Free week of school! This is a perfect time to go up to Cusco to help with a short term trip and get to work in our city. Because each and every day we are getting more and more excited to move to Cusco and get things going. We unfortunately have to wait till the end of October to start our work here in Cusco. So the Waiting game continues.
We arrived in Cusco at about 7 in the morning, and there wasn’t much time to rest we were put to work right away. We ate breakfast with the short termers and then off to sort e-bags. As we were going through all the e-bags we were totally over whelmed with their generosity. I mean were filling suitcases and other boxes with food and clothes and it was over flowing with items. I mean this groups goes way up and beyond what they were asked and not only with what they brought but there attitudes and the willingness. It just blows my mind.
While were were in Cusco for a short term project, and thought we were just leading impact events, we are also thrown into situations that we are not ready for but we have to jump in with both feet. In church we thought we were just going to enjoy the service and just be a part of the crowd.... but not true. We were asked to preach!! WHAT! Well we had 10 minutes to prepare, so we just read a verse and talked a little with it and then decided we should just let the pastor preach the rest.
We read a passage in John 12 that talks about cutting all the unwanted and unneeded branches, the ones that hold us back and don’t let us reach our full potential. And not only is that good to remember as we are doing work but also for the short termers. Because this is not only a short term trip, this is life changing if you let it do so. It can change how you look at things, how you interact with people, and so many other things. That passage really spoke to me, because this past week has been really tough for me and it applied to what I was going through.
So life changing.... scary right? That isn't the case for everyone... I mean for me sometimes yes it is. But why is that? Why are we afraid to give God everything and let him work in our lives? That a simple answer if you think about it. I mean as we grow up, in the states, we are taught to plan our lives, to have a lot of money, and be known in the world. Whether it is where you live, what brand of clothing you wear, or what list you are on for clubs or restaurants. How sad is that, I mean we let the world control us, decide who we are and how we feel about our selves. But no matter how much you have here on this earth you can't run away from you problems and its going to be just junk when you die, so whats the point, why strive for things in the the world. God has called each and everyone of us to something bigger and better! To live in the world but not be a part of this world. Yeah that sounds easy right?
Well if we are called to that then why is it when we go on missions trips we do so much out of our comfort zone and give so much but in out home countries, we don't? Is it because we are some where where people don't know us, our past and we will never see them again and we are looking for something to change us? Ding your correct!!!! Like how hard is it to just go to the hospital and pray for the sick in the afternoon just one day a week, or go play with kids in an orphanage or instead of just giving our clothes away to Good Will or the Arc we have a message and tell about the gospel as we give the items away. Not only does it make an impact on the people you know but for the strangers that you gave the time of day to. It makes more then an impact, it changes lives. Now just think about how many lives we can change in the States if we start living in the world but not be a part of the word and if we start living out lives out loud and realizing our full potential. Free week of school! This is a perfect time to go up to Cusco to help with a short term trip and get to work in our city. Because each and every day we are getting more and more excited to move to Cusco and get things going. We unfortunately have to wait till the end of October to start our work here in Cusco. So the Waiting game continues.
During the week in Cusco that is exactly what these short termers did, they lived their lives out loud! And it was just little things that did it. Like blowing the 40/40's minds with the amount hard work and generosity.
During this time they were able to see people saved, people with nothing being joyful, preschoolers struggling to play musical chairs, and women and a prison being thankful to get their backs and necks rubbed.
Little things like that changed lives and planted the seed. Now it is just a waiting game, waiting to do God's work where the Devil has full control of but that is not going to stop us. We are going to over come, change lives and put the Devil in his place, and plant more then 3 churches each and save lives!
During the week in Cusco that is exactly what these short termers did, they lived their lives out loud! And it was just little things that did it. Like blowing the 40/40's minds with the amount hard work and generosity.
Wednesday 25 August 2010
Peru? Why and How?
Have Any Questions?
People ask me a lot of questions about Extreme Peru, and I love to answer them! So let me post a little Q & A session right here on my blog, and if you have any other questions, let me know!
What is Extreme Nazarene Ministries?
Extreme Nazarene Ministries is a freestanding non-profit charitable organization and is governed by a board of directors. Extreme’s purpose is to seek and deploy people into an extreme expansion of God’s Kingdom. Extreme has partnered exclusively with the global Church of the Nazarene to seek out underserved needs within mission of the Church of the Nazarene. Extreme engineers solutions to those needs in conjunction with our field charters that are governed by Extreme and Nazarene field executives.
What is Extreme Peru?
Extreme Nazarene Ministries and the leadership of Peru and South America, together have formed the project, Extreme Peru. Extreme Peru exists to seek and deploy people into the darkest parts of Peru carrying the light of Jesus Christ so that minds, hearts and souls may be radically transformed in Him and to break the chains linking them to their dark Godless world.
Extreme Peru is a 4-year project commencing in 2008 and ending in February 2012. At the completion of the project, the goal is to have 120 new community centric mission churches planted in 7 geographical regions of Peru (Arequipa, Cusco, Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado, Pucallpa, Puno & Tacna).
The strategy to plant those churches is two-fold: the 40/40 strategy and short-term volunteer strategy.
What is the 40/40 strategy?
Extreme has developed a new missionary model that seeks to deploy 40 North American singles and 40 Peruvian singles into a 2-year church planting campaign. Each North American will be paired up with a Peruvian of the same gender. The pair will go through 6 months of job training, then 18 months planting 3 churches. 40 pairs, planting 3 churches each will result in 120 new churches planted.
So can I come down short-term?
We have opened up over 800 spots for volunteers to come to one of the 7 cities to assist the 40/40’s in their church planting work for 13 day periods. Short term volunteers are critical to the success of the project for many reasons. Mainly, short term volunteers provide highly skilled volunteer labor for construction, evangelism, discipleship, leadership training, compassionate outreach and mega-events coordination. 13 different events for short term volunteers are planned between July 2009 and June 2010. The energy and impact generated by these events will propel the 40/40’s forward further than they can reach alone.
Where will I be going?
I will be in Cusco.
Let me tell you a little bit about Cusco:
At an altitude of 3,393 meters (11,203 feet) above sea level and a population of 320,152, Cusco is an anchor city of the high mountain plains (Altiplano) of Peru. The dozens of small villages dotting the mountains surrounding Cusco are fertile grounds for the Gospel. Many of these villages, filled with beautiful people who still speak their native Inca tongue have not yet been granted the opportunity to hear about their Savior Jesus Christ.
The famous Machu-Picchu ruins of the Inca Empire is just a short ride from Cusco making it the tourism capital of Peru by many respects. The influx of tourism spending affords Cusco nice streets and a developed and safe downtown life. While the high altitude takes some time to adjust to, it does not stop the thousands of visitors every day from coming.
In January 2008, the church of the Nazarene sent its first missionary, Herbert Barco, to Cusco. Pastor Barco arrived on scene with nothing more than his family, his well worn Bible and a prayer that God would pave the way. Barco entered Cusco and did just as God guided him to do; he set out to love his new neighbors. In the first three months, Pastor Barco exceeded original goals by initiating discipleship classes with 20 new Christian adults.
When Pastor Barco first arrived on the scene, he quickly identified a critical need that he wanted to help remedy. He has formed partnerships with two different after-school homes for elementary school kids who live in extreme poverty or broken homes. Pastor Barco and his congregation regularly staff the homes, prepare healthy meals for the kids and conduct Bible studies with the kids. Extreme Nazarene has agreed to assist the church with their outreach to these kids in need by funding additional meals (current budget only allows 1 meal per week) and a kitchen remodel of one of the homes.
What will you do on a day-to-day basis?
40/40’s primary job is to build relationships with the community. They will be meeting people, connecting with families, playing soccer, starting Bible studies, doing VBS camps, feeding the hungry, etc. The end goal is to develop a church congregation in a community sharing the love of Christ.
Where will you live?
40/40’s will be living in the Cluster housing provided by Extreme Nazarene. In the cluster housing they will be living with other sets of 40/40’s and a cluster support family that will be their primary host and support.
How can we support you?
1. Prayer! Sign up to be a prayer partner online. You have no idea how much I appreciate your prayers!
2. As a volunteer missionary, I have to raise all my own funds. This means I am responsible for raising more than $15,000. Now that sounds daunting, and no, I do not have it all yet. But you can help. If you choose to donate $5 a month over 27 months that turns into $627! Not so bad when you break it down like that. You can make a one time donation, or sign up with a monthly pledge at www.extremenazarene.org/stevens. Please partner with me to plant three churches in Peru, and be a part of expanding the kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven.
When do you leave?
I leave home on January 31, and fly to Los Angeles for orientation. Then we fly to Peru on February 5.
People ask me a lot of questions about Extreme Peru, and I love to answer them! So let me post a little Q & A session right here on my blog, and if you have any other questions, let me know!
What is Extreme Nazarene Ministries?
Extreme Nazarene Ministries is a freestanding non-profit charitable organization and is governed by a board of directors. Extreme’s purpose is to seek and deploy people into an extreme expansion of God’s Kingdom. Extreme has partnered exclusively with the global Church of the Nazarene to seek out underserved needs within mission of the Church of the Nazarene. Extreme engineers solutions to those needs in conjunction with our field charters that are governed by Extreme and Nazarene field executives.
What is Extreme Peru?
Extreme Nazarene Ministries and the leadership of Peru and South America, together have formed the project, Extreme Peru. Extreme Peru exists to seek and deploy people into the darkest parts of Peru carrying the light of Jesus Christ so that minds, hearts and souls may be radically transformed in Him and to break the chains linking them to their dark Godless world.
Extreme Peru is a 4-year project commencing in 2008 and ending in February 2012. At the completion of the project, the goal is to have 120 new community centric mission churches planted in 7 geographical regions of Peru (Arequipa, Cusco, Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado, Pucallpa, Puno & Tacna).
The strategy to plant those churches is two-fold: the 40/40 strategy and short-term volunteer strategy.
What is the 40/40 strategy?
Extreme has developed a new missionary model that seeks to deploy 40 North American singles and 40 Peruvian singles into a 2-year church planting campaign. Each North American will be paired up with a Peruvian of the same gender. The pair will go through 6 months of job training, then 18 months planting 3 churches. 40 pairs, planting 3 churches each will result in 120 new churches planted.
So can I come down short-term?
We have opened up over 800 spots for volunteers to come to one of the 7 cities to assist the 40/40’s in their church planting work for 13 day periods. Short term volunteers are critical to the success of the project for many reasons. Mainly, short term volunteers provide highly skilled volunteer labor for construction, evangelism, discipleship, leadership training, compassionate outreach and mega-events coordination. 13 different events for short term volunteers are planned between July 2009 and June 2010. The energy and impact generated by these events will propel the 40/40’s forward further than they can reach alone.
Where will I be going?
I will be in Cusco.
Let me tell you a little bit about Cusco:
At an altitude of 3,393 meters (11,203 feet) above sea level and a population of 320,152, Cusco is an anchor city of the high mountain plains (Altiplano) of Peru. The dozens of small villages dotting the mountains surrounding Cusco are fertile grounds for the Gospel. Many of these villages, filled with beautiful people who still speak their native Inca tongue have not yet been granted the opportunity to hear about their Savior Jesus Christ.
The famous Machu-Picchu ruins of the Inca Empire is just a short ride from Cusco making it the tourism capital of Peru by many respects. The influx of tourism spending affords Cusco nice streets and a developed and safe downtown life. While the high altitude takes some time to adjust to, it does not stop the thousands of visitors every day from coming.
In January 2008, the church of the Nazarene sent its first missionary, Herbert Barco, to Cusco. Pastor Barco arrived on scene with nothing more than his family, his well worn Bible and a prayer that God would pave the way. Barco entered Cusco and did just as God guided him to do; he set out to love his new neighbors. In the first three months, Pastor Barco exceeded original goals by initiating discipleship classes with 20 new Christian adults.
When Pastor Barco first arrived on the scene, he quickly identified a critical need that he wanted to help remedy. He has formed partnerships with two different after-school homes for elementary school kids who live in extreme poverty or broken homes. Pastor Barco and his congregation regularly staff the homes, prepare healthy meals for the kids and conduct Bible studies with the kids. Extreme Nazarene has agreed to assist the church with their outreach to these kids in need by funding additional meals (current budget only allows 1 meal per week) and a kitchen remodel of one of the homes.
What will you do on a day-to-day basis?
40/40’s primary job is to build relationships with the community. They will be meeting people, connecting with families, playing soccer, starting Bible studies, doing VBS camps, feeding the hungry, etc. The end goal is to develop a church congregation in a community sharing the love of Christ.
Where will you live?
40/40’s will be living in the Cluster housing provided by Extreme Nazarene. In the cluster housing they will be living with other sets of 40/40’s and a cluster support family that will be their primary host and support.
How can we support you?
1. Prayer! Sign up to be a prayer partner online. You have no idea how much I appreciate your prayers!
2. As a volunteer missionary, I have to raise all my own funds. This means I am responsible for raising more than $15,000. Now that sounds daunting, and no, I do not have it all yet. But you can help. If you choose to donate $5 a month over 27 months that turns into $627! Not so bad when you break it down like that. You can make a one time donation, or sign up with a monthly pledge at www.extremenazarene.org/stevens. Please partner with me to plant three churches in Peru, and be a part of expanding the kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven.
When do you leave?
I leave home on January 31, and fly to Los Angeles for orientation. Then we fly to Peru on February 5.
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