Mission Moments: Peru (June 2013)

Building HIS church

By Jaime Servat
C4C missionary to Peru

I was received by our sister Alisson and her family, taking a time to give thanks to God to again be in Chalhua at the beginning of June. Then I met Pastor Ezequiel to pay him and some of the church workers, while others were harvesting in their fields.

I went to see His church and get some pictures. It is growing so that many farmers were telling me that it will be wonderful.

Under construction: the church at Chalhua. (Photo by Jaime Servat)

Pastor Ezequiel told me that one day a Catholic leader came and asked, “What will be it?” He answered, “It will be His church to love God and our people through His word in all written expression of the Holy Bible.” And that religious man was muted and stood in awe.

One daughter of a new believer, widow Susana, asked me to visit her house because her mother was very grateful to God because she has no pain in her arm now. So praise God!

I was visiting Lady Susana and we prayed together to thank God for her healing, and then I delivered a white sweater donated by a Christian lady from Lima. She told me that when His church opens its door she will come to pray and praise to God.

I also visited a new believer, Lady Maura, and she told me that she was very grateful to God because her father was healed by God and now he was walking with his stick. So praise God!

Also, I visited new believers, a child named Tatiana and her mother, to deliver a gift of shoe cream and brush. They very grateful. Then at night I visited Marcial, the man who was suffering pains in his chest. I prayed with his family and Alisson for 15 minutes, and the next day he was healed by God. So Hallelujah!

I went with Pastor Ezequiel to talk with the First Mayor, Mr. Escudero, to coordinate the support offered by Mayor Lorenzo Milla (a Christian) of the Yanama district for the building of the church. Mr. Escudero ordered to one truck driver to come when we need to carry the earth to prepare mud for the building.

Preparing bricks for the church. (Photo by Jaime Servat)

We also purchased wood that was necessary.

Pastor Ezequiel then delivered a new budget for the building of His church. The building cost has risen.

Expense report: A gift of US$5,000 received in December 2012 was an answer to prayers we had been lifting since May 2011 to build a church in Chalhua. Land for the church was purchased for US$1,550 in January 2013. Construction on the church began with US$1,370.42 in late April; US$1,027.37 was wired May 31, and the last of the original $5,000 gift ($1,052.21) was wired July 1

There is a current (and urgent) need of an additional US$2,800 to complete the construction of the church building. More funds will be needed to provide sanitation, electricity, water, and finish the inside of the church.

Mud brick walls going up on Chalhua church. (Photos by Jaime Servat)

I delivered gifts to Alisson and her grandmother Teresa. (Alisson is the young girl that we first met on Mission: Peru 2011. Climbing For Christ has been helping her and her family since that time.)

I was helping Alisson resolve some homework from her school. She told me that she is participating in the sub-14 volleyball team at her school, which needs some support to go to other districts or provinces. I said, “I will be supporting you with His favor.” We prayed that God would provide for our needs for the church building, and for good health and protection from God to us, especially when Alisson travels to play volleyball. They have one school championship won and will be playing more competitions. So Hallelujah!

On Friday, June 7, I returned to Huaraz, where C4C Peru is based. I then went to the capital city of Lima on Saturday, June 8 until Wednesday, June 12.

I arrived in Lima and went with my father, Jose A. Servat, and my brother, Carlos J. Servat, to visit the cemetery where my mother Dolores Abigail Osorio de Servat is resting. My brother Carlos has been in the States for 12 years and he could not see my mother when she was in the hospital and died in December 2006.

Our family had a meeting in the house of my uncle to talk about the life of my brother and his family in the States. I had a lunch with my brother Carlos and his friend Kastner, where we remembered old times when we were joined in Lima city.

I also had a meeting with brother Abel Bardales to share about my mission works and prayer.

One morning I was invited by U.S. missionary David Lyons to take a coffee and talk about my mission work. After that I was invited again to take breakfast in his apartment in the Magdalena district. David Lyons asked me about radio stations in the highlands because a U.S. ministry is interested in preaching His Name in the Quechua language through South America.

I visited brother Alejandro Yarcho in San Borja district, where we had a special time to pray for the worldwide missions of Climbing For Christ. I also met brother Angel, a C4C member, for dinner and prayer together for Climbing For Christ worldwide missions.

Finally, in the apartment of my sister Maria, our family had a lunch to say good bye to my brother Carlos and his two daughters, who were very blessed to stay 12 days. It was the first time the daughters had visited Peru.

On Thursday, June 13, I returned to Huaraz, where I spent the rest of the month.  I was visiting C4C members Jans, Juber, Franklin, Edwin, and others, to share about and pray for the church building. I received a visit of Pastor Ezequiel from Chalhua.  He delivered the budget for the church build and told me that they had had rainy days. We were praying to God to provide for His church because the building costs are high.

Then I was coordinating with C4C members Edwin, Jans and Franklin about Mission: Peru 2013, which begins in July. Jordan Rowley, spiritual coordinator for Climbing For Christ, and his brother Justin will be making their third trip to Peru from July 8-21. We are praying for the success of this Evangelic Expedition, which will include worshiping and spending several days in Chalhua.