Dearest Friends,
Please enjoy the young people’s stories about Peru. I asked each of the team members to write about what Peru meant to them. These young people were a wonderful blessing to so many children, and I believe you will be blessed by their stories.
From Leslie…
I could tell after just a few days in Peru that I wouldn’t want to leave. We were sure this trip would be our most challenging, and while there were challenging moments, God’s blessings outshined them all. He blessed us with two new puppet teams eager to take what they learned and share God’s rescue plan with the children of Nazca and Tayabamba. I have no doubt that these people will make a huge impact for the Kingdom!
He blessed us at each show with the children’s smiles, laughter, and loud prayers! Even the shows that began with rowdy kids ended with a room full of children asking Jesus to rescue them, and then they crowded around to get the tracts that were handed out!
He blessed us with Peruvian brothers and sisters in Christ who cared for us and loved us and truly made this trip possible. I already can’t wait to see them again. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. So many children were able to hear the Gospel thanks to your support. I am truly grateful for the adventure God gave us on this trip.
From Kelsey…
Peru is such a pretty country with such beautiful people. There’s something special about Peruvian children that you can’t help but fall in love with them. It didn’t matter how little they had but they had the biggest smiles on their faces that I have ever seen. They were so content with what they had and never seemed to worry about what they didn’t have. In one of our shows, we met some kids who didn’t know what a puppet was. To me, that was just unthinkable. They were extremely grateful. That’s the most important lesson that I learned from that trip. Even in the smallest of things, always, always, always thank God. I have so many small things and big things to be thankful to God for. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Please continue to pray for all these children that we were able to meet and the amazing people we met. Thank you for always praying for us. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without your prayers.
From Drake…
Before we left for Peru, we prayed that it would be a trip that changed not only the kids that we were sharing with, but also a trip that changed us. I believe that Peru did change us! You expect for things to go wrong on puppet trips; it’s just one of those things. But on this trip we had more problems then usual. We had problems with equipment, cars, hotels, and countless other things. But we saw God’s hand in all of these things and saw Him work these problems for His good. We saw God give us a driver that had his heart changed. We taught the teams how to deal with problems while doing shows. God blessed us with a great hotel. God taught us that no matter how many things go wrong, He is working everything for His glory.
The kids that we saw were amazing, like always. At times, I felt like we were going to the ends of the earth to do shows, and I loved it. I loved that some kids didn’t know what puppets were and we got to tell them about Jesus. God blessed us with amazing opportunities and it was wonderful.
While God changed the hearts of our driver and the children for Him, He also changed my heart. And I think He changed the heart of the rest of the team. I know you guys read the stories and I hope you can imagine the faces of the children because that image is priceless. I pray that God changes you through these stories. Thank you for going with us in prayer. Dios te bendiga.
In Jesus,
Linda for Leslie, Kelsey, and Drake