Today members of the FBC Monticello, KY Vision team, led by Pastor, Chad Fugitt, will embark on a trip that includes the whole congregation. No, they didn’t charter a 747. In preparation for the event, IMB missionaries to Peru, Alan and Sandy Stone, challenged the team to make sure “that your entire church is involved in this trip, not just the team preparing to come our way!” To explain they made an analogy with archery.
“The team coming on the vision trip is the arrow. They will come and strike at the very heart of lostness in Peru. That arrow is of no use without the bow that sends it. The bow is those back home praying, supporting, and encouraging the team as they come. Of course, both the bow and the arrow are useless without a skilled archer who is the Holy Spirit. It is His guidance that gives us the strength AND our aim. It is that aim that we will consider during this trip.”
Purpose of the trip
The purpose of this trip will not be to determine if there is an abundance of spiritual need in Peru. That has already been established by the REAP South TEAM. Instead, the vision team will be focusing on three objectives: WILL, VISION, and INFORMATION.
WILL - Seeking the WILL of God for FBC Monticello’s involvement in Peru
VISION – Considering a VISION for developing a strategy to effectively reach the lost of that region
INFORMATION – Confirming and adding to new information about the area to aid in strategy development.
Specifically, FBC Monticello is considering a LEVEL 4 commitment to a distinct people group indicated by IMB missionaries.
What will the team be doing?
In addition to the conciderations above, as they travel through the area, they will be meeting key leaders and developing relationships to gain better understanding of the culture and the exisiting structures. They will attempt to meet with city government officials, health and school directors, and other evangelical church leaders. Of course, they will also be taking advantage of any witnessing situation that avails itself.
Where will they be going?
After arriving in Lima, the team will travel by air to the mountain city of Cusco, and from there venture on to the target community of Mara. Mara is at 11,000 ft altitude, a city of around 2,200, with a surrounding rural population of about 6,000 residents. There are no Evangelical churches in Mara. Even the Catholic church there has no priest in residence and only opens for special times when a priest is present.
Who else is going?
Larry Brannin, the KBC Media Specialist, and yours truly will be accompanying the team to document the trip and to help in some of the partnering and strategy discussions. We will be in remote areas and there will be no internet service. We even have to take our own sleeping bags! So, needless to say, it will be difficult to report back during the trip, but if it becomes possible, we’ll be sure to check in with you!
