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Published: July 23rd 2010
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IEP in Mirones Bajo
The church is located one block from where I live, just like in Iola! What's different, though, is that I can arrive 20 minutes after church is supposed to officially start here and I'm still early!! This culture makes me look like I run on time. The church that I attend here in Lima was founded in the house where I live. Like the strong walls of the family house that surrounded those first members, my Peruvian family (the Barreras) remain a strong foundation for the IEP (Iglesia Evangelica Peruana) church in Mirones Bajo.
In 1977, Saul Barrera, the father of Damaris and Deborah and all the other D-named siblings, saw that people from Mirones Bajo were traveling long distances on Sunday mornings to attend the IEP located in another part of Lima. He recognized that this made little sense, when time and money are often hard to come by. So Saul and his wife Herlinda (the dear sweet mother who is still recovering in Brazil), along with three other families, founded what is the church I attend today. For many, many years the church was situated in the first floor of the house. It then moved to other locations in the neighborhood for a few years before finally settling in the building it's in now. The building had previously been a movie theater, but was run-down and was being used as a garage when the members of IEP Mirones Bajo were looking for a property
Bible Study
Pastor Hector and one of the young adults read a passage I selected for the Bible study I led. We were reading what God has to say about how we treat the environment. to buy. And so now they've been there for a few years. I've learned that visiting short-term mission delegations over the years have helped to build and repair the building, but I am so impressed by the way the members of this church can dream. They aren't waiting for more gringos to come to assist them, they are taking full charge of their plans and dreams for their church building!
As a way to raise funds for the building, last Sunday the church hosted an event called "Platos Típicos." This event, which offered typical Peruvian food to the neighborhood, was a big undertaking for the church. For weeks they planned and promoted. Individuals and families committed to preparing certain dishes. Everyone was encouraged to spread the word. For weeks during the Thursday night prayer time members prayed for the event, hoping that it would be successful. And let me tell you...it was definitely that! Everyone came together so well on Sunday to make the event successful AND fun! Members young and old took turns at the mircrophone calling out to passing neighbors, encouraging them to stop in to eat. The women served up heaping plates of delicious food. The
Juli and the Sunday School kiddos!
There are lots of active kids this this church! picante de cuy (which is guinea pig in a spicy sauce) was the first dish to run out!! I was bummed because I was finally going to try guinea pig! Another day, I suppose....
It's going to be really hard to leave this church in a few weeks. From day 1 they have welcomed me with open arms. And while in theory that's what the church is supposed to do, I think we all know that not all churches are warm and fuzzy to new visitors. But this church has been. I have loved attending the Wednesday night Bible Study and the Thursday night prayer time. Participating in these two weekly events has given me the opportunity to get to know the members on a different level. Without that time together, I wouldn't know the joys and concerns of many of them. That opportunity for a mid-week check-in is so important to me. Sundays are wonderful in their own way. The service is always full of beautiful music, led by the grupo de músicos. Sermons are either given by the new pastor, Héctor, or from Harry Horne, the PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker that attends there, or another guest preacher. This
Stress
Marcos got a little frustrated during our poster making project, which his sister picked up on right away. She took advantage of the fact that a paper saying "Stress" just happened to be lying around. Marcos had no clue this was going on until after the picture was taken! He agrees that it's a pretty funny picture. Sunday I'm preaching!!
One of my favorite groups of people within the church is the young adult group that meets on Saturday nights. It seems that we range from young to mid-20's to maybe late 30's. We gather together for a time of singing, games, a brief devotional and then we work on things for upcoming events that we are hosting. This Sunday we are having a Clean-up Day for the church and the little park across the street. This event is just one of the pieces to a large environmental campaign that the young adults are promoting. I'm really impressed by this group and how they're so proactive about things. They identify important issues that they think the church needs to hear about and they make sure to push them. The individuals are committed and enthusiastic and I appreciate the way they have allowed me to join them these couple of months. I will miss them mucho when I leave!
I'm so grateful that being placed with my host family opened the doors to becoming a part of the IEP church in Mirones Bajo. The nature of my particular internship did not require involvement with a specific
Saquemos la mugre!
Jonathan shows off one of our posters advertising the upcoming clean-up day at the church! church, but that's important to me, so right away I wanted to find a home church here in Lima. And so things came together as I sought them out. I deeply appreciate the way I have been accepted as a regular congregant, as well as given the opportunity to step up and lead Bible studies and even preach! Wish y'all could visit this place! It's full of so many wonderful people ready to welcome you!
Oh, and if you arrive 20 minutes after the official starting time, you will still be early. : )
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CJ
non-member comment
love those pictures!