Breaking Through

A Letter from Chenoa Stock, mission co-worker serving in Peru

Fall 2024

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Isaiah 43:19: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?

Dear friends,

It had been a while since I traveled above 10,000 ft., and I was happy to have a chance to do so when visiting Peru and our partners there this summer. My travels began in Cuzco (11,152 ft.), visiting our partners of the Evangelical Church of Peru (IEP) – and the landscape of the Andean Mountains of this historical city did not disappoint. As I traveled through the rural areas outside of Cuzco with Pastor Leopoldo Aguilar, our long-time partner and colleague of the IEP, it was wonderful to hear about the ministry plans being carried out for both newer and older IEP institutions. Throughout my visits, I witnessed how our partners are breaking through old patterns and forging new paths for their ministries and future.

I also visited the historical IEP Sicuani Seminary and met with its Director, Pastor Santiago Condori, and a few of the seminary’s professors. The seminary will be celebrating its 75^th anniversary next year and continues to strive to develop strong and committed faith leaders for the IEP. Though it faced some difficult challenges throughout the pandemic and continues to work to reach student enrollment numbers of pre-pandemic times, the staff of the Sicuani Seminary moved into action with the local community and found new ways to raise funds for various projects of the seminary: a new kitchen, a boys’ dormitory and bathroom, and new and updated classrooms. Their greatest dream, for which they have been searching for funds for years, is the construction of a multi-use outdoor auditorium to replace the temporary tarp they currently use. With this permanent space, they could hold their graduations and other local and denominational events without worrying about the wind or other elements. The local community has been invited to support this effort, and I would also invite you all and your congregations to do so, should you feel called to support in any way. As you can see, the IEP is doing great work to develop lay and pastoral leaders, and I know they would appreciate your support and accompaniment as they continue to search for new ways to teach and exemplify God’s word and love.

From the southeastern region of Cuzco, my next mountaintop experience was in the eastern watershed of the Andes, in the town of La Oroya (12,287 ft.). I traveled with my colleague, Jed Koball, and a youth delegation from Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. We journeyed on the long, winding bus journey from the capital, Lima, to La Oroya, passing through the peak at 15,850 ft., and finally arriving at the office of Filomena Tomaira Pacsi, a member institution of our other partner, the Peruvian Joining Hands Network. Filomena has been working on environmental justice campaigns for years, regarding human health due to contamination from extractive industries. While there, we met with members of the Youth Environmental Committee and hiked to the top of a hill on the outskirts of town, where Filomena was implementing their tree-planting project for the renewal of the land decimated by this contamination. Before any “work” was done, though, we were led in a ceremony of gratitude for Pachamama (Mother Earth) by Yolanda, the leader of the environmental committee. We sang together and made a commitment to Pachamama to love and care for her and each other.

Women who have been leading this long-time environmental struggle – 90+ year old Mama Toya, Modesta, and Yolanda – then danced together with movements that represented the digging of terraces on the hill, needed for tree planting – a “dance” they have been doing for many years. As a gesture of solidarity and hope for the future of La Oroya, the youth of La Oroya and the U.S. delegation then planted trees together on that hill. From this sacred place, one could see the “the light and shadows” of La Oroya – where the industries operate and have polluted and hurt the community and land, and where the people dig and plant trees and are rising up to heal. These youth were both breaking ground and breaking through the shadows to create new life and paths for their future.

This was only one of many powerful moments during this visit. In times of so much uncertainty in our world, it was refreshing and encouraging to see that our partners and their ministries continue to see hope and search and fight for new paths that lead to a better and more just future.

Thank you for being part of this hope through your prayers and support. I pray we can all find ways where we can break through the shadows to find and be the light of justice and love around us.

Peace,

Chenoa