By: Obed Pineda
“Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.” (Proverbs 15:17)
It was the fourth (and penultimate) day of our mission trip and all twelve teams had been conducting multiple Bible studies daily. We had been so diligently immersed in our focus of sowing the seed of the Gospel, that at one point the amount of Bible studies we had secured outnumbered the quantity of people available. Our shortage in manpower did nothing to dissuade us from continuing to press forward with our mission, but instead it encouraged us tremendously to find out just how vigorously all of us had been laboring in the fields of Arequipa. Learning about this outstanding occurrence reminded me of our Master’s words, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). This new challenge allowed us to enhance our time management skills and reliance upon one another by sharing the load between everyone, to insure that no study was left unattended. I, once again, was able to verify firsthand that where the Church is found working in solid unity in the business of our Father, there God will send the increase (cf. 1st Corinthians 1:10, 3:5-7). Like a well oiled machine, we found a way to manage dispensing all of the studies between us all, often (for the bulk of us) extending our days into nights. Despite the long hours devoted to teaching a vast amount of people God’s plan of redemption, the joy we felt from being “God’s fellow workers” fueled us to keep pressing toward the mark (1st Corinthians 3:9a, cf. Philippians 3:13-14). The souls that accepted Christ through their obedience to the Gospel constantly reminded us that our spiritual toil was not in vain, thus prompting us to “always [be] abounding in the work of the Lord” (1st Corinthians 15:58, addition OP). For this reason, our days spent focused on sharing the good news of salvation granted us the gumption to hold our peace when we were notified that the flight schedule had been changed for half of the group, when it was time to return to Lima, due to mechanical problems with the larger plane. Half of the group would fly out of Arequipa as originally scheduled in the late afternoon, but the other half had been placed on an earlier flight, leaving the airport at 5:30 am. Additionally because an ongoing glitch with the airport systems was happening worldwide, the airlines were now asking their clientele to arrive to the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights (which this flight was). This meant that those who were switched to the earlier flight would have to arrive at the airport by 3:30 am. Our director had no say in the matter as to who would be switched to that earlier flight, thus he had no control over who would stay together and who would be separated. Thankfully, my fiancé, future sister-in-law, and sister were able to remain together and on the later flight; I was not so fortunate. Discovering that I had been placed on the earlier flight made me realize that my time with many of the new friends I had made, who lived in Arequipa, had been unexpectedly cut short. Therefore, I needed to make the most of the time that I had left with them, even if it meant getting little to no sleep at all. That final night in Arequipa, was truly a special night for everyone. The immense gratitude our hosts had for us traveling to Peru to labor side-by-side in the Kingdom with them was palpable in their incredible hospitality. Even though they lived in Arequipa nor would they be traveling the following day, they chose to remain with us, rejoicing together in fervent fellowship, until it was time for us to mount the buses that would take us back to our hotel. One elderly sister took upon herself to bring from her home large pots full of hot beverages for everyone to drink to help keep us warm in the cold night. It was her way, I believe, of asking us to stay as long as we could, until it was absolutely necessary to leave. Laughter and animated chatter filled the crisp night air, attesting to the reality of the bonds that had been forged by working together in the whitened harvest of Arequipa. The fervor of their love and hospitality was so powerful, that when the hour of our departure had arrived, our director struggled with getting everyone on the buses because no one wanted to leave; him included. Thinking back on this, it brings to mind Paul’s experience when it was time for him to depart for Jerusalem. The inspired Luke describes that when Paul was prepared to depart from Miletus that “he knelt down and prayed with them all. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship” (Acts 20:36-38). Let us remember that Luke is speaking about the Ephesian elders in this pericope; the same ones Paul had worked closely with for three years (cf. Acts 20:31). The intimate bonds of brotherhood had been established between Paul and them through the arduous work that they had engaged in together. They had built that congregation from the ground up, and now he had to proceed to what the Holy Spirit had prepared for him next. Their tears and strong reaction they had to learning that they would never see him again illustrates just how tightly knitted brethren will become in the service of our Lord. Unlike Paul, I am not sure if I will ever see any of the brethren in Arequipa again, but I can say that tears were shed by many because goodbyes are never easy to do; especially for those of us whose time was shortened due to sudden the change of itinerary. It was difficult to say goodbye to all who had gathered together for this campaign, but it became even more challenging for my team & I to bid farewell to Josué, Luz, and the young Valentina because of how close we had become with that family from studying the Bible together every day that we were in Arequipa. After everyone was accounted for on each bus, our journey back home began. I fondly remember the extraordinary surprise that awaited us at the entrance of the small town where we had been laboring daily, for the last five days. As the buses approached the exit, they slowed down so that we could see a group of the brethren, holding signs saying “Thank you,” “We will miss you” and “God bless you,” and jubilantly shouting and waving at us, just like when we arrived on the first day. The last thing etched in my memory, was watching them run after the busses that carried us, shouting and cheering with great joy their appreciation for us appearing in their lives. Little did they know that their love and hospitality would bless us once more by bracing us for what followed. To be concluded…