OUTREACH
IN PERU

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace”

Outreach in Peru
October 24–28, 2005
Evangelistic meetings were held in the large city of Trujillo. A bull-fighting arena, large enough to accommodate four thousand people, had been rented for the five nightly public meetings.

Despite the fact that the arena had no roof to keep the cold air out, people were still eager to attend. To attract visitors to this special spiritual event, the Peruvian Union Publishing Department printed about 220,000 small invitations plus an assortment of large posters to hang on billboards. All the believers in the Trujillo area were inspired to distribute the colorful invitations. In many sections of the city, the posters were placed on utility poles, car and house windows, and walls. Perhaps this outreach was the biggest in the history of our church in Peru.

People attended the health/spiritual meetings from different areas of Peru and from as far away as Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, U.S.A., and Spain. The support of the believers and leaders was both astounding and encouraging.
On the first night of the meetings, there was an air of excitement and great

anticipation. Some of us wondered how many people would attend and how everything would turn out. Almost one year of planning had gone into this missionary project. The day finally arrived when the gates were opened to let in the crowd. People slowly found their way to their seats in the circular stadium, and the meeting began.
Suddenly, over the massive speakers came the announcement that everyone had to immediately vacate the premises. It was a surprise and a shock to all of us. Why were the people asked to leave? The church apparently had not obtained authorization from the local authorities in the city of Trujillo to conduct these meetings. It was just heartbreaking to see all the visitors leaving the stadium, but many people waited by the entrance to see what would happen next.
After about an hour of negotiation, permission was granted to resume the meeting. It was wonderful to hear the good news. The Lord touched the hearts of the city officials to reconsider the matter.
On the third evening, we experienced a massive power failure that resulted in midnight darkness. How could we proceed with the remainder of the activities? About two thousand people had come to hear inspiring music and a health talk by Dr. Guillermo Gamallo from Spain and to see a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Jesus Wants to Change Your Life.” After about fifteen minutes, someone in the middle of the crowd offered a prayer seeking help from the Lord. The audience waited patiently,

with great expectations. During that earnest prayer the lights were restored. It was a miracle performed by God. The messages of health and redemption needed to be preached. Remember the Bible text “Ask and you shall receive.” Nothing is too hard for God—He is the light of the world.
At this time, I would like to thank all those people who contributed to the success of the evangelistic meetings—the Peruvian Union, the printers and distributors of the invitations, the translators, the clean-up crew, the musicians, the audio technicians, and, most of all, Jesus Christ. It was God who helped from the beginning to the end of this gigantic outreach. May His name be praised!
The people in Peru are very open to the gospel. Many have an inner need to follow Jesus and be saved in His kingdom. The visitors were given several opportunities to express their convictions by being asked to publicly respond to appeals to dedicate their lives to Jesus. They were asked to walk down the steps to the front of the stage. Hundreds responded to the voice of the Holy Spirit. It was very encouraging to see people who were still in search of God. From the Pen of Inspiration we read:
“It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince the soul of its need of Christ. Many are convicted of sin, and feel their need of a sin-pardoning Saviour; but they are merely dissatisfied with their pursuits and aims, and if

there is not a decided application of the truth to their hearts, if words are not spoken at the right moment, calling for decision from the weight of evidence already presented, the convicted ones pass on without identifying themselves with Christ, the golden opportunity passes, and they have not yielded, and they go farther and farther away from the truth, farther away from Jesus and never take their stand on the Lord’s side.

“Now the minister is not merely to present the Word of God in such a manner as to convince of sin in a general way, but he is to lift up Christ before his hearers. Christ’s claims upon them are to be made plain. The people should be urged to decide just now to be on the Lord’s side.” Ibid., p. 283.

Fruits from the Lord
On Sunday, October 30, a baptism was performed in a river near Trujillo. Forty-four dear souls made a covenant with God. Nine ministers stood in the flowing water to immerse the candidates for heaven. What an inspiration to all who witnessed this event! Indeed, all of heaven rejoiced with the church on earth! Christ’s commission was partially fulfilled in Peru: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19. May the Lord empower the believers to go forward by faith to lead many more souls to JESUS. God bless the work in Peru!
–Henry Dering, USA