A mission trip to Peru??????

If someone had told me three years ago that in the near future I would be going on a mission trip to Peru with Blackhawk church I would’ve laughed and rolled my eyes.  At that point my life was a mess.  I had just gone through a divorce and was suffering through a myriad of personal and financial challenges. 

I was continually searching for hope and relief from the emotional emptiness and pain I was feeling.    I had arrived at a point where I didn’t like myself anymore and I was so disappointed with the life I led and continued to lead.  My life at that point was a story of one bad decision after another fueled by my selfishness. 

A good friend was aware of my struggles and suggested I look into attending a DivorceCare class that was being offered at Blackhawk church.   I wasn’t excited about attending a class at a church.  I had not been to church in over 20 years and I considered myself a “nonbeliever”.  This is when God started to work through me, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. 

A couple of weeks into the DivorceCare class, I was already starting to feel much better about myself and my life. I finally had hope and a fellowship that supported me.  I started attending services around that same time, and I was blown away (in a good way) by the people and services at Blackhawk. 

 I had attended church when I was much younger, however I never felt a connection to God.  I went to Sunday school and Sunday services, and was even confirmed, however I never fully grasped the story of God provided to us in the Bible. I also didn't see or understand how it related to me and my life at that time.  At Blackhawk I heard the story of the Gospel in a way that really made sense to me and it changed my life.

God led me to Blackhawk Church, and rescued me.   I am now happy and proud to call myself a Christ follower.   He has shown his grace to me and I am so thankful.  One of the happiest days in my life came in April of this year when I was baptized and accepted Christ as my lord and savior. 

My journey has sometimes been a painful and unhappy one, however today I am grateful for all the blessings He has given me; including the opportunity to participate in this mission trip to Peru. 

2 Corinthians 5:17

 ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here!

Scott Lovelace

Not long now....

The count down is on as we have only 11 days until take off. :)

The team bonded well last night at our "packing/meeting".  The excitement was building as we joked, laughed, packed materials, prayed, ate and got down to business.  Since this is my 5th Peru mission trip, through Blackhawk, I enjoy seeing the enthusiasm pour out of those that are experiencing this mission for the first time.  Can we totally prepare them for the mission?  No, there is so much to learn and God will reveal something different to each of us.  We will be taken out of our comfort zone and will need to place our trust in the Lord.  Yes!!

So what is our purpose in going on this mission?  This year we are working with three new communities, Todos Unidos, Monte Rico, and Maximo Castro.  We will be conducting biblical workshops on "Good parenting", "Taking Care of My Body - My Body is a Gift from God", and Treating Others the Way we Want to be Treated".  We will also spend time painting the community center (I like to paint), teaching crafts, playing games, singing, and putting on a drama.

One may wonder how our teaching is reinforced once we leave Peru.  Food for the hungry (FH) has staff placed in the communities year round.  We are actually reinforcing their teaching.  FH has committed 10 years in helping these communities thrive.  They're in the early years of their commitment.

We will be leaving really, really early (4am) on September 7th.  Please pray for the team, the families left behind, good health, and our eyes and hearts to be opened to the work God will be doing within each of us.

Thank you for supporting BH Peru Team 2012.  You are part of our team.

Jeanette

This is real!!

I can't sleep tonight.  I'm not sure why, but I am wide awake at 2:30 am. 

Of course, being wide awake and the only one up gives one time to think and all night I have been thinking about Peru and the fact that we will be leaving in just 16 days!  What seemed so far off is now so close.

I don't feel ready.  I question if I am really the RIGHT person to be going to this foreign place and telling these wonderful people whom I have never met and with whom I have no shared cultural identity, well, anything.  I'm just this middle-aged mom and wife from middle America who doesn't speak a word of Spanish and only ventured out of the US at 41 to pick up my youngest daughter in Africa.  Hardly mission worthy.

Sharing this trip with my daughter is going to be wonderful.  I am so excited to see how God uses her, and also how He changes and grows her through this.  Margo has always had this soft heart; she loves people and wants to serve and help and nurture.  And I know that He is also going to do something with our relationship as she moves on into her own life and my "mom" role changes from what it was as she was growing up to what it is now that she is a grown woman .  I know that we will have a whole new connection after this experience.

For whatever reason, He lead me to this trip and has placed me in this time for His purpose.  I don't know what it is yet, but I'm about to find out....for real!