Greetings from the Andes Mountains!
Our team had a busy and meaningful day of ministry here in Cuzco. This morning, our team met Missionary Cory Ricker. He and his wife, Melissa, have served as missionaries to the Deaf in Peru for 17 years and have been ministering in Cuzco for the past nine years. We are thankful for their faithful labor and for the opportunity to come alongside them today.
To extend our ministry opportunities, our team divided into two groups for the morning. One group went with the Rickers to a local school for students with special needs and disabilities. This group included Maggie Cannon, Kida Sanchez, Becky Hernandez Ramos, and David Dare. The school has a classroom specifically for Deaf children, and our team was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with those students.
As in many places around the world, Deaf children often grow up in families where parents and relatives do not know sign language. Combined with limited educational opportunities, this can lead to significant language deprivation. We saw this reflected in the classroom, where some students communicated fluently in sign while others relied primarily on simple gestures. Even with those communication barriers, it was a joy to meet each student, play games with them, and show them kindness and attention.
After playing some games with the students, Cory Ricker shared a Bible lesson using Abeka flashcards, sign language, and gestures to help act out the story. He taught about Jesus welcoming the children to come to Him and about Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter from the dead. He emphasized that Jesus knew each child’s name and that He loved them. What a precious truth for these children to hear and see demonstrated – they are known, valued, and loved by Christ.
One of the classroom helpers, a Deaf man, also shared with us about his own experience growing up Deaf and feeling isolated in a culture where many people do not know sign language. His story helped our team better understand the challenges many Deaf individuals face and deepened our appreciation for the importance of Deaf ministry. We counted it a privilege to spend time with these precious children and to reflect the love of Christ to them in a tangible way.
Becky Hernandez Ramos, a senior marketing major at PCC, was able to work with the Deaf ministry group and shared the following about her time there:
Today we had the privilege of visiting CEBE Don José de San Martín School in Cusco, where we spent time with a wonderful group of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. It was such a blessing to see how attentive they were during the Bible lessons and how eager they were to learn.
We played games together, laughed, and spent time getting to know them. Personally, I had no experience using sign language before today, but I learned how to sign my name, ask others for their names, and communicate a few basic words. Even though we spoke different languages, I was reminded that kindness, joy, and Christ’s love can be shared in so many ways.
One of the most touching parts of the day was seeing the innocence and genuine love of the children. Even though they had never met us before, they welcomed us with open hearts and simply wanted to spend time with us. It was also encouraging to watch how interested they were in hearing about Jesus as Missionary Ricker shared God’s Word. Their attention and excitement were a beautiful reminder that the Lord loves every person and desires for everyone to know Him.
Today strengthened my faith and reminded me that no barrier—including language or hearing differences—is too great for God’s love. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve these precious children and to witness His work in their lives.
The other half of our team went with Pastor Percy Huaman from Iglesia Bautista El Calvario, or Calvary Baptist Church, to a local school for ESL ministry. There, team members spent quality time investing in students through English instruction, conversation, games, and classroom interaction. Throughout this trip, our team has done an excellent job adapting to each school setting. Every group of students has had different needs, different English levels, and different opportunities for connection. We are so proud of our team members for their flexibility, creativity, and willingness to serve wherever needed.
Toward the end of the morning, our group from the Deaf school joined the rest of the team to present a career fair at the school. Similar to the vocational fair we held last week with Niños a La Vida, students rotated through different stations and heard from our team members about a variety of fields, including engineering, healthcare, vocational ministry, education, music, humanities, and more.
We can clearly see God’s hand in assembling this team. Our group includes students and leaders with a wide variety of majors, backgrounds, skills, and life experiences. Because of that, we have been able to serve in many different ways – from ESL teaching and music ministry to Deaf ministry, career presentations, children’s programs, and personal conversations. It has been exciting to see how God is using each team member’s unique gifts for His purposes.
After the career fair, we held a chapel service for all of the students. Levi Jackola and Jason Dyer helped lead a lively game of Four Corners as an icebreaker. Arturo Ledesma then led the group in worship, with Carryn Oleksy, Sara Navarrete, and Madison LeBeuf accompanying. David Dare gave a clear Gospel presentation and challenged the students to put their faith in Christ instead of good works. It was a joy to gather the students together, sing, interact, and point them once again to the truth of God’s Word.
After the school day ended, our team spent some time walking around and exploring Cuzco. We enjoyed taking in more of the city’s history, beauty, and mountain scenery before heading to the Wednesday evening service at Iglesia Bautista El Calvario. During the service, our team sang “Behold Our God,” and Maggie Cannon shared her testimony. We were encouraged by the opportunity to worship and fellowship with the church members. No matter how different our lives and cultural contexts may be, we are truly one in Christ. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Missionary Cory Ricker and Pastor Percy Huaman during our time in Cuzco.
After church, we drove about an hour and a half to Urubamba, where we will continue ministry tomorrow. In the morning, we will meet Missionary Rachel Tarvin and go with her into local schools in this area.
Jason Dyer, a sophomore missions major at PCC, shared some of his experiences today:
Waking up in a hotel room was a nice change of pace, I was able to sleep peacefully in a soft bed.
Teaching school kids English was a challenge. We got them to speak English through various games such as Four Corners and by conversing with them.
After we helped out with the school, we had lunch and had privilege of watching some traditional dances which included whips.
Once we had eaten, we went around to look at shops and clothes. I got a local futbol club’s jersey.
Church was just like at home, and it went really well. All of us being tired did our best to understand the Spanish message.
We ended the day driving up the mountains to our hotel which feels like it is in the middle of nowhere.
Please continue to pray for the health, strength, and safety of our team. Pray for open doors, clear communication, and effective Gospel outreach. Pray especially that God would prepare hearts in each school and ministry setting and that our team would be faithful to point others to Christ.
Thank you for continuing to pray on our behalf. God has been so good to us, and we are grateful for every opportunity He gives us to serve.