Greetings and happy Sunday!  Sorry for being late with the story this week. 

“Can you help me expand our mission in South America?” That was my question to our partner Pastor Robert Barriger of Camino de Vida Church in Lima.  A few weeks later he invited me to attend his annual Conferencia Corazon, with over 2000 attendees from all around South America.  I thought I would be just a spectator.  Was I ever wrong about that!

Robert wants all Latin America to know about us, and he took this opportunity to honor the Free Wheelchair Mission.  Thursday evening’s session started with a gripping video highlighting their experience distributing wheelchairs.  When I looked around, it seemed like all 2000 in the audience were in tears.  When the lights came on there were ten of Peru’s 120 congressmen and women on stage, gathered around one of our wheelchairs.  They asked me to join them.  A congresswoman from north Peru told her story of giving wheelchairs away in the Amazon jungle, of how the wheelchairs opened her heart to the thousands of physically disabled in her state that she never knew about.  Then she read congressional statement that formally recognized and thanked us for all we are doing for the poorest of the poor in Peru. 

Following this, there was a reception with mission directors, politicians and other influential people from Peru.  About 20 mayors and Governor Miguel Mufarech of Lima (the largest state in Peru) made testimonies of how our mission impacted their hearts and their attitudes about cooperation with Camino de Vida. 

The next day I met Natele Amprimo Pla, the Vice President of Peru, and he gave us the Peruvian Congressional metal of honor.  He praised the USA for wanting to help his country.

The doors we are opening with Camino de Vida are huge.  All of Peru knows about us!  The names of over 30,000 people are on their distribution lists, waiting for wheelchairs. 

Yesterday Pastor Robert had me attend a luncheon with all the visiting mission directors from Latin America.  It was then I realized the brilliance of his strategy, for them to witness all these events first hand.   He wanted them to see how partnering with the government for wheelchair distribution is enabling Camino de Vida to change the attitudes of a nation! 

So let me tell you one immediate outcome from these two busy days in Lima: we now have potential mission partners in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay and El Salvador.  These partners share Pastor Robert’s vision, to give the poorest of the poor national recognition, change the attitudes of nations, and use wheelchairs to build churches.

All I can say is that God had to have been listening when I asked Pastor Robert for some help!