Off to Peru

After a long time of not communicating via blog, I am going to resurrect it for my journey to Peru, which will begin on January 9, 2019, and end with my return to Iowa on March 26.

In between going to Laredo way back in 2014  and this trip to Peru, I have spent several winters in Costa Rica at the Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana (UBL) as a volunteer in the library.  It is a small seminary founded in the early ‘teens by a Methodist missionary and a Presbyterian missionary.  These two denominations continue to be the major supporters.  It is small and progressive and hosts students from all over Latin America from many denominations.  The professors likewise are from many denominations.  Due to rising costs of travel by students, the UBL has gone to a distance learning model.  A few students are able to receive scholarships and clear their calendars for several semesters in residence, but the majority now learn via SKYPE and their computers.

The last time I spent a winter in the library, January to March of 2017, I met an inspiring young Peruvian named Nataly Romero.  She was studying theology to become a pastor in the Peruvian Methodist Church.  I became an admirer of Nataly because she is very assertive about the importance of women being able to serve as ministers.  She also defies some cultural norms by being a single Latina who is not interested in placing marriage and children first on her agenda.   The church is where she wants to put her time and energy.

Here I digress: while teaching ESL for five years in Marshalltown, I remember upon meeting Mexican mothers at school conferences with our fail their first question to me was, how many children do you have?  These Mexicans defined themselves as mothers first.  How interesting to meet a young Latina who is not placing motherhood first on her agenda!

So, I want to become better acquainted with Nataly as a young professional.  I am curious to learn how representative she is of her young generation of Peruvian women.   I am also curious to learn more about the Peruvian Methodist Church, especially its attitude toward women pastors.

When I visited Nataly last spring, I proposed that I come to room with her and be a “judy of all trades.”  She is living alone at the parsonage and doesn’t have a church secretary or much help with church duties, so I offered to come and do whatever possible to help out.  We’ll see what that entails!   What are the people of Peru who call themselves Methodist like?  In a very predominantly Catholic country, what kind of person becomes an “evangelical,”  which is what Protestants call themselves.  How did the Peruvian Methodist Church become progressive enough to ordain women?  Is this a young and growing church?

I am also wondering how Nataly is getting along since I first visited with her last May.  At that time, she was beginning with the mission of rebuilding the congregation.  The previous pastor had lived only part-time in the parsonage, as his family was in another city about an hour or so from Tarma, location of the church Nataly is serving.   Since he was only there a few days of the week, some duties seem to have been neglected.  Nataly is a fulltime resident and very enthusiastic about rebuilding the church community. She is also coping with a situation that had happened a few years before her arrival when a pastor had some differences with the district superintendent and committee and left taking half the congregation with him.  Many challenges!!

Another interesting project that the church in Tarma was involved in at the time of my May visit was the use of industrial sewing machines set up in the basement of the main building.  It seems that at some point in the not too distant past, the district UMW, or its Peruvian equivalent, had requested industrial sewing machines to give women some income.  The machines arrived quite quickly from the UMW in the United States and the district committee had to decide where to place them.  Tarma was chosen.  At that point in time, there was a young pastor who got the ball rolling with some instruction.  Then he was moved and the following pastor, to whom I referred earlier, didn’t follow up. So, when Nataly arrived, there were some eight industrical sewing machines in good shape in the basement with no one using them.  The district superintendent had challenged her to find an instructor and put the sewing machines to use.  I hear from her that she has women busy at sewing bread bags and I am curious to learn more.

Another project in the waiting is general updating and maintenance of the church facility.  The bathrooms were not working when I was there last May.  There was a small library that had been neglected.  The kitchen area was in need of a face lift.  The Sunday School rooms in the basement were generally unappealing and needing a paint job.  Just lots of neglected tasks had piled up and, perhaps, a lack of fund-raising as well.  The district had fixed up the parsonage for Nataly, so that investment of money was well-worth it to give her a pleasant place, mostly due to some elbow grease on the part of her mom and brother who did the painting.  All in all, the parsonage is in good shape and very pleasant, if simple. There are three bedrooms, so there’s a nice space for me!!  All the floors are cement–no carpet.  Remember, all laundry will be washed by hand and there’s no oven, so no baking.  However, there is a frig and a microwave, so good news there.  There is internet!   I am wondering if the congregation has prioritized any repairs and upgrading of the church building itself.  My agreement with Nataly is to pay her rent, which will go to the church funds.

So, off I go to Peru and you are welcome to join me.  We will see what Methodism is like in Peru in 2019, or at least in Tarma.  We’ll meet a young woman professional who is defining herself by her faith commitment rather than her place as a wife or mother.   Nataly confided in me that she wants to teach  other pastors who haven’t had the benefit of the education offered in Costa Rica at the UBL seminary.  She would even like to become a professor of theology one day.  I’ll be excited to learn how she has grown and changed since I last spent time with her.  Come along with me.