What are we doing in Peru?

AABC is currently involved in beginning a church planting movement among Ayacucho Quechua, in the village of Cordova, located in the Andes Mountains of Peru.  You can continually receive updated information on our progress by subscribing to our World Impact feed to the right. 

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Psalm 67:1-3

This week we were able to bust through our 2009 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal of $30,000.00. This money goes directly to IMB missionaries serving among the unreached around the world. In 2009, we not only met our Lottie Moon goal we also took in an additional $20,000.00 that goes directly toward our Ends of the Earth work. Our Ends of the Earth work includes church planting efforts among the Ayacucho Quechua in the village of Cordova, Peru. In 2010, we are praying for an increase in short-term teams and an extended presence in the village. These additional fund will help us accomplish this goal.

This Sunday we will take up a special Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in our morning worship service. This money goes directly to IMB missionaries who are serving Southern Baptists around the world by taking the gospel to those who have never heard. Everything we take in beyond our goal of $30,000.00 will go toward our church’s own Ends of the Earth work. Watch this short video reminder from Pastor David Prince and pray about what you will give this Sunday.

Ashland Avenue Baptist Church has been working among the Ayacucho, Quechua in the village of Cordova, Peru in the Andes for two years now. Last summer, a nurse named Betty bowed her knee to King Jesus. In this video, Betty shares her heart about our church’s work in the village of Cordova.

(from left: Betty, Pastor Jeremy, Ali)

For nearly five years now, Ashland Avenue Baptist Church has been involved in the process of planting a church in the Andes Mountains of Peru.  We took a couple of years to investigate, plan, and pray.  We then launched our first series of short-term mission teams into the Andes to the village known as Cordova in March of 2008.   In all, we have sent six teams into the village, each team spending a week ministering to the various needs of the villagers.  We also planted 5 college students in Cordova for the months of June and July.  Our overall goal in 2008 was to establish a presence in the village through acts of service and personal evangelism.  After our first year of ministry in Cordova, we can say we accomplished our goal. 

In July of 2008, we were all overwhelmed with excitement upon hearing that there were two new converts in the village.  Along with a nurse named Betty, a man named Ali had come to faith in Christ.  Ali had a reputation of being ‘really bad.’  His background was full of sin and broken relationships.  After a few weeks of being around our summer missionaries, Ali had become interested in hearing how he could change his life.   Then one night, after preaching about the prodigal son, Casey McCall (our college ministry leader) was able to lead Ali to faith in Christ.  Ali humbly got on his knees and through faith in Jesus begged God to change Him. 

Immediately, Ali began to share the good news with others in the village.  Ali’s father, Enrique, told us, “My son has changed!” Pastor Nate Bevier was able to baptize Ali in a frigid pool of water in the Andes.  Our church family watched the video of Ali’s baptism and rejoiced!  We had pled with God for this to happen.  We were beginning to see God answer our prayers and move in village of Cordova. 

Our prayer was that Ali and Betty would be strategic in leading others in the village to Jesus and helping us establish a church in Cordova.  As the year in Cordova came to a close in October, Ali promised us that he would continue to share the gospel in Cordova.  As we drove away from Cordova, we only wondered what would happen over the course of the next four months.  

Anxious to get back to Cordova, our church family has been sitting on edge waiting to hear how Ali and Betty are doing.  Last week, we received the report from Cordova that Ali had died.   Ali fell from 30 feet while installing a satellite dish in the village.  He was taken to a hospital some distance away for an emergency surgery, which was unable to save his life.  Such news was bitter sweet for our church body.

When the announcement came on Sunday there were tears of pain in the eyes of members of our church who have never set foot in Cordova. Hundreds from AABC who have not and probably never will go to Cordova know Ali.  They have seen pictures, watched videos, and heard stories of him and his faith. Even more, they prayed for his salvation and perseverance as a believer.  

It is with heavy hearts that we look back on our encounter with Ali.  But amidst the sadness there is reason to rejoice in the providence of God. 

Ali is originally from the city of Ica, Peru.  Ali and his father were under contract to do construction work in the village of Cordova for approximately one year.   According to the providence of God, the year they were assigned to the village would be the year in which our short-term teams would begin going to Cordova.  We now know that this would also be the last year of Ali’s life.  All of this was God’s perfect timing. 

While we plan, pray, and strategize for the long-term process of seeing a church established in Cordova, we must recognize what God has already done through the efforts of short-term mission teams and the sacrificial support of our church body.  God graciously brought Ali from Ica 70 miles from Cordova for a short time to hear the gospel from a group from Lexington, Kentucky thousands of miles away from Cordova.  He became our friend and brother in Christ whom we will serve the King with together forever.

What is the recipe for a successful ministry?  Does a church need all the right programs and discipleship materials?  Do they need to spend a little more time on the mission field to teach other cultures everything that has made our own churches successful?  In I Thessalonians the apostle Paul finds himself in a great dilemma.  He faithfully preached the gospel to those in Thessalonica.  But he had to leave those believers and hope that God would preserve them in the face of persecution.  Perhaps successful ministry has less to do with our talents and ingenuity than we would like to believe.  Listen as Pastor Jeremy challenges us to abandon our pride and give God the glory for building his church.

 

 What can we teach ourselves in Cordova? Selected Scripture: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (300)