"A Missionary Movement in Peru" (Peru - September 17, 2004)

Thanks for your prayers last weekend as I traveled down to Peru for a Leadership Development Conference in Tacna and a Missions Conference in Lima! The Lord was faithful and everything went above all that which we hoped or asked for.

I was blessed this time to have with me, Patrick Powell, who is one of my best friends in the world and former partner from my year in Pakistan. Also joining us was brother Larry Galindo, the Latin America Director for WalkThru the Bible Ministries. The three of us flew on a different plane and slept in different beds for 4 days straight! But the Lord really compounded our effectiveness and much was accomplished.

In Tacna we worked to equip 75+ leaders from 9 different churches, each of which will be participating with us on our November Campaign. The leadership there was very excited and receptive to the train and at the end of the conference they committed to collectively train an additional 1000 people over the coming year in the principles of prayer, evangelism, discipleship, congregating, developing leaders, and multiplying churches. We still need workers to join us on that trip from November 12-20 . . . please pray about it and click here to sign up.

But the real story from this trip lay in the vision of our Peruvian National Mobilization Director, Juvenal Bejar. Juvenal is an unassuming leader who once was associated with the terrorist group, The Shining Path. Juvenal was saved out of that socialistic movement years ago and eventually felt God's call to devote his life to spreading the Truth of Jesus Christ. Now the lead pastor of a network of house churches in the capital city of Lima, Juvenal has discipled leaders and equipped them to plant churches throughout all Peru. One might think that's quite a vision - to be on the forefront of reaching his own country with the gospel. But Juvenal's vision is much larger than that! Last year Juvenal invited me to come and conduct a conference on Islam so that leaders would be equipped to stave off a rising muslim population in Peru. As we met and talked he became convinced that they were to do more than simply "defend their country" - instead he has decided to lead the way and take the offensive.

This weekend Pat and I led an evening conference at Juvenal's church casting the vision for sending missionaries to the least reached countries in the area known as the 10/40 Window. From that small church in Lima, Peru God has raised up a young couple that will soon be going to China. That couple, already fluent in Chinese, has trained 3 other young people that will join them there next year. There is another lady in Juvenal's church that has been called to work with muslims, and another that has been called to India. In all, more than 15 people came forward in a time of commitment and laying on of hands in a church of about 65 people! I spoke to them of how God is raising up the Church in Latin America to go to the ends of the earth and complete the Great Commission - and they affirmed that hypothesis with a resounding "Here I am Lord, send me!" Just as we were leaving the service to run catch a plane, Juvenal addressed the congregation with the most selfless words I think I've ever heard a pastor speak. He said, "I look out at you and see so many of you responding to God's call knowing that you're being sent out from here. But I want you to know that I do not feel a sense of loss. Instead I feel this church is gaining so much in sending you out. If God sends all of you out as missionaries and I have noone left to preach to, noone left to give an offering, that's okay. I will just have to work hard and raise up another congregation and prepare to send them out right behind you. This is "Iglesia Missionera Cristo Viene" (The Missionary Church because Christ is Coming Back) and we will raise up soldiers that are prepared for the front-lines of the battle." Please be in prayer for Juvenal as I would like to send him on a vision trip to Asia next year with a friend that has recently formed Conexion 10/40, an organization that will act as a bridge for missionaries coming out of Latin America going to the ends of the earth. I believe helping to send him on that journey where he will meet other Spanish speaking missionaries already at work in that part of the world, will only pour fuel on the fire.

A movement is at hand and it requires a God-sized vision! It is estimated that there are now more born again believers south of the equator than north. Those countries that have in the past been recipients of missionaries - countries like Peru - are going to be the driving force for the Great Commission in the 21st Century. And your prayers and support are helping to make that happen! Thank you, thank you, thank you!