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

Alter your thinking, revise your mode of perception--for the Dominion of the Celestial Realm is within reach. The food of this plane will not satisfy you, and the water is an illusion. Rely on these alone and you will die for spiritual beings require spiritual Sustenance. Feed on the utterances of the Eternal I AM. Align your unde...rstanding with reality or waste away in arid delusion. No more displaced focus, transfixed on shadows. The wave rises and reacts, expelling itself into cosmic frustration. Yearn and burn to jump ship, inhale to transcend. How can one live without dying? The order is broken. Embrace the death of the Ever-Living One and you too will rise again.

Eating & Drinking

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?" (Matt. 24:45 NKJV)

In His famous Olivet Discourse, Jesus is discussing the signs of the end times. Solemnly turning from discussions of wars and earthquakes and famines, He is now focusing on the heart attitude of His servants. Here we see the pointed question, to whom can "the master can give the responsibility of managing his household and feeding his family?" (NLT) He continues,

"Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing. I solemnly declare to you, he will set him over all his possessions." (Matt. 24:26-47 Amp.)

Faithful and wise stewardship of God's family is a weighty responsibility. How we as stewards should cry out for grace to manage the people of God with integrity! You might manage your children. You might manage a classroom. You might manage employees. You might manage a Bible study group. Whatever the case, this exhortation is a sobering reminder of our responsibility before the King. If found faithful (by His glorious grace), we are promised dominion over ALL His possessions. Not some, but all! What does that even look like?

"But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is delayed and is going to be gone a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware, and will punish him [cut him up by scourging] and put him with the pretenders (hypocrites); there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

Jesus here warns against wickedness and explicitly lays out the root causes. First of all, there is an internal dialogue within the wicked servant that dispels all sense of urgency. His lifestyle is not watchful and his heart is not expectant of Christ's return. This attitude is very easy to fall into and leads into several other traps. Immediately Jesus points out the steward's abuse of his fellow servants. He beats them. When charged with managing (protecting) and nourishing the people of God, instead he hurts them.

Next Jesus points out the wicked servant will "eat and drink with the drunken," and I believe this gets to the core of the issue. Now, we must all eat and drink. How could anyone be expected to nourish others when he himself is malnourished? The question is where do we feed ourselves? That one phrase "with the drunken" illuminates a prevailing problem in the church today. John Crowder once said something to the effect of "We will be drunk on the things of heaven or the world--either way we'll be intoxicated in the end." The spirit of this age produces a drunken stupor that numbs us to the things of heaven. Its counterfeit spiritual bread is unsubstantial and will ultimately kill you. The world offers a spiritual satisfaction and intoxication that might appear wholesome but in the end lead to destruction.

As stewards of God's people, we must always take care to eat the Bread of Life and drink of His living waters every day! The drunkenness of the New Wine produces a sobriety and self-control and maturity that is not of this world. As these days draw to a close, it will become impossible to do the work of ministry without being totally and utterly filled with Jesus.

"You will never stumble"

^"5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-11

1) Faith +

2) Virtue (moral excellence, as modesty, purity) +

3) Knowledge (understanding) +

4) Self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites) +

5) Perseverance (in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings; steadfastness, constancy, endurance) +

6) Godliness (reverence, respect, piety towards God) +

7) Brotherly Kindness +

8) Love (affection, good will)

"...If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ"

"...If you do these things you will never stumble"

Unshakably Happy

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ^{(James 1:2-3)}

When trials and suffering come, a reckoning or accounting is to take place according to knowledge. This knowledge enables us to "do the math" and consider trials as reason for gladness. What is this valuable knowledge that empowers us to transcend tribulation? The trying of our faith gives birth to patience in our spirit.

I'm convinced that maturity in our walk has everything to do with rejoicing in the midst of trials. There is a mighty power that God is eager to pour into us as we are infused with His joy. This unshakably happy strength gives us endurance to withstand temptation. To be overflowing with joy while enduring suffering is evidence of a transcendent, supernatural trust in God.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ^{(James 1:4)}

Here we have an explicit promise. To be whole--lacking nothing--is to allow patience to have its finished work in our hearts. We are sustained and carried by His joy in the process.

Charles Spurgeon - Tidings of Great Joy!

The joy which this first gospel preacher spoke of was no mean one, for he said, “I bring you good tidings” — that alone were joy: and not good tidings of joy only, but “good tidings of great joy.” Every word is emphatic, as if to show that the gospel is above all things intended to promote, and will most abundantly create the greatest possible joy in the human heart wherever it is received.

Man is like a harp unstrung, and the music of his soul’s living strings is discordant, his whole nature wails with sorrow; but the son of David, that mighty harper, has come to restore the harmony of humanity, and where his gracious fingers move among the strings, the touch of the fingers of an incarnate God brings forth music sweet as that of the spheres, and melody rich as a seraph’s canticle. Would God that all men felt that divine hand.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Joy Born At Bethlehem," delivered December 24, 1871. Image by Caleb Kimbrough under Creative Commons License.

Passage for today...

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

1 John 2:1-6

In light of His great love for us, we should not sin. We do not abstain because of fear of torment. We abstain because of our love for Him. Precious Jesus is our Advocate. Why would we want to sin against such a beautiful, compassionate One? This appeal speaks to our hearts and when we see Him clearly, sin loses its luster.

Our love manifests in obedience. When I love someone, I do all I can to avoid hurting them. This relationship between imperfect humans and a perfect God is peculiar, because He is the one who sustains everything. So our challenge is not to strive to obey because our self-righteousness pleases Him. Obedience flows out of trust. When we disobey, we place trust in ourselves and commit the sin of pride. Our trust and focus then turn inward, away from Jesus. Our faith in His goodness falters as we shift our gaze from His cross to our faults.

Praise Him, there is no sin His blood is powerless to wash away! His sacrifice swallowed up the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). So let us walk as children of Light because that is what we are. May our actions reflect the reality of what Christ has finished in us.