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2007 Brio Missions:
Frozen Moments in Peru 9/24/07 1:58:02 PM
frozen moments in Peru by Ashley Boyer Photography by Ron Nickel
T
he 2007 Brio missions trip was cold—but not because it was the winter season in Lima, Peru, making sweatshirts the clothing of choice. It was cold because the trip was filled with frozen moments—life-changing moments in which you remember not only every detail of the events but even the details surrounding them. Why? Because you know from this point on, your life will be forever changed. That’s what constitutes a frozen moment. It becomes forever frozen in your mind and heart. Last July nearly 600 teens and adult leaders experienced their own frozen moments on Brio’s 10th annual teen missions trip. It was a special trip because all 10 trips have been organized by Big World Ventures. From the training days in Miami to the ministry days in Lima, lives were changed because God was on the move. We saw more than 7,000 Peruvians give their hearts to Christ! Keep reading to learn how God used ordinary teens to reach a city for God. Go ahead—grab a sweater and a mug of hot chocolate and join me as we experience the frozen moments of Lima, Peru.
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Hundreds of students peruved their faith on the annual teen missions trip!
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A Chilly Beginning The trip began in Miami, where the group met for several days of training. For many students, the journey to get to Miami began months earlier with fundraising. Students did everything from selling hand-drawn postcards to hosting an “American Idol” contest. (Look for more info about fundraising ideas in an upcoming issue of the mag.) Each team of 30 students dove into learning our evangelistic drama, “Toymaker’s Son.” This 22-minute miniproduction tells the story of creation, the fall of man when sin entered the world and Jesus’ death on the Cross to redeem His children. A sound system played a Spanish narration and music to accompany the drama. After two FULL days of rehearsal, each team was ready to take the Gospel through drama to the streets of Peru! But the training days in Miami weren’t just about drama work. Each evening we had a FUAGNEM service (Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute). At one of the FUAGNEMs, we were challenged by the possibility that God could be sending our entire group of 600 to Peru for just one person. Fourteen-year-old Kimber Stevenson from East Greenville, Pa., found her one person while in Peru. “After our drama, a little girl walked up to me and said something in Spanish. She had asked me to pray for her and to tell her how to accept Jesus. So we all prayed for her! I think that girl could have been the reason He sent me!” Did you feel that cool breeze? That was Kimber’s frozen moment. She’ll never forget what it felt like to lead that precious girl from darkness into light. Grab a fuzzy blanket and keep reading. Warning: It’ll get colder!
By buying water and providing
shampoo,
we were able to be the of Jesus to children
hands and feet
who had never experienced having their hair washed.
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Bienvenidos a Peru After the second day of drama training, Britt Nicole 8h_jj jj D_Yeb[ performed a rockin’ send-off concert. (She was also Brio’s July cover story!) Her concert was full of upbeat, high-energy songs and tender moments of worship. For 14-year-old Hannah LeTourneau from Fort Collins, Colo., her frozen moment happened before she even arrived in Lima. In fact, a delay at the airport was part of it! “We got stuck in the airport, so someone came up with the idea of doing our drama, because we knew we had eight hours with nothing to do. We had a little iPod speaker, so we did our drama outside the gates. It was right when a flight was landing, so a lot of people stopped and watched. It was really cool. Right afterward, we went to talk to all the people, including a Muslim woman. She seemed really excited to talk about Jesus and the Bible. So two of us ran down to Barnes & Noble in the airport and bought her a Bible and also gave her a copy of Brio! We made a lot out of our eighthour delay.� Once every team had arrived and everyone was settled in, we had our first day of ministry. Most teams went to local churches and washed children’s hair and then performed the drama. For most of us, hair-washing is something we do every day when we take a shower. But for many Peruvians, water is a luxury they can’t afford, along with electricity and indoor plumbing. By buying water and providing shampoo, we were able to be the hands and feet of Jesus to children who had never experienced having their hair washed. Caroline Green, 14, from Winchester, Va., remembers that experience as an impacting moment. “I’ve washed hair before, but those Peruvian girls’ hair was so thick and long; most of them had never even had a haircut. There were snarls, dirt, lice and dandruff, and whenever I put shampoo in, it would never wash out all the way. I probably got soap in every single child’s eyes, accidentally pulled their hair with my rubber gloves, poured water down their backs, eventually left them with a soapy head of hair and then sent them off to get the tangles combed out. Yet as I was washing their hair, one thing really stuck with me: I didn’t get one complaint, whimper or cry. Those kids were TOUGH! It was a pleasure to wash their hair (even if I didn’t do it very well) and to share the love of Jesus with them.� =[j j^[ ?di_Z[ IYeef
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Bibles and Choice Conversations After hair-washing, it was time for the drama. Some groups performed the drama in a town square, some in the middle of the street and some in tiny villages. But no matter where it was performed, the drama was a powerful testimony to the story of Christ. Afterward, team members went out into the crowd to ask the audience if they wanted to accept Christ as their Savior. Fifteen-year-old Melissa Gibby from Scottsboro, Ala., explains her frozen moment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We performed the drama and afterward Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spirit moved. Lots of people were touched. We started talking to people and getting out Biblesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;everyone was mobbing us for them. It was so cool, because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen anyone so excited to get Bibles. I had an entire Spanish Bible, and one woman kept following me around because she wanted it. So I gave it to her, and she also wanted me to write my name in her Bible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was a pregnant lady, and the translator told me that she was so grateful and so excited for her Bible, that if she had a girl, she was going to name her after me! It touched me, and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even think about it, but I had written in my journal that God would use me and help me make a difference even in just one personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. But I transformed someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life forever. Wow, God is so faithful!â&#x20AC;?
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Seventeen-year-old Nathan Weldon from Cullman, Ala., explains what God taught him on the trip. “The first day we did the drama, and then we began witnessing to those in the crowd. I have horrible Spanish! I was getting frustrated, because I’m the type of guy who loves to communicate with people, and I couldn’t do that. So I had a really bad attitude the rest of the day. I went back and prayed about it. “The next day was a work day, and we were inside painting. One of our leaders came in and said one of the guys needed to come outside to talk to a Peruvian guy. I got to talk to him, but I wasn’t expecting to witness to him. I answered as many of his questions as I could, then I led him in a prayer. God made me realize, ‘Nathan, it’s all in My timing. If you’ll just be obedient to Me and do what I want you to do when I want you to do it, I’ll bless you through it.’ ” Each team served by painting, landscaping and assisting with other building projects. Even though the drama wasn’t presented during work days, students still had the opportunity to share Christ’s love and to lead people to Him. Students who knew some Spanish could actually have a conversation with the Peruvians. Linda Rau, 18, from Taichung, Taiwan, used her Spanish skills to talk with a man about Christ. Here’s her frozen moment: “After one of the dramas, we got to share our faith with the people in the audience. There was a girl whom I was going to talk to, but I felt God telling me to go talk to the guy sitting next to her. So I started talking to him, and he had a lot of philosophical questions. I used my Spanish, and we got a conversation going. I was able to answer some of his questions. In the end, we asked some church people to help him. Even though he didn’t accept Christ on the spot, we planted a seed.”
Fired Up and Getting Colder Each team returned to the conference center where we were staying in time for dinner, followed by a FUAGNEM service. Recording artist Jaime Jamgochian and the Brio Praise Band kicked off each night with an amazing time of worship. Brio editor and evangelist Susie Shellenberger and youth evangelist Steve Russo alternated the speaking duties. During the first FUAGNEM service Susie talked about the river of God and its depth in the lives of each student. She challenged students to be swimming in the river of God—completely consumed by Him. Susie’s next talk was about the body of Christ and the important role that each one of us plays. At the end of the message each student knelt in front of her leader and received a necklace with a puzzle-piece pendant and a verse from 1 Corinthians 12 on the back. Each student heard the words “You are an integral part of the body of Christ” and responded with “I will use my gifts for God’s glory.” For 15-year-old Emily Schneider from Lafayette, Colo., that service was her frozen moment. She explains, “The past school year had been really hard for me with my self-worth. I had come from a Christian school to a huge public school. I had no friends. I was so tempted to cut because I was previously a cutter, but I had stopped. But it became a temptation to drink just to get friends. I was never told that I was worth it.
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“Hearing Susie speak really touched my heart. Going over and having to kneel in front of my team leader caused me to weep. I couldn’t even look in my leader’s eyes. All these people came around me saying, ‘You’re worth it. I love you.’ Just having my leader say ‘You are worth it, and your gifts are special from God, made me realize that I’m worth so much to God, and I’m worth more than I give myself credit for. I’m putting myself back in the jigsaw puzzle that represents the body of Christ.”
I Died on July 11, 2007 During one FUAGNEM, Susie conducted a funeral—our own! She challenged us to die! The bottom line is that if we’re truly going to live for Christ, we have to die to everything: our dreams, our hopes, our futures, our wills. An actual casket stood at the front of the stage. After her message, we were challenged to write our own eulogy and totally give God everything. Susie said that if we really meant the commitment, we could seal it by walking in front of the casket and that if we looked inside we’d see a dead person. One by one, students stood and walked to the casket. Who was inside? Each person who stood at the casket! There was a large mirror inside the casket; as we peered inside, we realized the seriousness of the commitment we were making. We were choosing to die! We were deciding that we would no longer claim our lives as our own, but Christ would truly rule and reign as LORD. For many, this FUAGNEM service became a very emotional frozen moment. Students died to worthlessness, cutting, eating disorders, hopelessness, pornography, lying, bad attitudes and more. Sarah Bogert, 16, from Beaverton, Ore., shares the moment that stands out in her mind. “The journey of my spiritual growth began at the River of God FUAGNEM when Susie said that Jesus doesn’t want first place in my life—He wants all of my life. That profound thought penetrated deep within me. “I truly desired to surrender every corner of my heart to Him, and the following days were a process of learning how to do that. The night of the FUAGNEM funeral, I realized the way to fully surrender was to die. I got up before my team and said, ‘Tonight I’m nailing the coffin shut. These things no longer belong to me. They’re in God’s hands.’ That night I died to my dreams, tears, insecurities, expectations and sin. I gave them to Jesus!” Steve Russo talked about two s words. He encouraged students to surrender every part of their life to Christ by denying themselves and living unashamedly for Christ. He also reminded everyone to know their enemy: Satan. He reminded us that the Devil uses doubt, difficulties and self-sufficiency to cause
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confusion and bring us away from God. Are you feeling cold yet? Started shivering? Grab a refill on the hot chocolate because there’s LOTS more to read! And if you’re a Brio Sis who lives someplace where it’s summer right now, turn off the AC— this story should keep you nice and cool!
Brrrrrr! Every ministry day was filled with opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Each team went to their assigned location and washed hair, performed the drama and showed the love of Christ to the poor population of Lima. Looking into the eyes of children and telling them that they were loved is the perfect recipe for a frozen moment. Seventeen-year-old Alana Byrnes from Hoover, Ala., explains how a simple hug from a child totally changed her life. “On our last day of ministry, a little girl approached me. In my broken Spanish I asked her name and age. That was all I could communicate, so I just stood there. She then hugged me like so many of the kids had before, but this one was different—she never let go! My team leader told me this little girl was saying that wherever I go, she wants to follow me! This little girl had just met me, yet wanted to follow me everywhere! It made me think about my walk with Jesus; do I really want to follow Him everywhere? Do I have complete and total trust in Him, as this little girl did in me? It really made me think about how much I trust Jesus and how much I want to follow Him.” Bethanie Deveau, 15, from St. George, Utah, recalls a similar experience. “I was holding a Peruvian baby girl. We didn’t know her name, so we just called her Joy. I was humming worship songs, and I looked down, and she looked up at me and smiled. I thought, This is the face of Jesus. I felt like I was at the right place at the right time.” Fifteen year-old Esther Williams from Ketchum, Idaho, shares her frozen moment about the life-changing power of the Gospel. “On my first ministry day a family approached me. The dad said, ‘I want your happiness, I want your Jesus, I want your God.’ He pointed to his two girls, and he said, ‘I want them to have Jesus.’ Then he pointed to his wife, and he said, ‘I want her to have Jesus. Will you help us?’ “I went through the card we’d been given in our Florida training and led them all to the Lord. We were able to give the family a Bible, and I’ve never seen such gratitude!”
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Every Day Is a Ministry Day Even though we came with the purpose of ministering and sharing Christ with the Peruvians, they also taught us. Fifteen-yearold Mark Reed from Midland, Texas, explains. “The Peruvians are so happy, and they have nothing. I think it’s really a humbling experience to see how happy the kids can be. I feel so blessed to have everything I’ve got. The kids are so amazing, and they’ve taught me a big lesson. It’s going to make me appreciate things a lot more when I go back home.” Wow! Now those moments are downright freezing! But keep reading; this cold-fest isn’t over yet! 2007 Brio Girl Amy Gilbaugh, 18, from Coralville, Iowa, told me about her frozen moment that happened on a free day. The group had a few free days during the trip, which included shopping and the chance to catch up on sleep. But as Amy shares, even those days had an eternal purpose! “We had a free hour, so I really wanted to sleep in. But the Lord just would not let me. I got out of bed and went to find a quiet place at one of the cafes on our grounds. One of the servers kept coming out and asking me if I wanted anything to eat; I kept
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turning him down. I thought, Will you please leave me alone so I can find out why God has me out of bed?! That still voice was like, Amy, this is why you’re here. I started talking with the server, and he said most Peruvians had breakfast at 11 a.m. because of church, so I asked him about going to church. I thought, Duh, God, You couldn’t have given me an easier opening! We went through the whole Gospel, and I asked him if he wanted to accept Christ, and he said, ‘I want life,’ and we prayed! “God said, I’ve given you free time, but it’s My time; it’s not yours. I was looking forward to having time for myself, but no time that we have on this earth is for ourselves. God showed me that every day is a ministry day.” It’s amazing what the Lord will do when we’re obedient to Him. Sara Leach, 16, from St. David, Ariz., describes how the Lord gave her courage to share her testimony and then blessed her obedience. “When I came on this trip I was pretty nervous about sharing my testimony with people. We were working, and my project
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was all done, so our translator pulled me over to this group of women and said, ‘Just share your testimony.’ I was so nervous at first, but I did it. This woman asked me what I liked to do, and I said ‘I love music.’ And she said, ‘Oh me too, me too!’ So I started singing, and she sang along with me. We just sang and sang, and it was really cool, because I love to play music, and the Lord said, Share your testimony, and I’ll show you what I can do. Now that’s a moment that Sara will never forget!” Mallory Searcy’s frozen moment is all about perspective. Because of what she’s seen, she knows she won’t be the same. This 15-year-old from Fairhope, Ala., explains how the trip changed her. “My eyes were opened! I see things differently now. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to go back to America and live
the same life that I lived, knowing that my iPod could probably buy a house [for people in Peru]. It puts everything in perspective.”
My Frozen Moment OK, Brio Sisses, wanna know my frozen moment? Well, I couldn’t pick just one, so here are a few that impacted me. My frozen moments were about seeing the body of Christ work together during the whole trip. Watching girls (and guys!) open up and make new friends from the moment they arrived in Miami was amazing! I saw teams cooperating and coming together even when people were sick and the drama was missing major characters. I witnessed hundreds of Peruvians respond to the Gospel message and become children of God. I listened to teens share stories of surrender, finding freedom in Christ from eating disorders, cutting, drinking and many other spiritual battles during FUAGNEM services. But most of all, I saw nearly 600 American lives changed (and Canadian and Taiwanese . . . we had teens from all over the world) and more than 7,000 Peruvian lives changed. Our group truly peruved their faith, and it was definitely inspiring! And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a hot bubble bath and warm up! m
Brio sta≠er, Ashley Boyer
You Can Freeze, Too
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