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Our ministry | What do we do? | Who are we? | Where do we live and work?
REPORT FROM THE DISCIPLESHIP GROUP DRUING THE YEAR 2001:
The group started in February 2001 with eleven children and teenagers. In April, another eleven participants joined the group, who had been on vacation. During the following month, almost half of the participants abandoned the group because they could not fulfill the requirements of regular attendance, homework, support from their parents, etc. From the start it had been our goal to do quality work and involve only those children and teenagers who demonstrated a real commitment to the Lord. For this reason we required the partipants to be faithful in their attendance and homework, in the same way as an average school would require this of their students.
| During a first stage we taught and trained some basic habits in order to maintain a personal relationship with the Lord: Daily quiet time, lecture of the Bible, prayer, maintaining a pure life before the Lord, restoring personal relationships, testifying about the Lord. At the same time we stressed their responsibilities at home (in coordination with their parents): getting up at time, keeping their belongings in order, doing their school homework and their household duties assigned by their parents. |  |
(Photo): During an "adventure trip", we learned to overcome obstacles together. |
Once each month we had a meeting with the
parents of the participants. In these meetings, parents commented
about the progress they observed in their kids, and we taught
them about the principles of our work and about the spiritual
capacities God gave the children.
| From May, we added at the end of our weekly meetings a time of rehearsal in "creativity groups" chosen by the children. There was a group for singing, one for choreography and one for theatre. In these groups we practiced some evangelistic presentations, in order to use them later in church services and evangelistic outreaches. |  |
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In June we had a camp of three days, with the following goals: To learning and to practice to intercede for the city of Cusco; to learn how to work together as a team; and to meet challenges together. One of the challenges, for example, was climbing together a mountain 4400 meters (14'600 feet) high before sunrise. (Photo to the left.) - In that camp we had also the first "official" presentation of our songs and dramas. |
From July to September, we gave much importance to Christian character qualities, such as honesty, justice, purity, compassion, etc. In each meeting we encouraged the participants to share about how they practiced one of these qualities during the past week.
| In August, we had the
first opportunity to minister together as a team. We took
part in a conference of several churches in a remote
region of the highlands around Cusco. The people at the
conference were particularly impressed when the main
actor of the drama, 8 years old, gave his testimony how
he got to know Jesus Christ personally. (Photo to the right: The children of the discipleship group help leading a praise time with the children who attended the conference.) |
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We were also in charge of the program for the children in that place. The teachers taught them a Biblical story, and then splitted them up in small group. Each group was led by two children or teenagers of the discipleship group. They ministered to the children in prayer and taught them how to give their lives to Jesus (see photo at the left), then taught them a small craft. - A special challenge was the language. People in that region speak Quechua, and most smaller children did not understand Spanish. Of "our" children, on the other hand, very few spoke Quechua, so these children had to act as translators for the rest. This situation made the children aware of some of the hindrances and challenges a missionary has to face. | |
| In October and November, we focused on planting a missionary vision in the children, and we encouraged them to seek personally for God's purpose and calling for their lives. Together we participated in the "30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus", and contributed to the program of a missionary church service in their church. |  |
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We were also appointed for leading the children's program at an evangelistic outreach of the church to a poor neighborhood of Cusco. After preparing in prayer and intercession, we presented our songs and dramas in the yard of a school, with about 150 children attending. By now our "disciples" were more courageous; they testified about their life with the Lord and called the children to receive Jesus. After that, we continued the program by age groups in four classrooms. The children were taught about the Prodigal Son and learned how to make colorful cards. During this time, the children of the discipleship group ministered to the children who wanted to give their life to Jesus. We hope that the work in this place will continue with the help of the teachers and children of the discipleship group. |
In December, we had our final celebration
in a service of the church.
We are very thankful for everything the Lord did in the lives of
the children and teenagers. We see them now more courageous, more
faithful and more mature.
The two teachers from that church who participated, Melva and
Toño, are willing to lead the discipleship group in the coming
year. Unfortunately there are not more teachers ready to do this
work. Four teenagers of the group, who had been leaders of small
groups during this year, will fill in the gap: they will be
auxiliary teachers next year. Let us pray for them, and also for
Melva and Toño, that the Lord may strengthen them for their
work, and that He may call more teachers with a vision for making
disciples of the new generation.
We from "Hijos del Altisimo" are planning to lead a
similar project in another church during the year 2002, so this
ministry can be multiplied.
We asked the children to tell us the most important thing they learnt during this time of discipleship, and what God had done in their lives. Here are some of their answers:
"This year I started to pray and to praise the name of God. I learnt that the most important thing is obeying God. Now I am behaving well at school, and I do no longer argue nor fight." - Saraí (8 years)
"I learnt to love my enemies and to forgive, because God is forgiveness. Before I made many people suffer, but now I speak about God's love. - I am thinking of serving the Lord by singing for Him and touching the hearts of many people, because many people give their lives to God because of a song." - Maricruz (13 years)
"I learnt to talk more with God, and I trust Him more. Now I pray to Him almost every day; before I did not pray." - José (8 years)
"I learnt that everything, everything that happens is not by chance, but because God ordained it this way. Now I ask Him many questions and look for answers in the Bible about what is good and what is evil. Before I did not mind if I plesased the Lord or not." - Lucía (12 years)
"God used me when I preached to my friends about (the dangers of) Halloween. In the future I want to serve Him being a missionary and going to other countries to preach." - David (12 years)
"My relationship with God is now more direct and I do not fear to talk to Him nor to ask Him about things I do not know. My life changed a lot because now I feel more ready to praise and worship God with all of my heart. He used me in a way I never expected, by playing music for Him. My dream is going from place to place evangelizing by means of music." - Clever (16 years)
"Before I never read the Bible, but now I am reading it. I preach to my friends near my home, to the friends of my brothers and sisters, and to my parents." - Jackeline (8 years)
Our ministry | What do we do? | Who are we? | Where do we live and work?
