The Hand of God

I´m sitting in the hotel with a few hours to kill before we head to the airport. Neither Pete or I want to wander too far from the loo, so I thought a few words of reflection were in order.
I particularly want to log the various different ways that God has revealed himself on this trip. To the skeptic, as long as you are happy to explain away clear healings by referring to autosuggestion then all of the things I am about to mention can be dismissed as coincidence and positive thinking. However, I think that they all add up to a clear picture of the Kingdom of God being present throughout the week.
Firstly our prayers for protection and safety were answered - thank you for praying. No injuries, disasters or illness to get in the way of what we were supposed to do. Paul gave us horror stories on the first night about Peru being the 2nd worst country for getting food-related illness, and talked about risk of mugging. Sure we have ´bicyles´ now but we were pretty good during the business end of the trip. Our journey to and from Huancayo could have been tricky with the rain too. While we were up there the pass (Ticulo) was blocked for 18 hours overnight - no going forward or back, with sub-zero temperatures and a youngster died as a result. We had no such problems.
Then the weather - the morning of HOTS in San Jeronimo it poured down and the whole thing would have been a disaster. While we waited for people to turn up (again Peru time) it cleared and by the time we knelt down the ground was dry. This turned out to be one of the most significant times of the trip in many ways, and God created the space for it to happen - it tipped down the whole afternoon once we got home.
When we walked to the conference in Lima on the Saturday morning we were filled with the Holy Spirit - a random collection of dogs followed us all the way (20 mins walk) and even that felt like they were drawn by the presence of God (La Presencia). When we arrived I told them to go home because we were about to have breakfast and without hesitation they turned and trotted off. You can be skeptical at this point but to me it felt like the Kingdom.
And the healings. Malena with chronic kidney pain healed instantly. Knee pain going. The lady with headaches who felt cold rushing into her head when I prayed (my hand felt like it was burning) and the pain going. The man bent double with back pain who shot up and trotted off after prayer - all symptoms gone. Countless unsubstantiated healings and the peace of God making people cry and feel His touch. The couple who admitted to ´sickness of the heart´ who patched things up, gave their lives to Christ and made a fresh start. Pete has noted down more- this is just a flavour.
And the words of prophecy that we both gave which seemed quite accurate and unlocked people´s hearts, leading to ministry, tears and then joy. I remember one morning in particular at Guillermo´s church where it all got quite wild and I was seeing the Holy Spirit on individuals, praying for them and seeing God do stuff.
But this wasn´t about the gringos with their magic anointing. Many of the healings mentioned above where not at our hands but at the hands of the local people who had just been taught how to pray and went for it with gusto. Their faith is now built up and they feel that they can continue without us standing over them telling them to open their eyes and stop praying religious prayer. They were learning a simple method of inviting God´s presence and then commanding healing.
Wherever you go in the world God is the same God and people are pretty similar too - good bits and bad bits. Life is a lot harder out here, and Peru is not very high up the league table of wealth. The sad thing is that it has everything it needs to be a thriving nation but the West has ripped it off and taken advantage of the corruption of those in power to screw them and walk of with the natural mineral resources. A familiar tale but one no less palatable for it.
The Vineyard is well placed between the religious catholic church (into which the Spanish drew many of the indigenous superstitions at the outset in an attempt to persuade people to join in) and the equally religious Pentecostal movement with its emphasis on law, effort and keeping separate from the evil world who are sure to burn in hell. It doesn´t have the ready certainties and haranguing of the Pentecostal churches (attractive to this people who are used to being oppressed and doing what they´re told) or the homely comforts of relying on religion, icons, the Virgin Mary and mysticism of the Catholic Church. However, if it can hold its nerve and avoid leaning in to one extreme of another I think that the future is bright.
Seguir la presencia.

A Great Way To Finish

Our last 'workday' was better than we could have hoped for (and by this point we had gone into it just hoping to get it done and get home).
The parenting seminar was very well attended. Pastor Willy had got busy and drummed up support for it (a great sign of things to come) and the people there were really engaged - writing notes and giving responses. We came away feeling we had made a real impact.
Following this was tea with the San Jeronimo Vineyard - a time of shared songs and blessings and an exchange of gifts with a group we had connected with at a deep level. They took the message of the Kingdom and it brought them alive. As the week went by Pastor Willy (stop it boys) grew in stature, confidence and authority, and we saw lots of others step forward and grow in leadership and excitement for God.

Last up was a youth meeting. Arthur spoke on the prodigal son and how Jesus upset the pharisees by hanging out with the 'sinners'. Some of the youth (most of whom were unchurched and part of Malena's dancing group) were grippped by the tale of the Father's love and looked ready to respond when the pentecostal pastor hosting the meeting stood up and prayed a long prayer of how great it is to be safe in the house of God while those horrible sinners out in the world upset God with their dancing , drinking, partying and sexual sins. I'm so glad he grasped the point of Jesus' parable with such clarity. Willy (settle down) rescued it with a rousing time of praise, thanks and dancing before we went out and watched Malena's dancing group, joined by all of the Vineyard bless them. There we were outside of the church building clapping and cheering the unsaved youth as they danced and it was great. Long may it continue. I hope the Vineyard there feel able to break out of the tradition of church religion and follow their hearts to gather the unchurched and lead them to God's grace.
On the way home our taxi driver Cesar talked of how he wanted to cooperate with Willy and Ellie in planting a new Vineyard group in Huancayo. Throughout the week he had been attending more and more of our things and had come alive in the process. He talked of God having given him the car and therefore he ought to use it for His Kingdom, and how he will put God first and trust him. And more. I haven't got time to tell all but it was amazing to hear how this introverted taxi driver had been captured by God's vision and was willing to be used. Suffice to say that God has a servant in Huancayo who is wearing a Man City cap and stepping out in faith to serve, despite significant obstacles he needs to overcome. He isn't counting the cost, he is just responding and stepping out - an example to us all.
Home tomorrow. Lots to ponder, lots to be thankful for and some new initiatives of God to support with prayer and encouragement. If you are ever in Huancayo look out for a taxi driver wearing a City cap and ask him for directions.

Family Focus Half Way to Space

Schedule calming down a bit, and the focus shifts to parenting training and social development.

Yesterday we took a walk up a mountain (slowly with lots of opportunities to catch our breath) and then saw some spectacular gourd carving. It was a lovely morning that revived the spirit and gave us further insight into rural life here. After getting stranded in the Andes we did finally manage to catch a minibus - it was full before we got on but we squeezed our bottoms in somehow, and then a further 6 people got on along the way to show us what full really means in Peru.

The afternoon was the first of our parenting seminars run jointly by the Vineyard plant in San Jeronimo (who we are now firm freinds with) and the local government child protection agency. Paul and Pastor Willy (settle down) did well to set this up, and it went very well. We spoke on boundaries - tomorrow it is emotional needs, a talk that we gave a dry run of the night before last at a small group here in Huancayo. After that we run a meeting for the youth (mostly unchurched so it should be fun). Saturday is gardening lessons for families with no income and then hurtle down the mountains back into sweaty Lima.

HOTS in San Jeronimo

It's been a tough but rewarding couple of days.

After a look round yesterday we headed to San Jeronimo to teach on the Kingdom in the afternoon, followed by HOTS training at a joint service in the evening. There were some random moments and it did feel like a bit of a battle. People seemed to get healed during the demonstration though - in particular a young girl with kidney pain which went completely.

This morning it was over to the town square - market day. Waiting in the rain for people to arrive (Peru time) it was my time to get bicycles in the stomach (Peruvian for gip). The night before it was Pete. I prayed for him and commanded the gip to go and it did there and then. Not quite so good a result this time around, but people began to arrive, the rain stopped and the concrete was dry when the time came for us to kneel.

La Presencia descended and by the time we came up there was a queue. WE spent a lot of time training, coaching and interrupting people's long religious prayers. But their HEART! And they got it. And when I told them how great they were their faces lit up.

By home time (we were there 3 hours) we had seen many healings. Sometimes it is hard to make out what has happened - they want to please and so will often say that they have been healed when they haven't (we suspect) but there are some obvious milagros which we witnessed and these people - a team of about 8 and all from the embryonic Vineyard up there - really taking hold of the commission to heal and loving it. Interestingly the other churches at the meeting last night weren't represented and I'm not too worried about that.

I spent a lot of time coaching the pastor of the church about growth and developing things, as well as HOTS and how to continue and lead the ministry. I got a bit sunburned in the process - the torrential rain we woke up to had gone. As I write it is back with a vengeance, so God was at work with the weather too - another sign of the Kingdom...

We left them still at it. I don't know what time they stopped but the ministry had been well and truly born and the team had caught the vision and run with it. There were four people on the chairs getting prayer as we left, with a further two waiting for prayer.

Pete has perked up a bit and I am absolutely shattered. That's why we work as a team. He said last night that this is what the apostles must have done - go from village to village preaching the Kigndom with signs - and wouldn't it be good to do this full time? Nutter.

In The Mountains

Imagine a winding journey up the mountains. Make it last 6 hours. Do it as fast as you can taking every opportunity to overtake (and some occasions I wouldn't necessarily call opportunities, but heck let's try and get passed him anyway). Leave the windows open for the whole trip and play very loud Peruvian music unceasingly. Oh, and did I mention altitude sickness?
But we got through despite the lanslides of last weekend from the worst rain for 30 years, and here we are as happy as sandboys preparing for HOTS mark 2 in San Jeronimo.

HOTS in Lima

A momentous day as the churches went out into a park and did Healing on the Streets for the very first time in Peru. It was very similar to doing it in Plymouth despite the vastly different culture and people. We had the same issues regarding coaching people to follow the model but the team were brilliant and we were very busy.
Sharing afterwards at the Santa Anita Vineyard we heard of healings, of God touching people and (most importantly) a genuine excitement amongst the church which was accompanied by a strong desire to continue. One chap was brought back to the church to attend the evening service. Another couple when asked for prayer said that they weren`t sick. the pair replied we can see you are sick in your spirit. They sat down and got prayer. To cut a long story short they gave their lives to Christ and committed to patching up their marriage, leaving with joy and hpe. To cap it all on the way people saw a girl in a taxi looking like she was having an asthma attack. They stopped the taxi and asked if they could pray for her! This shows a universal desire to take the 5 step healing model we taught yesterday and use it outside of church or even HOTS.
I must mention the morning activities as well. we split up - Pete did the Santa Anita service and I was at another Vineyard a hair raising journey across Lima. God moved powerfully and it was great fun.
Now we are off to a light and water show. no I have no idea what that is either. we leave Lima with a real connection with the Vineyards here and an excitement about the future.
The photo shows us set up and praying in the park.

Day Two - Signs of the Kingdom

Session one last night was an encouraging start, with la presencia descending, and today has been just as encouraging. We set the young people up as the ministry team today, many of whom had only been Christians for a short time. They were fantastic and we saw some exciting stuff going on.
Our hosts are really looking after us and we have just had lunch. On our return we will hear the stories of what went on. This evening we will do the Healing on the Streets training and get out into the square Sunday to put it into practice.

The food is great, the people are great and things seem to be going OK so far. Enjoy the Facebook pics - the one here is our young ministry team in action.