Gringito in Peru -- Patrick's perspective

Our good friend, Patrick, spent a week with us and we were sad to see him go. It is encouraging to share life and ministry with friends. We're thankful for the time Patrick took to come visit and share with us. While he was here he kept a blog of his experience. I've posted a portion of his writings below.

Patrick arrived on the same flight as Leeland and was able to participate in the usual 'Bienvenido' Ryan shares with each team that arrives...

"Sometimes people are so poor all they have is money"

Over a delicious lunch of remarkable Peruvian sandwiches, we heard from Ryan-- my host, long-time friend, and head of FH in Peru-- about the history of the organization in this country, and some new initiatives underway. It excites me to hear Ryan describe how a recent FH initiative began with the question of, "What are the issues facing these communities we desire to assist?" This is different than the starting point of "They need health care/food/clean clothes, etc." They may very well need those things, but what if there's something else these communities deal with that we don't know about until we ask?

This is a kernel, and Ryan shared much more of the whole bowl of popcorn (metaphor fail?) that I will digest this evening. Discussing the reciprocal nature of ministry, he dropped the title quote of this post-- given to him by a colleague-- and wondered if the spiritual transformation many of us need is held in the hands of the poor. Maybe we are here to participate in a relationship that will transform both parties.