Today marked another exceptional day of ministry here in Lima as we celebrated the wonderful success of our evangelistic concert.
We began the morning by returning to Colegio Cristiano Pionero, also known as Pioneer Christian School, where our team picked up where they left off yesterday. Team members returned to their classrooms to review what they had taught, build on previous lessons, and continue helping students strengthen their conversational English and pronunciation skills. It was a joy to see the relationships formed over the past two days continue to grow as our team invested in the students one more time.
The highlight of our morning was enjoying a special English assembly presented by the primary and secondary students. The primary students surprised us by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and reciting the pledges to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible. They concluded by singing “Let Freedom Ring,” with a reminder to celebrate both our national freedom and our spiritual freedom in Christ.
The secondary students then sang the Peruvian national anthem and gave an excellent presentation highlighting the history, geography, and culture of Peru. They did a wonderful job, and our team had such a great time watching their hard work pay off. At the conclusion of the program, we said goodbye to everyone. We truly loved our time at Colegio Cristiano Pionero and will miss the students, faculty, and staff.
In the afternoon, we headed back to Colegio San Andrés to rehearse for the concert. The program included many moving parts, with special music from our missions team, students from San Andrés, and singers from Vida Nueva Sol de La Molina. After a busy afternoon of final preparations, sound checks, and rehearsals, it was finally time for the concert to begin.
By God’s grace, the evening was an amazing success! The theme of the concert was “In Christ Alone,” and that message was woven throughout the music, testimonies, and preaching. Our team performed a variety of special music, including “Cornerstone,” “Only a Holy God,” “Behold Our God,” and several other choral and instrumental selections. Bethany Woods shared a beautiful testimony of how God has worked in her life, and David Dare preached a clear Gospel message from John 14:6, emphasizing that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.
The concert was very well received. In fact, a few individuals connected with other Christian schools in the area spoke with our team leaders afterward about the possibility of partnering together in the future. We are grateful for the way God used this concert not only as an outreach opportunity but also as a way to strengthen connections for future ministry.
We are deeply thankful for the tireless work of our team. Carryn Oleksy contributed significantly to planning the program, leading rehearsals, and conducting the choir. Maggie Cannon assisted with program planning and did a wonderful job as a featured vocalist and violinist. Sara Navarrete faithfully accompanied on the piano and flute, with Madison LeBeuf on guitar, Heather Fenison on flute, Hailey Barker on piano, and Jason Dyer on percussion. Many others served behind the scenes, rehearsed faithfully, helped with logistics, and gave their best to make the evening possible.
All of the team’s hard work came together in a beautiful way, and the audience enjoyed an evening that truly honored the Lord. We give God the glory for a wonderful night of ministry and for the opportunity to proclaim the message of Christ through music and testimony.
Carryn Oleksy, a PCC music graduate who now works on staff, shared the following testimony about the concert:
We’ve been building anticipation and excitement for tonight’s concert. We have had so few practices I never would have thought that the concert would go as well as it did. On every mission trip that I’ve had the opportunity to go on, there has been an emphasis on music at some point. I’ve seen how God can communicate through music by the words and emotions, but in reality, God can and does use music in more ways. I was encouraged to hear that tonight’s concert opened more doors to schools here in the area that we might be able to work with in the future. I am so thankful to see what God is doing on this trip. It truly is in Christ alone that we were able to do all we did.
Please continue to keep our team in prayer as we head into a busy weekend. Tomorrow, we will conduct another VBS and a youth rally in different neighborhoods in Lima. We would appreciate your prayers for the health and strength of our team, for safety on the roads, and for effective Gospel outreach.