If we were to sum up the month of June in one phrase it would be ‘a whirl-wind’. As we prepared for our international move we also had the responsibility to train those who would take our jobs at the office along with the leadership of 2 work and witness teams. We felt like we had never been as busy in all of our time working in Peru!
The time with the work and witness teams was wonderful. The Love Works team saw a group of 12 Point Loma Nazarene University students spend 3 weeks evangelizing in Peru. They spent 10 days in Lima painting and cleaning 3 churches in poor areas of the city. The impact was amazing, with people from the communities wanting to know what would bring American students to their neighbourhood. Their last 10 days were spent in Cuzco where they were involved in door to door evangelism and Jesus Film showings. They witnessed 8 people giving their lives to the Lord. The second team came from Bel Air, Maryland, our stateside home church. The time with them was personally renewing for both of us as we were able to spend time with our pastor Russ Long and friends form the Bel Air Church. Their impact in Pisco, the area most severely hit by last years earthquake, was tremendous as they lead a children’s bible club and prepared and poured the roof on the new district center for the church.
It was a truly satisfying task for both of us to be able to train Peruvians to take over our responsibilities in the Field Office. You may have heard one or the other of us saying that it is the dream of a missionary to support the handover of the church to nationals and then move on. We have not only been able to participate in this transition with the appointment of Rev Segundo Rimarachin as Field Strategy Coordinator, but we have also been able to pass on our individual responsibilities to Peruvians. Doug trained the first national field finance & office manager and Jen trained the first national Child Sponsorship coordinator. Now the Field Office team is made up completely of Peruvian staff! It feels like perfect timing to be moving to another assignment as we feel a sense of accomplishment in our part of the transitions that have taken place in the past 3 years in Peru.
As we completed our work, hosted teams and once again packed our home into boxes we did have the opportunity to get together with friends for baby showers, parties and farewells. One of the most memorable days of our last week in Peru will be the trip that we took to Iquitos. Hermano Segundo Rimarachin and his wife Lourdes took us to Iquitos in the jungle as a thank you gift. What an amazing day it was! We had dreamed about going to the deep jungle and thought that we would not make it. The day was filled with traditional food, boat trips up the Amazon River to visit tribes and jungle animals, and tours of the city and the surrounding jungle.
Peru, and specifically the Peruvians will always hold a place in our hearts. We have experienced a myriad of emotions during our 3 and a half years serving in Peru. We have faced some of the hardest days of our lives along with some of the most joyous ones. We leave not only with a sense of accomplishment but also having learnt many valuable lessons that we will take with us to South Eastern Europe. We leave not only feeling a sense of sadness and loss as we say goodbye to friends, but giving thanks for the wonderful relationships we maintain and the memories that will last a lifetime. We thank God for all that he has done in our lives in Peru, all that he has taught us, all that he has done through us and for all that he is doing and will continue to do in the Peruvian Church.
We will we back one day and we are looking forward to it… we do after all have a Peruvian son 
