Peruvian Mennonite Church ministers with all ages
Every
Wednesday and Friday afternoon, Paul and I head to the neighborhood of
Monte de Sión on the outskirts of Iquitos, Peru, to teach English. Our
students range from 8 to 15 years old, and as some of them also study
English in school, their knowledge of the language varies as well. We
love seeing the eagerness in our students when they remember new
concepts and their excitement when we pull out a ball for more hands-on
exercises.
In addition to Monte de Sión, we also teach
two classes in the neighborhood of Rumococha, and our teammate, Elena,
teaches two classes on Isla Bonita (Iquitos Island, in the middle of the
river).
Pastor David (featured in the video above)
explained two reasons for offering English classes as part of their
ministry. First, although Spanish is the dominant language in the city
of Iquitos, this “capital of the Peruvian Amazon” attracts a lot of
tourists, making English competency a desirable skill among job
applicants.
Second, it can help encourage our students to
get involved with the church. Many of our students also attend the
children’s ministry that takes place on Saturdays in Monte de Sión,
Rumococha, and Isla Bonita, as well as at our home—where the church
originally met—in the neighborhood of San Juan. Although most of our
students found out about the classes through the children’s ministry, a
few have started attending children’s ministry because they heard about
it in class.
During children’s ministry, kids of all ages
worship together through singing and dancing and then break up into
three groups according to age for Bible lessons. At the end, they all
gather together again for a meal before heading home. The numbers vary
from about two dozen in Isla Bonita to more than fifty in each of the
other locations.
The church’s work is inspiring, as in
addition to the children’s ministry and English classes there are
regular church services in Rumococha and Monte de Sión each Sunday
morning and evening, respectively, as well as prayer meeting on Tuesday
evenings and a young adult group on Saturday evenings.
