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Peru 2026

Church and World Cup

Church Sorry these are getting to y'all a few days behind. The internet is not strong or reliable, and long, exhausting days delayed our updates and uploads. Church Service For church we went to El Camino with all three of the pastors' families. There was a team from Chile there as well, so there was some overlap between groups. But it was so exciting as Pastor Darvin (from the team from Chile) kicked off the first youth Sunday!! He preached about Jesus healing the Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12).During the talk, there was a part where the story was acted out. It was a good illustration to help bring the story into the context of today and making the story real to those present. Discussion Groups After sharing the Bible story we all broke off into groups to discuss different questions:What parts of the story did you like? Why? What are your thoughts on what the paralytic’s friends did? Why do you think Jesus forgave first and healed second? What is getting in your way of believing in Jesus?Keilah was in a group with all local women and helping lead the discussion and translate. Many of the answers to the questions were about the love and forgiveness of Jesus. A lady who is a more prominent figure locally, was battling with questions of “Why do I want to claim to be a believer when I'm not perfect and I continue to do wrong?” which, if we are honest, is an understandable statement. A good response is that being a Christian doesn't make you perfect. It doesn't make life easy or simple. It gives us a hope in God - who is Perfect. It also shows us that we know we aren't good enough, and we need his help to become better. The pastors' wives helped explain this from their cultural perspective and it was a neat experience for Keilah to hear how the wives were explaining it. The men were also split into two groups, with one being those that speak Spanish and the other mostly the non-Spanish speakers. This was decided on the fly in order to facilitate the group discussion without needing as much back-and-forth translation. Steve was put in the group of Spanish speakers led by one of the Chileans and was able to help explain some of the questions that came up to those asking (including the drivers of the trucks). Later on some mentioned that they were disappointed to not be able to interact with some of the locals, but God was able to use that group with some of the pastors in a special way to lead a local student and he ended up making a commitment as mentioned below. After discussion circles, the kids came and showed/sang a song about what they had learned - The Wise Man builds his house upon a rock and the fool builds on sand. CommitmentsAt the end of the time, Pastor Eli asked if there were any that wanted to make a commitment. One of the young men that is also a student at the center went forward as well as two ladies of the community. Meal and World Cup Watch PartyAfter church, we all had a special meal, "Pachamanca", all together that Arnold and his family had cooked. Pachamanca is a traditional Peruvian meal cooked in the ground with hot coals and rocks using a pit dug into the ground. It was a good meal and special time to celebrate the inaugural Sunday for the El Camino youth focus. That meal led us into watching the final game for the World Cup! Go Spain! (Most people were rooting for Spain.) During that time we had fellowship, fun, and just a good time reconnecting with old friends there. Soon after the game ended, we loaded back up into the trucks and headed back to Isco for dinner and the night, as our hotel was located in Iscozacin (Isco), but our days with the schools and El Camino were located in Villa America, about 30-45 minutes apart. How You Can Partner with UsPray for the commitments made on this Sunday and that those commitments would take root in their lives. Pray for the follow-up and discipleship of those that made commitments. Pray for the monthly services at El Camino going forward and that more youth can be reached in the community.

Traveling Days

Flights The flights from San Antonio to Lima through Houston were mostly uneventful. We had arrived at the San Antonio Airport as a team at 9 a.m. In Houston we had time to get lunch and rest a bit before taking off to Lima. On the flight from Houston, there was a group of three, a group of two, and a group of 8 that were able to sit together. Keith sat in the back by himself, in time out 😅, but honestly God blessed good conversation with a gentleman that was flying to Lima to stay for a few months. Once we landed and got off the plane, we were able to pray for the gentleman as he began his trip.DUN DUN DUN Once arriving at the immigration line in Lima, it was about 12:30 am and it took about an hour or so to get through. While waiting for all of us to get through, we see Fred get pulled into a back room. We're wondering what's happening and later find out that his name got flagged by Interpol! 😯 It all worked out, but was a point of discussion and joking for a bit. Once through immigration, we picked up our bags and were just waved through customs. In CountryUnlike prior years, the ticket counters and security were open and the team was able to check the bags for the domestic flight and get through security pretty quickly. After taking a photo in front of a frog in the central area of the airport, we decided to split up, with some grabbing a bite to eat and others heading to the gate to try to get some rest. We boarded the flight about 5:30 a.m. and were able to land in Pucallpa and get checked into the hotel about 10 a.m., just over 24 hours from the start of the trip in San Antonio. Pucallpa and Beyond In the afternoon, we met up and went around the central plaza of Pucallpa as well as going down to the river to see the sights and start to get accustomed to being in Peru. We tasted chocolate and ice cream as well as getting bottled water to make sure we were keeping hydrated. The following morning after breakfast, we met our transportation to Iscozacin consisting of four trucks and a car. The first half of the trip was pretty smooth on pavement. The second half was on dirt and gravel with several water crossings, one of which was on a ferry consisting of a platform across two large canoes. One of the trucks fell behind a bit and when it caught up, it seemed to have a leak of diesel from the engine. They tightened one of the hose connections and we continued on, arriving at the hotel in Iscozacin or "Isco" about 10 hours after starting the trip. Make sure to check the Photos gallery page as pictures are constantly being uploaded by the team throughout our time here. We're writing this on Sunday. Stay tuned for the next update for news about the service and time at El Camino today. How You Can Partner with UsThank you for your prayers for our travels. Praise God for safe travels. Pray for the man Keith was able to talk to on the plane. Pray for the city of Pucallpa and the region. We saw quite a bit of spiritism symbolism in the artisan works of the souvenir shops.

Four Days... um... Zero Days Left!!

We had our last meeting this past Sunday, time is upon us. We went over some packing list items, itinerary updates, gifts, and schedules. Itinerary Updates We made sure we all downloaded the airline applications and made sure that everyone knows how to be travel ready. An update is, since we are landing in Pucallpa around 8am, we weren't going to be able to check into our hotel until 2pm. That complicated meals and luggage security more than we'd like. So we will be staying at our hotel a “second night” so that we can go directly to the hotel to our rooms and breakfast! We also got a rough estimate of what our week will be like in Villa America! A basic format of the week is that after breakfast the men and women will load up into the trucks and head out. The women will be at the local schools in the morning (changing in the day). The men will be at Villa America technical college assisting in construction until the early evening. After lunch, the women will join the men at Villa America and assist with school clubs, kids clubs, and other activities being held until we drive back to Isco for the night. Communication & Blog News With lack of cell service, or at least limited service if team members decide to get an add-on international plan, we have all started a WhatsApp group chat and included our translator, Giulianno! We are super excited to see him again. We have added a gallery to the blog site so as team members all upload pictures, you can begin to see them as we share them! Hopefully service works enough to get everything loaded 😀🤞🏼 If you'd like to get short, team wide updates, this is the link the team will be posting at. But you'll have to reload the link daily for it! https://app.managedmissions.com/OurStory/2859/94739 Gifts Gifts! The bibles have been distributed! As I won't be having to pack so many on my own! Allen, took the image of our team shirts and printed them out as stickers, allowing us to add the stickers to each Bible. He also added them to the tape measures he is gifting so that the construction workers have a Bible verse.Matthew 28:18-20 ESV [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So that's pretty neat! I think other members of the team will be taking some collapsible water bottles for the workers. Soccer balls for kids club. And school utensils for Villa America. Devotionals & Music The Turners put together a devotional book for us to have some individual devotional times during our trip. The hope is to also have team devotionals during breakfast and then a debrief at night before bed time. Doyle has been working on some songs to sing in both English and Spanish for church on Sunday. The plan is to do How Great is Our God; and potentially Open the Eyes of My Heart. Last Minute Packing Questions At the end we went over some packing list questions and just reminders that are needed before we depart. We are on the last few days as we pack, but the last minute items. Order fans, clothes, trinkets, etc. And spray our clothes with permetherin. PrayersPRAISE God we're fully funded! Pray that our families here in the States will be safe and taken care of Pray for health (as I am sick) before we embark and for a healthy, injury free trip for the team Pray for the Blocks Pray for travel safety and ease of travel Pray for memory for the orality story Pray for the hearts set before us Pray for our own headspace and hearts to be ready when we leave Pray for God's hand to be seenAnd, We're at the Airport With all the things to get done, we didn't get this published until now, while we are sitting at the gate in the airport. We are excited to get going and be sure to check the gallery page for pictures as some are starting to be uploaded.

More Logistics, Bibles, Crafts, and Site Updates

T-Minus 10 Days till Takeoff We had our last official team meeting this last week, and it's all logistics and nitty-gritties. At the meeting we talked about arriving at the airport at 9 a.m., weight limits, transportation, and being travel ready. Some little inside jokes were made referring to previous years:Someone's luggage was lost, so have a change of clothes ready Don't forget and leave your passport at home Don't have rechargeable batteries or electronics in your checked bags.We also got our team shirts made by Fred! They look great and will be a huge help to keep track of everyone during travels and through airports. Cultural Lesson Another fun topic we discussed was the cultural perspective on gifts. The Yanesha are very big on community, so anything brought will be shared. This reminded me of elementary school where, if you bring something, you bring it for everyone in the class. Some ideas proposed for gifts to take were shirts, hats, water bottles, tape measures, and more. For me (Keilah), since VBS week it's been on my heart to take Bibles for the pastors' families kids. So I'm currently trying to figure out how to pack 15 Bibles. Crafts The ladies got together and were discussing what type of craft to take with us for the kids' club and ladies' night. We debated about cross stitch, jewelry, bracelets, and ended up deciding on small jewelry boxes that everyone can decorate and put to use. 10 days!! Oh No Vacation While Keilah was attending the meeting, I (Steve) was in Williamsburg, Virginia on vacation with my wife. It was a good time away learning more about the history of the USA while visiting Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestowne, and Yorktown. We were able to be there for the 250th July 4th celebration. Photo Gallery While there, I was able to finish up (with the help of AI, 😀) the Photo Gallery section of this site where the team will be able to share photos of the trip. I hope this will help you all get a better feel of the trip and what you're helping support. Work & Home-work Work is interesting right now with increased load due to a portion of the people around being let go during a re-organization. At the same time, we have scheduled the replacement of a couple of old fiberglass tubs in two bathrooms that were long overdue and cracking. It seems like everything is ramping up just as we are trying to get ready for the trip. How You Can Partner With Us This WeekPlease pray for us as we memorize the story in Acts 19:13-20 to share with the communities. Please pray for Steve's coworkers during this time of change. Please continue to pray for the Yanesha people: That God would already be preparing the hearts of those who will hear these stories this summer. Please pray for those we encounter as we travel: That God would have us ready to share with those we meet along the way. Please continue to pray that God will bring the rest of the funds before we leave. If you know of others who might want to join the partnership: To receive notices on blog updates: Subscribe to Notifications To support the trip: Keilah (currently 92% funded): Keilah's Profile Page Steve (currently 79% funded): Steve's Profile Page In General (currently 92% funded): Wayside Chapel Peru Donation LinkThank you for your continued support and for being part of this journey with us!

Lunch, Updates, Travel, VBS, and a New Author!

Team Highlights Peruvian Lunch This last Sunday, we had a team outing to a Peruvian restaurant. It gave the new team members an opportunity to try Peruvian food, as an example of the different types of traditional plates that we may encounter. Keilah had the Lomo Saltado, as it was one of her favorite dishes when she went last time. Lomo Saltado is a traditional Peruvian stir-fry made with marinated beef, onions, tomatoes, French fries, and rice. We also had some fried yuca (casava root), fried plantains, and some yummy freshly made juices to try. Dad and I really enjoyed our passion fruit juices which was one of our favorite drinks in Ecuador. Team Updates We are 51% funded! Thank you so much for your support thus far. Please continue to pray with us as we hope to be fully funded by the end of the month. Other good news – We bought our plane tickets! That was a big relief and a big purchase at the same time. We are continuing to practice our story of Acts 19. Some of the details of the story are a little more difficult to memorize, but we are doing ok with it. Updates from Peru The Blocks have shared their own updates with us this last time. A new semester at El Camino Training Center (or "El Camino") kicked off in April and a new cohort of students finished applying in May. The expected class size was not reached as the community has a negative view on the cost and online education. Because of cost, the mission has started scholarships for more students to attend El Camino. They also gained access to a Peruvian private scholarship called Superatec; however, they are still waiting to hear if the students will receive it. As for online education, COVID really damaged the reputation it could have as the state ran everything so poorly. Besides prayer for the school issues, they are also asking for prayer on raising new missionaries, as people are retiring and countries are closing; more people have yet to hear the good news of the gospel. Local Partnership: VBS Fundraiser This last week, Wayside Chapel hosted VBS "Rainforest Falls", where roughly 400 kids and 350 volunteers attended. The sweet thing about this is that the mission of the week was the El Camino Training Center in Peru. As ‘Missions Chloe’ shared with the kids about Peru and the school there, many of the little ones had questions but were so amazed about the jungle as well. They came together and raised over $6,000 for the center that will be used for scholarships – Wow God! How You Can Partner With Us This WeekPlease pray that students receive the Superatec scholarship Please keep in prayer for the community views on online education to change. Please pray that God will bring the rest of the funds before we leave. Please pray for safe travels on this trip Please pray for the Yanesha people: That God would already be preparing the hearts of those who will hear these stories this summer. Please pray for those we encounter along the way: That God would have us ready to share with those we meet along the way. If you know of others who might want to join the partnership: To receive notices on blog updates: Subscribe to Notifications To support the trip: Keilah (currently 61% funded): Keilah's Profile Page Steve (currently 72% funded): Steve's Profile Page In General: Wayside Chapel Peru Donation LinkNew Author We introduce Keilah to the blog here as a new contributor. We will both be updating you along the way giving you a different perspective and broader viewpoint to the posts. Thank you for your continued support and for being part of this journey with us!

Building the Team and Learning to Share

We had our May team meeting this past weekend and it was good to get together again as a team while we work through the administrative items needing to be completed. This time was augmented with our sharing lunch around the tables getting to know each other better as well as having our mission partners, the Blocks, with us. We spent the time learning more about what we might be doing down in Peru (even though plans aren't completely concrete yet) and nuances on sharing the gospel in that context. The Details: Not Just Administrivia As mentioned before, a mission trip involves its fair share of paperwork necessary for the trip going smoothly. We spent some time ensuring that everyone is on track with the needed administrative items—making sure everyone has authorized the needed background checks and that everyone’s travel profiles and passports are submitted. It’s the necessary side of missions even if we'd rather skip over it to just get to the trip itself. We also started the "packing list" conversation. It’s becoming very real when you’re discussing which battery-operated fans will survive the Peru heat, finding the right power adapters, or remembering to pack eye protection for the dusty truck rides through the mountains. We even touched on cell phone options to ensure we can stay in touch. From Theory to Practice: The 3D Gospel and Orality After lunch, we had a short discussion on what we learned reading The 3D Gospel (you can read my review of the book in my previous post). If you have read my review, you know that I wouldn't recommend the book, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from it. While I might disagree with how the author proposes to solve the problem he raised, it does present how we may need to better understand cultures we may encounter and gives us "a leg up" on understanding situations we might encounter without having to learn it on our own through experience and time. We then moved from the "theory" of cultural worldviews into the "practice" of one of the ways we will be sharing the gospel while there. Meredith Block led us in a session on Orality. In the communities we will be visiting, information and truth aren't primarily passed through books or written documents, but through oral tradition—storytelling. This is especially true for the leaders and those who would be pastors in those communities. If we want the Gospel to take root, we have to learn to share it in a way that fits the "oral" heart of the community. The Story We Are Telling As part of this training, we had been asked to begin looking at Matt. 25:14-30, but in the spirit of the global church working together, we found out that another group will be in the area before us and will be sharing a different story from Acts 19 and won't be able to share with all the community. So, we will change to that same passage to be able to continue what they will have started. So, this new passage our team has been given for an assignment is Acts 19:13-20. We are asked to learn the story by memory and practice telling/teaching it and asking leading questions afterward to facilitate the engagement and learning. It’s an interesting story about spiritual authority and the power of the name of Jesus--but not just the name as a ritual or magic phrase, the name used from within a relationship with the true person behind the name. What’s also interesting is how this story links with the "Fear-Power" worldview presented in The 3D Gospel. It’s not just a hypothetical situation anymore; it’s addressing the reality of spiritual forces around us and showing that spiritual authority isn't just a formula, but comes from a genuine relationship with Jesus. Learning to tell this story accurately from memory and being ready to engage with the questions and discussions afterwards will be a challenge but we are excited to do it.How You Can Partner With Us This WeekPray for us: As we learn the story of Acts 19, that it would sink into our own hearts before we share it with others. Participate with us: Read Acts 19:13-20 and then close your Bible and try to tell the story from memory to someone close and see how much you are able to share (and learn)! Pray for the logistics: For the final pieces of paperwork and the practicalities of packing to come together without stress. Pray for the Yanesha people: That God would already be preparing the hearts of those who will hear these stories this summer. Pray for those we encounter along the way: That God would have us ready to share with those we meet along the way.Thank you for your continued support and for being part of this journey with us! If you aren't already on our team and feel led to support this mission, you can find all the details and a link to donate on my trip page: steve-in-peru.themccrackens.org.

Book Review: The 3D Gospel

As mentioned in my last post, as preparation for the upcoming trip, as a team we have been asked to read through the book "The 3D Gospel" by Jayson Georges. I mentioned I'd put in my review of the book as my next post, so here it is. I'll probably put in a follow-on section in the next post after the team discussion at our next group meeting. The 3D Gospel The book has the premise that the Gospel is too often shared using the predominant worldview of the Western World and that the rest of the world also known as the "Majority World" doesn't understand the presentation due to their culture having a different worldview. The author, Jayson Georges, developed these insights during his time in Asia. Since then, he has expanded on this framework through various books, lectures, and teaching engagements. What is "3D" Georges uses an illustration of a diamond and most only seeing one facet of the diamond. The three cultures that the subject of the book revolves around are:Guilt-Innocence: This is the primary culture and worldview in the Western world. This cultural viewpoint focuses on the law and forgiveness emphasizing the pursuit of justice and righteous living. Shame-Honor: This is a dominant culture in the East and would be characterized by a focus on inclusion and restoration of status. The people work to live with honor and avoid shame (on them or groups to which they belong). Fear-Power: This culture has a focus on spiritual forces and how to be protected from their powers. This is found primarily in tribalistic groups. The people work to appease or dominate the forces through rituals or superstitious practices.With this framework set, the book moves to show how to spread the message of the Gospel in each culture since a presentation shared from a different cultural perspective won't be grasped. Book Overview Georges introduces the whole idea through an illustration of someone from Central Asia who became a Christian after hearing a presentation from the perspective of guilt and innocence but then continued to act from a Shame/Honor or Fear/Power context. From this introduction, he concludes that the person needed to be saved from shame and fear and not only guilt. The Three Cultures He states that the guilt/innocence cultures are primarily focused on rules and laws that define right and wrong--that this is taught early and internalized in each person to know right and wrong. A person is defined by his actions. With shame/honor cultures he draws an equivalence to collectivistic cultures (focused on community). Shame and honor are how the group regards you. It's more a matter of who one is and not what one does. People are taught to maintain harmony and that they are an interdependent part of the whole. In a fear/power culture, he states that the focus is to appease the capricious spiritual powers rather than on morals or ethics. This is done usually through amulets, charms, and rituals. One wants to be in harmony with the spiritual forces around in order to live well. He finishes the section with an illustration on how one might get to a destination through accessing a map, asking people, or avoiding spiritually dangerous places. Contextualizing the Gospel After explaining the three types of cultures he then pivots to how one might contextualize the Gospel in each one.Culture Type Core Question Main NeedGuilt-Innocence Am I right or wrong? ForgivenessShame-Honor Am I worthy or unworthy? Honor/AcceptanceFear-Power Am I safe or in danger? Power/VictoryFor the guilt/innocence culture, Georges presents the familiar story focusing on God's holiness, sin as transgression, the Law, and Jesus as the sacrifice for forgiveness and righteousness. For the shame/honor culture, the story is different. God is the honorable King and was shamed in the fall. Jesus left his honor and came as a lowly human to save people from shame and restore dignity. Jesus endured the shame of the cross breaking its power restoring God's honor and removing our shame. For the fear/power culture, the narrative focuses on power. Adam disobeyed and put humanity under the kingdom of Satan. Jesus came to initiate God's kingdom and restore God's sovereignty and his followers power and dominion in his kingdom. Jesus' Death and the Cross As Jesus' death and resurrection are central to the Gospel, how does this specific event look for each culture? For the fear/power perspective, humans are enslaved and can't just get stolen back from Satan's power. Jesus paid a ransom of his life for Satan to release his authority but, as Jesus was not liable to death, he eluded Satan's control and liberated the human race. For the shame/honor perspective, humans have dishonored God and are incapable of satisfying their honor debt. Jesus was able to fully honor God and eliminated the need to exact punishment for the shame brought on. The ultimate purpose of the cross was to restore God's honor and repairs our face before God. For the guilt/innocence perspective, God's being holy and just requires that transgressions need to be punished. To forgive without punishment would be unjust. The death on the cross pays the debt of the transgressions and satisfies the requirement for punishment and allows us to be forgiven and declared righteous. My Thoughts One can tell that Georges is from a Western culture and has some experience in Eastern cultures and not much in animistic or tribal contexts as his sections on the Fear/Power groups is the smallest part without as much detail or discussion. Surprisingly, though, I would say that the section on Shame/Honor of which he puts himself forward as an expert with his website and lectures is the weakest and where he needs to stretch things to fit his premise. First Impressions To be honest, I had a hard time reading through this even though it is a short book. The logical jumps, inconsistencies, and stretching of ideas kept jumping out at me making it hard to follow the flow.He uses the Apostle Paul's preaching and writing as examples of guilt/innocence but then also says that the cultures in biblical times were primarily shame or fear based. He says that shame is most deeply about a person's being as opposed to guilt focused on what has been done, but then has all the examples of shame being some action that was done. He draws an equality between guilt worldview and individualistic cultures and between shame and collectivist cultures (and leaves fear cultures out). While there may be overlap, these seem to be different axes. He probably needs to do this though, as many of the examples in the shame sections are around community and collectivist norms rather than just shame itself. He started out talking about those in the West or from the guilt/innocence cultures doing a disservice by only showing one facet of the "diamond" (Gospel), but then goes on in the gospel presentations to build up three different narratives--one for each worldview. It seems he's falling into the same trap that he's arguing against and presenting three different "1D" Gospels rather than one coherent "3D" gospel. While he does state that all groups are a mixture of cultures and the Gospel being more than just guilt/innocence focused, he seems to add it as a caveat to any critique since he then goes right back into his main arguments for ministry in the one cultural worldview of whichever culture one might be in. In order to keep with his framework, he has some parts that seem theologically "off". Did Adam's sin in the garden shame God? Did God really lose face? Did God lose sovereignty when Satan rebelled? Is sin really just something that brings shame?Further Reflections To really wrap things up, I probably wouldn't recommend this book. I think it probably started with good intentions, but there is really something strongly missing here. He draws the theology and ministry from sociology and seems to force fit the message into the sociological framework. He talks about the Gospel being 3D and having all aspects, but then when presenting the theology or ministry to a certain group, presents his "1D" view that fits that culture. This is where I differ greatly from Georges. I have an issue when Georges presents his three "1D" gospels, trying to make the message fit the culture. While I would agree that we need to understand the culture where we minister and would agree that the Gospel can address the different cultures. Georges uses Ephesians and Genesis (the fall in the garden) to show that there is guilt, shame, and fear that are addressed. He started out criticizing the Western presentation of the gospel with a focus on guilt and innocence as not being adequate for other cultures, but then seems to push the ministry in the other cultures to only be one-dimensional as well. I would say that, while we may use cultural language and norms to gain a hearing, the presentation needs to show all aspects of the gospel and not only the one facet that is easiest for each culture to see. When Adam sinned, he was guilty of disobedience AND felt shame AND was fearful. People in individualistic cultures can feel shame or fear. There is not an equivalence between guilt/individualistic or shame/collectivist cultures either. God holds each person guilty and calls us individually. He calls us to commune with him and with each other in community. He holds believers as forgiven, bestows honor as we honor him, and calls us into the spiritual battle.

Preparation: Ourselves, Our Team, and the Details

As we look toward our departure for Peru, and specifically Villa América, this July, the mission is becoming more of a daily reality. Preparation for the trip is a process. It’s not just about hopping on a plane and arriving; it’s about preparing ourselves and inviting our community to become part of the extended team along with ensuring every small detail is handled. This month, we are focusing on the following areas: 1. Ourselves: Learning to see in "3D" We aren't just packing our bags and going; we are trying to make an impact for God's kingdom. In order to make us more effective, we need to see where our worldview might have blindspots. So, our team is currently reading and will be discussing "The 3D Gospel" by Jayson Georges. The premise of the book is that we, coming from a Western context, naturally view the Gospel through a lens of Guilt and Innocence. However, much of the world—including many indigenous communities—views the world through the lenses of Honor and Shame or Fear and Power. In reading through this book, the hope is to learn how to communicate the Good News in a way that the people of other worldviews are able to understand it in their context. The Good News of the Gospel isn't only good news for Western Cultures but is applicable in other contexts as well. I hope to have a short review of the book in the next post here. 2. Our Team: Building the Foundation A mission trip is never a solo endeavor. Right now, we are in the vital phase of building our extended support team. I am reaching out to friends and family to join me through prayer and financial partnership. I’ve been encouraged by the conversations I’ve had so far. While I have done this before while in Ecuador, that's been a while and my circle is quite different now. While only a few of us are traveling to the Amazon rainforest, it's good to know that we are sent by a larger community. If you’ve been praying for us or considering a gift, thank you for joining with us in the work this summer. 3. The Details: Safety and Stewardship Then there are the practical details that make the ministry possible. This month is one where we are going through the tasks needed to get us there. Does everyone have insurance that covers one while outside the country? Are we willing to sign the group covenant to be a part of the team? Who doesn't already have background checks done since we will be working with children? While some of this might seem a little overboard for a short term mission trip, it's necessary in this day and age. This also shows that we can go with the covering of the church and organization that our mission partners are under.How You Can Partner With Us This WeekPray for our "3D" perspective: That our team would have humble hearts as we learn to see the Gospel through new cultural lenses and understand what blindspots we might have. Pray for the logistics: That the background checks and insurance details would be completed smoothly. Financial Support: Each person is still working toward the goal of $2,500 to cover travel and ministry projects.If you feel led to support this mission, you can find all the details and a link to donate on my trip page: steve-in-peru.themccrackens.org. Thank you for standing with me as we prepare to serve the Yanesha people!

Welcome to the Mission Trip Blog

Exciting news — our Peru mission trip is officially getting underway! Our team is beginning to come together, and over the next few months we’ll be preparing, praying, and raising support for this trip. Check back here for updates as we take these first steps and share more about what’s ahead. I should add a quick note here that some of the images on the site will have AI used to build the image. This picture is an example where the picture is from Peru, but the sign and the person with the backpack have been put in using image generation.