The Sick, the Anointed and the Called! Thursday, June 24th
Today was the festival of the Sun God here in Cusco, Peru. Thousands came from all over the world to celebrate and observe this pagan Incan holiday. With great caution we approached today, bathing it in prayer. Today was symbolic of the sin that has the people here in Cusco entangled and imprisoned in darkness. This pagan religion meshed with an unidentifiable form of Catholicism equals Idol worship! Due to the festival and 2 sick boys we voted to make today a movie day! Miles threw up, but wanted us to know he was “just joking” and that he really was just fine. Ryan made multiple trips to the bathroom, also convinced that an upset tummy should not deter us from ministry as usual. Chad and I won the battle and the boys stayed home and watched borrowed Peruvian pirated versions of UP!, National Treasure and Chicken Little.
At 1:00pm I ventured out with a group of short-termers to go and anoint and pray over sites that will eventually be evangelized by our 40/40 missionaries that arrive here in October. We drove a short distance to Santiago and joined together in prayer for the people there and then anointed the front steps of the Catholic Cathedral with oil; declaring our desire to see God’s anointing on the missionaries, on the people of Santiago and on the actual physical community!We hopped on the bus to our second site of the day. We twisted through the Andes Mountains for approximately ½ hour. On our ride we could see the top of the mountain, (pronounced Sexy Woman), where the Peruvians were offering sacrifices and performing rituals to the Sun God. My heart was torn as I was reminded once again of the grip that Satan has here in Cusco and what an amazing miracle it will be when he pierces the darkness and becomes victorious over the false gods and the darkened hearts in Peru!
Anta was our second stop to pray and anoint. We gathered in the square, which all Peruvian towns have, and we anointed it, too, with oil. We used the same prayer of dedication that Solomon did when he dedicated the temple to God in 2nd Chronicles 6:18-21. Teary-eyed we all left quietly. It was not just mindless words or acts that were preformed today, but the presence of God that showed up that will change the lives of the people in Santiago and Ante.
Tonight was awesome as well. Chad and I took out 10 members of our short-term team that are considering long term ministry with Extreme! We ate some amazing food and talked about the needs of Paraguay, Colombia and Peru (Extreme Peru 2). Each dinner guest is called to go beyond what average life holds and jump into an amazing adventure of missions work across the world. Several of them are ready to apply and jump on board very soon. Be in prayer for each one of them as they answer God’s call into ministry!
In that same breathe, thank you! Many of you reading this are a part of supporting our ministry with your love, prayers and finances as we continue to take on the amazing call God has placed on our lives! I can’t help but to be overwhelmed by the fact that if God didn’t call us, and people like us, to be a part of mobilization, this work would not be possible. No 40/40’s, no cluster support missionaries, no short term teams and no funds to plant Churches. For it is you that have made all this possible!Rachel
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