Plaza de Armas

This weekend was full of activities and a real joy for Me and Ann. We headed up to Trujillo on friday night after spending a day with the team at the local beach in Lima. Fridays are our designated team days, to be together and do different things with the group of missionaris here in Peru. Ann and I are living about 40 minutes away from the church and all the team members with Pastor Lajos and Michelle in the district of San Isidro, close to the center. We are really loving where we are living, its a real blessing from God and you cant get much better then P. Lye and Michelle there a great time. So we met the crew, got picked up by a van packed with people ready for some waves. So after a sweet day of some rays and waves, and solid tuna sami’s, (my specialty, it takes skill with that can opener and putting the correct amount of mayo,) we hopped on the bus for our 8 hour journey up too Trujillo to spend the weekend with the church and get prepped for our big weekend next Saturday. "The Rehab" of the church. Crew chief Ann Mar is all into it, and loves thinking about what we can do next. I am the one that says "That sounds like a phenominal idea, but you got to realize we are working with only a couple bucks, we cant afford to have a projector with a big screen". (That is slightly exagerated, but not far from the truth). This is her "thing", which she means "I get to go shopping." We made the announcement sunday morning about helping out on Saturday with the painting of the church, and the people lit up with excitement about the project. So we will see how it turns out, we will let you know. God has provided some extra money this month in the church to help finance the project, thank you everyone for your prayers and faithfulness in this project. Its going to be great!!!!!!

This Saturday we went out with a group of 7 of us to the main plaza in Trujillo, "Plaza de Armas", for outreach. Saturday and sunday we have church outreach in the evening for a couple hours. The weather in the evening is a cool 70, and is a nice change after the intense heat of the day. The plaza is usually filled with turist’s, musicians, break dancers, vendors, musicians, couples, families, and sometimes preachers. Its the kind of place you can go for a few hours and just be entertained by the beauty of the plaza. You can relax and enjoy the fresh breeze that blows through the plaza from off the Pacific ocean. Sit on a bench and watch the young teens of trujillo break dance and try to mimick what they learned on youtube (the main source of our education these days). It is a great place to be. It seems as though there is always an event in the plaza, especially in the summer months here. From open air classical concerts, to a mini tour de Peru bicycle race around the plaza, if someone has an event they would like to host the plaza is the place to have it. This Saturday night there was a large political rally taking place, and the party wanted EVERYONE to know that they promised change. From the screaming over the mic, to there enormous flags they were waving, they wanted the world to know, they were the answer. So it was quite loud and abnoxious, but it just added to the challenge of what we were set out to do, find someone looking for more then all the activity of the night. Talk with them about christ, and tell them that there is real hope and real change through Christ. Over the year of soul winning in the plaza God has been faithful in leading us to people that are the lost and lonley looking for more then what the plaza and world has to offer. From Anthony who was sitting on a bench in front of the Large statue in Plaza de armas whose first words out of his mouth were "I am looking for God". To Laura who we simple said would you like to come to our house for a church service? she agreed and has not left since. Jesus is the great physician looking for the ones who know they are sick and wounded. We continue to go because we know they are there, the children of God, the poor in spirit and God wants to give them the Kingdom freely. We are the ones that are just proclaiming the news to them, "Come to the wedding feast, you have a seat at the Kings table, come and feast on what is freely yours." Imagine a Saturday night, nothing going on special in your life other then the plaza and someone one says to you "It is yours." "What is mine they could say?" "The Kingdom of God is freely yours, you must just simply believe." Of course you may have to debate, convince, talk and explain but the message is simply this. "You are sick, and the great Physician Jesus Christ has come to visit you, speak with you and to heal you of all your disease’s, let him in and he will Change you!!!!" What a privelage for us in these days, God is seeking and saving!!!! God bless and thank you for your prayers. We got some pics too of the weekend..

Pastor Justin and Ann M.