At the start of 2017, Elizabeth headed out on a missions trip for 2 months. She is back home at New Hope now and recently wrote about the experience to share with some of her child sponsors. We are thankful to her for letting us share it here also. It is so encouraging to hear about her experiences and the things that made an impact. Her reflections are so similar to what many short-term mission teams who come to serve at New Hope share with us as well – the impact of experiencing a new culture and language, being blessed by the very people they have come to bless, and witnessing the joy and contentment of those who have so little. What a valuable experience for her to have!
We strive to support each of our kids in their own spiritual development, knowing that God is at work in the complexities of their unique life stories. We are so grateful that Elizabeth took the opportunity to be a part of this missions trip and pray for the ways God will continue His good work in her life!
Dear friends,
I have recently returned from a 2-month mission trip to Junín. It is in the northern jungle region of Peru! It was extremely hot, and uncomfortable at times but well worth it! I had an amazing experience to visit an ethnic tribe in the jungle for three days. While I was there with my team, we shared the gospel with this tribe, and sang with the children in their language. They had their own language, and did not speak much Spanish! I had a hard time understanding them, but there was a translator with us, which made it so much easier. We also had the opportunity to hand out clothes and food to the tribe.
I then returned to the town of Junín after visiting the tribe for 3 days and stayed in a church for 2 months. There were no beds at the church, so we had to sleep on the floor. We worked a lot with the church, such as sharing the gospel with the townspeople. The church was very thankful for all the work that we did. Toward the end of the missions trip, 6 people from the church were baptized! At the end of the mission trip, they had a going away party for our team, which was a very pleasant surprise. From there, we left the church and went to a big park with rivers and a lot of beautiful land. In this one river, there were fish, called gupis, that gave you a foot massage while your feet were in the water!
On a final note, this missions trip was a huge blessing for me. I learned more about who God really is, and about missions. I also felt as if the people that we ministered to were also a blessing to me! What was interesting to see was that some of these people had so little, yet they were happy just the way they were. With this trip, I learned more about the work God has in store for me in my life.
With much love,
Elizabeth