Teaching at ATEK

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Ola from Peru! 

So our team is officially a week into our trip. Now, I do not mean a week in Peru, I mean a week into our trip. For those who have not read earlier posts, we travelled for 29 hours just to get here. But, those 29 hours were worth it, because, ever since we landed in Cusco we have seen God do some amazing things.

Today began just like any other day here at ATEK. EARLY! I believe all of us had our alarms set for 5am, and most of us hit the snooze button. Well, I did. But only because Dave is my roommate and I didn’t want to interrupt his beauty sleep. 

Devotions started at 6am and Liam, one of the youth, was the guest speaker this morning. He did an amazing job of leading us through James 2:14-26 after our team sang a medley of How Great is Our God/How Great Thou Art. Two days in a row the youth have led our devotion times and I have been blessed and encouraged at their ability to lead. We also heard Liam share his testimony of how God gave him peace during a very difficult time in his life. It was a great way for the 27 pastors who are here for training, 9 peru team members, and the ATEK staff to start the day.

While the team had their breakfast after devotions, I went to the classroom where Pastor Bill and I have been teaching so I could get ready for my class. Yesterday I started teaching the second half of a program called “Panorama Biblico” which Pastor Bill was teaching while we were in the village. It basically teaches the entire history of the Bible, and God’s plan for the ages. The first day was a little nerve wracking, but we got through it, and it ended up being a wonderful teaching time. Today, however, was powerful. 

The period in Biblical history we were looking at today was Captivity and the theme was, “God Disciplines the Ones He Loves”. I invited the class of 27 pastors to share about a time in their lives when their parents had to discipline them and it was very effective. They shared with partners first, then a few were asked to share with the group. Two pastors ended up coming to the front and sharing with the group stories of pain, heartache, and the burden of carrying guilt from past sins. One pastor saw his family torn apart at a young age, only to be left in the care and discipline of his grandparents. The second pastor told us about sins from his past, and how a whole village was given the power to punish him for it. As he shared, it seemed as if he was still carrying the guilt of that sin. It was a powerful moment. When the class finished, we prayed that God would heal the past hurts of these pastors so that they may be able to care for others that may be going through similar circumstances. I believe all of us were weeping as we prayed. Praise God for such a great time in class today.

Renovations continued throughout the day. A number of doors were sanded and stained, a couple of walls received a much needed coat of paint, and Super Dave installed a tonne of LED lighting. 

In the afternoon a handful of us took a stroll to the pharmacy which is five or six blocks from ATEK. The clouds in the sky threatened us with rain, the wind whipped the dust into our eyes and nostrils, and the dogs that sing for us every night greeted us with requests to be stroked and fed. It was refreshing to get away from the compound and see the surrounding community. Refreshing until the sudden urge to use the bathroom hit like tonne of bricks. Dond esta la bano!

Pastor Bill closed off the work day with a class on Ephesians, and It is now after supper and the team is singing worship songs, playing chess, and reading the word of God. It’s a relaxing time after another long day. Home sickness is starting to set in for many of us, so your prayers are greatly appreciated in this area. There is also another request that i would like to make. Please pray for the salvation of our bus driver who drove us to the village just a few days ago. He is not a believer, but he was so moved by the work that we were doing in the village with the kids, that he started asking questions about Jesus. He even watched the Jesus Movie with the kids! On one of our hour long drives, Mila, one of the ATEK staff, spent the entire time sharing the gospel with him. Pray that he comes to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

Thanks for keeping up with us and praying for us.

Pastor Chris 

Pastor Bill teaching the pastors 

Pastor Chris teaching the pastors 

47 pastor's from surrounding villages

Dishes fun 

Super Dave 

Worship time before supper 

CleaningCleaning