetch for their wives any food that they don´t have on their tray. It´s amazing to see the care and sharing that is their lifestyle. We were also allowed to eat. So we walked through and ate of anything your heart desires. It is so cool, the ladies really want you to eat of their tray. Man, that was so special.
We walked up and down, around and over those gigantic mountains for hours and hours on end literally carrying His Word and bringing His truth to children and adults reached and unreached alike.
Isaiah 52:7- How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring the good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation. Who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!’’
We saw God perform signs, wonders, and miracles. Our first day of ministry in the mountains we set off to go and visit a school. We walked and walked until we arrived at little village called Matsekaj. It turned out that we were lost and that we were actually completely at the wrong place. We kind of sat here with the kids and tried to make some conversation and sing songs and play soccer while they waited- I guess for their mothers to come and get them. Then the principal of the school permitted us to do a drama and we did one named ‘The Backpack’. The message was received really well.
Okay, let’s go back some. When we first arrived at the school we felt the Holy Spirit tell us that there was healing to be done at this place. Then we came across this little boy called Pedro. He was deaf and mute. We prayed for Him and he started to hear. We prayed some more and he said his name,”Pedro.” I was so overwhelmed by God had done right before our eyes. The children who were crowding around us also started rejoicing. Apparently he has said his name before, but only in his own house. He has never ever spoken his name to someone other than his mother or father, which is an absolute miracle of God. We are not sure how much was lost in translation, but I believe with everything in me that God healed a great part of his disability on that day and I will continue to trust Him for complete healing.
After all this happened, so many ladies came for prayer and gave their hearts to God and received healing. It was amazing to see God’s children coming in to the Kingdom.
The other incident was with one of the ladies who gave her heart to the Lord. She called us to come and pray for her daughter who was deaf, mute, and blind. When we arrived there, she was sitting just in front of her house and she was holding her arms tight against herself and her face looked very draconian and harsh. We sensed that there was an intense fear of letting go and as we prayed for her she started smiling. Her hearing, vision, and speech came back. When we returned the next day and when our translator spoke to her she could hear and speak, but she couldn’t see. Then she explained that this happens to her in ‘mal hora’ when the demons come over her. That was what she was under the previous day and when we prayed, it lifted. Our translator lead her in a prayer and she repeated after him, but when he said, “forgive me my sins” she could not say it. She started crying and the tears streamed down her face. It was so sad to see someone in bondage and holding on to the comfort it brings. She did not want to let go. We prayed for her for peace and that God would reveal His love to her. She was healed from being deaf and dumb, but the blindness stayed. I am praying for her to allow God’s love to penetrate her barriers and chains. He came to set the captives free. The first step lies with us.
God is teaching me so much and in hindsight, I love every moment of this journey. It’s tough sometimes, I am not going to lie but God teaches me amazing things. It’s so difficult to keep dying to self and living in God’s will and sometimes I honestly don’t thing that I can do it….but God comes hand takes my hand and walks this journey with me and guides me according to His unfailing love.
Psalm 143:8-10 let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go for to You I lift up my soul.Rescue me from my enemies , O Lord, for I hide myself in You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good spirit lead me on level ground.
)
Comments