Berrie Lounsberry
Buenos dias Amigos,
Participating in the Peruvian
Partners Ministry in Flores de Villa was a profound life experience for Ed and
me where we saw God at work in powerful ways! David and Gina Stavros have worked tirelessly over 20 plus
years to develop relationships with the people and spread God’s love. Though there is a language barrier, our
team connected heart to heart with the Peruvians with God at the very
core. From the beginning I fell in
love with the people! You are
greeted with a warm hug plus a kiss on your right cheek. I love to hug so I immediately felt
welcomed! I couldn’t imagine
teaching English to children in a country where I didn’t know the language, but
that quickly became insignificant!
It really is all about coming alongside the people and sharing God’s
love.
Our team of 36 people was
amazing! There were 7 of us from
Colonial: Jeff Lindsay, Elgin
& Sally Manhard, Lance & Josh Steinke, Ed & Berrie Lounsberry. Several other churches were
represented. We didn’t all know
each other initially but by the end of our time together we were deeply
connected! Something unique about
the team were families, offering all different ages. The teens had great experiences with the young women living
in the Darling House and the young men living in the San Jan House. Jeff was a wonderful playground
instructor! Each day he planned
different activities and got to know all the children.
We were blessed with helpers in
our classroom, Claudia and Victor plus an interpreter, Valerie. As our week progressed Valerie’s interpreting
skills advanced and we clearly saw the teaching talent of Claudia. As you have learned we all had the
privilege of visiting homes. Ed,
Gina, our interpreter, and I had an engaging time at Claudia’s home. David and Gina have a vision of starting
a preschool. We learned that
children as young as age 3 are left alone or with young siblings locked in a
home for 7-8 hours while the parents work. This makes our hearts ache! It’s no surprise why Gina chose Claudia to be in Manhard’s
and our classroom- she wanted our opinion on her teaching abilities and asked
if she would be a good fit for the lead teacher. The more we talked the more excited we became! Claudia has her own vision – she wants
to be in a partnership with The Berry Patch having the children make pictures
and correspond with one another on a regular basis. There is a strong heart connection with Claudia and we
committed to Gina and David to help them set up a needed preschool which could
be life changing for the community!
We will share our program and work side by side. Claudia is a psychologist, loves
children, has great teaching skills and is eager to work with us. The Berry Patch is God’s program. He laid the vision on my heart over 30
years ago to start a preschool in our home. Who would have every dreamed we would be working with Gina
and David in Peru to make a difference for children in Flores de Villa! When God lays visions on people’s
hearts, nothing is impossible!
Our visit to Steinke’s family at
the beginning of the week was so moving!
Ed and I were privileged to be a part of the visit with David
interpreting. Lance shared a
beautiful heart filled message with the family and Walter, Martha, and their
oldest daughter responded in very emotional ways. This was our first experience of the week seeing how God
transforms lives! Little did we
realize how many more times we would see God at work throughout the week! Walter and his family are in a very
different place as a result of the relationship that has developed with the
Steinke family.
The Men’s Retreat was phenomenal! Sally and I felt blessed to have been a
part of it and experience the power of Christ in the midst! There were 49 Peruvian men in
attendance. For years men have
been quite absent from family life in Flores de Villa. It feels like a new beginning for the
community with many men committing to being more present and involved. A beautiful thing about Peruvians is
they share their thoughts and feelings from their hearts. This allows others to see God at work
in mighty ways!
I am deeply touched to have been
called by God, and nudged by friends, to be a part of this trip! I believe my life has been changed
forever by the love and joy I experienced from my new Peruvian friends! I can’t wait to return to Flores de
Villa next year!
Love, Berrie
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