March 14, 2007

Peruvian virtues: generosity and community

Dear Friends,

This year was the first year I’ve ever celebrated my birthday outside of North Carolina. It started out all wrong. Some of my Peruvian friends asked me, “What plans do you have.” When I told them I didn’t have any birthday plans, they shook their heads and explained that just wasn’t right.

I can’t quite get a handle on it, but I felt like a culturally defiant gringo. “Yeah, it’s my birthday, and I am going to look for an apartment,” I thought. It was especially frustrating for me, since I consider myself culturally aware.

I walked around Lima alone, and apartment after apartment was already occupied. I finally made my way back to the place where I was staying for a few days. I was sunburned, tired, and agitated that I hadn’t made plans for my birthday. I reclined on the couch and fell asleep to the sounds of Peruvians singing “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” by the Police.

Not every story has a happy ending. This one does though. The next day I went to rehearse music at a small church in northwest Lima.

I’ve been going to this church for the past few weeks. This church demonstrates Christ’s community in practical ways. There is a meal after each worship service. This mealtime was created so that the members could get to know each other and to try to make visitors feel at home. Last Sunday, the church celebrated a baby shower for a woman who was eight and a half months pregnant. She received baby clothes, toys, money, and lots of love.

On Wednesday night, I rehearsed with the music team for this Sunday’s service. After practice, they took me out for chicken, pork chops, and a surprise birthday cake. I forgot all about the day before, and I was taken up by the kind company and the feast that lay before us. Most of the people in the church make less than eight dollars a day, and there I was, eating my fill on their dime.

I am constantly reminded how much we need community. Our vibrancy depends on mutual exchange, kindness, and realizing that each of us makes a difference in this cosmic reality that we call life. I think that is one of the reasons why my Peruvian friends insisted on me making plans for my birthday.

As you reflect on the generosity of those described in this story, please consider how you might share these experiences in your faith community.

Peru Mission Network’s commitment to solidarity with the poor

Over the past two years, I have been involved with a group of Presbyterians from the United States and Peru who have maintained close relationships in churches and non-profit organizations. The Peru Mission Network’s organizing committee has been working dutifully with the Presbyterian Church in Peru to decide how to best partner with them.

We have discovered that this is a difficult task because the Peruvian congregations with the fewest resources do not have the means to maintain an open dialogue with the national office of the Presbyterian Church in Peru. Therefore, the General Assembly (Peru) is hard-pressed to form priorities without communication with their churches, especially from communities in the Andean region, the poorest region in Peru.

The process of connecting with these poorer areas of the country will require constant attention over the next two years. Please consider contributing to my work to connect with these areas of Peru living in extreme poverty in order to establish sustainable, mutually beneficially ecclesiastic relationships. Please pray that the Peru Mission Network will continue to learn from the wisdom, experience, and direction of Peruvians, resulting in more fruitful partnerships.

Peace in Christ,

Jacob Goad