Photo essay: LCMS missionaries show God’s love to children in Peru
Kevin Armbrust
Story by Kevin Armbrust
Photos by Erik M. Lunsford
“You can’t fix everything. A lot of the situations you see … you want to help them all,” says LCMS missionary Rev. Eddie Hosch of the people living amid poverty and other hardships in Lima, Peru.
What’s really important, he adds, is “to remind them that they are valuable in God’s eyes. They can always know that God is with them and that Jesus died for them.”
That message has been embraced by many of the children who receive food for both body and soul from three Lutheran ministries that operate in this city as Castillo Fuerte: Casa de Misericordia, or Mighty Fortress: House of Mercy. Each provides after-school care, tutoring and meals along with opportunities to study the Bible and take part in worship.
Four young ladies who were taught the faith at Castillo Fuerte in La Victoria were confirmed Nov. 4, along with two adults.
Among the confirmands were Fernando and his two daughters, Victoria and Naomi, who sparked their father’s interest in Christianity. When he saw them reading the Bible and learning about Jesus, he, too, “wanted to learn more about the Gospel,” he said.
Hosch notes that the ministries that are making a difference on the streets of Peru are “centered on the Word of God.
“We have joy and freedom because we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he explains, and “because we have the Gospel, we provide more than just help. We provide love in Christ, just as He has loved us.”
The Rev. Eddie Hosch, LCMS career missionary to Peru, blesses children during communion at Castillo Fuerte on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, in the La Victoria district of Lima, Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
The Rev. Eddie Hosch, LCMS career missionary to Peru, leads worship at the Castillo Fuerte site in San Juan de Lurigancho on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
Children paint Luther Rose woodcuts during an activity at Castillo Fuerte in San Juan de Lurigancho on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
The sun sets over San Juan de Lurigancho on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
Streetlights spotlight the street at dusk seen from the La Mision Luterana Del Peru office on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Lima, Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
Deaconess Caitlin Worden de Ramírez, LCMS career missionary to Peru, assisted by Deaconess Jacqueline Duke, fellow LCMS career missionary to Peru, works with children following worship at La Mision Luterana Del Peru at Los Olivos on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
Worshipers gather for fellowship following a service at La Mision Luterana Del Peru at Los Olivos on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in the Los Olivos area of Lima, Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
The Rev. Cullen Duke, LCMS career missionary to Peru, leads worship at La Mision Luterana Del Peru at Los Olivos on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in the Los Olivos area of Lima, Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
The Rev. Eddie Hosch, LCMS career missionary to Peru, receives hugs from new confirmands and friends following fellowship and worship at Castillo Fuerte on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, in the La Victoria district of Lima, Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
Deaconess Jacqueline Duke, LCMS career missionary to Peru, sits with children from Castillo Fuerte as they listen to a Bible activity on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, in the La Victoria district of Lima, Peru. (LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford)
Dr. Kevin L. Armbrust (kevin.armbrust@lcms.org) is manager of Editorial Services for LCMS Communications.
Erik M. Lunsford (erik.lunsford@lcms.org) is managing photojournalist for LCMS Communications.
