Contributed by Mission Team
Contributed
A ShareHim team from the Carolina Conference traveled to Pucallpa, Peru, May 15-26, 2016. Peru has a population of about 30 million people. Pucallpa, which in the native tongue means “Red Hearth,” has a population of about 310,000. It is one of the fastest growing cities in Peru, situated in a hot and humid region on the banks of the Ucayali River in the western most part of Peru.
The Adventist population in Peru stands around 410,000. The host conference was the Western Peruvian Mission. Luis Leonor, pastor and ShareHim manager; Gary Moyer, Carolina Conference vice president for administration; and Israel Mora, pastor and Carolina Conference ShareHim coordinator, were the leaders on this trip. A total of 12 speakers from the Carolina Conference participated, each one holding his or her own series. A few were first-time speakers. A total of 88 baptisms resulted from these meetings. Many more will likely be reached because of ShareHim’s presence in Pucallpa.
One night, the site that was assigned to Samuel Romero, Carolina Conference Hispanic coordinator, was not available. Led by the Holy Spirit, Romero saw a nearby Pentecostal church and said to his congregation, “Let’s ask their pastor if we can use their church.” Being a little hesitant, but wanting to help, the local Pentecostal pastor allowed the Adventist meeting to be held at their church. That night the topic was the Sanctuary. The local pastor was captivated by the message, and decided to investigate more about it.
Romero had also noticed a boy sitting near the front who seemed to be listening attentively to the message. On Thursday night, when Romero gave an altar call, the boy came up to the front along with many others. He was so excited to be baptized that when he was told by the pastor that he would have to get permission from his parents the next day before baptizing him, he said, “Can’t you come to my home this very evening to get my parents’ blessing?” Romero agreed to go. Upon arriving at their home, he was greeted with kindness. When he relayed the boy’s desire to be baptized, to his surprise the mom expressed her desire to be baptized as a family. Romero realized that these parents, although they never attended the meetings, could hear his messages each night from their nearby yard. That Sabbath the whole family was baptized.
Another evidence of God’s providence on this trip was a man who showed up at Moyer’s meetings about halfway through the series. This man, who held a responsible government position, had a very vivid dream during a stay in the hospital for some serious medical problems. In the dream he saw a church building and its members, and the pastor calling him to come down to the front of the church. The day after he returned home from the hospital a neighbor invited him to Moyer’s meetings. As soon as he arrived at the church, he distinctly recognized it as the building and people he had dreamed about. He was baptized at the end of the series, and has plans to help renovate an Adventist church in that region. He also wants to conduct a ShareHim series himself.
Next year, the Conference’s mission trip will be to the Philippines. Why not join the group for a life-changing experience?
Carolina | November 2016
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