Querido Puno

Querido Puno, orilla del lago Titicaca

Mi estadía ha sido tan chévere acá

¿En esta vida volveré a verte?

A esa pregunta la repuesta no sé

 

Tienes una parte muy especial de mi corazón

Aunque te debo dejar algunos consejos, cuales son:

A los menús que hacen su arroz sin sabor

A mi retorno les pido que lo cambien por favor

Me salen escalofríos solo al contemplar tu frio

Para poder superarlo, hay que dormir con el tío

A tu comida súper rica la llaman “pollo a la brasa”

Pero no compara a la comida hecha en casa

 

Sin embargo, desde ese día que vine de mi universidad

Tengo lindos recuerdos de esta ciudad:

Casi nunca aguanté comer un solo chuño

Por eso siempre me lo tomé un puño

Tu estilo preferido es ese gorro llamado el chullo

El mio tiene como setenta y cuatro colores, ¿y el tuyo?

Al ver por primera vez una alpaca en la maletera

Se sentó normal mientras manejaban en la carretera

 

Querido Puno, orilla del lago Titicaca

Mi estadía se termina acá

Sabes que te quiero muchísimo

Aunque estaré en mi país alegrísimo

Todos los días pensaré en ti

Por favor no te olvides de mi

A God Given Chapter

I’ve had a door opened wide recently during a chain of events. Let me share those events with you in the order they happened.

1. Geremías, my Peruvian counterpart, has decided to continue to nurse our infant church in Salcedo. It’s full of baby Christians and it needs more than just a person to come and preach once a week. These people need someone to disciple them and nurture them until the church can survive on it’s own spiritually and economically. This presents a problem for Geremías because he has decided to stay in Puno on a leap of faith without any type of income. I had some ideas on how to get him some money, I’d tithe to the church there among one of them.

2. There was an online broadcast hosted by Extreme on Friday, June 8th, that basically had to do with the future plans of the overall mission of Extreme. They explained future plans and needs. I emailed our director while watching it, asking out of curiosity what position would best fit me were I to continue with the next project. I didn’t want to close any doors with anybody. Other than curiosity and not wanting to close any doors, I had no other motive in emailing the director and I didn’t know why I really did.

3. Tuesday, the 12th of June, Brian, our director, called me to follow up on my email. He was trying to fit my skills with a position for Extreme. I told him the honest truth that I had to finish my studies in the States and that I just did not want to close any doors. I told him what my real skill set was, that I was willing to help, and that I get stuff done whatever it may be. He said he’d email me with more details and a possible part time job offer.

4. I received a forwarded email a few days later through the director, originating from the finance department of Extreme that detailed two listings for positions at which they think I’d perform well for about 7-10 hours a week. This was a perfect amount to balance between school and it had me elated, except for one little detail that had me questioning and even a bit resentful. For these positions, it would be necessary to raise $250 a month. I thought that if I was going to donate my time and do work for Extreme, to what did I need to pay?

5. Tuesday, the 19th of June, we left Puno to go to Cusco for our debriefing, as I would be going home in a few short days. As it turns out there was a short-term trip there and Sydney from the finance department of Extreme was on the trip along with her husband Mike. I decided to ask Sydney about this position, but really I wanted to know what was the purpose of raising $250 per month. Her husband Mike explained that every volunteer for Extreme has a minimum amount to raise, which is $250 per month. It’s purpose is to keep a commitment priority so that people are held responsible by donors. In the past, people in the States have decided that they didn’t like their job, or that they thought it was too much work, so they would just quit. It makes sense.

That answered the first part of my question, but not the second part: What is it’s purpose? Where does that money go to? Mike told me I can do with it whatever I would like after putting 9% in the administration fund. He said that I can donate it to a good cause, in order to make it easier to raise that money instead of using it for “videogames” as he said.

At that point all 5 of these events came together in one thought and I had an overwhelming sense of divine purpose: I had found the way to sustain Geremías in Puno to continue caring for the church. Instead of donating directly to him, I can donate money to him by helping Extreme and gaining experience in the finance world. It’s a win-win situation.

That’s where you come into this. I feel 100% led and confirmed by God to continue in this chapter of my life (hence the title) but yes I need to raise $250 a month. I’m asking you, dear reader, to please consider donating on a monthly or one time basis. You will be holding myself and Geremías accountable and helping sustain a church plant. I’ve already laid out the requirements on what Geremías needs to do as his part: photos, budget reports, purchase receipts, blogs, letters, updates, etc.

If feel led to donate, you can visit my page by clicking here and clicking donate or if you want more details you can email me at gmoore@extremenazarene.org or call/text me starting in July at 440 897 2372. I will get back to you immediately and will explain to you with further details about your donation and this next chapter of my life. No fear, I want you to see where your donation is going and you will be able to receive updates on a monthly basis of how these new Christians are doing in southern Peru.

Thank you so much and God bless you all.

It All Boils Down…

A little “work” update of recently occurring events. It’s all coming to a close and this weekend was a major part of the closing. The national leader of the Church of the Nazarene of Peru came to visit each of our church plants.

He, Segundo Rimarachín, was to visit and preach in our church in Salcedo on Saturday the 16th of June. It was very difficult for us because it was a Saturday, when we usually don’t have service and when people are mostly busy with the market and their chores.

We had a decent turnout though with 13 adults and 6 adults who “asked for permission” to not be there. I’d that’s pretty good, if that’s how you want to sum up my year and a half of work here in Puno.

 

We had a meeting as well the night before Rimarachín left, and he offered to get us all rotisserie chicken. Basically, he thanked us for our work that we’ve done. He said we’re not just missionaries, but that we’re heroes because we are here in Puno. He said that not just anyone comes to Puno to plant churches and stays there for a year and half. He said that it takes a special type of person. These were all very encouraging words for us as a group. I could tell that he really meant it when he thanked us, and he backed it up by giving us a plaque that says:

Church of the Nazarene

Area: Peru

To the Missionary

Garren Moore

Recognizing his labor as a missionary in the city of Puno.

2011-2012

Lima, June 2012

I appreciated this kind gesture, it’s often easy to forget that my work is not in vain, and he made it clear that it has not gone without notice in all of Peru. Obviously that is not the point of why I do this work, but it helps keep spirits up. It’s pretty ridiculous to think that I’m 21 and God has used to me plant a church here in the south of Peru.

This upcoming week consists of a debrief in Cusco, I’ll preach Sunday, then I’ll get in all my goodbyes until the 27th. It’s almost done, the bittersweet end is all too near.

Experiences

I’ve only 3 weeks exactly left here in my beloved Puno. I sense that and people around me sense that. Especially those Puneños with whom I visit and teach everyday. I can sense they’re really trying to get the most amount of memories in each diminishing day that I am with them. They’ve given me experiences and memories that I will take home with me. The difference between a short term missionary and a long term missionary is this: They are both needed by people, but the dividing factor is when the people need you, and not just someone. STV’s come to fill a certain need. LTV’s are the only ones who can fill a certain need. I’m feeling this in these last couple of weeks. People are asking us to do activities with them, not the other way around.

Paulina invited us a week in advance to have trout-head-soup. I could barely hold in my excitement for a week straight! Actually, I was praying to God that I would be able to eat the soup, for obvious reasons (look below). This is after I had eaten 2 of the 3 fish that were already in the soup. I must admit, the broth was quite savory but I did manage to pawn 2 of the 3 heads off to other partakers of this lunch. This woman has nothing but her daughter and grandson, but she has represented to me the widow who gave two coins. She lives off almost nothing everyday, but we are always welcome inside her house and almost always she has “food from the country” to share with us.

Elsa, Reina, and Theodore can’t stop talking about how I’m leaving. They tell me to stay another year or two. They invited us to a “watia” (the underground oven thing) which is like my favorite thing here ever. We spent almost 4 hours with them just making the watia, eating, conversing, reading the Bible, and praying. They always say they want to come back to the States with me. I tell them that their will always be a room or two in my house, they can work in nurseries, but they’re also in charge of getting their visa. Elsa started crying in the middle of church on Sunday and she said because Geremías and I are like her sons, or at least she’s become accustomed to that thought. She said Wednesdays (the day we visit her) will never be the same.

Miguel always asks me, “How many days are left?” And I always say, “Meh, a month” or, “A little less than a month” or whatever. And he always says that I’ve got the number of hours left in my head. We joke around often, but I’ll miss him as well because, as his wife says, we’re the only ones who understand each other.

I don’t even think Leandra is even aware that I wont be around for much longer. But I look up to her and her generosity. She gives so much (economically) to the church and makes so little. We go and sit with her every Friday, and it often seemed in vain. But little by little she has warmed up to us. I do tell her of how much time I have left here, but then she just comments something irrepliable like, “Oh so you’re going.” Not even in the question form.

Juan just commented to me last week how we have to find a wife for Geremías, since I’ve been the wife for so long. I quickly said that I was the husband and he was the wife which got a good laugh. I had never even mentioned to Juan that I was leaving so soon, but he knew somehow and I know that he was thinking about it.

We just met Cinthya about 2 months ago and I’ve laughed so hard with her multiple times that my stomach hurt. The first day we discipled her, she said she was going to name her next child “Garren” and she told me to write my name down! She say’s I’m not allowed to go because her birthday is the 29th and that I am to stay until that date. After that I can find my way home. I tell her that I’ll give her a birthday present beforehand, but her request is not fulfillable.

I guess I just feel loved when these people tell me not to go home. I haven’t felt much love from this city in general during my time here, but now I’m starting to feel it. I will miss this city, but I’ve still got much more time here for many more memories. (Also I’m feeling the love from you guys as I’ve had more skypes this week than ever before!) Please continue to pray for a strong finish, and until next time, take a listen to this.