by Orlando Romero

To talk about the mission in Lima, it is necessary to go back to 2010. That’s when the Church of God in Mexico had contact with two families that sympathized with our church’s doctrine and regularly attended church on the Sabbath.

Some history

At the beginning of 2017, the International Ministerial Congress (currently named the International Federation) and the Church in Argentina wanted to grow the mission in Lima, so they decided to formalize the Church before the Peruvian government. An evangelistic medical campaign, carried out by SHINE Ministries, was planned for the end of that year in La Campiña in Lurigancho-Chosica, a district on the outskirts of the capital of Lima. On November 12, 2017, sponsored by the Cristo Viene ministry and the Church in Mexico, brother Jose Orlando Romero Ramirez was sent to Lima to participate in the campaign.

The following week, Argentine pastor, Jorge Gillig, an IMC representative of Zone 3 in South America, traveled to Peru to legalize our church, as it had no legal presence. Three months later, in March 2018, a missionary named Orlando and his wife, Lucia Santamaria, were preaching the gospel. Glory to God, two young people, Larissa Biena Huaymacari and Rodrigo Gonzales Cruz, decided to be baptized, becoming the firstfruits of the work.

The process to legalize our church in Peru was concluded in January 2019.

Growth of the Lima mission

The firstfruits of the evangelistic work were two 15-year-old young people. It continued, with three more young people baptized. In 2019, the mission grew to twelve members. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlando and Lucy continued preaching while respecting the security protocols. Seventeen more people were baptized by the end of 2020.

 The year 2021 was also productive because, even with the mandatory social isolation, the people received the message of good news. God touched the lives of five more people who went down to the waters of baptism. Today, the La Campiña mission has baptized thirty-two people, to the glory of God.

Opportunities and challenges

Preaching the gospel in this country is challenging, but God has been good. He has made the work grow despite the difficulty of preaching to people with a particular idiosyncrasy. In his writing, “The Being of the Peruvian,” Peruvian Medical Act (2011), author Peña describes what his own people are like:

Peruvians look at the country’s affairs and believe that these particular problems only occur in Peru. They don’t understand that everything is part of the great processes of the world. . . . Poverty and misery, incompatible with human dignity, lead a considerable amount of people to an affective, spiritual, psychic, ethical, and intellectual deficit and to an obvious risk of falling into corruption, drug trafficking, crime, smuggling, terrorism, etc.

The Peruvian mentality is marked by the past. The plundering of the country’s resources, perpetrated by the Spanish conquistadors, now generates suspicion toward foreigners in general. This complicates preaching the gospel by missionaries who come from all over the world. Despite all this, God keeps working. There are churches of various denominations throughout the country.

On the other hand, poverty in some regions far from the capital forces Peruvians from the provinces to emigrate to Lima, hoping to improve their living conditions. Because of this, new colonies and settlements have been formed. Such is the case with La Campiña, which will celebrate thirty-one years since its founding on August 30, 1993. La Campiña is home to Peruvians from remote provinces of Peru — that is, from the highlands, the Amazon rainforest, and the Andes region. Each has its different native customs and religious traditions.

Although they claim to be believers, Peruvians have native customs and religious rituals dedicated to Mother Earth, typical of the Inca worldview. This is a challenge for the missionaries. At the same time, it is also an opportunity to make the truth known to them through God’s Word.

Methods of evangelization

Evangelization in this place has been carried out in many and varied forms: for example, medical campaigns, social aid and service, booklets, knocking on doors, one-on-one evangelism, and campaigns in which members of the congregation bring a guest to church services. We have tried everything, and God has blessed our efforts. We know that this is not dependent on the missionaries’ skill, nor on the effectiveness of the methods used, but rather on God. As Acts 2:47 says, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

We believe this work will continue to grow and that we have not reached our goal. It will be necessary for the Church to support us in prayer and with financial resources. When a church contributes to missions, it joins in what God wants to do in the world. Let’s read what the Lord said to Paul in Acts 18:

“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them (vv. 9-11). Let us continue with the mission in Peru. We believe that there are still people chosen by God to be saved. The only thing left to do is go and preach.

Pastor Orlando Romero and his wife, Lucy, have completed eighteen years of service together in pastoral ministry. They are from Acapulco, Mexico, and have two daughters, Zuri and Jared (married), and two grandchildren. In 2008, the Romeros made their initial request to the Mexican Conference and Cristo Viene ministry to serve as international missionaries.