Advent Devotion

Zechariah 4:1-14; Psalm 18:1-20, 62, 126, 147:12-20; Revelation 4:9 – 5:5; Matthew 25:1-13"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1–2“During Advent we anticipate and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In modern-day culture Christmas has become a season of consumption. As Christmas approaches we face many choices regarding shopping, schedules and more. In addition to consumer dilemmas we are faced with spiritual dilemmas. On one hand we want to observe Advent and wait for the Christ child; on the other we want to shop and wrap and bake and run ourselves ragged with all the trimmings.”*

I find myself facing my own spiritual dilemma this year. My thoughts and prayers are 3,400 miles south, focused on my Peruvian brothers and sisters in the Presbytery of Huanta, Peru.

I was blessed to participate in the 2008 and 2009 mission trips to Huanta sponsored by Sharon Church. Huanta is located in the Ayacucho Province of Peru, high in the Andes Mountains. This province was the center of the political violence that struck Peru from 1980 until 2000. By official accounts, over 60,000 Peruvians lost their lives or disappeared at the hands of Shining Path terrorists and the Peruvian military.

Several members of the Presbytery lost loved ones during this conflict. At one church in the Presbytery, six deacons were taken by terrorists from their modest sanctuary during their Sunday morning worship service, marched behind the sanctuary and shot. This year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of their deaths. The simple but poignant tribute to this anniversary, consisting of a banner with their pictures and rocks painted with messages of peace, hope and love, was proudly displayed in the lobby of Radio Amauta this summer. It was a sight I will never forget.

What saw these precious people through these horrible times? What was the source of their inner strength? I posed these very questions to Samuel Montes, President of the Presbytery this past summer. His simple answer, “God saw us through the toughest times in our lives. He is alive and among us. God is our rock and our salvation.”

Our Peruvian brothers and sisters will celebrate the Advent season modestly, but firmly rooted in the infinite joy of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Am I or are they the more blessed?

I wish you a joyous Advent season centered in the peace, hope, love and joy that the birth of our Lord and Savior brings to each of us.Almighty God, the birth of your Son is yet another example that You are indeed our rock, our fortress and our salvation. We celebrate this wondrous event with joy with our brothers and sisters around the world. Grant us peace and comfort in the knowledge that you will always be with us. We offer this simple prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Randy Ross

* From the PC (USA)’s Just Living Series, “Ideas for Reclaiming Advent and Christmas”

Anticipation

I woke up on December 13, 2009, more excited than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Today was the day that Brenda Paredes would come to Charlotte and stay with me for 3 months. She hadn’t even arrived yet, and I already didn’t want her to leave.

The idea of Brenda coming to stay with us started when we were still in Peru. We were talking about her coming to NC just as a wild idea. But as we were talking about all of the things that could take place, we realized these possibilities could become realities. By the end of the trip, we were willing to do whatever we could to make that “wild idea” achievable.

After months of planning and working out arrangements, we were beginning to finalize Brenda’s travel arrangements. But it was so far out, it seemed like eternity would pass before December 13, 2009 arrived. Of course, there was one “little” roadblock.

Brenda had to get a Visa from the Embassy before she could come to the States. Everyone was so nervous, but we prayed and prayed and prayed. Finally, the day came where Brenda would be going to the Embassy.

I was on vacation in Florida while the process of getting a Visa was taking place, and the only time I could talk to Brenda was on Facebook, once a day. Every night, I would sign on to see if Brenda had updated her profile-and it had been days since she had. I was so nervous, by then I thought there was no hope. But something was telling me to pray at that moment-so I complied. Later that night, Brenda messaged me and told me she got her Visa.

Brenda and I were good friends through our mission trip, but over 6 months, Brenda has become more than a best friend to me-she is a sister, or “hermana”.

Sarah Ross

She Has Arrived!

On Sunday, December 20, 2009, we will welcome Brenda Paredes to Sharon Church. Brenda accompanied participants on the 2009 Sharon Church Adult Mission Trip to Huanta, Peru. She worked alongside participants, translating for the group and providing invaluable insights into the culture and customs of the Andean people of Peru. She will spend approximately three months with Sharon Church’s youth as an assistant youth advisor, and is sponsored jointly by the Ministries of World Service, Christian Education, and Church Administration. A native of Peru, Brenda is nineteen years old and is in the third year of a five year program at Cesar Vallejo University in Lima. She is studying to become a translator in Spanish, English and French. She lives in Lima with her parents and a younger brother and sister. She is a member of Amen Presbyterian Church, where she also serves as a teacher and leader for pre-school and elementary school aged children. Please extend a very warm Sharon Church welcome to Brenda. Take time to get to know this incredibly special young lady. Brenda is thrilled for the opportunity to meet and spend time with the rest of her Sharon Church family.

Questions regarding Brenda’s time at Sharon Church can be directed to Randy Ross at 704-552-5573 or mrandallross@aol.com.

Brenda's Picture Album

Radio AMAUTA

We were fortunate to find a podcast within the Joining Hands Network website. One aspect of the work of the Joining Hands Network is the Bridge of Hope Fair Trade Program. They are members of the Peruvian Fair Trade Network. All support just and fair trade with Peru and the United States.

The podcast has 3 segments:

1. The Fair Trade Network and it's history in brief.
   
2. A short history of Radio AMAUTA in Huanta, from our friend Samuel Montes.
   
3. The struggles of equality and human injustices that exist in parts of Peru.
   
   For those that are having trouble with the audio link of the site, here is the link to the podcast in a text version.

We would like to thank Alexandra Buck, Joe Tobiason, Sarah Chancelor, Alissa King and Samuel Montes for their hard work and dedication to these projects.

A Time For Thanksgiving

During this Thanksgiving season, remember how fortunate we are at Sharon Presbyterian to be able to freely worship here at home and in other countries. Because of the planning and leadership, profound impressions have been made on many that have participated in the mission trips. The work of the leadership that have taken up the cause is humbling. The planning of mission trips has become a year 'round quest. We're sure that there is not a day that goes by that someone, somewhere has thought of our next mission trip. Already, we have prayer shawls being made, crafts are being prepared, time off of work or school is being planned and sale papers are being gleaned for that perfect gift for the Peruvian children. The realization of the time and talents of planning these trips has not gone unnoticed. We give thanks to Randy Ross for his talents and his leadership.

Please remember our missionary friends that are in other countries. They have accepted the challenge, taken up their cross and changed their lives to spread the word of Jesus Christ. We think how hard it is for a group of us to take a mission trip to a foreign country. And we only go for a few days! How much love, spirit and faith does it take to go for a lifetime? With their courage and service we think of Matthew 25:21... "Well done, good and faithful servant!..." Please look to the bottom left of this blog and take a few minutes to view the newsletters from just a few of our missionaries.

We are thankful for our friends in Peru who's names are at the bottom of this blog page and on our Prayer Requests list. They are friends, they are love, they are grace, they are God's spirit and they are members of God's family... and we are blessed for meeting them.

October Update

Dear Mission Trip Participants:

Van, Sarah and I had a video/audio conference Saturday morning (10/17) with Sara, Rusty and Samuel via Skype. I wanted to share some of that conversation with each of you. After seeing and speaking to our Peruvian partners, I wanted to begin planning our 2010 trip!

Samuel traveled from Huanta to Lima Friday night (yes, via bus!) to visit his daughter Yesenia and to attend a conference on the effects of deforestation in the Peruvian jungle. He met with Sara and Rusty early Saturday morning to help Sara finish the translation of the proposal for the Biblical Institute that was presented to Pastor Adrian Fernandez during our trip. As soon as I receive the translation from Sara I will pass it along to you.

Samuel asked that I send each of you greetings from all the members of the Presbytery of Huanta and to again thank you for the many gifts to the Presbytery and the Biblical Institute. He specifically asked me to tell you that the gift of your physical presence in Huanta has left a lasting mark. Samuel expressed his hope that each of you and those who visited last year but not this year will visit Huanta again.

Samuel reported that three new church groups in the mountain region have been formed since we were in Huanta. These new groups are in the process of building churches and they need benches! He asked (and I think-or at least I hope-he was half joking) if we were up to assembling 200 benches in 2010. Samuel was elected to serve in a leadership capacity in the Evangelical and Reformed Prebyterian Church of Peru (the "IEPRP") a couple of months before our trip. He has been traveling throughout Peru (Sara and Rusty have accompanied him on some of these trips) meeting with other Presbytery leaders and congregations. He told us that the love that he has received from his brothers and sisters at Sharon Church is helping him to love his brothers and sisters in other IEPRP Presbyteries.

Samuel has lost 12 pounds since our trip as he is trying to keep his diabetes in check. He looked and sounded energized and healthy. I told him that we would continue to pray for all our Peruvian Presbyterian brothers and sisters.

On a slightly different note, I think most (if not all) of you know that Sharon Church has extended an offer to Brenda Paredes to work with Sharon's youth during her three month summer break from school, basically from mid-December 2009 to mid-March 2010. Brenda has applied to the U.S. Embassy for a work/study visa and her interview is scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2009. Please keep Brenda in your thoughts and prayers as securing a visa to visit the United States is often a stressful and sometimes illogical experience.

Finally, Rusty has started his own blog about his experiences in Peru. I would invite each of you to visit his blog where I think you will gain an appreciation of the sacrifices that both he and Sara have made to serve the Lord in Peru. Link to Rusty's blog.

Thanks all.

Randy

Presbytery of Huanta Letter

Here is the link to a document from the Presbytery of Huanta to Sharon Presbyterian Church expressing gratitude for our recent visit. Thank you to Sara Armstong for the translation.

Devotions & Reflections

Each evening on our recent Peru trip we had a devotion and a time for reflection. The devotion was a quiet time to listen, be still, think and pray.
During Reflections, we had time to speak about the day or the day's events. It was a time of questions, sharing of thoughts and ideas. Below are some of the challenges and thoughts that we expressed:

• How could we get Sharon Presbyterian involved and excited?
• How can we express to the members of Sharon how it feels to travel to another part of the world?
• How can we share what we have seen?
• How can we help our members understand the hardships, struggles and poverty of other countries?
• How can we express the love and God's spirit that we have seen and received?
• We feel that it is important to return to Peru. How can we explain why?
• In the future, members from Huanta and Charlotte working together at another church that is in need.
• Sharing of prayer requests.
• Invite Huanta members to be missionaries to Sharon Presbyterian.
• Pray for those that made, gave and received the prayer shawls.
• The ability to view this blog in Spanish.

It will be our challenge to address the above ideas in the coming months.

Sunday: August 16

Most of us arrived back in Charlotte on Sunday. Beth, Kelly and Mike arrived back in Charlotte on Wednesday from their trip to Cusco.

We all had a wonderful spiritual journey. We are grateful for the planning of Randy Ross, Sara Armstrong, Rusty Edmondson and Samuel Montes. We felt safe and taken care of at every turn of our journey. It's hard to imagine the distances that we travelled, the work that we did, the people we met and the gifts that were exchanged. All in just a week.

Thank you to everyone for your donations, gifts, support and prayers.

The Peru 2009 Group

Saturday: August 15

We awoke at 5:30 am to prepare for our ride to the Ayacucho airport. Naturally, our taxis were late or nonexistent. But, in true Peruvian fashion... we found others... and we were on our way.

The early morning flight had wonderful and breathtaking scenery of the Andes mountains. As we landed in Lima, the weather was overcast and cool. We collected our bags, and had to say a goodbye to Beth, Kelly and Mike. They were flying to Cusco and then traveling on to Machu Picchu.

The remainder of the group boarded our bus for the day. We were treated to breakfast, a visit to the Musco Rafel Larco Herrera (A museum dedicated to the archaeological history of Peru), a visit to local shops and a visit to Bridge of Hope (Fair Trade Project of Peru).

Then it was time to say good bye to Brenda Paredes. We had only been with her for a few days but, we had grown to love her like one of our own family. It was sad to see her go. (She will be coming to the U.S. in December to spend 3 months in the Charlotte area). We can't wait to see her again.

A little more shopping at the Indian Market and then to a quick dinner at Larcomar (Shopping Mall). After our meal we boarded our bus for the last time and made our way to the airport for our flight back to the U.S. As we arrived at the airport, we realized it would be another sad good bye. This time it was so long to Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson. They had become more than friends in the few days we were with them. We depended on them at every turn of our journey and they did not in any way disappoint us. We all are indebted to them for a wonderful trip.

wvd

Friday: August 14

The morning devotion was provided by Rose Boelke. "Panic Prayer Is Self-Centered". As a believer in Christ, you must have the faith to tell him "God I'm Your's".

As we completed our morning devotions and breakfast, we were visited by Samuel, Pastor Gaspar and Pastor Adrian. After a their short meeting with Sara and Randy, we had to say our sad good byes to Pastor Gaspar and Pastor Adrian. Samuel stayed with us a little longer. He traveled with us to Ayacucho.

We had just a few minutes until we packed a bus "to the gills" with people and luggage for our hour and a half trip to Ayacucho. The mountains were as steep, rugged and beautiful as we remembered and the bus driver kept us alert with an action packed traverse across the Andes. Soon, we arrived at our destination in Ayacucho, the Hotel Santa Rosa. We had a few minutes to check in, freshen up and then out again for a tour of the city. We had lunch at El Nino, visited the overlook of the city and the Presbyterian Church of Ayacucho.

After visiting the church, we had to experience one of the most heart breaking and tearful events of the whole trip. We had to say good bye to our friend Samuel Montes. Samuel has always been instrumental in the planning, leadership and decision making of the Presbytery of Huanta and our trips. To many of us... he is one of the reasons that we return to Huanta. We miss him terribly.

We returned to the hotel to prepare for dinner, evening devotions, reflections and then a early bedtime. We had a early flight to Lima the next morning.

wvd

Thursday: August 13

The morning devotion lead was by Pam & David Beers. "Whom Shall I Send..." (God knows us and loves us. We travel here with a mask... God helps us remove the mask and reveals us to the people of Huanta). David issued a challenge to us. How can we as travelers express our emotions so the people at Sharon Presbyterian can feel the same as we do?

We all realized that our journey to Hunata was coming to an end. We had finished our main project of assembling, sanding and painting the benches. Since we did have a little free time though, we started sanding and painting the sanctuary of the Cristo Rey Church. We knew we would not have time to complete the whole project but, we could get a good start on it. All of the donations of clothing, shoes and books were sorted and repacked. We took lots of pictures of the sorting to show that your gifts, generosity and love made it to Huanta.

A couple of outings were planned for us. First, was a visit to the Maynay Church, where we left one of the glass crosses made by Connie. This was the church where we attended the wedding last year. Second, was a visit to Cristo Blanco on the mountain above Huanta, with the hair raising return ride back down (without guardrail). (The Stanfords and Youngs missed the return ride... they decided to walk back to town).

As we returned to the Cristo Rey Church the evening festivities were ready to begin. The freshly painted benches were lined up (thanks to David Stanford). Most of the churches of the Presbytery were represented to receive their donations and benches. Books, gifts, pictures, hugs, a computer, promises of our return to Huanta, well wishes and few tears were exchanged.

I really do think I could hold those kids... forever.

wvd

Wednesday: August 12

Morning devotions were lead by Brittany & David Stanford. "Pack Lightly" (Ask for a friendship and put all of your faith in God). Don Presson's request for a personal prayer from the Andes was granted multiple times!

By lunch time the benches were completed!

After lunch... the Soccer game. Oh, yes... THE Soccer Game! It was asked of our hosts if they would provide a team that is closer to the age of the Gringos. So the locals fielded a team with an average age of about 70.

The Gringos brought a All Star team this year. Your Galloping Gringos team consisted of Tom "Twinkle Toes" Skinner, Mike "The Ace" Young, Randy "The Athlete" Ross, Chris "Hatchet Man" Buchanan, Rusty "Quick as a Cat" Edmondson, David "Steel Curtain" Spivey and Sarah "The Secret Weapon" Ross. To the amazement (and amusement) of the record setting crowd the score was 1 all at the end of regulation! After free kicks and multiple saves by "Steel Curtain" Spivey the Galloping Gringos bring home the Huanta Cup with a 4-3 nail biter!!

That evening, a pot luck dinner was provided by the members of the Cristo Rey Church with singing, games and gifts. It was a heartwarming end to a memorable day.

We all were asked... "Will you please come back?"

wvd

Tuesday: August 11

A picturesque cool and cloudless morning. Just what we needed for our sunburn and bug bites.

The morning devotion was lead by Stephanie & David Spivey "Everyone Is Part Of A Team, One Body In Christ".

Everyone was still doing pretty well. Rose's recommendation for us to take Probiotics daily for weeks ahead of the trip seem to be a great idea. One complaint was from Phyllis... she said "her tongue was numb last night". So sorry... but, that sounded like a personal problem to me. A few of the group were experiencing a upset stomach.

As we walked through the street market to and from the Bible Institute from the hotel we often witnessed the differences in cultures. There are not many outside visitors to this area of Peru.

Brittany and Sarah got to play a little soccer with some of the local children. Randy began printing pictures for the Bible Institute students.

Tuesday was our second full day of work. As the day finished, we had assembled all but 16 benches. (We were told to sand and paint the pieces of 16 benches so they would be easier to ship to the outlying churches). We had a third day of afternoon rain.

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Monday: August 10

Our first full day of work. Everyone was doing well (health wise). The only complaint we had were those pesky bug bites. MAN they would bite and itch (for days).

The morning devotion was lead by Phyllis Action "Just Let It Go". Words that we should all live by. Also, Randy showed that he thought of everything as he pulled a McDonalds bag out and proceeded to give everyone ½ & ½ for their Peruvian coffee and he even brought Texas Pete for my eggs. (What a guy)

Samuel Montes took control of the bench construction and gave us directions on how to proceed. We had a wonderful, clear sunny day for us to begin work on our 100 benches. We made good progress and by the end of the day we had about 50 benches assembled and 20 of the 50 sanded and painted. We had rain again in the afternoon so we had to carry all of the painted benches inside the sanctuary for the night.

It was wonderful to be back. I didn't realize how much I missed everyone in Huanta.

wvd

Sunday: August 9

Our first day in Huanta. The morning devotion was lead by Tom Skinner:
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.  George Burns

We were excited about once again seeing our friends at the Cristo Rey Church. It was just as uplifting as we remembered. Cristo Rey has a new charismatic and dynamic pastor, Vlado Massõn. Those of us that visited last year noticed a significant and wonderful change in the church. Now the church has a purpose and a leader.

We visited the market for the first time and took a short walking tour of the town. We had a little time between the morning service with lunch at the Cristo Rey Church and the evening service at the Light & Life Church.

I must apologize, I was under the impression that it hardly ever rained in Huanta. Little did I know that it rained... and hard. Sunday was the first evening of 4 evenings in a row... Ugh!

Oh, yea... Sunday morning was the first major problem encountered on the trip. As I was beginning to shave for church I dropped my one and only disposable razor in the toilet. Well... do I not shave... or go in after it? (the water was clean) I had a slick face for morning worship but, I was @#$%& when I found out later that the front desk had throw away razors for 2 Solés. (about 65 cents).

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Saturday: August 8

We woke early Saturday morning at a community called Nuevo Ayachucho. Much to my disappointment, it was only 4 hours after we left Lima! After staggering off the bus (with my trusty Ambien still working) I tried to act accordingly to our hosts. Within the haze of being up for 24 hours, 4 hours of sleep, a hefty dose of Ambien and several thousand miles of travel, I felt that I was not exactly in my usual "tip top shape".

The stop was unforgettable. Our hosts were overjoyed that we had taken the time to stop and visit. They fed us breakfast and gave us a view of Peru that many do not see. The people of Nuevo Ayacucho were proud, hard working and dedicated to their God. We left one of Connie's crosses and 2 bags of donated clothing for the church. Little did we realize, that this stop, this church and these people would be some of the most powerful, moving and uplifting memories of the trip.

After breakfast, our travel continued to San Clemente, where we turned onto 24A. The road wound it's way (did I say wound... how about curved...) it's way into the Andes. Let's see... (top heavy bus+driving too fast+road too curvy+diesel fumes+4 hrs sleep= ?).

We crested the Andes mountains at about 15,000 ft. and began our decent to Ayacucho and then to Huanta. When we finally arrived in Huanta, the total bus trip took 15 ½ hours.

At devotions that evening, we were grateful for the trip and our safe travel. All of the donations made it including the Presbyterian Women books purchased by Jeannie Satterfield. We were given good news and bad news... the good news was that we were still assembling benches... the bad news... instead of 80 benches... it was 100!

wvd

Friday: August 7

We left with the anticipation and excitement of revisiting our friends in Huanta.

We had a short flight to Atlanta and a 4 hour layover until our flight to Lima... sorry no Mexican Dominoes this time... We decided to use the weight instead for children's clothing.

We arrived in Lima at about 10:30 p.m. Everyone made it through most of the security areas without much fanfare. A couple of us we're stopped in the Lima airport for a search of our luggage but, after a few questions, we were allowed to continue.

As we exit the airport we realize that our bus has not arrived. So we wait. Within 30 minutes we are greeted by Brenda Paredes and her father. Brenda is a PC(USA) young adult volunteer that travelled with us. She calls Sara Armstrong PC(USA) and Brenda advises us that Sara, her husband Rusty and Samuel Montes are on their way. Soon, the bus arrived and we were on our way south, down the Pan American Highway toward the small town of San Clemente.

With the anticipation of a 10 hour bus ride, I decided to take advantage of the open road and get a few hours of "shut eye". So, I take my trusty Ambien and within a few minutes... I'M OUT!

wvd

Congregation Giving

The breadth and depth of our Congregation's involvement in this year's trip is one I have never experienced. Some examples:

• The Prayer Shawl Ministry is knitting (19) prayer shawls for us to take on the trip.
• The Presbyterian Women made a donation towards the trip. They have also ordered and are paying for Bible Studies in Spanish for the women of the Presbytery. Incidentally, we are using the Presbyterian Women's donation and the savings of taking the bus to Huanta versus flying to Ayacucho to donate to the Presbytery so that their women can organize their own Presbyterian Women Groups. Sara Armstrong has agreed to assist them with their efforts. The Presbytery's first ever Presbyterian Women Conference is scheduled for mid-September in Huanta.
• Iris Kimble has knitted approximately 50 caps.
• The Men of the Church donated the proceeds of one of their breakfasts to the trip which was used to purchase office supplies for the Presbytery.
• The Faith Group knitted approximately 50 infant caps.
• Connie Dale has made four stained glass crosses for the Presbytery.
• And then there are the numerous donations of clothing and shoes.

All this, in light of the current economic conditions, is quite overwhelming!

Trip commissioning is scheduled for Sunday, August 2, 2009, during Worship.

Thanks all!

Randy

"With" Our Hosts

This month's post is from Rosalind Walker who participated on the trips to Peru in 2004, 2006 and 2008. She was also a welcome addition to the trips to Costa Rica in 2005 and Guatemala in 2007.

WITH is the word that immediately comes to mind when I think back on our mission trip to Huanta, Peru last August. The people of Huanta worked WITH us, they shared WITH us, they worshipped WITH us and they celebrated WITH us.

On prior trips, we have done things FOR the people that we visited. In Huanta we did things WITH the church members who opened their hearts to us. The joy I think we all experienced with them is difficult to describe. They put four days of their lives on hold for us so we could be together and work, laugh, worship and be beaten in soccer with them!

As always, the times shared with everyone who goes on our trips are so special! We are all brought together by our wish to share our faith and help others and we learn so much about each other through that journey!

Sincerely,

Roz