Cusco Partnership Report

The following report outlines the most recent mission trip to Cusco, Peru, to further develop our partnership with the Pilgrim Wesleyan Church of Peru in planting a healthy and vibrant church in Cusco.

This trip to Cusco took place July 21 – August 1, 2009. This year’s team consisted of seven people: Jonathan Lewis, Zack Currie, Jun Nawa, Young Nawa, Megan Phillips, Marie Shull and Zach Shull. The focus of the team’s activities focused on the following areas:

• Continue to build a strong relationship with Pastor Jose De Ita and his wife Cecil, and with the church family.
• Conduct children’s ministry activities, home visits and to encourage the people as they struggle to build a healthy and effective church.
• Expose representatives of District churches to the need that exists, and to build a passion for ministry in Cusco.

Through our children’s ministry activities team members are able to capture a heart and passion for the work here in Cusco. Sunday through Wednesday mornings we began at 9:00 A.M. and spent the morning and part of the afternoon with the children. Usually we wrapped up the ministry time around noon, and then spent other time in fellowship and games with the children. We read Bible stories, shared our own words of greetings and encouragement, sang with the children, played soccer, and led the children in a craft time. Each of these times allowed team members to work directly with the children, overcome language barriers, and share their love together. Each team member reported about how individual children just simply worked their way into their heart. Each day we were able to provide a lunch for the children at the close of our time together. These times really do mean the world to the children, and it gives the team members opportunities to build strong connections with the children.

Another highlight of the trip included the painting of a mural of Noah’s Ark with a rainbow on the wall of the worship room of the church. Megan Phillips and Zack Currie did a fantastic job, and completed it on the final ministry day of the trip.

Everyone was able to receive a tremendous blessing, use their talents, and be a witness of the love of Jesus Christ. We had a great team that worked well together. We prayed for one another. And even though one of our team members suffered for a time, it gave the other team members the opportunity to care for her and lift her spirits. God united the team and made us one in a powerful way.

Thank you to all those throughout the District family who prayed for us, supported our team members, and whose churches give faithfully to support our Partnership. Our work in Cusco continues, so please prayerfully consider how your church might desire to be a part of this great work. Whether you are sending a team or an individual, or whether you are supporting the partnership financially or through prayer, we are all in this together and we’ll all rejoice in seeing God bless this ministry with a harvest of souls.