As we left for the airport I was still wondering why God might be sending me on this trip. We arrived early in the morning and got to our very simple but beautiful hostel. Over the next couple of days we would go through orientation and preparation to do our work among the young people of Lima. There just seemed to be something in the air that was simple and beautiful. Many old structures and architecture they showed a great appreciation for the culture and history of this land.
Each day we drove through the poorer parts of Lima to get to our church of destination to do the work of playing sports and teaching art to young people. What I found was young people excited to play and create. They didn’t care if it was a traditional sport like Soccer or a brand new sport like American football. They just wanted to play and enjoy the game.
In the afternoon we would do art work and again it was less about the activity and more about the opportunity to create. God clearly showed his face through playing and creating in community. Sport and art surpassed all cultural barriers. God created humans to be in community. No matter the culture the need to belong is in all of us. For these five days that is what I saw. People who couldn’t even speak to each other clearly learning from each other, praying, playing, creating and eating together. Then closing each day with a message that shared how God is active in the lives of humans, both young and old.
For myself I was once again invigorated to do youth ministry, my prayer life and desire to pray with others came alive again. I spent much of my time saying little and discerning where and how God would want me to pray among these people. It has been a long time since I have felt such a clear direction in how and when to pray.
This trip also reminded me that no matter where we go in the world, young people and leaders of young people wrestle with the same issues. Many adults are stretched in different directions and that can make it hard to connect with the young people. Trying to get adults to see the depth of what a youth ministry can do in the hearts of young people can be difficult. And some young people may be apathetic in their spiritual lives or frustrated with adults not taking them seriously enough. But what God set before us this week was a beautiful group of young people who wanted to be together to play and create and both see and hear the message of God.
In this poor neighborhood where houses look like they are falling apart, where you can find garbage and litter in the streets, you will also find a brand new basketball court where games can be played. In the middle of this park many different people pass through, talking, walking buying a snack, smiles, looks of tiredness and worry. For one week 40 young people and a slew of adults played in this park and created art in the church. But mostly we shared lives with each other. People that couldn’t always verbally communicate, yet somehow got along to be in community in the name of Jesus. God is the God of all time and transcends all cultures, he has given all of us the need to play and create in community and to belong to something bigger than ourselves. We found a clear presence of God in this place. We found the God who weaves us all together in creative patterns. I found a new love of cultures, prayer and Christians.
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