Recently, Christ Church commissioned and blessed a group going to The Amazon River – to Islandia, Peru – to serve in the name of Christ. Thank you, church, for sending us. Here’s a brief recap of the outreach…  

By the Numbers:

• 1200+ men, women and children from multiple villages received care in the Medical Clinic by a team of doctors, dentists, an optometrist and a pharmacy team
• 1000+ heard a clear presentation of the Gospel given by members of our team
• 140 received new prescription glasses through the optometrist
• 60 people from Colombia came to serve
• 18 people from Christ Church came to serve
• 11 couples were married at a huge wedding at the end of the week
• 7 were baptized in the Amazon River

Of course, these numbers only tell part of the story. They can’t possibly convey the thousands of conversations, the laughter, the sweat, the prayers, the camaraderie with people from different cultures, or the love that grew among our team members (did I mention the sweat?!) It was a sweet time. The Lord was faithful and very present.

For me, the highlight of the week came on the final night in Islandia, where Pastor Jaime, our missionary partner and the head of the outreach, invited couples – anyone who wanted – to get married. (Marriage is not valued in that culture, but during the week, Pastor Jaime preached about the importance of Christian marriage and how it can be a picture of the gospel and a light to others.)

Picture the scene – all week, the village was jam packed with hundreds of people who were there for the medical clinic. At the same time, the village was hosting a major soccer (futbol) tournament, where teams from all over were in town to play, and in the very same space as the crusade. The place was buzzing!

On the final night of the crusade, between soccer games, our outreach team hastily set up a make-shift wedding venue in the middle of the gym floor. 11 couples had been given new clothes -wedding clothes. They were looking fine and were seated in the middle of the gym floor.

Pastor Jaime preached powerfully to the standing-room-only crowd about how Christ loves us like a groom loves his bride. And then, after the vows were exchanged, the new husbands were invited to kiss their brides. In that moment, everyone stood at once to get a peak, and then we all broke out into spontaneous applause, whistles and shouts of joy. It was wild!

It was not only a verbal presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but a powerful visual picture of God’s love – one that won’t be forgotten.

What a blessing to be a part of Christ Church as we are seeking to Love Like Christ – those in our community and around the world. For the sake of Christ!