"Arequippa Training" (Peru - May 2004)

I have just returned from another incredible trip to Peru. This time I was working together with a new staff trainee, Todd Szalkowski. Todd had been on two other GMF trips prior to coming along with me last October to Tacna, Peru. Todd was a successful partner with the Ernst & Young Accounting Firm and had 19 years experience there. However, God grabbed a hold of Todd’s heart and in January of this year, he announced his intention to resign and join the staff of GoLeaders.net/GMF. Last month Todd went with me to Panama for his first staff training trip where I taught most of the conference. This weekend we were in Arequipa together and he did most of the teaching – and he did a great job I might add! My limited teaching role in this conference allowed me the liberty to spend a lot of time with our Peruvian National Director, Juvenal Bejar working on vision and strategy issues.

We had about 40 pastors and lay leaders attending our conference being trained in how to mobilize and equip their members for evangelism and discipleship that results in new churches being planted throughout the city. One part of our training that I have been working on challenges Latin Americans to send missionaries out to the 10/40 Window, which contains the least reached peoples of the world. At the close of the conference I was giving away copies of the Jesus Film that one of my good friends had donated. I had one copy that was a DVD and contained the film in 8 different languages from around the world. I was drawing names from a box and said, “I believe whoever receives this copy is being called by God to take the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth. This gift comes as a great responsibility and the “missionary” that wins it is . . .” When I called out the name of a young man there was a gasp throughout the crowd. The young man buried his face in his hands with tears flowing. As he made his way to the front someone told me that several weeks back this same young man had felt God calling him to be a missionary, but he had been waiting for confirmation! God used this to confirm that he was to move forward in preparing to be sent out to the ends of the earth. After this the crowd of attendees broke into a spontaneous worship celebration. We had been teaching for 10 hours at that point. Most would be fatigued and ready to go home, but not these people. They were just getting started and it was wonderful to join in with them in worshipping our Great God and King.

On Sunday afternoon we were back in the capital city of Lima and were traveling in a taxi on our way to lunch. The taxi driver was listening in so I decided to ask him if he knew this “Jesus” we were talking about. He replied that he did not know Jesus in a personal way, and so I began to share the gospel with him. After several questions, Hector told me that we were about 3 minutes from our destination and he did not want to run out of time so he asked me to please quickly share with him how Jesus had changed my life. So in about 2 minutes I shared my testimony and then asked Hector if he would like to experience God’s forgiveness and follow Jesus. As we approached our stop, Hector was praying to receive Christ and when we hopped out onto the busy street, Hector was glowing with joy at his newfound faith.

God revealed His goodness to me in so many ways on this trip and I want to thank you for being a part. When you faithfully pray and give, you are investing in the lives of others you may never meet this side of heaven. God is using YOU to see leaders equipped, missionaries called out, and lives changed through the power of the gospel! Thank you for your faithfulness . . . it means the world to me AND to many others you may never know.