You know those books where, when you read the summary, they sound amazing? They have all the elements that, theoretically, should make for a phenomenal read. Yet, as you close the book some two or three hundred pages later, you are left wondering what went wrong. They missed the mark. That is the best way I can describe Easter here in Peru. All week long, the entire country celebrates Easter. Statues of Mary are paraded through town squares, along with paintings illustrating Christ’s death. Schools and workplaces are shut down, and everywhere you look, there are reminders of Christ’s death. But that’s where it ends. The Resurrection is hardly, if ever, mentioned.
The fact that we have a living hope is not a message that most Peruvians know or understand. But our God is alive! We serve a risen Saviour, and because of that, we have hope! That message of a living hope is exactly what five individuals discovered during our Easter service this year. Some were first-time visitors; others we had been praying for over the course of many months. But in each of their lives, God worked, and His message of hope became real.
During our Resurrection service, we also had the privilege of baptizing Luis, Gladys, Arrian, and Nicolas. As I sat listening to each of them give a short testimony, I was encouraged by the teens’ words and their enthusiasm. But when it came to Gladys’s turn, her words made me pause. Her story was a sad one. She had spent years in a religion where she was told that if she did more and became better, she would finally be healed from her rheumatoid arthritis. As year after year passed without healing, she was left despondent. But then, God led her to our church after receiving an invitation one day at the market. She came, and she heard about the hope we have because Christ is alive, and Gladys got saved! So that night in our Easter service, Gladys celebrated, for the first time in her life, an Easter worshiping a risen Saviour and giving thanks for our living hope.
Your Missionaries to Peru,
Mitch, Jacqulyn, Landon, and Ryan McCormack
Praises:
- We are so grateful for the four who followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism this past month! Please be praying for Luis, Gladys, Adrian, and Nicolas as they continue to grow in their Christian walk.
- We are praising God for the five salvation decisions that were made during our Easter Service!
Prayer Requests:
- Please be praying for our baptismal service next month as there are several more people who, after watching the baptisms this past month, were encouraged to take this next step as well.
- Please be praying for Redeemer Baptist Church, as they celebrate there One Year Anniversary service, and that God would just continue to use and grow this church.