The IberoAmerican Ministries (IAM) work in Peru reaches the two extremes that capture the culture and climate of this South American country. From the southern desert region of Tacna to the mountains of Cusco, IAM work is growing in Peru.
Tacna
In 2002, a Chilean missionary couple and other IAM Teammates, commissioned by the Los Heroes Church in Maipu, Chile, set out to reach the people of Tacna with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
A Tacna woman fixes part of her home.
Tacna is a city located at the southwestern tip of Peru, in the desert region just 22 miles from the Chilean border. After starting the first church in Tacna, a second, young growing church named La Cuidad Nueva was planted in a neighboring area. Plans currently under development include building two more churches in neighboring communities.
The ministry team from La Cuidad Nueva is active in teaching courses on spiritual growth in addition to community evangelism. Dozens of teens turn out for
culto.com, a youth ministry patterned after the successful model at Los Heroes in Chile, which is staffed and supported by Peruvians, Chileans and North American Teammates.
Outside the Nueva Jerusalen church.
Children's ministry in Peru is vital. In addition to attending weekly services, young ones are eager to learn about God through Vacation Bible Schools, puppet shows, and crafts.
Cusco
The beautiful people and colors of Cusco
Serving as the gateway to Peru's most visited location and one of the 7 modern wonders of the world, Machu Picchu, Cusco is a city strongly influenced by modern tourism, Incan tradition, and the Catholic Church. Cusco is the birthplace of the Incan Empire and is nestled into the mountains of Peru at over 11,000 feet. Along with Spanish, the native language of the Incan people, Quechua, is also spoken.
In 2006, a missionary couple commissioned by the Libertad church in Maipu, planted a small church in the center of Cusco. Three years later they have moved the meeting place of their church to the hills above Cusco in the community of San Marcos.
San Marcos childrens program
In addition to providing a place of worship, the IAM Missionaries in Cusco conduct a thriving children’s program that takes place every Saturday in San Marcos. The children’s program is 80-plus strong and provides stories of the Bible, singing praises to the Lord, and art projects. This evangelical outreach is extremely important to reaching the families in San Marcos.
Life in Cusco
In late 2008, the church in San Marcos conducted its first medical clinic in an area where more than 1,000 residents received much needed medical care ranging from the treatment of stomach worms and parasites to the muscular ailments brought on by the daily steep climbing in the area. Working together with the medical team from North America provided a wonderful opportunity to reach families in the area, another great example of how short-term Teams help our efforts tremendously.
The first medical clinic in the San Marcos area of Cusco