"Filamena's Story and the Church at Her House" (Peru- November 2004)

Thank you so much for your prayers to this point. The transportation strike you prayed about failed to bring the Lords work to a halt. In fact, it accelerated it because so many natives of Tacna were unable to go to work or school so we found more people at home!
In all we have had over 400 people pray to receive Christ this week, but even more exciting is the fact that over 200 of those have either attended a home bible study/cell group meeting or received followup discipleship in their homes already. Our focus is not making converts, because that is not the Lords focus. He said, "Go make DISCIPLES" and that is what has been done this week. Which brings me to the next page in the story on sister Filomena I mentioned the other day . . .
I used Tuesdays strike as an opportunity to go and visit the other teams and make sure they were doing okay so I did not go back out to the area where Filomena lives that day. But on Wednesday when Pastor Julian arrived to pick me up he told me that the nationals that I had trained in his church went ahead and worked without me on Tuesday. He said it almost apologetically as if I would be offended that they didn't wait on me. I put my arm around the Pastor and told him that was my intention all along - to empower his leaders to do the ministry without our help. They saw 24 more people receive Christ on Tuesday and made many follow-up visits as well. However, they had not gone back to Filomenas house yet. So that was my priority. When we arrived, we went straight to her house and although she was busy chopping some kindling for her "kitchen" (in reality it was a large coffee can with a hole in the bottom that she would feed the kindling into which then served as a stove on which she was cooking soup), she invited us in as she wiped the sweat from her smiling face. We talked with her and encouraged her and she told us that for 2 days in a row she was happy because she had read God's word first thing. She spoke of the peace in the midst of trials, but this time with the sweet smile of the Spirit. Then we asked her if she would be willing to use her home as the center of ministry in her community by hosting a bible study each week. She was delighted at the offer and thus, the seeds of a new church have been planted through a person of peace (read Luke 10). When we left Filomenas house we were both a little teary eyed. I told her that she is my Peruvian "Abuelita" (sweet little grandma) and she responded with a warm embrace and a smile. Of course that's not the end of the story. The story of a house church emerging in the impoverished area of Sauces in Tacna, Peru has just begun. And think of all the other "Filomenas" out there that will find hope, peace, and salvation as a result. The story of Filomena will go on . . . . Thanks for being used of God to help "write" a few lines in that life-changing story.

By the way, the team is doing great - healthy and happy. They'll be on the way back to the States early Saturday morning.