After a busy week or so travelling around Lima, meeting lots of people, speaking to youth groups and introducing myself to a few different churches we arrived at my first chance to leave the city. I helped with Mark and Anna and the Peruvian couple Umberto and Esther (who are currently living in the house as well) on a youth weekend away.
The church they are all part of also meets on a thursday evening, so after travelling up to the centre we were staying at on the thursday afternoon to drop of stuff me and Mark headed to the church sevice to meet up with the young people. They were all really excited as this was the first time this group had done something like this together and after the service finished we went outside to wait for the bus we had hired (and were unlucky enough to witness the street entertainment of two gangs of lads throwing rocks at each other across the street until the police arrived and everyone legged it) anywy the bus arrived and we all piled in, no health and safety, no seatbelts just lots of smiling, laughing and shouting. As we left the church all waved us off as if we were leaving for a few months not 2 nights. We travelled up away from the city over the mountains which are the foothills of the Andes and away to a small town where the centre we were staying in was. Altogether we had about 20 young people as well as the 5 leaders and the two leaders kids.
We arrived and all piled out into our dorms, 2 massive rooms with bunk beds and after a few hours of explaining rules, messing about and exploring it was time for bed.
The weekend consisted of 4 talks to encourage the young people they were special and loved by God, that they could speak to him and him to them, that each of them has a purpose and are part of the bigger family of the church. On the first morning when i spoke 3 of the young people became Christians which was really exciting and we then spent time Singing and worshipping together.
We arrived and all piled out into our dorms, 2 massive rooms with bunk beds and after a few hours of explaining rules, messing about and exploring it was time for bed.
The weekend consisted of 4 talks to encourage the young people they were special and loved by God, that they could speak to him and him to them, that each of them has a purpose and are part of the bigger family of the church. On the first morning when i spoke 3 of the young people became Christians which was really exciting and we then spent time Singing and worshipping together.
The afternoons were spent chilling out in the sunshine, playing games, lots of football (England 10- Peru 9) and volleyball, and splashing, racing and fighting in the pool.
It was a great atmosphere and a great time for everyone.
Just to give you an idea the young people were charged the equivalent of £6 for the weekend, which is a decent days wage and which nearly everyone had been saving up for and paying slowly over the last weeks and months, and this group was in no way what would be described as a poor group.
Some of the highlights were opportunities to pray for the group, in one session we asked the group to come forward if they wanted us to pray for them to know God's love in their lives as there Father which was an emotional time for many of them. We spent times in discussion together allowing them to process the info and the emotions they had seen and felt in order to help them think about changes they wished to happen or make in their lives.
Before we knew it it was Saturday night and time to go. With everyone a little mor tired, a little browner and very encouraged for their future and their journeys with God. For many they had had new experiences, seen new things, but for all they had experienced being part of a group that looks out for one another and cares for each other - isn't that what a church should do.
Having said that we then all jumped on the bus with the female leaders having left with the 2 little ones and spent the bus journey home, jumping on each other, fighting and smahing a beach ball around the bus. All of this with me lying on everyones bags in the centre aisle. I guess thats Peru for you - the driver grinned as much as the rest of us and never batted an eyelid.
We arrived back at the church everyone thoroughly worn out, some carrying new aches and bruises and were greated with balloons and people carrying a banner welcoming us back. What a welcome, everyone went upstairs to the church and gradually went home, nobody really wanting to leave.
ADDED AFTER SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE
On the weekend we asked the group to share their stories of the weekend, any highlights and things they had learnt. Many of them talked about the fun we had had, about how special the group was and about how during the prayer times they had felt very close to God whilst praying for people and having others pray for them but i would like to share with you what one of the girls said.
She is 15 and about 7 months pregnant not that you can tell coz she is so full of energy was jumping around playing volleyball and splashing in the pool and has such a small bump on her. She shared how before the weekend she had felt that she couldn't be loved by God and how she felt bad about things she had done in the past and thought that stopped her from being close to God and she shared how when i had been speaking she had really understood and felt it was a message for her and she shared with the church the 3 things i had spoken about (she rembered it all which almost never happens) that she was created by God, known by God and loved by God no matter what. As she shared she began to cry at how happy it had made her feel to realise that God did love her no matter what and wanted to bless her future and that it had been amazing as we prayed for her that for one of the first times in her life she felt really special. What a privelege to be able to share an experience like that with someone and to be used by God to help someone realise something so important. Tissues anyone.
It was a great atmosphere and a great time for everyone.
Just to give you an idea the young people were charged the equivalent of £6 for the weekend, which is a decent days wage and which nearly everyone had been saving up for and paying slowly over the last weeks and months, and this group was in no way what would be described as a poor group.
Some of the highlights were opportunities to pray for the group, in one session we asked the group to come forward if they wanted us to pray for them to know God's love in their lives as there Father which was an emotional time for many of them. We spent times in discussion together allowing them to process the info and the emotions they had seen and felt in order to help them think about changes they wished to happen or make in their lives.
Before we knew it it was Saturday night and time to go. With everyone a little mor tired, a little browner and very encouraged for their future and their journeys with God. For many they had had new experiences, seen new things, but for all they had experienced being part of a group that looks out for one another and cares for each other - isn't that what a church should do.
Having said that we then all jumped on the bus with the female leaders having left with the 2 little ones and spent the bus journey home, jumping on each other, fighting and smahing a beach ball around the bus. All of this with me lying on everyones bags in the centre aisle. I guess thats Peru for you - the driver grinned as much as the rest of us and never batted an eyelid.
We arrived back at the church everyone thoroughly worn out, some carrying new aches and bruises and were greated with balloons and people carrying a banner welcoming us back. What a welcome, everyone went upstairs to the church and gradually went home, nobody really wanting to leave.
ADDED AFTER SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE
On the weekend we asked the group to share their stories of the weekend, any highlights and things they had learnt. Many of them talked about the fun we had had, about how special the group was and about how during the prayer times they had felt very close to God whilst praying for people and having others pray for them but i would like to share with you what one of the girls said.
She is 15 and about 7 months pregnant not that you can tell coz she is so full of energy was jumping around playing volleyball and splashing in the pool and has such a small bump on her. She shared how before the weekend she had felt that she couldn't be loved by God and how she felt bad about things she had done in the past and thought that stopped her from being close to God and she shared how when i had been speaking she had really understood and felt it was a message for her and she shared with the church the 3 things i had spoken about (she rembered it all which almost never happens) that she was created by God, known by God and loved by God no matter what. As she shared she began to cry at how happy it had made her feel to realise that God did love her no matter what and wanted to bless her future and that it had been amazing as we prayed for her that for one of the first times in her life she felt really special. What a privelege to be able to share an experience like that with someone and to be used by God to help someone realise something so important. Tissues anyone.
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