Dear Friends,
In the summer of 1995, I led a Mission Team into Latin America. It was one of several I’ve led through the years & this summer I did it again. In those 24 intervening years, I have personally traveled on scores of International Crusades myself, and many times friends from North America have accompanied me. But this recent trip to Peru was the first official “Mission Team” that I have led in decades. And what an amazing trip it was!
Our team of almost 30 people from Canada and the U.S. joined over 10,000 other missionaries from Peru and around the world for this summer’s One Nation One Day Event. This is the 4th such event that has happened since 2013. We’ve taken teams on all of them. Honduras, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua were blanketed with the Gospel in past years, and this year, it was Peru’s turn! We work in conjunction with National Churches and the Federal Government to expose as many people throughout the nation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, during one huge, busy week of Ministry.
With over 10,000 missionaries involved in June, this was the largest missionary endeavor ever undertaken by the Body of Christ in the past 2000 years. It was a great privilege to be part of it. Our team—made up mainly of teens and young adults—was fantastic! They zealously preached the Gospel every day in Lima—Peru’s capital city—in public schools, parks, street corners, and even a hospital! For many of our team, this was the first Mission Trip they had ever been on. For some of them, it was their first time outside of North America. During the week, our team directly ministered to over 12,000 people in Lima. Almost 3,000 of those same people made commitments of their lives to Jesus Christ! What a great experience for everyone, but especially for those who were experiencing something like this for the first time! And because we had local believers from local churches teamed up with us as well—working alongside us the whole time—we are confident that the follow-up of these new believers will be great too!
I thought that the best way to sum up this amazing trip was to hear some of our team members’ brief testimonies about how Jesus changed lives—including their own:
Edith (27) our lead interpreter from Lima, writes: “This was an amazing week of ministry. I had just come from the United States two weeks ago and my ear was very sensitive to translate English into Spanish. God whispered to me: ‘I blessed you & I taught you a lot. Now give all that back to me in Lima.’ He showed me that he has control over time and the purpose of our lives on this Earth, as I saw many miracles of salvation and healing.”
Lucy (35) the team leader of our Peruvian friends, writes: “What happened in Peru was surprising in the schools; the presence of God, with the students being touched to be saved and healthy! In the national hospital, Pastor Kevin and the whole team prayed for healing and they were healed. Also on the street, a woman was healed from shoulder tendinitis. She was happy because she had no more pain!”
Caroline (18) from South Carolina, writes: “Oh Peru, you were amazing! This trip taught me that the same power that Jesus had in the Bible, lives inside of you and me. I experienced a lady in a wheelchair walk, a man who was hard of hearing able to hear perfectly. Jesus showed up in a way that I’ve never seen before & thousands of souls were saved because of it. I am never going to forget Peru 2019. Thank you so much to everyone who donated and prayed— you helped us transform a nation.”
Cristina (24) from California, writes: “As we shared with a group in the waiting room of an outdoor hospital, out of the corner of my eye I saw a cop sitting in his car totally interested. Immediately, I knew God was working in his heart. He was on duty, and as a police officer in a macho culture, I was nervous approaching him by myself, so I grabbed Pastor Steve, and we went over to talk to him and his partner. I was translating as Steve began to explain to them about the healing power of God. The policemen were drawn into his words about a God that heals because He loves us. After Steve shared his testimony, those two men surrendered their lives to Jesus right there in their police car! They did it with such joy and peace, knowing that God had greater things for them. It was a beautiful moment!”
Rob (45) from Saskatchewan, Canada writes: “When we were at the emergency room praying for patients, the interpreter and myself noticed a family standing off to the side. We went over to pray for them. After praying for the family, I noticed a police officer coming towards us. We started to walk away thinking he was going to ask us to leave. I knew God wanted us to go talk to him so we went back and asked if we could pray for him. He said, ‘Yes’, and that his back hurt a lot. We prayed for his back and his job. He said his back felt better after. We then asked if he knew Jesus as His Savior and He said he didn’t. We then prayed with him to receive Christ. It was a great day!”
And there you have it! Aren’t those powerful, life-changing testimonies—both for the people who were ministered to, and also our team members? What an amazing Mission Trip! For me, it was 24 years between leading Mission Teams into Ministry like this. I look forward to doing it again, a lot sooner than that! Have a blessed month in Jesus…
For the Lost,
Dr. Kevin Wagner, D.Min.