Recent graduates and now the new directors of PROMESA, Marisol and Marina. |
Student becomes teacher: YES alumna teaches music at new discipleship training school
SAN JERONIMO, Peru – Nervous but committed, 22 church leaders showed up at the San Jeronimo church on January 24 for the first-ever Peruvian Mennonite discipleship training school (DTS) called PROMESA (PROgrama MEnonita al Servicio por Amor).
They hailed from the four main Cusco churches, as well as nearby communities where new churches have sprung up – and from as far away as Cotabambas and Santa Teresa, 12 hours by bus.
The intensive four-week DTS was internado, which meant – “bring your own sleeping bag and pillow, because you’ll be spending a month learning, eating, sleeping, and living in the church.” The only breaks were Sundays, when students visited Mennonite churches in the Cusco area.
EMM worker Dawn Weaver, who served on and led Youth Evangelism Service (YES) teams to Peru (2001-03), compared the school to a YES or Youth With A Mission (YWAM) DTS. The schedule began each day with quiet time at 5:30 a.m. and ended with “lights out” at 10 p.m. The students took turns being “leader” for a day, blowing a whistle to call students for meals and sessions, and even meting out a castigo (punishment) for latecomers – usually dish duty after the next meal. Days were filled with classes, and evenings were devoted to worship, group games, or discussion groups.
After participating in the school, Weaver said, “The biggest blessing was watching lives get transformed more into the likeness of Christ. Sometimes change is so gradual it’s hard to notice, but transformation is accelerated in this kind of setting.”
Weaver said that the group spent a night in brokenness and prayer – interceding for one of the brothers who was sick with a lung infection and needed to be hospitalized. When he returned to training the following day, they greeted him with boisterous applause and jubilant singing. “I remember similar experiences of growth and community from my own YES trainings,” she said.
But this time Weaver found herself on the other side of the desk. She and Ron Shultz, another EMM missionary, shared six days of teaching on the theme of praise and worship at the school.
“It was a crazy two weeks of planning, preparing, and teaching,” Weaver said, “but well worth the hours of lost sleep, leg cramps, and hoarse voice. The church leaders were so open and ready to learn. We taught for three hours each morning, and then facilitated guitar, voice, and piano lessons in the afternoon workshops. We even sang a hymn in four-part harmony!”
Weaver concluded, “I think it’s safe to say that these 22 people will never be the same again, and that many more DTSs are sure to follow.”
Dawn Weaver is a member of Indiantown Mennonite Church in Ephrata, Pa.
– Jewel Showalter
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