Milestone Moments for the Missions School

Amazonian Wednesdays 🌴

November 2002

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The seven students marched solemnly down the center aisle of the church towards the altar, blinking with nervous excitement. We were celebrating them and their accomplishment of finishing the first-ever term of our new missions school! They persevered for five months as pioneers, living without electricity or running water or elegant housing, because of their hunger to learn the skills, absorb the knowledge, and receive the impartation necessary to become future pastors and church planters. We celebrated them this October evening, and gave honor where honor was due.

As each student crossed the platform to receive his or her certificate, I watched proudly and found my eyes brimming with maternal tears. These young people have come through so much, and are going so far. One of the students was orphaned as a toddler and spent her childhood wandering from home to home in her jungle village, living off whatever the neighbors would share. She never had a sense of belonging until her uncle adopted her in her young teen years. She says that she had never received as much love as she did at our school.

Another student spent several hours sharing with me very painful memories of her marriage. Through her tears, she recalled how her husband had rejected her with the words, “I’m ashamed that I ever married you. I’m embarrassed to have you around my family.” He told her, after their son was born, that seeing her going through the agony of giving birth had not moved him at all; that he did not care at all about her pain. With many other harsh words he brought death to her heart and to their love. The Lord touched her heart deeply as we prayed together, and she is believing for a miraculous restoration of her marriage.

One student shared about the pain of being abandoned by his mother shortly after the death of his father, in his early childhood. Another young man was set free as he confessed for the first time some involvement in homosexual activity in his years before knowing the Lord. I do not have space to tell about each story, but suffice it to say that each student received deep healing in their heart as we ministered to each through the Holy Spirit.

And these are our future pastors? You might wonder why we did not pick applicants who “had it more together.” The reason is, these kinds of lives are the only kinds of lives that Peru is producing. This is what we have to work with. And we delight in it. Our Father rejoices as He gets the opportunity to bind up broken hearts. And, as ever, it is His good pleasure to use the foolish and the despised things of this world to accomplish His wonderful plan. In these students’ weakness, He is glorified, and will be glorified. Pray for them, that they would be continually strengthened in their faith!