ABBA Peru- Pastor Artemio Rivera( Lima, Peru)
Where Does My Help Come From?
The Lima youth conference was quickly approaching. On July 31, thirteen hundred youth would gather at the Alianza Cristiana y Misionera church. Our coordinator team thought we were prepared, but a month before the conference, two mighty storms threatened our perfect plans.
After calculating the operation costs and rental fee of four thousand soles, we realized that the five soles we had collected per attendee would cover all the costs except for lunch. We felt uneasy asking for more as many of the youth came from regions of low income, but it also meant we would not be able to provide lunch for those who came as we did not have any funds.
But a more looming challenge presented itself. As a result of settling a five-week long regional teacher strike in Lima, the school board decided to commence Saturday classes and reduce the number of non-contact days. Now, one of those days that the students needed to attend school was July 31, the day of our conference! We pleaded with the board, but the decision was made. What could we do? We were discouraged. We could not tell the youth to intentionally miss class nor could we reschedule the revival. This year’ s conference seemed doomed to fail, but I felt God’ s words resonate deeply in my heart.
“ Depend on me, not on man!”
In faith, we opted to not cancel the conference. Fifteen days before the conference, a pastor from Villa El Salvador church came to the office to register her church youth for the conference. She asked if there was lunch for the youth and when we broke the sad news to her, she responded with the best news possible.
“ I will give 3,500 soles to provide lunch for all the youth. I do not want anyone to know my name because this is what the Lord has asked of me and put in my heart.”
I was at a complete loss for words. While it was not enough to cover the total cost, I could feel God was still not done with his promise. A few days later, I received a call from the directors of the church we were renting. They said that God had put it upon their hearts not to charge the rental fee and we could use their facilities for free. In just a week, God had provided what we could not. On the morning of the conference, we gathered in the sanctuary and prayed. We did not know how many youth would choose to miss school, but we were going to depend on God. Buses started to pull up and hundreds of youth started to pour out. God had moved the hearts of the teachers to allow the students to miss class without any repercussions!
How marvelous is our God. I believe when the psalmist says,“ How precious, oh God is your mercy! For this reason, the children of men will be protected under the shadow of your wings. This is all for the glory of God.” We thank the Lord for His grace, love, and kindness that allowed us to finish this ABBA Peru Lima conference strong. Our help is in the name of Jehovah, who made the heavens, the earth, and all living things. His mercy is forever! Amen!