Peru: Teaching English and learning lessons

We have been teaching English three days a week. It is funny, because English is not my first language. I never thought I could teach English, and I never thought I could teach little kids. But to be honest, I really like to teach.

Joy Brown

The other day, I was walking in the market with another student missionary, Alexa. It is a big market that is set up every Sunday where many people go to buy and sell stuff. In the middle of the street, a little girl came running and hugged us. It was one of the girls who go to our English class. It was so sweet, and I will always remember that day!

Every day is different when it comes to our work. Some days we work at the construction site. We paint, we do inventory, and we help bring water and sacks of cement. Some other days, we help teaching English or organizing donations.

Not long ago, a group of American missionaries came to help us with the construction and doing events for kids. I am really thankful I was able to translate for them. In the kids’ events, we do a craft with them, and then the American missionaries tell a Bible story in English, and I translate it into Spanish. I used to be sorry because I speak a lot of Spanish, without realizing how a big blessing to is to speak Spanish. I really like to translate. 

When we are weak, God is strong

I have to be honest. Some days I feel really pathetic and weak in every area of my life. There are situations where I can’t help, and that is frustrating. However, it is when God reminds me that I can’t save people, and I can’t change anyone’s life. I have been thinking a lot about the kingdom of God and how different it is from our human thinking. When we are weak, God is strong. What it is poor for us, for God it is rich in spirit.

When we want to look back, God tell us: “Look how far I have brought you. Look what it is in front of you.” When we want to exalt ourselves, God shows us that Jesus was humble and so obedient he died in a cross. We can see tribulations or difficulties, but Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was put in front of him (Hebrew 12:2) and when we don’t want to serve others, God show us how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. 

Just because we are missionaries or Americans—in my case, Mexican— that doesn’t means we are better than the natives of the country where we are serving. We like to think about ourselves as heroes. In fact, we are so broken, and we depend so much on God. You learn that these experiences in the mission field are not only a ¨summer project¨ that later you can forget about. You are with people—people who feel, people who are beautiful, people who have a humble heart. That show you what really matters.

We are nothing without God

I thought once you became a missionary, your problems would fade way and you immediately become a super-holy person. We have such expectations about ourselves, but then we find out we are nothing without God. 

Even when I see that the mission field is not easy, I am so grateful to my Lord Jesus for giving me this abundant life. Thanks to him, I want to do this the rest of my life.

I was surprised to learn Curahuasi in Quechua means ¨House of Healing¨. Curahuasi is part of the province of Apurimac, that means ¨God speaks” in Quechua. I think God is healing and speaking to many people here, me included!

Joy Brown, a student at the University of Texas at El Paso, is serving in Peru with Go Now Missions.