Hello Everyone!
I sincerely hope that you are all doing well, and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done to make what God has privileged me to do possible; your prayers, your encouragement, your fellowship, and your support have made lots of opportunities possible and I can’t wait to find out one day how God has chosen to multiply them.
Throughout April, May and June of this year the core of the ministries I participate in have continued on with kids, teens and ladies growing closer to the Lord and learning more. I’ve seen a couple college and career age young women slowly but surely returning to church and the things of the Lord, kids telling their friends about our Bible clubs and inviting them to come, and people in the community I’ve chatted with for years come to know Christ. It’s been a wonderful and joyous time the last few months.
The last few months have also brought several new, exciting, and terrifying opportunities that I want to share with you. At the end of April I travelled back to Piura (the city I visited in September) to conduct a two-day Sunday school and children’s ministry training event. I had the privilege of working with a group of about 40 people from 6 area churches, teaching on topics including what the Bible teaches about children, what it means to “minister” or “serve,” a survey of the stages of childhood development (physical, moral, spiritual, cognitive, and emotional) and how digital media has changed the structure and function of the brain. We also spent time talking about classroom management, safety, visual aids, games, Bible verse memory, and music.
While in Piura I was also given the opportunity to speak at an event for single young women. I had been asked to speak for about an hour and 15 minutes more or less on the theme of “young Christian women in the face of feminism.” After lots of study, and determining exactly what feminism is and isn’t, I spoke to about 120 young women from about 8 different churches on what exactly it is, our misconceptions and our responses to truth/deception, authority and identity.
To be quite honest, at first I was thrilled to be invited to both speak at the young ladies’ event and conduct the training seminar, but then fear and insecurity began to creep in. I knew the topic I’d been asked to speak on at the ladies event was so vast it was often turned into a field of study in universities, and also that many churches had many different ideas as to what it meant. I saw posts from a few friends attending other children’s ministry training events, and saw posts from a few organizations known for training in children’s ministry around the world and began to question what I had to bring to the table… why ask me instead of one of these professional organizations. God quickly reminded me (like – within 10 minutes of seeing some of these posts) of the young boy who gave the bread and fish to Christ. The young boy didn’t multiply the food himself, nor did he choose what Jesus did with it. He just gave it, let God decide how to multiply it and let Jesus decide who would get what. Each time I began to doubt, I remembered, my job was to give. I may never know how God has chosen to multiply what was taught during that trip, but I do know it changed a few lives and I was asked to return next year to conduct both events again as well as invited to conduct the training in some other areas as well.
Here in Cieneguilla, I have had the opportunity to conduct the first part of the children’s ministry training seminar, and to participate in several other new ministry opportunities within the community. Life is returning back to normal after Covid, which for us means several missions groups coming and working with Mike and Chelene Kennedy, New Life Children’s Home, and New Life Baptist Church to minister to schools, churches, and neighborhoods here in Lima. I’ve been so blessed to be a part of the ministry team – teaching and translating – with the groups a few days a week over the last month and a half. I’ve had the chance to translate the gospel and testimonies in several area schools, to translate lessons at church, to help build houses and feed people who struggle to get by. I’ve also been privileged to participate as we have done ministry in a local rehab center – honestly probably one of my absolute favorite places to minister! I have personally had the opportunity to share the gospel with several individuals, some accepting Christ, and some who have begun coming to church with us.
Again, thank you so much for all you all do. Without your dedication to Christ, to missions, to your church, and to those who serve I would not get to be here. Thank you for being the resources that our great Source uses in His work.
Serving with joy – Pam Drout