Starting at the Ground Level

Allow me to share with you some of my excitement over the past 2 days.....

So as the majority of you know, the Lord called me to Lima, Peru, a city of 9ish million people to start a lay-health ministry with the church plants that our team works with. Ever since feeling the first tug on my heart to come here and work in this manner, I've struggled with the feeling of being incapable and inexperienced enough to start something like this. Yet, when the Lord sends, He will reap the benefit (aka He will be glorified), and it won't be an empty result. I have learned to trust Him in new ways, that although I don't always believe that I have the capacities, I know Who does, and He won't ever let me down, and if He's called me to this, He won't let Himself down!

My first few months here were spent mostly getting accustomed to Lima, getting to know some of the people in the churches, doing some of the health talks, and as you all have seen pictures of the sweet children in Huaycan-working with and getting to know them as well. The past few months have been busy with teams, and now through the leadership of the churches and our mission here, some of the vision and goals of the lay-health ministry have been given, and its my time to get the groundwork started, and dream big of how this ministry can help and affect lives for the glory of God. To make a ministry that could be left and self-sustained by those trained to do so in the churches, and who are trained to train, that if the Lord does not call me to stay here in Peru more than my alloted time, that they can do the ministry without me.

My prayers for the Lord's wisdom and guidance have been ever present in my life. And the questions of: "Where in the world do I start?" "What exactly does a lay-health ministry look like?" "How will the lay health promotors be trained?"

The Lord blessed me with a friendship about 3 years ago to Mesha Smith (feel free to ask me the cooler more detailed story later). We met in Birmingham, before the Lord called either of us to mission work. To shorten the story a bit, she is working here in Lima too, but with Food for the Hungry. We actually arrived to Lima about the same time! Anyways, Food for the Hungry is an international organization, and here in Lima they work in 18 different communities training lay health promotors. Yesterday I spent a day with them, touring some of their communities, talking to some of their promotors, asking a bajillion questions, and soaking up their years of knowledge and experience that they have of a Christ-based health ministry. My head is still spinning with ideas. A beautiful relationship has been formed with them, and several staff members there have offered their help as well as some of their materials.

Then today, as my energy was still feeding off the excitement from the day before, I met with Lea, a Peruvian sister in Christ, who attends our church in Santa Anita. She worked with the health ministry in Cusco before she married and moved to Lima. She is also a nurse. We had an exciting time today talking about all the possibilities of a lay-health ministry here through our churches. She has a heart to help, and much experience from her time in Cusco. She wants to work along with me in getting something started, and for it to be healthy, to grow and continue here. We have a very similar vision as well, which always helps in whatever field.

Please join me in praying for His will to be made known to me, Him to use me as His instrument, and Him to lead and guide me with all His wisdom. These days have been very encouraging, and the Lord is showing more of His work that He is doing.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen watch in vain." Psalm 127:1

Its all His work....
I could say, "Unless the Lord develops a lay-health ministry in Lima, the missionary Becca works in vain....."