Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Glory in Peru

I praise and thank our Father for all He has done on this trip. The atmosphere throughout our time in Peru was saturated with His grace and love. I want to thank you so much for your prayers and support! Without your loving prayers and financial support, none of this would have been possible. I pray you are blessed as I recount some details of God's faithfulness on the trip.

David Palusky, debriefing the team upon our arrival in Lima




It was evident throughout our time that Jesus had prepared a team of warriors very strategically. David and Stephanie Palusky of Renew World Outreach led the team. Right off the bat, I was blown away by their love for Jesus. Their emphasis on stewarding the Presence of God in ministering to the Urarina people was very encouraging to me. People from many backgrounds and ministries came to share the love of Christ. It was beautiful!

The 100 year-old rubber boat we traveled and stayed on during our time at Aurora









Above you can see the Ayapua, a 100 year-old riverboat that would be our home upon arriving at Aurora--the property where 100+ Urarinas were waiting for us. Below you will see the newly-finished auditorium at Aurora. It was in this building that we held our meetings throughout the day.



Urarina women standing in the guest house



Above you can see the Urarina women dressed in red. The women all wear the same style and color of dress, while the men typically wear western-style clothing. It is common to go barefoot as well.



Above you can see the medical clinic that we set up for those in need. My assignment was to pray for the sick and demonstrate the healing love of Jesus. The Urarina people typically rely on witch doctors to heal sickness and disease. For this reason it's especially important that these people see Christ as healer. There are no medical doctors in the jungle and we must provide an alternative to sorcery in seeing health restored. As we prayed, I saw so many healed that I could hardly believe my eyes! After about a half a dozen instantaneous healings, I wondered if they were just claiming God healed them to appease me. The Urarina people are generally stoic and reserved. Every time I prayed, the straight-faced, calm response would be "The pain is gone," or "God healed me. I'm fine." It was so incredibly easy, my faith was being challenged! After the first day, so many were healed that we changed the order from praying after they'd seen the doctor to before. One Urarina chief had pain throughout his body, from his neck to his stomach, to both his knees. I prayed and immediately he confessed all the pain had left. He stated it plainly and calmly. I will admit, I was suspicious as I hadn't felt anything and it seemed too easy. A few minutes later, the doctor approached to ask him what medical attention he needed. I stepped closer to listen in. The moment of truth! "What's wrong with you?" The doctor asked him. "Nothing, God healed me." He replied just as plainly as he had told me. The doctor moved on to the next person and I was filled with joy! God showed me through this that their faith is very pure. If God says something, they believe it. The Urarina people have not been trained to doubt and disbelieve in the power of God.
Fun with the children




Urarina Family Portrait











Upon the first day of our arrival, I visited one of the guest houses with Deb. We sang songs about God's love and danced for them. I also had the pleasure of taking my ukulele to play and sing for some of the men. I sang the love of Jesus over them as they all quietly stared at this strange foreigner. I felt like an ambassador from another Kingdom. It was beautiful!
Urarina women and children







Urarina missionaries singing and preaching, with Vicente one of their Pastors to the right





Above you can see the beginning of a cultural transformation. The Kingdom of Heaven is granting unforeseen dignity to the women. The love of Christ is lifting up these princesses and giving them a voice to testify of God's goodness. Maria, second from the right was healed of pain throughout her body. From her neck to her side to her stomach to her legs and knees, Jesus healed her as we prayed and her whole countenance changed. She is one of the first women missionaries in the tribe and God showed me how important it is that we cover such women in prayer. God healed Vicente, to the far right, in one of the most dramatic ways I've ever seen. He showed up with a hernia bulging out of his abdomen the size of a plum. He was in pain throughout his abdomen and couldn't work. While I lay my hand on it and prayed once, it got smaller. Praying a second time, it got visibly smaller. After a third time, even smaller! I asked him how it felt and he told me the pain had totally gone away. Praise Jesus! Vicente also needed prayer for his eyes, as he couldn't see far away and the iSee Eyeglasses couldn't help him. After praying for his eyes once, he opened his eyes and joyfully proclaimed he could see! As Vicente is a believer, he was much more expressive emotionally. He shed a tear and thanked me as he left, visibly touched by the love of our Father. Hallelujah!










Urarina girl

















Urarina boys outside medical clinic
























The team of beautiful sons & daughters!

















Urarina children performing a Noah's Ark drama, after which several came forward and received Christ into their hearts
















Above you can see the Urarina children performing a Noah's ark drama. Afterward, Stephanie shared how Christ is now the ark that saves us from judgment. Several men came forward and received Christ!



Nightly meetings with worship, teaching and testimonies. We also watched the Jesus film in Urarina.

















Maria

























iSee Eyeglass Program


















Here I am with Ken and Frank of Heart Sounds International

















Daniel and I after the last night's meeting


















Me in front of cultivated bean fields, the potential beginning of an agricultural program at Aurora


















Here I am with Anna, the Urarina princess. This was on my 25th birthday.

















Pastor Artemio and his wife
(Their daughter is Anna, pictured above)

















Deb and I speaking with Wilma, who invited us to stay at her home the following week


















Wilma also invited me to preach at her church, "City of Kings"


















Precious children of the Most High







3 comments:

Unknown said...

I loved reading about your trip. Thank you for sharing this experience and the amazing pictures!

Your testimonies have stirred my faith man. I'm so excited about what God is doing and I'm proud of you for being an ambassador for the Kingdom of Heaven! Love you friend.

Gino the loveslave said...

It's not done yet! I'll be adding to the story as I have time. I didn't think anyone was reading it yet :)

God is good!

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