Monday, June 29th

[Jeffrey Surrett]

Monday was a holiday in Peru which gave us a chance do a little more shopping as well as enjoying a day watching a church soccer tournament and then playing some volleyball and soccer. After doing a little packing and cleaning, we then headed out to a going away party for us being hosted by one of the churches that we had been working with during this trip. We were overwhelmed by the number of people who were there to send us off as well as the gifts that were given to us. They had divided the church into four groups with each group preparing typical foods and having people dress in the typical garb from the different regions of Peru: the Peruvian sea, the Coast, the Jungle, the Mountains.  Several of the pastors whose churches we had visited were present and had kind words of encouragement for us as well as some gifts. One of the pastors gave us an oil painting of a Peruvian mountain scene that he had made. The pastor of the church where the kids have the different workshops also had a special presentation. Since they make chocolate in one of the workshops, they gave each of us some chocolate in the shape of a guitar. But, he also had a very special presentation. Abby was given one of the pieces of art that she had admired by the girl who had made it. It was very touching to see Abby's humble acceptance of the gift and her words of encouragement to the girl as well as to the girl's family. Several of the pastors mentioned how the example of the young people on our team had impacted the lives of the teens in their church to be able to work and minister. Another pastor mentioned that the work that we had done for the church as well as the funds that we had provided (around $233) would have taken the church 7 to 12 months to accomplish. The other church where we did construction also told us of how our help had motivated their people to sacrifice more for their church. To complete the concrete ceiling, the pastor asked the church to approve a $500 loan. They denied the request and suggested that people pledge to give money towards the project instead. The comments from the church was that if a group of foreigners were willing to give of their time and money to help the church, they should also be willing to give. As they started to make the pledges, the pastor was surprised to see that the full amount plus some extra was promised. Many of the members who pledged funds immediately provided the funds. The pastor was greatly encouraged to see his people step up to this great challenge. It was humbling to see how God had used us not only on this trip but on our previous trips as one of the pastors indicated that when they took another group into a school, they were given permission because of the positive impression that we had left. We never know how God will use us or what we do for Him. We are just called to be faithful servants. It is encouraging though when He gives us a glimpse of what He has accomplished through us. As the meeting came to a close, many pictures were taken with each group of church members, as well as the other pastors and individuals. Sometimes it almost feels like we were a celebrity but it is really just an indication of the love of the members of the church and how we truly are of the same family in Christ.

Sending Church Emmanuel Baptist Church 4681 East Trindle Rd. Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 717-761-7000 www.ebc-ebca.org

Contact Information 225 Gettysburg Pike Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-791-9116 www.surrett.org je...@surrett.org

Mission Agency Open Door Baptist Missions 1115 Pelham Road Greenville, SC 29615-3603 864-297-7890 www.odbm.org