Page 42 - Demo

40 What an absolutely eye opening experience this has been. May I start by stating that initially, my expectations were in all honesty pretty low in the beginning. Yet by the end, I could not have not felt a greater sense of accomplishment nor had a better time, and I didn%u2019 t even want to leave Peru! All glory and thanks to God for putting me on this path. Preparation for Peru began months before our departure, and from the start it was evident that things would be very different from past missions. Firstly, there would be no Andres %uc120 %uc0dd %ub2d8, who has been an absolutely central figure in leading and guiding our church through Peru, both spiritually and physically. Secondly, our team would consist of a small number, as we were but 4 who were to serve this year in contrast to groups with 10+ members previously. Finally, I would be the only young adult to go, and the large age gap was evident to everyone. Knowing this I constantly received the same question from my peers and those close to me. Why was I going? To be honest I did not have a great answer at the time, and found myself wondering the same thing. Yet I always had this feeling that I must serve on this mission trip even before I was made aware of the mission happening. Without a doubt now, I truly believe that God was telling me to go to Villa El Salvador in Lima and to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ, and looking back I am so glad and humbled I listened. This team started its journey on a quiet bus ride of 4 people on their way to the airport, wondering what these next two weeks had in store for them. By the end, we had grown into an nothing short of a family which included myself, Romano %uc120%uc0dd %ub2d8, Sebastian %uc120 %uc0dd %ub2d8, Scholastica %uc120 %uc0dd %ub2d8, Yacil, and all the sisters with the bond that can only be forged through the will and love of God. One of the biggest reasons for this family coming together was the mission we were tasked with this year to bring to this beautiful community. A favorite and lasting memory from this experience will be the actual mission that we accomplished this year. The goal was to construct a suitable and comfortable house for a large family that had been living in Peru Mission Trip en Villa El Salvador 2024PERU-VILLA EL SALVADORBy: Thomas Lee