Mission Peru

by Anh Pham Ha, Mississauga Chinese Alliance Church

Coming to Peru has been an amazing experience so far! The food is great, chicken and rice, (what more can you ask for) and the kids are so energetic and just want to play. But something that really stood out to me is really being able to see unity in God’s church, all of us working together as different parts of the body of Christ. Not only do we meet new people from four other churches but we get to work together and glorify our God with believers in a completely new country. Although going to church with a pastor speaking a different language, it was more important to focus on the feeling of being in church and not being fixated on the words. It’s amazing to see different people, coming together and worshiping the same God. It was honestly surprising to see how similar the service was to our normal Sundays. The worship session was identical to what we have back home, we broke bread together and even prayed for one another. Maybe we didn’t follow all that the locals were praying about but we still greatly appreciated that they took time to care for a mere stranger that they had never met before. You realize that you might have more in common with people in another country than you do with others from the people in your own town. It’s so easy to love people who look like you, talk like you and act like you and it’s easy to stay in your own little bubble but getting out of your comfort zone and simply loving and getting to know strangers is so much more fulfilling. I’ve met so many new people on the trip and I’ve gotten to hear a chunk of their personal life and walk with God and it’s just something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I stayed at home. With the Peruvians, we don’t exchange many words but being in the company of other believers and connecting on that spiritual level is priceless and honestly brings me to tears just about every time. It goes to show that God is working in unfathomable ways and we may never know if we don’t go out to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I can’t wait to see what else is in store and what else I can learn from the people that I encounter every day and take these lessons and memories with me back to Canada :)