PERU REPORT: When God Calms the Storm
“There’s no way that can be safe…”
My wife pointed to the roof of the festival stage and raised her eyebrows.
I looked up and did a double take, my eyes widening.
“Oh my gosh.”
In the half hour since we had climbed onto the stage for a sound check in Pucallpa, Peru, the temperature had dropped sharply, and the wind had begun to blow in powerful gusts.
Airborne dust from the festival grounds had reduced visibility to only a few feet on the ground and the thin fabric covering the staging had ripped loose and was now whipping dangerously in the wind like a tattered, untethered sail.
Twenty feet above us one of the metal trusses was skewing precariously. It had been attached to the framework of the stage with a small piece of rope that appeared to be only slightly larger than a hair tie - as we watched, the wind tore ferociously at the remnants of cloth still attached to the truss and sent it sliding and banging across the framing.
A half dozen Peruvian stagehands were talking animatedly and gesturing at the truss overhead, presumably arguing about who was going to climb up and try to tie it down.
“Yeah, it might be time to get off the stage…”
As if on cue, the stagehands began to wave their hands exaggeratedly in our direction.
Apparently we had correctly assessed the situation.
It was time to come down.
At the bottom of the stairs we were greeted by one of the young festival organizers. The ordinarily sweltering temperatures had dropped so sharply that he had jammed his hands into his pockets for warmth.
He looked nervous and uncomfortable.
“This is not good. It only gets this cold in Pucallpa one or two days of the year and the wind is still picking up…” he shook his head, “This is not good for the festival tonight…”
I understood what he was feeling: in partnership with On The Go Ministries, he and his team had invested a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources into reaching his community with the love of Jesus, and now the entire event event was in danger of failing because of circumstances outside of his control.
I knew what he was going through emotionally.
But I had also seen God move in many similar situations.
So many times, our team had watched God move powerfully in the face of seemingly impossible conditions. Through wild weather, power outages, sound failures - through threats and warnings and misunderstandings - we had watched God move powerfully, enabling us to share the message of redemption and freedom available through Jesus.
And so I turned to young man and smiled.
“Hey, my friend, we’ve watched God move in so many situations like this… Why don’t we pray and watch God move?”
And so we prayed.
And once again, God moved.
The wind DID die down, and despite the cold, thousands of people showed up for the night’s festival.
The BMX and strength athletes performed, we played music, and the life-changing message of Jesus was clearly presented. Hundreds of people responded on the dusty festival grounds and lives were changed forever.
At the end of the first festival night, I looked over at the young leader and smiled.
He was beaming.
God had moved once again, and drawn people to Himself. He had done it because He loves them. Enough to pursue them - enough to draw them - and enough to die for them.
And this is why we do what we do.
We just returned from ministering in the city of Pucallpa, Peru, with On The Go Ministries, culminating in a large, two night festival - God moved in powerful ways and more than 1000 people said “yes” to the forgiveness and freedom available through relationship with Jesus Christ. We praise God for everything, and we’re so thankful for your partnership in this incredible mission!
Our mandate is to reach AS MANY AS POSSIBLE with the message of Jesus – every time you pray for this ministry, support the mission financially, or share the music and the message, you help us reach thousands with the love of Jesus, and we can’t thank you enough for your partnership. Over the next few months, we’re scheduled to minister at large outreaches across the USA, and in MOLDOVA, THAILAND, and LAOS.
If you’re interested in being part of our team, here are THREE easy ways you can help:
1) PRAY: We have countless stories of being strengthened to fulfill our mission overseas as a direct result of the faithful prayer of friends like you.
2) SUPPORT: Every gift helps us reach the nations with the love and message of Jesus!
3) SHARE: Music is our tool to reach the world with this message. LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE on social media if you like it – it helps more than you know!
If you haven’t heard our latest CD, THROUGH IT, please check it out! You can listen or watch here:
