By Lindsay Geverink, SF Peru
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation. Isaiah 52:7
Bringing good news… to the mountains, to the desert, to the jungle, to the big cities, and to the isolated villages. How truly beautiful are the feet of the Peruvians who carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the various terrains of their country.
I smile just remembering the sweet testimony shared by one newly trained SF coach at our last Basic Training. Mabel, one of the coaches from the mountain town of Ayacucho, cried tears of thankfulness as she told us how God had grown a desire and passion in her to reach out to her community in a practical, personal way.
At the end of the SF training, Mabel (left) recognized that God had not only prepared her heart, but had also provided her with this sports ministry training in order to bring the Truth to the youth and families of her rural village. Mabel is just one incredible example of the way that God is moving in the lives and hearts of His children across Peru.
Peru is such a diverse land: 103 people groups, 93 languages, and 25 regions each with their own cultures. Yet, one of the few common languages connecting all people is sports. Throughout the various regions, Peruvian Christians are beginning to recognize that sports can be a useful tool to reach out to those that do not yet know Christ. Sports ministry is opening doors, creating relationships, building trust, and demonstrating love across this predominantly Catholic Christo-Pagan country. As the Peruvian Evangelical Church seeks to be a light throughout all areas of their nation, the vision of sports ministry is quickly spreading.
Eduardo is another man who attended our most recent SF Basic Training. Like Mabel, he is not from a city, but from a more rural region of Peru. Although Sports Friends Peru began in Lima, we’re encouraged by this growth of sports ministry outside of Peruvian cities, particularly in the jungle and mountain regions. Eduardo has such a hunger to serve that he traveled 35 hours by boat and bus from his small jungle village just to attend the training!
It’s exciting to watch Peruvians filled with a passion to share God’s love and disciple their fellow countrymen, desperate for their nation to shine with Christ’s truth in every area. We are praying that the leaders developed through SF may be some of the forerunners in impacting the remaining nine unreached people groups in Peru for Christ.
What a privilege it is to witness God’s amazing work as He captures the hearts of people far and wide. As God moves in the lives of the Peruvian people in a real and personal way, please join us in praying for His Truth to be made known in every corner of Peru and for His glory to be displayed!