LANCASTER, Pa. -- Whether addressing Quechua villagers in remote mountain hamlets 17,000 feet above sea level or casting vision for hundreds of North American Mennonites at an elegant banquet in Lancaster County, Rubén Carrasco, president of the Peruvian Evangelical Mennonite Church, is equally adept.

Speaking at the second annual EMM vision banquet at the Eden Resort Inn, November 3, the small-statured but fiery little Quechua preacher said, “If people in our churches are just sitting around on their butts, it’s our fault. For years we’ve been saying, ‘Come on in and take a seat!” rather than calling them to action.

Carrasco reported, however, that for the past two years the Mennonite Church in Peru has been growing at a rate of one church a month. “And we haven’t had evangelistic campaigns or gone door-to-door,” he added.

“It’s not a question of money, but of vision,” Carrasco said. “Each EMM missionary came to us with a vision. They were fathers to us. We are deeply indebted to you, and things really took off when we internalized God’s vision. Once I sent two workers to a community in the mountains. One came back disillusioned and said, ‘All they do is drink.’ The other came back and said, ‘This whole village can come to Christ!’”

“It’s important to look with God’s eyes,” Carrasco said. “It’s easy to complain about our members, but the church changed when we began to look at all people as leaders, as ministers. As the church trains and releases people, they are moving out in witness, ministry, and miracles.”

In addition to the encouraging updates from Peru, the evening included the presentation of three mission awards to outstanding EMM missionaries.

Joseph C. Shenk, who was killed in a pedestrian/vehicle accident last year, received the Rhoda E. Wenger Life Service Award for his 18 years of service in Kenya and Tanzania. David Shenk, Joseph’s brother, accepted the award on behalf of Joseph’s wife Edith and their family. In addition to his years of adult service, Joseph also grew up in Tanzania, as the son of some of the earliest EMM missionaries there, Clyde and Alta Shenk.

		Nathan and Arlene Hege received the Elam W. Stauffer Pioneer Mission Award Photo: Stephanie Knudsen.

Dick and Lois Landis received the Donald R. Jacobs Church Development Award, for their church planting work in Guatemala, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, as well as their development of the mission-supporting associations Servants of Love to Peru and Friends of the Uzbeks.

“Brother Rubén hit one out of the park,” said Jon Unger Brandt whose Advancement team planned the evening. “He inspired us, challenged us, and commended the work of EMM all in the same breath. It was a great opportunity to be blessed while engaging so many people in missions through giving to the EMM General Missions Fund that supports mission work around the world.”

-Jewel Showalter

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