When we first moved to Peru, we began to volunteer at a local church in the center of downtown Lima. There was a man who went to the church who walked with a limp, because he had been injured in a traffic accident with one of the buses. Every time we would come to the church, he would come to us and ask us for money. There was always a downcast look in his eyes, and I felt like he carried shame heavy on his shoulders like a weight.

Being green to the mission field and eager to help, we handed him the equivalent of $30 one Sunday. Afterward, the pastor of the church called us into his office and asked us not to give him any more money. “He’s just a beggar,” the pastor said. “Don’t give him any more of your money.”

We thought about those words for the rest of the week. Society defined him as a beggar. The church even defined him that way. One glance at his clothes and his limp would tell anyone that he was part of a group of people who society labeled as “less than.”

As an organization, our goal is to Empower, Disciple, and Spread the love of Jesus to the nations. You’ve probably read that phrase somewhere on one of our social media sites. The idea of empowering others was born that day, when we realized that handouts weren’t the answer.

As we began to pray and ask Jesus how we should proceed with the whole situation, God gave us the idea of purchasing something from the man. We knew that he could make things, because he had told us. We decided to ask him if he would be interested in making bracelets for us. The very next Sunday, we asked and he happily agreed. After that, every single Sunday he would give us a certain number of handmade bracelets, and we would give him 100 soles for them.

Our relationship with him began to change. Instead of approaching us with shame and a lowered gaze, he began to talk with us and joke with us about different things. We became more like the brothers and sisters that Jesus calls us to be as the body of Christ. The label of beggar was shrugged off like an old jacket, and dignity took its place.

Missions is not about handing things to people and being their savior. It is about coming alongside what God is already doing in their lives and empowering them to fulfill the destiny that God has for them, using the resources and time that God has given us.

I am forever grateful for our friend in Peru who made the bracelets and taught us the importance of empowering those who we are called to serve. Unknowingly, he shaped the heart of our organization forever.

Join us as we empower, disciple, and spread the love of Jesus to the nations by joining our support team.

 

All for Jesus,

 

Ellyn