The past few days in Lima have been truly incredible. We have seen how God goes before us and orders our steps, and how He can change our plans and replace them with His plans! In Peru, you never now how long something as simple as purchasing a phone card can take. Sometimes it takes hours, sometimes there is a traffic jam, sometimes you need a residency card, sometimes you don’t. You get the picture! It’s kind of hit or miss, so one of the most important things that we do in Peru is pray that God would order our steps each day and we surrender our schedule to Him!
On this mission trip, one of our goals is to gather information and resources for Freedom House and the girls who will be rehabilitated there. We have to find safe partnerships in Lima for these girls, which is the purpose of the anti-trafficking network, Toda Cadena. We were able to sit down with the director of the Women’s Emergency Center in our district and talk with her about resources availalbe for women in Lima. This was truly an appointment set up by the Lord because we showed up unannouced and she was able to meet with us right then and there! At the center, there are two branches of focus: Prevention and Care. The center has a list of safe hospitals in each district where abused women can receive medical care for free! They also supplied us with materials that we can pass out on the streets when we do street outreach so that we never have to turn anyone away. We have been praying specifically for this because although we are reaching out to girls who are being trafficked, there are also many people who are addicted to drugs, being abused, homeless, and street children who need help as well. We never want to turn anyone away without first being able to help them in some way, so this packet of resources that the Women’s Emergency Center gave us is an answered prayer because now, we can refer people to different ministries and organizations who work in that specific area, whether it is providing food, medical care, or treating addiction.
The Director of the Women’s Emergency Center in our district made us an appointment to meet with the Director who is over all of the different types of refuge homes for women in Lima! Although there are no refuge homes for women who have been rescued out of sex trafficking and we have to be extremely careful about the amount of information we disclose about Freedom House, this is an invaluable opportunity for us to gain insight into the legal aspect of opening a refuge home in Peru.
Also, we have partnered with another organization, Make a Miracle, to build a second floor onto the home of one of the families who went through The Lily and The Sparrow’s sponsorship program. It has been such a blessing to see them apply the financial principles that they learned through the sponosorship program to save enough money to have a support column built into the first floor by themselves so that a second floor can be built. We have seen God do amazing things in this family so far and we are excited about what He has for them in the future!
We were also able to have a baby shower for our dear friend, Jacky, who is currently in our sponsorship program to receive an education. She is studying Cosmetology and is also expecting a baby girl! We had so much fun hosting a baby shower for her and providing her new little family with a crib, clothing, a high chair, toys, bottles, blankets, a stroller, and even more! Jacky told us that she was so worried before because she didn’t know how she would be able to provide the things for her baby girl, Mirjens, but that she had been praying and trying to trust God. I remember when I felt that same way when I was pregnant in Peru with my daughter, Jubilee, and missionaries and mission teams gave me SO much more than I even needed! It was a testimony of God’s abundant provision that we were able to pay forward to Jacky! Jacky helps her family take care of the household and also studies full time, so she has been working very hard. It was such a beautiful moment to see God’s provision for her and her sweet baby girl!
We are half way through the week and super excited to see what the next few days hold! God is so good and we are so grateful to be a part of the plans that He has for Peru!
Love,
Ellyn Hunt
[…] Our mission trip to Peru was amazing! We partnered with Make a Miracle to build a second floor onto the home of a family who went through our sponsorship program. Another day, we had a baby shower for Jacky. She is receiving an education in Cosmetology through our sponsorship program as well! We were also able to have several business meetings about Freedom House, including a meeting at the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations where we were given all of the information and steps to legally open a refuge home in Peru. You can read more about those things in Part 1 of this post! […]